The world that surrounds us today is filled with distractions. The vast amount of devices we have to take us away from the subject that is right in front of us plays a large role in these distractions. With the popularity of such devices increasing, people think their multitasking skills increase as well, however that is incredibly untrue. Studies show that it is virtually impossible to do two things simultaneously, which is incredibly opposite from popular belief.

Instead of multitasking, people are actually just shifting their attention very quickly from one thing to another. A study at the University of Michigan showed this to be true when they put a number of subjects underneath an MRI machine to monitor their brain waves when looking at two different things at once. The image they were given to look at was a two digit number that had a different color for each digit. Brain waves showed that instead of seeing green and red at the same time, the subjects would see green, pause, and then see the red number before putting the two together. The part of the brain that is in control of this function are the frontal lobes, which control executive decision making.

Evolution can play a large part in why humans can multitask. For example, if a person is hunting, they are able to keep track of both where their friends are also hunting, and where the animals they are trying to hunt are. Most animals would not be able to perform this task. Despite the fact that humans are not actually simultaneously keeping track of these two things, evolution has allowed us to progress to transferring between these two ideas at such a rapid rate.

Despite the progress humans have made in this ability, studies show we still tend to over estimate how well we can transfer our attention between two objects. A very relevant subject would be texting while driving. Today, 23% of car crashes have been caused while people are using their phone. 5 seconds is a minimum amount of time a person can look at their phone, and then look back up at the road. While this does not seem completely significant, if a person if traveling 55 miles per hour, this equates to an entire football field without looking at the road. Statistics and research like this should have people think before they try to multitask. Whether texting while driving, or simply watching the television while doing homework, these studies prove it may be more efficient to simply do one task at once, instead of constantly trying to split your attention between doing two things at once.

Sources: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794

http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/

For many people, coffee is what keeps them going throughout the day. Often times, more than one cup is needed for people who drink coffee regularly, which is a very typical thing. Coffee is a way that many of us overcome tiredness, and is the 2nd most traded commodity in the world. With so much coffee consumption present, it is important to realize the actual effects that coffee has on our brain, and our bodies.

People drink coffee when they are tired, however the idea of why they are tired is never really a thought. Tiredness is caused by a molecule in our bodies called adenosine. While we sleep, levels of this molecule decrease, causing us to be less and less tired as the night progresses. When a small level of adenosine is present, that is when people wake up. Caffeine affects adenosine by bonding to its receptors. If the adenosine molecule cannot bond with these receptors, the body never gets the message that it is tired, which is how coffee wakes us up. However, for those who regularly drink coffee, the body produces more adenosine receptors in order to actually allow these molecules to bond with what they are supposed to. In response, people become addicted to coffee. Every time we get more receptors, more caffeine is needed to block them. Therefore, when people who normally drink coffee do not have it, there is a multiplied amount of receptors than the amount that was originally there before this person ever drank coffee in the first place.

Additionally, coffee boosts levels of adrenaline and prevents dopamine from being absorbed in the brain. This causes people to be in better moods after consuming coffee, along with the idea that it feeds addiction. People often forget that caffeine is a drug, and is actually very similar to cocaine. Like caffeine, cocaine blocks similar receptors, as well as boosting levels of adrenaline. However, unlike cocaine, it is incredibly hard to over dose on coffee. For an average person, seventy cups of coffee would be needed to overdose and they would all need to be consumed at the same time. This is technically impossible, since the body would not be able to handle this volume of liquid and would present symptoms of vomiting, mania and hallucinations before the overdose could ever be successful.

Caffeine is used every where, and many people would consider themselves dependent on it. With minuscule effects that is has on the body, it is a go-to for people who need a boost or who did not get enough sleep the night before. Yet, it is still important to recognize that caffeine is a drug, and it does have obvious affects on the brain and body. By consuming a large amount, it alters the body’s normal patterns and stops normal molecules from reaching their intended receptors. Regardless, coffee is a necessity for many and is an easy way to provide a much needed boost throughout the day.

Sources: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-does-coffee-affect-your-brain-2014-8

http://www.healthambition.com/negative-effects-of-coffee/

The sleep cycle of an average college student is never consistent. Instead, it seems to be constant cycle of under sleeping, followed by days and nights of sleeping far too much. Such a poor cycle begs the question of how does this effect health in the long run?

People are constantly told that 8 hours of sleep is what is needed to be healthy, yet new studies are suggesting that 7 hours would be more beneficial. Although this seems like a minuscule difference, sleep is a very sensitive process. Studies show that even getting twenty minutes less sleep than a person needs can impair thinking abilities, and cause symptoms from under sleeping. This is why these new studies are so controversial.

Shawn Youngstedt of Arizona State University’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation suggests that more than 8 hours of sleep could be hazardous. He is not the first to think this, as many doctors caution not only the effects of under sleeping, but over sleeping as well. Some symptoms of over sleeping include anxiety, restlessness, loss of appetite and memory problems, which are similar to the effects of sleeping too much. Daniel Kripke had a similar opinion with the outcome of his own study, which monitored 1.1 million cancer patients who participated in a large study. Kripke unknowingly monitored their sleep habits, so they would not change them in order to fit the study. His overall results showed that those who slept 6.5-7.4 hours each night had a lower mortality rate than those who slept more or less.

Another case for the benefits of 7 hours of sleep was conducted by the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, which monitored 160,000 users of Lumosity, a cognitive training website. 127,000 of those 160,000 logged their sleep schedules into the site, without knowing it was being used for an observational experiment. The study found that among the people who took arithmetic tests, people who slept around 7 hours each night were most successful. The subjects who slept less or more than this had worse test results collectively.

Individually, these results are not very compelling. The amount of sleep someone should get is very controversial, and one study would not necessarily change a person’s course of action. However, multiple studies put this idea on the right track. With so many emerging statistics that show the benefits of 7 hours of sleep, this may become the norm instead of the usually recommended 8 hours. Timothy Morgenthaler, the President of American Academy of Sleep Medicine, however, feels differently, stating that “The problem with these studies is they give you good information about association, but not causation,” and he is certainly correct. With so much different information from studies across the board, people are hardly going to change their sleeping patterns. Instead, it is recommended that individually, people find what is most beneficial for them. By finding out how much sleep is necessary person by person, the effects that over sleeping and under sleeping will not wreak havoc on the people who change their sleeping patterns in order to conform to a study’s findings.

Sources: http://online.wsj.com/articles/sleep-experts-close-in-on-the-optimal-nights-sleep-1405984970

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/health/upwave-sleep-too-much/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/scary-sleep-deprivation-effects_n_2807026.html

Often time whens people are trying to lose weight they do so by cutting down on sugar consumption. Instead of using sugar they will use an artificial sweetener, thinking it will only benefit their intended diet. Yet, new research shows that these artificial sweeteners may actually have a similar effect that regular sugar has on body, and in turn can cause diseases like diabetes or obesity. New research emerging may have people stop and think what is their effect is their intended diet really having on the body?

These new experiments in their early stages were strictly tested on mice, and used the three main types of artificial sweetener which are Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet N Low) and Aspartame (Equal). The results of these tests showed that the mice who drank sugar water had no inverse affects on their health or body, where to ones who consumed artificial sweeteners showed an intolerance for glucose. This intolerance was shown in the form of changes of microbiome, or the bacteria in the intestines. After consuming these sweeteners, the mice had a higher level of glucose and it took longer for this level to go back to normal. Eventually, these mice showed the intolerance, they were given antibiotics and the levels went back to normal.

After showing a effect on mice, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel tried their experiment on humans. Although only a small group of seven people, four of them showed identical reactions to the mice in the experiment. Since it is such small group, and this research is still in its beginning stages, the researchers are not asking for sweeteners to be avoided altogether. Instead, Cathryn Nagler of the University of Chicago asks that people “take a step back and reassess our extensive use of artificial sweeteners.”

While the research is not exactly extensive, it is a start. There is essentially no point to using these sweeteners in substitute of sugar if they potentially have similar or worse effects on the body. Although this research also showed that these effects are not necessarily universal, they are possible which should create a pause before making the switch from real sugar. People may feel as though by changing to artificial sweeteners they are making a difference, but in reality they are creating either similar or worse effects on their body.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

With Halloween right around the corner, scary movies and haunted houses are on everyone’s to do list. But what exactly makes these activities so appealing to us in the first place? HuffPost Science researched the reasons behind this and came up with five main causes for this.

The first reason is because fear keeps us from worrying about real life. When people are scared they are engrossed in the here and now that they do not have the capacity to consider what they have to do tomorrow. David Zald of Vanderbilt University explains that “Everyday life can feel routined and even boring. By contrast, when scared we are fully aware, conscious and in the moment.” The idea of having no worries about the past or future intrigues many people are keeps them coming back to scaring themselves.

Along with the idea that we are not worried about anything except the present is the chemicals that flood our brain while these activities are scaring us. Dopamine, Serotonin, endorphins and adrenaline  are triggered when we are scared and allow influence brains and bodies. After we are scared, we then realize that we are safe, which brings us to the third reason of the feeling of confidence being scare allows people to feel. Once the scare is over, people feel invincible. Additionally, the accomplishments of our past feel more important and significant. Zald states that there is “nothing like jumping out of a plane to make you feel you can take on the world,” which is why people allow themselves to feel fear in the first place.

After feeling this fear, we are addicted to how it makes us feel. The mixture of chemicals and how they emotions they leave you with are engraved in your brain and people want to feel this “high” again, which is why people become adrenaline junkies. The feeling created from this fear is addictive, since it feels like a sort of high, with no drugs involved. More so, it makes us feel connected to the people we are with. Haunted Houses, scary movies and amusement parks are associated with friends and family, therefore they bring the feeling of togetherness. Dr. Margee Kerr, a Pittsburg based sociologist says that it can even make people seem more attractive to each other. After experiencing a scare, people misplace their high from the experience and instead attribute it to the people they experienced it with. This allows us to think that people are more interesting than they truly are, and brings people to feel like they have more of a connection to the person they are with.

With all of the benefits that being scared have, it is no wonder that people love amusement parks and scary movies, whether during Halloween, or any other time of the year. The high it brings is like no other, and is achieved with no substances besides the chemicals in your brain. By scaring ourselves, we become happier, and allow ourselves to see the true success our lives, which is more than enough reason to watch a scary movie the next time you have some free time on your hands.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/15/science-of-fear-why-we-love-to-scare-ourselves_n_5976266.html

There is a new drug on the horizon that can potentially change the way the world assists drug addicts in getting clean. Doctor Stanley Glick has spent the last twenty years of his life developing a drug known as 18-Methaoxycoronaridine, which has the potential to allow substance abusers to quit cold turkey. The problem is, the drug is in the very early stages of development and has a long way to go. Between approval from the government, as well as translating these results from animal to human, Dr. Glick realizes it is not an immediate breakthrough. Yet, this seems to be the closest any doctor has come to curing drug addiction before.

The experiment has showed great success in rats who are addicted to cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, morphine, meth and sugar. In order to make the rats form an addiction, Dr. Glick cave them cues in order to know it was time to get their fix. After time, they became reliant on these cues, and every time they were heard, it caused a trigger. Situations are similar for humans who are addicted, as a small trigger or cue can tear down months of being substance free. Yet, this drug has shown on these rats that after a few doses, these cues no longer form a need to go and seek out the substance they are addicted to.

While 18-MC opens a door for many substance abusers, there are many skeptics. Dr. John Rotroson believes that “A compound effective for models of opioid addiction, stimulant addiction, alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction and obesity….seems too good to be true,” (buzzfeed.com) and many agree with this notion. Additionally, other substances that have been related to this have shown severe vomiting, intense hallucinations and other serious side effects, although this drug has shown nothing of the sort thus far. While this may be a step in the right direction, the drug is going to take years to be properly tested, in addition to then being approved by the government.

Although this drug seems revolutionary, such an easy solution to addiction will cause many more problems in society today, including the possibility of increased drug use among people. A main factor that stop people from using such drugs are the fact that they are highly addictive, and therefore not worth getting hooked on. While addiction is a serious problem many people face, a breakthrough this big may allow people to forget about the repercussions an addictive drug may have since the user knows there is an easy way out. There is a long way to go before 18-MC is in circulation around the world, but scientific breakthroughs life this allow people to elude to the larger problems society may face in the future in consequence to such medical advancements.

The world we live in is different than anything any generation has experienced before. Previously,  a mother would read a book to her child before bed. Now an IPad reads it for them. Toddlers are becoming more versed in using smartphones than the parents that give these phones the them to keep them quiet at the dinner table. A time where being polite and attentive at family meals were important have since evolved, and we currently live in a world where a distraction is one of the best things a parent can offer their child. Yet, if we continue to allow these distractions to become apart of everyday life at such a young age, children are going to start recognizing the consequences, and soon realize that perhaps the smartest way isn’t through a phone.

The problem is already bad enough, but it seems the consequences start early. Researchers now believe that spending an extended amount of time as a young child on an IPad or any related screen can cause decline in the amount of words a child can retain. This is due to the fact that children spend more time using the visual aspect of their brain, and less of the auditory. The biggest difference the study saw in children who use such methods of entertainment at a young age was that in their arcuate fasciculus. This part of the brain connects two regions of the brain: one that has to do with forming words, and one that has to do with hearing and decoding sounds. When this is not exercised, children cannot obtain or utilize as many words as previous generations have proved to mastered, causing worry in those who understand what this may mean for this generation collectively. 

In addition to the criticism on young children who use such technology, the impact it is having on teenagers of the world is equally as astounding. In schools, most homework is done via the internet and phones, or similar technology, are encouraged in classrooms. While such resources can have an incredibly positive impact if utilized correctly, that tends to not be the case with many adolescents. Instead of an additional source of information, smart phones have become distractions to something, causing attention span and motivation to decrease significantly. Instead of reading a book, kids are looking for the shortened version on YouTube, or finding the answers on websites such as SparkNotes. There has always been an easy way out but at least in previous generations there was still a bit of work involved. Now, any answer is a click away, and while this is incredibly helpful it in no way promotes growth or development.

This is not to say all technology is bad, but simply to remind us that taking a second look at the negative impacts it can have on society would not be a bad thing. There is no way to stop a technological take over, we can truly only contain it. Instead of allowing a toddler to have an IPad, perhaps we should revert back to good old fashion books. This way, when they grow older they will be less keen on finding the easy way out, and more keen on finding the right information.

Hey everyone! My name is Dana and I’m from New Jersey. I’m currently in the College of Communications, which is a big reason I am in this class. During my NSO, the advisors gave us a list of science courses for those who are less scientifically inclined. I’ve never been good at science, and the science classes I took in high school such as chemistry or biology bored me, which is why I’m not a science major

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