The latest buzz throughout the entire world is the newest epidemic; ebola. This horrific disease started off in Africa, but has been spreading all over and even made its way to the United States. While there are not as many people being diagnosed with it in the United States as there are in Africa or other developing areas, this disease has caused people to become very concerned with their health. The scary thing about Ebola is that it spreads so easily and so quickly, and it is very hard to prevent it once you come in contact with someone who has it. The symptoms of Ebola are not very noticeable, until it is too late.

This past Wednesday, an article was posted on the internet stating that there may be a cure for ebola coming out within the next few weeks. The World Health Organization said that there may be a serum available that will help with this epidemic shortly. This vaccine is being prepared and scientists hope for it to be available by the beginning of January. This vaccine would take the blood of those who have survived Ebola and it would be injected, causing the antibodies to attack and fight off the virus. This serum would be very valuable because the number of people who have survived Ebola is limited, and they would have to agree to participate in the discovery. Because of this, it is not known if this vaccine will help the people of Africa because ebola is spreading so fast. So far, about 4,500 people have died due to the disease, and more and more people are being diagnosed with Ebola every day. In a report by CNN, Obama spoke on the topic and stated that we are now “cautiously more optimistic” on the subject because two Americans who were diagnosed with ebola are now ebola free, and Nigeria and Senegal both have eradicated the disease. The cases of Ebola we have learned about in the United States seem to be under control and doctors are looking a bit more optimistic on their conditions. A new system of monitoring those who have traveled from Ebola hotspots is now being put in place to ensure this disease does not become worse than it already is.

Scientists in Canada recently just finished a study they were conducting on monkeys regarding Ebola. They focused on the antibodies and proteins on the shell of the virus and mixed these antibodies with a cocktail to see if the disease would survive. The monkey’s wound up surviving, which is big news, because monkey’s are in some ways closely related to humans. This discovery an in the future lead to a great discovery that doctors and scientists may be able to use on humans. At this point in the disease, every one is trying to find a cure as fast as possible to prevent the epidemic from spreading any more than it already is.

Ebola by Frederick Murphy CDC

http://www.thejournal.ie/ebola-cure-coming-within-weeks-1738764-Oct2014/

http://healthmap.org/site/diseasedaily/article/did-scientists-just-discover-cure-ebola-62212

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/23/health/ebola-up-to-speed/index.html

On a rainy day have you ever just wanted to stay in bed all day and watch Netflix? Most of us have and rainy days cause us to want to do nothing at all, and even put some of us in a bad mood. On the other hand, days when it is really nice out put us in a great mood. I decided to look into this and see if there was any science behind it.

In 2008, a study was done and it was found that warmer temperatures can bring a depressed person’s mood up. This study showed that the daily weather impacts a person’s negative mood more than it impacts a person’s positive mood. Therefore, when the weather is nice, it brings a person’s mood who is depressed up, but when it is rainy or windy, it puts a person who is depressed in an even worse mood. There is a type of depression called Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), where the person’s mood and level of depression are determined by the season and the weather of that season.

A study done in 2013 showed that there is a link between human aggression and temperature. This makes complete sense because I feel like when it is really hot out, people become aggravated so much quicker and their temperaments are a lot shorter. Not only do people get more aggressive in higher temperatures, but also when there is snow or rain. One’s favorite season can also determine what kind of personality they have. All of these weather related mood swings are determined by hormones in the brain and the psychology of the brain. Certain hormones cause your moods and when the weather comes into play, it affects these hormones.  Another way your mood can change based on the seasons is allergies. When people have allergies, they become more tense and are more easily aggravated. The spring is a big time for allergies, and even though the weather is beautiful, people are so uncomfortable because of their allergies that they are put in a bad mood. I personally have allergies and I understand this because I am get annoyed when I am constantly sneezing. Further studies have also shown that bad weather directly affects your mood more than good weather does. Bad weather is much more likely to put us in a bad mood than good weather is to put us in a good mood.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/08/29/can-weather-affect-your-mood/

http://www.infoplease.com/science/weather/moods.html

Nowadays, twins and triplets are becoming much more popular. Some people say twins skip a generation and multiples run in the family. I agree with this because usually when a family has a set of twins, somewhere else in the family, there is another. One in about eighty pregnancies results in twins. There is a science behind getting pregnant with twins, even though many people think it is just luck. Twins can be formed from three different ways. In one case, twins can be formed when multiple eggs are released during one ovulation, and both of these eggs are fertilized. With this, these twins would be fraternal twins, where they won’t look alike. On the other hand, when one egg splits and both parts are fertilized, identical twins will be formed. This can be done with or without fertility drugs, even though fertility drugs may make conceiving twins easier. The third way to conceive twins is through IVF, which is fertility treatments. For this, there are usually three or more fertilized eggs that are put into the uterus, which from here, there is hope that any of these eggs will attach and start to form. Sometimes, multiple eggs will attach and this is how twins are formed. Here is a picture of an ultrasound of twins.

In order to discover twins, the doctor looks at the ultrasound and either hears two heartbeats or sees two babies. Although twins may be discovered, there is also a chance of a syndrome called Vanishing Twin Syndrome. Unfortunately, when this occurs, one twin stops growing. This twin will either be absorbed into the mother’s body or is born a still born when the other twin is born. In some rare cases, one twin is not discovered until birth, when the mother is surprised when she has not just one baby, but two.

Twins and triplets only account for about three percent of births and identical twins account for about one third of births. Nowadays, twins are much more common than they used to be. This is predicted to be due to the up and coming fertility treatments. Many women have been taking fertility drugs in order to help them conceive quicker, which in turn, they are having multiples or twins. It has been proven that if you are given a fertility treatment, whether it is IVF or ICSI, you are about twenty times more likely to have a multiple baby pregnancy. This is because these drugs stimulate your ovaries, causing a greater likelihood of more eggs to be released when a woman ovulates. Fertility drugs are obviously not the only cause behind twins or multiples, but they definitely play a big part. The lifestyle choices of the woman and her size also matter as well.

http://community.babycentre.co.uk/post/a536705/the_science_behind_multiple_pregnancies

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/pregnancy/a/Twin-Pregnancy.htm

Everyone has seen the family that is deemed as “perfect”. All of the kids in the family play every sport in town and are somehow amazing at each sport. In school, all of the kids look up to this family because they dream of being as athletic as this family is. Whether they are being the starting quarterback, point guard, striker, or pitcher, they manage to excel at everything they do. Every night of the week is spent at a practice for a different sport and the weekends are consumed by tournaments and games. Many wonder how or why every kid in one family is such a good athlete, and recently scientists have figured out why. Genes are determined by DNA, which contains information about height, weight, and other physical features. Without DNA, all of us wouldn’t be who we are. DNA determines each and every little thing about us, whether we want to believe it or not. In the research scientists have done about athleticism and genes, it has been discovered that genes determine about 20-80% of an athletes performance. Therefore, without DNA, this “perfect” family wouldn’t be “perfect” at all.

A group of scientists from Australia conducted a study in 2003 on the correlation between genes and athleticism. They found that the ATCN-3 gene is very closely related to one’s athleticism. This gene assists in the strengthening of muscles and ones high speed movement. In this specific gene, there are two different alleles, the R allele and the X allele. The R allele contributes to an athletes power and the X allele contributes to an athletes endurance. For example, weight lifters and wrestlers usually have the R allele and runner tend to have the X allele. The ATCN-3 gene is not the only gene these scientists found to be related to athleticism. The ACE gene regulates our blood vessels and the rate of our circulatory flow in our blood system. Therefore, this gene plays a huge part in our cardiovascular system and the way in which our heart works.

Although these two genes play a huge role in one’s athleticism, hard work and dedication play a huge role as well. One cannot just be naturally amazing at sports; it takes time to perfect that sport. With this being said, athletics do run in the family and can be passed down through genes.

http://sportsnscience.utah.edu/genes-athletic-potential-basic/

The Human Consciousness Project is a research project done internationally by a large group of scientists and engineers. These scientists spend their time studying the brain and the nature of one’s consciousness. This project will be one of the the first large-scale projects done on the study of what happens to the brain after someone dies. The study was done on many people who died from a range of different things, such as mental health, injury, cardiac arrest, or emergency services. Advancements in medicine and medical services have changed the way our brain is wired, which causes a question as to what happens to the brain once we die.

Sir John Eccles was a neuroscientist who studied the stretch reflex because of the two distinct neurons; the  sensory neuron and the motor neuron. He passed both of these neurons through the quadriceps and the hamstrings and analyzed the effects. Other than this study, he performed some experiments proving chemical transmission in the brain. Sir John Eccles has won many awards, such as the Nobel Peace Prize, Australian of the Year Award, and was appointed a Knight Bachelor.

Today, many scientists have adopted a view of the brain, saying that the mind and consciousness are merely by-products of electrical activity in the brain. Some scientists, such as Sir John Eccles even argue that the human mind and consciousness are a completely separate thing from the brain. Death has been proven to be a process, rather than a sudden incident. During death, the entire body shuts down, slowly, and one organ by one organ. Even though certain types of death might cause the body to shut down at different paces, it is very rare that the body shuts down completely at once. It has been proved that those who undergo cardiac arrest have a higher sense of remembrance and understanding of their situation. As many as 10-20 percent of cardiac arrest patients report structured memories and thought processes of the events of their cardiac arrest. The studies produced by the Human Consciousness Project have showed that the human mind and consciousness function when clinical symptoms of death when the brain has stopped functioning properly.

In the future, The Human Consciousness Project hopes to perform smaller scaled studies in order to specify the cause of death and attempt to find a stronger correlation between the two. The brain is such a complicated part of our bodies and I predict that scientists constantly be making new discoveries on the wonders of the brain and all of the cool and interesting things the brain can do.

http://www.nourfoundation.com/events/Beyond-the-Mind-Body-Problem/The-Human-Consciousness-Project.html

The speed of light is a topic we have studied for years. It has been proven that the speed of light travels at about 186,000 miles per second. It is thought that Aristotle was the first scientist to bring up the topic of the  speed of light, where he says the light from the sun must take some time to get to the Earth, because of its extreme distance away. Shortly after, Galileo stated that light must travel faster than sound. Even little things on a day to day basis take time for our eyes to process. For example, when we glance at the clock, we aren’t seeing the clock in that exact moment, but instead a fraction of a second in the past.

  Galileo Galilei

One of the next big things brought up in science is the fact that when you are looking at stars in the night sky, you are actually looking into the past. We know light travels extremely fast, but it is not fast enough for us to see the light from the stars that quickly. In order for the light to get from the Sun to Earth, it takes about eight minutes. Therefore, any star further than that would obviously take much longer. One star, Alpha Centauri, takes about 4 light years to reach the Earth, so whenever we see that star, we are seeing what it looked like four years ago. Some stars even take years for us to see their light. When you really think about this, it makes you really think because this means we are never really seeing the present light of the stars. The telescopes that we use to see the stars are actually having us look at the past. For example, one astronomer, Richard Ellis used the Hubble Telescope to travel to the time of the Big Bang. Ellis searched for the stars called the First Light, which were the stars that formed when gas filled the Universe and collapsed, causing the formation of these stars. Finding these stars can be challenging because they are about 10 million light-years away. Along with the Hubble Telescope, Ellis used a magnifying glass because the light of the stars was so faint. He was able to see stars about 2-3 million light years away. This was the group of stars that Ellis and his team saw through the telescope and magnifying glass.

Another thing that surprises a lot of people is the fact that we can actually see stars that have been dead for several years. This is because the light of the stars takes such a long time to reach Earth. Therefore, a star that has a 5 year light year time period but has died 2 years ago can still be visible to us humans on Earth.

http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/spedlite.html

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/08feb_gravlens/

Amputees face issues for their entire lives, since it is a very touchy subject. One of the most common reasons for amputation is military injuries, car accidents, or infections. Some infections become so bad that the only way to fix or cure the infection is to amputate the body part. In the past, prosthetics were not very accessible or easy for the patient to use. They would break a lot and were not easy to take on and off. The patient would also lose complete feeling in the area in which the limb was amputated. This made it hard to do daily activities because there was no feeling in the limb.

However, scientists are working on new prosthetics that have feeling in them. This will help the patient immensely because they will be able to restore their life back to normal. These new prosthetics appear lifelike on the outside, but on the inside they are complex machines. Scientists have been able to put pressure sensors into the fingers of a prosthetic hand that connect to the nerves in the arm. This allows the patient to regain feeling and restore their life. This not only is a huge step in the scientific field, but this also helps the patient’s psychological recovery. They have the confidence to reinsert themselves into normal life.

This bionic leg looks a lot different than the prosthetics we have seen in the past. Normally, we have seen prosthetic legs that do not look as computerized. Scientists have done an insane amount of research on prosthetics making them look a lot more technically advanced. In the future, the prosthetics will be so much more hi-tech than they already are, which is hard to believe.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140222-artificial-limbs-feeling-prosthetics-medicine-science/

Back in the day, burn victims always had trouble recovering and healing. Often, when someone was burned, there was a good chance they would never fully heal. The process of healing a burn used to entail cutting a skin graft from another part of the body and placing it over the burn. This led to many problems because now not only one, but two areas needed to heal. However, within the last few years, many advances have been made in ensuring a speedy and full recovery. For example, a new technology called “Spray on Skin” was created to treat severe second-degree burns. A second degree burn is a burn in which the top two layers of skin are damaged but there is still a minimal amount of tissue still intact. The spray requires only a small cell in which surgeons can then harvest and process these cells in order to cover up a burn. This concept has been taken up by the Army, since it is so convenient and heals so quickly.

Along with the spray on skin, another new and more intricate technology was created, called the  Skin Gun. Dr Jorj Gerlach designed the Skin Cell Gun in order to help speed up the recovery process for burn victims. The Skin Cell Gun is similar to a spray paint gun, but instead uses skin cells. The gun takes a person’s skin cells, mixes them with a water-like solution and then puts them back onto the persons skin. This process is not only so much easier, but it is a lot quicker as well. The healing process usually only takes about three or four days to get back to completely normal. In this video, the man said his burn was completely normal after just four days. This is incredible considering the degree his burn started out as. Inventions like this one are so detrimental to society because it can change a persons life for the better to such an extreme. In the past, burns would leave scars that would stay forever, but now a patient can be back to normal in just four days.  This is a picture of the skin gun, and it looks like something you would see in a Sci-Fi movie, but in fact it is actually real and used in doctors offices around the world.

In total, this process only takes about a half an hour from start to finish. First, a biopsy is taken from the patient and the healthy or undamaged cells are isolated. Lastly, an aqueous solution is made and simply sprayed onto the burn area. What  I found most interesting may be the steps taken after the procedure. A special bandage is then placed over the treated area with several tubes attached to it. One tube is designed to be an artery while the other is designed to be a vein. After the bandage is placed on the affected area, the tubes are attached to a fake vascular system in order for the skin to heal properly. In this artificial vascular system, there is everything that we would normally have in our vascular system, such as amino acids, electrolytes, and glucose. Scientists are working towards making this gun available for those with more severe burns, such as third degree burns, but as of now, the gun is only used for second degree burns.

This is a picture of the spray on skin being sprayed.

http://phys.org/news/2011-02-skin-cell-gun-drastically.html

http://www.medicaldaily.com/breakthrough-burn-victims-one-doctors-skin-cell-gun-has-been-lying-dormant-years-275662

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/416149/spraying-on-skin-cells-to-heal-burns/

Nowadays, we always hear of children being diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD. It is believed that ADHD is related to genetics. Surprisingly, it has been proven that ADHD always begins in childhood, before age twelve. However, it is not always diagnosed before then and can sometimes take a person into adulthood to realize or find out that they have ADHD. Along with the genetic reasoning behind ADHD, low birth weight, head injuries to the frontal lobe, and exposure to environmental toxins can also set children at a higher risk for ADHD. When a child develops ADHD, the neurotransmitters and a chemical called dopamine cause abnormalities in the brain.  For more info on dopamine’s effect on the brain see this article. Several studies have been done on the effects of dopamine in the brain, on both adults and children. Dopamine carries signals in between nerves in the brain, linked to activity, sleeping, mood, and learning. One study on adults with ADHD showed they had a sluggish dopamine system. This is why drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall help those with ADHD. They speed up the dopamine system making learning and focusing much easier.

My younger brother who just started sixth grade this year was diagnosed with ADD about two years ago, and when we finally found out, it made so much sense. He was always very hyperactive and sitting still for long periods of time was hard for him. He cared a lot about school and always tried his best, but grasping certain topics was hard for him because his mind was in a million places. Since finding out that he has ADD, he hasn’t been prescribed any medications, but my parents always go to extra lengths to ensure he has a quiet spot to do homework. He also needs help doing his homework sometimes and staying focused when he has a lot of homework. This being said, he is amazing when it comes to sports. Whether it is watching sports or playing sports, he doesn’t have any issues focusing. I feel this is because he is very interested in sports, so his brain doesn’t get taken off track.

When I found out my brother had ADD I researched the topic a bit more just so it would be easier to understand the way his brain worked. I came across this really good article about the benefits of having ADD and I recognized a lot of traits that he has. Two of the traits that stood out to me the most were creativity and compassion. My brother could entertain himself for hours and whenever he tells stories they are very detailed. He is also the sweetest kid ever and puts everyone else before himself. He is so sweet to everyone and will do anything to help me whenever I need it. I’ve noticed it a lot since I left for college because he calls me every chance he gets just to talk to me and tell me about his day at school. Since starting middle school this year, he has been very overwhelmed with having a different teacher for every subject. It is sometimes hard for him to keep track of all of his different books and his homework, but that is just because of the way his brain works. It has been hard for him but he is starting to get the hang of staying focused and getting all of his work done before going out with his friends.

It is sometimes hard for people to imagine what it would be like to have ADD or ADHD, but seeing my brother and the way his brain works, it has gotten a lot easier for me to understand what he is thinking at times and how I can help him.

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-causes

http://www.addmanagement.com/10BenefitsOfHavingADD.pdf

Everyone has heard the statement “Your health is 80% diet and 20% exercise” but is this actually true? Of course everyone’s body is different and different things work better for different people, but scientifically which is proven to work better? Weight loss is actually very simple. It is when you burn more calories than you consume. Therefore, both diet and exercise are extremely important. For example, if you work out as hard as you can but eat McDonalds every day, theres a very good chance you won’t lose weight. When choosing what to eat, it is set to choose foods that are not high in fat, but are still filling, such as foods with protein. Every health article or blog you read will say different foods are the best foods to eat. Even with this being said, studies are constantly changing because no one really knows what is best for our health.

Michele Olson who has her PhD as a nutritional biochemist and a former director of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic said, “yes, you can lose weight with diet alone, but exercise is an important component”. Ten pounds of fat takes up much more space than ten pounds of muscle. Therefore, working out and building muscle not only helps you lose weight, but also makes you look smaller. It has also been proven that it is much easier to cut calories than it is to burn them. Therefore, eating healthy is a huge factor in losing weight.

Now, the question of what the right foods to eat comes into play. Many people try to stick to low-carb diets, but this can be very challenging. Scientists say it is best to stick to a vegetable and fruit diet with lean proteins and whole grain carbs. These foods are filling, yet not too high in calories which makes them perfect for weight loss. Therefore, it is best to eat the right foods AND exercise if your goal is to lose weight.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/exercise-vs-diet-for-weight-loss_n_5207271.html

The sleep schedules of college students across the country are becoming more and more harmful to ones health. Many students have classes at 8 or 9 am and only get a few hours of sleep because they are up all night doing last minute homework. Studies show college students get around 6 hours of sleep per night, while the recommended amount is 8 hours. Our bodies need the sleep to function properly. Instead, we are turning to coffee and energy drinks to keep us energized throughout the day. This is not only harmful for us, but these drinks are very unhealthy, as they are filled with sugar.

Mental health issues can develop when one does not get the sleep that is needed. Some of these health issues include insomnia, depression, constant fatigue,  and emotional issues. As college students, it can sometimes be hard for us to find the time to sleep, since we are surrounded by constant social interactions and large amounts of homework or studying. A study from Brown University gives tips to get a better nights sleep. Some of these tips include regular exercise, naps that aren’t too long, and going to sleep around the same time every night.   This study also recommends staying away from sleeping pills, as your body will become dependent and the pills will not work as well in the long run.

http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/common_college_health_issues/sleep.php

My name is Amanda Binkley and I’m from Burlington, New Jersey which is in South Jersey. I’m a freshman and I plan on majoring in Finance. I chose to take this class because my advisor said it was a good class to take for anyone who isn’t really into science. I’m not currently a science major because during high school I was never interested in science much. This is a picture I took at my favorite beach, Sandbridge Beach in Virginia.