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Opinion
Opinion pieces discuss a topic from a more subjective perspective, including personal insights and less technical exploration.
Black Box at the Blackboard
Written by Sihoon Yang Edited by Lorenzo Rave With the emergence of the fundamental equations governing fluid mechanics, discovered by the French engineer Claude-Louis Navier and the British mathematician George Gabriel Stokes during the nineteenth century, humanity was presented with one of the greatest achievements of mathematical physics. Their equations presented a way of describing phenomena ranging from ocean waves and meteorology to blood circulation through the arteri

Cross Cultural Friction
2 days ago
Increasing Chronic illnesses in Young People
Writen by Reeda Anindita Rahman Edited by Vimal Velu Young people are increasingly being affected by chronic illnesses. They represent the future of our society; therefore, prioritizing their health is essential. The field of medicine has seen large advancements over the past years. Even with the presence of such advancements, chronic illnesses remain a major issue in young people. Hence, why are chronic illnesses so prominent among the younger generation despite improvements

Cross Cultural Friction
2 days ago
Why should we be working to save the ocean?
Written by Isabella Castro Edited by Aleksandr Kurbatov Humans are egocentric by nature, we care far more about the things that we can see impact us than those that do not, or don’t seem to. Because of our egocentrism, though, despite the initiatives against the climate crisis, which in fact are already quite limited, most people seem to only focus on the effects we can see and feel, our air quality and our agriculture. There are exceptions, of course, and we do care for thin

Cross Cultural Friction
2 days ago
Nature’s Little Red Tax: The Economics of Menstrual Product Accessibility
Written by Anele Letebogo Dube Edited by Firdavs Mirzoev You go to the bathroom, look down at your underwear, and there it is: red. Your period has arrived. You go searching in your bag for a pad or tampon or call out to ask if your friend has one to spare. For many girls this is an inconvenience at most, but for other girls, they don’t have the luxury of doing that. They have to roll up some tissue and hope it lasts. This is the reality of period poverty. Period poverty is w

Cross Cultural Friction
Oct 1
Consumer Responsibility In Sustainability
Written by Isabella Castro Edited by Moka Higashino “Ugh, did you really need that new shirt?” - How sustainability is being pushed as a consumer responsibility and the way this limits real impactful change. In 2021, single-use plastic bags were banned in the state of Washington (Oceana, 2019), and considering the issues associated with any single-use plastic, the legislative choice was inarguably for a good cause. A little over three years later, though, the US announced th

Cross Cultural Friction
Oct 1
Is psychology a fake science and can it be applied as one?
Written By Raphaele-ka Kon Edited By Moka Higashino Psychology is considered a social science. It examines the many parts that make up human consciousness, our choices, and how we behave in response to our environment. Because it is the study of the human mind it relies on indirect measurements and theories to determine if certain factors affect human emotion and behavior. Some question whether psychology should be considered a science because of its lack of scientific credib

Cross Cultural Friction
Oct 1
Are People Losing the Ability to do Things for Themselves Since AI Can do it for Them Faster?
Written by Hoorain Syed Edited by Moka Higashino Artificial Intelligence has become a growing invention in our world. From being used in schools to being used for personal tasks, AI has slowly grown to become an essential part of our day to day lives. People have started relying on AI platforms (such as ChatGPT, Gemini etc) too much, making them dependent on online tools, weakening their strengths and ability to think for themselves. Tasks that once took people hours to comp

Cross Cultural Friction
Aug 27
The Mars Delusion
Written by Sihoon Yang Edited by Firdavs Mirzoev Humans love playing with Murphy's law, which states ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’. In The Martian (2015), Matt Damon exemplifies this by surviving 549 sols on Mars (roughly 18 months in Earth time), growing his own food and rationing out his stores in extreme conditions (Scott). Such movies and novels have awestruck many people and left them wondering whether colonizing Mars is feasible and we should continue exp

Cross Cultural Friction
Aug 27
Compassion with Limits: Why Voluntary Euthanasia Should Be Legal
Written by Teymur Kangarli Edited by Lorenzo Rave What does respect for life mean in terms of medicine? Does it imply keeping patients alive as long as possible, or can it sometimes be expressed in respect for a well-considered and conscious decision of those patients whom medicine cannot save from agony anymore? Voluntary euthanasia, which involves the assistance of a physician in ending the life of a patient who requested it freely and repeatedly, is one of the toughest et

Cross Cultural Friction
Aug 27
Girls vs. Boys: Education in Peshawar
Written by Zareen Jan Edited by Lorenzo Rave In the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, the living conditions of many families are less than ideal. Around 40% of Peshawar's population lives in poverty, which results in many struggles in their lives. Some parents are not always able to afford sending all their children to school, so when the topic of education is addressed, boys get prioritized. Culturally boys/men are put first in their families, which means that any opportunity to g

Cross Cultural Friction
Aug 27
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