On this presentation we will tackle a very important topic that is how the information is presented in the media in contrast to the original source. We can see that on how a news website covered the findings of a scientific group studying the effects of a protein in our brains.
We hope you enjoy it.!
It's about time we did our presentation!
Here's the link to the presentation: Manipulating information: A dangerous strategy
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Chilean children are as happy as Swedish children !
It has always thought that living in Europe
provides you socio-economic stability and their standard of living is way
better than other continents as America or Africa, but having and enjoying all
the facilities and amenities does not make you happy, do they?
Children who live in Sweden, the fourth
happiest country of the World according to UN, are as happy as Chilean
children. The study was headed by Los Andes University, together with Swedish
and American researchers who evaluated the level of vital satisfaction among
729 Chilean children between 8 to 14 years old, from private, subsidized, and
municipal schools; and the data of 623 Swedish students.
According to Lisa Clefberg, director of department
the Psychology from the fore mentioned University, children’s opinions were recollected
and evaluated into ten different areas of satisfaction: parents, friends,
siblings, health, home, self-respect, school, teachers, cousins, and time of
playing.
“The results are very impressive and strong. We
thought the results of UN would reply on the Swedish Children too, but we found
that they feel very unsatisfied in many aspects in comparison to the Chilean
Children” tells Dr. Clefberg. For example, one of the aspects that shocked
the psychology community was “siblings”, in which Chilean children obtained
higher scores than their European pairs.
What about you? What’s your opinion regarding
this topic? Does the socio-economic stability have to do with the happiness of
people? Feel free to comment.
In this link you will find a blog attached from the Austin Psychology and Assesment Center. They expand on the possible reasons in children from Netherlands (another European country) for being happy.
Fast, furious… and no driver
For most of drivers, especially in big cities, one problem that has always been a worry is the moment of parking. The space is not enough, they have to spend a huge amount of time, and when they finally get it, the job is not perfect. I bet they most of people who have suffer from this kind of events have desire having a car that parks by itself… well, it might be possible in the future!
Last month in Tokio, during the CEATEC exhibition the NISSAN company presented a new prototype of a car that can drives itself and find a parking space with no mistakes… and no driver.
This project, not only includes the functions that were mentioned before, but also it counts with an application for your smartphone that allows an overview and status of the car. By using this method, you can get a notification that provides the location of the car and if someone is trying to do anything dangerous to your property.
The recent video shows a demonstration of how the car works. It was controlled with a Galaxy S III, so if you already have one, or if you are thinking of getting this new device, get ready for the future.
http://www.viddler.com/v/965ee52c
Do you think cars like this would be a benefit for humankind,?
Think about the present. Would ir be possible for this invention to finally drive on the streets, or it is just another creation that will remain as a prototype forever?
No formula is better than you, Mom!
The globalization and different activities women are doing these days, have permitted mothers go back to work before finishing the lactancy process with their newborn children.
Last year in our country, it was approved a new law that promotes a period of 6 months for a mother to spend time at home after the birth of her child without the obligation of going back to work and leaving the baby.
Unfortunately, not ever mother in the world has this opportunity and they have been forced to stop breastfeeding the baby and start giving him formula.
According to pediatricians, the importance of breast milk goes beyond the nutrition benefits because it contains basic vitamins and nutrients that allows the formation of protective substances focused on the stomach, ears, and nose.
These nutrients permit intestines, and other organs to create defensive membranes that not only prevent babies to get ill during the first months, but also studies have shown that they grow stronger and have a healthier life than children who weren’t breastfed. “One large study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences showed that children who are breastfed have a 20 percent lower risk of dying between the ages of 28 days and 1 year than children who weren't breastfed, with longer breastfeeding associated with lower risk.”
So, if we think about the factors that might interfere with this process, we may find many. Sometimes, work is not only a relevant cause for stopping the natural route of feeding a baby, but whatever it may be, you can find some alternatives, and even specialists prefer breast milk, Formula will be an option.
Some women don’t like breast feeding their babies, but we know that it is not only a matter of confort, but also about health. What would you prefer if you have the opportunity of being part of your baby’s nutrition process, formula or breastfeeding?
For further information, watch this video that might help you make your choice. http://www.babycenter.com/2_video_10326780.bc
Headaches in Children and Visual Problems, related?
They found out that 75% of the children had the same results in their vision exams, after suffering from the headaches, so there was no connection between the headaches and a need for glasses, even if the headaches happened after the child was doing some visual task, such as doing homework. Moreover, the ones who got new glasses, their headaches didn’t improve.
The ophthalmologists stated that the purpose of this study is to demonstrate that headaches are not related to visual problems, and that the aches will probably disappear in time. They were also emphatic in recommending that when the young child is taken to their primary care doctor, the child has a visual test there by visual screenings or photo screeners, so if he or she has some sort of problem, it would be better if discovered at an early age.
Children less than age 7 are still neurologically immature and if a condition such as Amblyopia is discover after that age, no much can be done to improve. Amblyopia is a condition in which the brain will stop using or developing one eye if it has a problem, and the after the age of seven is very difficult to treat.
Did you think that headaches were related to visual problems?
If you did, isn’t it better to prevent?
If my children were having headaches, I would just take them to the ophthalmologist just to make sure they don’t have a visual problem, just to clear up my doubts. Would you do the same thing?
Is synthetic XNA the new key in evolution?
As we all have been taught, most of the living beings on Earth are formed by cells, but more important, by DNA or RNA molecules. Many scientists have conducted several studies trying to understand the DNA and RNA main functions and specific features.
Lately a group of scientists formed by Philipp Holliger of the UK Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology and a team of colleagues have achieved an amazing discovery regarding DNA. Through the creation of a synthetic XNA molecule by in vitro experimentation, they have been able to provide enough evidence to claim that this synthetic XNA molecule has the very same capacities of the organic molecules, but the special feature of being non biodegradable which make them more durable.The implications of this discovery are huge because of the wide variety of possible usage of this molecule. For example: in gene therapy to help cure some genetic diseases such as Parkinson, auto-immune diseases, among many others. At the same time it could be use to create a synthetic forms of life and alter the natural way of evolution.
As any other scientific breakthrough it has supporters who are looking forward to take advantage of the benefits and multiple usages of this molecule, and people against alleging that with such power in terms of manipulation of the genetic makeup we would be playing God without even care about the consequences of the usage of this molecule.
After reading this article I have come to my own conclusions regarding this amazing and life changing topic. Now it's your time to have your own opinion.
How would you think life would change after this discovery? , Would you use a synthetic XNA molecule in any way?
For further information: Scientific Article
Red Planet, safe planet?
The NASA scientists are feeling very exited this last days. The mission Curiosity, has sent the initial cosmic radiation readings, these suggests that the level of radiation in Mars is quite the same as the radiation on the International Space Station, therefore bearable (tolerable) for humans to survive. the question we must ask now is, how long would take for the scientist to put an astronaut in the Martian surface.
The mission is a complete success but they weren´t expecting such a great discovery. This can be consider as a great scientific breakthrough because this opens a possibility that the red planet could be safe for human life.
This mission saw its first drafts 10 years ago when the grandson of Curiosity, "The Pathfinder", hit the Martian ground and managed to transmit over 30 seconds of the Martian landscape. The engineering giant lip from the Pathfinder to the Curiosity, represents a promise, thet may belong to the fiction but it becomes a reality more and more plausible when we realise that the red plane surface may be "fine". Is this a real science breakthrough? Is it really a good idea to start looking for another planets to live in?
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