Category: public posts
The select public posts from syn·op·sis, written and reviewed by iSci students at McMaster University. Each post is interdisciplinary in nature, and a wide variety of subject matter is covered. So sit back, relax, and start learning.
-
Challenging ALS: From Ice Buckets to Clinical Trials
Many of us would like to believe that “the Ice Bucket Challenge was the beginning of ending ALS” as phrased by Pat Quinn, one of the Ice Bucket Challenge founders (Sohn, 2017). In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised global awareness and millions of dollars for research on the neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).…
-
The Unsettling Concussion Crisis in American Football
American football is one of the most popular yet violent sports in the world; each season, players accrue injuries ranging from common sprains to career-threatening spinal fractures (Saal, 1991). In the United States, football continues to account for the highest proportion of concussions, a trauma now emerging as a significant health risk to long-term cognition,…
-
Curare: the False Anaesthetic
The introduction of plant medicines from Indigenous cultures into the West by ethnobotanists drives the development of novel medical and research tools (Heinrich and Gibbons, 2001). This was the case in the 18th and 19th century when explorers and pharmacologists set out to understand curare, an arrow poison used by Amazonian tribes in regions of…
-
Antivirals from yours truly: Another virus
Viruses have taken the spotlight in recent years, no matter how much we want them gone. We normally think of these agents as something dangerous and harmful, which is not always true. There are many many viruses that have benefitted humanity, such as ancient retroviral DNA integrated into our genome that helps us get rid…
-
Our Tadpole Origins
Have you ever rummaged through a memory box and stumbled upon some kindergarten self-portraits? Your earliest depictions of the human form were probably peculiar, and by no means anatomically accurate. When most children begin drawing humans, their sketches consist of a round head and a pair of lines representing legs, but interestingly, the torso is…
-
Impact of Climate Change on Grapevine Genetics and Wine
It is no surprise that our changing climate does not only affect humans. Plants are also greatly impacted by environmental fluctuations, especially grapevines. Viticulture is the farming of grapevines used in winemaking and this agricultural system is recognized as an indicator of climate change due to its climate sensitivity; the lifecycle of grapevines, is so…
-
The One-Man Environmental Disaster
The story of Thomas Midgley Jr. is a cautionary tale of the power of scientific research, and its consequent potential dangers. As an engineer with over 100 patents by the end of his career, Midgley (Figure 1) could always be expected to be working on the next big breakthrough (National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2003).…
-
Heavy Metals and Crop Contamination
Implementing a sustainable framework for agriculture to promote food security and produce safe food is a facet of goal two within the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2022). However, as the world becomes increasingly industrialized, environmental contaminants are released from more and more anthropogenic sources, particularly from the fields of agriculture and industry,…
-
Bedtime Procrastination
Before you begin reading, please take the time to respond to each of the following nine phrases with a simple yes or no (Kroese et al., 2014). I go to bed later than I intended to. I go to bed late, even if I have to get up early in the morning. If it is…
-
Fly Away Little Salamander
Humans have long been fascinated by flight. As a dominant terrestrial species, the notion of sustained suspension in the air has created a wonder that transcends both cultures and generations (Alexander, 2002). While the flight of birds has created an entire industry, from bird watching to backyard feeders (Tobalske, 2006), many other species have mastered…