The Outer Rim of Science
David Bowie asks “is there life on Mars?” The X-Files made alien conspiracies cool. Blink-182 frontman Tom Delonge started his own alien search organization. UFO sightings have even been confirmed legitimate by the Pentagon. We’ve always been curious about life beyond Earth, which begs the question — why is this research that has existed for …
Hack Self-Doubt with Meditation
Depression and anxiety are linked to circuitry in the brain involved in self-reflection, which tends to be the mind’s default mode. When scientists began strapping Buddhist monks to brain scanning machines, they realized that meditation practice quiets those thoughts, and may help people distance themselves from self-negativity. The brain’s default mode is busy When scientists …
Psilocybin Finally Entering Mental Healthcare Thanks to Oregon
Mental health treatment has had decades of slow advancement and limited treatment options for many patients. In the past several years, psilocybin mushrooms have been proven to have numerous benefits in treating disorders such as PTSD, depression, and addiction. Traditional drug treatments, along with many side effects, have an effectiveness rate between 10 and 25 …
The Exploitation of College Athletes
The NCAA has historically enforced amateurism rules that restrict student athletes from receiving compensation for their name, image, and likeness, despite the college sports industry’s multibillion-dollar worth. On average, Division I football and basketball players are valued at about $160,000 a year, though fewer than one percent of them will go on to play professionally …
The Government Needs to Break Up Tech Monopolies
In March 2019 Spotify published a video dragging on Apple for underhanded monopolizing. When a Spotify user upgraded to a premium subscription in the Apple store, Spotify had to pay Apple 30% of the fee. Spotify sought to skirt the policy by not using Apple’s payment system, but Apple would not let users pay any …
TikTok Users Band Together to Fight Racist Censorship
Non-black TikTok creators teamed up with Black creators on Tuesday to protest the app’s policies as part of the #ImBlackMovement, according to CNN. Users on the popular social media app changed their profile photos to the black power symbol to honor Malcolm X’s birthday that day. It was part of a movement started by Alex …
Ohio Officials Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis
Franklin County, Ohio, which encompasses the state’s capital of Columbus and is the state’s largest county, has officially declared racism a public health crisis, according to CNN. County commissioners passed the resolution on Tuesday: “Nothing is more important than the health and wellbeing of our residents,” John O’Grady, Franklin County Board of Commissioners president, said. …
A Whole New (Mirror)World
Anyone who played Pokemon Go got a taste of the world’s next big platform ― augmented reality layering the internet onto the world. Wired calls it “mirrorworld,” and predicts that the company taking the lead in mirrorworld will become the most powerful company in the real world. There are a few companies working on augmented …