Author Archives: Matthew Botbyl

Dogs’ Reaction to Signals Mapped in Research

A study by researchers at Emory University claims to have deciphered the part of dogs’ brains related to positive and negative reinforcement. Scientists used 13 dogs and taught them two hand signals: one meant they were getting a treat and the other meant that they weren’t receiving anything. Then, the dogs were given an fMRI and shown one of the two signals. The results showed that dogs are similar to humans in this respect.

The reactions that were mapped took place in the caudate region of the brain, which is the same area that pertains to similar reactions in humans. When showed the positive signal, a majority of the dogs had a positive response in the caudate region. Correspondingly, a negative reaction was seen in the brain when a negative signal was given.

Scientists involved in the study want to use the data to better train dogs that have become a crucial component of society. Canines are used in the military, law enforcement, and physical therapy, and because of this, it is important to understand them as best as possible. Genetic analysis has shown that the domestication of dogs goes back almost 32,000 years, and their importance to humans will continue to grow.

Typing Learned Subconsciously According to Study

New Study: “Heavy and Healthy” isn’t Possible

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Contrary to other short-term studies, a new report says that obese people who are otherwise healthy are still more at risk when it comes to heart problems. Researchers from Canada collected the results of eight other studies that examined normal weight, overweight, and obese people over periods of time that ranged from three to thirty years.

The studies followed a combined 61,000 people, and in the short-run, obese people didn’t seem to be more at risk; however, in studies that covered ten years or more, obese people were 24% more likely to have health issues related to the heart. The characteristics of this report and the studies that it used are enough to consider the research scientifically dependable.

Dr. Bernard Zinman, who worked on the study, says that “It was popular to say, well, maybe we shouldn’t worry about these (“healthy” obese) people…[but] this kind of myth was propagated by looking at individuals and really not following the cohort for long enough.”

As of 2012, about 35% of the U.S. population was obese. The problem has been labeled as an epidemic, and it is a clear threat to American health concerns. The research in this study could help by dispersing the idea that obesity can somhow facilitate any kind of healthy lifestyle. This could inspire people to do something about the problem and attend to the issue of obesity.

Bacteria Grow Faster if They Work Together

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Researchers in Germany have concluded that bacteria grows faster if they cooperate and share. The scientists experimented by manipulating different bacteria so that they relied on each other to make up for their individual shortcomings. One bacteria was genetically modified so that it was unable to produce a certain amino acid but could produce all the others. This bacteria was then introduced to another one that could produce the former’s missing amino acid, but could not create another.

After the results were reviewed, the researchers discovered that the bacteria were feeding one another in order to survive. In fact, not only were the organisms surviging: they were growing 20% faster than the ordinary bacteria that produced all of the necessary amino acids on their own!

“No matter where you look,” said the lead reseracher, “Microbial communities can be found in almost every habitat you can think of.” According to a study published by the American Phytopathological Society, a microbial community is also associated with a common scab often found on potatoes.

Although this study may not be interesting to most students, it should be because it applies to their own evolution. Just like bacteria, humankind has adapted to its environment, and this is mostly because of man’s ability to work together. Similarly, bacteria have the ability to cooperate, and this behavior helps them survive.

Study Suggests Prospect of Male Contraceptive Pill

PG-13 Movies More Violent?

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A study published by the Anneberg Public Policy Center and Ohio State University puts forward evidence that PG-13 movies are more violent than those that are rated R. The methods of the study are quite interesting. Reserachers examined the top 30 highest grossing films each year since 1985 (420 movies in total). They then searched for the firing of handheld guns “with the intent to harm or kill a living being…” Overall, the number of PG-13 films depicting such violence was larger than R-rated ones.

Researchers are disturbed by these findings because of the correlation between visualization of guns and aggressive behavior in people. In 2010, the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin published a study that said that when people see a gun in the same room, they behave more aggresively. Though the study didn’t directly attach their findings to guns in movies, experts are still wary of what the effects might mean.

In addition, the study by the Policy Center found that the amount of gun violence in PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985. In light of the recent plague of gun violence across the country, many people have been quick to deny the correlation between violence in entertainment and real life, but this trend should still make people stop to think. Regardless of whether or not there is a causal effect involved, the irony of these findings in PG-13 movies is unavoidable.

Parents are typically opposed to letting their kids watch R-rated movies. When I was growing up, my dad did everything he could to keep me and my younger sister from seeing them. However, he had no problem watching PG-13 movies with us. Yet, as this study shows, he was actually condoning a larger proportion of violence by relegating us to watching only PG-13 movies.

From my experience, this has a lot to do with Americans’ feelings about sex and violence. A lot of R-rated movies receive this rating because they involve sex scenes and sensuality. On the other hand, it’s perfectly fine for people to get blown to bits in a PG-13 film. Many Americans fear exposing their kids to sex, and they’re more comfotable letting them see violence on the big screen. This is a pretty odd worldview, to me, and I think it has an impact on the way our country’s children behave.

Why Don’t People Get Vaccinated?

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I really wonder what drives people to avoid vaccines. I understand skepticism, and I think it’s right to be cautious of new medicinal methods. As Andrew taught us earlier, physicians don’t always have the best ideas about how to make people better. Still, the science supporting vaccinations is there. Well-funded and properly organized studies have found no evidence for a connection between vaccinations and deadly side effects– at least no more so than anything else we do on a day-to-day basis, like driving. So why are people adverse to getting vaccines?

I have a strong fear of needles. I freakin hate them. Because of this, anytime a new vaccine is offered to me, I initially fall back on that phobia as a means of avoiding the shot. I justify the avoidance of the vaccine by my fear. After a few seconds, though, I realize I’m being stupid, and I get the vaccine (if you also suffer from this fear, here’s an article on how to get over it). I do this not only for myself (vaccines make me healthier), but also for the larger society around me. If I don’t get vaccinated, I could present a danger to others who haven’t had the opportunity to get vaccinated yet. This is espeially the case with diseases like whooping cough which effects children and can be fatal.

Ultimately, I could understand an avoidance of vaccines if the reasearch was a lot more flimsy– but it simply isn’t. The science is there, and it’s time for people to get on board with making our communities safer.

Sagan and Tyson: Bringing Science to the People

Scientific Literacy

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Literacy rates are important when it comes to defining advanced societies. I would argue that scientific literacy is just as important. Growing up, I was surrounded by conservative Christians whose religious upbringings restricted their ability to grasp widely accepted scientific theories. I hoped that this lack of scientific literacy would change drastically when I got to college, but sadly that hasn’t been the case.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard a Penn State student argue that “evolution isn’t true” because “if we came from monkeys, then why do monkeys still exist?” Of course, this position is easily combatted by explaining the difference between genus and species (dogs are descended from wolves, yet wolves still exist), but the fact that evolution is still being denied on a university campus in 2013 is unsettling. If a theory like biological evolution, that is accepted by the large majority of members within the scientific community, is not thought to be true, then what hope do our students have to compete in the field of science on a global level?

In my opinion, a major culture shift has to take place before we can witness any change. In the minds of most primary school students, science is simply a requirement that has to be overcome in order to graduate. Scientific literacy isn’t promoted nearly as much as it should be, and a mediocre understanding of basic principles is considered acceptable in most school systems.

Clearly, because I am in this class, I am not, myself, a science major. I wish I could be, but my personal skill sets do not match the requirements for that career path. Still, I think I am scientifically literate, and I appreciate the principles that scientists abide by, which overall promote the interests of our wellbeing. Until students start taking scientific literacy seriously, the United States will continue to fall behind in the global arena of education and innovation.

Here is a link to Neil Degrasse Tyson, a popular astrophysicist, talking about scientific literacy:

Men Walk Slower When They’re With Someone They Love

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According to a new study out of the Seattle Pacific University, men walk slower when they’re walking next to a significant other. Physical distinctions between the two genders allow the typical male to have a naturally quicker walking pace. Because of this, either the man or the woman must change their speed when they happen to be walking together, and the university found that men slow down more often.

The scientists studied the walking speed of eleven women and eleven men as they walked around a track alone, with a friend of the same sex, opposite sex, and a significan other. When they compiled the data, researchers found that men significantly slow down their pace, but only if the woman is their significant other. Men did not significantly change pace for a friend, even if it was a woman, and women only slightly changed pace when walking with their partner.

When examining he results, researchers came to the conclusion that the evidence can be traced back to a biological explanation. They believe that men are willing to take on an energy burden in order to preserve the woman’s reproductive system. This pattern of behavior probably dates back to when humans belonged to hunter-gatherer societies where walking longer distances at a faster pace would have had a greater chance of harming a woman’s ability to conceive.

SiOWfa13: Science in Our World

Certainty and Controversy