Skip to main content

Author: Sarah Biren

Browse all articles by this author

6 min read Health

A lump in the breast is the most well-known sign of breast cancer. It can send a wave of panic over anyone who notices one on themselves. However, there are other symptoms of breast cancer to look out for. In a general sense, any changes to breasts shouldn’t be dismissed, such as shifts in size...

8 min read News

Today, a cell phone can do infinitely more than an old rotary. It’s a camera, calculator, photo album, TV, shopping mall, encyclopedia, and much more. The internet offers seemingly endless information about any topic you can think of. To an outsider, one small device seems to access an entire dimension that exists only on screens....

6 min read

Over 60,000 African penguins have starved to death over the course of eight years. A new study documented the penguin colonies off the coast of South Africa, on Dassen Island and Robben Island. The researchers noticed a pattern: breeding penguins starving to death during the molting season. They attributed these losses to the climate crisis...

6 min read Health

Unfortunately, many people are sick for the holidays this year. It’s common for colds and viruses to spread during chilly weather because the cold can dampen immune defenses and increase germs’ viability. Respiratory symptoms tend to include coughing, runny noses, and fevers. But this season, a recurring complaint is a severely sore throat alongside negative...

5 min read Food and Drink

For a long time, fats were considered detrimental the a healthy diet. In the 1970s and 80s, fad diets like the Scarsdale and grapefruit diets were all the rage. There was a new market of low-fat food products (which typically contained more sugar and carbohydrates). Researchers later questioned the potential drawbacks of severely restricting all...

6 min read News

Human beings are not the only ones with a sweet tooth. Fruit bats are named after their love of sugary fruits. In fact, they can eat double their body weight in fruit, which is their main source of food. Unfortunately, a similarly sugar-rich diet is unhealthy for people. It can cause blood glucose levels to...

4 min read

Solar energy is often praised for being cleaner and more sustainable than other power sources. For example, fossil fuels are finite, their sources are depleting, and they cause air pollution. Meanwhile, solar energy uses sunrays, which are unlimited and abundant (albeit weather-dependent). However, there’s an aspect to solar energy that is not environmentally friendly: land...

6 min read News

The joke may be on academics, philosophers, and other intellectuals. The smartest people may be comedians and clowns. Or they can be both scholar and jokester. Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking are examples of geniuses who also had a quick-witted sense of humor. Studies are finding that this isn’t a coincidence, and they are linking...

6 min read Food and Drink

Fun fact: Honey has an indefinite shelf life when stored properly. In fact, modern archeologists have found pots of thousand-year-old honey in ancient Egyptian tombs, all perfectly edible. (Yes, they tasted it to be sure.) So the honey jar that got pushed to the back of your cupboard should also be good to eat. Although,...

4 min read

Just like dogs, there are many breeds of sheep with their own unique characteristics. People tend to imagine sheep as fluffy and white, but they actually come in many shapes and colors. They also come in black, brown, gray, striped, or spotted. They may have short ears, tall and pointed ears, or floppy ears. Their...