Traumatic brain injury can affect emotions and memory.

Marissa Lingen is a published science fiction writer and is well known in the community of scientist science fiction writers. This story is about a professional hockey team called the Michigan Squids who begin funding research for concussions and the prime investigator treats the patients very well and like actual people, not players.

Linden shows that she has a good understanding of the neuroscience of concussions in this story. The story accurately portrays the way concussions effect the amygdala. It shows how amygdala damage can negatively affect memory, decision making, and the processing of emotions. It also understands how concussions lead to anger issues for the reasons previously mentioned. The medicine in the story is not something that science backs but this still is a very scientific story.

Mycobacterium ulcerans smear

In Australia, there has been a surge in cases of a flesh-eating bacteria named Mycobacterium ulcerans that form ulcers (also known as Buruli ulcers) in one’s skin. This bacteria is in the same family as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium leprae (Leprosy). If left untreated, the deformity can lead to the need for an amputation. This bacteria originates in the tropical locations of West and Central Africa, which makes scientists wonder why it is popping up all the way in Australia. In Australia, this bacteria is thought to have been around since 1948. In 2016, there were 182 recorded cases of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Victoria, Australia’s most densely populated state and its second-most populous state overall.

It can affect almost anyone, including animals and children, unlike the strain in Africa that usually mostly affects middle-aged people. It’s also unknown in how this bacteria spreads from person to person, which makes contagion efforts much more difficult. One theory is that it spreads via mosquito bites. It also affects people more during warmer months, when more skin is susceptible to the bacteria.

Mycobacterium tend to typically live in water (even if it’s water treated with chlorine) and food sources. Some, including Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and Mycobacterium ulcerans are known as obligate parasites, meaning that they require a host in order to finish its life cycle and reproduce.

Danielle and I become blurs while we celebrate a particular frame!

Every year, Village School goes on the “iHop and Bowling” trip. This year was different though, as we decided to go to a proper Long Island diner instead of iHop before heading to bowling. It was a bit unfortunate, since at the day of the trip I was actually craving a nutella crepe, which they served only at iHop.

At the diner, my table ordered different things to eat; even though it was just after 10 AM, we all went for lunch items rather than breakfast. I ordered buffalo wings and mac and cheese, Taylor ordered mozzarella sticks and a tuna melt, Arielyn ordered an empanada, and… Emma ordered the same thing as Arielyn (they’re best friends though, so this was expected). I personally thought the mac and cheese was terrible, but at least it’s very hard to mess up buffalo wings, so not all my faith was lost. Taylor said her tuna melt was gross and too cheesy, and Arielyn complained about too many onions in her empanada. Emma didn’t say anything about her food. Overall, we were kind of disappointed about the diner experience, but we still had high hopes for bowling.

Arielyn, Emma, and Taylor arguing over… something…

When we arrived at the bowling alley, I was at Lane 10 with Phoebe and Danielle, and Emma, Arielyn, and Taylor were in Lane 9. Emma kept winning multiple times in Lane 9, and Danielle won twice on my lane. I struggled with the bowling ball because I kept picking up the really heavy ones (I struggled with anything over a few pounds). At least I managed to get a strike at some point, though!

The trip wasn’t my favorite, but it was still fun to spend the day with friends without the stress of actual school classes.

The story centers on a woman who is a trained physicist who is waiting to see her twin sister, Chloe, for the first time in years. She is waiting to show her how she has found the “hidden local variables” of the quantum entanglement of Electrons and Positrons. When she shows this to Chloe, she takes the local variables (seemingly superpowers of acquiring knowledge) and Chloe gives herself up to her and they become one person.

The example of quantum entanglements is based on experiments with light, which is made of photons. Light can be shined on something called a polarizer. Each photon reaching the polarizer will either pass through or be absorbed. The story accurately portrays Pions decaying into Electrons and Positrons. It also accurately portrays ‘spin’, which is basically where a particle goes in the magnetic field it belongs to. The story obviously exaggerates science with the local variables as supernatural abilities of acquiring knowledge and two humans morphing together; these things have no scientific basis.

Jed Brody the author, is the director of undergraduate studies of the physics department at Emory University.

Mark Zuckerburg gives his testimony. 

Mark Zuckerberg gave testimony during congressional hearings regarding user data and privacy rights because there is a significant concern about Facebook’s role in the shaping of our democracy. 

Facebook’s ongoing Cambridge Analytica data-privacy scandal, and how Facebook has failed to guard against other abuses is the reason Zuckerburg was asked to appear. 

To make a point about the importance of privacy, one senator asked whether Zuckerburg, “would be comfortable sharing aloud the name of the hotel where he stayed on Monday night, or whether he would be comfortable sharing the names of the people he has messaged this week.”  Uncomfortable, Zuckerberg replied, “No. I would probably not choose to do that publicly here.”  

Mark Zuckerburg answering questions.