Biology

Enzymes

Author: Shuhan Yu Editors: Linzi Yeung, Chloe Qian Artist: Francesca Huang Think about the last time you ate a meal; did you notice your body breaking down food into energy? Probably not. This process, known as digestion, depends entirely on enzymes–the tiny proteins that make life possible. Moreover, enzymes are specific proteins; they act as catalysts, accelerating chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. Some enzymes break down food, thus allowing your bo

May 293 min read

How does Abundance Affect the Brain?

Author: Elaine Guo Editors: Fiona Cheng, Sophia Chen Artist: Becky Li Experiencing scarcity, a state of having a shortage of supplies, shrinks your cognitive bandwidth, making it harder to plan ahead, make decisions, and see the bigger picture in different situations. This shrinks cognitive capacity as individuals focus on what they lack because the brain is constantly consumed by immediate needs, decreasing mental bandwidth. On the other hand, abundance, the belief that opp

May 292 min read

Scratching the Itch: Eczema’s Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments Explained

Author: Simone Maimon Editors: Serena Tsao, Suri Liu Artist: Coco Zhou The second most prevalent skin disease, second to acne, is eczema, commonly recognized for a persistent, irritating scratch. Around 10% of the world experiences some form of dry red skin, sometimes pain, and sleep deprivation. Usually, these symptoms manifest in crevices or extremities, including hands, elbows, feet, etc. But, what exactly causes eczema? Currently, scientists don’t have an exact answer.

May 292 min read

The Ethics of Genetic Modification in Unborn Children

Writer: Kevin Lin Editors: Suri Liu, Faye Lin Artist: Alvina Zheng Imagine walking into a new clinic to choose the traits of your children artificially. What would it look like, and what restrictions would be placed on the technology? In recent years, this reality has become even more plausible with the development of new gene editing technologies such as CRISPR, achieving successful clinical results. Genetic editing in unborn children presents an ethically and morally preca

May 294 min read

Algal Blooms

Author: Joshua Payne Editors: Hwi-On Lee, Ethan Tai, Serena Tsao Artist: Helen Gong Algal blooms—rapid growths of algae and/or cyanobacteria in water—are crucial parts of ecosystems. They occur in all types of natural bodies of water, including freshwater, saltwater, and brackish environments. Specifically, they are prominent in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ponds, bays, and coastal waters. Several factors can contribute to the growth of algal blooms. For example, algal bloom

May 295 min read

Research Museums and The Art of Conservation

Author: Lillian Dong Editor: Oscar Chen Artist: Helen Gong From towering mammoth fossils to delicately pinned butterflies, natural history museums offer diverse and interesting exhibits of biology from across the globe and time itself, but how does it all come together? The answer is research museums, where flashy presentations are replaced with shelves upon shelves of carefully preserved biological specimens. In this article, we will examine the process of preservation and

May 293 min read

Mesothelioma

Author: Elaine Guo Editors: Fiona Cheng, Hwi-On Lee, Serena Tsao Artist: Stanley Zhao Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that forms in the mesothelium, a tissue that surrounds and protects many internal organs. There are many different types of mesothelioma, including pleural, pericardial, and testicular. Specifically, pleural mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that most commonly appears in the lining of your lungs, accounting for approximately 85% of cases. Still, it can a

Dec 18, 20252 min read

Animal Senses That Humans Don’t Have

Author: Lillian Dong Editors: Joshua Payne, Oscar Chen Artist: Christina Chen A human’s world is composed of five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Many people believe that these senses encompass everything there is to be experienced, but have you ever thought of “seeing” which direction points north? Or “feeling” the electrical field around a friend? Trying to imagine senses that humans do not possess is like trying to see out of your elbow, so in this articl

Dec 18, 20253 min read

Hocus POCUS: Conjuring a Diagnosis of Cardiac Tamponade

Author: Christine Chen Editor: Elizabeth Li Artist: Emily Hu Imagine a patient suddenly collapsing in the emergency department with low blood pressure and muffled heart sounds—yet no obvious trauma. Hidden within the pericardium, fluid presses relentlessly against the heart, and the clock is ticking. Cardiac tamponade is this invisible predator, and modern ultrasound is our tool to catch it before catastrophe. As mentioned, Cardiac tamponade is one of those dramatic medical

Nov 11, 20253 min read