Category: syn·op·sis beta

How the world’s largest mammals challenge what we know about cancer It is possible for the bowhead whale to live for over 200 years and to weigh more than 80,000 kilograms. The majority of people would expect such a large size and long life span to be associated with a serious problem; cancer. Since a…

If I asked you what colour the ocean is, you would probably say blue. After all, this is a fundamental truth that we’ve been taught since we were young. Trees are green, fire trucks are red, and the ocean is blue. But how do we know if we are all perceiving the same colours? In…

Radiation therapy is an important component of cancer treatment, with about 50% of all cancer patients requiring it at some point through the course of their illness (Basker et al. 2012). Despite being critical in current cancer treatment schemes, it carries risks due to its tendency to damage nearby cells while destroying cancer cells. This…

As the world moves towards greener technology in many different areas, period products are no exception.  Although slowed by stigma around the topic of menstruation, focus has been shifted from regular plastic pads into ones with biodegradable materials, especially in green chemistry to fulfill the focus of degradation in the environment. (Fourcassier et al. 2022)…

Imagine lying ready to fall fast asleep after a long day of classes and assignments. Then you suddenly notice a small black anomaly moving ever so slowly. Your eyes lock onto it, and within seconds you realize it is a spider crawling across the wall. Even though it is tiny and probably harmless, your body…

Music is ubiquitous in today’s world. It’s used in advertising, movies and film, and in establishments to influence people’s mood. People listen to music while they commute, work out, clean, and more. Is there a reason people are drawn to and influenced by melodies so much? Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, or “survival of the…

Press two neighbouring piano keys together, and the combination may sound unpleasant. Does that make it noise rather than music? To understand this distinction, we need to look at how sound is structured, how the brain processes it, and how our experiences shape what we hear. While the physical properties of sound alone cannot define…

Science laboratories are essential for innovations and discovery, however, are also major contributors to environmental harm and excess waste (Cimprich et al. 2026). Equipment used in labs may consume large amounts of energy throughout their lifespan, such as refrigerators and pumps (Cimprich et al. 2026). High amounts of energy may also be used in equipment…

The prevailing conversation about cells, especially in academic spaces, tends to focus on internal cellular processes and biological organisation. Albeit important, these discussions often overshadow those about the physical dynamics that make the cell an efficient unit, an equally important factor in cell functioning. A trend seen across all cells regardless of their type or…

Amongst the great many techniques and strategies implemented by farmers over the millennia, the use of monocultures has become highly popular since the rise of industrial farming. At the large scale outputs required by the machine of modern society, the efficiency of growing one type of crop over large swathes of land is necessary to…