Author: isci

One of the most important social issues we are bombarded with daily is climate change. But why should we care? Why shouldn’t we burn more fossil fuels, use more plastic, and drive longer distances? Don’t all of these things improve our quality of life? While the impacts of climate change may not be perceived to…

The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth, with some estimates that it is warming over three times the average global rate (Comiso, 2016). While exact numbers may not be common knowledge, the fact of the warming Arctic is not new news; we know that sea ice is melting and that polar…

One of the most prominent issues in a first world country such as Canada relates to the abuse of illegal street drugs such as heroin. Thus, any treatments involving drugs are controversial, as addiction is extremely difficult to overcome. In order to gain a holistic understanding, it is vital that this issue be studied from…

In November 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui ignited controversy in the scientific community by revealing he had edited the genomes of twin embryos known as Lulu and Nana to be resistant to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Cohen, 2019). Many researchers were horrified that genetic manipulation was performed on a human being. However, He justified his…

A commonly understated aspect of food cultivation and processing is the important role of radiation. While it is known that radiation emanating from the sun or microwaves emitted by household kitchen appliances are useful for heating and maintaining food, the lesser-applied forms of ionizing radiation have equally promising utility. The notion of food irradiation as…

You may have heard of Spotify for Student, Individual, and Family, but can you imagine “Spotify for Plant”? That’s right. Plants listen to music (Figure 1). Although plants don’t perceive music the same way we do, they are certainly affected by varying levels of sonication. As discussed below, several studies have shown the effects of…

Confucius, an influential philosopher in 450 BC, once said “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand” (Sims, 2002). To achieve deep learning, students need exposure to new behaviours, skills, and settings. In contrast to the traditional classroom and lecture-based teaching styles, experiential learning requires…

What do you think of when someone asks you to picture going on a long run? A runner’s high was described by the neuroscientist Arnold Mandell in the 1970’s as “Colours are bright and beautiful, water sparkles, clouds breathe, and my body, swimming, detaches from the Earth” (Hutchinson, 2019). This description isn’t the image that…

For many of us, when we fall ill with a cough, flu, or sore throat, our first instinct is to visit a doctor to seek relief of our symptoms. A few hours later, we leave the clinic armed with antibiotics that will seemingly treat everything from sinus infections to strep throat. However, as miraculous as…