a burgundy zine

Tag: science blog

Why Take an At-Home DNA Test? Most Say ‘Curiosity’

Whether you’ve heard of them through an ad on TV, or a loved one gushing about how they didn’t know they have a sliver of DNA from another part of the world, more than 26 million individuals have taken an at-home DNA test as of last year.

At-home DNA tests can reveal information about your lineage, potential health risks, and serve as an interesting gift for a family member, but there have been recent concerns over the privacy and accuracy of these tests.

Notwithstanding these caveats, a recent Your DNA study reveals most individuals had positive experiences taking an at-home DNA test, and many of them went on to make beneficial lifestyle changes because of their results.

Continue Reading

How Animals Perceive Time

Ah, time. It’s a not-so-universal measurement that seems so innate to us humans that we structure our entire lives around it with alarm clocks, planners, shared digital calendars.

Although the importance we place on time is a very manmade construct – leaving some to questions whether it’s even real all together – the passage of time still remains a fact of life: the sun rises, the sunsets; we are born, we grow, we eventually die.

So, without a watch or a notification to ping them before important events, how do animals perceive time?

Continue Reading

How Psychedelics Impact Personality and Creativity

It only takes a few milligrams of a naturally occurring compound – or even a just few micrograms on a sliver of paper – to open your mind to a vibrant swirl of creativity and long-lasting personality changes.

While psychedelics have shown efficacy in treating various mental health conditions including anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, they also carry the potential to help researchers further understand the interplay between various brain networks, says a 2018 Medical Hypothesis study.

Continue Reading
Continue Reading
Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

April is National Garden Month

Wake up and smell the roses… Then quickly retreat back into your house.

April is National Garden Month, and although most of us are quietly abiding by the international advice to stay home, you can still get your green thumbs going within the comfort of your humble abode.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

High Fructose Corn Syrup in the Impossible Game of Hide-n-Seek

High fructose corn syrup is like glitter – it’s everywhere.

Just when you think you’ve finally eliminated it by cutting soda, candies, jams, and jellies out of your life, HFCS rears its head into your favorite soups and condiments.

So, what is HFCS? Where the hell does it come from? Why do some believe it’s “bad for you” and what should you do if you can’t digest fructose?

Continue Reading

Review: Conscious by Annaka Harris

Using neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy as her compass, Annaka Harris guides the reader through the mystery of consciousness in “Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind.”

Keeping the journey short, sweet, and digestible, Harris manages to present the big question in just a little over 100 pages – an impressive feat, considering the debate has spanned over multiple centuries.

Continue Reading