Tag biology

Neurotransmitter Notes: Dopamine

“I’m just a chemical in your head I’m just that Dopamine So come on line me up Come on line me up” – “Dopamine”, Third Eye Blind As a neuroscience major, it makes me extremely happy when words about the…

The Prehistoric Origins of Birds

You may have heard that modern birds evolved from dinosaurs before. More specifically, modern birds descend from theropods, which is a clade of dinosaurs. A clade is a group of species that share some key traits as well as common…

Racing Rats’ Impact on Mental Health

Introduction The authors of “Enriched environment exposure accelerates rodent driving skills”, published in Behavioral Brain Research, conducted an experiment intended to study the impact of the environment on the efficacy of stress-releasing mental health treatments in lab rats. This study…

‘Vampire Facials’: Viable or Just Bloody Gross?

To pursue beauty, people will use makeup, creams, and even plastic surgery. But, would you spread your own blood on your face? Wait, Your Own Blood? Earlier this year, these treatments, known as ‘blood facials’ or ‘vampire facials’ became well…

The Green Tree Frog: Southern Summer Ambience

Introduction The green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) is a bright green, average sized frog. Adults are about an inch or two long, with females typically being slightly larger than the males. Most green tree frogs have a white stripe down…

Where do Great Blue Herons catch their snacks?

Introduction Great blue herons are part of the Ardea genus, which is a genus of birds that includes the herons, egrets, and bitterns. These birds are typically pretty large in size, with lengths usually greater than 80–100 cm. You’re most…

The Alien Equation

Throughout history, humanity’s view of the universe has changed drastically. For a long time, people believed that the Earth was all there was, with a dome high above it that had pinpricks they called stars. Later, they believed the solar…