Welcome to Friday, kids! Although the weather is fairly dismal, celebrate that another glorious weekend has come. And now, for your round up of news:

*This time of year, sickness rolls around, whether you’re plagued with the flu, or just the common cold. As most of us are well aware by now, the U broke the record for most flu shots, but WCCO’s Good Question segment asked why it’s so necessary. Visit their take on it here, and read about Dr. Ehligher’s "herd immunity" theory. The North Bay Nugget — all the way up in Ontario, Canada — even reports on raccoons that get the flu!

*If you didn’t catch reporter Tiffany Smith’s interesting article on bees and the study of them here at the U, here’s another international take on it: Taiwan News reports on the International Pollinator Conference, which apparently had a large focus on the future of bees. Marla Spivack, an entomologist at the University of Minnesota, was in attendance and presented some of her research.

*A University geology and geophysics professor and researcher had a big breakthrough in studying the history and downfall of ancient China, noting that it had alot to do with the frequency (or lack thereof) of rainfall in the region, which they found out through studying limestone in the region. Here’s the full article in Science Daily, but it’s being reported from Vancouver to India.

Enjoy your Friday round-up, we’ll see you Sunday.

Signing off,

Courtney Sinner

Campus editor