Whether we’d like to accept its existence or not, the Freshmen Fifteen is real and it’s ramped amongst kids living with on campus meal plans. Of course, back home we were never used to the buffet-style, “all you can eat” food lines the dining commons generously provide us with. So how are we supposed to protect ourselves from the brunch-induced food comas, the west cookie food baby, or the endless pizza muffin-top? Simple: eat on a dark blue colored plate.

Of course, regular exercise and portion control help us to avoid the dreaded Freshmen Fifteen, but studies have shown that by using a dark blue plate — whether at the dining commons or at home — you are more likely to consume less. Sam Rider from Men’s Fitness states that “eating off a blue plate can cute your calorie intake because the color is a natural appetite suppressant. . .blue makes food look less appealing, possibly because of an instinct to avoid foods that are poisonous or moldy” (Rider, 7). Because we associate blue with foods that have been tainted or expired, we are less likely to finish what we eat on our plate.

So what’s wrong with eating on red or yellow plates? Well, if you look closely to popular fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell, you will notice that their color schemes are mostly composed of bright colors like red, orange and yellow. “We are naturally drawn to red, yellow, and orange in our dining area or restaurants,” states the popular blog iVillage, “because psychologically it stimulates us to want to eat — and eat a lot” (iVillage.com). Studies have shown that the bright colors of McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A encourages us to not only eat more, but to also eat faster. Bright colors remind us of the natural instinct of flight or fight, resulting in a rushed atmosphere. The faster we eat, the less likely we are to feel full. Eating off of blue plates, a color of relaxation and peacefulness, encourages us to eat slower resulting in a sense of fullness sooner.

So what can be done to ensure that there are ways of avoiding the Freshmen Fifteen? Like I mentioned earlier, regular exercise and portion control our vital. In addition, I believe that blue plates should replace the simple white plates offered at the dining commons. Not only will the plates be sporting Penn State colors, but they’ll also help us to avoid adding on a few extra pounds.

Works Cited
“Eat Off of Blue Plates | iVillage.com: 25 Little Changes for Big Weight Loss Results | Comcast.net News.” Eat Off of Blue Plates. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. <http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/news-littlechangesforbigweightloss/>.
“How to lose weight fast.” Men’s Fitness UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. <http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercises/2174/zero-effort-weight-loss>.

To be completely honest, I was never much of an athlete growing up. Neither of my parents really excelled in sports either, so the athletic gene was never in my favor. In elementary school my parents signed me up for soccer only to have me chase after butterflies on the field or bench warm. In high school, I tried field hockey freshmen through junior year, but I never seemed to have the right hand-eye coordination and again, spent a lot of time on the bench. It wasn’t until winter of freshmen year that I discovered my love for running. I wouldn’t say I’m very fast, but I love the way it makes me feel. The farther I go the better I seem to feel about myself. As my indoor and outdoor track (and eventually cross country) seasons started to pile up, I began to hear of “runner’s high” more and more often. So what is runner’s high, and does it really exist?

Science says yes…kind of. As Jesse Pittsley from the American Society of Exercise Physiologists puts it, “psychologically, runners may experience euphoria, a feeling of being invincible, a reduced state of discomfort or pain, and eve a loss in sense of time while running”. As a person begins to run farther distances, certain chemicals such as dopamine, endorphins and serotonin are secreted throughout the body – all of which have been proven “to help reduce depression”.

Some may also argue that a raise in body temperature has a role in a “runner’s high”. Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise, firmly believes that an “elevation in body temperature that is associated with these longer duration activities [as well as] through the hypothalamus, which is closely linked to temperature regulation mechanisms”. Bryant insists that an increase in body temperature is in direct correlation to an increase in attitude.

In high school, there would be times when I would finish my two mile race exhausted, but feeling ready enough to take on the one mile race directly after. However, during my first half marathon, there were times where I was overjoyed to be participating in the race itself and there were also times when I just wanted the race to be over with. Generally, the more you work out the more endorphins your body seems to produce. With this, the majority of runners you’ll meet will probably be higher on the happier, more optimistic spectrum.

The more I think about this, the more I wonder if reverse causation is involved. Could it be that happier people tend to run and that runner’s high is just a combination of being happy and exercising? Or can it simply be a correlation where the more you run the happier you are. What do you think?

Works Cited

“Does the Runner’s High Exist?.” Greatist. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. <http://greatist.com/fitness/does-runners-high-exist>.

With a little over a week left until Halloween, police in states such as Washington and Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legalized, have issued a warning out to parents to be on the look out for pot-laced candy. On Thursday’s program of The Today Show, Gina Carbone, a spokeswoman for Smart Colorado, an organization geared toward tightening marijuana laws in and around Colorado, emphasized the importance of checking over all candy once kids have returned from a night of trick or treating.

In the interview, Carbone reminds parents that candy laced with with pot can look almost identical to those without the drug. She states that neither sight nor smell can help determine whether or not the candy has been laced because “some edible manufacturers buy the very same candy you see for sale in grocery stores and candy shops, and spray it with concentrated marijuana. . .because concentrated marijuana is sprayed on or infused into flavorful foods chosen to mask the taste and smell of marijuana to ease consumption, many products do not smell like marijuana” (Smart CO, 2). Carborne warns parents to check all candy and to throw away anything that they don not recognize, to make sure the candy is in its original packaging, and to stay away from all loose candy that has been removed from its original packaging.

A few weeks ago, a newspaper centered in Denver Colorado published an article informing the public that the largely popular chocolate company Hershey had sued a small Colorado-based marijuana edibles company “because the company’s pot-laced goods allegedly imitated the famous chocolate company’s products” (vox.com). Some of their products included Hashey’s chocolate bars, Hashees, Ganja Joy, Hasheath, And Dabby Patty to imitate Hershey’s brand candies such as Reese’s, Almond Joy, Heath, and York Peppermint Patties (Lopez, 6).

Although both Washington state and Colorado have legalized recreational pot, marijuana industries within each state strongly suggest keeping edible marijuana products away from children. In their warning to parents, Smart Colorado states that children who consume marijuana laced products “may exhibit extreme sleepiness, difficulty walking and breathing problems, [all of which require] immediate medical attention” (Smart CO, 5).

In my opinion, the fact that marijuana laced candy even exists frightens me. Halloween is supposed to be a fun, safe and enjoyable holiday for families around the nation – parents should not have to spend their night worrying about their child’s health and safety. For kids, the only worry that should cross their minds on halloween is where to hide their candy – not whether or not their consuming potentially dangerous treats.

Works Cited
“Colorado parents are freaking out about marijuana in Halloween candy.” Vox. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vox.com/2014/10/21/6995119/marijuana-legalization-pot-weed-edibles-candy-food>.
“Concerns grow over ‘Hallo-weed’ candy.” Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. <http://www.today.com/video/today/56285924#56285924>.
“How to Stay Smart this Halloween – Smart Colorado.” Smart Colorado. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. <http://smartcolorado.org/staysmart/>

Recently, a few members of the class have posted about their phobias and how to dissect them to the cause of their phobia. Junior year, I had the pleasure of taking Psychology 101 where I learned a whole lot about how we as consumers process and respond to information. While reading some of your articles, I was reminded of the definition of phobia, that was so often drilled into our heads junior year. By definition, a phobia is an irrational fear usually as a result of some kind of traumatic experience at a young age. For me, I have an irrational fear of butterflies.

Every Halloween, my elementary school would put on a costume parade that went around our local elementary school and fire department. Being new to the school district, I was unaware that costumes were supposed to be put on after arriving to school – costumes were not to be worn on the bus. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this memo. In my kindergarten ignorance, I happily wore my Snow White costume on the bus, complete with a fake stuffed bunny and a cape. In getting off the bus, the boy behind me accidentally stepped on my cape sending me tripping face first to the ground. I don’t remember a lot after, but I do remember regaining consciousness only to have my kindergarten teacher dressed up as a giant monarch butterfly standing over me, yelling down to me to see if I was OK. In addition to already being slightly disoriented from the fall, having a giant butterfly standing over me was incredibly traumatizing. Since then, I cannot stand being around butterflies.

So, can phobias be cured, and if so, how? For everyone with a phobia, you’re in luck. However, most treatments point to facing your fears head on. Helpguide.org states that “the most effective way to overcome a phobia is to gradually and repeatedly exposing yourself to what you fear in a safe in controlled way. . .you’ll learn to ride out the anxiety and fear until it inevitably passes” (helpguide.org, 20). To truly over come your anxiety, the best solutions seem to come from exposing yourself gradually to the object of your fear in an environment where you feel safe and comfortable. The more and more you expose yourself to your phobia, “you’ll begin to realize that the worst isn’t going to happen; you’re not going to die or ‘lose it’” (helpguide.org, 23).

So how can I apply this method to help myself to get over my phobia of butterflies? (I know, it sounds incredibly silly) In a comfortable environment, I would recommend having a butterfly enclosed in some kind of jar be exposed every ten minutes with a five minute break in between about 5 or 6 times until I no longer feel anxious when the butterfly is exposed.

Wow, that does sound silly.

However, some phobias, like fear of burning to death, cannot and should not be attempted to cure for obvious reasons. Despite this, research like that provided on healthguide.org gives people like me hope that one day I’ll be able to be in the same room with a butterfly without being reminded of my kindergarden halloween bus experience.

Works Cited
“Phobias and Fears.” : Symptoms, Treatment, and Self-Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/phobias-and-fears.htm>.

A few weeks ago, NBC aired a segment that caught my attention as well as those of many student athletes as well as their parents. The story, titled “How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays On?” brought attention to the correlation between artificial turf and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For those unfamiliar with what artificial turf is, it composed primarily “out of synthetic fibers and scarp tire — which can contain benzene, carbon black and lead” (nbcnews.com). Turf are the little black rubber dots that stick to your socks after a game on the soccer field and in your hair after a rough match of football on an artificial field. As an athlete, one might become familiar with the pile of black dots that form in his or her cleats by the end of a practice. Also know as crumb rubber, turf is layered onto man-made sports fields to provide cushioning support for athletes.

In the segment, Amy Griffin, head coach for the University of Washington’s women soccer team, began to notice a correlation between those who played the goal keeper position on the field with those diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Since 2009, Griffin met with and “compiled a list of 38 American soccer players — 34 of them goalies — who have been diagnosed with cancer” (nbcnews.com). In her findings, the majority of the players she visited were being treated for blood cancers similar to lymphoma and leukemia.

Further research was done at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to truly breakdown the components of artificial turf. In their research, the compounds benzothiazole, butylated hydroxyanisole, n-hexadecane and 4-(t-octyl) phenol were discovered (Environment and Human Health, Inc.). On their website, Environment and Human Health, Inc. provided a summary of the dangerous health risk associated with each compound.

With these findings, could competing on artificial turf possibly be linked to cancer? We can probably cancel out reverse causation because proving that most goalies have cancer AND play on turf fields might be a little tricky to investigate. In NBC’s earlier statements, they mention how elements such as lead were found in the makeup of turf. It has been proven that in high doses of exposure, lead poisoning can be dangerous but not cancerous. The compounds described by Environment and Human Health, Inc. proved to be irritable and even toxic, but none pointing directly towards cancer. Ultimately, “no research has linked cancer to artificial turf” (nbcnews.com). This comes as a surprise to me. With all the research that’s being put into determining whether or not turf is cancerous as well as the numerous cases of student athletes diagnosed with similar forms of cancer, I truly believed some kind of connection would have been made. Perhaps there is a third variable in play or perhaps these cases are all random and due to chance. Regardless, these findings will make me think twice about stepping onto any turf field.

Work Cited
“Artificial Turf: Exposures to Ground Up Rubber Tires – Athletic Fields, Playgrounds, Garden Mulch.” EHHI. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.<http://www.ehhi.org/reports/turf/health_effects.shtml>.

“How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays On? – NBC News.” NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/how-safe-artificial-turf-your-child-plays-n220166>.

From an early age, parents have used the phrase “carrots will give you supervision and help you grow big and strong” to convince kids to eat all their vegetables. But is there any logic to this theory or is it just an easy trick for parents to use? If spinach can give Pop-eye super strength, how hard is it for carrots to make us just a little more super? Ultimately, science says no – carrots do not contain any super powers.

Despite this conclusion, carrots contain a type of Vitamin A called beta carotene. Vitamin A is important because “a deficiency in this vitamin can lead to vision problems and eventual blindness” (SFGate.com). Although carrots cannot help to enhance your overall eye sight, they do provide the necessary vitamins and nutrients that protect eye health and prolong a person’s overall vision compared to those lack Vitamin A.

So what happens to eyes when they’re lacking in Vitamin A? “[O]ver time, the photoreceptors in the eye begin to deteriorate, disrupting vision” (SFGate.com). Maintaining a well balanced diet composed of proteins, nutrients and vitamins will ensure the longevity of not only your senses, but one’s overall mental and physical health. Although “a diet of carrots won’t give a blind person 20/20 vision,” (howstuffworks.com) carrots undoubtedly play a vital role in sustaining overall eye health. However, if a person lacking in Vitamin A starts to include regular amounts of Vitamin A into their diet, whether through mean of carrots or a multivitamin, he or she will begin to notice improvements in both their central and peripheral vision (SFGate.com).

Although carrots cannot give you super vision, there are plenty of fruits and vegetables that provide special vitamins and nutrients to help you feel your best. Love strawberries and good dental hygiene? Strawberries are high in salicylic acid, which serves as “a natural tooth whitener” (fitnessmagazine.com). Need a potassium boost to prevent muscle cramps? One baked sweet potato “contains nearly 30 percent more [potassium] than a banana. . .which helps ensure proper muscle movement and prevents cramping” (fitnessmagazine.com) The list of healthy fruits, vegetables and their benefits is ever-growing and proves that eating a healthy balanced diet definitely has its perks.

Work Cited

“Add More Color to Your Diet.” Fitness Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. <http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/add-more-color-to-your-diet/#page=2>.
“Does Eating Carrots Actually Increase Your Vision?.” Healthy Eating. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. <http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eating-carrots-actually-increase-vision-9821.html>.
“HowStuffWorks “Are carrots really good for your eyesight?”.” HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/eye/carrots-eyesight.htm>.

In this day and age it can be argued that dogs are no longer considered “man’s best friend”. Instead, we find ourselves so heavily reliant on our cell phones that without them, we feel like a fish out of water. But could it be possible that having such a deep relationship with your phone prove to be detrimental to your health? Currently, science says no (few!), but there is a call for speculation that points otherwise.

In a study conducted by Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, it was said that “as of 2010, there were more than 303 million subscribers to cell phone service in the United State” (National Cancer Institute), which is up an astounding 193 million from 2000. Because we consider cell phones vital to our everyday routines, it’s usually one of the first things you reach for in the morning and one of the last things you think about before bed.

Consumers of all ages, ethnicities, and financial backgrounds carry their phones with them wherever they go, putting them at risk for over exposure to radio-frequency energy, or radio waves. Radio-frequency energy is “a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held” (National Cancer Institute). Although nothing has been proven to show that cell phones are a direct cause of cancer, researchers are worried that the radiation absorbed from cellphone may contribute to tumors such as “malignant brain tumors, tumors of the nerve connecting the brain to the ear, and non-cancerous tumors of the salivary glands” (cancer.org), all areas in which we use our phones most often.

Ultimately, doctors have come to the conclusion that the radiation emitted by cell phones does not “have enough energy to damage DNA directly or to heat body tissue” (cancer.org), but there is still room to believe that “radio active waves from cell phones produce effects in human cells that might possibly help tumors grow” (cancer.org). In other words, cell phones cannot directly cause cancerous tumors. However, the radiation that comes from phone usage may affect cells to the point where they are no longer beneficial to our body.

With these new findings, I find myself less obligated to use my phone more than is necessary. Before I came to college I deleted every useless app and game off my phone to ensure that I would remain focused on my work. Looking back, I ultimately gave myself an excuse not to expose myself to potentially harmful radio-frequency energy, and possibly even cancer, regardless of whether scientists believe cell phones are cancerous or not.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/cellular-phones

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones

As a college student, I find myself looking forward to the weekends for more than a few reasons: football, no classes, and brunch. But what if the syrup you drizzled on your warm Belgium waffles could actually kill you? Would you eat it anyway and suffer the consequences later?

Fortunately, the kind of syrup I’m talking about isn’t the kind you have for breakfast. I’m referring to High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS. By definition, HFCS is made up “of a group of corn syrups that have undergone enzymatic processing to convert some of its glucose into fructose to produce a desired sweetness” (wikipedia). In other words, the term high fructose corn syrup come from any kind of corn-produced product that has been engineered to taste sweeter than nature intended it to.

Personally, I’ve been raised to avoid overly processed foods, but I wondered what kind of health problems could result if someone were to indulge on snacks rich in HFCS, such as corn flakes, soda, flavored sports drinks, ketchup and pop-tarts. Some of the health risks I found associated with HFCS we alarming. “When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure [and] tooth decay” (“Five Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Can Kill You”). With all these risks, why hasn’t the FDC done more to protect the American people?
In asking myself this, I thought back to what we had discussed in earlier classes about whether or not smoking is harmful to our health. We came to the conclusion that because smoking was such a large and prosperous part of the economy, taking all products containing HFCS could prove disastrous to the American economy. Although measures are being put into place to regulate the amount of corn syrup included in the production of snacks, not enough can be done without resulting in an unstable economy.

In my opinion, more should be done to ban HFCS from all consumer goods. We as buyers have seen the damage products like smoking and over-processed food have done throughout the past few hundred years. To ensure the well being of our generation and those to come, I believe that it is imperative to find an alternative to enhancing corn byproducts.

Work cited
http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/#close
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fructose_corn_syrup

It’s 2 in the morning on a Friday and you get a call from one of your closest friends from back home. He/she sounds a little intoxicated and begins to pour his/her heart out to you over the phone, revealing that he’s/she’s liked you since the fifth grade. “Just another night in college,” you might think to yourself. We’ve all heard the phrase “drunken words are sober thoughts”, but is there any real truth behind it?

Ultimately, science says no. So far, scientists have only come to understand a small portion of our brain. From what they do understand, scientists have concluded that “alcohol affects the hippocampus (memory center), which is why we black out, the motor cortex, which is why we stumble, and the neofrontal cortex. . .[which] is the part of the brain most responsible for reasoning and judgement” (“A Drunk Mind Speaks a Sober Heart” 13). Although it can be argued that alcohol has the capacity to make one fearless and ignorant, “it does not simply tear down our inhibitions and let loose desires that were already there” (“A Drunk Mind Speaks a Sober Heart” 14). 

Despite these arguments, I feel obligated to disagree with the idea that alcohol is in fact not a truth serum. In 2002, actor Mel Gibson —in a drunken haze— “reportedly said Jews were responsible for all the wars in the world” (CBS News), as well as other offensive and anti-Semitic remarks. Gibson, however, claimed that he was not anti-Semitic, bigoted, nor was he an alcoholic. Instead, he lead the public to believe that alcohol had poisoned his mind, leaving him with these nasty remarks.

Unfortunately for Mr. Gibson, alcohol does not have brainwashing capabilities. Vodka cannot force a person to hate a certain religion or race. Beer does not have the power to make someone fall madly in love with someone they’ve known for year. In Gibson’s case, I believe that in his mind he truly believed Jews were responsible for each major catastrophe he had listed, and, in every aspect of the word, is in fact an anti-Semite. For some, alcohol works as a megaphone from the brain to real world. Some have the bravery to release secrets in other (sober) situations would be better left unsaid. Others may feel more relaxed and comfortable when meeting new people. Regardless, I firmly agree with the idea that sober thoughts are drunken words, even if science thinks otherwise.

A quick side note: months after Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic rant, Gibson reportedly “checked himself into an undisclosed rehabilitation program” (CBS News).

Works Cited
“”A Drunk Mind Speaks A Sober Heart.” Really? | Big Think.” Big Think. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://bigthink.com/the-proverbial-skeptic/a-drunk-mind-speaks-a-sober-heart-really>.
“Is Alcohol A Truth Serum?.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-alcohol-a-truth-serum/>.

In our first Certainty vs Controversy class here at Penn State, we discussed the list of strange and thought provoking topics we’d discuss throughout the semester. One in particular caught my attention. Why do peacocks have such unusual tail feathers? Perhaps it’s because my last name is Peacock and perhaps it’s because I never truly understood the concept myself, but instantly I was interested and decided to do some research.

For centuries, kings, queens and men of power used peacocks in their clothing and decoration to represent wealth and superiority. The National Broadcasting Company, or NBC, began to use a peacock as a logo when they began to use color television. There is no doubt that a peacock’s most commonly recognized feature is its blue and green tail feathers with their unique eye-spotted design, but in what way does having such large and colorful feathers work to the birds’ advantage? The answer: “survival of the sexiest”. According to Darwin’s theory of sexual selection,” nature’s extravagance —like the peacock’s tail—are advantages in the mating game” (Tale of the Peacock). Darwin’s theory states that “the peacock tail has gradually evolved because the peahen selects beautiful males for mating” (Burgess 1).

Ultimately, the female peacock, or peahen, is more attracted to the more boisterous looking male of the pack, leaving the unfortunate less beautiful males to bit the dust. When the male peacock spreads his tail feathers to create a spectacular fan of blue and green, the illusion of large penetrating eyes are displayed. Not only do these eyes attract mates, but they also scare away potential predators, like snakes or large wild cats. In some unfortunate cases, however, the males’ train of feathers may “become too heavy to carry around” (Tale of the Peacock), leaving them vulnerable to predators.

Regardless of the dangers they pose, the male peacocks’ tail feathers continue to impress the opposite sex, allowing them to reproduce and thrive through Darwin’s theory of sexual selection. The more extravagant the fan, the more likely a male will find a mate. Accordingly, it is for this reason that peacocks have such unusual tail feather and continue to thrive in the animal kingdom.

Works Cited
“Tale of the Peacock.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/6/l_016_09.html>.

“The Beauty of the Peacock Tail and the Problems with the Theory of Sexual Selection.” Peacock Tail Beauty and Problems with Theory of Sexual Selection. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <https://answersingenesis.org/natural-selection/peacock-tail-beauty-and-problems-theory-of-sexual-selection/>.

For as long as I can remember, fairytales always seemed to be a large part of my childhood. One in particular always stood out to me, and still remains to this day one of my favorites: The Princess and the Frog. The story goes that once upon a time, a beautiful princess came upon a talking frog in a forest. The frog promised the princess that if she kissed him he would turn into a prince. As the story has been passed down from generation to generation, multiple endings have been written to finish the story. In one, the frog turns into a handsome prince and he and the the princess live happily ever after. In another, the princess kisses the frog and nothing happens. Although I myself have never kissed a frog (nor do I have any intentions of doing so in the future), I always used to wonder what would happen if someone tried to kiss a frog. My hypothesis: nothing will happen, the frog will remain a frog.

But how could this be? Was my entire childhood a lie? Actually, there is a scientific explanation as to why my dreams of meeting a frog prince will never come true. This is based on The Law of Conservation of Matter. Scientifically speaking, “The Law of Conservation of Matter states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction” (Chemistry Interactive: Conservation of Matter). This being said, the figurative princess portrayed in the fairytale may believe there is a spark of chemistry between herself and the frog, but one kiss is not enough to turn a slimy frog into a handsome prince. Because no matter is created through the kiss, it is scientifically impossible for the mere three pound frog to transform into a hundred seventy-five pound man. (I know, what a bummer!)

Unfortunately, The Law of Conservation of Matter proves that a single kiss cannot turn a frog into a prince. Matter, in any, way shape or form, cannot magically appear nor can it be completely destroyed. After a chemical reaction, “all atoms present before a reaction must be present after. . .and the total mass of a system does not change” (Chemistry Interactive: Conservation of Matter). Regardless of this conclusion, The Princess and the Frog will always remain one of my most favorite childhood fairytales.

Works Cited
“CI_law_of_conservation_of_matter_4_3.” CI_law_of_conservation_of_matter_4_3. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. <http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/viningwj/modules/CI_law_of_conservation_of_matter_4_3.html>.

.

Hello! My name is Emily Peacock (yes, like the bird) and I am from Worcester, Massachusetts. I am currently a freshman and hope to major in Public Relations with possibly minor in Portuguese. I am taking this class to fill a GenEd requirement and because the course sounded interesting. It’s not that I necessarily despise science, it just doesn’t interest me as much as other subjects do. My mom studied chemical engineering at Cornell University and always tells me how difficult being an engineer was, so I made the decision not to go down the science path.  I don’t really have any special talents, but this past summer I spent three weeks in Hungary! Also, I’m really into running and have competed in 2 Disney Princess Half Marathons!