Science | The Burgundy Zine

April 8, 2020

What if a Natural Disaster Strikes During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The coronavirus pandemic has rattled life as we once knew it, like an earthquake trembling society’s foundation… But if an actual earthquake, a hurricane, a tornado, or a tsunami were to hit right now, what would happen?

Last week, we reached out to various organizations including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, World Health Organization, and American Red Cross to find out what emergency response would look like during a pandemic.

April 4, 2020

The Ecological Cost of the Trump Border Wall

The “world’s most costly” border wall has a projected budget that extends beyond its dollar amount: the environmental and ecological costs.

If the Trump administration pursues a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, “there are species that will be completely extirpated from the United States,” said Sky Island Alliance program director Emily Burns during our recent interview.

Not to mention, the cement needed to create the border wall will require draining “hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that’s very precious down here in the southwest” from sensitive, local sources, she added.

April 4, 2020

10 Ways to Stay Sane and Active While Social Distancing by Julie Singh

Founder of TripOutside Julie Singh gives us a few tips for staying physically and mentally active while social distancing.

April 2, 2020

Human Impact by Natalia Bennett

Australian artist Natalia Bennett discusses our role in climate change and calls for positive human impact through political involvement.

March 26, 2020

Dear Bernie Sanders by Emily

In a passionate, personable letter to presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Emily reflects on why our country is in need of change now more than ever.

March 25, 2020

No Toilet Paper On Aisle 20? Beat The System by Lori Brown

Writer Lori Brown flushes our worries away by helping us navigate toilet paper shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 25, 2020

Behind the Zines: Let’s Talk About Vulnerability

Healing, by nature, is a very delicate topic that required an air of grace on behalf of ourselves and our contributors to hold these discussions.

We’re immensely proud of our community for coming together and letting themselves be vulnerable over the last two months.

However, there’s still one person who’s not entirely on board yet: me, editor burgundy bug.

March 16, 2020

Can You Stomach It? The Mysterious Relationship Between Psychedelics and Gut Health

By now, it’s no secret the brain and gut are in constant communication – and yet, there’s still an air of mystery shrowding the gut-brain axis.

So far, we know serotonin is central to gut-brain signaling. In fact, 90 percent of serotonin is synthesized in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, according to a 2016 Nutrients journal review.

Psychedelics, including psilocybin (a.k.a ‘shrooms’), LSD (a.k.a. ‘acid’), and DMT are serotonergic drugs that bind to the 5-HT2A receptor, says a 2018 World Psychiatric article. This is central to triggering the “psychedelic experience.”

Although research on psychedelics in mood, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders has been and currently is being heavily investigated, with a particular focus on serotonin, the impact of psychedelics on gut health remains largely untapped and under-researched.

Now that’s a head trip.

March 16, 2020

Dear Husband: How to Help Your Wife Deal with Infertility by Deanna Jackson

Deanna Jackson The Wacky Writer offers touching advice to husbands whose wives are undergoing fertility treatments.

March 14, 2020

Pi Day? More Like, Vihart Day

It’s that time of the year again, bug buddies. “Mathemusician” and anti-Pi enthusiast YouTuber Vihart has returned with another one of her infamous “Anti-Pi Rant” videos.

This year, Vihart dives into various scenarios in which Pi itself contracts the coronavirus and spreads it exponentially to humans, other numbers, and of course, aliens.