Science

“What’s Fizzing?” The Latest College-Based Social Media App to Reach UMassD

(Image created by Graphic Design Manager Anamika Menon) Arts & Entertainment Editor: Kamryn Kobel Email: kkobel@umassd.edu You may have heard people around campus talking about Fizz, a new social media app. But what is Fizz? And should you get it?  Fizz is a combination of the popular social media apps Twitter (X) and YikYak. Most… Continue reading “What’s Fizzing?” The Latest College-Based Social Media App to Reach UMassD

 

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Hosts First Star Party After Observatory Repairs

Volunteer Writer: Emma Bowser  Email: ebowser@umassd.edu On Wednesday, April 19th, 2023, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth hosted the first star party since repairs on the Hirshfeld-Dowd Observatory were finished.  This observatory is the largest one in the South Coast area.  In 1978, Alan Hirshfeld started working at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth as a professor… Continue reading University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Hosts First Star Party After Observatory Repairs

 

Shark Species Saved From Endangerment by Redditors

Staff Writer: Maya Arruda Email: marruda7@umassd.edu The formerly endangered shark species, Ikeamus blahajii, has finally been officially taken off the endangered species list thanks to the tireless efforts of internet activists.  Commonly known as the Blahaj shark (or simply as Blahaj), this shark is important worldwide due to its important role in marine ecosystems and… Continue reading Shark Species Saved From Endangerment by Redditors

 

Sixth NASA-SpaceX Collaborative Launch Met with Delays After Discovering Technical Issues

(Image via blogs.nasa.gov) Staff Writer: Sakara De Gil-Balija Email: sdegilbalija@umassd.edu On February 26th, 2023, the launch of the SpaceX Crew-6 ship departing for the International Space Station was delayed after encountering technical issues. SpaceX, the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk. Since its first launch, the company has launched over… Continue reading Sixth NASA-SpaceX Collaborative Launch Met with Delays After Discovering Technical Issues

 

Biden Administration Approves The Willow Project: An Eight-Billion Dollar Oil Drilling Operation in Alaska

(Image via nytimes.com) Staff Writer: Sakara De Gil-Balija Email: sdegilbalija@umassd.edu On March 13th, 2023, the Biden Administration approved the Willow Project, an oil development plan set to build and operate up to five drill pads on the northern slope of Alaska in the National Petroleum Reserve. The Willow Project is an eight-billion dollar oil drilling… Continue reading Biden Administration Approves The Willow Project: An Eight-Billion Dollar Oil Drilling Operation in Alaska

 

Hubble Telescope Picks Up On Strange Spokes Dancing in Saturn’s Rings

(Image via nasa.gov) Staff Writer: Sakara De Gil-Balija Email: sdegilbalija@umassd.edu  On February 9th, 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more commonly known as NASA, revealed that the Hubble Telescope observed what appears to be ‘spokes’ floating with the swing of Saturn’s rings.  The information has baffled scientists; seeming to be an unexplained phenomenon. Though… Continue reading Hubble Telescope Picks Up On Strange Spokes Dancing in Saturn’s Rings

 

COVID-19 Enters The Transition Point

(Image via time.com) Staff Writer: Sakara De Gil-Balija Email: sdegilbalija@umassd.edu On Monday, January 30th, The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that COVID-19 has entered a transition point.  After nearly three years of a global pandemic, COVID-19 still remains a relevant global health emergency, even as society adjusts to living alongside it. WHO’s International Health Regulations… Continue reading COVID-19 Enters The Transition Point

 

Catastrophic Train Derailment Causes One of The Worst Environmental Disasters in US History

(Image via npr.org) Business Manager: Julian Cassady Email: jcassady@umassd.edu On February 3rd, 2023, a train carrying hazardous chemical materials derailed and exploded in East Palestine, Ohio, creating what could be one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in United States history.  East Palestine lies on the Northeast corner of the state, right on the border… Continue reading Catastrophic Train Derailment Causes One of The Worst Environmental Disasters in US History

 

The Doomsday Clock Reaches 90 Seconds To Midnight

Photography Manager: Brendan Flaherty Email: bflaherty1@umassd.edu The Bulletin of Science and Security Board’s Doomsday Clock moves even closer to midnight – and the subsequent apocalypse.  For those concerned with the state of the world and the fate of humanity altogether, this clock will help you recognize how close we are to complete and utter destruction.… Continue reading The Doomsday Clock Reaches 90 Seconds To Midnight

 

NASA’s New Flagship Telescope Confirms Its First Observed Exoplanet

(Artistic rendition, image via webbtelescope.org) Volunteer Writer: Mckenzie Ferrari Email: mferrari@umassd.edu The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched on December 25th, 2021, has finally started to send its results to Earth after over a year of collecting and transmitting data.  The JWST is the largest optical telescope in space; its high resolution and sensitivity… Continue reading NASA’s New Flagship Telescope Confirms Its First Observed Exoplanet

 

Who Let the Minks Out?

(Image via wbay.com) Staff Writer: Maya Arruda Email: marruda7@umassd.edu  For the people of Australia, rabbits are some of the most destructive beings in all the land.   It sounds like an exaggeration; but, the Australian rabbit population has devastated the land for generations, feeding on farmers’ crops and generally running rampant without any natural predators to… Continue reading Who Let the Minks Out?

 

What’s Become of the Monkeypox Virus?

(Image via media.npr.org) Volunteer Writer: Brendan Flaherty Email: bflaherty1@umassd.edu Remember when Monkeypox was the talk of the town, being called the new Coronavirus and had everyone panicking all over again? Well, what happened to that? The CDC has been consistently putting out new information regarding the state of Monkeypox, including graphs of its cases, and… Continue reading What’s Become of the Monkeypox Virus?

 

Astronomer Removed from Leiden University

Volunteer Writer: Mckenzie Ferrari Email: mferrari@umassd.edu On October 18th, 2022, Leiden University – located in the Netherlands and one of Europe’s largest research institutions – released a statement declaring that an unnamed professor was suspended from the university for “subject[ing] various colleagues to intimidating and unacceptable behaviour for a longer period.”  Multiple staff members at… Continue reading Astronomer Removed from Leiden University

 

What Plankton has to do with Your Scallop Dinner

Staff Writer: Maya Arruda Email: marruda7@umassd.edu On October 5th, the Department of Fisheries presented a seminar by John Zang about the relationship between phytoplankton and Atlantic Sea Scallops on the Northeastern U.S. continental shelf. By using complex models, the behavior and characteristics of the phytoplankton on this shelf have been thoroughly examined. However, while phytoplankton… Continue reading What Plankton has to do with Your Scallop Dinner

 

Paving the Future for Cybersecurity

Volunteer Writer: Brett Talbot Email: btalbot@umassd.edu The MassCyberCenter division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative opened applications last month for their undergraduate cybersecurity mentorship program. “This is a really wonderful program to help promote the diversity of the cybersecurity workforce,” says Maxwell Fathy, the Ecosystem Program Manager for the MassCyberCenter. “We have a lot of great… Continue reading Paving the Future for Cybersecurity

 

Long Live the Seals

By: Maya Arruda Email: marruda7@umassd.edu You ever get that feeling of frustration when you get stuck cleaning up someone else’s mess? I’m sure anyone who ever worked in a fast food joint or a service industry can relate.  Anyone in the environmental conservation field feels the same way, having to clean up the damage our… Continue reading Long Live the Seals

 

Coronavirus Crash Course

By Maya Arruda Email: marruda7@umassd.edu Covid-19 is a hot button issue that’s in the news 24/7 about new variants and outbreak statistics. However, not everyone knows what the coronavirus is and why it’s so deadly.  The coronavirus pandemic is caused by a virus, but what actually is a virus? Well, a virus is a highly… Continue reading Coronavirus Crash Course

 

The Power Behind An Ant’s Bite

The Power Behind an Ant’s Bite By Busola Awobode bawobode@umassd.edu Any person who has ever had the misfortune of being bitten or stung by an ant, a spider, or any such arthropods would know how painful it can be. These insects can latch on fiercely and oftentimes it’s impossible to shake them off. It is… Continue reading The Power Behind An Ant’s Bite