Have you ever seen an image of the tongue separating different regions to different flavors? This taste map designates areas such as the front to tasting sweet flavours. Meanwhile salty and sour are on the sides and bitter in the back. This mapping is however, a myth. In fact, chemosensory scientists debunked it long ago. […]READ POST
Types of contraception
Today marks World Contraception Day. Let’s explore the different types of contraception. The first type of contraception is a physical barrier that prevents the sperm interacting with the egg. These include condoms and the diaphragm. Male condoms are worn on the penis to prevent the sperm being released into the vagina. Female condoms are placed […]READ POST
Cauliflower Ear
Auricular hematoma, more commonly known as cauliflower ear, describes the lumpy, deformed appearance of the ear. This is usually caused by blunt trauma to the outer ear. It is common in close-contact sports such as boxing, wrestling and rugby. The outer ear includes the auricle and the external acoustic meatus, or auditory canal. The auricle […]READ POST
How Wildfire Smoke Can Affect Your Lung Health
With the current forest fire outbreaks around the world, let’s examine how wildfire smoke can affect your health. Wildfire smoke releases a number of pollutants that irritate our lungs. For example, particle pollution found in smoke can lodge itself deep within our lungs, causing asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes and even death. Wildfires also release […]READ POST
Understanding the Different Types of Ovarian Cancer
The risk of a woman getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78. Ovarian cancer is when normal cells in the ovary change and start to rapidly grow to form a tumour. Because the ovaries sit near other pelvic organs such as the bladder and bowel, the cancer can affect these organs and […]READ POST
The effects of wearing high heels
Many of us are familiar with the iconic Barbie high heel and would wear high heels ourselves. But have you ever thought of how your anatomy is affected by wearing high heels? Many parts of your body are impacted by high heels. Most obviously, your feet are put into an unnatural position. In fact, the […]READ POST
National Different Coloured Eyes Day
July 12th marks National Different Coloured Eyes Day. Let’s explore where your eye colour comes from and how individuals can have different coloured eyes. The colour of your eyes comes from the iris. Located posterior to the cornea and anterior to the lens, the iris is a muscular, ring-shaped structure that surrounds the pupil. The […]READ POST
Anatomy of a Kiss
July 6th marks International Kissing Day! Often, we don’t think about what goes into this simple way of showing affection, but in reality a lot happens underneath the skin when it comes to puckering up. The main muscle involved in kissing is your orbicularis oris. This is the muscle that outlines the mouth and changes […]READ POST
Does shaving really make hair grow back thicker?
Many of us have worried that when we are shaving that our hair will end up growing back in thicker and darker. However, this have been proven to be a myth. In fact, shaving your hair does not change the thickness, colour or the rate of growth. To first understand this myth, let’s understand the […]READ POST
Understanding Hemophilia
When you hear the disorder ‘Hemophilia’ you may think of the Romanovs, or maybe you are taken back to learning Punnett squares. One highlights the famous carriers of the disease and the other the likelihood of it being passed down through generations. Hemophilia is a blood clotting disorder that arises from a gene on the […]READ POST