Mary Somerville: Her Legacy for Women in Science
On the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, Mary Somerville’s legacy highlights the vital role education plays in women’s access to scientific careers.
Features
Continue reading
Human genome editing: unlimited potential or ethical concern?
Genome editing holds the promise of revolutionizing the future of humanity from its very core, by altering the genetic instructions that define us. It is estimated that 10,000 disorders arise from single gene mutations. All these “monogenic” diseases could be eradicated by preventing those genes from being inherited. Nevertheless, this unlimited potential comes with safety…
Changing forms of Unreason
The changes in public perception of mental health topics have been very clear in recent years where once a never-to-be-discussed topic has now become widely reported, discussed and recognised. The number of widely shared and heard discussions about anxiety and depression has been further increased by the coronavirus pandemic. This change can be witnessed everywhere…
The Regulation of Neuro-Hacking: Why self-experimentation needs the support and recognition of institutions
Authored by Matthew J Lennon MD, Grant Rigney MSc, Zoltán Molnár MD, DPhil Self-experimentation has shaped the history of neurological research1, from Isaac Newton mapping out the visual distribution of the retina by inserting a needle into his eye socket, to Henry Head distinguishing between types of somatic sensation by transecting branches of his own…
The key to a harmonious society
By Rosa Parker Music soundtracks every aspect of our life; be it lullabies, a club classic, the first dance at a wedding, or the final curtain at a funeral. It has the power to lift or destroy moods, and to convey emotion without words. Music is also puzzling in its ubiquity: it is present in…
Diseases in the Jungle: How Habitat Destruction Could Lead To Future Pandemics
Video Credit: Andrea Vale As the number of vaccinated people steadily increases, it seems that each day brings us closer to a return to some sense of normality. However, as unprecedented as the current COVID-19 pandemic has been, it is by no means the first disease to wreak havoc upon humanity and, if we fail…
Brilliant but Deranged: Cracking Beth’s Secret
By Sandra Saade, Rita Kimijima-Dennemeyer, and Laura-Bianca Pasca Image Credit: Daffodil Dhayaa Humanity will not wait millions of years until Mother Nature will hand it a functionally better brain…[Humankind] will directly, openly and consciously take part in evolution. Corneliu E. Giurgea In Netflix’ groundbreakingly popular mini-series The Queen’s Gambit, we witness the prodigious performance of…
Small but smart: the fascinating world of plankton
By Albini Dania From the food we eat to the air we breathe, plankton help maintain and produce life on Earth. What is plankton? The word ‘plankton’ derives from the Greek “planktos” (πλαγχτος), which in turn comes from the Greek verb “plazo” (πλαζω) meaning to “drift” or “wander” and is used to describe tiny plants…
How the vaccine works
By Jia Jhing Sia and Connor Forsyth For the past year the Oxford vaccine has been making headlines as one of our most important tools in the fight against COVID-19. This has been especially true in the last few months, over which the vaccine has been authorised for clinical use in the UK, India, and…