America Pulls Out of Afghanistan
20 years after the most awful terrorist attack in American history on September 11, 2001, the United States has pulled out of its longest war in history. Started under George W. Bush to focus on finding Osama bin Laden and bring down the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, Operation Enduring Freedom marked the rise of America’s presence in Afghanistan when airstrikes bombed Kabul on October 7, 2001. After losing over 2,400 American soldiers and over 40,000 Afghani civilians, the Taliban continues to freely operate in Afghanistan.
New York State Congressional Redistricting
After the results of the 2020 Census, New York narrowly lost one of its 27 congressional districts. New York will now have 26 congressional districts starting from the 2022 election cycle all the way up to the 2032 election cycle. The district to be eliminated will likely be the 22nd congressional district. It includes the cities of Utica and Binghamton. Donald Trump won the 22nd 54.7% to Joe Biden’s 43.3%. Currently, New York’s congressional delegation consists of 18 Democrats and 9 Republicans. This number will certainly move in favor of the Democrats after the redistricting process.
Update on El Salvador’s Bitcoin Adoption
As cryptocurrency becomes more mainstream, both supporters and critics have asked the question of whether it will become officially endorsed by a country? El Salvador officially adopted bitcoin as a means of currency.
NFTs – What is all the hype about?
NFTs are blowing up and the ultra rich are all over them. You might have heard of Grimes getting millions of dollars for one. A website that hosts auctions of NFTs, Mintable, is even endorsed by Mark Cuban.
New Noisy Models to Molecular Signaling
In 2000, a graduate student and his mentor at Princeton University had successfully inserted a set of genes into E. coli bacteria that induced the cells’ fluorescence—namely, the genes invoked the production of a certain protein that made the cells glow.
Amazon Buys MGM in Blockbuster Deal
By Nathan Weiss
With Jeff Bezos at the head, Amazon has continued to rage on in the business world. From its roots as the world's...
Virgin Galactic Rocket Reaches Brink of Space
By Seth Gellman
Virgin Galactic took a big step toward commercial aviation to the edge of space as one of their rockets reached the edge...
Sci-Tech Wrap Up
While most of science and technology has been dominated, and rightfully so, by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020, science never stops expanding. As such, many new technologies have been developed this year, and they have been largely geared towards ensuring a more sustainable, ethical, and equitable future.
Belarus Forces Down Airliner to Arrest Dissident-Grace Hwang
International outrage has been mounting ever since what is being called a “state-sponsored hijacking” that occurred on Sunday, May 23. A Ryanair flight carrying about 120 passengers headed to Vilnius, Lithuania from Athens, Greece, was intercepted by a Belarusian fighter jet mid-flight and ordered to land in Belarus’ capital, Minsk, due to “a potential security threat on board”.
Drug Crisis in Africa
As the opioid epidemic continues in North America, the same crisis has slowly grown in Africa over the last decade. Tramadol - an opioid used to treat pain - has spread throughout the continent in alarming amounts. In 2013, 300kg of the substance was seized in Africa. By 2017, it had gone up to three tons. Currently, 87% of opioid seizures globally occur in Africa, and the future does not look promising for the already struggling continent.