Urtica dioica contains medically useful antiviral and anti-inflammatory agents, and thus understanding factors that influence production of such compounds may prove beneficial. In Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica, it is found in both shade and light conditions. I tested the hypothesis that it adjusts allocation between leaf growth and...
Abstract Sound with fewer harmonics is believed to be harder for humans to localize. Birds may have evolved calls with fewer harmonics in order to reduce predation risk. In light of this hypothesis, we predicted that bird calls lacking harmonics would be harder to localize. We asked blindfolded human test...
Once he tasted some chamomile tea and sent it back, saying only: “The stuff tastes of window.” Both she and the servants were surprised because they had never heard of anyone who had drunk oiled window, but when they tried the tea in an effort to understand, they understood: it...
The term Snowball Earth refers to the hypothesis that in the distant past, specifically the Cryogenian period (850-630 million years ago), the earth’s surface was entirely frozen from pole to pole. Evidence of a Snowball Earth comes from the presence of glacial deposits around the world that date back to...
Neural activity in its simplest form is an action potential. These phenomena propagate to the end of pre-synaptic neurons via voltage-gated channels, which reconfigure themselves just enough to allow sodium ions to rush in from the sodium chloride salt solution surrounding the neuron. These ions obey physical laws of electrical...
While computers can crunch numbers, remember facts, and play chess better than any human ever alive, humans still have countless abilities that no machine can mimic. However, this may be about to change. Using vast racks of interconnected computer processors, scientists are now building virtual neurons based on decades of...
Just a decade ago, few could have foreseen the current power of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), devices that intimately link brains with artificial devices like computers and robotic limbs. A new frontier in neuroscience, the BMI field is highly multidisciplinary, spanning biology, mathematics, control and information theory, and material science and...
Cannabinoids are the chemical components of a plant called marijuana, a natural secondary metabolite that gets you where you wanna. The most common cannabinoid, the chemical Delta 9- tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, produces the effects of the “high” that are quite easy to see. These behavioral effects are a result of...
In order to survive, a parasite must usurp the resources of another organism to grow and reproduce. Many parasites accomplish this task by partially debilitating their host while still keeping it healthy enough to continue providing shelter and nourishment. But one organism in particular has elevated its control over the...
Ever hoped Harry Potter had an instantaneous memory spell for you right before exams? Well, there is currently no memory spell, but what you really need is Memory Bread. Born from Japanese science fiction anime Doraemon, Memory Bread captures every Asian student’s fantasies. When the bread is pressed into any...
The Physiology of Stress: Cortisol and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 
The Threats of Overfishing: Consequences at the Commercial Level Oil Spills: Severity and Consequences to Our Ecosystem Risk and Resilience in Children Coping with Parental Divorce The Mammalian Diving Reflex 
You Are What You Eat: How Food Affects Your Mood A Royal Shame: Prince Leopold’s Hemophilia and Its Effect on Medical Research 
Turning to Nanotechnology for Pollution Control: Applications of Nanoparticles Esophageal Cancer and the ‘Asian Glow’ Biodegradable Plastic: Its Promises and Consequences 
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