Magazine of the Glasgow University Union
MoGUU
Browse our magazine…
The Long Journey of a Shot
For something so common and widely used, we don't often wonder how alcohol really works and what effects it can have on us. So, let me give you an overview of the journey alcohol takes around your body and the aftermath of drinking…
The Immortal Jellyfish
… Though it certainly won’t look like much- a mere plankton no bigger than your pinkie nail, spurred on by the whims of the ocean currents - rest assured, this tiny jellyfish contains the secret to genetic immortality…
A Love Letter to… Neuroscience
Since starting my Neuroscience degree, I’ve received a lot of widened eyes and oh wow!’s when I’ve told people about it. “That sounds hard,” they often say, “I’d be absolutely clueless about that.” Honestly, I am absolutely clueless - and I love it…
What is Intelligence (And do we oversell it?)
Assuming that you’re a university student, I don’t think I need to go to any great lengths to explain the massive importance of intelligence (or at least its perception) to our everyday lives. And yet it’s something we know so little about. What is intelligence? What faculties does it include and is it somehow superior or inferior to the other talents we as humans possess? Let’s take a looksie…
Introducing WiSTEM and the Importance of Diversity in the Workforce
The idea that people in STEM subjects (that is, science, technology, engineering, or maths) are harsh, cold, robotic humanoids is completely incorrect. Yet so many of us - myself included - find ourselves thinking this way…
Quantum Film Studies
Tell me how often you’ve seen this – a sci-fi movie needs to justify its plot so in a 30-second scene some “scientist” in a lab coat throws the word quantum in an overlong sentence and the movie just moves on. WELL SCREW THAT! The movie can’t continue until I know exactly what the word quantum even means, much less if that made sense! I am that guy who ruins movie nights, and they let me write an article!
The Immorality Against Henrietta Lacks
October is black history month, a month for all to look back, look forward, and learn. As a white individual, I have a moral, legal and personal duty to do what I can and use my privilege to educate myself and others to reduce systemic racism, an issue which is still extremely prevalent in 21st-century society.
Fact v Fiction
We first started hearing about the dangers of ‘fake news’ in 2016. However, misleading and inaccurate news has been around for far longer than that, along with its effects. Sometimes fake news is kind of funny and absurd, but other times it convinces people that climate change isn’t real or leads them to vote for a politician they don’t actually agree with.
Emergence: Complexity is Simple
A lone ant would not survive in nature, a molecule of water isn’t a liquid and a single person can’t build a power plant. Emergence is when a lot of simple things come together to form something complicated.
The Nature of Reality
In 2003 an idea was proposed by philosopher Nick Bostrom called the Simulation theory. It is essentially Descartes’ idea of the brain in a jar, except that Bostrom attempted to prove why this could in fact be the reality of our existence as opposed to Descartes use of the idea as nothing more than a thought experiment. This article explores Simulation Theory, its likelihood and its repercussions.
The Morality of Genetic Engineering
If you had the choice to make your children immune to a certain disease would you? What if you could make them stronger, smarter, more talented? What if you could do this but not everyone else? Would it be correct to do such a thing? Would it be fair not to? What about the risks involved in the process? These are the types of questions that bioethics aims to answer.
Migraines and Female Pain
At seven years old, feeling your eyesight disappear into TV static is terrifying. At the age of 20, with the weight of thirteen years of knowledge of what comes next, it is somehow even worse.