Manipulating information: A dangerous strategy. Brainshark Video.

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

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. 

http://www.apacenter.com/why-dutch-children-are-the-happiest-in-the-world/

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?

It is a common belief that when children suffer from headaches is probably because they have some sort of visual problem, and they should be taken immediately to the ophthalmologist. Well, a study carried out by the ophthalmology clinic of Albany Medical Center in New York where nearly 160 children under 18 were evaluated showed different results.

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? 

Fear of going to the dentist? Blame your parents!

Have you ever had that feeling of anxiety before going to the dentist? What do you think is the source of that feeling? A new study by scientists at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid confirms that there is an emotional transmission of this fear of going to the dentist among family member, and especially the parents.

The study conducted by the scientists of this university has come to the conclusion that the higher the level of anxiety of one member of the family, the higher the level of fear of the rest of the family. Furthermore, the scientists were able to identify specific roles the family members play in the transmission of this fear. In fact, they discovered that even though the mother and the father play an important role in this matter, it is the father who influences the most in the transmission of the dentist fear. Children tend to pay attention on their parents’ response, but they focus mainly on the father and how he reacts to different situations that may happen at the dentist and how stressful they can be.

A possible solution for children to overcome this fear, according to the scientists, would be to make the parents—and especially the father—go under dentist fear prevention campaigns so that a positive emotional contagion is reinforced. This would help parents to avoid showing any signs of fear or anxiety in front of their children when going to the dentist.

Imagine you have children, what would you do to prevent the transmission of this fear of going to the dentist? Do you think it’s important for parents to show no signs of fear at all? Let me know what you think, I’m really interested in your thoughts.

More info here --> Fear of the dentist

Fear of going to the dentist? Blame your parents!

Have you ever had that feeling of anxiety before going to the dentist? What do you think is the source of that feeling? A new study by scientists at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid confirms that there is an emotional transmission of this fear of going to the dentist among family member, and especially the parents.

The study conducted by the scientists of this university has come to the conclusion that the higher the level of anxiety of one member of the family, the higher the level of fear of the rest of the family. Furthermore, the scientists were able to identify specific roles the family members play in the transmission of this fear. In fact, they discovered that even though the mother and the father play an important role in this matter, it is the father who influences the most in the transmission of the dentist fear. Children tend to pay attention on their parents’ response, but they focus mainly on the father and how he reacts to different situations that may happen at the dentist and how stressful they can be.

A possible solution for children to overcome this fear, according to the scientists, would be to make the parents—and especially the father—go under dentist fear prevention campaigns so that a positive emotional contagion is reinforced. This would help parents to avoid showing any signs of fear or anxiety in front of their children when going to the dentist.

Imagine you have children, what would you do to prevent the transmission of this fear of going to the dentist? Do you think it’s important for parents to show no signs of fear at all? Let me know what you think, I’m really interested in your thoughts.

More info here Fear of the dentist

The Great Philosophers of Our Times

The Simpsons Family broke to the airways in 1987, more that 20 years without stopping transmitting it has already 500 episodes on going. But what it is a mere cartoon show, for some others, it represents a beacon of truth and crude realism. 

The entire show verges over the playful tension between stereotypes and prejudgements  but in a funny and sort of ironic way, every single character in the show, has its own way of understanding the universe. It is no surprise that a lot has been written about the philosophical postures of all the characters of the TV show. But in this particular case, the central figure of Homer, the father of a middle class american family. 

The image of Homer, has become an example, but not too over generalization of the society in our post modern world. Lets face it, Homer is: lazy, alcoholic, avoids working, avoids stress, reckless, racist, judgemental, under educated, selfish, and yet he always manage to keep everything back to an apparent state of normality. This is the attitude of most Americans says the representative of The Philosophers Magazine, Andreas Mitchel. If you´d prefer to  know more about the Homerian Philosophy  click here.

In 2007, The Big Bang Theory, opened in the billboards as one of the most buzzing shows of the year. It was awarded with the Emmy Award for the Best New Show of 2007. Since then, it has won many awards, and it has been on the air during 7 seasons. It success lies over the complexity of its characters. The figure of the nerds or the geeks, against the breathtaking beauty of Penny,  the female character. makes this show bear to watch. The personality of the Character of Sheldon Cooper provides the philosophical issue here. Dr Sheldon Cooper in many ways is: Selfish, self-centred, arrogant. deeply racist, obnoxious, talkative, hard worker, at the same time obsessed  with his work and his own world. Doesn´t it sounds familiar? Could a TV show, be a representation of our understanding of the world?

OCD-lemma

Researchers from the hospital of Belltivge in Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with experts from the Hospital del Mar and the University of Melbourne, Australia, had proven that patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) present a major moral sensitivity; Charles Soriano, an investigator from Hospital del Mar and one of the authors of the publishing of this study states that these people who suffer from the previously mentioned anxiety disease show an even more worrisome behavior when they are exposed to a moral dilemma.

The researchers studied through functional magnetic resonance the neurofunctional basis of this increase in moral sensitivity in OCD patients; the brain activations in seventy-three people with this disorder and other seventy-three healthy patients were measured after they were exposed to several moral issues in which they had to choose either one or another dreadful consequence. Those situations were both extreme and trivial; for example, there was this very common problem presented in philosophy lessons in which a baby in times of war starts crying and that could cause that soldiers discover where the people are hiding, but covering the baby’s mouth would cause his or her death from asphyxia; on the other hand, this kind of dilemma was compared to minor ones such as choosing between going to the beach or to the countryside during the weekend.

Results showed that people with OCD suffered a major activation of their orbitofrontal cortex than the control group, especially in the medial area, which is related to decision making processes and the sense of morality. This information can lead for the first time to deal with the existence of brain dysfunctions related to complex cognitions and the mechanisms in the brain of an OCD patient.

Do you think these people should be treated in a different way just because of their condition? Why or why not?

Pigs' smell it's more than nauseating!

    Do you know hog farms? If so, have you ever considered that their smell may have consequences for our health? Indeed you might think that it’s disgusting, and makes you feel sick, but researchers have discovered that people who live near such farms experience health problems due to the pollution this farms emit.

   The research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives demonstrated that neighbors of animal farms, particularly pig farms, have higher blood pressure in contrast to the population who do not live near to animal farms.  This rise in the blood pressure is provoked by dust, allergens and other thousands of organic compounds which are emitted into the air from animal farms.  

   It is worth to mention, however, that the study did not stated whether the rise in blood pressure was dangerous or not, but there may be health issues related to living near hog farms. Another previous study made in North Carolina found that the odor from animal farms causes stress and negative mood states in residents.

   A similar situation happened in Chile in Freirina a couple of months ago, do you remember it? There, Agrosuper installed a farm with half a million pigs. The smell was intolerable for citizens who protested to shut it down (for more information, click here). Although we can think of the obvious consequences such as mood changes, now we know it goes beyond psychological consequences.

   If you lived in a town where a hog farm is about to start working, what would you do? 

Click here for the detail of the study. For more information, click here.

Be Careful with What You Eat, Mommy

            We are all aware of the link that a pregnant woman has both emotionally and physically with her child and the effects that anything that happens around her have on the baby, as well as whatever substance that the future mother introduces to her body—for instance, what she ingests. Expectant ladies need to eat healthy food; otherwise, their children could be born with diseases such as diabetes, depression, obesity, or even cancer.

            An oncologist at Duke University, North Carolina, Randy Jirtle found out along with his associates the reason of the alimentary effects on their offspring through an experiment on genetically similar mice that consisted in feeding one group of pregnant mice a standard diet, while the other group was provided with foods high in B12, folic acid, choline and betaine.

Jirtle thinks that the food that contained those elements provided the mice a supply of methyl molecules; as a consequence, the expression of any of the diseases mentioned at the beginning in the genome could have been inhibited. Unlike the first group, the rodents that were fed with extra nutrients bred babies that had less probability in their genes to develop diabetes, cancer or obesity.

Would this mean that the typical idea of “eating for two” would be definitely discarded? What else could help your babies to be born without any illness?

The universe as one

There is a study postulating that earth is shaped by the cosmos that surrounds it, especially by Saturn and Jupiter. To understand this we have to take into account how gravitation affects earth and everything that’s held within the universe. Let’s imagine the universe as a giant clock which machinery is synchronized to make each piece move coupled with the rest.

The effects of this synchronized movement on earth are tremendous, our climate has been determined by the shape of earth, and the shape was given by Saturn and Jupiter (among other bodies) with their continuous gravitation around earth.

Think about it, our climate has determined the evolution of humankind, for climate sake, entire tribes migrated from one place to another, then complete cultures changed their systems because of nature and climate, and all of this history led to our present state of evolution.

 Our modern society has elevated knowledge and understanding to levels never seen before, but there are still some questions about life itself that have not been answered even though our level of awareness.

Considering this, to think in our planets shape, and in us, as a part of this shape makes me wonder if our evolution among thousands of years has more relation with our cosmos that we though.

 For more info check this http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/12/971218090305.htm

BEER! BEER! BEER!

How nice would it be to know that beer, actually, can be healthy? Well, it is true! Dr. Clarissa Gerhauser, from the German Cancer Research Centre  in Heidelberg, Germany, has conducted many studies about the effect of beer over our health. Her results seem to point out that beer (malted beer) constitute a chemopreventive agent for cancer. How cool is that?

Dr. Gerhauser, undertook a series of experiments with different chemical component that came out from the Brewing Process. Through animal testing, she managed to separate very specific chemical reactions that showed to slow down the action of cellular cancerous activity. But her results goes far beyond the cancer sphere. According to Gerhauser, in her book "Beer in Health and Decease Prevention", drinking about 8 floz (200 cc) of beer on a daily basis, helps the body to hydrate, also prevents the proliferation of contact ulcers, in deed, beer represents a good source of starch. 

Apparently, beer is good for our health. But not all kind of beers serve to the same purpose. Good quality beers, this means over 16% barley beers are the one we should take under consideration. 

This topic is important, because beer is the most consume beverage all around the world. It is the most common alcoholic beverage among college students. Then, to have concerns about the quality and the effect of this beverage it is only logical. The very same Dr. Gerhauser, states in the prologue of her book "this book is not advocating the consuming of beer, it is only a thesis about the beneficial features that beer contains".  

The Chilean law, does not states to label all of the components of beers and canned beers in the boxes. The question is, if this is the most consume drink among college students, why aren´t we more concern about what we drink and what is it made of? Do you believe that beer can be healthy?. 

 

 

Infant stress, teen emotionality

An early stressful environment during a baby girl’s first year can be link to altered brain behavior and signs of anxiety in her late teens.

 A study, led by some scientists of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which involved pregnant women in southern Wisconsin, showed that women who reported higher stress levels created a more stressful situation for their baby.

These women reported every stressful situation they were into during the first years of their babies, four and a half years later, daughters whose moms reported higher levels of stress had more of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood. That observation suggests the girls had trouble shutting down a hyperactive stress response. The same effect wasn’t found in boys.

Fourteen years later, effects of that high cortisol also turned up in the daughters’ brains, as brain scans revealed, the behavior of two brain regions involved in regulating emotions (the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala) were out of sync in women who had high cortisol levels as children, and this resulted into a bad reaction when confronting emotional problems and anxiety.

So now it makes sense when old people say that pregnant women don’t have be under pressure otherwise the baby will feel it and based on this study we can now demand to be treated as queens for our baby’s good. 

Chroma Key: Transforming green into wonders

Filmmaking is not only an art. In the last 40 years, filmmakers has invented and developed new technological advances, creating a dynamic, non-stop process that is still being developed nowadays. Improvements in editing, cinematography, lighting and makeup have been improved successfully. However, the most known achievement may be visual effects.

For this branch, a primal creation was the chroma key. This widely known technique consists of using a green or blue screen as the backdrop for the scenes, and then the colors are replaced for images developed in a computer. This technique can be applied in flat surfaces, and shaped elements as well.

Green screen used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

 A curiosity about this technique is that has been everlasting. Since its invention in 1933 and improvement in the 70s, only the software and applications used to put the image in the screen have been changed. Fortunately, the applications have enough to develop a thorough result in image, making it to be quite similar to the reality. The success in terms of image for films like Star Wars, Avatar or Alice in Wonderland is the product of the use of this technique. Thanks to this technique, filmmakers have also developed motion capture, which is making technological elements out of current films.

Considering that this technique has replaced several film labors like art direction, do you think that is a good element in filmmaking? What is your opinion on visual effects on movies? For more information check the site of KEYLIGHT, a keyer software for blue and green screen, and the video of the use of chroma key for visual effects in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

Flu Camps: Money or Health?

Would you ever consider being paid to get infected with a virus and kept in quarantine? People behind the company called Retroscreen Virology Ltd. Run a camp called Flu Camp, where they offer up to £3,750 to people willing to go through different trials that might last between 10-18 days.

These trials are very popular among students, and they consist on people going to one of the camps’ facilities and being administered with a small dose of a respiratory virus, then being placed in quarantine with one roommate and then treated with a variety of previously-approved vaccines.

Although the name might be a little deceiving, the facilities are quite modern, with “very comfortable rooms, wireless internet connection, three meals a day, an en-suite bathroom and even a PlayStation”. Everything is set up for the applicants to feel as comfortable as possible.

When it comes to vaccine trials, one might immediately think that there are many risks involved, and that’s why the company offers that amount of money to the applicants, and even though there have been cases in which things go wrong, they are extremely rare, and the company assures there have been no unfortunate incidents up to date.

So, if the company offers you that amount of money, would you do it? Considering that there are risks, and you’ll be kept in quarantine, is the cash worth the risk? Where do you stand on human trials for drugs and vaccines? Think about it and leave your reply on the comment section below.

Here´s the link to the full article. Flu Camps

No more DN-Age?

A vast number of biologists—and common people, for sure—have wondered for an extended period of time how does it happen that our DNA’s become older. Half of the answer of this enigma might have been already given; mitosis, the process through which cells divide to multiply themselves, produces a replication of DNA and, as a consequence, the shortening of telomeres, repetitive sequences of nucleotides (molecules that form DNA) at the end of each chromosome. This reduction of the telomeres leads to the ceasing of mitosis—therefore, those cells die—and our approach to death throughout time.

As the cause of aging has been discovered, of course, the eternal youth frenzy has turned into a massive phenomenon. A group of scientists from the biotech company Geron Corporation isolated a molecule called TA-65 from an herb named astralagus; what this molecule does is supposed to do is to enhance the action of telomerase, which is an enzyme that makes telomeres stay in our reproductive system; however, this outcome has not been studied more profoundly, so the product obtained from this experiment was brought into market as a nutritional supplement since they do not need approval from the FDA as medicines do. In the meantime, Geron pretends to address this result to the cure for cancer, given that it is related to cell division as well and by blocking telomerase in cancerous cells, they would die.

Provided that people who started taking TA-65 pills declared that they improved in athletic, visual and cognitive aspects, T.A. Sciences (an enterprise from New York from which Geron obtained the license for their product) decided to publish the results of this product in bones solidity, improvements on immune responses and evidences of aging. Meanwhile in Reno, Nevada, Sierra Sciences are developing a similar product that triggers telomerase as well and they hope to sell it as an approved drug.

Do you think that this will really be the “fountain of youth” or at least a step for discovering it?

Fat to burn fats

Lose weight has always been topic of conversation for many people in the world, especially women, and, as we all know, doctors have created a non-end list of diets and methods for reducing fats and make our body look healthier but what has been recently discovered may change some things.

Brown adipose tissue or brown fat is abundant in children’s body and is an excellent and natural way for generating body heat to prevent them from hypothermia by burning fat and calories in their bodies. This type of tissue was thought to disappeared from our bodies among we grew old but recent studies have shown that it is also present in adults’ bodies but in really low quantities, and that is where scientists focused on.

The procedure consist in providing fat people’s body with a nucleic acid called miRNA-133 to activate the production of brown fat in their bodies and that way burn white fat which is the responsible of 25% of bodyweight in women. Scientist state that with the production or rise of the levels of this fat in our bodies, we could lose weight faster and in an easier way.

Now, what’s left is to ask: Would you try this procedure? Or you just think it is another less effective way of reducing your size?

Mom, relax please

Is there a relation between stressed moms and bullied kids? Apparently there is according to a study developed by a group of psychologists from Warwick University. Now, there is a long run between a stressed mother and a bullied kid, so we need to take a look to the relation that those scientists are making.

According to the study, mothers who suffer stressful situations such as violence, economic difficulties, alcoholism, drug abuse, etc. produce great amounts of neurohormones that are sent to the woman’s blood stream and consequently affect directly to the development of the fetus’ stress response system. Thus, this future child will be more likely to handle stressful situations in a clumsy way, which will probably assure him/her being bullied by its pairs.

Reactions such as crying, running away or clear manifestations of anxiety are features that are triggered by a poor stress response system: kids who behave this way are almost always bullies favorite’s victims, and in adulthood they are psychologists and psychiatrist’s regular patients. Indeed, many adults who were bullied in their childhood present mental health issues, which make this situation circular because probably those adults are going to model for their children awkward reactions to stressful situations 

Considering this study, we ought to think if there is in any way considered by society a mother’s mental health during pregnancy, and how her circumstances affect the developing child.