What do we mean by AI consuming water? Over the last few months the discussions surrounding AI and water shortages globally have become so intertwined that it has become near impossible to mention one without the other. But, what do we really mean when we say AI is consuming our already limited fresh water supplies, why not just use ocean water, and why can't we find alternatives? Let's start by answering the first question, why do AI data centers need so much water in the fi

Introduction Human activities have caused a steady rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), throwing the natural carbon cycle out of balance and driving climate change and the greenhouse effect. This makes it urgent to develop effective technologies that lower CO2 levels. One promising approach is electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR), which uses renewable energy like solar or wind power to turn CO2 into useful fuels and chemicals. Beyond tackling environmental problems, th

Milettia Sacleuxii, more commonly known as Sacleux’s wisteria, is a tree with a length 10 metres or taller. It has a small native range, classified as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Ajna Fern, et al. 2011). The Millettia Sacleuxii is a rare and ecologically significant tree species in regards to climate and ecosystem biodiversity, as it is a ‘hotspot’ for unique lifeforms. It is found in the Eastern Arc forests of Tanzania, in the Nguru and Usambara

Imagine you're the holder of a special passport that has many possible nationalities at once until authorities check it, at which point it is forced to randomly resolve into one citizenship. That's how quantum superposition works. You are the electron. The electron has a dual nature and exists in both wave and particle forms, which is technically impossible. This is until it is observed and interacts with its surroundings, forcing it to “choose” one nature. Even though Austri

Ecosystems don’t stay the same - they evolve. Recently, however, the pace of change has accelerated dramatically, driven by two interconnected forces : invasive species and infectious diseases. Far from being distant biological phenomena, these twin threats actively reshape our world - collapsing local fisheries, devastating agricultural crops, driving native wildlife toward extinction, and triggering global health crises. Understanding how invaders and pathogens work togethe

How long do you think we have until the Earth becomes uninhabitable? The Aztecs believed it would happen in 2012, but thankfully, they were wrong. Nowadays, some scientists think it will take at least 1.5 billion years; others, much sooner – 150 million years, according to BBC Science Focus. Although we might not need to leave our dear home for another 15 million centuries, space exploration has long piqued humanity’s interest. Hence, exploring other planets in the Solar Syst

What is it? First grown in Central Asia and spread throughout the world, Cannabis has become hugely influential. It has many different names including ‘‘marijuana’’ and ‘‘weed”, and it can also be used for food, tea, cigarettes, and medicine. Cannabis is composed of chemicals named cannabinoids, the most known being THC and CBD. THC produces the mental “high,” and CBD has effects of relaxation, happiness, and feelings related to that of wellbeing (Mary Jo DiLonardo, 2021). If

Introduction Have you ever wondered why your hands get sweaty when you’re nervous or perhaps why you get butterflies in your stomach? This is because your brain controls everything you do, from breathing to blinking, usually without you noticing. Emotions, such as excitement and confusion can trigger physical changes in your body through the nervous system, which connects the body to the mind. This connection lets signals travel extremely fast, up to 300 miles an hour!¹ Wi

Abstract Marine plastic debris poses a significant and escalating threat to coastal ecosystems, marine biodiversity, tourism economies, and human health worldwide. Recent advances in computer vision and deep learning have enabled near-real-time detection and monitoring of floating litter using aerial platforms. This study designs, trains, and evaluates a convolutional neural network (CNN) using high-resolution drone imagery to automatically detect and classify five common pla

The night sky has been a source of mystery and guidance for humanity for a really long time, but its meaning and organization have varied across different cultural perspectives. Before the first telescopes were ever built, the sky served as humanity's main source of information. Over time, they began to notice that the sky had repetitive and predictive patterns, such as the movement of the Sun or the signs of rain before it began. These observations were crucial to the progre

Pollinators are essential for maintaining ecosystem stability and supporting global food production. However, climate change is increasingly affecting pollinator populations everywhere. Changes in temperature, available habitats, and flowering plant cycles are creating significant challenges for pollinators, especially bees. As climate change progresses, both opportunities and risks for pollinators are expected to rise, influencing their migration patterns, survival rates, an

Glossary: Electromagnetic radiation: Wave energy that travels through space as light, radio waves, or X-rays Kinetic energy: The energy an object has because it is moving Thermal energy: The internal heat energy caused by the movement of microscopic particles –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Ice cream has and always will be one of the best instant reliefs from the scorching heat of the summer. Its contrast from the heat is

Stepping into a phone booth in 1967 America meant one could reasonably expect privacy, even in public. This expectation was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court, which declared that “the Fourth Amendment protects people, not places,” thereby solidifying a constitutional right to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure (Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347). Decades later, the United Kingdom declared protections emphasizing personal privacy (Campbell v. MGN Ltd UKHL

The Pasig River in Manilla, Philippines has become a top global source of marine plastic pollution and has become a public health emergency that has exacerbated local disparities for the Filipino citizens. Plastic waste in sources of water contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals and have been linked to neurodevelopmental impairments in children, cancer, reproductive disorders, and immune system suppression (Greenpeace Philippines 2025). The effects of pollution on the children

Glossary: Barycenter – the common center of mass which two celestial bodies orbit Ecliptic plane – an imaginary 2 dimensional plane of a celestial bodies orbit around its star (in this case being the Sun) Eccentricity – how much a celestial bodies orbit deviates from a perfect circle Focal point – point that defines the shape of the elliptical orbit (2 focal points in a Semi-major axis – half of the longest diameter of an elliptical orbit AU – Astronomical Unit: the distanc

Waves A wave is a disturbance travelling through space-time. They transfer energy from one point to another, without any permanent displacement in space-time. There are waves all around us: from sound waves, to light waves, to water waves. These waves can be arranged in order of increasing or decreasing frequency, this is known as the electromagnetic spectrum. The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is the entire continuum of electromagnetic radiation ordere

What is Sickle Cell Anaemia? What is sickle cell anaemia, you may ask? Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder that affects the structure and function of red blood cells and their ability to transport oxygen throughout the body. The condition is caused by a mutation in the gene responsible for producing haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. The disease is particularly common in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. In this

Imagine you're the holder of a special passport that has many possible nationalities at once. Only when border authorities inspect it is it forced to randomly resolve into a single citizenship. While impossible in everyday life, this analogy provides a useful way to imagine one of the strangest ideas in modern physics: quantum superposition. In quantum mechanics, an electron behaves in a similarly counterintuitive way. Rather than existing in one definite state, it can exist

The laws of thermodynamics explain how energy behaves in the universe, and even though they might sound complicated, they actually describe things we experience every day, like why hot things cool down or why energy never just disappears. The First Law of Thermodynamics The first law of thermodynamics is all about energy conservation. It tells us that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. This means that the total amount of energy i

Introduction Why do sunflowers, snails, and even galaxies appear to share the same mathematical pattern? The answer lies in the Fibonacci sequence. In mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence is a well-known pattern in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The sequence is usually written beginning with 1 and 1 (though some variations begin with 0 and 1 or 1 and 2), which produces: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ... In a general form, this relationship