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medical and health sciences

🧬 An Extra Chromosome, An Extraordinary Life: Understanding Trisomy 21, 18, and 13

Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! This week, we turn our attention to some of the most profound conditions seen in pediatrics: chromosomal trisomies. An extra chromosome can shape a child’s body, health, and experiences, but it doesn’t define their worth. Today, we'

cannabis

🌿 Cannabis and the Brain: What New Data Tells Us About Memory, Use, and Risk

Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! Cannabis—once taboo, now trending—is making headlines again. But this time, it's not about legalization or medicinal use. Recent research is raising eyebrows about a more subtle, longer-term concern: its potential link to memory loss and dementia.

community and health

🤝 The Company We Keep: How Human Connection Heals

Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! What makes a person healthy? Diet, exercise, sleep—sure. But there’s another factor just as essential that often gets overlooked: community. We’re not talking just about your doctor or your gym instructor. We mean your neighbors, your coworkers,

Natural Sciences

Do Bees Play? What Bumblebees Teach Us About Insect Intelligence

Natural Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Welcome back, Varrock Street Community! When you think of animals that play, you might picture puppies, dolphins, or primates. But what if I told you that bumblebees, yes bees, also engage in play? That’s exactly what a groundbreaking study from 2022 revealed—and

medical and health sciences

Tiny Tummies, Big Problems: Unpacking Pediatric Abdominal Conditions

Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, Varrock Street Journal readers! In the world of pediatrics, few things can be as alarming for parents—and as urgent for providers—as a baby or young child with sudden, severe abdominal symptoms. From projectile vomiting to a distended belly and

medical history

🩺 “The Little Tool That Listens: A Journey Through the History of the Stethoscope”

Medical History | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! Whether you've seen one slung around a doctor's neck or used one in science class, the stethoscope is one of the most iconic tools in medicine. But have you ever stopped to wonder where it came from—

Natural Sciences

🍓 Why Are Kids Allergic to Everything Now? A Deep Dive into Childhood Food Allergies

Natural Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal What is happening this Wednesday, readers! Have you ever wondered why it feels like nearly every classroom now has a peanut-free table or why daycare forms include detailed allergy checklists? Childhood food allergies have skyrocketed in recent years, turning everyday snacks into potential medical

medical and health sciences

💓 What’s That Sound? Understanding Heart Murmurs in Newborns and Children

Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Happy Monday, Varrok Street Journal readers! This week’s topic comes from a sound many healthcare professionals know well: the subtle “whoosh” that interrupts the rhythm of a beating heart. Known as a heart murmur, this sound can alarm parents when first discovered

Natural Sciences

🐺 The Dire Wolf Returns: Science, De-Extinction, and the Future of Conservation

Natural Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Welcome back Varrok Street Journal Readers, I hope you're ready for this one... If you're anything like me, hearing that scientists have “brought back the dire wolf” instantly triggers images of Game of Thrones or prehistoric tundras. But this isn&

book report

Life Lessons From a Brain Surgeon

Hello Varrock Street Journal readers! This month, we’re diving into Life Lessons from a Brain Surgeon by Dr. Rahul Jandial—a fascinating read that merges high-stakes brain surgery with everyday life advice. Have you ever wondered how the brain truly works, or how small changes in your daily habits

medical and health sciences

🌞 Why Is My Baby Yellow? Understanding Newborn Jaundice

Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! If you’ve ever been around a newborn, you might’ve noticed something a little surprising—a yellow tint to their skin or eyes. Maybe you are like me, and have heard your parents talk about how you or your

Natural Sciences

Why Do April Showers Bring May Flowers?

Natural Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! Maybe some of you are like me today. Sitting inside enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, enjoying the soft rainfall outside my door. While soaking these moments in, I thought to myself, we’ve all heard the phrase “April showers

Natural Sciences

Bird Flu and Breakfast: What You Need to Know About the 2025 Avian Influenza Outbreak

Natural Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal If you're a big breakfast person, you might be just as upset with the current egg prices around the country as I am! Maybe you’ve seen the headlines—or maybe you haven’t noticed—but the culprit is the ongoing avian

medical and health sciences

Uncovering Depression: A History, a Challenge, and a Global Conversation

🧠 Health & Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good morning, readers! This week, I wanted to explore a topic that’s been close to many of our lives—whether personally or through the people we love: major depressive disorder (MDD). While we often hear the term “depression” tossed around casually, the

Natural Sciences

🪐 Asteroid Incoming?! The 2032 Space Visitor

Natural Sciences | The Varrock Street Journal Good day, readers! Today we dive into something that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie — an actual asteroid, named 2024 YR4, is heading our way, and scientists are paying close attention to its trajectory. While the risk of impact is still very low,

medical and health sciences

Not Just Mood Swings: What Bipolar Disorder Really Is

🧠 Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Beyond the Myths Good morning readers, today we are going to do something a bit different. I am going to show you two different scenarios, and I want you to pick which one you think applies to someone with bipolar disorder. Scenario A:Maria feels like she’

residency

From Apprenticeships to Match Week: The Evolution of Medical Residency

Welcome Back VSJ Community, In honor of this week’s residency placements, we’re stepping into the fascinating history of medical residency—one of the most defining aspects of a physician's career. While today’s system may feel like a well-oiled machine (well… sort of), it took over

snowless winter

Winters Without Snow: The Ripple Effects on Future Seasons

Are you trying to stay warm or warming up Varrock Street Journal Community!?, Winter landscapes blanketed in snow are a familiar sight in many regions, but in recent years, mild, snowless winters have become more common. While this may seem like just a seasonal anomaly, the consequences of low snowfall

schizophrenia

The Hidden Risk: Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Schizophrenia

Welcome Back Varrock Street Journal Community, Cannabis use has become an increasingly accepted part of modern culture, especially with the expansion of legalization and its medical applications. However, while many celebrate its potential benefits, research suggests that early cannabis use may come with serious mental health risks—particularly for developing

medical and health sciences

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting: A New Approach to Healing

Welcome back, Varrock Street Journal Community! As many of you have already figured out, I would consider myself a little bit of a “health nut/enthusiast” and always get excited upon learning something positive that exercise brings to our lives. This past week, in one of my lectures, we were

Natural Sciences

The Sweet Science Behind Maple Syrup

Welcome all to the Wednesday Edition of the Varrock Street Journal Community! This past weekend, my wife and I decided to explore the area and check out something new happening in our community. A maple syrup demonstration was just down the street in one of the nature reserves. Here, we

personality disorders

The Many Faces of Personality: Understanding the Three Clusters of Personality Disorders

Good morning, Varrock Street Journal Community, Personality is what makes us unique—the way we think, feel, and interact with the world. But what happens when certain personality traits become rigid and unhealthy, interfering with daily life and relationships? This week, we're exploring personality disorders and their classifications,

book report

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari is a thought-provoking book that explores the key challenges and uncertainties of the modern world. Unlike his previous books (Sapiens and Homo Deus), which focus on the past and future of humanity, this book examines the present. Harari divides the

Natural Sciences

Cosmic Choreography: When the Planets Line Up

Welcome back to another Wednesday edition of the Varrock Street Journal Community! Today, we're exploring a celestial spectacle that has recently graced our night skies—a rare planetary alignment involving seven of our solar system's planets. Such alignments have fascinated humanity for centuries, prompting both awe

mini mental examination

Inside the Mind: The Exams That Shape Psychiatry

It’s another beautiful Monday, Varrock Street Journal Community! This week, we’re continuing our short psychiatry series in our weekly healthcare and medicine newsletter with an introduction to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Mental Status Examination (MSE)—two critical tools used by psychiatrists and neurologists to assess