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.
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A Bird’s Eye View
At a fairly young age we are taught that birds in Canada migrate South to warmer climates during the winter. Due to Canada’s harsh winters, the survival of many birds depends on their ability to correctly interpret the Earth’s magnetic field as they make their journey to more southern areas (Gould, 2010). While most of…
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Hey Alexa, Define Twindemic
2020 has been a tough year for all of us. First, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the beginning of flu season – does this hint at another big lifestyle adjustment? This season, we could be battling two fatal respiratory viruses at the same time, a phenomenon coined a twindemic. A twindemic is defined as two…
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Soil bacteria to the rescue
With global temperatures on the rise, replacing industrial nitrogen fixation—a major source of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide—with biological nitrogen fixation represents one of many ways to mitigate climate change (Thomson et al., 2012). As the world’s growing population needs to be met with growing sources of food, biological nitrogen fixation will need to be…
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Staying Fit in Microgravity
Have you ever dreamed of being an astronaut? Soaring high above Earth with stars in reach; floating, weightless, exploring the infinite unknown of our universe. For many of us aspiring scientists, travelling in space was one of our wildest childhood ambitions. Little did we know, living in the microgravity of space is akin to living…
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Can a mobile app replace your birth control pill?
According to the government of Canada, oral contraceptives are the most frequently used form of reversible contraception, and around 75% of women will use these pills at some point in their life (Rotermann, Dunn, and Black, 2015). Despite common usage, the birth control pill puts users at increased risk of serious medical conditions, including strokes,…
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Chemical Analysis of Art: Macro X-ray Fluorescence Scanning
Visual art is among some of the most longstanding and expressive forms of artistic representation. Categorized by a variety of movements and developing alongside individual and social philosophies, art offers an immersive glimpse into human history. However, this contribution of art is predicated on its preservation. As the world of visual art evolves, a prominent…
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Mutt-tastesis; a Discussion of Comparative Oncology
Dogs are much more than man’s best friend, as surprisingly enough, they can provide significant insight into the field of oncology. Many species, both wild and domesticated, have documented cases of developing cancer (Abu-Helil and van der Weyden, 2019). There has been significantly more research conducted on cancer incidence in house pets, as 80-90% of…
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CANDU or CANDon’t? The Controversy of Nuclear Power in Canada
One of today’s biggest issues lies in the lack of renewable resources. Canada has developed nuclear technologies to combat this issue, such as nuclear power plants. However, is it the best solution? Nuclear energy is a form of energy created by nuclear fission. This occurs when the nucleus of an atom absorbs a neutron from…
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The universal language
We have all heard the saying “music is a universal language.” Most of the time, what we draw from this statement is that music is a form of emotional expression shared and enjoyed by all cultures across the world. But to what extent can music really be called a language? Recent brain imaging studies have…
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Broken Climate, Broken Hearts
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…