Before transforming into a butterfly, a caterpillar must first dissolve itself almost entirely. After a lifetime of eating and growing up to a hundred times its original size, the caterpillar brings its reality to a sudden halt within the hardened chrysalis. Through a surge of enzymes, its entire form melts away, leaving behind a protein-rich liquid for the cells of its new body to digest.

A few short weeks later, it emerges reborn.

Metamorphosis is rarely a peaceful process of growth. In biology, it requires a radical structural overhaul, breaking down a form that once functioned so well to build something entirely new. Butterflies remind us that we are not passive observers of a changing world. By shifting our manner – the way we think – we fundamentally alter how we interact with the world, creating room for new realities to exist.

Issue 50 embodies the heart of metamorphosis, or the experience of being just on the cusp of change itself.

The University of Malta is undergoing a deliberate transition, questioning the very structures and traditions that made us. We are asking: Which alternative proteins would we try, and where does our appetite draw the line? What happens when we design workplaces around diverse abilities, rather than forcing humans to adapt? What truths do we miss by filtering the future entirely through adult eyes? How is Malta’s changing skyline affecting our collective identity? How can food education alter what teens eat? What effect do science lessons have on the older generation – do they change how we age?

Do not just watch the world change. Become an agent of your own transformation. THINK.