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.

  • Your Chemistry Teacher Lied to You

    Your Chemistry Teacher Lied to You

    Throughout an individual’s chemistry education, it is typically taught that we see one, two, or three bonds between atoms, also known as a bond order of one, two, and three respectively. It is instilled in students that elements can not have more than four bonds, but that is not entirely true. Certain properties of transition…

  • CAGE in Transdermal Drug Delivery

    Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are unique classes of liquids with remarkable properties. Traditionally they have been used in industrial settings and as green solvents, however, their use in drug delivery has been a topic of recent interest (Mitragotri 2024; Shukla et al. 2023). While very similar, ILs and DESs are separate…

  • Preferences and Product Positioning

    Preferences and Product Positioning

    Impulsive purchases, trending products, and other transactions all share a commonality: they are often driven by carefully designed advertising strategies. Over the past few decades, digital advertising has revolutionized consumer engagement, enabling the advertisement industry to expand significantly (Baslandze et al. 2023). Strategies like product positioning are utilized throughout online media and physical establishments, effectively…

  • Protein or Poison: The Rise of the Glorified Candy Bar

    Protein or Poison: The Rise of the Glorified Candy Bar

    Marketed as a convenient source of nutrition for busy and health-conscious individuals, protein bars have sky-rocketed in popularity on the global market. Although initially intended to boost post-workout recovery for physically active individuals, the abuse of protein bars as low-carbohydrate meal replacements or snacks by all consumers has become prevalent (Jovanov et al. 2021). However,…

  • Reversing Drug Resistance in Cancer Cells

    Reversing Drug Resistance in Cancer Cells

    Cancer is a prevalent illness that many develop, often leading to death. Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Canada, as 1 in 4 Canadians die from cancer, and 2 in 5 are expected to be diagnosed with it at some point in their lives (Government of Canada 2021). Apart from being very widespread,…

  • Nuclear mass defect- Does 1+1 really equal 2?

    Nuclear mass defect- Does 1+1 really equal 2?

    As early as toddlerhood, our brains have been ingrained with the fundamental principle that one plus one equals two. This notion: that when you add two things together, you achieve a sum that is larger than either of the two original inputs, is near common sense. However, as in all sectors science, there are exceptions…

  • Beyond Bioinvasion: Uncovering the Mutualistic Benefits of Human-Ornamental Plant Relationships

    Beyond Bioinvasion: Uncovering the Mutualistic Benefits of Human-Ornamental Plant Relationships

    The symbiosis between humans and ornamental or “domesticated” plants should be studied for insight regarding mutualism and the negative effects of exploitative relationships. Mutualism, as defined by modern ecological scientists, provides evolutionary fitness benefits and increases the likelihood of genetic transfer (Herre et al. 1999). Since the Neolithic period from around 8000 BC to 3000…

  • Room-Temperature Superconductivity?

    Room-Temperature Superconductivity?

    Have you ever noticed that when your laptop is running for sometime it begins to get warm? A common issue across industry, research and even day-to-day activities is overheating technology. Due to electrical resistance in device components, most technology produces heat as a by-product. Electrical resistance was a difficult phenomenon to overcome, but it started…

  • Ancient Fish, Modern Foundations:  How Coelacanth Fish Reshape Architecture

    Ancient Fish, Modern Foundations: How Coelacanth Fish Reshape Architecture

    In the grand battle of mass extinction, many species didn’t stand a chance, with creatures like the wooly mammoth, saber tooth tiger, and dinosaurs, all slowly becoming victims to time. To this day, many of these creatures still remain widely unknown, leaving their physiology and behavioural nature as a mystery. Yet despite the passing years, one species…

  • Getting to the Root of Plants – With X-Rays!

    Getting to the Root of Plants – With X-Rays!

    Studying things we cannot see has always been a challenge in science. Places like space, the deep ocean, and underground have always been lacking in research, simply because we cannot access them. One of these systems that we quite literally live and breathe is plants. Roots are the hidden half plants that biologists often disregard,…