Horgan Seminar Blog

In the past two decades, Ketamine therapy as well as other psychedelic treatment has become a more and more viable option for those with depression that has resisted all other forms of treatment. Due to the “War on Drugs” started by the Nixon Administration in the 1970s, many have been raised to believe the falsehoods claimed to be truth by national leaders and their many forms of propaganda against psychedelics. Some of these false claims went so far as to say that these drugs could cause suicide, insanity, or could even alter our DNA. Since these messages were put out so intensely with the intent to spread fear, many households took note and raised children and grandchildren to fear such substances without any true knowledge about what the substances could actually induce or contain, besides the fact that they were illegal. Due to the halt on any progress or research done on these substances after this point, it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that it was seen as an opportunity for the...

 Amir Ibrahim      To many, climate change is a largely invisible problem and has little effect on the day-to-day lives of first world citizens. As such, it is easy for corporate magnates and conspiracy theorists to dismiss science in the name of whatever misplaced beliefs they hold. Thankfully, however, climate change outreach has taken greater hold over the years, and many now understand the truth: climate change will have disastrous environmental and geopolitical consequences, and, unless we adopt a serious plan of action now, we are collectively screwed.  Unfortunately, however, there is no magic bullet solution, and reducing fossil fuel emissions won’t be sufficient on its own in the fight against climate change. Even in the most ideal case in which we immediately eliminate all carbon emissions, humanity will likely experience severe climate impact until 2040. For instance, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that climate change...

Aashutosh Kulakarni Exploring a Scientific Framework of Consciousness while revisiting Ancient Wisdom     The feeling of being conscious and sentient is most familiar to each of us and fundamental to life itself. We have become so accustomed to it that we seldom ponder its bizarreness and yet, it is the greatest mystery that life has to offer. How are we chunks of flesh and bone with a peculiar yet incredibly distinct inner life? Why are we conscious at all? There is no greater quest in life than to dwell on this deep mystery, to investigate it, and attempt to unravel it. A lifetime of scientific conditioning seems to hint to us that consciousness is created in the brain, by the brain. After all, isn’t the world made up of matter and energy, so our consciousness is too? Well, it may seem surprising for some to learn that not only does science have no real evidence for this narrative, but it also has no clue where to start looking for consciousness! All it can observe is ...

  Kevin Mamo Professor Horgan  HST - 401 A December 10th, 2022 A Fungus that has Radiation on the Menu Normally when organisms come in contact with gamma radiation it usually ends up in a disastrous situation resulting in said organisms death. However, one mushroom doesn’t have such vulnerability and actually thrives in radioactive environments. The radiotrophic fungus known by researchers as Cryptococcus neoformans was first discovered in one of the harshest environments on the planet, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine.  Chernobyl is home to one of the worst nuclear disasters in recorded history which occurred over thirty years ago on April 26th, 1986. One of the nuclear reactors, reactor four, had a sudden power surge due to flawed control rod design as the Soviets used graphite slabs to regulate heat in between rods. This meant the reactors had to routinely be put in low power intervals in order to stay cool, so that combined with miscommunicati...

  Dhihan Ahmed Schizophrenia “Every thought is a battle. Every breath is a war, and I don’t think I’m winning anymore.”  - Unknown Picture this. Everyday you wake up, you forget who you are, where you are, and how you got here. It’s as if every day is a new nightmare that you’re forced to live through. But you are the only one living through these nightmares, none of it is based in reality. Because of this, no one understands your struggles and they label you as crazy. No one cares about your daily struggles because they aren’t the ones facing them. You go seek help from someone, ANYONE, only for the door to be closed in your face every time. A life like this sounds like pure hell on Earth doesn’t it? Well, this truly is a reality for those suffering from schizophrenia. Now, what comes to mind when you hear the word “schizophrenia”? Whatever it is, I can almost guarantee that what it is you’re thinking is heavily skewed and unfactual. If that’s the case, what is it then? S...