Chironex fleckeri, commonly known as sea wasp, is a species of deadly venomous box jellyfish found in coastal waters from northern Australia to the Philippines. It has been described as the most lethal jellyfish in the world, with at least 63 known deaths in Australia from 1884 to 1996.

Notorious for its sting, C. fleckeri has tentacles up to 3 m (9.8 ft) long covered with millions of cnidocytes which, on contact, release microscopic darts delivering an extremely powerful venom. Being stung commonly results in excruciating pain, and if the sting area is significant, an untreated victim may die in two to five minutes! The amount of venom in one animal is said to be enough to kill 60 adult humans (although most stings are mild). ...

Can listening to music while studying make you more productive?

I think one of the most underappreciated joys of college living is the exposure to your neighbors' music tastes. Never having met the two guys living below you, there's a good chance you could still create a fairly accurate profile of them after listening to their… diverse collection of Skrillex, Ace of Base, Lou Bega, and Lil Wayne.

I've lived with people who study to Broadway show tunes, Disney classics and Kelly Clarkson ballads. I'm not kidding. I've also lived with people who study in complete silence with nothing but a dim desk lamp to remind them of civilization.

There are myriad studies out there on the benefits of listening to music at different times. It calms nerves. It ...

You've all experienced the 30-minute test problem. How to tackle it?

With all due respect to essay questions, math, science and engineering students can't tip-toe their way around answers. Test questions are most often multiple choice or free response… and don't let the "free" fool you – there is only one correct answer.

Besides "That test sucked," the most common complaint I've heard exiting the myriad math-based tests I've taken over the years is, "You know that long problem at the end? I didn't even know where to start. SO unfair."

I think what's really unfair is that person's right to use the same language as the rest of us… but I digress.

Truth be told, it's safe to say we've all had our trying times with lengthy, intricate word problems w ...

Laptops are increasingly popular in the classroom, but are they best for taking notes?

Alright, so here’s a topic that I admittedly don’t have much to contribute to: Is it better to take notes the old fashioned way (in a notebook) or is it better to take notes on an electronic device like a tablet or laptop?

For the purposes of the classes I took in my freshman year, a laptop was great. I type four times as fast on a laptop as I can write on paper. Being a freshman I also thought it necessary to take an exorbitant amount of notes to cover my bases. Thus, laptop note taking was the way to go.

But, alas, as I returned for my sophomore year, my laptop’s battery life was a whopping 48 minutes. That gets me through half of a class if I’m lucky ...