Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Science
February 18, 2022

The Doomsday Vault Is Opening Its Doors for Some New Types of Seeds

Lots of people have thought about the apocalypse, including what they might eat when society or the environment collapses. While preppers stock up on canned goods, scientists have a different idea—they're storing seeds. Banking seeds is both a present safeguard of biodiversity and a last-ditch hope for humanity's food sources should the worst come to pass.

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Health
February 15, 2022

Canadian Doctors Can Now Prescribe Free National Park Passes for Your Health

Spending time outdoors can offer myriad health benefits. In young children, exposure to trees can boost brain development and foster creativity. For adults, daily steps can help stave off early mortality; meanwhile, sun exposure provides vitamin D and lower anxiety rates. While these health benefits have been documented for decades, only recently have doctors been able to actually prescribe them.

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Endangered Animals
February 14, 2022

Iceland Will Officially Ban Whale Hunting by 2024

Whaling is an ancient practice. Indigenous peoples have long hunted the giant marine mammals for food, blubber, and other resources. However, commercial whaling efforts to harvest blubber and baleen began in the 17th century and continued through the mid-20th century. By that time, wasteful over-hunting had pushed many species of whale close to extinction. Subsequent conservation efforts and the establishment of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have since helped repair much of this damage.

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Health
February 9, 2022

Paralyzed Patients Walk and Swim Again After Receiving a Spinal Cord Implant

The spine is critical to human mobility. The spinal cord connects the brain to the branches of the nervous system throughout the body. To move the legs, for example, a signal is sent by the brain's motor cortex through the spinal cord to the muscles of the legs. When the spine is severed, this communication becomes impossible, resulting in paralysis.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.