Taking the proper, science-backed steps could help prevent the next pandemic. (Source: Unsplash, Alin Luna) Abstract Covid-19, caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus, has infected hundreds of millions of people worldwide and caused millions of deaths World Health Organization, 2022). The unprecedented pandemic has caused lasting impacts on individual lives, the economy, politics, and society, as …
Cover Figure: Simulated timeline of Hubble expansion since the formation of the universe, from the Big Bang to the current day (Wikimedia Commons: Einweichen) Introduction Is our current Cosmos made of atomic materials from the collapse of the previous universe? This paper builds up theoretical evidence in favor of this view. It draws from the …
Theoretical Astrophysics Research on How The Big Crunch Builds to the Big Bounce Theory Read More »
Figure: Assurance Game Payoffs. (Source: Author) It is puzzling that an unpopular authoritarian regime, e.g., North Korea, is able to rule for a long time despite being way outnumbered by its opponents (Human Rights Watch, 2017). This paradox can be explained by thinking of rebellion as a collective action problem. While it is best for …
Figure: High Density Housing (Source: Geograph Britain and Ireland, Author: ad acta) Housing for the poor and efforts to mitigate climate change are important sociological and humanitarian concerns that, normatively speaking, ought to be addressed immediately. Unfortunately, California’s efforts in this direction have suffered a setback (Dougherty, 2020). To combat the housing crisis, two years …
Figure: In a 2019 study, researchers used a microbial sample from the gut of an individual with the blood type AB+ to identify an enzyme combination that converts type A blood to type O, also known as the “universal donor” blood type. (Source: Wikimedia Commons, ICSident) Many of us learned in high school biology class …
Universal Donors: A New Enzymatic Approach to Blood and Organ Matching Read More »
Figure: A Social Network (Wikimedia Commons, Author Zigomitros Athanasios – Thor4bp) What is common between our social circles, the internet, and food webs? They can be modeled as a bunch of interconnected nodes—a network. As simple as the definition of a network sounds, this diagram of nodes connected with edges contains more information than meets …
When the Going gets Tough, the Close start Nearing: Networks and External Stress Read More »
Figure: An image of a woman wearing a mask, isolated in her home during the pandemic quarantine. (Source: Google Photos, Author: Justin Paget Getty) Prevalent social isolation during COVID-19 lead to widespread psychological distress in the population, including the experience of loneliness, which has become increasingly recognized as a major public health issue in recent …
A Field in Focus: Loneliness and Well-Being Research Read More »
Figure: Curly Fries and a Burger. (Source: Flickr) “You are what you eat”. It’s a catchy phrase, one that reminds you to eat your fruits and veggies and maybe only enjoy an occasional cheeseburger or two. However, in the past decades, we’ve seen an increase in health issues like blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease, …
Figure: An artistic depiction of disordered eating behavior under the stress of COVID-19 (Source: The Chronicle, Shannon Fang, 2020) Introduction When confronted with a strong emotional situation (e.g., pain, aggression, anger, sadness, or loneliness), many people may eat pizza or chips for inner comfort. Or, hearing an exciting piece of news, some might reward themselves with …
Emotion-Related Impulsivity and Disordered Eating Behaviors: A Literature Review Read More »
Figure: In this map, the color shows the sum of Total Vaccination per 100 persons from 7 March to 4 April 2022. The size shows the count of vaccinations. (Data Source: World Health Organization Website; Data Visualization: Tableau) The famous Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus once stated that “prevention is better than cure” – wise words …
Data Analysis of Global Covid Vaccination (7 March to 4 April 2022) Read More »