#robinblades

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) -- In a scientific experiment set in a Dallas, Texas, amusement park, a participant leaped off a 14-story daredevil jump tower and landed safely in a net. While the fall only lasted a few seconds, the study participant said that fear made it feel longer. Emotion warped that person’s experience of time, dragging out each moment like a horror film in slow motion. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) -- In mere days, butterflies will begin to emerge in Canada. After weathering the winter tucked away in foliage, warmer temperatures will draw them out of hiding to look for mates. But for those who prefer not to wait, there is a more evergreen source of insects: butterfly farms. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) and PALEAH MOHER (FGJ ‘21) -- In the Madre de Dios region of Peru, a human-made wasteland brushes up against the border of the Amazonian rainforest. Over the past decade, small-scale illegal gold miners have transformed the landscape from tree-covered marshlands to a desert pockmarked with polluted ponds, leaking mercury into the local food web. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) -- In the deserts of Arizona, a cancer-like growth fans out from the head of a saguaro cactus. It is a fasciation: a bunch of cells replicating out of control. This phenomenon produces strange mutations in plant life, but like cancer in humans, it can take a toll. While beautiful, this deformity disrupts flowering and makes the cactus more vulnerable to injury. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) -- Waiting at a red light can feel like an eternity. Anticipating the signal warps reality, turning one minute into two. That event on the horizon bends the time around it – like a rock barricading a stream. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) -- Seventy years ago, polio had parents around the world trembling in fear. The highly infectious poliovirus paralyzed thousands of children before two vaccines emerged – one injected through the arm and the other taken orally. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) -- During this pandemic, the internet has taken on the #stayathomechallenge with its usual gusto. How many times can you juggle a roll of toilet paper? What do you do when the floor is lava? Can you teach your dog to dance? It seems like people will do anything to stave off the impending boredom. READ MORE. 

BY ROBIN BLADES (FGJ ‘21) --  Vaccine hesitancy is prevalent worldwide, with particularly high levels in Russia, Africa, and several European countries. A study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs predicts that only 63 per cent of respondents from 23 countries will agree to be vaccinated — well below the 75 per cent minimum necessary for “herd immunity.” READ MORE.