Noise Pollution Effect on Sleep

This infographic servers as a summary of this study. This study is written by Lasin Faizal, a biomedical researcher. This study observes noise pollution and its effects on sleep. Factors such as decibels of noise, neurological symptoms, and sleep patterns were measured.

Background

Noise pollution is one of the largest environmental threats to human health. Unlike physical pollutants, noise pollution has a greater effect on psychological stress. Even when there is no noise pollution, your brain processes the sound, triggering cortisol levels and heart rate spikes.

The primary sources of noise pollution are through road traffic, railways, aircraft noise, and social noise. Sources can be from anywhere, but it ranges based on location. City dwellers consume more noise pollution than suburban dwellers as atmosphere and lifestyles differ.

Study

The researchers studied and compared the impacts of noise pollution on sleep quality in an urban area. The study evaluated 125 residents ranging from 20 to 55. Environmental noise levels were recorded and calibrated for each participant. Over three consecutive days, the researchers recorded the outcomes of the different noises affecting sleep. Using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality, the researchers were able to quantify a link between noise intensity and sleep levels.

Results

Symptom	Low Noise (%)	Moderate Noise (%)	High Noise (%)
Headaches	27.5	44.4	67.5
Irritability
Dizziness	15	26.7	42.5
Difficulty Concentrating	17.5	31.1	50
Tinnitus	10	17	32.5

Table 3 From Faizal

Parameter	Low (%)	Moderate (%)	High (%)
Night Awakenings	15.0	42.2	70.0
Sleep Latency	17.5	40.0	65.0
Sleep Duration	12.5	33.3	60.0

Table 4 From Faizal

The results prove that Neurological symptoms and different sleep patterns are caused by a rapant noise pollution. Researchers have affected proved that higher concentration of noise pollution equates to worse sleep. This is emphasized in Table 4, as different decibels affected sleep patterns. Even other journals agree with this stating, night time noise is damaging and links to sleep disruption (Münzel et al. 2025). Effectively proving that noise through sleep cycles effectively disrupts sleeps.

Personal

Living in Midtown Atlanta sound often just travels quickly. I rarely wake up to noises from the streets, planes, or social life. I have noticed that sometimes due to loud noises or the area I am in my ears begin to pop. This happens due to noise pollution so I am not acustomed to every single noise. As I move to different cities I want to know how my ears will adjust to new noises.

References

Faizal, L., Krishnappa, A. K. R., Chakraborty, M., & Koppolu, S. (2025). Impact of urban noise pollution on sleep disorders and neurological symptoms. Bioinformation, 21(11), 4080.

Münzel, T., Peris, E., & Sørensen, M. (2026). From noise to heart disease: European Environment Agency sounds the alarm for Europe 2025.

 

Impacts of Urban Green Spaces

This is a summary of a paper written by Vashet Zariro, a researcher. This study examines how green spaces impact rapidly urbanizing areas from 2015 to 2024. This study utilizes the country of Zimbabwe, measuring the amount of green space correlation to lower temperatures.

What are Green Spaces

Urban green spaces are spaces within the city that have any type of natural or artificial vegetation. Urban green spaces can have both artificial and natural vegetation, which serves a purpose, such as being a park, bare land, or office (Zariro et al. 2025).

Impacts of Urban Green Spaces

Assessing the impact of green spaces depends on placement and the amount scattered in the city. Green spaces have a great impact on cities providing cooler weather. Urban greening and the cooling effect have the potential to mitigate harsh weather and improve weather in urban communities (Li et al. 2024).

Study

Harare, the capital of Zimbawe and, is rapidly urbanizing. As more people come to the city, more natural green spaces are being replaced by heat-trapping concrete and asphalt. The scientist was to see if the rapid loss of urban spaces has led to increasing surface temperatures in urban settings.

Results

The study proves that green spaces correlate with decreasing of temperature. When measuring the amount of green spaces from 2015 to 2024, it can be noticed that surface temperature drops. This proves that urban development needs to consider green spaces when building new areas or buildings.

Figure 8 from Zairro

This graph highlights the increase in green spaces leading to a decrease in Land Surface Temperature. The correlation is that over the years, more green spaces have been created, lowering the temperature. Even though the x-axis increments by 20, it can be shown that 20 green spaces can be the key to lowering the temperature a little bit. Now, if scaled into hundreds of more green spaces in urban communities, that may equate to lower and more optimal temperatures.

Conclusion

As more people move to urban areas, integrating green spaces into city planning is essential for optimal living conditions. Green spaces effectively cool urban environments, mitigating temperature fluctuations and making cities more comfortable. Cities like Harare in Zimbabwe are experiencing cooling benefits as more green infrastructure is introduced. Therefore, construction plans should prioritize green spaces to ensure livable and sustainable urban growth.

References

Zariro, V., Zvidzai, M., Ndaimani, H., & Mapfumo, R. B. (2025). Assessing the impact of green spaces on the urban heat island effect. Geocarto International, 40(1), 2603724.

Li, G., Cao, Y., Fang, C., Sun, S., Qi, W., Wang, Z., … & Yang, Z. (2025). Global urban greening and its implication for urban heat mitigation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(4), e2417179122.

 

Cognitive Offloading

This is a summary of the recent study done by Michael Gerlich. This study measures the psychological habit of cognitive offloading. The methods the researchers use include different age groups and AI tools.

Cognitive Offloading

It’s the physical or digital act of reducing mental effort when doing a task by using external tools to solve it. Today, we can see this in tasks like emails, coding, and essays being handled by ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.

AI models and Skills

AI tools have stagnated in usage, but with the rapid usage, critical thinking begins to decline. Usage of AI in the workspace can halt professional development (Shen & Tamkin, 2026). The popularity of these tools has led to reliance, causing people to become dependent on these tools .

Study 1 and 2

The hypothesis of study 1 states that more usage of AI tools reduces critical thinking. The author highlights that the hypothesis of study 2 states that cognitive offloading serves as a mediator between critical thinking and AI models.

Results

The first age group of 17 to 25 used AI tools more often, exhibiting cognitive offloading, meaning critical thinking levels lowered (Gerlich, 2025) . In contrast, the second age group of 46 and above used these tools less and had a high critical thinking score (Gerlich, 2025). This shows that within age groups, younger people are more likely to use these models but have less critical thinking. The research went further into understanding the concepts of offloading and whether there is a correlation between using AI tools and critical thinking.

Pair	Correlation	Interpretation
AI Tool Use = Cognitive offloading	+0.72	Strong positive
AI Tool Use = Critical Thinking	-0.68	Strong negative
Cognitive offloading = Critical Thinking	-0.75	Strong negative

Table 6 from Gerlich, 2025

The table highlights a correlation between AI tool use, critical thinking, and cognitive offloading. It shows that there is a positive correlation between AI tool use and cognitive offloading, but a negative correlation between AI tool use and critical thinking, as well as between cognitive offloading and critical thinking. This shows that critical thinking has been declining due to usage. The author doesn’t suggest stopping the use of it, but rather halting the amount of usage for more creativity. The table proves that with dependence on tools like ChatGPT, it halts both learning and creativity, stopping cognitive development.

How I have used AI tools

I believe it is very dependent on how you use the tool. I personally use it constructively because something this powerful can help me learn. However, if AI tools are used incorrectly, they will eliminate critical thinking and creativity.

References

Shen, J. H., & Tamkin, A. (2026). How AI impacts skill formation. arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.20245.

Gerlich, M. (2025). AI tools in society: Impacts on cognitive offloading and the future of critical thinking. Societies, 15(1), 6.

        “Choking” is a term used across many activities, with phrases like “I choked that exam” or “2018 Lebron choked in the finals” symbolizing the concept of losing. While often used as slang, the term also relates to the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis, which examines how stress levels affect performance. In high-stakes scenarios, an individual’s mentality can be significantly impacted. The hypothesis measures whether performance increases with higher stress or stimuli.
     Let’s put this in the context of basketball: a player’s performance is dependent on the situation. If the game is very close, then the players are playing very hard, and the performance rises exponentially. If the game is a blowout, then the starters are subbed out, and the performance of the players decreases dramatically. Often, performance is dependent on who the player is and the situation. There are exceptions, such as MVP candidates, generational talents, or consistent players. These players usually shine regardless of the situation, unless it is an off night. I believe that basketball is a consistent game that is dictated by the players’ performance, pace, and stake.
     The study that is being examined is the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis being applied to the NCAA. The study examines whether free throws are a good metric in proving the hypothesis to be valid for basketball games. In basketball, a free throw usually occurs when someone is about to shoot and is fouled or if a team is over a certain number of fouls. Players are usually allowed two free throw attempts, depending on other fouls, but these are usually easy points for teams to make. The study believes that free throws are one of the most effective ways of measuring pressure and skill (Blechner et al., 2025). Free throw attempts do dictate the game because they are used as a means of strategy. If a team is down in the second half, they usually start fouling in order to stop the clock and have more possessions to score, but that comes with the tradeoff of a higher deficit to overcome. Contributing to pressure and skill free throws dictate the pacing and shooting skill. Good shooters and clutch players usually score free throws to help their teams win. However, I do not believe that this study accurately represents the hypothesis due to a lack of data and empirical evidence.
     Often, basketball games are reflected based on the consistency of players, the pace of the game, and the stakes. The study only measures free-throw averages to assume the hypothesis is true. However, no variables about pace, stakes, and pressure were ever recorded. Yes, I do believe that these types of variables are hard to grasp, but I would do this study differently. The researchers sampled data for the 2021 to 2022 college basketball season, which I think is good, but the way the data was used is what I don’t agree with. I think there should be variables of pace, pressure, and stakes. Pace being if the teams play on a high pace style, if there were points scored based on turnovers, or if there were points scored quickly. Another being pressure, being how the player is playing in the environment they are in. This can be measuring performances in home games vs away games, rivalry games, or anything that can cause a player to play differently. Lastly, in college, players often play to make the NBA, and draft placement is often dictated by how well they compete throughout their college careers.
     Other citations also help with what I am saying about external factors. Offensive skill, defensive effort, and plays are all factors in how the game is played. If we don’t measure those, then we are leaving crucial data. This is all skill and player dependent, players under defensive pressure often have to change performance being release mechanics, positioning, or style of plays (Li et al., 2024). These factors set the game not just free throws; they are a factor, so measuring them is vital. The study doesn’t further capture all the components of basketball, skewing the data.
     Overall, the playstyle of college basketball could not sufficiently answer the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis, but I believe that the overall study wasn’t done correctly. I believe that free throws are not enough information to determine the accuracy of the hypothesis. I say sufficient, as it could determine the pace and pressure of the game, affecting the playstyle, but it is not enough to prove the hypothesis. I think if time, quarter, pace, score, and other metrics were there, then the study could be more accurate. Think about the study when the model is based upon all metrics of the game, then it can accurately represent the proper values that can equate to the hypothesis’s validity.
     In the end, the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis has the ideology that as mental stress occurs, the performance of an individual will exponentially rise. This study does accurately introduce it, but the way the study took place was not truly accurate. Lack of other variables led the study to be more generalized than factual. However, if there were more variables to train the model upon, then it would perhaps give a better answer for the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis. In the end, the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis can be proven with basketball if all metrics were accounted for. 

References

Blechner, D., Grove, W., Lantis, R., Nesson, E., & Sanders, S. (2025). Does Pressure Affect Performance? An Evaluation of the Yerkes–Dodson Hypothesis with NCAA Basketball Performance and a Continuous Measure of Pressure to Win. American Behavioral Scientist, 00027642251366046.

Li, F., Dukarić, V., Očić, M., Li, Z., & Knjaz, D. (2024). Influence of fatigue and defensive pressure on three-point jump-shot kinematics in basketball. Applied Sciences, 14(20), 9582.

What if humans weren’t meant to be here… like at all

What if the first human to ever think for themselves didn’t ask how to survive… but instead asked why they existed at all?

According to scientists working in these disciplines, humans have an inherent nature which pushes them towards finding explanations and developing patterns in their environment especially when faced with the unknown. Long before science, early cultures relied on rational stories for understanding their environments.

Another such example is the one found in ancient Mesopotamian mythology. There are tales about otherworldly beings known as the Anunnaki who existed within this mythology. Not only did these beings exist within the stories, but they were crucial to comprehending the nature of human existence on Earth. Some Annunaki were associated with the sky, others to the underworld, and they were believed to decide human fate. As per the information provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Anunnaki refers to the offspring of god Anu who was a component of a cosmology that explained a wide range of occurrences in nature and human experience (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.). Thus, it is necessary to note that, initially, knowledge about extraterrestrial beings did not exist.

But something happened later on.

The story didn’t stay the same.

In the context of reinterpretation of the old myths in a modern setting, the whole story behind them got an entirely new meaning. All of a sudden, Annunaki was not just an ancient god anymore but an extraterrestrial being that was part of an incredibly advanced civilization experiencing some difficulties. To be more precise, the atmosphere became extremely polluted, which led to death. They turned to Earth because of one key resource: gold. Earth, rich in natural elements, became their solution.

But there was a problem.

Mining gold would take time. A lot of time.

In order not to perform these duties by themselves, they created an instrument that would be able to work on their behalf.

Humans.

The Anunnaki merged their genes with those of hominids in order to create a species that would be capable of performing these tasks for them. At first, it worked. Humans followed the orders that were given. They mined, they built, they functioned almost like tools. But then something changed.

One of the most compelling parts of this theory is the idea that one of these beings, often linked to Anu–the son of the Annunaki king–had a child with a human woman. This child was different. More aware, more knowledgeable. Picture yourself as the very first human asking, “Why am I doing this… and for whom?” That question alone challenges everything. Humans began to think deeply. They became emotional, unpredictable… aware. 

But that’s the important thing: this entire tale of aliens and gold mining never appears in any Mesopotamian texts from antiquity. It is rather a theory that doesn’t originate from any scholarship. The original myths never described humans as engineered workers or the Anunnaki as extraterrestrial beings. That version of the story developed much later.

So why does it still exist?

Based on scientific analysis, the tendency among people to come up with origin stories is innate. According to cognitive science and anthropology, there is an inherent tendency among humans to develop structured explanations, often involving supernatural elements, since these allow humans to make sense of complexity and provide meaning to their existence (Boyer, 2001). Put simply, the Anunnaki story does not arise from thin air but from an instinctive drive in humans to make sense of their surroundings.

But when science comes into play, the answer becomes obvious—and totally opposite.

There are no scientific proofs to support the notion that extraterrestrials created humans. Instead, human evolution is explained through natural selection. Primitive forms of hominids, which refer to primitive people, slowly evolved from ancient human-like species into modern-day humans. It is clear that according to the evidence provided by fossil records and genetic researches, Homo sapiens are believed to have originated from various animals that existed in the past due to the effects of natural selection (Stringer, 2016). According to scientists, natural selection is a process through which particular traits allow for survival and reproduction, which leads to improved behavioral patterns and neurological development. 

This process was not planned. It was not designed.

It was shaped by the environment.

Even the idea of gold—so central to the Anunnaki theory—has a scientific explanation. The presence of gold on Earth was not intentional. Rather, gold was formed in space due to some calamities like supernovae or neutron stars billions of years back. In the following period, geologic phenomena such as volcanic eruptions led to the presence of gold in Earth’s crust. In other words, the existence of gold on Earth was not because any being had come down to earth for mining gold; it was the creation of the universe that made it possible.

What does this mean for us then?

The myth concerning the Anunnaki can be said to be in between a myth and scientific theory. Ancient myths explained many things for ancient people. But modern theories reinterpret ancient myths in the context of science. And science explains everything, though perhaps not very mystically.

But perhaps that is the whole idea.

For it is not only about determining the truth regarding the existence of the Anunnaki.

It’s about something much deeper in the human mind.

Humans have always been in pursuit of some sort of meaning. There is a constant inquiry into the reason for our existence, our difference from other animals, and our purpose. These ideas show how far we are willing to go to explain our existence.

So maybe the real question isn’t “Were the Anunnaki real? Did they really create humans?”

Maybe the real question is…

“Why do we keep wanting a story where something created us—on purpose?”

References (APA 7th Edition)

Boyer, P. (2001). Religion explained: The evolutionary origins of religious thought. Basic Books. https://sackett.net/BoyerReligionExplained.pdf

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Anunnaki. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anunnaki

Stringer, C. (2016). The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 371(1698). https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article/371/1698/20150237/22900/The-origin-and-evolution-of-Homo-sapiensThe-origin

 

Introduction:

You step outside on a warm summer night to see a dark sea with little, intermittent flashes of light. Catching fireflies is a nostalgic childhood memory for people all across the globe. But what allows these bugs to produce this soft glow? 

Fireflies produce their light through bioluminescence, an efficient light production process resulting from a chemical reaction. While the light comes naturally from fireflies, scientists are trying to understand how to replicate this process for medical research applications with the same ease as fireflies.

How does this chemical reaction work?

While the chemical reaction itself is relatively straightforward, fireflies have to carefully control when to light up. This bioluminescent process takes place in a special light producing organ in the abdomen. Within this organ, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores energy in living cells, combines with oxygen, calcium, and luciferin with luciferase, the fireflies emit light (Branham, 2005).

Fireflies can control the flow of oxygen into the photocytes, which is part of the light-producing organ. When oxygen enters the photocytes, it reacts with the luciferin in the presence of luciferase, an enzyme, and ATP and produces light (Martin, n.d.). When oxygen is allowed to flow into the photocytes, light is emitted.

Recent studies suggest that fireflies evolved to have biochemical pathways for the production of luciferin and the regulation of the reaction (Zhang et al., 2020). This allows for the fireflies’ bioluminescent system to be highly effective as the energy dissipated from this reaction is emitted as light instead of heat (Zhang et al., 2020). This efficiency has proven to be difficult to replicate without these adaptations, which is why scientists are trying to recreate the process in a laboratory.

How does this Chemical Reaction Work in the Lab?

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have created a six-step synthesis for D-Luciferin, which is the specific stereoisomer, or orientation, of luciferin that binds with luciferase to produce light using p-benzoquinone, L-cysteine methyl ester, and D-cysteine (Kato et al., 2025). 

This synthesis is designed to replicate the natural production of luciferin with greater efficiency and lower costs. The synthesis is done in a one-pot reaction to streamline the process and make it applicable on a larger scale (Kato et al., 2025). While this synthesis has successfully yielded D-luciferin, creating an artificial version of the full biological system of fireflies, especially with the control of oxygen flow, remains a challenge. 

The efforts of the researchers at Nagoya University show the complexity of replicating a naturally optimized biochemical process. But why are scientists investing so much into recreating firefly bioluminescence? 

Why are Scientists Studying this Process?

Scientists have investigated the mechanism of the bioluminescent process of fireflies due to the emission’s application in medical imaging, including cancer research as a way to locate tumors (Martin, n.d.). However, the cost of producing the same reaction that fireflies do every night, every summer for free is quite expensive, driving the motivation for scientists to create the most efficient, cost and time-wise, synthesis for D-Luciferin (Kato et al., 2025). 

Conclusion

What appears to be a piece of summer nostalgia is actually a highly optimized biochemical process. By controlling the reaction between luciferin, luciferase, ATP, and oxygen, fireflies are able to make a chemical reaction a mesmerizing scene. 

Scientists are studying the process of firefly light production to make the synthesis of D-luciferin more accessible for research and medical applications. The same soft glow that lights  up a warm summer night is now contributing to science and medicine, showing how even the smallest of animals and insects can lead to scientific progress. 

References:

Branham, M. (2005, September 5). How and why do fireflies light up? Scientific American. Retrieved April 17, 2026, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-and-why-do-fireflies/

Kato, M., Tsuchihashi, K., Kanie, S., Oba, Y., & Nishikawa, T. (2025, December 25). A practical, biomimetic, one-pot synthesis of firefly luciferin. Nature Science Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82996-2

Martin, K. (n.d.). Everything About Luciferin and Luciferase. GOLDBIO. Retrieved April 17, 2026, from https://www.goldbio.com/blogs/articles/everything-about-luciferin-luciferase?srsltid=AfmBOoo5RwdWL6Aa1C7Lu7UK2e9LLM0KLTmjIYMHJmoU7DI5741Ww0Qa

Zhang, R., He, J., Dong, Z., Liu, G., Yin, Y., Zhang, X., Li, Q., Ren, Y., Yang, Y., Liu, W., Chen, X., Xia, W., Duan, K., Hao, F., Lin, Z., Yang, J., Chang, Z., Zhao, R., Wan, W., … Li, X. (2020, September 28). Genomic and experimental data provide new insights into luciferin biosynthesis and bioluminescence evolution in fireflies. Nature Science Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72900-z