Author: EUSci
-
Why do humans – and so few other animals – have periods?
Opposable thumbs, the power of speech, the capacity to think and reason: there are many reasons to relish being human. Regularly bleeding out of your vagina is not one of them. We are taught that menstruation is a normal part of the reproductive cycle, a necessary by-product of being a sexually reproducing species. Every cycle,…
-
Do viruses make your clock tick wrong?
With the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic happening, let’s delve into one of the many clever strategies that viruses use to successfully infect their host – disruption of the body (circadian) clock. What is a circadian rhythm? Circadian rhythm is a natural cycle that repeats roughly every 24 hours. The circadian rhythm controls the timing of various…
-
Changing the perception of distance
HYPED is the University of Edinburgh’s Hyperloop Team, dedicated to developing the world’s fifth mode of transport. The Hyperloop concept, developed by Elon Musk, consists of a long evacuated tube through which levitated capsules, called pods, travel through, propelled by electromagnetic forces. It is predicted to be the fastest mode of ground transportation, reducing the…
-
The brain is overrated: a look at cognition in slime mould
Historical, scientific and philosophical adventure into the nature of consciousness seems to have, nine times out of ten, made the assumption that cognition should be explored within the kingdom of animalia. This top down approach seeks to derive a mechanism for consciousness from that which we already know, rather than from first principles of computation.…
-
“Letters to a New Student” book review
“Letters to a New Student” is a short but extremely helpful guide not only for new and current students, but for their parents and family, to get new ideas and advice on how to study better and how to help other people. Even though the author Dr. Gary W. Wood is a Chartered Psychologist with…