ABOUT THE EDITOR:
Strangest Ocean Creatures
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By: Avery Wolf
Student Life Inside Editor It’s well known that aquatic animals live in greatly different environments than our own. This naturally causes unique adaptations that may seem weird to us. For example camouflage, bioluminescence, and even the ability to swallow prey much bigger than themselves. Many of these characteristics are formed from lifestyle aspects such as darkness, scarcity of food and intense water pressure. Here are a few of the strangest deep sea creatures: Flapjack Octopus, Giant Isopod and the Sea Angel. The Flapjack Octopus is certainly adorable. Its big eyes and ear-shaped fins upon its head make the octopus look… dare I say, cute. The flapjack octopus spends most of its time on the seafloor, where it can stay flat and appear like a pancake (hence the name). According to Monterey Bay Aquarium, they “unlike many shallow-water octopus species, the flapjack octopus lacks an ink sac and can’t change color to camouflage.” When it’s time to move around, the flapjack octopus drifts over the sand by fluttering its fins, appearing more like an elegant jelly-like creature. Next is the Giant Isopod, which more so resembles their remote cousins: Roly Polies! The main difference between these two creatures is size. These giant isopods can get up to 16 inches long. This large crustacean wanders along on the ocean floor, and their main food source is munching on dead creatures. Deep cold water is its home, and it can sustain great pressure at depths greater than 7,000 feet. Sea angels are small, aquatic sea slugs with clear bodies and flapping wings that make their appearance more angelic than slug-like. They are cold water and deep sea creatures that are modified gastropods. The gastropod’s (snail and slug) muscular feet have adapted into wing-like limbs to make swimming easier in open water. However, don't be deceived by their angelic appearance. As their main food source, Sea angels use their radula and tentacles to pull other swimming snails from their shells and consume them. They prey exclusively on shelled pteropod species which are projected to be impacted by climate change and ocean acidification. Published: 4/29/2025 |
OctoNation
Other Fun Creatures:
Monterey Bay Aquarium
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LA FIres and the OCean
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By: Xiaocheng
Science Editor In January of this year, California experienced one of the worst wildfires that the state has been through. These series of fires caused widespread destruction and significant economic and social impacts for residents. The fires were worsened by the Santa Ana winds and extreme dry conditions, burning over 50,000 acres and destroying thousands of structures. Mass evacuations had to be staged, as citizens needed to move to safer locations as their homes were being threatened by the fires. In particular, the Palisades and Eaton fires were among the most destructive, burning vast areas and causing significant loss of property. However, beyond the obvious effects of the fire, a recent routine scientific expedition revealed something more about the fires. The California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) vessel collected samples from the sea, and they found evidence that these terrestrial blazes have affected the delicate ocean ecosystem. Biological oceanographer Rasmus Swalethrop, director of ship operations for CalCOFI, stated that the fires “were bigger than anything I’ve seen before, and we were just heading straight towards those smoke plumes.” Right after the fires started, the institution expanded their efforts into investigating fire-ocean interactions, and urged the seaborne team to expand sampling efforts. Marine biologist Julie Dinasquet, noted that “the winter 2025 data-gathering mission occurred at the perfect opportunity in a pretty tragic time.” As the team worked, ash fell like snowflakes during the night, and the burning smell was heavy in the air. The volume and composition of burnt materials raised concerns among the team about pollution entering the marine environment. Researchers have expressed concerns about unprecedented levels of toxins entering the ocean. “That’s kinda crazy, I wouldn’t have expected that ash particles could get that big,” says William Harrison, a senior at Corner Canyon High School. After some initial observations, people were taken aback by the size of the ash fragments, with some being as large as a thumb. In response, scientists plan on continuing monitoring the ocean to see how it responds to the LA fires further ahead. Published: 4/29/2025 |
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Stats on fires in California:
Year Fires Acres 2018 8,527 1,975,086 2019 7,860 259,823 2020 9,639 4,397,809 2021 8,835 2,568,948 2022 7,490 362,455 2023 7,127 324,917 2024 8,024 1,050,012 
Public Policy Institute of California
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MICROSOFT's "Quantum" chip
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By: Xiaocheng Ai
Science Editor At a recent physics conference, Microsoft released a bold statement that shocked most of the science world. They claimed to have created a groundbreaking quantum computing chip. The company says they’ve built the chip using topological qubits, which are a special kind of quantum bit that’s supposed to be more stable and less prone to error. However, this announcement was immediately met with skepticism, many scientists aren’t buying it just yet. Microsoft announced this supposed breakthrough in February, but instead of sharing clear proof, they decided to host a press statement in the science journal Nature. But this statement wasn’t quite able to prove their claims. Many physicists, after reading Microsoft’s segment, were left in confusion as to the technology’s authenticity. So, when Microsoft researcher Chetan Nayak gave a talk on March 18th at the American Physical Society’s Global Physics Summit, all eyes were on him to provide some solid evidence. However, the data that Nayak presents didn’t scream “scientific breakthrough.” One of his key slides, which was supposed to prove the existence of Majoranas (special particle-like states that help form topological qubits), looked more like random static than anything meaningful. Nayak argued that there’s a hidden pattern among all the chaotic data, which proved that Microsoft’s chip was working, yet many physicists weren’t convinced. “The data was incredibly unconvincing. It’s like Microsoft was giving hundreds of people a Rorschach test at the same time,” said Henry Legg, a physicist from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Even physicists who aren’t as critical as Legg have their doubts. “The device Nayak presented is impractical. It certainly can’t be used as a qubit in its present state,” said Kartiek Agarwal, a physicist from Argonne National Laboratory. Microsoft, of course, disagrees with Legg. Roman Lutchyn, another Microsoft researcher, fired back, saying, “We stand behind the results in these papers.” Even though the validity of this quantum chip is still up in the air, those who are aware of its creation are excited. “Honestly, I want Microsoft to be right because quantum computing is such an interesting field,” says William Harrison, a senior at Corner Canyon. So, what’s next? Microsoft’s chip still might turn out to be a big deal, but for now, the scientific community don’t seem to be convinced. If Microsoft wants to prove themselves, they’ll need more than just some fuzzy-looking data. Published: 3/31/2025 |
Evolution of the modern computer chip:
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SLIME!
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By: Anna Yallech Travel Editor
“How to make slime no borax no glue” was my top most researched question during 2017, where the only idea that compulsively replayed in my head was seeking different methods to produce the perfect slime. Fortunately, my parents no longer have a fear of missing ingredients or random stains wrecking the house since I did grow out of the slime phase; however, it doesn't leave our hearts. Due to my recent nostalgia for the slime industry after consistently seeing reels on my Instagram showing the scoop-a-ability of slimes, I decided to take the time to discover the truth we all deserve to know… How to make the PERFECT slime? Maybe the secret to the perfect slime is within Corner Canyon. I investigated every nook and cranny of all the student’s minds until I found the most profound answer from freshman Ejoo Song, “ Lots of shaving cream… shaving cream gives it good bubbles… and elmer’s glue is the best too… ” The intellectual whispers I received from the young Song’s mind hit me, and I noted this. But why only seek out the secrets of slime in the small town of Draper, Utah when we can go bigger, better, aka… THE INTERNET. I concluded my slime recipe search after finding the subreddit for Slime, that’s when I knew I found the cheat codes. On r/Slime the wise @YoNalbo declared to all what the best slime recipe is, “ 1 cup of white school glue (PVA glue), ¼ cup of activator, add 1 teaspoon of glycerine to help with the activation and overall consistency of the slime, optional fragrance oil and pigments.” Oh, now we’re adding fragrance…Jeremy Fragrance. Sorry- slightly sidetracked, but I still documented this recipe as a potential way to craft the perfection I sought to discover. Within the struggles of searching for the perfect slime recipe, I remembered how considering this the science page, why not look into the chemical formula of producing slime? Cornell Center for Material Research concluded that slime can be created easily, “ The two main ingredients are poly (vinyl alcohol) and a solution of borax, which dissolves to form borate ions. When these two chemicals are combined, they react to form a cross-linked Polymer.” TWO INGREDIENT SLIME? I was intrigued by this scientific perspective. So what is the combination to create the PERFECT slime? I am unsure. Despite the many sources I provided for slime production, it comes down to you to discover the science behind slime. Trial and error is the key, so you could try every method I listed and find the most accurate formula if you ever get that kick and re enter your old slime phase! Published: 3/25/2025 |
Pinterest
Pinterest
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Resurrection of the mammoth
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By: Xiaocheng Ai
Resurrection has always been viewed as a supernatural force by humanity, with events involving resurrection being tied to either religious or paranormal discourse. However, recent talks about the resurrection of the woolly mammoth has had the science world in upheaval, and is met with both excitement and skepticism. Thanks to cutting-edge genetic engineering, scientists have recently made steps to bring back the woolly mammoth. Researchers at Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas-based biotech company, have successfully inserted mammoth DNA into living mice, marking a crucial step toward reviving the Ice Age giant. These gene-edited mice exhibit classic mammoth traits, including a thick woolly coat and cold resistance. “The Colossal woolly mouse marks a watershed moment in our de-extinction mission,” said company CEO Ben Lamm in a statement. "By engineering multiple cold-tolerant traits from mammoth evolutionary pathways into a living model species, we've proven our ability to recreate complex genetic combinations that took nature millions of years to create. The end goal for Colossal is to insert these genetic modifications into an Asian elephant embryo, which would be grown in either a surrogate elephant or an artificial womb. If successful, Colossal plans to bring the woolly mammoth back in 2028. "This is probably the most significant step in the early stages of this project," said George Church, a geneticist at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who co-founded Colossal. However, this initiative has raised some ethical concerns. When asked about the ethics behind the de-extinction of the mammoth, Jason Piech (an AP Biology student at Corner Canyon High school), stated, “I think the project is definitely really cool, but these resources can also benefit other efforts as well.” Some critics believe that de-extinction projects siphon away resources from conservation efforts, while others fear that reintroducing mammoths into a modern ecosystem will have ecological consequences. On the other hand, supporters believe that reintroducing the mammoth will restore the Arctic ecosystem by preventing permafrost thaw and slowing climate change. For now, these furry little mice are only a small step towards Ice Age revival. Will the world eventually see a real, living, woolly mammoth again in the near future? That remains to be seen. Published: 3/18/2025 |
Colossal Biosciences
 Mark Garlick/Getty Images/Science Photo Library
6 ancient resurrection stories (not including Jesus):
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The Bigfoot Myth
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By: Gage Woodbury
The Bigfoot myth was first created in 1958 when journalist Andrew Genzoli reported on a reader’s letter about obscenely large footprints discovered by Northern California loggers, according to the History Channel. Since then it has persisted, especially in the age of the internet. While probably untrue and just a myth, it’s still fun to discuss and see how science has investigated it. Over the years, there have been several alleged collections of Bigfoot hair to have been found. The University of Oxford decided, then, to run DNA tests on all of these collections of Bigfoot hair to see whether or not they were authentic. Rather than finding authenticity, however, Oxford’s DNA tests found that these alleged Bigfoot hair collections were hairs from farm animals such as cows and other similar animals, reported by Time Magazine. I, for one, would like to know what authentic bigfoot DNA would be like, and if it was ever found, perhaps it would be similar to other mammals, making it difficult to recognize its authenticity. However, it is probably not at all similar to a cow’s DNA, meaning that no DNA evidence for the existence of Bigfoot has been found. The other controversial, alleged evidence that exists is in the form of sightings and photos. The most famous of these is the Patterson-Gimlin film, which was taken in 1967 in Northern California. The Patterson-Gimlin film has been debated for years, with both sides attempting to either authenticate or debunk it. According to The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, who can be found at bfro.net, because I will allow the reader to decide whether or not this source is credible, film has never been proven as a hoax. Multiple people have claimed to have worn the costume, but only one can be telling the truth, BFRO argues; they also claim that each of these claims have been proven to be falsified. On the other side, The American Museum of Natural History’s physical anthropologist Esteban Sarmiento argues that some inconsistencies in Bigfoot’s behavior and appearance suggests, although not conclusively, that the Patterson-Gimlin film was faked. I asked CCHS student Lincoln Blake whether he believes in Bigfoot, which he replied he does not. From 1958 to today, Bigfoot, while probably mythical, has provoked some interesting (and also entertaining) discussions. Go outside. Maybe you’ll find Bigfoot. Published: 2/28/2025 |
Boingboing.net
Patterson-Gimlin Film
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