By Giorgia Carraretto Recently, the COP-29 has left people globally with many questions regarding the future of our planet and sustainable development, especially because of the negative coverage of the organised international meeting. Therefore, I decided to find answers to questions, which would satisfy me and the whole school community. This led me to interview […]
Category Archives: Science & Tech
‘Lungs in a box’ – The future of transplant medicine
By Natania Arora The UK carried out its first successful double lung transplant using the ‘lungs in a box’ technology. In the past, organs that were removed to be transplanted were viable for around five to ten hours, however, now the ‘lungs in a box’ technology could significantly increase the efficiency and the rate of […]
Maths, Magic and Juggling
By Natalie Hartley Do you know how maths can be used to invent new juggling tricks or why a single game called Nim is the best and simplest way to study game theory? On the fifth of December, Year 12 Mathematics students visited the Maths in Action event, where these questions were answered. Six talks […]
One Hundred Thousand Billion Poems, Sestinas and Cycloid Arches
By Isabella Gallagher Rattan Have you ever wondered how one hundred thousand billion poems can fit in a book with 10 pages, how the cycloid arch connects to Moby Dick, or how a Germain prime number finds itself in a poem? Year 12 A Level maths students heard all about this on our trip to […]
New Drug Offers Hope In Fight Against Alzheimer’s
By Sumatee Nakarmi People suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that causes memory loss and cognitive difficulties, are finding hope thanks to a new medication called Donanemab (also marketed as Kisunla). Donanemab was authorised on 23rd October 2024, by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Scientists have discovered that this medication can […]
Are your devices keeping you up at night?
By Salma Kamar In our modern, tech-saturated world, it’s very unlikely to find someone who does not sleep with a smartphone or tablet within arm’s reach. Whether it is using the device as an alarm, scrolling through social media before bed, or falling asleep to a podcast, our devices have found their way into our […]
Mapping a Fly’s Brain with AI
By Natalie Hartley On the 2nd of October, a team of ground-breaking scientists announced that they had a complete connectome of a female fly’s brain, which included over 8000 cell types. A connectome is defined as a map of all the neural connections in a brain. Neurons make up the nervous system, which transmits signals […]
8 Days Turn Into 8 Months: Astronauts Face Unplanned Extended Mission in Space
By Lucia McQuillan-Puccetti Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were the two American astronauts expected to spend roughly eight days on the ISS (International Space Station) in June. Due to technical issues on the Boeing Starliner’s first flight, they have had to remain in space longer than anticipated. They have already spent more than two months […]
SpaceX: The Rush to Mars
By Mahi Patel In an era with advancements in technology and space exploration, living on Mars is not as far-fetched as we might have thought. We are exploring Mars, not just to find out about the planet, but to find our new future home. Is there a possibility for a future on the red planet […]
Pets and Mental Health
By Niamh McDermott Many of the students at St Augustine’s own pets. Did you know that they improve your mental and physical health? Cats and dogs are seen as the most common pets to reduce heart rate. When stroking a cat, it is proven that less stress hormones are released and therefore the blood pressure […]