Ever hear of Watson?  The computer from Jeopardy? Well, a brain and a computer may have a number of similarities after all. THIS ARTICLE explains the ability a brain has toward connecting memories with unfamiliar situations.

Science Daily is a news source that specifically writes about science. Students, professors, researchers, and grant givers use this site all the time to discover new and upcoming discoveries. The couple that started the site in 1995 come from science-based backgrounds and have moved their pursuits to creating a website that markets science of the future. From prehistoric life to computerized futures, this site has it all.

Today, I found out that computer programmers created this “pointer system” to do the same thing with computer processes. For example, when the Blue and White Society sends you a weekly reminder that you haven’t joined yet, the email typically says your name specifically. This makes the email more personal for recipients, but it doesn’t mean that the email was personally written and sent forward. The computer’s “pointer system” fills in an empty hole for names in the email. Similar to how our brain acts when remembering a face.

I find it interesting that in one blog, I can write about how technology learns from nature, but in this one, I’m writing about how we’re learning of our nature through technology. Even though the technology is still reflecting on the natural traits, it’s teaching us just how the nature of our brain works.

This paradigm just shows how interconnected science and nature truly are, and how humanity has embraced this fact to further it’s own natural, and sometimes unnatural, existence.

I’m not sure how this research is really going to help further scientific discovery. It could lead to memory manipulations. All in all, I think it looks as though we’ve grown to be so obsessed with technology that we’re starting to compare ourselves to it on a whole new level. Next thing you know, we’ll be living like Will Smith in iRobot and have friends and helpers in enhanced “pointer system” operating robots. Maybe not in our life time, but the precursors are definitely there. From this research to the Roomba vacuum cleaners, which seem to have some sort of pointer toward dirt, I can’t see droid robots being too far off.

Picture Source: (http://blogs.plos.org/retort/2011/02/14/how-ibm’s-watson-computer-will-excel-at-jeopardy/)

No, I’m not talking about Transformers. Turns out some researchers are looking for help from bees to stabilize micro air vehicles.

When I first read micro air vehicles in THIS ARTICLE, I thought of the world becoming like The Jetsons. A little Google search ended up showing me a flying object looking like a military-esque bug. Even though it’s not Bumblebee, the Camaro, bumblebees are in the lab to help shed light on the strategic handling of strong winds.

What’s interesting to me, is the dependence technology has on nature, along with the forced dependence nature is going to have on technology in time. The irony is that technology alienates people from the natural world. This happens because technology is so unnatural, and is used to find a way to expedite natural processes. For example, it’s natural to collect milk and churn it up to make butter. Except nowadays, technology has made it possible for people to not even see the cow, the milk, or even the butter until they unwrap a sealed up package shipped in from a factory.

Adaptation is one of the strongest aspects of nature that humans can learn the most from. Harvard researchers know this and have designed a method to analyze it. When the winds get strong, the bumblebee adapts in a way that a robot has trouble doing. Humans even have trouble understanding what adaptation has to be made to ride with the winds smoothly. It’ll be interesting to see a pursuit in creating a robot that uses sensors, rather than using our own decision making to respond to changing wind patterns.

I don’t doubt Harvard has the means to make this happen. Colleges make the most of research opportunities, and can ask news sources, such as the BBC to help collect grants by writing about it. This article comes from two very distinguished corporations, but one must realize that it’s written not only to entertain and inform the audience, but also to raise awareness of a scientific stride toward the implementation of new technology.

In the end, it’s amazing how many things people can learn from studying natural processes, just to apply them to unnatural means. From studying buoyancy factors in aquatic life, to swinging tactics of monkeys, and so on. What happens when nature takes a hit it can’t handle and human progress ceases with it?

Picture Source: (http://people.wku.edu/heather.power660/index.html/adaptations/theory.html) 

You ever want to cook a spaghetti dinner and realize your pasta says “Best by: May 2013” and your shelved sauce says “Use by: Feb 2013”? Well, apparently you can still cook that dinner up and eat it without fear. According to THIS ARTICLE  Expiration dates don’t stem from health-related injuries. They stem from the measure of food freshness.

Science has power amongst every field of life. Preservatives are chemicals added to food to make it last longer, taste better and stay out of the garbage. In America, the amount of wasted food grows day by day. Sure people can’t finish what’s already on their plate sometimes, but more often, they even refuse to let some perfectly good food reach the plate.

Naturally, some food will always remain perishable, but with the amount of money spent and health claims made, shouldn’t people be aware of what added preservatives are really doing to help?

We are in an age and a nation that prides itself on the availability of information. When too much information is thrown around, dangerous and contagious interpretations can form. “Use by” and “Best by” are only phrases to indicate that the product is at its freshest and the added preservatives are still working wonders. “Sell by” is even better, meaning that the consumer has plenty of time to still enjoy the product, while the distributer is aware of when to turnover the product.

This commonly misunderstood interpretation of dates on packaging could save Americans so much money! Why did we have chemicals for freshness added in the first place? If we refuse to take advantage of our scientific strides in the best way possible, we begin to rob ourselves, literally!

Today, so much technology has been developed in our favor, not just in food, but in all walks of life. Automatic shifting in cars, voice command in phones, foot massaging slippers, just to name a few, all provide a service that someone thought we shouldn’t get by without. Food is becoming more and more of a technology, but it still makes us who we are, and we can’t get by just throwing it away. It’d be interesting to have a class on food resources plan a best by picnic party, where all the food passed it’s date, but still finds its way to a mouth to feed.

 Picture Source: (http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/second-life-what-happens-to-old-and-expired-supermarket-products/251052/)

I always considered cravings to be one of the main pitfalls of humanity. A desire, whether good or bad, has the power to transform perceptions of many opportunities. Cravings are more of an uncontrollable desire, commonly unwelcome to our daily lives. You always hear about cravings for cigarettes, sweet foods, or other indulgences known to be unhealthy. What sparks these cravings?

The brain has the powerful ability to create associations between multiple items, people, places and other factors. Even though a place like McDonald’s may just be a fast food restaurant to the public, one person may associate it with a marriage proposal or even a monopoly board.

In the past, there have been dreams of manipulating these associations. Many have seen the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and wondered what would be different in life if they could erase or change certain memories. THIS ARTICLE  explains the masterminds behind mastering another’s mind. The Scripps Research Institute has successfully freed mice from drug addiction cues by messing with their brains.

Now I’m quite aware that mice aren’t human, but evidently, the brain patterns must work in the same way in order for scientists and Time Magazine to get worked up about this fact. It’s always a possibility that this research may fall off the deep end before hitting humans, kinda like the cloning of a sheep did, but since it’s fresh and new, I’d definitely follow it.

Imagine how different life could be for people who truly do have drug addictions, may they be recurring or not. Imagine how shifting the energy from an unwarranted craving to a progressive desire could impact the world. Soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress and cigarette smokers who want to quit, but get their lunch break at work and instantly think of taking a drag. These people could save time, money and decision making power by having associations and memories erased.

Unfortunately, there’s always an aspect of fear attached with that of excitement. If this ability to manipulate the mind goes wrong, could someone lose their college degree? Who’s going to be the first person willing to sacrifice their mind? Is this truly going to pose as an easy way out of addiction? What about desires to lose memories for other reasons?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind involves a girl completely forgetting about the love of her life. Divorces may turn into an easier process, but at what cost? The strongest of life lessons come from the hardest of battles. I’d think twice before letting a scientist control my thought processes.

 Picture Source: (http://hplusmagazine.com/2012/07/20/how-the-brain-works/)

In college, many accept the idea that sleep is the least of their priorities. One can always push forward now and collapse when they find time. Ironically, when that time comes, a lot of students prefer to stay up all night instead of sleeping. Now I personally make a point to catch my Z’s, but too often I see people yawning through their morning classes while complaining about their late nights.

So what puts us to sleep? Food gives us energy. If energy alone can’t keep us awake, what else do we need? THIS ARTICLE aims to explain.

Cognition. The power of the human mind has led us from a simple caveman attitude to a world of mobility, creativity and responsibility. Sleeping gives our brain the fuel to keep thinking the same way that food gives our heart the capability to keep pumping.

Not sleeping results in the worst sort of moods. Grumpiness, lack of concentration, slow response, and more are the common symptoms college students and almost anyone anywhere takes a risk of having if they don’t sleep properly. Even being awake for 17 hours at a time leads to decreased memory and language functionality.

If sleep is this powerful of a factor in what we can take away from our lives, I think it’s necessary for students in any school setting, and adults in any work setting to be aware of the importance and influence of sleep. In a first year Penn State seminar, regarding any major, it should be a point worth mentioning.

We’ve all been told that all-nighters are bad, but has anyone bothered explaining the real reasons why? In a day and age where we are ever-seeking knowledge, and that there has to be a thorough explanation before change is enacted, “making you feel better” as an answer simply isn’t enough. By studying the effects of not sleeping, rather than just experiencing them, people would be more aware and more willing to change toward the better. That conscience guilt of planning one’s day in a way that robs them of sleep, will make the following day more favorable of sleep. Though, one would hope in teaching sleep, we don’t accidentally put the sleep-deprived to sleep!

Picture Source: (http://www.oprah.com/health/How-to-Sleep-Better-and-Have-More-Energy)

I never considered myself especially religious however I try to be, but I do believe that God is what put us on this Earth and that we should be happy enough to be alive each day that we open our eyes. Scientists have never seemed to share that thought with me. I always hear about big bang theories, and I guess I never had that curiosity to consider other possibilities. If you got a question, somewhere down the line, a scientist will find you an answer.

Dr. Steven Benner spoke in Italy just a couple weeks ago arguing that life may have started on Mars, rather than on Earth. Even though this must have happened millions of years ago, who would’ve thought Lil’ Wayne knew the truth before the scientists could back him up?

In THIS ARTICLE Dr. Benner says that molecules fold together and stack up to build larger life entities. This process is nearly impossible without help from the mineral components borate and molybdate. Together, these two compounds help to bind life to more life. Apparently, that lifely mix wasn’t here on Earth back in the day, but Mars had loads of it, along with oxygen. Earth didn’t even seem to have oxygen back then either, so I guess lungs must have come from Mars too!

My point is, even if life started somewhere else, shouldn’t we be more concerned with where life is going? Instead of these creative, imaginative and educated scientists focusing on theories that can never truly be proven as facts, they should focus on improving the lives of people today. I like religion because even if it isn’t the most scientific explanation, it certainly seems to be the most forward thinking.

Religion provides the explanations that science cannot. It shouldn’t only be about what gave means to life, but also what life means. In reading the NY Times, I felt enlightened, but not stirred. It ended on the notion that scientists have the desire to continue this debate of what evidence from today can explain about facts of the past. We have such a desire to know everything, that sometimes it’s hard to truly see where that information is going to lead us. Seeing is believing, and ultimately, when I wake up to see the morning sun in front of me, I believe that there’s a reason for that, something greater than just life folding on more life.

Picture Source: ( http://illuminati-illusions.blogspot.com/2012/05/illusion-of-aliensidentity-revealed.html) 

Now I wouldn’t call myself an expert on how chemicals interact and the various properties each element holds. But I thought it was understood that fire is hot and ice is cold, and that the two are competitors in a never-ending tug-of-war of temperature difference. Science has gone ahead and proved this old known fact wrong.

Through time, I’ve noticed that science has either proved many commonly accepted “truths” as false, or has overcome what others previously deemed impossible. From the power of flight, to acknowledging that Earth is round, to even reestablishing hair growth, there isn’t a dull moment in the possibilities that come from manipulating what we understand. In the end, humans have always seemed to use the Earth’s resources for their benefit. Why invest in something that won’t help us? Speaking of which, with ongoing stresses about oil, one human need has taken priority: Our need for energy.

Japanese and American scientists have paired together to analyze the effectiveness of “flammable ice.” Evidently, ice cores in the Arctic, and other permanently cold areas around the world, have developed hydrogen containing cores. This hydrogen is extremely flammable, and if used properly, can be a source of alternative energy. A major issue is extracting this energy for use. From THIS ARTICLE , it seems that getting the energy will take just as much as you could get back. I mean, unless this hydrate is mega-concentrated energy, their technique really doesn’t sound like it’s going to help us. It amazes me how far some people will go to gain just a little bit out of something else.

This hydrate production plan involves a super tube of steel and pressurizing water. This water goes through some phases that helps to release the hydrate energy. The problem is, that pressure changes alone isn’t enough. There has to be heat involved for everything to work, and heat production requires energy consumption anyhow. It’s just a wonder how scientists come up with these ideas just to get more energy from the Earth. I feel like this method won’t even save anyone money because of how complicated it seems. Also, they kept mentioning the possibility of uncontrollable methane release. Methane is similar to carbon dioxide, in the fact that it contributes to global warming. I thought carbon dioxide was a problem with our energy today. So if we shift our focus to something that might be just as harmful as our current energy use, are we really investing in the alternative energy necessary?

Like I said earlier, I’m not an expert on this stuff, but so far, it seems that alternative energy might be a priority, but in reaching that goal, logic certainly can’t be forgotten.

 Picture Source: http://aboutrobertfrost.blogspot.com/2012/09/fire-and-ice.html