Scientists recently found out that heart of man and woman age differently. They observed 3000 adults for 10 years and here are the results.

Researchers focused on the heart chamber and the left ventricle, which pumps oxygenated blood into the body out of the heart. “As people age, the left ventricle declines in its capacity to pump blood.” And this decline happens differently for men and women. So what is the difference? As men age, the heart muscle grows larger and thicker around the chamber. The muscle in women either gets smaller or maintains the size.

The reason for the occurrence of this difference is unclear, but scientists think that this finding may help them to find out if there is a need for gender-specific therapies for men and women with heart problems.

Author Dr. João Lima, a professor of medicine and radiological science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and director of cardiovascular imaging at the school’s Heart and Vascular Institute said that this result demonstrates the concept of difference of pathophysiology in heart disease in both sexes.

The researchers claim that this was the first long-term study that used MRI scans in order to observe left ventricle structure and function over time. Ultrasound scans were also used, but MRI scans turned to be mor4e detailed.

2,936 participants with no cardiovascular disease varied from age 45 to 84. At the beginning of the study, the MRI scan was performed on each participant, the same as at the end.

Doctors assessed the size and volume of each participant left ventricle and calculated the weight of it.

During the study period, the researchers found that left ventricle in men gained an average of 0.3 ounces and women lost an average of 0.6 ounces.The filling capacity of heart fell in both sexes.

The scientists controlled body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, exercise levels and smoking, but the difference still occurred.

Lead investigator Dr. John Eng, an associate professor of radiological science at Johns Hopkins said that this difference suggests that heart diseases can be developed in men and women for different reasons.

The gender-specific treatment can be created with the help of these findings. Doctors often prescribe the medicine that reduces the thickness of heart muscle in people with heart failure, but this may not be as beneficial for women as it is for men, because now we know that heart muscle in women tends to get smaller or it stays the same.

This study is a part of an ongoing project called the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), where researchers are planning to follow ethnically different people and studying what influences heart diseases and failures of those people.

Researchers suggest that kids who are exposed to dogs and farm animals since their first year of life, have a lower risk of asthma. The study in Sweden observed 377,000 preschool age, 276,000 school-age children and their level of exposure to dogs and farm animals.

The researchers found that school-age kids who were exposed to dogs since first year of life were 13 percent less likely to have asthma at age 6 compared with the school-age kids who were not exposed to dogs at all.

Scientists are persuaded that Swedish children who are raised together with dogs are at lower risk of asthma. Author Tove Fall, an associate professor of Uppsala University in Sweden said that the risk is also reduced in children whose parents have asthma.

Children who had been exposed to farm animals since their birth reduced the risk of having asthma by 52 percent at age 6 compared with children who had not been exposed to farm animals at all.

According to the study where preschool- age people participated, those who were exposed to farm animals during the first year were 31 percent less likely to have asthma between age 1 and 5 than kids who were not exposed to farm animals since the beginning.

Researchers analyzed some data from January 2007 till September 2012. They examined diagnosis of asthma from National Patient Register in Sweden and data on prescribed asthma drugs at pharmacies. They also looked if parents were owning dogs during first year of life of their kids and if those worked with farm animals.

Scientists are not sure how to explain correlation between exposure to dogs and reduced risk of asthma.

They claim that third variables may influence the results (exposure to dirt and dust, time spent outdoors and being physically active).

One of the main professor’s Fall hypotheses that may explain the link between early exposure to animals and lowered risk of getting asthma is environments kids are raised in. She thinks that air around kids who grow together with animals contains more bacteria and this can be what actually lowers their risk.

Fall says that parents do not need to buy a puppy if they do not want their kids to have asthma, and getting furred pet will not help children who are allergic to fur.

The new findings are in line with the so-called hygiene hypothesis, which states that person has to be exposed to bacteria early in life in order to shape a healthy immune system.

What can you do to reduce risk of having a stroke? There are a few ways – exercising and trying not to smoke, but there is also a possibility to reduce a risk if the person is able to speak more than one language.

Scientists reported that bilingual stroke participants of the study were twice as likely as the participants who speak only one language to have normal cognitive functions after a stroke.

The feature of the brain known as “cognitive reserve” appears to be the reason for the difference.

Dr. Thomas Bak, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and a co-author of the study said that “people with more mental activities have more interconnected brains, which are able to deal better with potential damage”.

When stroke occurs, brain lacks cells of oxygen because blood flow to the brain is cut off. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking are major risk factors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – stroke affects about 800,000 Americans annually and is a leading cause of death in USA. Many stroke victims suffer from speech problems, dementia, depression, paralyzed limbs and other disabilities depending on the region of the brain that was damaged.

Dr. Suvarna Alladi, a professor of neurology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India, examined patients with the stroke in the city called Hyderabad where people speak two or more languages no matter of what education level they have and their social status. He followed 608 patients for two years after a stroke occurred. Researchers also compared the 353 bilingual patients with the 255 monolingual patients in the study.

The comparison showed that 40 percent of the bilingual patients had normal cognitive functions following a stroke, while same results happened in less than 20 percent of single-language patients.

The researchers also found that bilingual patients performed better when their abilities to pay attention and organize information were measured.

The first author on the study Alladi said that bilingualism makes people switch from one language to another, what makes them activate one language to communicate as they inhibit another one. More neural connections in the brain are built as the switching takes place.

It does not mean that single-language people did not recovered while bilingual people did. The outcomes varied from complete recovery to lasting dementia in both groups, stated Alladi.

A stoke expert and brain surgeon at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine near Chicago – Dr. Jose Biller called the study “intriguing” and “well designed”. However, more studies are needed to be done in order to prove that bilingualism may actually lessen the cognitive decline related to aging.

Alladi said that fluency in more than one language is common in India, while it tends to be more common in immigrants and better-educated Americans and so bilingualism in Hyderabad may not reflect bilingualism in the USA.

Alladi stated that it is not possible to see cognitive benefit in places where people do not have an extensive need to function in two or more languages.

Bilingualism is not associated with performing better language skills after a stroke. Both bilingual and monolingual patients were equal in experiencing aphasia, a loss of ability to understand and express speech.

Studies have shown that lonely people are at risk of not being as healthy and their risk of premature death is increased, but the reason for this was unclear. Recently, researchers found out that “loneliness may trigger cellular changes that might lower a person’s ability to fight viral infections.”

141 adults participated in the study, 36 were “chronically lonely”. Researchers were looking at the relationship between patterns of gene expression in white blood cells (which protect the body against viruses and bacteria) with loneliness.

Cells in the “chronically lonely” people showed signs of an increased expression of the genes that are involved with fighting bacterial infections and inflammation, compared with the cells of other participants.

John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago said that gene expression is changing the body to show an inflammatory response. However, this response occurs at the cost of the ability to fight viral infections as it puts the body in a state of preparation for bacterial infection.

This means that lonely people are more protected from bacteria, because the shift occurred and protection against viruses decreased.

This finding suggested that there is a correlation between pro-inflammatory pattern of gene expression and loneliness. The researchers found that one year later “chronically lonely” people were still likely to have the pro-inflammatory pattern of gene expression and those with this pattern at the beginning of the study were still lonely.

Third variables such as depression, degree of social support and stress level would not explain these results.

Another study was made, where researchers found the same pre-inflammatory shift among lonely macaque monkeys. The shift may be related to an output of immature cells monocytes from the immune system, which levels of expression of inflammatory proteins are high and levels of gene expression of antiviral protein are low.

The scientists state that pro-inflammatory changes affected the monkey’s health. The researchers found that virus grew faster in lonely monkeys rather than in the monkeys that were not lonely after those were infected with simian immunodeficiency virus, which is a monkey version of HIV.

Cacioppo said that more advanced disease was shown in lonely monkeys and not in the nonlonely ones.

The scientists want to continue these studies and are planning to find out how loneliness leads to poor health condition and how it can be prevented in elders.

Remember this moment when you think that you cannot manage another piece of the meal and it seems like you are going to explode? Well, scientists think that this can be connected to microbes in your body.

Researchers recently found out that specific bacteria in the stomach tell the brain that they had enough to eat and that is when it is time to stop eating for you too.

The common bacteria E. coli produce proteins that scientists claim to be connected to a hormone responsible for appetite suppression response in the brain, 20 minutes after a person started eating.

The food the person consumes also benefits microbes in the body. A single human body hosts about 100 trillion bacteria, viruses and fungi that are in and on the body, starting from the eyelids and ending with intestines. Some of those are there to help the cells to process nutrients and fight off infections.

70 percent of all the microbes inhabit the digestive system alone. One of them is bacteria E. coli that can be found in each of us. Most will associate E. coli with bowel disorders and digestive distress, but this new study suggests that it plays a role in shaping our eating habits.

The microbes in your body absorb whatever you eat, your nutrients, which stimulates their reproduction.  Researchers suspected that gut bacteria would benefit from signaling their host to help with regulating food intake. The scientists explored the signs of change in activity of E. coli relative to feeding.

A co-author of the study Sergueï O. Fetissov, of Rouen University in France investigated ClpB – bacterial protein, since it is easily traceable in the gut and blood.  He and his colleagues developed a measuring way of bacterial protein so it can be possible to compare how much E. coli produced before and after the bacteria fed.

The E. coli bacteria produced twice as much of the ClpB protein about 20 minutes after feeding.

The next step was made to find if there is any effect on the release of more ClpB in E. coli’s protein on the body. Researchers found that food intake was reduced by this particular food blend of proteins during the injection of it into the mice and rats.

“Further tests showed that the proteins stimulated the release of a hormone called peptide YY, or PYY.”

Fetissoc told that PYY signals satiety to the brain as one of the main hormones released after the meal. The dynamic of PYY release in the blood after the meal fit perfectly with the dynamic of the bacterial growth.

E. coli represent only 1 percent of the bacteria. Fetissow is looking forward for new discoveries that will emerge after he will make an analysis of other types of bacteria. He also thinks that bacteria are involved in the control of other molecular pathways. He is going to look into the mechanism of bacteria regulating appetite. He hopes that this research can help people with binge-eating disorders and obese ones too.

Interactivity with technology has gone leaps and bounds beyond what one could have imagined. From analogue input, touch input and even voice. But is that enough? Truth be told, the reason we go the distance to continue to make easier to use interactions is because we a lazy; well we can say we do it to save time and energy. Touchscreen technology has become fairly visible in society and now with Appel’s Siri and Google’s Google Now and similar applications, voice commands have also become a popular way to interact and control our devices. But is that the limit?

In comes Google’s project Jacquard. As google claims, “Project Jacquard makes it possible to weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile using standard, industrial looms. Everyday objects such as clothes and furniture can be transformed into interactive surfaces” (Google). The possibilities are endless, having a different touch surface for everything seems pretty cool doesn’t it? Like having a touch built into your shower curtains for your speakers, moreover, the surface no longer needs to be flat and can be wrapped around like a cloth. Click here for a quick look of what it’s about and here is a video.

But it still seems like a pain to have a different embedded touch surface for every place you visit. Enter OmniTouch, developed by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research. It projects a screen onto any surface and can detect finger movement and also detect when the finger is in contact with the surface. This allows one to touch any surface and use the projector to project their device screen and get to work.

That’s all cool and stuff, but u still have to touch a surface, urghhh the pain. Don’t worry, Google has yet again come to our rescue, with it project Soli. Essentially project Soli uses radar to enable new types of gesture, without a surface. Yes you heard (technically read) right. It’s a little complex to explain, but what essentially project Soli does is to record hand gestures in real time and convert these actions into an interface. Imagine being able to change the volume by rubbing your thumb on your index finger. I can already see the future where DJs are scratching at the air and waving their fingers up and down to control the volume with almost no bulky gadgets on the table. You can check out Google’s project page here, and a video that helps explain it well.

Why even lift our hands? Emotive have come up with a headset that can detect surface electrical impulses from our head and convert the received data into data which can then be used to control our devices. As of now, the headset by Emotive has gone as far as being able to play games and even control robotic homes. Imagine being able to control everything in your house with simply a thought. It has already helped people with paralysis or difficulty in controlling their bodies. Here is a video and a link to the company website.

The progress made is exponential, who knows what we will be able to come up with next.

Asura. “How to Control Electronics with Your Mind!” Exposing The Truth. N.p., 02 July 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Emotiv. Wearables for Your Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Google. “Project Jacquard.” Project Jacquard. Google, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Mitroff, Sarah. “OmniTouch Turns Everything Into a Touchscreen.” TechHive. N.p., 19 Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Mitroff, Sarah. “OmniTouch Turns Everything Into a Touchscreen.” TechHive. N.p., 19 Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

“Project Soli.” Project Soli. Google, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Ted Talks. “Tan Le: A Headset That Reads Your Brainwaves TEDTalks.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Gun control is a very touchy topic that needs the attention of society. With the recent massacres that have become widely known through the help of media, the second amendment has become one of the hottest debates with point in favor or against coming up everywhere, even on the most random Facebook post. The debate will go on for a very long time, but isn’t there a way to satisfy both parties without offending or going against either sides view point?

Of course there are. Technology has advanced so far yet we don’t have a safer gun? There is more than one solution. Ever heard of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)? They are everywhere and they now come on guns. A German company by the name Armatix has come up with a 2 piece set Gun. It consists of a watch along with the gun. Only when the biometric feature on watch identifies and authenticates the user, it communicates with the gun using RFID and turns of the safety. This helps prevent theft of guns. But this solution still faces opposition as people claim that the 2 set becomes an issue as a person in the midst of a crisis won’t have time to access the watch.

Another solution which gets rid of the problem with Armatix is a smart gun developed by Intelligun. It has an inbuilt fingerprint scanner which unlocks only when the finger is over the scanner. Not to worry, the scanner is set in a way that when holding the gun normally, the finger is bound to be in contact with the scanner. On case someone argues that the gun limits the use to a single user and in case of a crisis other people can’t use it, the gun can record and store over a 100 fingerprints. It would help improve gun safety drastically.

Finally, a system that helps identify a shooter after a crime once the alleged has fled. “A technique called microstamping imprints tiny identifying marks from a gun onto a cartridge as it fires” (Schechter). Meaning that each gun will have its own code and once fired, it can be identified. There are still a few limitations as there is a margin of error in identification, however the research is still ongoing and there are constant improvements.

If Biometrics and microstamping are both combined, it will make guns a lot safer and also help authorities identify who the shooter is after a crime. As a person won’t be able to steal a gun and fire it, others can’t be framed. Using microstamping the perpetrators won’t get away either.

This doesn’t affect the freedom of gun owners and it also satisfies the people in favor of gun control as these solutions also make guns a little safer. Then why hasn’t there been a clear rise in sales and awareness of such technology. Well, for that we have to ask the NRA lobbyists and the government.

“Intelligun.” Intelligun. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Kristof, Nicholas. “Smart Guns Save Lives. So Where Are They?” The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Schechter, Erik. “How to Make Guns Safer.” Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

“10 Arguments for Gun Control – Listverse.” Listverse. N.p., 20 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

At some point in time, most of have asked ourselves, in this vast, continuously expanding universe, are we the only civilization out there? Are we the only planet with life on it? Every other moth we hear some news about how Kepler or another telescope may have discovered a planet with potential of having life on it. Even poor Mars has not been spared; now knowing for sure that Mars has water, the question of E.T. (not the cool alien from the movie) or rather any life form existing on other planets has been raised ever so often.

Firstly, let’s get the definition of extra-terrestrial out of the way.  Extraterrestrial is a definition for something outside the earth or its atmosphere. Following this definition, we can even say that if we take the defining point of earth’s boundary as how high the aero planes fly, we still find atmospheric microorganisms. But obviously, when we say extraterrestrials, we picture little green men. But for the most part, currently most research organizations are primarily focused on not finding ‘little green men’ but rather organisms, microorganisms, bacteria or even water to help establish a proper view.

But then, what are the odds of having life out there, not bacteria or organisms that can be seen under a micro scope, but rather life form like, ‘little green men’ or reptiles or birds? The universe is still expanding and we estimate it has been over 13.7 billion years since the big bang and the Solar System is thought to be 4.5 billion years old and humans have existed as a genus for only a few million years (NASA). That is still a very long time. According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe (Physics.org). So is it not possible that there is a galaxy somewhere out there that has very similar conditions to our own solar system, with a planet similar to earth? Well…sort of.

“A newly-published NASA and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) study is asserting that roughly 92 percent of habitable worlds have yet to be created” (Wood). There you go, NASA just poured cold water over all of us stargazers who look up at the sky and go into deep thought. But it can’t be helped. But don’t lose hope. What this just means is that we just have a head start on the civilizations that have yet to develop. Like I said, Kepler and other telescopes suggest that there a lot of planets that are in a suitable or habitable zone of a star and are fairly common. I did say that the Universe is estimated to be 13.7 billion years old, and us ourselves being a few million years old as a genus, then why aren’t there others like us?

It’s because when we look at the age of the universe, it is still fairly youn
g. It is estimated that the last star won’t burn out for around 100 trillion years. That’s a very very very big number. In consideration to that we, as a genus, haven’t existed that long. “A paper on the study asserts that before its end, the Universe will create roughly 10 times as many planets than there are now, and that this proliferation indicates that there is at least a 92 percent chance that ours will not be the only advanced civilization to exist in the universe before its end”(Gizmag). So there is hope, we may not be able to see it, but maybe the distant generations would. We just might a civilization where caption Kirk goes out and saves a primitive civilization from extinction, or a hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy. That is, if we don’t self-destruct first.

“How Old Is the Universe?” WMAP- Age of the Universe. Ed. NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_age.html>.

“How Old Is the Universe?” WMAP- Age of the Universe. NASA, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_age.html>.

NASA. “How Old Is the Universe?” WMAP- Age of the Universe. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_age.html>.

Physics.org. “How Do We Know How Many Galaxies Are in Our Universe? | Physics.org.” How Do We Know How Many Galaxies Are in Our Universe? | Physics.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <http://www.physics.org/facts/sand-galaxies.asp>.

Wood, Anthony. “New Study Claims That the Vast Majority of Earth-like Worlds Do Not Yet Exist.” New Study Claims That the Vast Majority of Earth-like Worlds Do Not Yet Exist. Gizmag, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-study-earth-like-worlds/39978/>.

I did not know what to write the post about until I randomly glanced on the flower in my room. I immediately remembered that heard somewhere that plans grow better if you talk with them, so I decided to make a research on this.

The first mention of plants benefiting from talking with them appeared in the book Nanna published by German professor Gustav Fechner in 1848. After some time the album called “Music to Grow Plants By” was recoded.

There is not much research done on this particular topic, but the head of Penn State’s horticulture department Rich Marini stated that environmental stimuli such as sound which is a form of vibration corresponds to the effect on plant growth. “Since sound is essentially vibration, my guess is that vibration is causing a response.” Researchers at South Korea’s National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology published a paper that supports Marini’s idea. They said that genes rbcS and Ald, which are responsible for plant’s response to light, are turned on when music was played at 70 decibels, which is a level of normal conversation. Frequency of the sound influenced responses of the genes. The reason why plans respond to the vibration is a belief that this is their way to survive during windy environment.  “Plants exposed to wind produce a growth-retardant hormone called ethylene, which causes the plant to be shorter and to have thicker stems”. Another theory claims that carbon dioxide that is produced as person speaks is the factor that influences plant growth, but Marini says that this theory is not well-established.  He explains that in order to influence the growth of plant, people would have to talk to it for a few hours per day.

The Royal Horticultural Society actually proved that talking to plants makes them grow faster.  The study lasted for one month and included ten participants of men and women. They were reading either scientific or literary works and were recorded during the process. The records had been played through set headphones attached to ten tomato plant’s pots. There were also two pots that did not listen to records as a control group. By the end of the month researchers found out plants, which were exposed to female voices, grew one inch taller than those exposed to men’s voices.  There is no certainty why plants reacted to female voices better. The theory claims that range of tone produced by women is greater and it affects the sound waves what has an effect on plant growth.

The interesting fact about this study is that plant that grew two inches taller than others was listening to record of Sarah Darwin, great-great granddaughter of Charles Darwin. You know what book she was reading? – On the Origin of Species.

Each year, over half a million people die due to bleeding out. For the longest time, researchers have looked for methods to prevent people from dying due to blood loss. There are several research groups focused towards prolonging life due to loss of blood, or so to speak, letting the victim last longer on lower blood levels till blood can be transfused. Why not try and prevent the bleeding first? It sounds simple but the fastest clotting agent that was researched helped stop blood loss under 8 minutes, but 8 minutes isn’t sufficient at times. This was until recently, a team led by NYU graduate Joe Landolina have researched and have found an effective method of producing a naturally occurring polymer that can clot cuts and wounds under 15 seconds. The name given to this polymer gel is Veti-gel.

Landolina explains that “immediately after application, Veti-gel stimulates the clotting process by physically holding pressure in the damaged blood vessel. The gel then rapidly activates the accumulation of platelets, which bind to the site of the injury to create a platelet mesh. Veti-gel completes hemostasis by accelerating the binding of the clotting protein, fibrin, to the platelet mesh, resulting in blood coagulation and a stable clot”

People have thought of liquid band aids before however Veti-Gel is the first to be able to close large wounds almost instantly. Click here to view a gif showing Veti-Gel in action. (Disclaimer: The gif shows a simulation of a wound)

So when is the Veti-Gel coming to market for first-aid? Not anytime soon; the FDA approval process is long and the gel has to pass a series of tests before being approved and mass produced and supplied to the general public. Meanwhile, the Veti-gel is being supplied/sold to Veterinary clinics for testing on animals. During the process the gel will have to prove itself safe for animals, only then will it get approved for clinical trials. The good news is that during this time the team behind Veti gel hops to find better or more efficient delivery/application methods through testing in veterinary clinics.

If Veti-Gel becomes a reality and is relatively cheap when it hits the market, then we are looking at the future of first aid. The number of deaths due to blood loss could be reduced as well. Below is a short video explaining more about Veti-Gel:

Work Cited:
Luntz, Stephen. “Superfast Clotting Agent Could Save Many Lives.” IFLScience. N.p., 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2015. <http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/superfast-clotting-agent-could-save-many-lives>.

Rowe, Aaron. “Nov 2015.” Discover Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2015. <http://discovermagazine.com/2010/dec/01-beating-blood-loss>.

Wellman, Victoria. “Student Invents Blood-clotting Gel.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2295217/NYU-super-student-invents-instant-blood-clotting-gel.html>.

Once I found this interesting article that was talking about the condition called “Alexandria’s Genesis”. It was the first time I have ever heard about something like this. I clearly remember the picture of Elizabeth Taylor under the article and how beautiful she is on it.

The origin of the Alexandria’s Genesis takes place in 2 different legends. First one states that during one night at Egypt people saw a light in the sky. People who were exposed developed purple eyes and their skin turned to be very pale. These people left Egypt and disappeared in Europe. They used to be called “Spirit People”.

The other legend states that after 6 months eyes of the girl named Alexandria turned from blue to purple. Because of this priest was sent to her because this kind of unusual trait was seen as sign of “witchcraft”. The priest stated that Alexandria is very special kid and her eyes are the gift. Two children were born by Alexandria with the same traits and this is how name of “Alexandria’s Genesis” was born.

Alexandria’s Genesis is a mutation of genes that makes person’s color of eyes change from blue to purple within the six months after birth. People with this condition tend to have pale skin that does not tent or burn. Hair color is dark and the interesting thing that there is no other hair on the body but on the head, eyelashes, eyebrows and nostrils. People with this condition tend to be healthier and live longer, their immune system is much stronger and that is why owner of this kind of eyes rarely fall ill. There is also a theory that aging process of these people stops at age 50, and these people can even live even live until they are 150 years old. The body is very well proportioned and high metabolism prevents person from being overweight. Women are fertile even though they do not menstruate. The vision is not affected and stays the same throughout the person’s life.

There is no explanation for this condition nowadays and even its existence is under the question. First of all areas of the body and its functions that are affected cannot be controlled by one single mutation. Being fertile without menstruation is possible. “No human skin can resist burning. Melanin can protect the skin but it will make the skin darker, not just slightly toned”. The oldest person in the world lived until 122 years old, what makes statement about age of 150 totally impossible to believe.

What do you think? Is it possible for such condition to exist or it’s just a tale?

When I arrived to America, one of the weirdest things I noticed is that both boys and girls in America wear backpacks to school. And I noticed that backpacks are so much heavier here. It is so due to the enormous size and weight of textbooks in America. It would not be a problem if student carries only one textbook a day, but most of the time you have to carry more than three at least plus all kinds of school supplies. It was difficult for me to get used to me, but I never heard Americans complain about this as much as I did. What I want to talk about in this post is how dangerous heavy backpacks can be for you.

Obviously that wearing backpack creates serious problem for your back. Overload can compress the spine, what can affect growth and also leads to all kinds of back issues. A lot of people wear backpack only on one shoulder what makes person to lean to one side and curve spine. The pressure from straps can cause pain in neck, arms and hands. Interference with nerves and circulation can be caused by straps that are too narrow or tight what can contribute to weakness and numbness in the arms and hands. If the backpack size is not right, the weight of the kid is not distributed right what can result in strain or damage of back and stomach muscles. The body posture and walking pattern also change and because of this knee pain may occur. Heavy backpack can also cause trouble for others if it falls or hits somebody.

Here are few recommendations in order to avoid all these kinds of injuries. First of all you should remember that “the weight of a backpack should be less than 10-15 percent of a child’s body weight”. Try to choose backpack made from more lightweight fabric. You should wear it on both shoulders so there is no too much stress on one side. Remember to pack heavier things low towards the back so that the backpack stays closer to the body. Avoid too much pressure on the body by using well-padded straps and adjust them so you feel comfortable. The last thing you can do is to check if everything you carry in the backpack is what you actually need. Think carefully and leave things you will not need at home. It will free some space and save your back from additional weight.

As every girl I wear heels. No, actually I wear heels more than any other girl. I love high heels and wear them every day. Problems such as pain and bleeding are common for me but I wear heels since I was 12 and I do not pay that much attention to that anymore. There is always a person who tells me that wearing heels often is bad. I always try to stay as polite as I can during this kind of situation because it seems hilarious for me that somebody else educates me about the topic I probably know better than anybody else. So today I decided to talk about harmful effects of heels.

The posture of the person with and without heels is completely different. Usually your spine is straight, calf muscle is relaxed and body weight is distributed all around the foot. When you wear heels the body shifts forward, because of this a lot of pressure placed on knees, hips and spine. In order to maintain the balance the upper part of the body leans back and lower part leans forward. Because of this different kinds of problems are created. The most common ones are calluses, blisters, bunions, and ingrown nails. Wearing high heels daily leads to shortening of muscle fibers what “changes ankle’s range of motion, and contribute to your risk for strains and sprains.” You also put a lot of force on your kneecaps what can lead to osteoarthritis. Spider veins can appear because of restricted circulation in your lower limbs that is created due to ankles being bent forward. Achilles tendons stiffen, “which anchor your calf muscles to your heels”. Walking may become painful because of shortened and taut ankle and tendons. Lumbar erector spinae muscle is very stressed because of unnatural way the spine sways, and it results in sore lower back.

There are some recommendations that you should know in order to lower negative effects of wearing heels. First of all try to avoid wearing heels for a very long time. If you do so try to do stretching exercises before and after wearing heels to less muscle stress.  Soft insoles can reduce impact on the knee. Make sure to wear the right size, sliding forward creates even more toe pressure. And the most important one – have some flat shoes in your wardrobe. Find some time when you don’t need to wear heels and let your legs have some rest.

I could not decide what to make a post about for a long time. I was searching for something in my head that could eventually become the topic and I remembered the conversation I had with my friend some time ago. Somehow we ended up talking about kleptomania and I thought that it could be interesting to write about.

Kleptomania is defined as “tendency to steal items not needed for personal use or monetary value.” People who suffer from it do not actually need items they steal; it is more about feeling pleasure from theft. An individual just has a sudden compulsion to steal and not committing it is upsetting to him or her.

The specific cause of kleptomania is unknown, but there are a few hypothesizes. People with kleptomania tend to have other psychiatric disorders such as eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. It has also been linked to childhood trauma, “and stealing may symbolize repossessing the losses of childhood.” Sexual repression and suppression also considered as possible causes. One more theory suggests that kleptomania can be caused by abnormalities in the brain chemical serotonin.

Kleptomania is more common among women than men. Typical picture of person with kleptomania is women in early adulthood that feels both pleasure and guilt for her thefts.

Combination of pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments helps to manage kleptomania but it does not cure it.

As you can see kleptomania is a mystery. There is no specific cause of it and there is no cure that helps person to get rid of kleptomania for sure. People with this problem suffer throughout the life; they struggle with satisfying their own desire for stealing and guilt of committing a crime that can lead to criminal record.

Hi! My name is Kateryna Onysko. I am freshman at Penn state and I am going to major in journalism. I am an international student from Ukraine. I do not remember the reason why I picked this course; I think the advisor recommended it to me as the class for the person who is not interested in science. I did not choose science major because I never had a particular interest in it. During the school years science classes were hard for me because they would require a lot of memorizing and I had to struggle with my bad memory all the time, especially for Anatomy and Biology classes.

I don’t know how I feel about SC 200 class yet. Hopefully all of us will enjoy it!!!

This is the picture of my native city – Kharkov.

And this is one of my favourite k-pop songs