Growing up, my parents were “those parents” that tried to ruin my childhood by not allowing me to indulge in the delicious “dangerous” treats raw cookie dough, brownie batter, or cupcake mix. As a kid, I could not understand why my parents believed that these yummy substances which all of my friends were allowed to consume could be deadly. Unfortunately, an article on Web MD reaffirms my parent’s claims. In 2009, the consumption of raw Nestle’s Toll House cookies led to a breakout of E.coli. This outbreak resulted in 77 people in 30 different states becoming sick upon consuming the dough before cooking it, landing 35 people in the hospital. Web MD tells us that, “The outbreak prompted a recall of 3.6 million packages of cookie dough and some changes in the way that Nestle and other companies manufacture their cookie dough”. Upon research, Nestle believes that the outbreak may have been a result of contaminated flour. Despite the revisions Nestle claims to have made, it is still not safe to eat raw cookie dough according to Web MD. Thankfully, most people recover from E.coli infection within a week. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and cramps.

The other, more prevalent concern of eating raw cookie dough has traditionally been contracting salmonella due to the consumption of raw eggs. An article from Consumerist seems to refute this hypothesis despite the many parents that disagree. In the 1980’s, there was a salmonella egg associated outbreak in the north eastern United States which resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds more sicknesses. This resulted in the Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assurance program, along with many other states calling for similar programs. Since these reforms, “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in 20,000 eggs is internally contaminated with salmonella”. This seems like a relatively low risk compared to the benefit of enjoying delicious cookie dough. One could argue that it depends how important it is to you to enjoy the raw substance in order to weigh the risk.

An article from Slate explains that even if we do contract salmonella from eating an egg (which, as explained above, is very rare), it is highly unlikely to be able to flourish inside our bodies and make us sick. If you are a healthy adult, salmonella bacteria would have a hard time surviving in your intestinal tract due to the other healthy bacteria in your body fighting it for nutrients. The website warms that if you are sick, a child, or elderly, a small quantity of salmonella could indeed cause illness. This is why are parents warm us as children not to eat it.

To conclude, one could argue that everything in life carries some element of risk. If you enjoy eating cookie dough, you could choose to cross your fingers and pray that you don’t get the one in 20,000 eggs contaminated with salmonella. It is interesting that this is one of the many examples of our parents using advice that they have heard over the years despite having no scientific knowledge on the topic. If we want to avoid all risk, we should listen to our elder’s words of wisdom and opt for a different treat. There may be a new, safe alternative to this cookie dough problem. There is a trendy new store entitled “The Cookie Dough Cafe” which claims to serve “edible” cookie dough in large containers eaten directly with a spoon- absolutely no baking involved. Here is a link to there FAQ page.

Here is a video clip from the Philadelphia based film, Rocky, where he drinks raw eggs in order to IMPROVE his physical performance- thus emphasizing the presumed benefits of consuming raw egg rather than dangers.

We are in control of our own happiness. The dreams that you wish will come true. Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any unpleasant thing that has passed.It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.These are some of the seemingly clique quotes and pieces of advice that we have all heard countless times since birth. Most people in our society understand these concepts yet see them as unrealistic ideas meant for a utilitarian society. What if there is a scientific basis for the theory that you, and only you, are in control of your own happiness? What would you do to change? Happiness is the one thing which everyone strives to achieve throughout the course of their lifetime. I would like to leave you all with tips and scientific research that proves that these ideas are not far-fetched. They are real and they are attainable. The time to change your way of thinking is now- time is ticking and happiness is within reach.

A website entitled “Happify” is devoted to research done on “the science of happiness.” The website asserts that our happiness level at a specific time is a combination of our genes, behaviors, and circumstances. For many years, scientists have spent an immense amount of time researching psychological problems and all of the negative aspects of human life. The importance of the field of positive psychology is just beginning to be emphasized. Happify adresses Savor, Thank, Aspire, Give, and Empathize (STAGE) as attainable goals that evoke happiness. Savor means to notice and focus on positive things that happen on a daily basis. The research of Bob Emmons, a Psychology professor at the University of California, shows that, “First, the practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%. Second, this is not hard to achieve. A few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more. Third, cultivating gratitude brings other health effects, such as longer and better quality sleep time.” This explains the “thank” component of STAGE. With regards to “aspire”, another study Happify adressed found that “participants who were asked to imagine their future in an optimistic light increased their levels of happiness over the next six months”. It is important to note that there could have been third variables involved in these experiments. The power that giving to others has on our own happiness is immense and has been researched in depth repeatedly. One groundbreaking experiment performed by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky requested that students perform five random acts of kindness each week for six weeks. While the control group experienced a reduction in well-being, those who engaged in acts of kindness showed a 42% increase in happiness. We do not know what the criteria were for “happiness” in these experiments nor do we know how the percentages are being calculated. However, this is a published, widely respected study and we can therefore assume with relatively high confidence that the findings are meaningful. Finally, being empathic helps us to form close bonds with our peers which is generally essential for true happiness.

Is there any physiological evidence of this power I’m claiming we have over our happiness? According to an article onUplift Connect, there is. The website explains that, “Whenever you have a thought, one synapse shoots a chemical across the cleft to another synapse, thus building a bridge over which an electric signal can cross, carrying along its charge the relevant information you’re thinking about”. Thus, your thoughts are literally reshaping your brain.

This is not to say that genes and circumstances do not have a profound affect on our happiness as well. The picture below comes from an article in New York Magazine, The Science of Us.

To conclude, there is a ton of research to be done in the field of positive psychology. The importance of knowing how to tell people to improve their lives is just beginning to be realized. If you found this blog interesting and would like to know more, check out this entertaining Ted Talk based on the topic.

As I was sitting in my criminology class recently, I had the opportunity to learn about Amsterdam’s many fascinating laws that greatly differ from those enforced here in the United states. One such difference is the “coffee shops” that legally exist in Amsterdam which are able to sell marijuanna as well as “edibles”, which are the topic I am adressing. “Edibles”, otherwise known as “space cakes” are foods that contain cannibus. We are all aware of the controversial question of whether or not there are health risks involved in smoking marijuanna. This is a question frequently in the media spotlight and is a source of concern for the government and medical professionals as well. Upon hearing about the prevalence of edibles in this foreign country, however, I was compelled to wonder about the dangers involved in actually consuming and digesting this substance.

The Washington Times released an article on the CDC’s warnings about consuming edibles. A man named Levy Thamba bought a large cookie that contained pot at a pot shop in Colorado where these products are also legal. Despite being advised to break it into parts and consume small pieces at a time, he ate the entire thing and ultimately jumped off a balcony to his death. The CDC says that, “If you ingest a large quantity of edible marijuana in a short amount of time, you risk over-consumption, and in increased risk of mental health effects.” The autopsy on Thamba showed that his body contained 7.2 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood which is not nearly a lethal amount. This case doesn’t seem to point to any significant dangers involved in eating the drug, just shows that people are not aware of exactly how to use it.The Forbes website has an article that explains that, “With smoking, the peak blood levels happen within 3-10 minutes, and with eating, it’s 1-3 hours.” Because of this, people who eat an edible are tempted to consume too much due to the fact that they can not feel the effects. Also, the amount of THC in the product can vary greatly, making it difficult to know exactly how it will affect you. Forbes explains that “The most common presenting symptom to the ER are anxiety and panic attacks, and acute psychotic episodes – confusion, disorientation, delusions, hallucinations”. These symptoms are similar to the ones present if you smoke too much marijuanna as well. Immediate rare physical symptoms may include achycardia, impaired motor ability, and ataxia and last anywhere from 3 to 10 hours.

An article on the Life Science websitesuggests that eating the drug rather then smoking it may circumvent some of the adverse effects associated with it. Any risk of respiratory cancer would most likely arise when cannabis tars are inhaled with smoke; therefore, eating it would most likely avoid this. The possibility of THC being a carcinogen is still controversial, therefore making the danger of edibles also controversial.

In conclusion, some of the dangers of edibles are still equally as unknown as the dangers of marijuanna. There is most definitely not any clear greater danger in eating the drug rather than smoking it. More research on the effects of THC will be done as the drug laws change with time.

It is not a secret that the number of people diagnosed with mental diseases ranging from ADHD all the way to schizophrenia has drastically increased with each passing year. In addition, the number of patients that doctors encourage to consume prescription drugs is increasing with time. The controversy behind these findings is whether it is the ability to diagnose patients inflicted with actual problems or an increase in over diagnoses that is leading to these rises in statistics. My attention was drawn to this problem after viewing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ performance of their new song “Kevin” on the American Music Awards this past month. The song is a commentary of the “war on prescription drugs” that our generation is dealing with in America. Macklemore shows his feelings towards the issue through his powerful lyrics, “Doctor, please, give me a dose of the American Dream. Put down the pen and look in my eyes, We’re in the waiting room and something ain’t right. All this is on you, we’re over prescribed”. Here is a link to the rest of the lyrics.

Is doctors over prescribing medication leading to widespread addiction? According to Science Daily, “Since 1997, the number of Americans seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers increased by 900%”. The probability that the number of people getting injured increased dramatically enough to produce that large of a percentage is highly unlikely; therefore, one must question why doctors are so much more likely to prescribe these medications than they previously were. Doctors face external pressures from opioid manufacturers to suggest long term prescription for the chronic pain that their patients faced. According to the government’s Drug Abuse website, “the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has soared in the United States, more than quadrupling since 1999”. This website points out that the widespread environmental access to these types of prescriptions occurs because of “drastic increases in the number of prescriptions written and dispensed, greater social acceptability for using medications for different purposes, and aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies”. Opioids are usually prescribed for moderate to severe pain and act by attaching to specific proteins called opioid receptors located on nerve cells. The affects of this include reduced sensation of pain and a rise in sense of well-being, along with an increase in drowsiness, mental confusion, and nausea. When the drug is taken in ways other then prescribed, which unfortunately happens frequently, the euphoric effects are increased and addiction is bound to occur.

Another large problem is that patients are sometimes compelled to give their medication to family or friends whom they feel would benefit from it. High school students may be tempted to steal easily accessible prescription drugs from family medicine cabinets after experiencing pressure from their contemporaries or pop culture. Finally, patients in need of the drug may attempt selling the drug to those who are addicted, thus perpetuating a criminal drug market. The Drug Abuse website tells us that “in 2012, over five percent of the U.S. population aged 12 years or older used opioid pain relievers non-medically”. This statistic gives evidence to all of the claims previously stated.

The Worst Pills website explains many research studies performed that show scenarios where doctors prescribe medication despite the potential of alternative methods being used. One experiment presented doctors with part of a clinical scenario and then encouraged them to find out more about the source of the problem by asking the patients additional questions. Despite being told to do this, 65% of doctors recommended that a patient complaining of insomnia be treated with sleeping pills before asking questions and failed to realize underlying reasons why patients truly had insomnia. This small example is much too common in the American medical industry.

In conclusion, there is a lot of corruption and controversy in the pharmaceutical industry that negatively affects an increasing number of American Citizens. In 2011, the United States Government released a paper entitled, “Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crises” which can be found through this link. This topic is very prevalent and new information is being researched daily in an attempt to fight this so called epidemic.

My infatuation with the talented singer Nick Jonas has grown recently after viewing his incredible performance on the American Music Awards. While joyfully listening to his station on Pandora, the song “Year 3000” came on and gave me an incredibly interesting blog post idea.The lyrics reference having the opportunity to meet your descendants long after your death. Mortality is embedded in the definition of a human being. People have been attempting to fight this mortal aspect of their existence since the beginning of time. Many researchers and scientists feel as though we may be on the tract to resurrecting people from the dead- thus completely and utterly transforming life as we know it.

The Alcor Website defines Cryonics as “an effort to save lives by using temperatures so cold that a person beyond help by today’s medicine might be preserved for decades or centuries until a future medical technology can restore that person to full health”.ABC News did a story on Cryonic’s technology for life institute which was opened in 1976 by scientist Robert Ettinger. Since then, nearly 200 people have been frozen in this institute with the hope of someday being revived. Each body costs $28,000 to freeze and store until it can be thawed. One argument against cryonics adressed by Dr. Kenneth Goodman is that, “If you have enough money (for cryonics), then you have enough money to help somebody in need today.” New generations enter the world and old ones leave it- depressing but valid. Some people believe that the cost is too outrageous to even attempt researching resurrection. Many critics can not wrap their brains around the phenomenon and feel that, “b;elieving cryonics could reanimate somebody who has been frozen is like believing you can turn hamburger back into a cow.” The Alcor Life Extension Foundation refutes this point with scientific evidence that “structural preservation of brain tissue in the presence of high concentrations of cryoprotectant is excellent”. Life can be stopped and restarted if the cell structure is preserved sufficiently well as seen with human embryos or people that are revived after experiencing serious trauma. Adding high concentrations of chemicals called cryoprotectants to cells permits tissue to be cooled to very low temperatures with little or no ice formation, thus safely preserving organs. Extensive research is being done with nanotechnology on regeneration and tissue repair, thus providing the potential to fix revived subject’s injuries. Another major argument people have against cryonics is that we are making a large assumption that future generations will want to carry on the attempt to put research and money into reviving frozen subjects.

On September 12, 2015, The New York Times published an article on a 23 year old women named Kim Suozzi diagnosed with terminal cancer who made the decision to have her brain frozen in the hopes of a second chance at life later on. Here is a touching video describing her first hand experience with cryogenics.

Here is a list of people that have chosen to by cryonically preserved and their stories.

In conclusion, the entire question of cryonics is extremely controversial and both sides have passionate defenders of their theories. There is still an immense amount of research to be done before any major gains are made. It can be seen as an experiment, the controls being the general population and the experimental group being the brave few who dare to attempt breaking the bounds fo mortality.

What if someone told you that one sexual encounter you have in college could lead to a variety of detrimental health problems in the future? Would you rethink having the drunken one-night stand with a partner whom you know nothing about? Would you be more inclined to ask your new significant other about their past sexual experiences? Well readers, sexually transmitted diseases are an unfortunate, scary reality for more people than our society cares to acknowledge. Every jaw dropped in Andrew’s vaccine lecture when we were informed that “over 75% of people get HPV in their lives”. He also stated that 20% of students enter college with the human papilloma virus, while 80% leave college infected. This is quite disturbing information seeing how this virus has the potential to cause genital warts (pleasant- I know), cancer, and even death. The light that Andrew shed upon this topic that so greatly effects my contemporaries compelled me to do more research on how STD’s effect college students.

An article on NPR explains a term called “information aversion” which is used by social scientists to explain human being’s tendency to avoid hearing harmful information. The article explains a study in which college student’s were presented with the opportunity to take a blood test for the herpes simplex virus, a common STD “that spreads via contact”. Type 1 of the virus “produces cold sores”, while type 2 “targets the genitals”. After being shown photos of the effects of having the virus, students were given the option to be tested for it or not. The experimental design made sure to “eliminate extraneous reasons someone would decline the information” besides information aversion (aka, third variables). The results showed that only 5% of participants declined the test for type 1 herpes, while three times as many declined the test for type 2. This information seems to point directly towards the hypothesis being tested. What are the implications of this “information aversion” towards one’s health? This ignorance has severe consequences. When one is not aware that they are infected with a dangerous virus, they can not make the intelligent decisions necessary to protect the health of future romantic/ sexual partners, leading to a rapid rise in the number of people infected. This website failed to go into detail about the number of participants in the study and if it was randomized, decreasing the reliability of the findings.

Nursing Schools website estimates that one in four college students will contract an STD during their time at college. Despite condoms ability to vastly lower one’s risk of being infected with an STD, the article presents some frightening statistics; “Only 54 percent of students regularly use condoms during vaginal intercourse, 29 percent during anal intercourse and only 4 percent during oral sex”. Another scary fact that highlights the danger of information aversion is that “80% of people who have a sexually transmitted disease experience no noticeable symptoms”, making getting tested extremely important.

Something that effects so many people, particularly those in my generation, with the potential to have such dangerous consequences should be researched in depth and cures should be looked into. It is extremely interesting and disturbing to hear the statistics I adressed above. I hope to have encouraged some of you reader’s to change your ways if you have been partaking in dangerous sexual activities and opened your eyes to some of the consequences your actions can lead to. Here is an extremely informational video on STD’s in general to further your knowledge on the topic and increase your future safety.

When we are young, our decision making skills are anatomically lacking. Throughout the entirety of our adolescents, we are faced with moral dilemmas which we do our best to resolve. The worst fear of each individual member of society is to make the wrong decision and have that act culminate in something terribly life altering later on. One example of this could be the decision to have an abortion at a very young age. Imagine a 15 year old girl finding out that she is pregnant and making the decision to abort the fetus. Next, imagine that same girl grown up, now 30, trying to start a family with her husband whom she is madly in love with yet is struggling to get pregnant, far less carry a baby to term. Could a decision she made when she was just a child effect her and her husband for the rest of their lives? That is, could abortion increase the risk of infertility in women? Science is trying to determine the answer to this question now through the means of research.

An article from the Mayo Clinic website explains that although abortion isn’t shown to directly cause later infertility, some problematic symptoms have been identified. Abortion may increase the risk of vaginal bleeding, preterm birth, low birth weight, or placenta problems for subsequent pregnancies. Another rare yet serious possibility is a surgical abortion causing damage to the cervix or uterus. Corrective surgery would need to be done before the woman could conceive again. Also, “rarely the cervix can be weakened, leading to the potential for the cervix to open prematurely (incompetent cervix) in a subsequent pregnancy”. The chances of these serious medical problems occurring is shown to increase as the number of abortions a woman previously underwent increases.

A website entitled Religious Tolerance highlights the fact that pro-life groups are typically eager to believe that abortions cause infertility while pro-choice groups tend to negate that claim. This website includes a quote from planned parenthood claiming that abortions “very rarely cause infertility”. It goes on to talk about how when legit medical abortions were illegal, “operations were performed outside the law by backstreet abortionists using unsterilised equipment and dangerous techniques”. These types of acts commonly led to complications such as pelvic infection thus causing infertility. The New Zealand Resource for Life Related Issues talks about the political issues being ginormous third variables behind this scientific question. Their article states that, “Because abortion is such a controversial issue, any expert who speaks up and links abortion with negative side-effects is regarded as a secret “pro-lifer” and is in danger of committing professional ‘suicide'”. A study done on 11 West African women whom had experienced infertility after terminating a previous pregnancy resulted in the finding that retained fetal bone in their bodies was causing it. After the fetal bone was removes, 8 out of the 11 women were able to conceive. Another way that women who go through an abortion can experience later infertility is if the doctor accidentally does an incomplete abortion, leaving foetal tissue to rot inside of the women causing serious infection.

Through researching this topic I found that some controversial issues that have a science angle become highly difficult to retain factual information on due to all of the bias’ involved. Many third variables such as the researchers political or religious beliefs, the woman’s health, or the males fertility all play a role in the results of these studies. This reminds us that we must look for factual information and well conducted studies before making life altering decisions.

Here is an informative video on one of the responses to whether or not abortions can lead to fertility problems.

“YOUR RUINING ALL OF MY HARD WORK!” “YOU MAKE ALL OF YOUR FOOD TASTE THE SAME!” “YOUR TASTE BUDS ARE GOING TO BE DESENSITIZED BY THE AGE OF 20!” .. Every week night for most of my adolescence at my dinner table in Havertown, Pennsylvania, I heard the same lecture as I dumped varieties of hot sauce onto every delicious meat, vegetable, and starch that my mother prepared.I have yet to escape this nagging at college due to a majority of my contemporaries nightly comments, “How do you handle all of that hot sauce?!” and the continuous exclamations, “Your tongues gonna fall off!!”. Some of my friends, however, have a similar infatuation with hot sauce as me and join me in submerging my lunches and dinners in the glorious condiment. What is the cause for this difference in taste? Why can some enjoy spicy foods that cause others to break a sweat? Could spicy foods be beneficial for my health? Does an excess of heat actually harm my taste buds? I turned to science for answers to these questions.

Medical daily explains a study on the subject who’s main researcher happens to be Nadia Byrnes, a doctoral candidate at Penn State University. This study, presented at the Institute of Food Technologies meeting in 2013, consisted of 184 participants between the ages of 18 and 45. Researchers used the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) test.This test groups people into thrill seekers (high AISS score) versus humans less open to risk taking (low AISS score).”The participants were than given 25 micrometers of capsaicin — the spicy component in chili peppers — in their meals, and told to rate how much they enjoyed their meal as time passed and the burn became more intense. The researchers found that as the burn became more intense, those who scored under the average AISS score quickly began to dislike the food, while those who scored above it liked the food – even as its intensity increased. Those who scored near the average score also began to dislike the food but not as quickly as those below the average”. This study concludes that a person that generally seeks thrilling sensations is more inclined to enjoy spicy foods then those people who do not like to participate in new experiences and ignores any potential anatomical reasons for enjoying “hot” flavors.

ABC news released an article on health benefits of enjoying spicy foods. They described a study by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences that researched the diets of approximately half a million people in a seven year longitudinal observational experiment. The results showed that participants who ate spicy foods nearly every day had a “14 percent lower risk of death”, compared to those who ate spicy foods only once or less every 7 days. Could this result induce you to begin adding hot sauce to your list of things to pick up at the grocery store? I believe that this evidence brings about enough of a possible correlation to say “yes”. In addition, despite some of my friends and families accusations, there are no known risk factors of adding spicy foods to your diet on your taste buds.

An article on live science quotes Paul Bosland, “horticulturist, director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University and identifier of several of the world’s spiciest peppers”. The reputation comes from the chemical capsaicin making the mouth temporarily numb, giving the sensation that your tastebuds are being damaged. This is just a defense mechanism your body has which causes your taste receptors to send a “signal to your brain that there’s pain in the form of hotness or heat”, resulting in your brain producing endorphins causing numbness. There is absolutely no evidence showing that hot foods damage the mouth.

I hope that, if you are a spice lover like me, I have given you the information needed to defend your perspective! Feel free to continue to cover your food in Tobasco as much as you would like. Also, be understanding of your non-risk taking contemporaries who do not have the same obsession that you do and find it difficult to fathom your dieting choices.

As I sat in my dorm room avoiding writing another blog post / waiting for great inspiration with regards to a topic to hit me, I turned to Netflix (shocking– I know). As I scrolled through the many movie choices, the wonderful Jennifer Aniston’s name caught my eye and I clicked “watch now” without even worrying about the flick’s description, assuming it would be a fabulous choice per usual. Little did I know that I was about to embark on a journey in which I was subjected to my favorite actress being alone and tired of waiting for a man to start a family, thus deciding to partake in artificial insemination. This movie, entitled “The Switch” is one of the many recent blockbusters that revolves around a character experimenting with this and the results that come from using this fertility option. I went to a private catholic high school where I learned a lot about the moral aspects of this scientific achievement which is gaining popularity as a logical choice for those who, like Jennifer, want a child without a relationship, or face problems with infertility. I never questioned how children are both emotionally and physically effected by this, if at all. This is a question that scientist try to uncover the answer to.

For those of you who do not know, Web MD defines artificial insemination as “a technique that can help treat certain kinds of infertility in both men and women. In this procedure, sperm are inserted directly into a woman’s cervix, fallopian tubes, or uterus. This makes the trip shorter for the sperm and bypasses any possible obstructions. Ideally, it makes pregnancy possible where it wasn’t before.” A website entitled “Slate” has an article on the psychological well-being of children conceived through artificial insemination. “Each year an estimated 30,000-60,000 children are born in this country via artificial insemination, but the number is only an educated guess. Neither the fertility industry nor any other entity is required to report on these statistics”. Because of this, there is a severe lack of research on the effects brought upon by mothers who become pregnant through these means. The website describes an experiment done on 18 to 45 year olds, 485 of which were conceived via sperm donation, 562 adopted as infants, and 563 raised by their biological parents.Results show that nearly half of sperm donor conceived children are “disturbed” at the idea that money was involved in their conception. Additionally, when they see someone that looks like them, they question whether that person could be their biological parent. To me, this does not seem healthy. Results also showed that “Regardless of socioeconomic status, donor offspring are twice as likely as those raised by biological parents to report problems with the law before age 25. They are more than twice as likely to report having struggled with substance abuse. And they are about 1.5 times as likely to report depression or other mental health problems”. I am only questioning the psychological effect of children conceived through sperm donators and am therefore ignoring the effects of artificial insemination done by two people who love each other yet can not have a child due to infertility. Here is a link to Jennifer Aniston’s character describing her reasoning for deciding to be artificially inseminated.

LIVE STRONG has an article some of the negative physical effects artificial insemination can have on the mother. Women may develop a disease known as ovarian hyperactivity syndrome in which their ovaries become swollen and painful. Also, artificial insemination increases a woman’s chances of becoming impregnated with multiple children at the same time, increasing the risk of birth complications. Other than that, artificial insemination does not specifically seem to lead to birth defects or diseases later in life for the child.

Finally, their is a lot of controversy over the psychological effects sperm donation has on the men involved. The Witherspoon Institute Public Discourse states that, “Commercialized sperm “donation” degrades and objectifies men”. Men may suffer later in life knowing that they are the biological father’s of a certain number of children whom they will never have the opportunity to support or love. A movie featuring Vince Vaughn entitled, “Delivery Man” pokes fun at this serious emotional problem which is becoming apart of our society. The man character finds out that he “fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago”. 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity which creates multitudes of issues.

To conclude, medicinal and scientific advances generally have insanely powerful benefits. If you ask a couple who was desperate to have children and, as a result of artificial insemination, received an answer to their prayers, they would most likely advocate the procedure. Speak with Vince Vaughn’s character on the other hand, you may receive a different response. Is are society becoming corrupted in it’s attempts to play God? I’ll leave that question up to you.

Most of us can honestly admit that we have experienced a level of drowsiness so great that we would be endangering the live’s of others by stepping behind the wheel of a vehicle. Could driving while tired be just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated? How can one tell if they are past the point of exhaustion that deems it irresponsible to drive? Many people put time into researching these questions which have the potential to influence the lives of the entire population. You may be surprised to hear that one influential researcher of this problem is not even old enough to be eligible for a drivers license of her own.

14 year old Katharine Wu was a finalist in “the 2014 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge as a result of her idea for a “device designed to detect and prevent drowsy driving” entitled “the driver’s companion”. This is her video submission to the competition in which she describes how her creation works.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has an entire section about current laws against driving drowsy. Many states enacted driving drowsy awareness days/weeks/months in order to spread awareness on the dangerous effects the choice can have. In Pennsylvania, April is dedicated to this cause. In some states, accidents involving a fatigued driver, classified as 24 hours without sleep, can constitute punishment for negligent homicide. US News and World Report released a video which acknowledges the similarities between driving drunk and driving drowsy.

The official Drowsy Driving website explains that in a 2005 National Sleep Foundation Poll, 60% of adult driver’s admitted to driving drowsy within the previous year. Even more worrisome then that statistic is that 37% of them said that they had actually fallen asleep at the wheel. People like Katharine Wu are working to lower that statistic.

The “driver’s companion” tracks EEG waves and eye blinks to determine a driver’s drowsiness level while they wear a “mind wave mobile headset”. The data is sent to a credit card sized device that sits on the vehicle’s dashboard. If the level’s seem to drowsy, auditory and visual signals are sent in order to make the driver more alert.

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Why is driving drowsy so dangerous? The NCSDR/NHTSA Expert Panel on Driver Fatigue and Sleepiness website has an immense amount of answers and information on this topic. In studies conducted by this organization, relevant impairments and the reasons why it is dangerous to drive while exhausted are slower reaction time, reduced vigilance, and deficits in information processing. These were defined through performing in-lab and in-vehicle studies.

The figure below shows that “Performance slows with sleep deprivation. A summary of data (Kribbs, Dinges, 1994) on reaction to an event marker presented to a subject every 4 seconds or so over a 10-minute period. As reaction time is longer, the inverse value is reduced, indicating a slowing of the perception/reaction response. The response to an event marker slows more across time in the sleep-deprived (very sleepy) subject than in a subject who has had normal amounts of sleep”.

To conclude, the danger’s of driving while exhausted are extremely evident. Although Katharine Wu had a good start, her device is still being tested and researched. A large dilemma the invention faces is that people can not be forced to wear it. A large majority of adults drive and a large majority of adults do not get the recommended amount of sleep per night. Therefore, everytime we step into our cars we are trusting that ourselves as well as those around us are driving responsibly.

My mom has a sleep walking issue. If she is woken up out of a deep sleep she will walk to the kitchen and begin acting as though she is highly intoxicated despite having had nothing to drink. She will speak about things that make absolutely no sense to those around her. Upon waking up in the morning, she will have no recollection of her journey through our house the previous evening. After witnessing her behavior, one could argue that she is not quite in control of her actions or responsible for her words when in her sleepy state. To me, this seems like an innocent, hilarious problem; however, WHAT IF… God forbid… my mother was to murder someone during one of her nightly escapades? What if she attempted driving a car and in her dreamy state of mind robbed a store? Would her “sleepwalking” be a legitimate defense? In my criminology class, we learned that throughout the history of the criminal justice system, this excuse has indeed been applicable in certain cases.

US News and World Report released an article on “7 Criminal Cases That Invoked the ‘Sleepwalking Defense'”. The first successful case in which this defense was used was Massachusetts v. Tirrell. in 1846. Tirrell was a chronic sleepwalker who nearly decapitated a prostitute, yet was believed by the jury and found not guilty. Two cases in which the defendant was originally found guilty yet had the decision reversed on appeal were Fain v. Commonwealth and State v. Bradley, both claiming to have been in somnambulistic states upon murdering their victims. In Regina v. Parks a man drove to his in-laws house and viciously murdered them, following which he drove to a police station. He had severed many tendons in both of his hands but seemed oblivious to the pain, causing the police to believe he was sleepwalking. He was found “not conscious, not responsible, not guilty”. In 1994 Pennsylvania v. Ricksgers , Michael Ricksgers was found guilty despite his defense of previous sleep apnea/ sleep walking episodes. The jury believed that he had alternative reasons to kill his victim (his wife).

Just how many people are actually affected by sleepwalking? Is it possible that something tragic could happen as a result of one of your unconscious habits? The Official Journal for the American Academy of Neurology released a study on the “prevalence and comorbidity of nocturnal wandering among US adult general population”. The results showed that out of 19,136 American adults, 3.6% reported that they had experienced night wandering within the previous year. Science Daily has an article describing a study done by The American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the potential dangers of sleep walking. The results of the study done on 100 diagnosed sleep walking adults showed that “a positive history of violent sleep related behaviors was found in 58 percent, including 17 percent who experienced at least one episode involving injuries to the sleepwalker or bed partner that required medical care”.This leads us to understand the possibility of someone committing a crime similar to those mentioned above.

The Wikipedia page for homicidal sleepwalking has an immense amount of interesting information and more example cases if you found this blog post interesting. Medical Daily also has an article on a rare but not unheard of disease/ criminal defense called “Sexomnia” in which rape is committed during sleep. In Sweden, people have been found not guilty using this as an excuse.

What exactly causes sleepwalking? It is not entirely known. Web M.D. tells us that the disorder seems to be highly biologically influenced. You are 10 times more likely to experience this sleep disorder if someone in your immediate family sleepwalks then someone in a family with no sleepwalkers. Other potential factors of this occurring are a chaotic sleep schedule, drunkenness, sleep deprivation, and some types of medication.

There are strong conflicting opinions about using sleep walking as a defense in a murder case. At first glance, it sounds legit and I feel sorry for the perpetrator as I imagine my mom not able to control her actions. However, I find it hard to distinguish someone claiming to be sleep walking from someone claiming to be under the strong influence of alcohol or drugs. I would argue that it is 100% possible for someone to lose complete control of their actions when highly intoxicated, yet this would not be considered an excuse for a crime. I suppose a reason for this could be because people do not choose to sleep, yet they do chose to drink or do drugs. Another reason why I believe the sleep walking defense is illegitimate is because when I imagine the family of the victim hearing that as an excuse, I can not fathom that being enough of a reason for them to have lost a loved one.

http://thehealthyhavenblog.com/2011/03/08/true-or-false-never-wake-a-sleepwalker/

I have a very routine procedure when I go to the movie theatre (one of my favorite activities). I am one of those movie-goers that has to ask for an extra bag to put around the standard popcorn container given to me due to the what some would consider aggressive amount of butter I put on my popcorn.I justify this1,200 calorie purchase by telling myself that popcorn is a must at the movies. My best friend and I then buy one box of Milkduds (370 calories) and one box of Bunch-a-Crunch (441), following which we combined the boxes into one gloriously delicious treat. If these numbers didn’t just make you cringe, I am not quite sure what will.

Why, oh why, is a 19 year old average sized girl have no problem at all polishing off this grotesque amount of junk? Could it have something to do with the type of movie there watching? Cornell University Food and Brand Lab has done research on the matter. “According to findings published in a JAMA-Internal Medicine research letter, movie goers ate 28% more popcorn (125 versus 98 grams) when watching the tragedy Love Story than when watching the comedy Sweet Home Alabama.” The Cornell study showed that people subjected to a classified tearjerker ate between 28% and 55% more popcorn both a movie theatre and a lab setting. There are also studies that suggest action films have a similar affect. Could it be that going to the movies in general has the potential to make us fat?

There is not a lot of research saying that movies in general cause us to eat more. In my AP psychology class, however, I learned that food can often be consumed because we are bored or distracted rather then because of real hunger. Maybe the comfy reclining chairs and darkness of a movie theatre cause us to forget momentarily about our diets and the rest of the outside world. For now, use a trip to the movies as an opportunity to practice self control. Do as I say, not as I do my friends.

If you have previously read any of my blog posts, you are fully aware of my unfortunate ice-cream obsession. Is it bad that I have found a way to relate the delicious substance to nearly all of my science blogs? … *sigh*. It may surprise you to learn that I am extremely interested in learning about nutrition and different types of cuisines. This interest has led me to do a lot of outside research on different popular diet methods. My inspiration for this post came from my theatre teacher pulling out a banana in the middle of class and explaining to us that she was attempting a new diet in which the only food she consumed for x amount of time was bananas. THAT’S BANANAS, I exclaimed! That can not be healthy for you. So here I am, uncovering the truth and bringing the top-rated diets over-all into you college student’s lives in an effort to make sure no one else subjects themselves to the unnecessary torture of consuming strictly bananas in an attempt to lose weight.

US News released an article listing the top 10 Best Diets Over All.. Their #1 rated diet is entitled The “DASH Diet” and “is rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts. It also contains less salt and sodium; sweets, added sugars, and sugar-containing beverages; fats; and red meats than the typical American diet. This heart healthy way of eating is also lower in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and rich in nutrients that are associated with lowering blood pressure—mainly potassium, magnesium, and calcium, protein, and fiber”. This diet really helps to lower blood pressure and is known to help patients lose a lot of weight. It is easy to follow and requires users to eat a specific amount from each food group, helping the person to monitor what their taking in.

This link will take you to the US News website and an extensive list of diets rated on many different categories. One extreme, low rated yet popular diet is entitled the “Paleo Diet”. It is based on the idea that we should eat as the cavemen did. It is difficult to follow and requires you to give up grains, dairy, sugar, and alcohol. This basically limits dieters to meat and plants. The claim is that users will lead a healthier, disease free life; however, there seems to be many risks and unclear benefits and therefore is not a diet I would recommend.

In conclusion, it is extremely important and beneficial to do extensive research on a diet before trying it out. There are many myths around popular diets that could cause it to be useless or even dangerous if ignored. I hope this information and these links help you in you battle against the freshmen 15!

I am a 19 year old college student who adores the ABC television series Grey’s Anatomy (shocking, I know). Although my fan girl attitude may now be considered “basic” for this Netflix phenomenon, I like to consider myself as more than the typical “Mc Steamy” lover. I sit here writing this post cuddled up in my royal blue custom made sweat shirt that reads, “Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital”, prepared to answer any trivial question imaginable about the series I have shamelessly viewed countless times. I am one of those wildly indecisive freshmen that contemplated going into medicine due to the infatuation I have with the medical field as portrayed on Grey’s. This leaves me with a burning question: How realistic are the medical cases that are featured on Grey’s Anatomy? One case I found interesting to research the validity of revolves around a topic that we covered in class- worms. In season 5, episode 15 of the series, a patient comes in with parasites in his brain that are leaving little sacs of residual fluid and causing him to have siezures. A well-known neurosurgeon named Dr. Shephard fears that this is inoperable. He worries that he may accidentally puncture the sacs in the patients brain, causing worms to be released into the patients brain. One conceivable option is draining the sacs before removing them. On the television show, the surgery is successful. Can parasites actually get into a human’s brain? If so, is this medical emergency curable?

Upon doing research, I have found that there are some common parasites that invade human brains. One kind called Naegleria Fowleri is commonly found in warm natural water and can travel into a person’s brain through their nose, ultimately destroying brain tissue. Taenia solium tapeworms can live inside the human intestinal tract, produce eggs that its human host then expels fecally, which is then eaten by pigs and then ultimately consumed by humans in pork products. These worms can burrow in the blood stream and end up in the brain causing a disease called neurocysticercosis which leads to seizures, headaches and possibly death. This is the type of worm the patient on Grey’s was effected by.

When researching the treatments for this type of tapeworm in the brain, I found that there are many drugs used to treat them rather than just surgery. Wikipedia explains that Neurocysticercosis may look like hydrocephalus so immediate emergent “reduction of intracranial pressure and anticonvulsant medications” are necessary..”Once the seizures have been brought under control, antihelminthic treatments may be undertaken. The decision to treat with antiparasitic therapy is complex and based on the stage and number of cysts present, their location, and the persons specific symptoms”. Despite what the Grey’s Anatomy episode showed as necessary treatment, “surgical intervention is much more likely to be needed in cases of intraventricular, racemose, or spinal neurocysticercosis”. This would lead to “excision of ventricular cysts, shunting procedures, and removal of cysts via endoscopy”.

In conclusion, the basis for medical cases depicted on Grey’s Anatomy are generally very accurate. Some of the treatment plans may be exaggerated in an attempt to make stories more interesting. For now, I will continue to pretend that I have a bright future for a possible career in medicine as a result of memorizing lines and concepts from my favorite television series.

Despite being nearly two weeks into my first semester at Penn State University, I continue to not-so-proudly wear the look of the typical lost freshmen student every time I leave 111 Forum and start the bewildering journey back to my humble abode in Tener Hall. Although I am starting to feel certain that I am incapable of figuring out this massive campus and am ultimately destined to be the lost SENIOR student here at PSU, I have found a silver lining as this deficiency of mine led to hitting inspiration for this blog post. In the midst of me desperatley trying to memorize my surroundings, I made an observation. While I am panicking about being late for my next class/ taking in the beauty of my beloved school, many of those around me are staring down at little hand-held screens created to enhance communication, yet seem to have led to the demise of face to face social interaction. That’s right- cell phones. Admittedly, despite being fully aware of the injustice this social-media phenomena has done to the friendships of those in my cohort, I am extremely hypocritical as I have checked my cell phone 3 times in the process of writing this post. This leads me to pose the scientific question: Are Smartphones actually addictive? Due to the introduction of cellular technology to our society being relativley recent, there is an abundant amount of research being done on the possible dangers of usage.

Throughout researching this topic it has been made clear to me that cell phone usage takes up a significant portion of the general populations lives. In a study of 1,600 managers and professionals, Dr. Leslie Perlow, a professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School, found some interesting information.
70% said they check their smartphone within an hour of getting up.
56% check their phone within an hour of going to sleep.
48% check over the weekend, including on Friday and Saturday nights.
51% check continuously during vacation.
44% said they would experience “a great deal of anxiety” if they lost their phone and couldn’t replace it for a week.

Dr. David Greenfield, author of “Virtual Addiction: Help for Netheads, Cyber Freaks, and Those Who Love Them”, brings up the interesting point that many people are compelled to text while driving although they are fully aware that they are endangering lives; this indicates that there may be something almost addictive about cell phone use. He defines addiction as “growing tolerance to a substance…so you need more to get ‘high,’ uncomfortable symptoms during withdrawal, and a harmful impact on your life”. If you are checking social media seeking rewards or your usage is disrupting your family life, your behavior may be classified as a problem. Greenfield tells us the reason for this obsessive behavior could be “variable ratio reinforcement”. People are not aware of when something positive like a nice text message will come up on their phones, leading them to continuously check to seek reinforcement.

Nicholas Carr, author of “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains”, has also written extensively on the addictive nature of cell phones. He makes an interesting point about “human beings have a deep, primitive desire to know everything that’s going on around them”. This instinctive tactic may have been helpful for survival of cavemen.

As evident through the theories I have referenced above, there is indeed a high probability of Smartphone usage being addictive in nature. There is a lot of psychological evidence of this and more anatomical evidence being looked into each day. More research is being done on all of the different potential effects this little gadget is having on human kind. Here is some incentive to start ceasing the day and living life! These addictive aspects of cell phone usage could really have a negative impact on your life which is beautifully explained in this video. .

The game of American football has origins dating back to the early 19th century. Upon researching the history of football on Wikipedia, I came across an event beginning in 1827 known as “Bloody Monday”. This Harvard tradition was a gigantic ball game played between their freshman and sophomore classes similar to today’s version of football. People enjoyed watching these two groups of young men compete for the win until 1860; the year in which town police and Harvard authorities agreed that “Bloody Monday” had indeed gotten too “bloody”, consequently making it imperative for the tradition to be discontinued. This caused an initial uprising from the students but was eventually accepted and agreed upon by many as necessary. Following these events, the playing of this version of football was banned in all colleges due to the number of injuries it produced. The reason this is interesting to include in my blog is due to the fact that the issue of the dangers involved in football is extremely significant 100 + years later and recently prevalent in the news. This is partially due to the soon to be released Sony movie bluntly entitled Concussion based on the dangerous lasting effects America’s favorite game has on the athletes involved.

The New York Times released an article on the controversy surrounding the movie. The NFL is a multibillion dollar corporation which has been in existence for many years. The original script of this new movie starring famous actor, Will Smith, apparently focused an extremely negative light on the NFL. These scenes caused an outburst from the NFL demanding that Sony tone down the accusations, which Sony reportedly agreed to. The scientific question here is, “Are the effects from football on the human brain lethal?” The story line of the movie involves a doctor working to research a degenerative brain disease common in American football players known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy that is proven to be caused by repeated hits to the skull. Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered CTE’s affiliation with football players, has been working to find the answer since 2002.

One concussion website I researched tells us what happens to the brain during a concussion. The brain is surrounded by something called cerebral spinal fluid. This fluid acts as a shock absorber when the brain is hit. When the brain is rapidly moved, typically by a blow to the head, the brain can directly hit the skull. Once someone receives a concussion, research shows that they are 1-2 times more likely to get another one, exemplifying why football players often suffer a lot of brain damage. Scientists are still researching the long term effects of concussions. In a Boston University Academic Journal I researched, I found that CTE has been diagnosed in boxers since the 1920’s. When the brain experiences trauma, tau (an abnormal protein), can cause the degeneration of tissues in the brain. Many times, these changes do not occur until long after the last dramatic brain injury. Many life altering symptoms are associated with CTE including “memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia”(BU, What is CTE?).

Pictured and described below in bold is all information I retrieved from the BU academic journal that I thought would be extremely beneficial to those trying to learn from reading my blog.

In both sets of photographs, above, the brain tissue has been immunostained for tau protein, which appears as a dark brown color. Tau immunostained sections of medial temporal lobe from 3 individuals

Top left: Whole brain section from a 65 year old control subject showing no tau protein deposition
Bottom left: Microscopic section from 65 year old control subject also shows no tau protein deposition
Top middle: Whole brain section from John Grimsley showing abundant tau protein deposition in the amygdala and adjacent temporal cortex
Bottom middle: Microscopic section showing numerous tau positive neurofibrillary tangles and neurites in the amygdala
Top right: Whole brain section from a 73 year old world champion boxer with severe dementia showing very severe tau protein deposition in the amygdala and thalamus
Bottom right: Microscopic section from a 73 year old world champion boxer with severe dementia showing extremely dense tau positive neurofibrillary tangles and neurites in the amygdala

In conclusion, the medical science field has discovered that football can most definitely be lethal if one is affected with CTE. It is a widely believed conspiracy theory that the multibillion dollar National Football League has made efforts to hide some of the other serious, long term effects of football on the brain of an athlete. Many doctors are still working to find out what other effects occur, indicating that the question I posed, “Are the effects of football on the human brain lethal?” is still partially unanswered.

Here is the trailer for the movie, “Concusion”.

Hey everyone! I’m Erin Alessandroni and I’m from outside of Philly. I am super undecided right now and have no idea what I want to do with my life; however, I’m really interested in broadcasting and my advisor said that this class was news oriented so would be beneficial for  me to experience. Truthfully, I don’t hate science but I also don’t love it enough to make a career out of it. I really love fireworks so here is a link to some. I also love Jack Johnson so here is a picture of him.