Amid the various conspiracy theories surrounding the introduction of 5G—the fifth generation of broadband cell networks—Associate Editor Allison Schuster sat down with Assistant Professor of Physics Timothy Dolch to set the record straight. Q: What is 5G? Dolch: 5G refers to the fifth generation of cellular networks. It provides faster connection speeds to more devices simultaneously, and to more types...
Science and Tech
Personality tests show true self
If you’re a Hillsdale student, chances are high you’ve been asked what your Enneagram type is. Although the Enneagram—a personality test based on nine different personality types—is popular among Hillsdale students, personality tests as a whole are a good conversation starter, Assistant Professor of Psychology Benjamin Winegard said. Other well-known tests include Myers-Briggs, Big Five, Strengths Quest Finder, and Astrology....
TikTok re-wires psyche, professor says
TikTok, the app taking popular culture by storm, is the fastest growing social media platform with around 800 million active users. Despite being a mere five years old, the president of the free world has referenced the app on more than one occasion. How did TikTok become so popular? TikTok is addictive. And young people are so accustomed to the...
The short squeeze on GME shocks market
GameStop Corp. (GME) made headlines last week after a wild week in the stock market. Shares rose 1,625% in the month of January to $325 per share. That parabolic rise intensified last week and hurt hedge funds like Melvin Capital, who had a large short position on GME. Melvin lost 53% in January on their shorts, accounting for about $6.6...
Swinehart discovers new fossilized species
After multiple decades of work and research, Professor of Biology Anthony Swinehart has discovered a new species of hickory tree, the carya pipecreekensis. Along with this discovery comes proof for a significant spatio-temporal range extension of Ginkgophyta (a division of gymnosperms that includes the maidenhair tree and its extinct relatives) in North America. The discovery came as part of the...
Microsoft granted patent to build bot off social media data
After a year like 2020, it can feel like the world is transforming into a gigantic Black Mirror episode. That inkling could very well be a reality, thanks to a recent Microsoft patent. In December 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Microsoft a patent which details a process of creating a chatbot based on a person’s social media...
Hillsdale student assists on ET research project
When junior Shane Smith started looking for a summer research internship last year, he never expected to work on a project analyzing radio signals that could provide proof of extraterrestrial life. “I didn’t really know that there was actually a scientific community that was looking for aliens,” Smith, a physics major, said. “Usually when you think of that, you think...
Twitter, Google: Arbiters of free speech?
When Twitter permanently suspended then-President Donald Trump’s account on Jan. 8, one truth became evident: Big Tech has monopolistic power over the public forum in America. The ensuing crackdown on thousands of accounts following Trump’s removal saw non-establishment thinkers and groups, both conservative and progressive, removed from the main platforms of communication. Anyone outside of the “elite class” running media,...
Physics professor measures signal that may signify gravitational waves from merging supermassive black holes
A Hillsdale College professor and four Hillsdale graduates contributed to a study which revealed a signal found in data from the Arecibo and Green Bank Telescopes that may signify gravitational waves from the merging of two supermassive black holes. Assistant Professor of Physics Timothy Dolch and students Cody Jessup ‘16, Daniel Halmrast ‘17, Joshua Ramette ‘17, and Michael Tripepi ‘17...