Since their discovery, hydrothermal vents have overthrown many theories scientists had regarding deep sea life. The temperature of the waters surrounding these vents exceed the boiling point, but the sheer pressure of those depths prevents any bubbles from appearing. Hydrogen sulphide constantly jets out of the vents, a highly toxic substance for most life forms. However, these hellish vents are often surrounded by colonies of various wildlife, most of which obviously thrive in a toxic, sunless world. These creatures have managed to cope with the lack of sunlight (which we know is a vital part for most life, as it triggers the synthesis of vitamin D) and with the outstanding temperatures. As many deep sea vents dwellers are quite primitive from an evolutionary viewpoint, scientists now try to discover whether these vents were the actual environments where life first occurred roughly 3.5 billion years ago.

The highest temperature vents in our ocean range from 245–265 °C (473-509°F!!) and occur at water depths of 385–540 m near the summit of one volcano. How is it possible that animals survive and thrive in these absurd conditions?

Down in the deep and dark waters are abundant hot springs on the ocean floor releasing warm and mineral-rich fluids – these are called hydrothermal vents. These vents are often associated with undersea volcanoes.  This is because the vents are created and sustained by the heat of volcanic activity at tectonic plate boundaries, found throughout the globe.

hydrothermal vent locations

At these locations, seawater seeps through cracks in the seafloor and is heated by molten rock.  This causes chemical reactions between the two, and the altered seawater becomes hydrothermal fluid.  This hot fluid then jets back into the ocean, forming a hydrothermal vent.

Despite the seemingly harsh volcanic environment, these vents are actually home to a variety of life. Microbes, such as bacteria and archaea, live here – harvesting chemical energy from the hydrothermal fluid.  These microbes form the base of a unique foodchain that includes tubeworms, shrimp, and even crabs that live in communities around the vents.

hydrothermal vent crab

Wildlife Extras report on one large underwater volcano shows that many species have taken to a newly erupted volcano off the coast of Guam. The creatures have developed the ability to nourish themselves off the chemicals released by the eruption, and the populations continue to grow. The species include two kinds of shrimp (loihi, which were previously known from active Hawaii volcanoes, and another species that has yet to be named), limpets, barnacles and crabs.

These species all feed on the nutrients that come from the hardening lava, as well as the bodies of other sea creatures killed by the release of the poisonous gases. The unnamed shrimp species even attacks the loihi shrimp as a food source.

hydrothermal shrimp

Heres a very brief video that summarizes this post in 2 short minutes!

Just a few days ago on youtube, I came across a fascinating YouTube video that showed a side-by-side comparison of a man being drunk under the influence of alcohol and stoned under the influence of marijuana. In this video (which I highly suggest you watch!), the man does a variety of different tests to determine whether a person can function better drunk or stoned. After doing 6 rounds of random tests such as catching a ball, putting together legos, and exercising, it was ultimately concluded that a person has just a little bit more control of function when stoned.

Watching this video made me wonder what actually happens to the brain when it is under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. After completing some research, I found that the answer to this question actually differs significantly.

Alcohol is a depressant of the CNS. That means that alcohol makes nerve cells in the brain less excited, causing them to slow down. People often think that alcohol is a “pick-me-up” experience because it causes drinkers to become more animated and less reserved. That’s because the first areas affected by small amounts of alcohol are those involved in inhibiting behaviors, which can cause an increase in animation, an increase in talkativeness, and greater sociability. But there are many indications that the brain is slowing down. A few of these effects could be altered speech, hazy thinking, slowed reaction time, dulled hearing, impaired vision, weakened muscles and foggy memory. Drinking alcohol can decrease motor function and slow reaction time. For example, when a person is drunk, he or she may not be able to stand or walk a straight line.

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Much different from the effects of alcohol, marijuana can have a completely different effect on the brain. After you inhale marijuana smoke, its chemicals zip throughout the body. THC is a very potent chemical compared to other psychoactive drugs. Once in your bloodstream, THC typically reaches the brain seconds after it is inhaled and begins to go to work.

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Marijuana users often describe the experience of smoking the drug as initially relaxing and mellow, creating a feeling of haziness and light-headedness (although those feelings may differ depending on the particular strain). The user’s eyes may dilate, causing colors to appear more intense, and other senses may be enhanced. Later, the user may have feelings of paranoia and panic. The interaction of the THC with the brain is what causes these feelings. Some common side effects of marijuana are dizziness, shallow breathing, red eyes and dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased appetite, and slowed reaction time. The effects of marijuana aren’t quite as severe of those in alcohol, which makes more sense as to why more functions could be completed high then drunk.

DISCLAIMER: I am not recommending any of these activities, just simply explaining the difference between the two and how they have different effects on the brain. 🙂

Ever since I was a child, I had always had problems with sleep walking, talking, mumbling, etc. Only now has the question come into my head- what is happening in our brains during this crazy phenomenon?

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According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleepwalking, formally known as somnambulism, is a behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while asleep. It is much more common in children than adults and is more likely to occur if a person is sleep deprived. Because a sleepwalker typically remains in deep sleep throughout the episode, he or she may be difficult to awaken and will probably not remember the sleepwalking incident.

Sleepwalking usually involves more than just walking during sleep; it is a series of complex behaviors that are carried out while sleeping, the most obvious of which is walking. Symptoms of sleepwalking disorder range from simply sitting up in bed and looking around, to walking around the room or house, to leaving the house and even driving long distances. It is a common misconception that a sleepwalker should not be awakened. In fact, it can be quite dangerous not to wake a sleepwalker.

Sleepwalking is most often initiated during deep sleep but may occur in the lighter sleep stages or NREM, usually within a few hours of falling asleep, and the sleepwalker may be partially aroused during the episode.

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There is an interesting article on google scholar that explains that sleepwalking is a dissociation between body sleep and mind sleep. Sleepwalking refers to various complex motor behaviors, including walking, that are initiated during deep (stages 3–4) non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep (slow-wave sleep). Some episodes may be limited to sitting up, fumbling, picking at bedclothes, and mumbling. Patients usually stand up and walk around quietly and aimlessly. Occasionally, sleepwalkers become agitated, with thrashing about, screaming, running, and aggressive behavior. Sleepwalking is regarded as a disorder of arousal with frequent but incomplete awakening from slow-wave sleep. The association of abrupt motor activity with diffuse, rhythmic, high-voltage bursts of delta electroencephalographic (EEG) activity indicates a dissociation between mental and motor arousal.

MedicalDaily.com also published an article explaining that sleepwalking happens at the tail end of the NREM phases, when your body has fallen into a semi-conscious state. Formally, the brain’s delta waves are their most active. Delta waves are the slowest waves yet have the greatest amplitude, which contributes to the depth of sleep yet retained ability to be physically active.

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Why certain people’s brains make the transition from high delta wave frequency to sleepwalking, and not simply continued sleep, is something of a mystery. But scientists speculate the behavior likely has roots in poor maturation during childhood. Neurologist Antonio Oliviero, of the National Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo, Spain, believes from his research that faulty wiring related to the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) could be the underlying mechanism.

“In children the neurons that release this neurotransmitter are still developing and have not yet fully established a network of connections to keep motor activity under control,” Oliviero explained in Scientific American. Because GABA suppresses the brain’s motor control signals, a shortage of the substance could lead to a sleepy child whose dreams get turned into reality. “In some, this inhibitory system may remain underdeveloped — or be rendered less effective by environmental factors — and sleepwalking can persist into adulthood.”

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It also runs in the family (no pun intended). If one parent is a sleepwalker, the child has a 45% chance of becoming one. If both parents are, the chances jump to 60 percent. Depressed people are three times more likely to sleepwalk, not to mention migraine sufferers and people with Tourettes syndrome who are four to six times more likely to sleepwalk.

Considering my father was (and still is) an extreme sleepwalker, this is all starting to make sense to me now. It still blows my mind that I am one of the only 3.6 percent of U.S. adults who have walked in their sleep at least once in the previous year… lets just hope that I don’t pass on this crazy habit genetically to my future children!

I was on Facebook the other day when I saw a link to a YouTube video that immediately caught my attention. The video shows a woman preparing a fish to be cooked, when out of the blue the fish starts twitching (even after being beheaded and de-gutted).

Why in the world does a gutless, headless fish still thrash around? Fascinated by this, I had to research the science behind it.

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According to IFLScience.com, although the brain and heart are not functioning, there are cells that can still respond to stimuli, for example, added sodium. Immediately after death, muscle motor neurons (the nerves that create movement within the tissue), which are triggered by electrical signals, still contain some membrane potential (difference in ion concentrations).

All cells are polarized, which means that there is a high-to-low gradient of charged atoms, or ions, from inside cells to outside them. The difference between these concentrations is what creates a charge across a membrane.

When not being activated by the nervous system, neurons maintain their membrane potential by pumping out a balance of sodium and potassium ions (both needed to instigate neurons firing). However, when the neuron is activated with an electric signal, specific channels within the cell open up, allowing sodium ions to flood in – and as equilibrium of charge in the cell to its environment is required, potassium channels are, as a result, also opened up, causing them to flood out of the cell.

Eventually the channels close and the neurons work to restore balance between concentrations of sodium and potassium inside and outside them – but not before triggering nearby channels to open, causing a chain reaction within the muscle.

This is basically how neurons create movement within a tissue.

As previously mentioned, immediately after death, motor neurons maintain some membrane potential, or difference in ion charge, which then starts a domino effect down neural pathways causing movement.

Surprisingly, this crazy phenomenon doesn’t just happen to fish. Heres another similar video that shows a man putting salt on (clearly dead) frog legs, only for them to start twitching as if they were still alive. The same thing happens when squids heads are cut off and the lower half of their body continues to crawl around. In fact, human corpses are also known to randomly move and jerk limbs  for hours after death – although this is due to a different mechanism from that in the dancing squid.

What in the world gives cats the ability to land on their feet, no matter how high the object they are jumping from/falling out of? Cat owner or not, we have all witnessed this happen at some point in our lives. So how exactly do they do it?

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According to AnimalPlanet.com, a falling cat begins to shift its balance from the second its flight begins. The cats body determines which side should be up, and then begins rotating its head, directed by its eyes and ears, until its facing that way. Next, its spine follows as it arches its back; then its front feet, followed by its hind legs with his front paws placed close to his face to spare it from the ground’s impact.  As the cat lands, its leg joints bear the impact of its weight. A falling cat is less like an airplane and more like a parachute. As its body orients itself to the falling motion, it relaxes and spreads out for the landing ahead. Check out this video of a very obese cat being dropped and ultimately landing on all four feet.

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Sciencebasedlife.wordpress.com recently posted that “in a 1987 study of 132 cats brought to a New York City emergency veterinary clinic after falls from high-rise buildings, 90% of treated cats survived and only 37% needed emergency treatment to keep them alive. One that fell 32 stories onto concrete suffered only a chipped tooth and a collapsed lung and was released after 48 hours”.

A recent study on PhysLink.com reported that cats surviving falls of several stories in height have coined the expression of cats having “high rise syndrome.” Like many small animals, cats are said to have a non-fatal terminal falling velocity. That is, because of their very low body volume-to-weight ratio these animals are able to slow their decent by spreading out – flying squirrel style. Simply put, animals with these characteristics are fluffy and have a high drag coefficient giving them a greater chance of surviving these falls. Heres a short documentary showing and explaining how cats always land on their feet.

Maybe it really is true that cats have 9 lives!

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Hi everyone!! My name is Devon and I’m an undecided major from Bucks County, PA (probably 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia).

I took this class because I’m undecided and really just didn’t know what to take, especially for the first semester. One of the advisers at NSO told me that a lot of freshman loved this class, so I just took her word for it and signed up, not really knowing much about the class. I must say though, that after the first few classes I am extremely happy with having made this decision. 🙂

I am not a science major because anything math/science/number related just completely isn’t my thing. Ever since I can remember I have despised math and everything about it, so I’m happy I can finally avoid being forced to take it. I am a spanish minor and will hopefully end up in some kind of major revolving around communications.

Heres one of my favorite youtube videos ever of an 82-year-old trying pop rocks. 

Heres a picture of young Leo, because who doesn’t love young Leo.