Copepods are a group of zooplanktonic crustaceans encompassing an estimated 20,000 species worldwide. This is mainly due to their versatility as a life form — copepods have adapted to survive in a diverse array of habitats, ranging in salinity and temperature. Copepods have been found living in both saltwater and…

The decreasing efficacy of terrestrial carbon storage — The biosphere is the zone of life on Earth. It encompasses every ecosystem on the planet, from the forest, and grassland to tundra and desert. It includes all sizes and complexities; the largest marine ecosystems; the entirety of the Amazon Rainforest; the smallest of microspheres containing communities of bacteria. Yet…

Why STEAM, not STEM? — What does the “A” in STEAM stand for? Art and artistic expression are crucial to work done in the STEM field. Whether the goal is to improve scientific literacy or communication, the arts can be leveraged to develop a deeper understanding regarding the given material. Art and science activate distinct parts of our brains, encouraging us to think…

Meet Earendel, our Stellar Ancestor — The universe as we understand it, is 13.7 billion years old. This figure was calculated by studying the Big Bang, otherwise known as the most widely accepted theory for the origin of the universe. …

Climate induced migration refers to the relocation of individuals displaced due to long-term degradation and natural disasters, which have escalated in severity because of climate change. These include: rising sea levels, droughts, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, salinization, desertification, and more. According to NPR, since 2008, on average, 24 million individuals have…

When measuring distances on Earth, we use inches, feet, yards, meters, miles, kilometers, and so on. However, when we try to describe the placements of planetary or stellar bodies in space relative to Earth, it becomes impractical to use the same units. Instead, when speaking in terms of the cosmos…

Our cosmic neighborhood, the solar system, formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago with the birth of the Sun. Stars are born in dense, gaseous regions called molecular clouds, which are cold enough for atoms to form molecules. Over time, one area within the molecular cloud will become slightly denser than…

When you hear the word radiation, you likely associate it with danger, or sickness and cancer, or even The Hulk. What’s not commonly known is that the discovery of radiation prompted the quantum physics revolution and transformed our understanding of the universe. Today, radiation is its own field of scientific…

Why Aren’t We Prepared? — Global catastrophic biological risks (GCBRs) can have a massive impact on humanity — affecting people’s lives, the global economy, and international relations. Regardless of whether they’re naturally occurring, accidental, or manmade, the risk of GCBRs is only increasing. …