Here we go again. In order to finish my term paper on time, I must pull an “all-nighter”. It is a tactic I employ increasingly often despite knowing the consequences: I will be a zombie the next day, with my eyes drooping and my head embarrassingly bobbing as I ride the bus or ‘attend’ Powerpoint presentations. The complaint of “not enough hours in the day” is heard from many people, not only last-minute students such as myself [1,2]. This frustration begs the question, what is the evolutionary reason I need to sleep for 8 of the 24 hours in a…
The Science Creative Quarterly
By Adam White
Adam White is a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. His current research involves designing microfluidic systems to study cells. Outside the lab, Adam enjoys playing guitar, curling, and staying up all night drinking espresso. His favourite Science Creative Quarterly article is "Physics Envy Among Biologists: Fact or Fiction" by T. J. Nelson.
IT TASTES AWFUL, BUT DOES IT WORK? A SKEPTICAL PATIENT LOOKS FOR THE RIGHT MEDICINE
“Take one tablet once a day.” The prescription reads like a verdict sentencing me to a life of pharmacy. Tucked away in the top of my backpack hides a tiny pillbox of shame needed to keep me healthy. “Stop being so melodramatic. Lots of people are hypothyroid; it’s one of the most common hormonal imbalances.” My friend Julia brings me back to reality. In the wake of successful chemotherapy and radiation treatments, my thyroid (a gland in the neck responsible for producing hormones that regulate metabolism) became underactive. It happened so gradually it was hard to perceive a change. Probing…