 Illustration by Nina Kornfeld By Charles Bonkowsky Instead of watching the Super Bowl, you could have been watching a meteor slam into the Earth’s atmosphere. On the night of February 12, astronomer and geology professor Krisztian Sarneczky spotted the asteroid from the Konkoly Observatory in Hungary, and realized that its trajectory was likely bringing it onto a collision course with Earth. Following the usual protocol, he reported it to the Minor Planets Center (MPC), a database that alerts other astronomers about potentially interesting Solar System objects. Once the entry was published, telescopes across Europe and the ESA confirmed his predictions—and alerted people to point their cameras at the sky for the spectacular fireball.
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Humankind has long sought the cures to diseases—from cancers to osteoporosis—on Earth. Even as the rainforests continue to reveal natural medicinal compounds and biochemical labs synthesize complex pharmaceuticals, each advancement only brings forth millions of unanswered questions concerning the human body and its health. Yet, what if humankind has been looking in the wrong place for these answers? What if the solutions to disease aren’t found on Earth at all but rather in the stars?  Illustration by Macarena Hepp By Lauren Goralsky “You look familiar. How do I know you?” Walking down the street, attending class, or going to the grocery store, people often ask themselves this question. At times, it may seem that each face is a part of a homogeneous sea. Humans generally share the same basic facial features and expressions across cultures. Yet, our brains have the impressive capacity to distinguish between and identify approximately 5000 faces. So, how exactly are we able to do this?  Illustration by Audrey Acken Do you sometimes see your dog barking at itself in the mirror and wonder, “is he okay?”. Does he understand that he is seeing his own reflection? Does he understand that he is a “he”, an animal, a being with a brain? |