Articles

EUSci magazine is released three times a year, with a wide range of themes covering diverse subjects from across science. Suitable articles that don't make it into the print magazine will usually still be edited and displayed online. Have a look at what other people have written, and submit a piece yourself!

Biochar: Coming From the Past to Improve the Future

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2012-04-22 20:39
Alua Suleimenova explores ancient secrets of modern science with Dr Miranda Prendergast-Miller

Q. The term ‘biochar’ is a relatively recent development, and there is a range of terms when discussing biochar, such as charcoal, agrichar, biocoal… What is biochar, and how does it differ from other forms of chars? Read more »

What's the first thing you can remember?

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2012-04-22 20:45
Hannah Little searches for missing memories from our earliest years

Rozencrantz attempts to answer this question but fails. He opens his mouth, hesitates, then admits, “No, it’s no good. It was a long time ago.”
     Growing agitated, Guildenstern presses him, “No, you don't take my meaning. What’s the first thing you remember after all the things you’ve forgotten?”
     A spark of realisation appears in Rosencrantz's eyes “Oh! I see!” He hesitates again, and it’s gone. “I've forgotten the question.” 

This vignette is taken from Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The play highlights our fascination with our earliest memories, and begs the question: just how far back can our memories go? Read more »

Panic! Panic! Panic!

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2012-04-22 20:51
Causes and treatments of a perplexing problem
  • Panic attack: When you are so overcome by anxiety that you feel physically in danger even though there is no real threat.
  • Did you know that NHS statistics show panic attacks affect one in ten people? 

There are various theories about what triggers a panic attack. The ‘learning theory’ suggests that when you encounter a situation previously experienced in a panic attack, you are more likely to experience another panic attack. In the ‘cognitive theory’, panic attacks are initiated by misinterpreting normal bodily actions as anxiety, so your brain overestimates the possibility of danger. Lastly, the ‘psychodynamic theory’ predicts that trauma can induce a self-protection mechanism of the brain, preventing you from remembering the event that initially caused the panic attack. Read more »

Khan Online Academy Change Science Education?

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2012-04-22 20:57
Creator claims school could revolutionise the way children learn maths and science

Salman Khan, an MIT and Harvard graduate, had been helping his young cousin Nadia with her maths homework over Yahoo! Messenger, but when they couldn’t be online at the same time he began making video tutorials. To check her understanding, he added software that would generate questions related to the tutorial topic. Only once she could correctly answer 10 problems in a row was she allowed to move on to the next topic. Read more »

Magnifying the Potential of Mobile Phone Microscopes

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2012-04-22 21:06
New pocket-sized microscopes aren’t just novelties: Sally Till explains their promise for revolutionising medicine and science

If you’re not up on your geeky gadgets, you might have missed the recent spate of mini-microscopes that have surfaced over the past few years. Thanks to widely available consumer electronics, several nifty mobile phone hacks can now allow you to see the world up close. While recent advances put affordable and impressive magnifying power in your pocket, these smaller, cooler microscopes aren’t just gimmicks; they may be the key to revolutionising global medicine and sparking the public’s interest in science. Read more »

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