Our bodies aim to maintain homeostasis: a constant balance of all minerals and ions. This is why it is tiring when we move towards high elevations where our bodies adapt by creating more red blood cells. Similarly, as fish move between salinities, they must adapt to the change in ions which is harder than it […]
The History of Outside Time
By Maya Kennedy Amidst the craziness of our world, one thing has remained constant: the endless Instagram posts of Vancouver nature. People always spend time outside, of course. But why does it seem everyone has become a sudden nature nut? Is spending outside time really so important? A Brief Blast to the Past Science has […]
Blue Jays Aren’t Blue
In our industrialized world, blue is one of the most common colours, lining our clothes, cars, and furniture. However, this was not always the case. 20,000 years ago, cave paintings did not depict the use of blue dye. The ancient Greeks only used vague descriptors to describe blue objects like the colour of the sea. […]
Blue light Night fright
At 8:00 pm my phone screen turns a slightly orange hue. Why? Well alike to many people, I use turn on the night shift feature to decrease my exposure to blue light. By now, many people are now aware that blue light hinders sleep. Yet, if that’s the case, why do we even look at […]
The Bullet Ant; Most painful sting
“Bullet Ant” © by chriswalts, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 On the face of the Earth, there is a vast amount of painful things known to humankind. One of those things, or more specifically one of those stings is from the Bullet Ant. These ants are most commonly found in Central America, in humid and warm rainforest […]
Debugging the Need for Vitamin D
By: Radhika Bajaj With spring just rounding the corner and the time of bright sunny days approaching, it’s the end for vitamin D season. Over the past few years many dietitians and doctors have expressed the need for people to take vitamin D supplements. This is especially true in Vancouver during October to March when […]
How Animals Impact Wildfires
Written By: Angela Hu With our world warming at the pace it is, wildfires are going to become more common. Can we regulate these fires by studying animal behaviour? Claire Foster of the Australian National University recently published a review in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. In it, she examined how the activity of animal’s […]
The Dangers of Plastic on Sea Turtles
by Risa Shimmura Time and time again we hear about sea turtles eating plastic bags and getting stuck in debris in the ocean. However, have you ever wondered why this occurs so often? As plastic finds its way to the ocean, it is found that all kinds of sea creatures interact and consume it. However, […]
Bacteriophages
In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. His discovery was purely accidental. Despite originating from a humble mold, penicillin revolutionized medicine. Soon life threatening bacterial infections become minor complications. However, after several years of use, we ran into a problem. Bacteria developed resistance to penicillin and antibiotics, and we saw the rise of superbugs. These […]
Consequences of a Tired Brain
With exam season coming up, sleep is put on the back burner as students stay up those extra few hours to get an A on their finals. Though minor sleep deprivation isn’t anything to fret about, chronic sleep deprivation is. According to a study in 2006, 87% of US teens suffered from chronic sleep deprivation. […]