I’m sure everybody has heard someone say “oh, it must be the fumes getting to my head” at least once, whether it was in a movie, TV show, or in person. This saying is usually used when someone either says something that is a little bit off or strange, or seems to be losing it. What I imagine when I think of someone saying this is a man wiping his grease covered hands off on a rag while walking out of an auto body shop or garage. My Dad is a race car driver in the NHRA and works in the garage constantly, which is how I became interesting in this topic. Can the fumes of auto body shops actually make my Dad, and others, crazy or ill??

A study was done by the Environmental Studies Institute at Drexel University to determine the effects of a multitude of harmful substances that auto mechanics are exposed to. The most prominent harmful substances are chemical vapors, metal pigments, dust, isocyanates, solvents, as well as (not related to fumes) loud noise and vibration. Those who work in close quarters of a local gas station auto body shop are at high risk because they are exposed to all of the chemicals in one small area. This is especially true during the winter months when the garage doors are generally kept closed.

Cornell University ILR School released a manuel on different works of auto mechanics and the effects of the harmful substances. Chemical vapors such as ammonia, ethane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, chlorine and gasoline are likely to depress the central nervous system. This includes trouble breathing and decreased heart function. Also, getting gasoline on skin can cause dermatitis. In the 1970’s, there was a raised awareness of the harm in asbestos. Auto mechanics who work with assembling brakes are likely to be exposed to asbestos because it is used as a “reinforcing agent” (Brown, pg. 54). Asbestos has been known to cause tumors. Although this is extremely unlikely now due to asbestos substitutes, it is still a health concern. When using metallic pigment paints, the workers inhale chemicals such as cadmium, lead, and chromium. There have been many cases of lead poisoning in auto mechanics who have been working on radiator repair due to an abnormally high lead content in the blood. This causes feelings of dizziness, fatigue, and irritability. Isocyanates are chemicals found in product such as paint, car seats, and materials used in packaging such as plastics. They are known to cause tightness in the chest, trouble breathing, and irritation of the skin. The Safety & Health & Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) found many cases in which workers in the spray-on truck bed lining companies such as Line-x (which is a great lining by the way!) began developing asthma from their work. Lastly, although this does not have to do with fumes, workers who use the power hand tools in auto body shops are at a high risk of getting Raynaud’s disease. The symptoms of this are cold toes and fingers, possible change in color of these areas, and a poking/prickling feeling.

After much research, rules, regulations, and safety precautions are being implemented to ensure the safety of products and to protect the health of the auto mechanics. One of the many resources for auto body shop safety, NIOSH Health and Safety Guide for Auto Repair and Body Shops, suggests that the user reads labels and precautions on products, select the products with the least hazards, and wears proper equipment in an area of appropriate ventilation.

Bottom line is that all of the harmful substances one is exposed to in auto body shops do pose a threat to health. Although each has its own effects, none of them have been proven to truly make a person “crazy”.

Links to my Sources:

http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/content/28/1/19.full.pdf+html (Google Scholar find)

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/isocyanates/

http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=28

http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=manuals

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20022916

I was watching Good Morning America the other morning and was intrigued by a feature on participation trophies in kids sports. I remember when I played soccer in elementary school, our whole team would receive participation trophies at the conclusion of the season. Not many of us have kids yet, so we can think about this subject in relation to ourselves. How did receiving participation trophies (no matter how much or how little you actually participated) affect our athletic mindsets? Some parents on the side of participation trophies argue that they “get kids motivated”, “makes them feel like they’re worth something”, “participation trophies are harmless”, and they “give them a sense of accomplishment.” Some parents against

sldfparticipation trophies argue that “they are unnecessary and pointless,” they encourage complacency and “dissuade greatness,” “the trophies make kids entitled,” and “it’s like mocking the kids who don’t win.” Many of these opinions are of parents who haven’t done the research of how participation trophies actually affect their children, but some are still valid. This website has the best quotes from parents arguing for and against participation trophies. Pittsburg Steeler’s Linebacker James Harrison says, “I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe they are entitled to something just because they tried their best,” Their shelves should stay bare, he said, “until they earn a real trophy.” 

Many scientists say that it is a good thing to reward young children for their effort. Many argue that “participation trophies” are not so much for accomplishment but for effort. “And let’s be honest. Participation trophies aren’t fooling anybody, including the children who receive them.” Kids are smart enough to know when they didn’t earn a trophy. When I was young, I knew when I accomplished something amazing and got a reward for it, versus when I was lazy, didn’t positively add to the team, and got a participation trophy. 

Some say we shouldn’t get all worked up over participation trophies, because they don’t actually affect a child’s work ethic later on in life.

So where is the proof and science behind all of these theories?  No study has been done to prove whether or not participation trophies are beneficial or hurtful, so it is up to the parents and coaches to decided whether it is appropriate for their child to receive a participation trophy or not, and also to teach them about deserving things, work ethic, and the positive outcome of hard work. The cure to some children’s laziness won’t come by simply taking a plastic trophy away. Just because some kids get participation trophies doesn’t mean those kids also expect everything in life to be handed to them. 

We all have busy lives, there’s no doubt about that. Sometimes doing our laundry or making the bed after we wake up simply isn’t at the top of our priority lists. It’s easy to just close your door and forget about the mess you’ve left behind. But it’s not easy to forget about the germs and bacteria that could be collecting if you ignore it for too long.

Keeping a clean room is an achievable goal with many benefits. It doesn’t take much to keep your room  clean and orderly, just a little time and dedication.

Having a dirty room can affect your mind negatively, even if you aren’t aware of it. In class, we talked about correlation and causation. A messy room has been proven to both correlate to and cause depression in people, says psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter in Psychology Today. “Your bedroom is your personal space. It’s where you drift off, wake up and likely spend a lot of me time. Unlike a cluttered space, an uncluttered room won’t overstimulate your senses, distract you, make relaxation difficult or trigger guilt for letting things get out of control,” says Carter. I think we can all agree after a day spent cleaning we feel like we have our life in order. It’s a refreshing feeling when you are organized and is definitely good for your mind. According to Charles Duhigg’s, The Power of Habit, “making your bed every morning is directly correlated with higher levels of productivity and overall happiness.”

The benefits of a clean room don’t just lift your spirits, they help your health as well. How many of us suffer from allergies? The annoying runny noses, sneezing, and coughs when the seasons are changing? Well, believe it or not, a clean room can lead to improvement with your allergies. Dust mites, mold, dander, and. many other allergy aggravators often live in fabrics like carpeting, bed linens, curtains and pillows. What do all these things have in common? That’s right, they pretty much make up your bedroom. Washing your linens and cleaning these allergy promotors could significantly improve them.
And how stressful is it when you are running late and you have to search through piles of clothing and messes just to find a shirt. With an organized room, there’s a place for everything and everything’s in its place. You won’t find yourself running late anymore or not being able to find the paper you need to hand in for class. 

If I told you making your bed in the morning would increase your self-esteem, would you do it? The feeling of accomplishment you get when you simply make your bed in the morning can be a big deal. It can make you feel productive and proud of yourself for starting your day off right. Being proud and productive will certainly increase one’s self esteem. According to Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, “making the bed in the morning was the number one most impactful change that people brought up repeatively.”

So if one quick cleaning sesh could improve your daily life so much everyday, why not do it? Not only could you kiss your pesky allergies goodbye, but you can lift your spirits, becoming a happy and healthier person. We could all use a little less stress in our busy, high pace lives. So next time you’re about to shut the door on your cluttered dorm room, remember the benefits of a clean room, turn around, and decide to make today different from all the others and clean your room.

The sport of bass fishing lives as a staple and a pastime for many families and communities. According to united states fishing national survey  taken in 2011, up to 33.1 Americans participated in some sort of activity related to fishing. This will range from a father and son fishing in a local pond to a team of professional fishers who’s livelihoods rely on the fish they catch. What sets these people apart is the ability to use science in order to understand the fishes’ habits. A common misconception about fishing is that you can be effective by just throwing a chunk of meat into an area and hoping to get bit. While this will sometimes work, the actual truth is much more complex.

There are many different forms of data that bass anglers will use in order to catch fish, but really the most useful is trial and error. This is used from the very moment you catch your first fish. Imagine you throw a swim bait into an area with rocks and catch a fish, then come back the next time at the same time and same location and catch another fish. You have now just used data to formulate a plan. You now understand that that specific tactic will produce a fish at a certain time of day. This is what bass anglers know as Confidence lures, the ability to throw a specific bait into an area and using previous knowledge and understanding to in terms “guarantee” a bite.  Now, there is really no such thing as a guaranteed bite, however; confidence lures give the impression of a guarantee. For instance, I know that if I throw a craw fish imitation lure into any wood pile on any lake that I can catch a fish. Is this really guaranteed? No. However through trial and error, I have discovered that the likelihood of catching a fish in wood with a jig is much higher than the likelihood of catch a fish on a swim jig.  It differs for every bass fisher, but no matter who you ask, everyone has that confidence lure they can always go to.

ex. Strike king Structure jig in a peanut butter and Jelly color with a rage craw trailer. This is my “confidence lure”

Ex. of a swim jig. This being a Strike king KVD 1.5 square bill crank bait

Another factor anglers use when formulating a plan is the time of year. This is the understanding of weather patterns and how it affects the eating habits of a bass. A common misconception is that bass will act the same way throughout the year. This is very untrue. Even on the smallest of lakes, bass will migrate to different areas of the water trying to locate bait fish to eat. This migration depends on two factors: water temperature and dissolved oxygen.  These factors directly relate to the activity of a fish. The graph seen in this study shows how temperature affects D.O. The colder the water, the less oxygen is available for aquatic life. In terms of bass fishing, the colder the water gets, the less active the fish will be. Because of this, fish will look for warmer water. Bass anglers use this understanding when developing a plan. For example, where during the summer I may throw a jig into deep structure, during the fall I will throw a swim bait into shallow water in order to target fish chasing shad (a common bait fish).  Anglers have to use this cycle in order make a detailed decision for their lure selection. The factors of D.O, time of year, and their own history of confidence lures in order to make the choice of either throwing a jig or a swim bait.

The science in bass fishing is very real. What makes it unique from any other scientific understanding is the ability to personalize discovery. Individuals will use a wide umbrella of facts (ex. weather, D.O., and bait migration) and then use past history to find confident baits. Like anything, chance is a factor. Sometimes you will catch fish, sometimes you won’t. What sets you apart is the ability to learn from these days. Days where you don’t catch fish can be just as important as days you do, for then you can analyze what went wrong and what you need to adjust. This ability to understand this science of fishing is what sets the average apart from the elite. 

click here for source

This is my second entry having to do with water, “viable to the mechanics of the human”.  If you happened to have missed my first entry about how healthy water really is, you can read it here.  Afterwards, one of the studies without suffice evidence to declare water the vital source of hydration/rehydration got me thinking, once again.  If this isn’t even true for water, then how can sports drink companies claim that they’re the more effective hydration fluid to improve exercising performance ?  In these health terms, how does water actually compare to sports drinks?

Clear evidence is available that drinking during exercise can improve performance, that’s a known first explanation.  But even when that’s taken into account, Mr. Shirreffs, at the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, still claimed that “sports drinks and water mean different things to different people”.  A sports drink can “contain a variety of nutrients and other substances”, unlike water.  However, I noticed that “consuming a sports drink will provide a large amount of water in addition to other components which would otherwise be obtained from food”.  Looking closer, it isn’t about which fluid does a better job of hydration, but rather which of their nutrients significantly improve performance.  Another research written in the Nutrition and Enhanced Sports Performance book, demonstrates under “intense sweating, electrolyte loss, and glycogen depletion, ingestion of solutions containing a proper combination of electrolytes and carbohydrate (sports drinks) may be advantageous compared to plain water”.  So as water doesn’t consistent of these nutrients, a product plus multiple vitamins, electrolytes, and carbohydrates could be the superior to water alone?  This too should be noted.

Since hydration is a tricky variable to measure, “recovery and subsequent performance studied could be the key to the ultimate comparison between water and sports drinks”.  The first study conducted by four authors from the Department of Healthy and Performance Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology obtained the pre- and post-execerise blood glucose was significantly higher and improved performance with the carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink.  Versus Sports Medicine Australia’s three authors, who described the “relative rate ingested fluids absorbed by the body lacked the least bit of difference in performance comparing the water to sports drinks”.  In realizing both produced decently accurate and similar tests, their results varied drastically.

I considered the not entirely randomized controlled trials and confounding/3rd variables to have both effected the rate of ingested fluids absorbed by the body in each study differently.  However, since all of these can be manipulated by the ingestion of fluids, it’s difficult to distinguish the correlation in causation to these studies.  Rather a correlation between both fluids instead?  Because the ideal amount of fluid may depend on individual circumstances.  There could be no clear reason as to whether water compares to sports drinks at all.  If water doesn’t aid during exercise, and compelling evidence that sports drinks increase the amount of fuel available, it will tend to decorate the rate at which water can be made available?  How could that ever be a bonus?

click here for source

Gathering together all of these explanations,  water and sports drinks do not compare in the slightest.  Better yet, they could go perfectly hand-in-hand.  The composition of a drink should “be influenced by the relative need to supply both fuel and water, which in turn depends on the intensity/duration of exercise, environment, or the individual athlete themselves”.  Hydrating fluids has a valuable role to play in the diet of many athletes, so a good “compromised formulation” to fit any needs in any different situation should always stay in retrospect.

I always feel a bit awkward when my best friend is going on about how cute some guy is and I just have to sit there because I don’t agree. Has this ever happened to you? Why is it that I think brown hair guys are attractive, but other girls only like blondes? Or why is it that I think Ryan Gosling is so cute, but my friend, Anna, doesn’t think so and would prefer Justin Bieber.  I have alway been curious as to why some people are attracted to some, but others are not.

First, I went out to discover why people are attracted to certain people.  We are attracted to people in two ways: by their physical appearance, and their personality.  There are a number of different things that factor into someone being physically attracted  to someone.  There can be the way we process different faces.  If people’s brains find faces that are easier to process, it will make them more attractive. However, the ease of processing a face is linked to my overall question.  People relate processing a face quickly to its familiarity to them.  This is one reason why different people find some attractive. People that we are around often or see often we find more attractive than those who are complete strangers.  Dr. Tamsin Saxton did a study on the influence of familiarity.  He found that girls that went to an all girls school were more attracted to feminine-looking faces.  The majority of guys, on the other hand, that went to an all-boy school, were more attracted to masculine looking males.  Their preference of girl did not change, however, was the same as boys at coed schools. I related this idea of familiarity to how people that are in relationships with others at times find that person more attractive than when they first started dating. Another way of physical attractiveness is if someone is similar to you are someone close to you.  In my Child Psychology class my senior year, we learned that girls are more likely to marry someone that looks similar to their dad, because that is what they were used to.

Now I will cover the other part of attractiveness: personality. Personality is highly linked to physical attraction.  Whether a person has a positive or negative personality can affect their physical attractiveness. In a study done by Viren Swami, it was shown that personality really does matter.  Men were to rate the pictures of women’s bodies, while half were given their personality traits, the others were not.  It was shown that the men that were given the women’s personality traits rating women of all different shapes attractive and based their thoughts more off of positive personalities. The conclusion was that people with positive personalities are more attracted to others that were the same way.  On the other hand, when it comes to relationships there may be some differences.  For example, some girls like very sweet and funny boys that will always be surprising them with cute things. But, other girls would rather have a mysterious boy that keeps her guessing and does not like lovey-dovey things done to them.  This is related to us being attracted to familiarity and someone with the same ideas and personality as you.  If you don’t like lovey-dovey things and neither does your boyfriend, then you’re set! But girls that love to be surprised with cards and stuffed animals all the time, would find this person less attractive.

In conclusion, there are two ways in which people are found attractive: physically and personality wise.  One’s different view on each of these categories will at times be different than others, even their best friends! This is the reason why some people find some attractive, while others are not attracted to them at all.

The sports world is a competitive world. Participants will train for countless hours in hopes of gaining the smallest advantage over their opponents. However some sports heroes inject themselves with performance enhancing drugs in order to gain an edge of their competition. However, the question remains, are performance enhancing drugs worth the risk?

From the time we are born, most of us are told to stay away from drugs, as when you hear the word drug, it is usually associated with a negative connotation. What would make an athlete turn to performance enhancing drugs? Is it worth the possible consequences that an athlete may face, such as a suspension without pay? Most sports psychologist are in a general agreement that athletes take performance enhancers for one of two reason, for financial reasons or from the pressures they face in the sports world.

Athletes use performance enhancing drugs in hope of enhancing their performance on the field. The PEDs are designed to drastically alter the human body and biological functions in order to help athletes be better on the field. PEDs actually cause more harm to the body than help. When an athlete choses to use PEDs, they are actually breaking down their body. Men may experience shrunken testicles, baldness, and become infertile. Women can develop a deeper voice, baldness, and infrequent and absent periods. Both men and women are at risk of heart failure, muscle and tendon failure, drug dependance, or develop an aggressive like behavior, known as “Roid Rage”. By using PEDs, athletes are risking their long-term health for a short term gain.

The next question we have to ask ourselves is are PED’s actually helping an athlete perform better on the field? For every athlete that successfully uses PEDs to improve in their sports, there are thousands of other athletes that are unable to reap the benefits of PEDs. One of the better known PED users, Lance Armstrong, is a good example of how PEDs can work in ones favor. Armstrong successfully beat cancer and went on to win seven consecutive Tour de France bicycle races. However, he recently admitted to Oprah that he won the Tour de France races with the help of PEDs. However, now his reputation is forever tarnished, and his company, Livestrong, has cut ties with him. However, PED use does not automatically bring success for an athlete. The biogenesis scandal rocked the baseball world in 2013. To summarize it all, a man in South Florida was selling human growth hormones to professional baseball players. One the players involved, Cesar Puello, is a good example of a player who has not experienced a hike in performance due to PEDs. Puello has yet to reach the Major Leagues and probably never will, as he is currently in the gulf coast league, a minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball and struggling.

In a 2002 survey, approximately 4% of high school athletes admitted to using PEDs. In college football, approximately 49% of players believe they have at least one teammate using PEDS. The following chart is from the NCAA.

It shows how unlikely a high school athlete is to play professional sports. The odds show that it is very unlikely that college athletes will go pro in their respective sports, so I believe it is safe to say that a minority of the athletes “going pro” are PED free.

In conclusion, PED use does more harm to the body than good. For every success story, there is thousands of athletes that have not been successful, even with the use of PEDs. PEDs damage the body and are harmful to one’s future health. Yes, PEDs build muscle and can help an athlete succeed n sport. However, it is much more necessary for the athlete to have the proper skills in order to be successful in their sport. PED users are sacrificing long term health for a short term gain

Cell phones have become a necessity to people in our day and age. I personally would not know what to do with myself if I did not have my phone for a day. Whether phones have affected us mentally in a positive or negative way is debatable. When we think about our daily lives, and how much we use our phones or how much we see others use their phones, we can pick up on some pretty obvious affects that our phones have on us.

Our phones can influence our lives pretty negatively. One, people try to text and drive, and kill innocent people in their attempt at multitasking. Another is our lack of concentration. Just while writing this blog post, I must have looked at my phone and gone on Facebook in another tab in Safari maybe 15 times total. We are also relying on our phones way too much. If I did not have a phone, I would get lost all the time without the Google Maps app, because I never learned how to read a regular map. I often use auto-correct on my phone to check the spelling of things, or just assume it will always correct my errors. Lastly, professionals have seen a decrease in communications skills. According to Jonathan Alpert, “phones have become a pacifier of sorts, a security blanket, and a source of comfort to many.”

Although there are some negative affects to having a phone, there are also some perks to having a phone. Everything is at your fingertips, so you can instantly reply to emails, send texts, and call anyone around the world. In addition, with all the new apps being created everyday, the options of what to do on your phone are almost limitless. For example just at Penn State, we have an app to check the amount of people in the gyms around campus, where the busses are in comparison to where you are, and what is for dinner at Pollock tonight. Cell phones really make life so easy.

So, do the negative affects outweigh the positive affects? It is hard to tell, but in a recent comparison of statistics by Jess Bolluyt, it seems as though teens are becoming less intelligent from cell phones. The Pew Research Center has been gathering data on teen’s ownership of cell phones. In 2004, 45% of teen’s aged 12 to 17 had a cell phone. In 2013, 78% of teens between those ages owned a cell phone, showing a 33% increase in only 9 years. When you look at the SAT scores from the same nine years (2004 to 2013), the mean score from the Math, Critical Reading and Writing sections have declined. When putting these two factors together, it can seem like students are getting dumber due to the increase in cell phone ownership, but there can be many other factors leading to these results. This can mean that students are growing a dependence on technology, or that cell phones are affecting students reading abilities. The SAT measures student’s readiness for college, so there could be a better resource to measure a student’s intelligence, since socioeconomics also affects how a student will do on their SATs.

On the other hand, Daniel T. Willingham argues that phones are not making us dumber, but are just a huge distraction. “Research shows that our intuition is wrong. We can focus. But our sense that we can’t may not be a phantom. Paying attention requires not just ability but desire. Technology may snuff out our desire to focus,” says Willingham. The problem with technology is that it offers us constant entertainment, which can distract us from other more boring tasks, like learning. Now that we are such constant users of technology including cell phones, we have the question “Isn’t there something better to do than what I’m doing?” is always sitting in the back of our minds. This is a good way to look at your cell phone addiction as something you are actually in control of.

It is obvious that there are good and bad things to having a cell phone. Based on the SAT score decline while the cell phone ownership increased, it seems likely that cell phones are having a large effect on teens capabilities in the classrooms and on tests, but if you believe Willingham, this can all be controlled if you recognize when you need to properly concentrate.

Sources: Source 1, Source 2 (image), Source 3

Being a female athlete and particularly one who has had her share of concussions, I have always wondered why it is that females are at a higher risk to concussions than males are. However many people don’t actually know this fact because when someone thinks of concussions they automatically tune in on football and male athletes.  So I have decided to write my first official blog on why females are at a higher risk of getting a concussion than males are.

Soccer is one of the most common sports to get a concussion in, especially for females. Girls who play soccer suffer from concussions sixty eight percent more than boys who play soccer. The same applies to basketball. On MomsTeam it states that in basketball girls suffer three times more concussion than guys. But why is this the unfortunate truth?

In studies, scientists tend to talk about soccer, basketball and baseball or softball more than other sports because these are the three sports in which girls and guys have a similar way of playing them. There are two ways you can look in to this case. One is the anatomy side of things, and the other is the statistical side of things.

A females head is smaller compared to a males therefore causing girls to be more prone to concussions than guys. Studies say that females have twenty six percent less total mass in their head and neck than males do. According to CBS it states that females necks are less developed than males meaning they aren’t as strong as males which again causes them to be more prone, when in impact, to concussions than males would be.

However, although a male and female’s head and neck are structured differently this still may not be the reasoning behind females being more susceptible to concussions than males. It is known that males tend to not report things as much as females do, so could this be the reason? Statistics say that females have a higher rate of recorded concussions in specific sports than males but is this simply because there are more females than males who report their head injuries. Unfortunately we as a society may never know the truth behind this. What we can do though is continue to take serious action when presented with a head injury.

Concussions continue to play a huge part in sports and particularly high school sports.  As a prior high school athlete I was always required to complete a concussion course before the beginning of each school year so I could be aware of symptoms and what to look out for in case of an injury. Even if this fact is true, that females are more prone to head injuries than males, it doesn’t mean males don’t get them. It also doesn’t mean just athletes get them. Everyone needs to be aware of concussions and what the symptoms may be because this is not an injury to take lightly.

Every semester students reach the time when they’re scurrying to make their schedules for the next semester. As soon as the portals open, thousands of kids are picking the most convenient classes. Convenient for college students usually means later classes so that students can sleep in. There’s the problem, eight am classes are seen to actually be a lot more beneficial than later classes.

In the Huntington Post, many college students and the Health Ambition discuss the benefits of waking up early and getting your classes over with instead of waking up later. In the lecture that Andrew gave us on Thursday, September third, Andrew talked about how correlation does not equal causation. In this article, it discusses how there is a direct correlation between waking up early and getting good grades. Waking up early enhances productivity, produces better diets,  and gives you a better mental health. Students generally feel that waking up early allows them to have more time for naps, homework, movies, etc. In this post, Razma Mogharrab, a second year electrical engineering student, shows that her experience proved to her that waking up at eight for classes got her ready for normal work days which typically start at eight as well. This constant routine made it less difficult to get used to in the long run.

In another post, a study was released in the early fall semester of 2011 by psychology professors at New York’s St. Lawrence University that there was a slight drop in grade point average for each hour a class starts later. Pamela Thatcher told New York Times that per hour the difference equalled .02 of a difference. That can really add up! In another study mentioned in the University of Maryland, studies find a huge correlation with sleeping patterns and eight am classes. Students who have early classes generally tend to sleep early and avoid staying out late and partying. Those who have later classes, in the contrary, tend to party and consume more alcohol therefore causing them to sleep in and still wake up exhausted or even hungover.

On an opposite note, many may argue that waking up early isn’t the right thing to do and just makes you lazy and unproductive in the morning. This topic of whether waking up early to learn is very controversial especially in middle school and high school settings. In one article in The Wall Street Journal, researchers show that delaying the start of a school day by 80 minutes has improved teenage car accidents by 70%; that percentage is huge. Studies prove and increase in attendance records, ability to keep the class awake, and car crashes by delaying school time. Both waking up early and later have it’s benefits.

Putting all of this information together, studies can be done to prove which is essentially bad. Scientists can test learning patterns, attendance records, and grades of both kids who go to school earlier and those who start up later. Many outside variables may come into play but maybe testing the same subject with the same assignments and teachers can improve and cutting out these other variables that may come into play. I find myself personally wondering which is better. My high school started at 7:20 and I found myself struggling to wake up and finish the week off, i took constant naps and always needed a coffee. Now in college, I find myself feeling tired and unproductive when going to an 11:15. My days feel shorter and I feel as if I don’t have enough time to finish everything. It’s a tricky topic with lots of variables that can effect it but overall eight am classes seem like the right thing to do.

You are standing in an art museum, admiring a beautiful painting hanging on the blank, white wall. It’s a painting you have never seen before and you are standing in a museum you have never been to, but for some reason you can’t shake the feeling that this has happened before. You don’t know what it is, but you were here before. Or so you think.

It’s happened to most of us. In fact 70% of the population has reported having experienced this phenomena. The feeling that you’ve already experienced the current moment you are in. This feeling is called Deja Vu.

The term déjà vu is French and means “already seen.” This is a complex concept and there are many different theories behind it. 

Swiss scholar Arthur Funkhouser suggests “that there are several “déjà experiences and in order to better study the phenomenon, the shade between the experiences need to be known.”

Déjà vu has been associated with temporal-lobe epilepsy. One theory is  déjà vu can occur prior to a temporal-lobe seizure. People who get these type of seizures experience déjà vu during seizure activity or in the moments between them. Several psychoanalysts think déjà vu is simply one wishing fulfillment. Others believe it is a confusion in the brain that causes the brain to mix up the past and present.

Another interesting theory is that it is a form of remembering past lives. Some believe we dismiss this and just look at them as coincidences. Researchers believe their significance is the feeling of familiarity. They believe it is the universe telling you that you are exactly where you should be, at the right time, with the right people. They believe the moments are signs that are telling you that you are on the right path.

One theory says that deja vu happens when two separate universes are in sync.

Theoretical physicist Dr. Micho Kaku explains the idea that multiple universes coexisting and come together to create the feeling of deja vu. “This theory is possible but doubtful. The idea of multiple universes is an accepted by many people. It is believe we are surrounded by them all the time and made up of different waves. These waves work on different frequencies, but we can only see and experience those that are on the same frequency as us.”

One last theory is the theory of memory in deja vu. This theory states that we remember things that happened to us from all points in time. For example, we remember things from movies, readings, and TV shows as our own personal memories. This could explain why when standing in a foreign country for the first time, looking at land we’ve never seen, we feel like we’ve already lived that moment.

There are so many theories that explain the odd phenomena known as deja vu. It could be anything from past lives, to seizures, to multiple universes, to memory. No matter what it is, when you are standing in front of a painting you’ve never seen in a museum you’ve never been in, but swear you’ve lived in that moment before, you are bound to be curious about what caused you to feel that way.

You just had what seemed like the longest day of your life. You walk into your room after a rough day of classes. You took two tests that you didn’t do so hot on and you are exhausted. All you want to do is relax for a little bit, but you can’t. Why? Because tomorrow you have 40 math problems due, a paper to write for your English class, and a speech outline due for your public speaking class.

According to USA Today, “college students spend an average of 17 hours a week doing homework, readings, and other assignments.” That’s about 2 and a half hours a day at least doing homework. That doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but take into account the amount of time students spend in class everyday as well. Personally, I spend about 3 hours in class everyday. This may not seem like a lot either, but on top of extra curricular activities, working, and other things students take on, it can be hard to find the balance.

So the question is, is all the homework really worth it? Is there any evidence that homework leads to a stronger academic student? Let’s take a look.

According to District Administration, there is a positive correlation between homework and better scores on tests. When interviewed, researcher Robert Tai said, “Homework should act as a place where students practice the skills they’ve learned in class. It shouldn’t be a situation where students spend many hours every night poring over something new.” A study was done by Harris Cooper in 2006 (director of Duke University’s Program in Education). He analyzed and combined the results many homework studies. He found that students who had homework performed better on class tests compared to those who did not.

On the other hand, there are many studies that suggest otherwise. Some studies conclude that homework does not impact achievement significantly. In fact, some believe it has the opposite effect.  One study from Penn State looked data from the late 1990s. They found that in countries that give more homework, student’s performance on the international test, Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, was lower than those with less homework. These professors and researchers do not call for no homework necessarily, but they do suggest making homework more about the quality than quantity

What can we take away from this? 

Homework is helpful. Practice problems do in fact improve test grades and guide students in succeeding in the classroom. However, after about 90 minutes of homework, results will start to diminish. It’s important to find the happy-medium when it comes to homework and make sure students aren’t overloaded with busy work.

So next time you walk through your door after a stressful day of class, club meetings, and work, just remember that a few minutes hitting the book will benefit you in the long run. But after 90-120 minutes it may be time to put the pencil down, close your laptop, and call it a night.

We’ve all been there. We have a good dinner. We get ready. Pregame with our friends and head to the bars. After a long, hard night of drinking and throwing back all those shots we’re overcome with this vivacious appetite. A hot slice of pepperoni pizza sounds like heaven or maybe an order of pokey sticks to hit the spot. Or what about some hot wings and to pair with that some waffle fries? The cravings never stop. Yes, people I’m talking about the “drunchies.” Now what exactly is the “drunchies?”According to Her Campus the drunchies best refers to the large, mindless consumption of mood which is usually unhealthy and in large portions. Drinking takes away our ability to make proper decisions so it’s not wonder we eat the way we do because we don’t really know what we’re fully doing. According to Dr. Jennifer Wider she explains on Her Campus that they’re are several theories as to why we drunk eat. The number one reason why we drunk eat according to Dutch researchers is that they found that,” It actually takes people longer to feel full when they drank alcohol… that their bodies didn’t recognize the alcohol calories as much as calories from other sources like protein.” This theory would explain whole lot considering the fact that I can usually eat for a family of 12 when I’m drunk. The second theory behind drunchies, Dr. Ria Gilday and author of Healthy Weight Loss: Easy, Fast, Safe explains that since alcohol is technically sugar which causes it to be absorbed into our bloodstream spiking our insulin. When our insulin is spiked our, our blood sugar levels drop causing to crave even more sugar and fats which in turn exacerbate the entire situation. Dr Ria Gilday further explains,” We mainly crave carbohydrates when drunk is because “those are the foods that will provide fast relief of the symptoms associated with low blood glucose levels.”

Due to the fact that drinking enhances our production of salt that’s why food, especially the unhealthy kinds always taste better when we’re drunk versus sober. Now while this may be a true statement about how delicious food tastes late night, drunk eating has is disadvantages  as well. The more calories=more weight gain. To metabolize alcohol you need a huge amount of vitamins and minerals so the only thing your body can do is store it as fat Alcohol has enough calories by itself so avoiding the only late night drunchies is most preferred. We can prevent this from happening though by being very cautious and putting in a concentrated effort before grabbing our phone to order Canyon Pizza. Dr. Ria has to drink a lot of water before and after you consume alcohol to dilute the blood concentration of alcohol. So next time you’re back from a late night remember to down the water so you can avoid the the notorious question in the morning, “Did I drunk eat? Please say no.”

For the past thousands of years dogs could be seen side by side with humans.  They served as hunting companions, transportation, war heroes, and even sometimes food.  They have been thought of as loyal, valuable, and in some cultures evil.  But the question still lingers, what do they think of us? Or can they think of us?  Over 36 percent of people share their lives with canines, so the question is one that affects millions of people.  Do dogs have thoughts?

In older times, say the 1500/1600s it was thought that since animals had the tools needed for speech, such as organs, and didn’t use them then it was concluded that they did not have an internal monologue.  It was also thought that since dogs could not premeditate actions, then they did not have a soul. And if they had no soul, thoughts were impossible to have. In the 1700s, a French philosopher Rene Descartes believed that the impulses that dogs had were the result of biomechanics, and that their muscles would just move like a machine.

Rene Descartes

However, when Charles Darwin came around a different perception of thought was discovered.  His studies on evolution led him to believe that the only difference from animals and humans is what the level of intelligence is for the species. That made him conclude that dogs may be self aware, but not as much as a human would be.  More recently research has shown that nerve cells in dogs brains work very similarly to human brains, supporting Darwin’s theory.

Personally, my experience with dogs leads me to believe that they are conscience beings.  I have had a dog since I have been four, and honestly I would have a hard time believing that they are impulsive biological machines.  My dog is one smart dog, and not only is he smart; he is manipulative.  We keep our dog treats in the laundry room, and after a while my dog learned that if he took a sock from the room and dropped it in front of one of us, we would have to go back to the room and return it, giving him the opportunity to beg for a treat.

Me and my dog, Teddy, before my senior ball

We may never know what is really going through a dogs head, but we can get an understanding that something definitely does.  Evidence points to dogs simply not having as well developed brains as we do, thus not being able to communicate as well.  However, there is countless evidence that points to a dogs ability to premeditate.  Look at all of those stories of dogs going and getting help, or even my own personal story of my dogs endless efforts to get feed.  A canine’s brain is one of mystery, but maybe someday man’s best friend will evolve enough to communicate effectively with man.

Through every emotion, music is there for us. For those days when you need to get pumped up before going out to a party, we listen to some Beyoncé. For the days we are feeling rather nostalgic, we might listen to our favorite hits from the 90s and 2000s, like “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys or Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back.” For the days where we feel like sulking in our own tragedies, we always have “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion and Katy Perry’s “Thinking of You” to listen to. We are guaranteed a song to appeal to whatever we are feeling for every feeling. Music tends to be the first thing that anyone resorts to when in need of emotional appeal of some sort. Music heals, supports, and is there for us.

But why? Why does music have the ability to help us in these aspects? As Anthony Storr says here, that, “the patterns of music make sense of our inner experience, giving both structure and coherence to our feelings and emotions.” Essentially, the magnificent machines we have in our heads (our brains) easily sort out random mixes of sounds and allow them appeal to our feelings. According to this article by Keith Black, MD, “music increases activity in the nucleus accumbens part of the brain.” The nucleus accumbens is based on two specific neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. Of the two, dopamine has more relevance in the process of evoking emotion when listening to music. Dopamine is associated with pleasure and reward. Additionally, the most important part of the brain as far as housing emotions goes is the amygdala. The amygdala is activated by music. Besides the amygdala, another part of the brain that is heavily affected by the brain is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for abstract decision making. This means that music is involved in the most cognitive levels of thinking.

Music is known to enhance our mood. But not only does music appeal to our emotions, but music also has healing power. According to this study of the correlation between music and recovery, music played a big role in the healing process of the people involved in the experiment. In this study, eighteen individuals with traumatic brain injury were assigned either a rehabilitation with music therapy or a rehabilitation without music therapy. In conclusion, the results of the group of individuals with music therapy were much better than that of those without the music therapy. The staff of the research study even said that those with music therapy included in their rehabilitation were “more actively involved and cooperative in therapy than those in the control group. So it is clear that music had a positive impact on the healing process of those with some of the most serious brain injuries and strokes, so just imagine the impact it has on those of us with well-functioning brains. Now the argument with this particular study may be confounding variables. Who is to know that the food that the music therapy people were eating is better for the brain than the food than the food that the people in the control group are eating? Or maybe there is a resilience to brains of younger people than there are to those over the age of say thirty. What if the experimenters hadn’t thought this through? I suppose this is why science is such an unsure topic. However, at the level that this experiment was tested, it is likely that the experimenters eliminated as many third variables as possible.

To prove how much music is affecting the brain, here is a comparison picture of the brain at rest and the brain while listening to music. 

(Photo found: here)

As you can see based on the picture, the brain is much more active when music is present. It appears as if nearly every part of the brain is active when reacting to music. The hippocampus is in the central-rear section of the brain. The hippocampus is where the amygdala is located and we know that the amygdala houses emotions. Clearly the central-rear region of the brain is lit in the presence of music. This proves that music has a heavy affect on our emotions. 

Here is additional proof of music’s affect on our brain:

Note how he says that we didn’t need anyone to tell us what kind of music is happy and what kind is sad. Our brains were able to figure it out on our own. Additionally, not only is music able to appeal to our emotions, but to our movement too. Music is all around us in our daily lives.

So what does this mean? LISTEN TO MUSIC. Listen when you’re sad, listen when you’re happy, listen when you need a friend, listen when you’re bored, just listen as much as you can because you are guaranteed a positive outcome regardless. Music will appeal to whatever emotion you are feeling because music has a direct connection to your amygdala, which houses your emotions. Music will make you feel better because music has healing powers. Unlike many other things, music will ALWAYS be there for you, through good times and bad. Music is in fact the best medicine.

In my world, fashion trumps comfort (most of the time anyway). Spending the day running errands calls for cute sandals or ankle boots. And the answer for a fun night out is always a pair of heels. Whether you choose a wedge, a pump, or stiletto, a heel always adds a little pep to everyone’s step. But, is this iconic fashion choice doing more harm than good? Will my body suffer later in life due to my fashion choices now?

I know what I am getting myself into when I slip on a pair of heels for the night. 30 minutes in and my feet start to turn red. An hour later and it is impossible to stand up. By the end of thenight I am squirming around the shoe in pain as I trek home. Why force my foot to sit in such an unnatural position for so long? As much as it hurts, I am willing to sacrifice my comfort for my outfit. But, according to some research maybe this sacrifice isn’t the smartest choice.

According to an article from Women’s Health, more than just a woman’s feet are affected when wearing high heels. Ones ankles and calves, knees, hips, and back all suffer. Laura Beil, the author of the article, claims that “stiletto devotees can develop chronically taut (and Shortened!) ankle and calf tendons, making walking–even in flats–painful.” Hearing this, I am beginning to be concerned for my future health.

Women’s Health isn’t the only one who has made these claims. Marco Narici, a researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, “wondered if constantly wearing high heels could also cause muscle shortening.” He figured that this would be very easy to experiment because a huge number of women already wear high heels on a daily basis. He conducted a study with 11 women who have worn stilettos five days a week for two or more years. Like a good scientist, he had a control group of 9 women who “did not regularly wear heels.” He measured each woman’s calf muscle using MRI. However, he didn’t notice a difference between the two groups. He decided to try something else. Using an ultrasound, he measured the “length of the calf muscle fibers.” Sure enough, the fashionistas calfs were 13% shorter than the flat footers. So what does this mean? Well, the high heels also effect the Achilles tendon. When one wears heels, her achilles tendon actually gets thicker. The thick tendon counterbalances the “shorter muscle fibers and allows the muscle to behave normally.” While the muscle may function normally, these opposing forces cause soreness in women’s feet.

So now we know why heels cause pain. But is the pain very unhealthy? High heels put extra pressure “on the balls of the feet and squeeze the toes together.” Consequently, this can make the foot bend inward. Apparently, instead of ditching the heels, some women are beginning to get surgery to shave down the bones of their toes. That is an extreme measure.

Now that I that my foot is slowly bending inward and my calf muscles are shortening, is there anything else terrible happening to my body?

For as long as I can remember I have had terrible posture. Sitting with my back hunched is just more comfortable than trying to constantly engage my core to straighten my back. High heels alter a woman’s posture greatly. In fact, heels force the pelvis to tilt forward 10 to 15 degrees. This tilt unevenly distributes body weight on the feet. Majority of the weight is forced on the already cramped toes. Negative outcomes include bunion development, Morton’s neuroma, and hammer toes.

Wonderful, I don’t want shortened calves, bunions, or any of the horrors caused by heels. But what happens if I decide to keep them out of my closet. I don’t wear heels everyday so my chances of experiencing these things are actually limited. Some preventative tips include stretching your leg muscles before and after, avoid pointed toe heels, and vary your shoe type to give your feet a break.

So no, fashion is not killing me but it might not be the best thing for me. I’ll still wear heels everyone once in a while but as soon as I feel pain those babies are coming right off.

Working out is working out…whether that be in the morning, afternoon, or evening, engaging in physical activity will be beneficial regardless, however, are there certain times of the day that are better than others? According to one study , it appears as though working out at night is the best time of day to maximize performance.  Body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure all decrease as the day goes on, thus reaching their lowest points at night time. Muscle power increases as body temperature decreases, thus improving stamina and performance. Furthermore, muscles become more relaxed as the day progresses which allows for greater flexibility during a workout. In addition to greater flexibility, the relaxation of muscles greatly decreases chance of injury. Protein synthesis, whereby more biological cells create new proteins, peaks at night as well.

In a separate study, a Women’s Health magazine concluded that enzyme activity and muscular function increase as well, even further aiding to an increase in workout performance.

While some may argue that working out at night can cause insomnia, working out at night can actually help in one’s ability to sleep through the night. In a recent study , while there have been connections found between working out right before bed and an increased inability to fall asleep, there are also connections between working out late at night and sleeping through the night. When one works out at night, the increase in body temperature caused by the workout relaxes muscles. The sensation has even been compared to the sensation of taking a warm bath before bed.

In the graph above, one can see that the results were drastically greater for those than exercised later in the day rather than in the morning.

While exercising at any time of day will be a beneficial and rewarding activity, it seems as though there are indeed times throughout the day more beneficial for overall performance than others.

Most of us probably remember the enormous earthquake that struck Japan a couple of years ago.  The earthquake and the tsunami it generated devastated Japan, causing $10 million dollars worth of damage and killing almost 230,000 people.  As if that was not enough, the earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.   While I’m sure that all of us were horrified by the effect of the earthquake on Japan, it is easy to believe that destruction from the disaster was limited only to that region.  However, years later the effects of the earthquake are still being felt, mostly in the form of debris has been swept into the ocean.

Even before the earthquake there had been a problem with trash from Japan drifting across the Pacific towards the U.S. (and vice versa).  Trash can become caught in ocean currents like the Kuroshio Current carrying it away from Japan’s shores into the Pacific and possibly even to North America.

Some of the debris will end up trapped in one of infamous “Garbage Islands”, more formally known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  The Garbage Patches (there are actually two, an east and a west) are located in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.  The Gyre is formed by four currents in the Pacific all moving in a clockwise direction.  The rotation of the gyre draws the trash into the calm stable center, where much of it becomes trapped.  Some of the debris escapes the gyre and is carried by ocean currents to the North American coastline.

No matter where marine debris ends up it is a danger to the wildlife.  Many animals mistake trash for food (for example loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish), which can create cause them to fall ill.  Marine mammals, such as seals, can become tangled in abandoned fishing nets.  The detritus can also block algae and plankton from receiving sunlight, causing the organisms to die off.  Such an event would be disastrous, as it would kill of organisms that depend autotrophs for food, creating a ripple effect throughout the food chain.  In addition to the normal dangers posed by marine debris, the tsunami brings specific problems as well.  In 2012, a dock from a Japanese shipyard washed up on an Oregon beach carrying dozens of species native to Japan, three of which were potentially invasive.  Oregon officials ended up blow torching the dock in order to prevent an outbreak of invasive species (species nonnative to an area that have the potential kill off indigenous species).

While marine detritus is a problem at the best of times, the tsunami only worsened an already bad situation.  The Japanese Government estimates that about 1.5 millions tons of garbage were generated by the tsunami, but it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what debris is from the tsunami, and what is just regular trash.  However, people been able to find at least some of the detritus from the tsunami.  Officials in Alaska have noticed a difference in the amount and type of trash along the state’s shores. While NOAA has found both possible and confirmed sightings of debris from the tsunami in both the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and along the U.S. coastline.

Often when a natural disaster occurs it is easy to focus only the problems in that region.  And rightly so, after all it is the people and environment of that region that are most in need of aid.  Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the effects of events such as Japanese earthquake have a scope far beyond their origin.

According to a new study, researchers can read a “signature” based off all 150 of your genes and determine your biological age, which scientist believe is a better measure for determining someones overall health.

“People age at different rates”

In the new study, researchers find that their able to establish whether or not a person ages quickly or slowly as early as their 30s. They assessed a group of 38 year olds by how well their body system functions , and determined their biological age. The participants cognitive abilities,blood pressure, kidney markers, liver, lung, and immune system were all tested. The results were 38 year olds biological age ranged from 28-61 years old. This means that some 38 year olds bodies were still functioning like a 28 year old , whereas some 38 year olds bodies are functioning like a 61 year old. Scientist found this intriguing, that a middled age group had such variation. Most of these studies usually are performed on older participants to get answers on age-related disease. This leads me to the next part of the study…

Researcher studied the genes of 65 year olds, searching for genes that showed that these participants were maintaining their health as they aged. They found a RNA classifier (150 genes) that was used to calculate a “healthy” gene age, to test their calculations they tested a group of 70 year olds. The results were consistent with their calculations a higher score does indeed mean better overall health and cognitive health. Researchers even discovered a correlation between lower healthy gene scores and Alzheimer’s disease, However, as we learned from Andrew, correlation is not causation , therefore researchers cannot conclude that every person who has a low healthy gene score will have the Alzheimer’s disease.

This is a relatively new discovery so their aren’t much studies on it yet, but there were able to look at a group of 70 years olds and determine amongst them who had healthy cognition and who did not. They were also able to look at 38 years old and see variation in biological age. Their ultimate goal is  to use those genes to find out the cause of the Alzheimer’s disease, and be able to give someone a blood test 10 years prior to getting infected.

It shocked me to discover that in a couple more years health will not be determined solely by chronological age. Scientist actually want to start studying young people aging in order to prevent diseases that are associated with aging. I actually took a biological test while writing this blog found here, although it may not be as accurate as a blood sample. It can give you an idea as to where your body is at, at this point in time. My current score is 5 gene years , no wonder I look so childlike !

What is Feng Shui? (This is the link where the article comes from)

“If you’ve already read a bit about Feng Shui, you may be somewhat confused by the seemingly contradictory advice you’ve encountered. People who are unfamiliar with this method may have some misconceptions and apprehension.

Feng Shui is not

• A get-rich-quick method of Asian interior design that guarantees impossible results for mystically rearranging your furniture

• A superstitious or magical belief system, or a New Age fad that disconnects you from reality or from your daily life

• A simple home and garden makeover

• A quick fix to be tackled in one afternoon

• A luxury only the rich and famous can afford

So the million-dollar question is, what is Feng Shui?

• On the surface, Feng Shui is the simple interaction of humans and their environments. Taken a step further, Feng Shui enables you to influence these interacting energies to achieve specific life improvements. This influence is achieved by positioning or designing your surroundings in harmony with principles of natural energy flow. As a result, you (and your life) can achieve harmony with your surroundings. Feng Shui is practical and grounding, and it helps you right where you live and work.

• Feng Shui is often referred to as the art of placement. How you place your furniture, possessions, and yourself within your surroundings largely determines your life experience at every level. Feng Shui offers a unique way of looking at yourself and your environment, and it provides a way of bringing balance, comfort, and harmony into your environment in a manner that is difficult to achieve by any other means.

• Feng Shui is the study of the relationships between the environment and human life. Discovered by the Chinese, Feng Shui has been practiced for centuries to design environments that enhance conditions for success in life.

Interesting bits of historical Feng Shui confirmation are starting to emerge. For example, recent scientific research indicates that 28,000 years ago, Neanderthal cavemen (located in present-day Croatia) chose which caves to live in based on three criteria: The caves held the high ground in the area, the surrounding area was easily seen from the entrance of the cave, and the water source was easily accessible. These findings show that even our ancestors were naturally aware of the effects of placement in their environment. Interestingly enough, all three of these criteria are in harmony with the basic principles of Feng Shui, which has evolved and become more sophisticated along with humankind. Thus, Feng Shui is as relevant and beneficial to humankind today as it was 28,000 years ago.”

From all this information we got above, here are few conclusion that I’d to make:

1) Feng Shui is not a science because The evidence of Feng Shui  is extremely hard to detect

2)Feng Shui is not a science because the discoverer claims that the knowledge is ancient and hence more credible

3)Those two points mentioned above are some knowledge that I learnt in my high school (Theory of Knowledge class) about identifying pseudoscience, if you want to know more about the pseudoscience, click here.

Laying in bed when it is 90 degrees out with no air conditioning is one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever done.  I realized this the other night when I simply could not sleep because it was so hot.  I laid in bed for hours, trying to get to sleep, thinking about the 9 AM class awaiting me in the morning.  Trying to find a cool position to stay in was difficult.

This drove me to wonder what the perfect sleeping temperature is.  In my mind, this depends on the person, but there must be a temperature range that is best for sleeping.  Craig Heller, PhD, states the human body has an internal thermostat.  When we go to sleep, our brain tries to achieve a lower body temperature.  If it is too hot or too cold, our bodies have trouble getting to the lower temperature, making it hard to sleep.  This means that if the room is too hot it is very difficult for the body to get to the lower body temperature it is attempting to reach. Sleeping in an extremely cold room would be uncomfortable, but it would be easier for the body to get to the lower body temperature.

REM Sleep is the period of sleep in which the body temperature gradually becomes what it on the outside.  Thus, hot temperatures make people wake up during REM sleep. REM normally accounts for 20-25% of sleep, which is a great portion of your night. Theoretically, with hot temperatures, you would be getting, for example, 6 hours of sleep instead of 8.  I know for me this is a drastic difference and would make me grumpy, sluggish and unproductive.  The most important aspect that allows one to get to sleep is keeping your head cool with pillows that are not suffocating.

So what is the best way to fight the heat? It is simple to just say “Oh turn the thermostat down.” In a dorm room setting, with no air conditioning, this is not a plausible solution. One of the most overlooked ideas which may help sleep is staying hydrated throughout the day.  One of the causes of poor rest is dehydration.  Also, you could consider taking a hot shower before going to bed.  This would raise body temperature forcing your body to cool down and your brain to kick into “sleep mode”.

For me, 65-70 degrees would be the perfect temperature for me to sleep in.  It is not too hot and not too cold, and it is just cold enough where I can still be under a heavy blanket.  For now though, that is not reasonable, so I am going to have to try out some different methods to enable me to fall asleep quicker.  I don’t want the winter to come, but I also need sleep, so something needs to give.

Hi everyone! My name is Natalia and I’m from a city in Brazil called Rio de Janeiro. I lived there for 10 years of  my life and moved to a small town in New Jersey when I came to the U.S. It was definitely not as exciting as Rio, but like many others species, humans are able to adapt to any environment. (Got the science bit?) Anyway, I’m currently majoring in criminal law in the College of Liberal Arts. There are aspects of science integrated in my major, though they aren’t your usual, typical science elements. Nevertheless, I’ve always loved science because I love exploring the world and how all of its components come together cohesively and function in thought-provoking ways. The reason why I didn’t choose science as my major is probably because my intuition pointed towards criminal law and the justice system. However, it would probably be a second or third choice in my book in case criminal law doesn’t work for me. I love nature, the beach and being outside. Here is a picture of me this summer in Praia Vermelha, a beach in Rio de Janeiro.

As you can see, Rio is a beautiful place. Here is our most famous icon : Christ the Redeemer. Many tourists go to Rio every year to see this beautiful statue. Anyway, I’m super excited for the class and hope everyone, including me, enjoys themselves and learns new things through the class.