Alexandra Bless

Biologically speaking, humans are omnivores. This means they have the digestive and metabolic ability to absorb nutrients from foods derived from both plants and animals. Despite our evolutionary history as omnivores, many people don’t choose to live as such. Some individuals choose to only eat animal-derived products and eliminate plants, known as the carnivore diet. Others choose to only eat plant-derived foods and exclude all animal products, referred to as a plant-based diet or vegan...

Plastics: The Beginning of Disposable Consumption Plastics have been used commercially for well over 100 years. The first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was invented in 1907 by Leo Baekeland and served not only as a very effective insulator, but was also well suited for production due to its high durability and ease of being molded. Bakelite was revolutionary for its time and set the stage for a new era of plastic manufacturing. By the 1940s, plastic use exploded. World War II introduced...

Acute Sleep Deprivation Sleep deprivation occurs when someone fails to get an adequate amount of quality sleep every night, typically less than 7 to 8 hours a night for adults. Most people have likely experienced sleep deprivation for various reasons, such as pulling an all-nighter to study for an exam, meet work deadlines, travel overseas, or even to finish binge-watching a TV show. The occasional all-nighter is an example of acute sleep deprivation, or going 24+ hours without sleep for...