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A depiction of Aristotle and his original theory of eel production shown in the background. In the background, an eel appears out of the mud and is brought to life by rainwater.

Understanding the Evasive and Enigmatic Eel

A depiction of Aristotle and his original theory of eel production shown in the background. In the background, an eel appears out of the mud and is brought to life by rainwater.

Two sentient neuron tissues attached to wires are sitting on dishes opposite of each other, depicted on diagonal corners of the illustration. They each have ghostly arms holding a board and hitting a ball toward each other, like the game Pong. The far right neuron tissue has an exclamation mark above it, while the close left neuron tissue has three marks above it, depicting liveliness.

Organoid Intelligence: Can Neurons in a Dish Become Computers?

How good are you at the arcade game Pong? I don’t think I’ve ever played it, but playing the game has become a rite of passage for machines or systems trying to display their “intelligence.” Google-owned DeepMind mastered it in 20151, and training artificial intelligence (AI) models to play it is even a bonus assignment in a computer science course at the University of Toronto2. We’ve all become used to AI performing human-like tasks. But can you imagine a group of cells in a dish also being capable of playing the game?

A pink rabbit in holds an unfolded map and looks up with it’s mouth open. Above is a canopy of leafy green trees that part in a heart shape to reveal a blue sky.

Green is Good

I love trees. And I would guess that this is a fairly common sentiment. After all, how many would truly, wholeheartedly, disagree with such a statement? They’re majestic, giants of the natural world, and they are everywhere, even in a city as urban as Toronto. However, have you ever taken some time, even just 5 minutes, to truly admire a tree?
Trees are beautiful, inherently valuable, and a primary producer of the oxygen we breathe, and the benefits don’t end there. Trees provide shade, helping to cool us down in Toronto’s hot, humid summers, and allowing us to keep the air conditioning on low. They improve air quality, mitigating the effects of air pollution, and even help us manage the impact of storms and flooding.

A man and a boy sit next to each other in thought. A thought bubble containing a juice carton with an onion on it and a glass of juice connects them. There is an ellipsis above the man’s head, and a question mark above the boy's head.

Mission Improbable: The development of possibility understanding

Do you think it’s possible for a car to climb stairs? It’s an odd thought but not outside the realm of possibility, right?

In January 2022, BBC Science Focus magazine released an article listing futuristic car designs that could “revolutionize the vehicle industry”. This list includes cars that can change colour at the touch of a button or have a holographic windshield, as well as cars that have built in legs to climb stairs1.Though these designs sound outrageous, engineers and scientists consider them to be possible and thus, there is a greater chance for these designs to become a reality.

In the middle, a scientist holds a skeleton in a ballet pose. A scientist on the right holds up a protractor to measure the skeleton. Another scientist sits at a desk with a microscope and is studying a shoe. Behind the scientists, many posters are taped to the wall. The posters show different aspects of dance like evolution, hormones, beat, dance moms, physiology, and self-esteem.

Just Dance! It’s in our human nature

“You are the dancing queen”

“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody”

“Shut up and dance with me”

These are just a few popular examples of the countless song lyrics that communicate the exuberant feelings associated with dancing. Whether it is a feeling of satisfaction after learning complex choreography, intimacy felt between people embracing during a partner dance, or simply unabashed confidence when grooving behind closed doors, there is something deeply humanizing about dancing.

Two large hands descend over a microchip which is enlarged to look like a piece of land. One hand represents China and the other the US. Each hand is placing a building on the microchip to claim that piece of land. Around these two hands, many other buildings have already been placed.

The science behind semiconductors: where STEM meets politics

Semiconductors aren’t something you might think about very often, but you might’ve heard
about them in the news. Recently, there’s been a flash of news articles about the
semiconductors from Taiwan, and how the U.S. and China both want their hands on them. But
what are semiconductors, and what makes them so valuable that countries will fight over them?

A side view of a woman wearing a yellow dress lies down on a field of plants and flowers suspended in a calming pink cloud world. She holds a plant pot to her stomach, while the plant's white flower glows, looming above her.

Your Plant Babies Can Help You Win Against Stress

Do you enjoy taking care of plants? Then, here is some good news for you!

Your plant babies can aid you in various ways. Maybe you already know of plants that release relaxing aromas or a health-boosting spice that when consumed helps recover your body. But, even if your plants have neither of these characteristics, don’t worry. Here, we will explore how any indoor plant can have various benefits to your mental health.

Political Polarization: How Did We Become So Divided ?

In romance novels, opposites supposedly attract. The polar opposite is true in politics. Disagreements are a fundamental part of politics, but the existence of some common ground between people with differing opinions should be as well. Yet we’ve all heard anecdotes of increasing polarization, especially online. And in many people’s eyes, the pandemic particularly highlighted our growing differences. So, it’s time to take a moment and analyze, scientifically, why we should care about polarization and why it may be happening.

The Struggle is Real: The Moral Psychology of Temptation

The concept of extraterrestrial life is often associated with outlandish science fiction hypotheticals, little gray Martians, and conspiracy theorists donning tin-foil hats. Despite its seemingly fantastical nature, scientists continually look towards the vastness of space seeking to answer the big question: Are we alone? Around 778 million kilometers away from Earth, Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, Europa, orbits the gas giant. This formerly inconspicuous moon has been the one of the centerpieces of discussion ever since scientists discovered ice on its surface in the 1970s.1,2 With recent groundbreaking findings, deniers of extraterrestrial life have certainly been given even more of a run for their money.

a comic panel of a cartoon depiction of Earth in blue and green, and a cartoon depiction of Europa in brown and beige, waving at each other. Both saying “We are the same!!! ” with the word potentially written underneath in parentheses, indicating that they have similarities in having conditions that potentially support extraterrestrial life.

Finding Carbon in the Search for Life on Europa

The concept of extraterrestrial life is often associated with outlandish science fiction hypotheticals, little gray Martians, and conspiracy theorists donning tin-foil hats. Despite its seemingly fantastical nature, scientists continually look towards the vastness of space seeking to answer the big question: Are we alone? Around 778 million kilometers away from Earth, Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, Europa, orbits the gas giant. This formerly inconspicuous moon has been the one of the centerpieces of discussion ever since scientists discovered ice on its surface in the 1970s.1,2 With recent groundbreaking findings, deniers of extraterrestrial life have certainly been given even more of a run for their money.