Author Archives: Jen Malespina

Where do all the leaves go?

We’ve reached that inevitable point in the Fall where just about all of the leaves have fallen off of the trees. But have you ever taken the time to think about what happens to them after this? I mean yes, they obvious fall onto the ground or roofs or whatever seems to be below the tree branch. However, come Springtime they are nowhere to be found. Why is this??

If you were to ask me this question when I was younger, I probably would’ve ignorantly told you that the leaves melted away with the snow. Now that I really am thinking about this, I have become so curious as to how this happens scientifically.

Rain: The rain begins the process of the leaves’ disappearance. The leaves become weakened as the water droplets hit them, becoming packed into the ground. The addition of being stepped on or run over really help to compress them over time.

Bugs (ew):  Also while on the ground, the leaves get eaten by the many insects, worms and bacteria found within the soil. This allows for the leaves to go away (by being eaten) or be broken up into smaller pieces.

 

Fungi: The bugs aren’t the only ones doing all of the work! Bacteria and fungi help to break down the leaves as well. More specifically, mushrooms, which are in the fungi family, have roots which break down the cell walls of the leaves.

As a result of all of this, the waste from the insects release nutrients into the soil. All in all, the decomposition of the leaves help to benefit the soil and the plants within it. You can think of it as a cycle: the leaves fall from trees and eventually end up helping to keep the trees healthy and alive through the nutrients released into the soil; if the trees stay alive then they are able to grow leaves which will eventually fall once again next Autumn.

A side note: I also wanted to point out that this process of leaf decomposition can vary greatly depending on the environment, weather patterns, and type of leaves/trees. This study was done to assess and compare the rates and how long it takes for certain types of leaves to decompose. One of the observations made was that the leaves of deciduous woody species tended to decompose quicker than those of a summer-shedding evergreen. This is just a single example of how different species can differ in the amount of time it takes for their leaves to “disappear”.

If you are upset that the leaves are gone and Winter is right around the corner, do not fret because Fall, along with the lovely colored leaves, will be back before you know it. This would not be able to happen without the leaves falling in the first place.

 

Sources:

-http://www.jstor.org/stable/2261479?seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents

-http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/focus/s_536714.html

-http://www.vaildaily.com/news/curious-nature-where-do-the-leaves-go-after-they-have-fallen-from-the-trees/

Pictures:

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The Adderall Fad

500 essays this week? 42 exams?? Can’t seem to focus??? Why not turn to the easiest solution: Adderall. Seems that now a days, this is what everyone is doing–and it’s not hard to find. If you were to ask around in any of your classes, odds are you’ll probably find someone who has some  of this medication.

What is Adderall?

Drugs.com describes Adderall as a medicine taken to treat Narcolepsy and most commonly ADHD. It is derived of central nervous system stimulants which tame over-activeness or hyper behavior. Its purpose is to treat those with these conditions. However it has become immensely popular among students (not diagnosed with either of these) as a way to concentrate when jam-packed with work. Basically Adderall is taken in order to get alotttttttttt of work done in a short amount of time and as someone who is a professional procrastinator, it does not surprise me that I have recently wanted to try it out.

While reading this publication, I noticed it mention a study done called “Monitoring the Future” which found that students attending college had a significantly higher rate of non-medical usage than those not in college. It is a little unsettling to know that this is true but at this point in the semester as I sit here staring at the amount of assignments I still have not gotten to, it is pretty understandable.

Where is it most prevalent?

It is evident that this Adderall epidemic is taking place among college students.  In an attempt to get even more specific, a study was done with 10,904 college students in order to see if the use of Adderall, Ritalin and Dexedrine (prescription stimulants) is prevalent in certain groups of people. It was found popular within groups such as white, males, involved in greek life, and with low grades. The colleges that seemed to have a greater amount of uses were ones with competitive admission standards and located in the north-east region of the US. I decided to add this section as I was curious whether non-medical Adderall use was more common among certain people, by no means am I including this as a way to stereotype anyone.

I discovered another study that was done among college students. When surveyed, it was found that 17% of 179 men and 11% of 202 women had used Adderall. Though these do not sound like high percentages, this was only out of a small group of several hundred. Looking at the bigger picture, it is easier to see just how immense the amount of users would be if this survey had actually involved the hundreds of thousands of college students out there. It was also included that 44% of those surveyed knew other students who had taken Adderall for non-medical purposes.

In closing: based on the research conducted, it is my guess that the use of stimulants such as Adderall will continue to occur throughout the population of college students. Though some may argue that this drug is a good strategy in tackling a workload, it is not something that students should rely on to accomplish tasks. I am not here to put down the idea of using the stimulant, but I do recommend that you take caution with how often you find yourself turning to Adderall.

 

Sources:

drugs.com/adderall

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/…005.00944.x/full

tandfonline.com/…0.3200/JACH.53.4.167-174

Pictures:

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adderall_ucf_study_drug_college.jpg

Classical studying

For the longest time, I have been jealous of everyone that can listen to their favorite music while studying or doing work. I’ve tried time and time again but somehow I always end up getting distracted by it or find myself accidentally writing the lyrics in the middle of my essays. One day I decided to try listening to classical music and discovered it was perfect for me. With no lyrics and just the sound of instruments playing along, I was able to actually get my work done in peace. I had heard several times that listening to classical music can actually improve your studying but never looked into this idea. In this blog, I will investigate whether this rumor is in fact true or false.

Check out Mozart, what a babe

 

While researching, I came across this study that involved 249 students wherein they were split into two groups and then attended the same lecture. However, one group listened to classical pieces by composers such as Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Bach during it. It was found that when tested afterwards, the group that had listened to classical music scored higher on the test than the group that did not.

According to this article , the reasoning behind this is that classical music’s beat pattern stimulates both the right and left sides of the brain. As a result of this, the brain is able to retain more information easily. Not only that but music can also increase your blood pressure and heart rate, allowing you to concentrate more effectively.

Another interesting factor that can play into improved studying is emotion. This report includes how classical music can stimulate the hypothalamus. This is a region in the brain that controls many functions including emotional activity. I decided to add this in on account that there is a correlation between mood and motivation. If you find yourself in a good mood you may also notice that your drive towards accomplishing something (such as studying or homework) is increased as well. Of course, Andrew would point out that CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION, so it is safe to say that one may not necessarily cause the other, but it is not uncommon to see the two go hand in hand.

Maybe next time you study you’ll consider listening to a little Mozart. If I had told you to try this only based off of my own interesting experience, you probably wouldn’t trust it as much because that would just be considered an anecdote. However my research obviously shows that classical music can help when studying. So don’t just take my word for it, try it out yourself!!

 

Sources:

sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S1041608011001762

classicalforums.com/articles/Music_Brain

sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S1053811905004052

Pictures:

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The Diet Soda Situation

Recently it seems that all I’ve been hearing is people complaining about needing to go on diets and eating healthier. As my friend reaches for a Diet Pepsi I can’t help but wonder if that is a good choice. I mean I’ve always heard people say that diet soda is actually bad for you but I’ve never known for sure. So I figured why not write a blog on it?

Here’s what I do know—or at least have heard:

For those who don’t know, diet sodas contain zero calories which is why people tend to flock to them thinking they are the healthier choice. Yes, this may sound like it is good for you but don’t be fooled. The truth is that they are filled with terrible chemicals used to sweeten the drink (instead of sugar). Some of these include aspartame, sucralose, cyclamate, phosphoric acid—and that’s just to name a few. If you’re reading that past sentence and thinking WTF do any of those words mean, they are artificial sweeteners that can contribute to numerous health risks. But is any of this actually true??

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A study was done based on diet soda consumption followed up by examinations to test for type 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The results of this was that the consumption of diet soda was associated with a 67% greater risk of type 2 Diabetes and 36% greater risk of metabolic syndrome (as opposed to not drinking diet soda). Notice the word “associated” was used!! If there is one thing that stands out that Andrew taught us it’s that correlation does not equal causation. According to the study it turns out that there is not enough data to support that these diet sodas actually cause these health defects.

In addition to this, an article posted from Harvard’s school of public health mentions that in 2011 the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association were not able to make an exact conclusion on the artificial sweeteners found in diet soda due to an “insufficient” amount of data.

FYI In case you’re like me and don’t know what Metabolic Syndrome is: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute defines Metabolic Syndrome as factors closely related to obesity or being overweight that put those at risk of heart disease, diabetes and even stroke.

Shocked?

I set out on this blog thinking that I would find tons of evidence highlighting the dangers of diet soda with definite conclusions. Little did I know that, although there are associations, there is no set proof that diet sodas are the cause of health risks like type 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome. After some of our pop quizzes Andrew has asked if the studies were convincing enough to have us change the way we do a specific thing in our daily lives. In this case, the research was not enough to make people stop drinking diet soda all together. This case was unable to inspire a definite life change in drinking diet soda but if you are in a similar situation to me with friends trying to diet, maybe try suggesting water, eliminating the choice of soda as a whole, diet or not.

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Sources:

care.diabetesjournals.org/…32/4/688.short

hsph.harvard.edu/…s/artificial-sweeteners

nhlbi.nih.gov/…th/health-topics/topics/ms

Pictures:

sites.psu.edu/…2016/09/36kszt-12gmwcs.jpg

decideforyourself.files.wordpress.com/…/aspartame-poison1.jpg

Save yourself from Daylight Savings

 

It’s that time of year again, as we set our clocks back an hour, we “fall back”, essentially gaining back 60 minutes. Though many people are less aware of Daylight Savings Time due to the fact that most of our technology adjusts automatically now, the effects can still be noticed. I decided to write this blog as I became intrigued about how this time shift impacts us. How does this affect our lives? Do these changes differ from daylight savings in the spring?

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How did you feel?

Looking back two weeks ago, did you feel more awake when you woke up? The first thought that pops into my head when it comes to Daylight Savings is sleep…I think we all can agree on this. I know that I am either going to have an extra hour in the Fall or lose one in the Spring—pretty simple concept to grasp. As a result of this I’m either going to feel refreshed OR more tired than usual the next day depending on which Daylight Savings Time is occurring. In the JSTOR article, “Losing Sleep at the Market: The Daylight Saving Anomaly”, the effect of Daylight Savings is compared to that of jet lag, pointing out that a change in our circadian rhythm (a process our body goes through over the course of 24 hours) can lead to either feeling ahead or behind. Thus, backing up, while also making logical sense of my thought process on this event.

Looking more into this topic, I came across a study that was done with 48 people, where their wake up times were observed the week after daylight savings as well as the week before (controlled trial). It was found that wake up times were effected and took about a week to adjust after both the Spring and Fall time shifts. It is noted that more people relied on a force wakeup by an alarm clock in the Spring due to the less sleep, meaning that it was found to be more difficult to wake up on their own. This showed me that the effects of Daylight Savings can differ between Fall and Spring even though both instances seem to impact us.

 

Accidents happen

While researching on this topic, I came across a study done about how Daylight Savings could cause more car accidents to happen. WHAT? Never would I have guessed that this would be an outcome of switching the hours on my clock. When I saw this I was pretty skeptical at first being that Andrew taught us that correlation does NOT equal causation. I figured it could probably just be a coincidence that more people were getting into accidents around this time frame.

This study was done over the course of 21 years by observing the amount of fatal car accidents on the day before, of, and after, during the weeks of and after Daylight Savings time. Basically researchers tried to see if there was any change in the amount of crashes that took place after daylight savings in comparison to the amount on a normal basis. It turns out that there did seem to be an increase.  Furthermore, it was found that there was a more significant increase in crashes in the Fall than in the Spring. The main reasoning for this is the gaining of an extra hour, causing people to stay out later than normal resulting in being drowsier, less attentive at the wheel, the next day. Though this is an issue that not many people know about or even realize, it does not necessarily mean that it suffers from the “File Drawer Problem”. As we learned in class, this problem happens when results fail to become well known or published because the results do not show a change, in other words we fail to reject the null hypothesis. So if the null hypothesis is that there is no increase of accidents during the daylight savings period, then in this case we would reject the null hypothesis.

It’s interesting to see that the act of putting our clocks ahead an hour or back an hour can produce changes in not only our state of alertness but also that this can carry into events of our everyday lives, like even driving a car.

A side note: with that being said, try to avoid the roads on the day after Daylight Savings (more so in the Fall!!) Taking this precaution could save yourself from just one of the effects caused by Daylight Savings!!

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Sources: (all found on Google Scholar)

-<http://www.jstor.org/stable/117321?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>

-<http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00140138008924730#aHR0cDovL3d3dy50YW5kZm9ubGluZS5jb20vZG9pL3BkZi8xMC4xMDgwLzAwMTQwMTM4MDA4OTI0NzMwP25lZWRBY2Nlc3M9dHJ1ZUBAQDA=>

sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S1389945700000320

Pictures:

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2.bp.blogspot.com/…0/daylight+savings.jpg

Freshman 15

On top of new classes, a new environment and all of the stresses that come along with Freshman year of college, there is one issue that stands prominent in importance above the rest: our health. More specifically, many people tend to struggle with weight.

The dreaded Freshman 15. In case you live under a rock and have no clue what this is, it is the expected weight gain of 15 pounds that first year students tend to gain—unfortunately, it is not always only 15. So why is it that this is even a thing???

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Food Freedom

One of the beauties of college is that you are given so much freedom; this including the ability to eat whatever you want and however much you want. You no longer have your parents there to make sure you are eating a healthy, proportional meal. No one’s there to limit the amount of pizza slices you get from Findlay. No one’s there to stop you from ordering Pokeys at 3 am. Unless you are friends with a health nut, your friends will most likely join in with you, ultimately negatively affecting all of you.

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Emotional Eaters

If you’re anything like me, you’ll eat with you get stressed out. Whether it’s over an upcoming exam or the hours of homework you’ve procrastinated to start, there’s nothing like Creamery ice cream or Insomnia cookies to help you feel better—or so you think. In the article, “The ‘Freshman 15’ Means More than Weight Gain”, the author discusses the many stresses other than school, like money, social life and even being away from home. All of these can trigger one to confide in food. When I first started at Penn State, 4 hours away from everything and everyone I had always known, I was a mess. I thought eating would mask the pain of being away from home. Sadly, this is a very popular coping mechanism used by freshmen.

This can also be related to the study we read about on a previous test. The article included a study done to see if studying affected how much one consumed afterwards. This article is very similar to the one we had on the test. It was found that the results were that students taking tests or doing work ate more than the students who did nothing. Yikes.

It’s frightening to see just how easy it is to add on the pounds when you first get to school. For the most part I try not to get too crazy with what I eat here—even though I still find myself addicted to Pokeys. What I have discovered works best for me is finding time within all of the school work to make it to the gym. Though your schedule may seem hectic, make it a goal to work out every so often.  Your body will thank you.

Sources:

teens.webmd.com/…/freshman-15-means-more-than-weight-gain

foxnews.com/…/study-thinking-hard-makes-hungry

Pics:

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Why do we love Fall?

Fall. The leaves are changing and the temperature is dropping. It’s the most wonderful time of the year…kinda. Though everyone’s opinions vary, many people find fall to be their favorite season. Whether it’s the football games, pumpkin spice lattes, or the transition from Summer, there are so many amazing aspects. Perhaps the most important reason that Autumn is so popular is because it is considered to be a temporal landmark.

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 WTF is a Temporal Landmark???

A temporal landmark is a certain indication that gives us an idea as to where we are in time. Examples could include how the sun rising indicates a new day or how Monday indicates a new week. Fall in particular indicates the start of a new school year. According to the article, “Don’t Apologize For Your Obsession With Fall. It’s Science”, kids relate Fall to the idea of new classes, new clothes, new school supplies and so on. This is why people usually tend to like this season; so many new beginnings. As a result of this, many tend to get motivated by this fresh start.

 

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Fresh-Start Effect

With the start of a new season or new school year, there is no better time to create new goals. The article, “Fresh Start Effect: How to Motivate Users with New Beginnings” pretty much describes the Fresh-Start Effect as the tendency for people to become encouraged to establish or fulfill new objectives due to the occurrence of a temporal landmark. This website includes how studies found that college students tended to go to the gym more at the beginning of a new week, month, semester and break. It is evident that we attain such a high level of motivation at the beginning of a new time period whether it be as short as a week or as long as a year.  For me, at the beginning of every school year I would tell myself that I would wake up earlier for school that year…Though that only really lasted for about a week, I still find it very easy to draw connections to this effect.

 

What are we thinking?

While conducting this research, I couldn’t help but wonder as to what is going on in our minds that causes this entire effect to happen. According to an article posted on Scientific American, we tend to compare our current self or state with a better, future situation. For example, going along with my goal to wake up earlier for school, I would contrast the differences between myself now: waking up late, rushing to school, and my goal future self: being a morning person, not having to rush. This comparison is what ran through my mind when planning to start my new school year goal. Imagining the benefits that I did not currently have, motivated me to want to achieve this.

If you’re still wondering ‘what’s so great about Fall?’, just know it allows the chance to try many new things. So while you’re enjoying your fall days at Beaver Stadium, Starbucks or even playing in the leaves, remember that this is the perfect opportunity to set some goals for yourself. What will yours be?

 

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientific-reason-we-love-fall_us_57f41713e4b04c71d6f0979f?section=us_healthy-living

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/fresh-start-effect/

coglode.com/gems/fresh-start-effect

scientificamerican.com/…/is-it-the-right-time-for-a-fresh-start

Pictures:

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sujanpatel.com/…ds/2013/01/motivation.jpg

FOMO

 

We all have different things that we are afraid of; Whether it be heights, spiders, or even the dark, there is something out there that scares you. However, if there is one fear we all have in common it is most definitely FOMO. Also known as the Fear Of Missing Out, we have all experienced this at some point in our lives. It is the simple, yet painfully aggravating idea that there are better, more exciting plans occurring elsewhere. As I sit here, packing for my weekend trip home, though I am immensely excited, I can’t help but feel that I will be missing out on yet another crazy weekend here. I, too, have suffered with this awful fear.

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Social Media

At a time when we are constantly connected to our phones, it is no surprise that social media would contribute so largely to this issue. We are being exposed to posts and pictures of what everyone else is doing. Thus inevitably producing the feeling that we are missing out. In the article, “Social Media addiction is a Bigger Problem Than You Think”, it discusses a study that was done through 99DaysofFreedom.com  attempting to get people to give up Facebook for 99 days. It turns out that most people dropped out after just a couple of days after starting. Society has become so hooked on social media and the continuous persistence to post their every move. Based on that article, it does not seem like this is going to die down any time soon.

 

Our Brain

Inside our brains we have the Amygdala which is basically responsible for emotions and reactions. This article, explains how the Amygdala can sense when there is a risk to our well-being. To sum this up, when we feel left out as though we are not a part of something (or at a certain party), we begin to stress or feel as though we are missing out. Although we know this information, there does not seem to currently be an antidote or solution to FOMO, other than taking breaks from social media. Many issues dealing with psychology have pills that patients can take to help with this issue, for example Depression. However, after researching I was unable to find anything like that for this case.

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The Result

What happens as a result of all of this is that we allow this fear to get in the way of our own lives. We spend so much time worrying over what we are missing out on that we fail to appreciate what’s right in front of us. It needs to be realized that one is not missing out on as much as they think they are. The article, “This is the Best Way to Overcome the Fear of Missing Out”, discusses “The Facebook Illusion” which is the idea that events look better online than they actually are. Parties and plans seem so much more fun on social media than they may actually be in reality. Tying in what we’ve learned in class, it is kind of like a false positive. This is when we think something is occurring when it is actually not. This amazing party that you’ve made it out to be that you’re missing out on is not actually real—nor is it worth the stress.

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Sources:

computerworld.com/…/social-media-addiction-is-a-bigger-problem-than-you-think

99DaysofFreedom.com

slate.com/…/fomo_what_s_the_psychology_behind_the_fear_of_missing_out

time.com/4358140/overcome-fomo

Pictures:

blogworks.in/…/2015/07/fomo6-1024×544.jpg

brainmadesimple.com/…7885523/_4755829.png

couponraja.in/…/Phone_addiction_poor_relation.jpg

Sleep: Too Much vs Too Little

Do you ever find that no matter how much you sleep, you still struggle with dragging yourself out of bed? If you fall short of the recommended 8 hours of sleep, you wake up feeling like you never even slept. On the other hand, if you get more than 8 hours, you wake up not knowing what day it is, still being exhausted—well you may not but this is how I usually feel. As I lay here at 3 o clock in the morning beginning this blog, still wide awake, I can’t help but wonder why this is. As college students we deal with probably the most messed up sleep schedules of our lives. This is why I am posing the question of which is worse: Over sleeping or under sleeping?

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The Cons

Both cases, whether it be too much or too little sleep, come with consequences. In an article done by HealthStatus.com, it lists several negatives associated with oversleeping. These ranged from effects on metabolism and mood to even more serious issues like the lack of water and oxygen sent to the brain. On the flip side, lack of sleep can be just as impacting on your health. This article published on center4research.org explains how attention span, motor skills and even mental health are just a few of the many aspects harmed.

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            Other Factors

Even with all of this in mind, we still must take other factors into account. Don’t forget that correlation does NOT equal causation!! As we learned there can be many confounding variables (or a “z” variable) that are actually causing these health effects. The cause of your health problem may not be from the lack/abundance of sleep. Other possible causes of these health issues could be traumatic events, stress, or even just genetics. If we were to look at a case of depression for example, a person may not be depressed due to their lack of sleep; it may just actually be from a chemical imbalance. A result of this depression could be the reason that they are losing sleep. According to this article, there are plenty of possible causes of depression other than lack of sleep.

            My Conclusion

After much research, I have come to the conclusion that there cannot be a definite answer on whether over sleeping or under sleeping is worse. In this article, it mentions how everyone’s body is unique which means that the proper amount of sleep for each person differs. This being said, certain amounts of sleep may affect people differently. Though both cases can cause a plethora of health defects, neither is better than the other. All I can recommend is that everyone try to figure out what sleep schedule works best for themselves. It is vital that we all stay healthy during college at a time when work and paying attention in class is so important.

 

Sources:

healthstatus.com/…/too-much-sleep-may-be-just-as-unhealthy-as-too-little-sleep

<http://center4research.org/healthy-living-prevention/improving-your-health/health-risks-of-not-getting-enough-sleep/>

health.com/health/gallery/0,,20515167,00

<http://dailyburn.com/life/lifestyle/how-many-hours-of-sleep/>

Pictures: 6359279773703196621432195854_puppytirednotext.jpeg

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Has your horoscope been lying to you??

Recently in the news, there had been claims made that the zodiac signs were being changed. Naturally when hearing this, I freaked out. Was I no longer an Aries?? Had my zodiac readings been lies for the past 18 years?? How is it that they had always been so strangely accurate???? I began to question everything I knew about myself. Okay maybe I was being a little dramatic—like usual—but I was just so baffled at the fact that this idea I had always thought to be true was suddenly not true at all.

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It turns out that there are actually 13 zodiac signs, as oppose to the 12 that we are all used to. The new sign was now Ophiucus. This lands between November 29 and December 17th, ultimately moving around all of the other signs. To my surprise, I was now finding out that I am a Pisces. According to the article, “YOUR ASTROLOGICAL SIGN HAS SHIFTED: NASA UPDATED THE ZODIAC SIGNS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2,000 YEARS”, only about 14% of people have had the right zodiac sign all along. This obviously shows the reasoning behind the giant wave of confusion over this issue, being that it is now affecting such an immense amount of people…but should we really be worried?

After looking more into this topic, I discovered a more recent article clearing up this entire debacle. The article, “NASA Clears Up Zodiac Sign Controversy, Space Agency Denies Changing Star Signs”, includes how NASA points out the difference between Astrology and Astronomy, essentially putting an end to this entire dilemma. The 13 constellations have always been known, however they do not fit into our 12-month period properly. All in all, no one’s signs are actually going to change. Everyone can now breathe a sigh of relief and go back to carrying on with their normal lives—again I might be the only person that really took the time to freak out over this but that’s beside the point. So for now I can re-download my horoscope app that I had deleted in a moment of panic, and continue to read my readings in peace.

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Sources: <http://thespiritscience.net/2016/09/02/your-astrological-sign-has-shifted-nasa-updated-the-zodiac-signs-for-the-first-time-in-2000-years/>

<http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/28917/20160919/nasa-clears-up-zodiac-sign-controversy-space-agency-denies-changing.htm>

Pictures:  http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/993/875/084.png

https://cdn.meme.am/instances/400x/60096094.jpg

 

5 Life-Changing Seconds.

At some point in our lives we have dealt with a heartbreak. We have all experienced this difficult, emotional tragedy. There is nothing more painful than to watch a beautiful piece of food slip out of your hands and fall onto the floor right before your very eyes. As a girl who takes food very seriously and also has a tendency to drop about 98% of things handed to her, the 5-Second Rule has also been a concept near and dear to my heart.

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For those unaware of this saying, it is the simple belief that if one picks up their food off the floor within five seconds of dropping it, it is still safe to consume. There are cases, like in a public setting, in which I abandon this idea completely and just throw the food out but otherwise when at home it is hard to resist.

Can you imagine the amount of germs on the floor stepped on by thousands of people everyday?? In the article, “Why The Five-Second Rule is ‘sort of’ Right”, though they do not explore different locations, scientists study the variance in the amount of bacteria spread based on different types of surfaces as well as different types of foods. It was found that sleeker surfaces, like tile or steel, spread more bacteria quicker than surfaces like carpet or wood. Also, foods that were moist tended to soak in more bacteria than others. All in all, the experiment concluded that the beloved 5-Second Rule cannot always be used—well it can be but then that probably will not end well for you. Though I cannot control my awful coordination sometimes, I am definitely going to try to be more careful when handling food. This could not only save your hunger, but your overall health as well.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-the-five-second-rule-needs-to-be-amended_us_57d2e16ce4b03d2d459a1a2b?section=&section=us_healthy-living

Pictures: http://memecrunch.com/meme/7PXH/dropping-food/image.jpg

Five_second.pnghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Five_second.png

Mosquitoes Must Go

Have you ever hung out with that one person that just won’t stop complaining about getting attacked by mosquitoes? Well for my friends, that person is me. After long summer nights spent outside, I always somehow find myself having (approximately) 70000 more bug bites than I had prior. What always seems to puzzle me is that my friends would come out with one, two or maybe no bug bites at all. I’m sure they are all sick of hearing me complain over getting “attacked”, but it just does not seem fair to me. I mean could these bugs actually be biased?

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Though I would get significantly more mosquito bites than others, I always thought it was just by chance with no reasoning behind it. I had never known that mosquitoes could be so picky when it came to their meal preference. That is why when I discovered the article “Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More than Others”, I was immediately intrigued. This article posted by Meredith Melnick includes reasons ranging from size to metabolism to even smell. All of these factors play a role in the possibility of getting bitten by a mosquito. It all started to make sense to my 5’8” tall, fast metabolism-having self. What stood out to me the most when reading this article was that mosquitoes also love feeding on people who have just worked out; they are drawn in to the lactic acid and carbon dioxide produced. The reason that this stood out to me, in particular, was because I could recall the countless amount of times that I would go on a run to Beaver Stadium over the summer and return to my dorm with dozens of new bites.

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For me and the many others out there dealing with this annoyance, it has been a looooong summer. Luckily, the cold weather is approaching which means no bugs—at least for a few months. Until then, I guess there is nothing I can really do except continue drowning myself in bug spray and hope for the best. See ya’ next year, stupid mosquitoes.

 

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others_us_57c9c258e4b0a22de095e6a4?hieqjanjvck1n61or&section=us_healthy-living

Pictures: http://cdn.orkin.com/images/mosquitoes/mosquito-illustration_360x286.jpg

https://vwellhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/bug-spray.jpg

Are we better off with less school days??

Having Labor Day just passed, I don’t think there was anyone that did not enjoy the long weekend. Whether it was relaxing, sleeping or catching up on work, students took advantage of the extra 24 hours without classes. Fortunately, for me, this is what every week is like. When scrolling through the hundreds of options of how I wanted my school schedule to look, I immediately gravitated towards the 4-day one. I knew that getting all of my classes out of the way Monday through Thursday would be worth the benefits associated with a 3-day weekend.

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Health: Coming from a girl that takes about 5 naps a day, I can say that having a day to catch up sleep is so important. After four days of forcing myself out of bed, finally being able to get the proper amount of sleep benefits me not only physically, but mentally as well. In addition to feeling energized, I wake up feeling refreshed and destressed. This is so vital at a time when there are so many things that we, as college students, spend time worrying about.

School:  If there is one thing that I definitely struggle with it is time management. I’d be lying if I said I did my homework consistently every night. Nope not me. Instead I somehow always manage to procrastinate, leaving assignments to stack up. The extra day of no classes presents the opportunity to get work out of the way or catch up if behind. Not having to worry about these things over the course of Saturday and Sunday is the best feeling.

Don’t just take my word for it; The article, “Should We All Be On the Four-Day Workweek”, highlights the increase in quality and quantity of the work performed by those with a four-day week. Whether it is a job or school, just one more day of the weekend can generate numerous advantages. Next time you find yourself putting together your class schedule, take yourself and your work into account, and consider choosing to have one less day.

I’m not good with titles

Hi Hi,

My name is Jen Malespina and I’m from Park Ridge, NJ. When looking for colleges, my two requirements were 1) that it is a huge school and 2) that football is big deal—obviously Penn State fits that perfectly. I am currently undecided but am choosing between business or communications. I have always excelled at science throughout school but I literally cannot deal with how painfully boring it is, which is why I do not plan to have a career based on it. When switching around my schedule at the last possible second, I saw that there was a seat left in here and decided to take it, especially being that the description included that it was for students not intending to pursue anything further with science.

If there is one thing that I am good at it is complaining so I’ve compiled a list of complaints pertaining to science, giving you an idea of why I don’t plan to study it in the future:

-I can’t stand the sight of blood, intestines, anything medical related

-Space scares me

-Gravity is annoying

-Torque???

-Einstein seemed like a chill guy (not a complaint, just throwing that out there)

-Bill Nye is creepy

-Almost every science teacher I’ve had barely spoke English and liked to yell a lot

-Climate Change/ Global Warming/ whatever you want to call it, scares me

-Meteorologists are only right like 40% of the time

-I never got to make a volcano in science class

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Here‘s a link to some more logical reasoning as why science is so boring