Jackson Doughty The nuclear industry and nuclear energy as a whole have been hotly contested topics ever since the power of the atom was introduced to the world on August 6th, 1945, when the United States dropped the “Little Boy” nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan and then again on August 9th, when “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. From this point forward, the world would live both in fear and awe of what power atoms, the microscopic building blocks of all matter, truly hold within them. The world was rudely awoken to the fact that entire cities could be leveled, organic life vaporized ..read more

Halley Stewart Introduction Many animal shelters across the country are currently facing a dire situation where willing adopters are needed to save vulnerable shelter animals from euthanasia. In most situations, having adopters willing to open their homes to shelter animals is a wonderful thing; however, some individuals take this good act too far. When the number of cats, dogs, and/or other companion animals kept within one household exceeds the amount that the owners can provide adequate care for – this is defined as animal hoarding. [1] Animal hoarding creates unsanitary conditions tha ..read more

Stephen Hillenmeyer & Ryan Carlin Every day, it seems that more and more massive corporations are making commitments to net carbon neutrality for some point in the future. Companies like Facebook, Netflix, Apple, and Google are among some of the corporate juggernauts who have made such commitments by 2030. [1] Up until recently, no major professional sports leagues had set such a lofty goal, but on November 12th of 2019, F1 International Racing announced their goal to reach net zero carbon by 2030 as well. [2] While this announcement is obviously exciting and commendable, it has been met w ..read more

Mia Espinoza & Bailey Guess Introduction The 2020 Global pandemic put life on pause- travel became limited. Many people were stuck at home. Vacations, weddings, honeymoons, and common day to day activities were all canceled as the virus forced us to stay at home.  As the virus levels continue to go down, many people are ready to get out of the house and travel around the world, to become reunited with friends and family they have long been unable to see. For the majority of Americans this means getting in the car or going to your local airport and hopping on economy flight. However, s ..read more

Jonathon Simmons USDA Organic. Free Range. Non-GMO Verified. Animal Welfare Approved. The list goes on for food labels that assure the general public that their food products are of the highest quality, both substantively and morally. The movements to improve clean eating and ensure meat consumption without animal cruelty have been successful in changing the options available for all consumers who seek it out. But, how much of a burden can the public place upon the meat industry before it becomes unconstitutional? This question has come to a head in National Pork Producers Council v. Ross, a c ..read more

Molly Gamble and Caroline Mosley Introduction The House and Senate are already holding committee meetings for the 2023 Farm Bill. “The farm bill connects the food on our plate, the farmers and ranchers who produce that food, and the natural resources-our soil, air and water-that make growing food possible.” [1] The bill covers a variety of topics, one suspects this upcoming legislation could address the lingering issues of the hemp production in the United States and within Kentucky. In 2018 The Agriculture Improvement Act removed hemp from the Controlled Substance Act, allowing legalization a ..read more

Lee Lenkoff Introduction The 2021 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Veterinarian and Practice Owners Survey revealed that “44% of private veterinary practitioners reported they are thinking of exiting veterinary medicine before retirement.” [1] Why? The hours are long and unpredictable, as emergencies do not always wait for convenient hours. Each appointment brings the possibility of heartbreak with poor diagnoses and, at its worse, having to put an animal down whose quality of life cannot be improved. The mental health effects from these tragedies have been linked to suicides in ..read more

By: Trey Shearer On October 29th, 2020, the United States Department of the Interior announced that the Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) would be removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA)[1]and that the management of the wolf population in the United States will now solely rest with the individual state and tribal wildlife agencies in which the wolf populations reside.[2]On November 3, 2020, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) officially entered this rule[3]in the Federal Register and it became effective on January 4, 2021.[4]  This act seemed to be a conclusory end to the ..read more

The Harmful Effects of Free Range Cats  by: Caitlin Grimes and Allie Orberson  Introduction  It is not uncommon for cat owners to let their domesticated cats free-roam the outdoors. Owners justify this practice by claiming their cat is bored indoors or being outdoors allows their cat to follow its natural hunter instincts. Yet cat owners fail to recognize how allowing domesticated cats to free-roam is detrimental to the environment and to the health of the cat and humans.  Domestic free-roaming cats are skilled, yet wasteful, predators that kill billions of native birds and ..read more

A Call for an End to Kentucky Breed-Specific Legislation By: Lucy Falkner and Merit Harris While many states continue to address and enact legislation promoting equality for domesticated animals, Kentucky stands strong in their allowance of breed-specific legislation (hereinafter “BSL”).  BSL are laws designed to protect against breeds of dogs that are stereotypically malicious or dangerous, such as pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and Staffordshire bull terriers.[1] This type of legislation began in the early 1980’s following a series of fatalities and i ..read more