CuriosiTEA Journal Club 

Student Summary By Jayden Ahn Original Source: Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, June 26, 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/26/marine-expedition-uncovers-31-new-species-two-weeks-brazil Image drawn by Jayden Ahn Abstract Background: The mid-waters of the ocean (the area between the seafloor and the sunlit layer near the surface, or also an area of the ocean where sunlight is not visible), it is one of the least explored places on Earth, but still scient

Student Summary By Hayden Byun Original Source: Melinda Wenner Moyer, Scientific American, March 17, 2026 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-kids-are-all-right/ Image created by Hayden Byun Abstract Background: Many people are convinced that modern-day children are declining socially and emotionally, and these ideas are firmly reinforced by social media and news stories. Objective: Psychologists wanted to know whether children are truly becoming less empathetic, l

Student Summary by Olivia Liu Original Source: Berkley Luk, et al., PLOS ONE, May 15, 2018 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0196510 Image created by Olivia Liu Abstract Background: Our body is a residence to trillions of bacteria, which start making themselves at home the minute we're born. Most bacteria in the body are probiotic/commensal bacteria, or in other words "good bacteria." Some bacteria that are categorized in this section are bact

Student Summary By Olivia Hwang Original Source: Maddie Burakoff, Audubon, May 29, 2025 https://www.audubon.org/magazine/hummingbird-rapidly-evolved-longer-beak-slurp-more-nectar-feeders-new-study-finds Image Photographed By Olivia Hwang Abstract Background: Anna’s Hummingbirds were historically found only in a small range of chaparral habitat in southern California and northern Mexico, where the mild climate let them feed on nectar year-round. However, with the recent commer

Student Summary by Elizabeth Li Original Source: University of Birmingham, SciTechDaily, June 18, 2026 https://scitechdaily.com/these-tiny-birds-became-giants-on-remote-scottish-islands/ Image created by Elizabeth Li Abstract Background: A common evolutionary pattern found in species of animals isolated on islands for prolonged periods of time is a change in body size. This pattern is sometimes called the “island rule” or island gigantism, and it belongs to a broader set of c

Student summary by Emma Seo Original Source: Carl Zimmer, The New York Times, Published: October 17, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/science/microbes-endangered-preservation.html Image created by Emma Seo Abstract Background: Humans need microbes to help pandas, rainforests, whales, oceans, and everything else, but microbes are declining. Humans are driving this decline by destroying their habitats, like cutting down forests and turning grasslands int