I have been a fainter for as long as I can remember. I remember the first time it happened. I was about eight years old and on the way to the doctor to get a shot. I kept thinking about how they always said “If you have any side effects, call to let us know.” So I asked my dad what these side effects could be. He said it could involve a rash, being light headed, fainting, etc. After I got my shot, everything seemed fine. But as soon as I opened the doors to go outside to walk to the car, everything turned black and white and seemed to start spinning. There was a high pitch ringing in my eyes and I didn’t think I could hear anything else besides that. My dad had to carry me to the car and put my head between my legs. Ever since that one time, I have not been able to go to the doctors without getting lightheaded. And I have always wondered why it seemed to happen the day I asked what the side effects could be, and what actually goes on in the body to make us faint.

Fainting could be caused by many, many things. But it seems the most common that people faint at the sight of blood, getting s shot/ blood taken, etc. I get queasy at the sight of blood, but for the most part I can handle it, and for the most part I can handle the pain that comes with getting a shot. But what makes me get lightheaded and faint is the fact that I over think. For instance, it isn’t the pain of getting blood taken, it’s me thinking about it in the way that, first they are tying something around my arm to cut off my circulation, and to make my veins pop out (veins freak me out enough themselves), and then they are sticking a sharp object into my vein.

It may be more comforting to know that fainting is actually your body responding  and protecting itself. But what happens in the body during this time? First off, fainting occurs when there is a significant drop in your blood pressure. When this happens, there is a lack of oxygenated blood that gets to your brain. Your blood is centered around your heart because it is focused on keeping the heart beating.  But once you have fainted you are now laying down, and the blood and oxygen can now travel back to the brain. It is why we get so pale when we faint, the blood is all centered around your heart.

Here are some symptoms to look out for next time you are at the doctors or in any situation where there is a possibility of fainting. Of course there is lightheadedness, which should be the most obvious sign. There could also be sweating, ringing in the ear, weakness, and tunnel vision. Fainting is not a fun experience, take it from someone who experiences it all the time. But just keep in mind that it is your body’s way of protecting itself. Trust it!

Here is a video of a trick you can use if you ever feel faint

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-babble/201302/why-do-some-people-faint-the-sight-blood

http://www.anxietycoach.com/blood-phobia.html

I have been a fainter for as long as I can remember. I remember the first time it happened. I was about eight years old and on the way to the doctor to get a shot. I kept thinking about how they always said “If you have any side effects, call to let us know.” So I asked my dad what these side effects could be. He said it could involve a rash, being light headed, fainting, etc. After I got my shot, everything seemed fine. But as soon as I opened the doors to go outside to walk to the car, everything turned black and white and seemed to start spinning. There was a high pitch ringing in my eyes and I didn’t think I could hear anything else besides that. My dad had to carry me to the car and put my head between my legs. Ever since that one time, I have not been able to go to the doctors without getting lightheaded. And I have always wondered why it seemed to happen the day I asked what the side effects could be, and what actually goes on in the body to make us faint.

Fainting could be caused by many, many things. But it seems the most common that people faint at the sight of blood, getting s shot/ blood taken, etc. I get queasy at the sight of blood, but for the most part I can handle it, and for the most part I can handle the pain that comes with getting a shot. But what makes me get lightheaded and faint is the fact that I over think. For instance, it isn’t the pain of getting blood taken, it’s me thinking about it in the way that, first they are tying something around my arm to cut off my circulation, and to make my veins pop out (veins freak me out enough themselves), and then they are sticking a sharp object into my vein.

It may be more comforting to know that fainting is actually your body responding  and protecting itself. But what happens in the body during this time? First off, fainting occurs when there is a significant drop in your blood pressure. When this happens, there is a lack of oxygenated blood that gets to your brain. Your blood is centered around your heart because it is focused on keeping the heart beating.  But once you have fainted you are now laying down, and the blood and oxygen can now travel back to the brain. It is why we get so pale when we faint, the blood is all centered around your heart.

Here are some symptoms to look out for next time you are at the doctors or in any situation where there is a possibility of fainting. Of course there is lightheadedness, which should be the most obvious sign. There could also be sweating, ringing in the ear, weakness, and tunnel vision. Fainting is not a fun experience, take it from someone who experiences it all the time. But just keep in mind that it is your body’s way of protecting itself. Trust it!

here is a video of a trick you can use when you feel faint

sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-babble/201302/why-do-some-people-faint-the-sight-blood

http://www.anxietycoach.com/blood-phobia.html

It may surprise you to know that this well known statement is in fact a myth. Dogs in fact can see in color, even though the amount is minimal. Dogs can see the amount of color that a typical human with color blindness can. It is not so surprising that our vision is different from a dogs, but what is it that makes it different? Eyes seem to work the same way for everyone so why can humans see differently than dogs can? To answer this question we have to look at it from a biological stand point.

Color comes from the back of the eye from the retina. The retina contains calls called photoreceptors. The macula, which is the most sensitive part of the retina, holds millions of these photoreceptors. Cones and rods are the main two kinds of photoreceptors. There are more rods than cones. The rods are responsible for night vision and side vision. Rods are also more sensitive to light. Cones play a much larger role when it comes to our vision, and we rely on them a lot. The cones are responsible for responsible for sharp, detailed vision, and most importantly in my opinion, colored vision. Dogs also have cones and rods just like we do. Humans have 6,000,000 cones which help us perceive red, blue, green, and yellow. Dogs only have 1,200,000 cones and they can only identify blue and yellow.

How was this tested? Russian scientists from the Laboratory of Sensory Processing carried out experiments to test the theory. They started off by printing out four different colored papers: Dark yellow, dark blue, light yellow, light blue. The reason they used the different shades were to test if dogs actually used brightness to distinguish between items. The scientists proceeded to pair the dark yellow and light blue sheets together and the light yellow and dark blue sheets together. They were placed in front of two food bowls placed inside of locked boxes. After, they unlocked one of the boxes and put the dark yellow paper in front of the box which held a piece of raw meat. There were multiple trials and each one involved eight different dogs, varying of breed and size, given the opportunity to attempt to open one box before being removed. The results were that it only took the dogs three trials to learn which colored paper was in front of the box with the raw meat.

So in conclusion, dogs CAN see in color, even though this color vision is limited. Dogs only have 1,200,000 cones in their retina, as opposed to humans who carry 6,000,000. Humans can see red, blue, green and yellow, and dogs can only see blue and yellow. This is equivalent to what a human who is color blind might see.

Fun Fact: If you have ever seen any dog competitions or watched them on TV, you will notice that many of the obstacles are usually blue and yellow, now you know why!

Here is a video explaining things further

Sources: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2374872/Dogs-CAN-colour-Scientists-dispel-myth-canines-black-white.html

http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/eye-disorders/biology-of-the-eyes/structure-and-function-of-the-eyes

Luckily, this doesn’t happen to all of us, but for the ones who are affected, you know how terrible it is. You’re just going about your day when your head starts feeling horrible and you look outside and realize that it’s because of the weather. But why? How? How could the weather have this much of an affect on our body?

First off, why do we get headaches when the weather is bad? Changes in temperature or a fall in barometric pressure can trigger a headache or migraine. Weather changes can lead to imbalances in brain chemicals which could also lead to a headache. It is important to know how this works to help our understanding of how weather affects our body.

Barometric pressure, or sometimes better known as atmospheric pressure, is defined as “the pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere”. The air around us has weight which pushes against everything it touches (everything). Atmospheric pressure changes depending on where you are, it is why our ears pop when we take off on a plane and why some people get sick at such a high altitude. The higher the altitude, the lower the atmospheric pressure drops. It has to do with weather because barometric pressure can actually indicate the weather. A drop in barometric pressure usually accompanies cloudiness, wind, precipitation, and thunderstorms. So the headaches are an indication of our body’s being affected by the change in pressure. There is also a theory in which the blood vessels in our head expand and contract to compensate for the changes in oxygen levels which are accompanied with the changes in barometric pressure.

Research has been done to back up the idea that changes in weather causes headaches. Researchers monitored 7,000 patients who all experienced migraines that were so serious, they could seek treatment in a hospital. They found that the reason was a rise in temperature within the last day. Every 5C rise in temperature increased the possibility of a severe headache by 7.5%. Kenneth Mukamal who led the study stated, “Our results are consistent with the idea that severe headaches can be triggered by external factors. These findings tell us that the environment around us does affect our health and, in terms of headaches, may be impacting many, many people.” This study definitely shows correlation, but of course we know that correlation does not equal causation. I think that there could be many other possible factors that play a role.

Of course, we can not really avoid weather related causes, but there are ways to limit your pain. You can buy a barometer to keep track of weather changes and headache pain to make sure that this is the cause. Your doctor can prescribe you ibuprofen, an anti- inflammatory drug, for when you experience changes in atmospheric pressure, such as when you travel by plane. And lastly, something as simple as fresh air or a humidifier can help to lower the symptoms.

Next time you get a migraine or headache, try listening to this soothing music

Sources:  http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/barometric-pressure-headache.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-changes-in-weather-can-give-you-a-headache-1641025.html

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/atmospheric-pressure/

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/atmospheric+pressure

Everyone yawns, but what exactly is yawning? Why does it happen so uncontrollably, and why is it so contagious?

First off, what exactly is a yawn? What happens inside the body during this time? We know from the outside that our mouths open wide and we inhale. This is so we can breathe in as much air as possible to fill our lungs. Also at this time, your abdominal muscles are being flexed and your diaphragm is being pushed down. Our lungs expand with the air we breathed in, and then we exhale some of that air. The average yawn lasts about six seconds. During this time, our heart rates significantly increase. But what exactly causes us to do this?

Surprisingly, not much research has been done on yawning. But there are a few theories as to why we do. The first one being the physiological theory. This theory says that we yawn to bring more oxygen into our bodies or “remove a buildup of carbon dioxide”. The following question based on this theory lead to further research: “If our bodies make us yawn to draw in needed oxygen, wouldn’t we yawn during exercise?” Developmental neuroscientist, Robert Provine, tested this theory by giving people extra oxygen. This did not decrease yawning. They also tested the theory by decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment of the subject, which also did not have any affect. The next theory is called he evolution theory. This theory states that our ancestors used yawning as a way to intimidate predators by revealing their teeth. The next theory is the boredom theory. It is obvious that we yawn when we are bored, tired, or drowsy, but this theory brings up the fact that Olympic athletes tend to yawn right before they compete, and how dogs tend to yawn before attacking. This clearly contradicts with the idea of us yawning when we are tired or bored, because these examples are definitely not bored at that time. The last and most recent theory is known as the brain-cooling theory. This theory proposes the idea that people are more likely to yawn during times when their brains are more likely to be warmer. This theory was tested by having subjects breathe through their nose and have hot or cold packs pressed against their foreheads. This is because cold brains can think more clearly, so to sum it up, this theory says that yawning developed to keep us alert.

Why is yawning so contagious? Studies show that contagious yawning could be correlated to “one’s capacity for empathy”. A research study was executed to test this theory. Two groups of subjects, one of autistic children, another of non- autistic children, watched videos of people yawning. Both groups yawned the same amount when viewing the video. But when the groups watched people actually yawning, autistic children yawned much less than the non-autistic children. This helps prove the theory that contagious yawning is linked to ones capacity for empathy because autism affects one’s social interaction skills, therefore showing that autistic children had less empathy towards other’s yawning. The study also showed that children with more severe autism were less likely to yawn.

There are many other interesting facts about yawning. Humans aren’t the only ones who find it contagious, chimps, baboons, and even dogs do too. Yawns are also much more commonly contagious around closer friends rather than a stranger. On a more serious note, excessive yawning could be a sign of disease. It is very rare, but it could point to a heart problem or a number of problems in the brain. And lastly, unborn babies can yawn too!

How long can you go without yawning?

sources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/question5723.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/facts-yawning-why-we-yawn-contagious_n_3398301.html

If you have a younger sibling, cousin, or just simply know any infants, there is a good chance you have played Peek-A-Boo at some point in your life. Watching their reaction throughout this game is entertaining to us, but have you ever wondered why it is to them? It is much more than the funny faces and noises you naturally add in. This simple game is actually very complex to a baby and can be explained by Jean Piaget’s developmental stages.

Until around the age of two, babies are in what is called a sensorimotor stage. During this stage, the idea of object permanence is not developed. To put it simply, if they do not see an object, that object does not exists to them. When they do develop this idea of object permanence, they will realize that objects still exist even if you can not see them. Accordingly, during Peek-A-Boo, when you cover your face with your hands, you have disappeared. And when you quickly remove your hands, you have magically reappeared.

Throughout my senior year of high school, I babysat twin baby girls. (You can see them representing penn state in the picture ^) I started babysitting them when they were about three months old. Once I learned why infants found Peek-A-Boo so amusing, I decided to try it out myself, now being able to understand their point of view. They were about 7 months old at this point. I sat them both in their highchairs and ended up playing Peek-A-Boo for much longer than planned. Their expression when you “disappear” is priceless. They seem so confused and concerned. And when you reveal your face, they laugh and smile. It never gets old for them.

This topic can be related back to science because it explains one of the stages of brain development. The sensorimotor stage is the first stage of development and is when infants begin to discover the relationship between their own bodies and the world or environment around them. Next time you have the chance to, play Peek-A-Boo with a 5-12 month year old, now with the knowledge behind what makes it so entertaining for them.

Object Permanence

source: http://study.com/academy/lesson/piagets-object-permanence-in-infants-definition-examples-quiz.html

Hello everyone! My name is Brooke and I’m from Warren, NJ. Probably like many of you, I was never really great in science. Biology, chemistry, physics, whatever it was. Hearing the name science made me cringe. So when I saw the description for this course, “possibly even a loathing for science”, I was very intrigued. I was even more interested when I saw the schedule for this class and the topics we would be discussing. I am taking this course to expand my horizons on the subject of science and find how stuff I am interested in can relate back to science (because everything does). Ever since I was younger, I have always wanted to be an event planner. Everyday when I got home from elementary school, I wouldn’t go play dress up or “house” like many other kids did. I would run inside and plan my next “event”. Whether it was planning clubs for people (my 3 sisters) to join, planning imaginary weddings, sweet sixteens, etc. I would watch “The Wedding Planner” over and over and dream to have the same life one day. I still have notebooks full of all my childhood plans, and not many people can say their plans haven’t changed since then. I am majoring in communications to get the education I need to make this happen. I would never consider switching to a science major but I am looking forward to looking deeper into all of these interesting topics, which just by the titles, I have personally never even thought about.

Here is a link to The Wedding Planner trai