The Boffins' Portal Team 
Have you read a sentence in which the use of a particular word or phrase came across as a proverbial stone cast to kill two birds? Then you have definitely dealt with Syllepsis. These amazing rhetorical devices may make you read the statement twice to confirm whether they make grammatical sense. Surprisingly, the statements pass …
Picture how our modern economy consumes enormous amounts of resources and generates mountain loads of waste each year. How do we defuse this ticking time bomb that one day threatens to lay waste to our planet? Well, many economists think they have figured a way out—it’s called a circular economy. As its name implies, the …
As stipulated in the kinetic molecular theory, solids, liquids, and gases are made up of tiny particles in constant motion. Solids and liquids are in condensed states wherein their particles are close together, thus limiting their range of movement. In contrast, air particles are sparsely packed, allowing them more room for random movement. Gaseous molecules …
Gestalt psychology is founded on the assertion that man envisions patterns in a manner that informs their perceptions of reality. This school of thought holds that people perceive pieces of visual information, such as symbols and shapes, in accordance with their configuration, pattern, or organization. Essentially, the whole pattern is more descriptive than the sum …
We use so many allusions in our pop culture even without realizing it. Allusions are the direct or indirect references we make to something, which could be mythical, historical, religious, or literary. As a literary device, we use allusions to condense a great deal of meaning into a word or phrase. So, the references are …
In game theory, the zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which each participant’s gain or loss of utility is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the utility of the other participants. In other words, whatever one person gains in utility, someone else loses an equal amount. The term “zero-sum …
Chemotaxis is a phenomenon where somatic cells, single-celled and multicellular organisms, and bacteria direct their movement according to specific chemicals in the environment. The word chemotaxis comes from two words; chemo (chemicals) and taxis (order and arrangement). Such chemical concentration gradient stimulated movements are crucial for the survival of the organisms. In bacteria, for instance, …
Man is generally a believing animal. So, beliefs are integral to the existence of humans either as individuals or in the communities or societies to which they belong. Beliefs are often construed to be religious because religion is essentially based on some particular set of beliefs in its entirety. However, it is good to remember …
Since ancient civilizations, we have been mining ores and/or minerals because they contain a wide of elements that we use in our everyday lives. From ceramics, plaster, chemical filters, salts, construction materials, appliances, cars, computers, fertilizers, and jewelry to electronic components, almost everything that we use is derived from ores and/or minerals. So, without ores/mineral …
Igneous rocks are found within the earth’s crust. The earth’s interior temperature is high and results in volcanic activity. Molten magma erupts to the earth’s surface, where the temperature is low. Molten magma solidifies rapidly on cooling to form a glassy solid with fine grains. Magma is made of igneous rocks. When molten magma (lava) …