Humans, as a species, always have discovered different ways to communicate with one another. Recently, the most modern way to communicate is through the Internet. Technology has helped us tremendously, as it is the fastest, most efficient way to communicate. Although most humans do not realize that the Internet has changed the way the human brain interprets and reacts to every day situations.

Primarily, the Internet can make your brain behave like someone who has an addiction. Researchers have done MRIs on drug addicts’ brains and have found that people who heavily use the Internet have similar brain activity to those who have additions.

Also, since the Internet allows you to be connected instantly with billions of people, you would think that the Internet gives you a sense of comfort; however, it does quite the opposite. It has been proven that the Internet actually leaves people feeling more alone. German scientists have found a correlation showing that when someone views other people’s positive experiences, such as seeing exciting vacation photos, it cause feelings of envy and loneliness in the viewer’s brain.

In addition, teenagers who to spend time on the Internet have an increased chance of committing suicide. This is due to the fact that teenagers who seriously consider suicide are able to research about the topic through online sources.

Finally, increased Internet use can cause memory loss. The constant electronic stimulation of the Internet does not allow the brain to properly file and store information. This makes it more difficult for the brain to create memories and access old ones.

All in all, the Internet is not all bad. Scientists have proven that moderate use of the Internet can help brain function in the elderly. It allows the brain to preform more complicated activities than normal daily life, which can improve overall cognitive function.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/mri/basics/definition/prc-20012903

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/shocking-ways-internet-rewires-brain_n_4136942.html

Sharing family, sharing a bedroom, sharing toys, and sharing a birthday are just some of the weird things I had to do growing up with my twin brother. People often ask questions like: “Is it weird being a twin?”, “Do you hate having to share a birthday?”, “Do you have twin telepathy?” My brother and I are often found laughing in the faces of absurd people who ask these questions. We don’t think it’s weird being a twin because we’ve never known what it’s like not to be one. We’ve never not shared a birthday with someone so we don’t know if we hate it or not. We definitely can’t read each other’s minds, or talk in a special language without using words, so no we don’t have twin telepathy. Most people don’t understand most parts of our lives and we can’t really explain it either.
My mom and dad have never been around twins before they found out they were having them so they never knew what to expect or how to deal with us. One thing that I wish more than anything is to have twins of my own one day because I know what to expect, how to deal with different situations they will face, and I know just about everything there is to know about twins.
One thing I never really understood was how twins ‘skip a generation’, which inhibits me from knowing if I will have twins of my own or not. Through research, I have found that fraternal twins, like my brother and I, do in fact run in families. It is in fact a myth that twins skip a generation though. This probably came about because of men receiving the gene and not being able to have kids so he passes it on to his daughter, resulting in a skipped generation. So as a twin what is my likelihood? Since I am a fraternal twin, my chances go from 1 in 38-90 down to 1 in 17. I guess I have to wait a couple years to find out, but my twin future looks bright.
http://www.twinstwice.com/twins.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/health/02real.html?_r=0

Ever since we were little, our mothers have pushed us to eat our vegetables so that we would grow up to be strong and healthy.  So now that we have a choice on what to eat, we still try to choose some fruits and vegetables to balance our diets and receive enough nutrients.  But even though we are eating what seems healthy, is it actually healthy if it is not organically made?  Many people argue the fact that organic produce is healthier than conventionally grown produce.  But why is this? And is it true?

Many studies done by universities, including Washington State, have done research that proves organically grown produce is not only healthier for the consumer, but for the earth itself.  Organic farms replace nutrients in their soil where they grow their products.  But industrial farms tend to just suck up all the nutrients from the soil without replacing any of them.  This causes the soil to erode and eventually turn into infertile soil oozing with chemicals.  Another way industrial farms negatively impact the environment is by all the pesticides they put in their produce.  The excess chemicals runoff from the farms into rivers which cause the fish to become infertile and the river ecosystem to die of the poison.

When consumers hear the word organic, they think “clean”.  Organic products have not been sprayed with any sort of pesticides or chemicals, so this gives them a natural look, feel, and taste.  Plus, added hormones, and pesticides are not healthy for the human body.  The food we consume should give us enough nutrients and vitamins without the help of hormones and added chemicals.  A study by Washington State University experimented with organic and conventionally grown strawberries to see which had more nutrients.  And in fact, the conventionally grown strawberries lost some of their vitamin content due to the added chemicals.

So in fact, it is true that organic produce is healthier for the human body, and for the environment itself.

http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news/articles/five-reasons-organic-food-good-you-and-planet

Pictured: my brother and I right after his accident; the blue line above his lip is the stitches

Eight grade: one twin is eating in the classroom with the girls while the other one plays football on the playground with the boys. I, the girl, looked in the mirror and marveled over the hive on the upper lip that appeared out of nowhere. Having allergies to food, I thought nothing of the hive until my brother came upstairs from the playground. While playing football, he collided with another boy and got a concussion, but that wasn’t all. In the same exact place where I got a hive, his tooth went through his lip, resulting in a bloody hole. I knew at this moment how closer we actually were. Nothing like this has ever happened to us and to this day that is the only slight telepathy we have every faced.

Although there is no scientific proof of twin telepathy, there are unexplainable anecdotes that occur to many duos. People say these occurrences happen to people with extremely close bonds and I have known no bond closer than that of my brother’s and mine. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence of this being the case but still does not prove that twin telepathy is an actual manifestation.
http://www.twinstuff.com/mythsoftwins.htm
http://multiples.about.com/od/funfacts/a/twintelepathy.htm

My life has been immensely greater being a twin and my mother’s life has been changed in much the same way. When my mom found out she would have twins, she balled her eyes out for weeks and weeks. She gave her love to my older sister first and never thought that she would be able to give as much love to two new babies but she never fails to do so. Little did she know that it was a greater sign than just taking on the role of mother for three kids instead of two. Having my brother and me not only proved how great of a mother my mom is, but also proved that she was “fitter for survival”. (TIME) The article from TIME states that twins put a greater toll on the body, proving that mothers of twins have advantages genetically, physically, and psychologically. This evidence implies a better chance of survival in the long run for mothers who are fit and lucky enough to have twins.
This study is not implying that if you go out and try to have twins you will live longer, but rather saying that women who are made and meant for twins have a leg up in the survival of the fittest so to speak. The moral of this investigation: twins are a blessing in more ways than one.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/11/twins-can-mean-a-longer-life-for-mom/

All my mom was worried about when pregnant with twins was if we were conjoined or not. We beat that odd majorly due to the fact that we are fraternal twins, growing from two eggs instead of the same one. Another odd my brother and I beat was left-handedness. Neither me, nor my brother are left handed even though left-handedness is twice as common as twins. (Distractify)

There are many theories of why this could be the case. The most common thought theory is that hand preference is hereditary which is not the case. One theory is that whichever ear is facing out while the baby is in the womb tends to be the dominant side. This is likely to be the case for twins because each baby is on a different side usually. Another theory deals with identical twins. There are cases where identical twins are mirror images, explaining why one twin could be right-handed and one can be left-handed.

Whether it is hereditary, womb positioning, or a mirror image, left-handedness is very common in duos everywhere. Regardless of why, this is just one more interesting aspect of being a twin.

http://news.distractify.com/people/amazing/x-mind-blowing-facts-you-never-knew-about-twins/

http://multiples.about.com/cs/funfacts/a/aatwinhand.htm

I remember one day in school my teacher brought in a very interesting plant. The name of this plant is Mimosa Pudica, aka the sensitive plant. This plant is probably the cutest plant I’ve ever seen. Once you touch the leaves of this plant, the leaves slowly close one by one. Never in my life had I seen a plant move by itself, so after seeing the leaves close on it’s own just made me speechless. All I want to do is to learn more about this plant.

The plant Mimosa Pudica is native to tropical America, it is found as a weed in the tropics. This plant can grow up to 50-70 centimeters. Its stems can be bristly or can be hairless. The leaves of this plant are the most interesting part of the plant. According to Kew.org “The leaves are alternate, bipinnate (twice compound), do not have prickles and are very sensitive to touch.” It was discovered by Robert Hooke that the reason why the leaves fold was due to the internal movement of water. A stimulus triggers certain areas of the stem in order to release chemicals. These chemicals cause water to move out of the cell vacuoles, and therefore, lead to cell collapse.

Besides being used for entertainment, the Mimosa Pudica has been used widely in traditional medicine. In India, the leaves are used for glandular swellings and in the Republic of Congo, the plant is rubbed onto people’s body sides to reduce pains. Also the plant has been used to combat glandular tumors and uterine cancer.  In Asia, Mimosa Pudica has been used to treat sleep disorders. As you can see, this plant is wildly used in different countries and can be used to treat all kind of disorders. What an amazing plant!

Sources:

http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/mimosa-pudica-sensitive-plant

There’s a lot of buzz these days about the alleged rise in ADD and ADHD and why drugs like Adderall are becoming widely available amongst teens. I say alleged because it’s not very clear as to whether there is actually a rise in the learning disorders or societies’ expectations have changed. To start off: there are many studies showing that ADHD can be found in genetics, and that it is a real diagnosis.

Michigan State University studied identical and fraternal twins to see if the traits have a genetic basis. Identical twins share almost all of the same genes, whereas fraternal twins only share about half of the same genes, so if there is a genetic basis then the identical twins are likely to both have it where the fraternal twins are not. The findings held the hypothesis to be true, and identical twins were more likely to both have attention disorders than fraternal twins. That being said many people are still skeptical on accepting ADHD as a legitimate disorder. (NY Times)

Over the past 10 years, diagnosis of ADHD in children has increased by about 25%. (ABC) Around 20 years ago, laws were passed to include ADHD as a part of Individuals with Disabilities Education act, meaning that students diagnosed with ADHD were to be given special tutors and extra time on tests. As awareness of these perks spread, more and more diagnosis started popping up as well. Although that may be correlation and not causation, it is a valid point to say that more kids would benefit from saying they have ADHD.

Also, ADHD is very difficult to diagnose, there aren’t many simple tests that can be done, so most doctors will end up prescribing drugs like Ritalin or Adderall and telling their patients to see if the drugs help. (ABC) The thing about the drugs is that they help everyone focus, not just those with ADHD, so of course everyone on the drugs is going to feel an academic difference. On the same note, it is very easy for anyone to pretend that they cannot pay attention, especially when they’re rewarded with such great benefits.

With all of the new pressure being put on standardized tests and going to big name colleges, it is understandable why kids would want extra time on tests and pills that help them concentrate; however, there is yet to be a conclusive study on how many out of those diagnosed with ADD/ADHD actually have a learning disability that requires medical attention.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/magazine/the-not-so-hidden-cause-behind-the-adhd-epidemic.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/childhood-adhd-diagnoses-increased-25-percent-2001-2011/story?id=18277934

http://www.vrp.co.za/Public/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=379

Photo: Tetra Images

Yes, you read the title correctly.  Researchers claim that a microscopic organism hidden in cat feces could someday, potentially treat cancer.

This CATastic miracle is known as Toxoplasma gondii and it CATegorized as single-celled parasite, living in the intestines of cats.  The parasite is a common infection in both people and other animals, as well.  However it is not known to harm people, due to the work of the immune system, warding off illness. Researchers hope that by tackling and recording the immune system’s response to the parasite, they can find a way to administer it to attack tumors.

David J. Bzik, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College treated two types of mice with a genetically modified Toxoplasma.  One group of mice was sick with melanoma, the other with ovarian cancer.  According to Live Science, Bzik’s studies found that the treatment not only shrank the tumor, but increased the chances of survival for the mice. Bzik stated, “We know [that] biologically, this parasite has figured out how to stimulate the exact immune responses you want to fight cancer.”

How does the parasite work?

Toxoplasma is ubiquitous, meaning it can be found anywhere.  It also mainly infects warm-blooded species.  The parasite is intelligent in the fact that it manipulates the responses of the immune system.  “The parasite has learned not to kill the host, as well as not to let the host kill itself — for example, by having too much of an inflammatory response,” says Bzik.  In the event of the parasite invading an animal’s body, the immune system of the animal would react quickly, killing replicating parasite cells.  This quick reaction would protect the host, allowing it to survive.  However, the parasite is not gone.  After the initial infection, it becomes a dormant form, carried within the tissues, muscles, and brain of the host for the rest of its life.

The immune system of an animal plays an important role in responding to infections by releasing a cell known as CD8+ T.  The role of these specific cells is to destroy infected cells, and more importantly, tumor cells.  Bzik claims, “They are the single most important cell type that can eradicate tumor cells, but their generation is shut down by the tumor.”

So how do we fix this problem?

The researchers working with the cancerous mice concluded to use a Toxoplasma parasite of a safer form.  By manipulating the genome of the parasite, they were able to hinder its reproduction in animals and humans.  In simpler terms, the researchers were able to hinder the parasites ability to cause disease.  According to Live Science, Bzik and his team created a vaccine and injected it straight into the tumors of the mice. The parasite did exactly what the team had hoped, it entered the CD8+ T cells which, in return, attacked the tumorous cells.

Results?

Bzik and his research team have cured six cases of melanoma tumors. Live Science reports that the tumors of the mice “shrank to a nondetectable size after 12 days and multiple treatments.”  An astounding 90 percent of the mice survived due to the parasite.  Bzik also reported, “In an aggressive ovarian cancer, we found similar positive results, but when we treat a really aggressive ovarian cancer…we get extended survival, but all the mice eventually succumb to tumors”

Of course, much more research needs to be done before we can prize our cat’s poop as cancer-treating.  Bzik and his team need to learn more about the process of the immune system response to Toxoplasma.  Also, more research needs to be done about the safety of this parasite, before we can transfer it from the lab and into hospitals.

References:

Gholipour, Bahar. “Your Cat’s Poop Could One Day Treat Cancer.” Live Science. Tech Media Network, 23 July 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/46953-cat-poop-cancer-treatments.html>.

As I was searching for an interesting article to write a blog post about, I came across this bizarre article.  According to the Huffington Post, a study shows we’re more attracted to the body odors of people who vote like us. In my opinion, this is the most random study I have come across.

Researcher Rose McDermott of Brown University found that, “people could not predict the political ideology of others by smell if you asked them, but they differentially found the smell of those who aligned with them more attractive.” To me, this just seems like a coincidence. Does having a particular political view cause us to have a particular scent? Or vice versa?

She conducted a study in which she collected the body odors of individuals and found that people liked the scent of people who shared similar views and repelled the scent of those who had opposite views.

I think scent plays a big role in attraction to people; however, I’d like to see more research on this topic.  It’s such a random and bizarre study that it’s hard to prove these findings are legitimate. Further research and studies should be conducted in order to prove this phenomena.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/17/body-odor-political-beliefs_n_5832672.html?utm_hp_ref=health-fitness&ir=Health+and+Fitness

One of the biggest controversies in not only the scientific community but in also across the whole world is have we really been to the moon.  On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and ten others traveled and walked on the moon. However, twenty percent of Americans think that the whole thing was a lie. If you ask me I do not know what to believe, but contradicting evidence shows that maybe those twenty percent of Americans may be correct.

One reason that the landing on the moon is believed to be a hoax is because of the impact of landing of the lunar module. The controversy with the impact was that there wasn’t one. This would be highly unlikely because the moon’s surface is covered with dust. Thus, the impact of the module should have left some sort of crater or visual evidence that it has landed. My question that I would like to have answered by NASA, who were in charge of this space expedition, is how could there be footprints of the astronauts on the moon but not any visual impact of a module with thrusters landing on the moon?

Another reason the landing on the moon is believed to be a lie is because the photos that the astronauts took of the earth were lacking stars. But wait how this could be possible if I can look up at the sky and see thousands of them, but in their photos from the moon I cannot even see one. What makes it even more impossible for them to have not seen the stars from the moon is that there is no clouds on the moon so stars should be even more visible than viewing them from earth past its atmosphere.

VIEW FROM MOON LACKING STARS-IMAGE FROM HE MOONFROM THE MOON

VIEW OF STARS FROM THE SPACE STATION

My last reason why the landing on the moon is believed to be a fake is because of photos of the waving flag that the astronaut’s had planted on the moon’s surface. If you look at the photo of the flag, it appears to be waving and blowing in the wind. How could this be possible if there is no wind on the moon? The answer is because it can’t be possible.

I believe that there may have been one way to discover if this visitation to the moon was the truth or not. My idea would be as simple as looking through a telescope. If technology grants us the capabilities to see planets in distant galaxies, then we should be able to simply view the flag that the astronauts posted on the moon. Nonetheless, this idea may no longer be feasible due to an extended elapse of time.

Fox, Josh. “10 Reasons the Moon Landings Could Be a Hoax – Listverse.”Listverse. Listverse, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2014.

As college kids, we are bound to experience nights where we get little to no sleep at all. This is a normal situation for most of us given the amount of work and priorities that we have to take care of. The sleep deprivation that comes along as a consequence is something that will distract us from our classes and clubs. There must be a remedy to solve this.

First thing’s first, the main remedy is to actually prioritize your time and sleep with a good schedule. But sometimes that’s very difficult to do. So the next best option is to take naps! Something you might not have known is that there are benefits for taking naps with different durations. Have you ever took a nap and ended up sleeping longer than you had expected? Then once you woke up you were even more exhausted than when you first wanted to take that nap. In this article, it is suggested that you take 10-20 minute power naps. That sounds absurd to a lot of college kids who could take naps that could go for hours. However, power naps that last 10-20 minutes can heavily improve your energy and alertness. Naps that go for even 30 minutes is close to naps that last for hours because you can wake up with what is called sleep inertia.

Long periods of napping can have many drawbacks. For instance, if you take a long nap during the day, you won’t be able to fall asleep at night which distorts your good sleep schedule that every college kid should try so hard to achieve. Therefore, you might want to take shorter naps.

There are ways where you can keep a consistent nap schedule to help you function well throughout your day. As stated before, you should take naps that go up to 20 minutes. Also, you should nap in the afternoon at a consistent time. Finally, make sure your environment for napping is a good one (not during class!).

Naps are a great thing. Unfortunately, some people (like myself) never take naps because they just can’t, but if you do take naps, you should use these tips to help be extra efficient.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/the-secret-and-surprising-power-of-naps

http://lifehacker.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits-1251546669

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/napping/art-20048319?pg=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_inertia

http://thetalentcode.com/wp-content/uploads/2607621162_13ece1c44c-1.jpg

With oil prices sky rocketing by the day and the impending doom from global warming, the need for alternative energy is more important than ever. There are many types of alternative energy such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and many more. One newer and underutilized source is hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a very simple element that only contains one proton and one electron. There are many advantages of using hydrogen because it has wide availability, and it is a 100% pollution-free waste product. The way that energy is produced from hydrogen is through natural gas and high temperature. There are also other less conventional means of producing energy from hydrogen through the process of hydrolysis. Hydrolysis uses electricity to split the hydrogen and oxygen in water. The only downside of hydrolysis is that there must be a very strong current (PEMEs) present in order for the splitting of water to occur. This makes it not so energy efficient.

A professor, Leroy Cronin, found a new technique to efficiently harvest the hydrogen from water molecule. He uses a redox mediator (a sponge) that soaks up additional electrons and acid after hydrolysis takes place. Afterward, platinum is exposed to the acid soaked mediator, and this releases additional hydrogen particles in the acid. This can actually be done in the absence of oxygen.

The result of Professor Cronins findings is that he can get nearly thirty times the amount of hydrogen with the same amount of catalyst as the leading PEME. This uses much lower currents than the normal PEME method allowing this process to occur in low wind/sunlight conditions. This hydrogen production has endless potential from energy storage to helping create fertilizer to help feed the worlds population.

Sources:

http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/faster-better-hydrogen-production

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electron

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proton

“Frozen Yogurt” has the word yogurt in it, so it must be healthy… Right? Sadly, this is not the truth of the situation. Fro-yo is basically an alternative to Ice Cream, not yogurt. Frozen yogurt contains many ingredients that are really just different fancy names for sugar including fructose, dextrose and many more. It also contains chemicals that aren’t really safe for us to be eating more than every so often. “If it has more than five ingredients, or you don’t recognize the ingredient as a food, leave it.” Says Nestle, in regard to any food on the market.

Frozen yogurt has about ten different names for sugar in just the simple flavors, never mind the different “birthday cake” and “crazy coconut” flavors. Most people don’t ever see a label for frozen yogurt, because most places are self serve, and if you were going to buy a treat n the store, you would probably just buy a quart of ice cream and call it a day.

And, lets not forget the toppings like m&ms, reese’s peanut butter cups, and sprinkles that people load onto their “healthy” alternative, frozen yogurt! Next time you want a nice healthy snack, definitely reconsider if fro-yo is the best choice for you. Maybe real yogurt is the better option! Or, if you are watching your weight, you may want to invest in an ice cream maker, and make home-made frozen yogurt, where you can control how much sugar you put into the mix.

As a treat frozen yogurt is great. Just remember, when you get it, you control the size of it, as well as the toppings! Choose wisely!

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/frozen-yogurt-ingredients_n_3721930.html

When we hear the word “Zombie” we think of gross dead people who have risen from their graves and want to eat our brains.  Popular movies and TV shows such as I am Legend, The Walking Dead, Zombieland, and World War Z have all dramatized and expanded on the Zombie apocalypse, making it a nation-wide interest.  And many people have actually come to believe that such an outbreak amongst humanity can occur.

The H1N1 flu epidemic was so contageous, and deadly, that it created a world-wide scare for many people that the apocalypse could happen.  There are in fact, some diseases that can alter the wires in the human brain, and make them act in an insane and barbaric manner.  One parasite called toxoplasmosa gondii, commonly found in rats, actually invades the brain and forces the rats to do reckless and barbaric acts.  Horrifyingly enough, half the human population actually has these parasites in their body already.  The parasites have not yet adapted to the human host bodies, and have not yet learned how to control the human brain.  But in the future the parasites could very well adapt and make us act like the infected rats.

Another commonly known disease is Mad Cow disease.  Originating in cows, it can be spread to any human who eats the infected meat.  Some side effects are changes in walking, hallucinations, stumbling, muscle twitching, seizures, and a rapid development of dementia.  Now none of these symptoms are violent in any way, but the virus can very easily evolve into something more violent.

So with the current diseases the world currently has, there will not be a mass chaos, full blown, zombie apocalypse.  But who knows, these viruses could very well adapt, and evolve into more violent versions, and humanity could actually face a wide-spread epidemic!

http://www.cracked.com/article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen_p3.html

Pop rocks have been a go-to candy of mine ever since I was a little girl. When I was in Israel this past May, I discovered pop rocks chocolate. It didn’t taste like the sweet pop rocks we’re used to, but rather regular chocolate that pops in your mouth. It’s incredible. However, I never thought about the chemistry behind this yummy candy I would eat every day. How is it popping? How is this safe?

Well, if you want the full and extended scientific version you can click here. This is the patent that Pop Rocks has and it has a full and in detail description of the processes. However, if you just want the basic information, read on. (Not such a fan of science so I try and stay away from the complicated processes) Anyway, most hard candy is made up of sugar and water as you would expect. The ingredients get boiled until all the water clears out. Eventually, the temperature will rise so high that all you have left is a pure sugar substance that when cooled will make a solid candy.

However, when it comes to pop rocks, the chemists or whoever is making the candy must mix in carbon dioxide into the syrup while it is still hot. The syrup contains mini spheres of carbon dioxide. When the candy cools, it pops and cracks into little pieces due to the release in pressure. However, the little bubbles are still left intact.

The popping noises are all coming from the carbon dioxide bubbles that are left in the candy! However, now that I know that I am ingesting candy and carbon dioxide, it makes me wonder if it is healthy for me. I understand that carbon dioxide is in the air we breathe, but, I also know that too much of it is bad for you. I guess you would need to consume a lot of pop rocks to be affected by the carbon dioxide but it just makes me wonder. Will this have a negative affect on my body in the long run? Will scientists even notice it if it will?

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question114.htm

On my first day at SC 200, my professor said something that really made me wonder. “You’re smarter than your parents, your grandchildren are smarter than their parents who’re smarter than you.”

So is Intelligence inherited or is it developed through our experiences in life? Or maybe it’s a combination of both.

In my Psychology class, we did some research on the connecting between Intelligence and genes.

We decided to test identical twins, fraternal twins and siblings.

Identical twins have 86% chance of getting the same exact IQ.

Fraternal twins have 60% chance of getting the same exact IQ.

Siblings have 46% chance of getting the same exact IQ.

Random people have 0% correlation.

Which suggests a strong genetic link to intelligence.

This study that we did in my Psychology class took us by surprise, 86% of getting the same exact IQ suggests a very very strong genetic link, but what if we tested Identical twins that have been separated at birth? Since it’s hard to find Identical twins who have been separated at birth and are willing to participate in a research, the numbers aren’t that accurate. Research suggest that more than 70% of Identical twins who have been separated at birth have the same exact IQ.

There is a study by Dr Beben Benyamin, from the University of Queensland that 40% of a child’s Intelligence is inherited.

I came to the conclusion that there is a strong genetic link to intelligence, but it’s also developed as well. We can’t deny the genetic link nor the developmental factor in our Intelligence.

The twin study is a very important method to study anything with genetic connections. But, adoption is also a very effective way to look at the difference between genetic inheritance and environmental development. Comparing normal traits of adopted children with their real parents and their adopted parents. Research show that Intelligence, facial resemblance, height, color, etc… is closer to the real parents. However, table manners, social behavior, languages, etc… is closer to the adopted parents. Even though genes play huge part in Intelligence, research definitely show an environmental development connection.

Works Cited

Gayle, Damien. “Thank Your Parents If You’re Smart: Up to 40% of a Child’s Intelligence Is Inherited, Researchers Claim.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2014.

“Intelligence and Genetics: Do Some People Inherit an Edge?” Motherboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2014.

The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2014.

Ever notice how after a good night’s sleep you feel energized, relaxed, alert, and overall just happier? Well, this is because sleep is the solution to all of our problems. But, why exactly is this the case? And why is it that we can’t concentrate on everyday tasks like school work and exercise and communicating with others without the proper amount of sleep?

One of the most popular reasons is because the sleep cycle is our brains way of recuperating after a long day of functioning and processing information. A common mistake that people tend to make is that sleep is a time for our muscles to relax; however, our muscles don’t exactly get the relaxation they need through sleep. There are millions of neural connections located in our brain, and they are working around the clock in order for us to perform even the slightest actions. Just like a mother would need a break from her newborn after hours of nursing, the brain needs a break from everyday stresses like school work. It’s also a chance for those millions of neural connections to recharge and reboot.

Another theory as to why we need so much sleep, besides the recharge of our neural connections, is our brain’s opportunity to file away or discard memories, thoughts, and events from the previous day that aren’t necessary anymore. This is why people say one of the best times to take a test or study for a test is in the morning; we have a clear mind with no junk clouding our judgment. All of this “junk” was discarded the previous night while we were sleeping. This is also where the term “just sleep on it” was coined. When making tough decisions, it’s literally recommended to go to sleep and then make that tough decision in the morning when your mind is clear and all those clouded thoughts have been discarded.

After decades of scientific research has been conducted, we now have a much better understanding of how our brain functions when we sleep. However, it is still pretty unclear as to why exactly our bodies need so much sleep. Why not just a couple hours? Why is it that teenagers need between 9-11 hours of sleep but adults only need between 6-8 hours? Many scientists believe it’s because the adolescent brain is still growing and becoming more complex, while the adult brain is basically done with the growing. The underlying question as to why we do sleep, though, has always been extremely difficult to answer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG0Z2tprTUw 

Sources

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/why-do-we-sleep 

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/sleep/basics/why-do-we-sleep.htm

Ever since I started this semester, my first semester at college, my sleeping habits have been horribly disrupted. I find myself staying up late at night, like I’m doing right now, and having to get up early for class.  During the day, I can’t keep my eyes open and am unable to concentrate in class.  Then, I end up taking too long of naps and staying up for hours catching up on homework and re-teaching myself the things I was too tired to learn earlier. All of this causes me to become more and more stressed and unable to relax most of the time.  Stress is obviously bad for your overall health, and this Huffington Post article, 5 Ways Stress Wrecks Your Sleep (And What To Do About It), clearly states the negative effects of stress and how to handle it.

According to the article, 42% of adults report to getting poor/fair sleep when they are stressed out.  In addition to not sleeping as well, stress can increase the risk of insomnia, causes you to overthink at night and not being able to shut your brain off, and can cause a cycle of this behavior.  Additionally, stress can increase the risk of anxiety.

To help prevent any of that from happening, the article has a few suggestions.  Try smelling lavender, which has been proven to relax the body (try the Bath & Body Works stress or sleep collection). One can also write down thoughts before going to bed to help relax your mind.  Counting and deep breathing can also help with relaxation.

I know from here on out I’m going to try to get my sleep schedule back on track in addition to forming better study habits.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/17/stress-and-sleep_n_5824506.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

At one point or another, I think all parents have told their children, “If you eat too much chocolate it will give you pimples!” I was always the one to argue with my parents, saying that acne comes from blocked pores, which eating certain foods has no effect on. But is there any truth behind this claim, or is a just a ploy for parents to get their children so stop eating so much candy? Many other factors have been proven to contribute to the appearance of acne such as family history, age, and stress levels, but could diet have something to do with it as well?

One study included 65 participants with a ranging severity of acne and divided them into two groups. “One group was given a chocolate bar enriched with 10 times the normal amount of cocoa. The other group was given a placebo bar (without the extra cocoa). The groups were told to eat the bars daily for a month.” (bbc.com) After three weeks, the groups switched bars and scientists, who were monitoring the students’ acne weekly, reported no effect on acne development. This, however, does not account for the fact that breakouts may have occurred mid-week. Also the fact that the Chocolate Manufacturers’ Association of the United States of America conducted this study leaves room for some skepticism. (bbc.com)

Another study took 27 college-age students and told them to “eat large amounts of chocolate, milk, fizzy drinks and roasted peanuts every day for a week.” (bbc.com) No outbreaks were recorded, but the study is not dependable based on the small amount of subjects and timescale as well as the lack of control group.

There have been some smaller, more conclusive studies that show strong links to chocolate and acne, but for the most part, scientists are still somewhat unsure exactly how some diets can affect the skin. (bbc.com)

There is the possibility that there are other factors in affect as well. Stress causes inflammation, and therefore, acne and stress can also lead people to binge eat junk food, including chocolate. Until there is more concrete evidence, it looks as thought chocolate and acne share nothing more than a casual link.