A new discovery in the field of genetic engineering. The environmental implications of Trump's wall. The increasingly fast expansion of the universe. Helpful new uses of CRISPR. The impending issues presented to the National Park Service. Whether you know what each of these titles is referring to or not, they all affect your existence as a human in this world.
Scientific American magazine is something that should be an essential part of all people's everyday life. Think about it: the first issue was printed in 1845, and since then, hundreds of incredible scientific breakthroughs have been documented by means of ink and paper. That translates to nearly the entire extent of human discovery and brilliance immortalized forever in journalism.
I've always loved reading Scientific American magazine throughout my life. As informed citizens in an increasingly scientific and technological world, I believe everyone should read cool science articles for fun. I'm thrilled whenever I get a new copy of the magazine, and the website is bookmarked on my phone.
Admittedly, sure, it's nice to check social media every now and then, but it's far too easy to get carried away by it during study breaks. You can either mindlessly scroll through Facebook or Instagram which can be incredibly time-consuming, or you can find your new favorite science article.
Through recreationally reading science articles, you can learn more about the world around you, the very fabric of life, the rapidly changing face of human health, and things you never thought even existed.
To think of something as minuscule as a virus, a nonliving entity capable of spreading terrible diseases by means of a mere genome, is mind-blowing. There are news articles strewn all over the place about terror groups and shootings, but there are also scary things in the form of molecules that play roles in causing disorders and death, and this, to me, is incredibly fascinating, frightening, and exciting to learn about in order to find a cure.
I couldn't imagine journeying through life without asking questions and seeking knowledge about insanely complex mechanisms that are occurring around us and within us with every breath we take.
It's one thing to study whatever it is you love in school, whether it's biology or history or anything, and receive grades on it. But it's another thing to be able to let your mind wander and explore interesting stories for the sake of pure curiosity.
There aren't any guidelines or grades assigned to you as you read about an experiment or enthralling concept; you're free to lose yourself in discovery and the pursuit of knowledge. When you read them often enough, scientific articles feel a lot more like a familiar friend telling you an incredibly cool story rather than just something educational.
For me, the intersection of science and writing has always been an inseparable thing. Neither of those two things can exist without the other, so it seems; each has a very methodical process intimately relating to nature, specifically human nature. And yet, people seem inexplicably shocked when I tell them I'm working toward a degree in both Biology and English.
The thing is, good communication skills are absolutely essential in science and medicine. Researchers need to be able to clearly and engagingly write about their findings. Doctors need to intertwine humanities with their practice. A journalist needs to have a sense of curiosity that is so often found in the scientific method.
A love for scientific articles is an idiosyncrasy that makes me who I am. Regardless of if you've ever considered an interest in anything remotely scientific, you'll learn something new about life itself. So, the next time you see a link to a scientific article, read it for fun. You might (definitely) end up looking at the universe differently.
