Mosquitoes can carry deadly diseases. Courtesy | Facebook The U.K.-based biotechnology company Oxitec has released genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild, including in the United States. While these mosquitoes can help limit the spread of diseases like the Zika virus, the execution of the plan and the health concerns it poses outweigh the benefits. Oxitec’s mosquitoes carry one of two...
Science and Tech
Lake Diane algal bloom tests negative for cyanotoxins
An algal bloom in Lake Diane was tested for cyanotoxins. Courtesy | Facebook An algal bloom in Lake Diane in southern Hillsdale County is currently free of cyanotoxins, which can cause illness and in rare cases death, but the lake will still be monitored. A recent lab test revealed that samples taken from the lake on Aug. 15 did not...
The science of being a mom: Hillsdale professors on balancing career and motherhood
Courtney Meyet poses with her husband Brian and her sons, Kiehl and Shane. Courtesy︱Courtney Meyet When Courtney Meyet started to pursue her doctorate in chemistry, she already had another full-time job: motherhood. Now an associate professor of chemistry at the college, Meyet had two boys aged eight and 10 – and a 60-to-80-hour work week in the lab. Yet she...
Politics department offers new politics of health class
Poor diet costs Americans trillions in medical bills. Courtesy | Facebook While Associate Professor of Politics Kevin Slack ate Cheez-Its and drank Kool-Aid for breakfast as a kid, he doesn’t recommend students in his new class follow his example. The new class, called the Politics of Health, introduces students to health issues and how government policies affect them, according to...
Opinion: If you want to be healthy, stop eating seed oils
Seed oils have been marketed as hearth-healthy since the 1960s. Courtesy︱Twitter With soaring obesity rates, spikes in allergies, and increasing rates of heart disease, it’s time for Americans to reclaim their health and stop consuming seed oils. Seed oils, like canola, corn, safflower, soy, grapeseed, rice bran, and cottonseed oils, are high in polyunsaturated fats, otherwise known as PUFAs, according...
Opinion: New social media law, not Meta, endangers Canadians
Canada’s dispute with Meta comes in the middle of a record-setting wildfire season. Courtesy | Facebook The controversy unfolding between Canada and Meta should be a warning about the dangers of outsourcing a country’s safety. Canada’s Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, became law in June, according to CTV News. While the Canadian government promoted the bill as...
Q&A: Senior Elizabeth Speck interns for NASA
Elizabeth Speck interned at NASA. Courtesy | Elizabeth Speck Elizabeth Speck is a senior chemistry major and math minor from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. She interned this summer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Langley, Virginia. Q: What is one question that everyone always asks you about working at NASA? A: Everyone always asks if we faked the moon landings, which we...
Hillsdalians from Montana react to state climate change ruling
Lake Ellen Wilson in Glacier National Park. Courtesy | Sierra Dilworth Montanans in the college community have divided reactions to a recent court decision that says the state’s promotion of fossil fuels violates the Montana Constitution. Charles Steele, chairman of economics, business, and accounting, grew up in Montana before studying and then teaching at Montana State University. Steele, who has...
Michigan Court Overturns ‘Forever Chemicals’ Regulations
Levels of PFAS in locations tested by the U.S. Geological Survey. Courtesy︱U.S. Geological Survey Drinking water in the city of Hillsdale is free of so-called forever chemicals, according to a report from the Board of Public Utilities. But last week Michigan’s Court of Appeals overturned the state’s regulations on the substances, which can contaminate water supplies. Industrial manufacturing company 3M...