Tag: Featured

Natural World

To Improve Conservation Efforts of Shark Species

Wendy Wu ’22  As a keystone species, sharks play a large role in maintaining a marine ecosystem. Unfortunately, climate change, habitat loss, and commercial fishing have led to sharp declines in shark populations around the world. To conserve and rebuild shark populations, many island nations have established marine protected areas (MPAs). The effectiveness of a MPA depends on whether it accommodates the species’ behavior and … Continue reading To Improve Conservation Efforts of Shark Species

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Health and Medicine

Angioplasty and Stenting Procedure Risks Worsening Ischemic Stroke Prognosis

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) – the progressive narrowing of, and restriction of blood flow to, a major artery in the brain – is among the most common causes of ischemic stroke as well as recurrent stroke of any subtype. ICAS is responsible for the gradual obstruction of blood supply due to buildup of plaque within vessels, which is typically followed by excessive … Continue reading Angioplasty and Stenting Procedure Risks Worsening Ischemic Stroke Prognosis

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Environment

Discovery of Plant Fossils Beneath Greenland Ice Sheet Hints at Danger from Global Warming

Sooraj Shah ’24 The devastating impact of global warming on the human race is a frightening possibility, which may be more imminent than expected. Recent evidence suggests that the rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are not the only factor to blame, but that the surface of Earth itself may also be a contributing factor. A study conducted by Dr. Andrew Christ, professor in the department … Continue reading Discovery of Plant Fossils Beneath Greenland Ice Sheet Hints at Danger from Global Warming

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Psychology

Visual processing in adults with dyslexia is determined by duration of fixation periods

Joyce Chen ’23 Our fascinating ability to read is often overlooked and taken for granted. Reading requires a high level of cooperation between the eyes and the brain. The eyes are immediately able to formulate words and meanings out of the letter combinations by pausing over the text. This pause is a vital part of reading. Dyslexia is a condition in which individuals have difficulty … Continue reading Visual processing in adults with dyslexia is determined by duration of fixation periods

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Health

Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index

Sabah Bari ’24 Everyone has been accustomed to the three meals of the day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. But what if the frequency and timing of those meals affect your overall health? Scientists have come up with a scale called the Body Mass Index which pertains to an individual’s age, height and weight to indicate if they are considered to be normal, underweight, overweight or … Continue reading Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index

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Health

Mobile Applications Can Help Users Achieve Sustained Weight-loss

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 In the United States, obesity is an urgent issue, with more than 40% of Americans in 2017-2018 suffering from this disease, according to the CDC. Obesity can lead to other severe illnesses such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Thus, efforts to reduce the prevalence of obesity must be taken to improve population health. Diet and exercise aid in … Continue reading Mobile Applications Can Help Users Achieve Sustained Weight-loss

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Neuroscience

Stressful life events affect hormone levels in children undergoing puberty

Joyce Chen ’23 Puberty is a physiological developmental process that every child undergoes during their preteen years. It occurs through the production of a wide variety of hormones within the body. Specifically, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are involved in initiating an upregulation of hormonal changes, leading to the secretion of the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen. Recent research indicates that … Continue reading Stressful life events affect hormone levels in children undergoing puberty

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Uncategorized

Lightning Strikes May Have Been a Key Ingredient in the Creation of Life on Earth

Sooraj Shah ’24 It has been long believed that the requirements for life on Earth were set into motion solely by a plethora of meteorites, which contained vital minerals for the foundation of living organisms. While this is true, recent evidence suggests that lightning may have played just as large of a role. A study conducted by Benjamin Hess, a PhD student at Yale University, … Continue reading Lightning Strikes May Have Been a Key Ingredient in the Creation of Life on Earth

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Health and Medicine

Ageism during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the day-to-day lives of countless people. Experts predict that society will revert to how it was pre-pandemic with the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. However, since a limited number of vaccines have been produced and shipped to vaccination centers, demand currently outweighs the supply. Nevertheless, ageism is prevalent in the United States and has intensified within the … Continue reading Ageism during the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Natural World

Madagascar: Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Sabah Bari ’24 Biodiversity in an ecosystem is important because it maintains the structure and functioning of various organisms in the environment. Such as the supply of oxygen, water, the dependency of survival on plants and animals etc. One way to maintain biodiversity in ecosystems is reforestation. Stony Brook University researcher Patricia Wright had an ambitious plan of reforestation in Madagascar, Africa. Wright, a group … Continue reading Madagascar: Ecosystems and Biodiversity

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Psychology

The Gratitude Visit: Student Reflections on a Positive Psychology Experiential Learning Exercise

Thumyat Noe ’23 Positive psychology is the study of human strengths and virtues, which includes psychological factors that enhance quality of life and various social experiences. Positive psychology has become a popular topic of research due to possible associations with enhancing mental health. In particular, positive psychology interventions that promote gratefulness appear to be successful in fostering good mental health. Gratefulness is a well-studied construct … Continue reading The Gratitude Visit: Student Reflections on a Positive Psychology Experiential Learning Exercise

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Cognition

Playing Analog Game is Associated with Reduced Declines in Cognitive Function: A 68-year Longitudinal Cohort Study

Thumyat Noe ’23 Living an intellectual life is believed to slow down cognitive decline that occurs as a result of aging. Maintenance of cognitive function is widely studied in search for an effective intervention that can reduce the rate of cognitive decline. In particular, digital games are of great interest among researchers because of their potential to enhance and maintain cognitive function. However, the effects … Continue reading Playing Analog Game is Associated with Reduced Declines in Cognitive Function: A 68-year Longitudinal Cohort Study

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