China Launches A Rocket!

Summary: On September 29, 2011, China launched the Long March II-F carrying the Tiangong-1 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The actual launch date was August 18th, but it was postponed due to complications of the rocket. It was unmanned. They’re planning to try at least one manned ship, although they are planning several more attempts later on. China put out its first manned spacecraft in 2003. What they’re planning on doing is constructing a space laboratory by 2016 and building a 60-ton space station by – they’re hoping – 2020.

Critique: Frankly, I’m not surprised. All of the big countries have at least attempted to put some form of machine in space at one point or another. I had a feeling this would happen eventually, because it’s just another thing to put on the List of Achievements of China. Every country has one, I think; something that makes them better than someone else somewhere. For example: America had was the first country to put a man on the moon, but Russia was the first country to even think about doing something to explore space.

Impact: Well, now that China has joined the Space Race, I think America will want to outdo them, like always. Also, Hong Lei, from the Foreign Ministry, said that China is willing to work on projects with other countries. He said that there’s really no harm in getting involved with the Space Race. I guess this is true, because what could going into space possibly spark against other countries? If they were putting some form of Nuclear Machine in space, that would be a different story – although I wonder if someone will end up doing that later on . . .

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/China-Launches-Spacecraft-Eyes-Space-Station-130780933.html

The Many Stages of Sleep

Resource:http://www.cbn.com./health/nutrition/Goldfarb_sleepstages.aspx?

Summary: There are different stages of sleep.  But before we get to that, there are two types of sleep necessary to keep our brain and body in optimum condition.  One is called NREM (non rapid eye movement also known as “quiet” sleep) and the other is REM (rapid eye movement or “dream” sleep.)  NREM releases growth hormone or growth repair.  It restores the physical body.  It focuses the blood on muscles not the brain.  It happens in the first 90 minutes of sleep.  And it also stimulates the immune system to defend against infections.  REM restores your brain, clears out the brain, happens after NREM sleep, and captures memories that allows knowledge to take place.  NREM has four stages to sleep before REM.  The first one is light sleep.  It only lasts for about ten minutes.  The second stage is a sleep that last about thirty to forty -five minutes.  The third is that your heart rate and breathing will slow down in a good way.  The last stage takes place of you going into a very deep sleep.  Now, REM gives you ninety minutes into to your sleep.  We need eight to ten hours of sleep to get through these stages three to four times. 

Critique: I don’t think that people understand what our sleep is supposed to look like.  I think the stresses of life keep people from enjoying a solid nights rest.  It is very important for people to get good nights sleep because pushing ourselves to the maximum is ultimately not good for our bodies.  I don’t know what kind of sleep I have, but I would guess that I have NREM because I sleep very sound.

Impact:  I think it is important for people to realize how important our sleep really is.   The impact of someone not getting quality REM sleep is not good.  The person will wake up just as tired as they were the previous day.  In that exhaustion, I do not think they will accomplish what they could’ve had they rested well.

Koalas' Bellows Boast About Size

Resource: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929074201.htm Summary: Koalas are very lazy animals they sleep 19 hours, eat for 3 hours and have 5 hours left to do whatever they want. They don't really do much until mating season and males do what is called bellow. The males bellow to atract female koalas and to intimidate other males, but we don't really know what exactly they are trying to say while bellowing and thats what some biologist tested. Biologist found that they boast about their size and even some of the smallest koalas make themselve sound as big as a bison which is over 100 times the size as them. The biologist wanted to dig a little dipper into why the koalas can make themselves sound so big and they found that koalas might be a population of very few that have a decended larynx, which makes their vocal tracks longer. Also koalas air pipes vibrate naturally making the noise amplify and sound much louder. The biologist also did an experiment where they measured the size of a koalas head and when the koala boated they measured the sound and it came to be that the sounds they made, made them sound about the size that they were. Critique: This article really doesn't mean anything it was just interesting to read. Impact: Again the article didn't really mean anything there for it doesn't have an impact on anyone or anything.

Fish Uses Tool To Dig Up Clam And Crush It

Fish Uses Tool To Dig
Up And Crush Clams


Reference- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110928125412.htm




Summary- A orange dotted tusk fish digs a clam out of the sand and then carries it over to a rock and throws it till it breaks. This is amazing. The fish swam with the clam for a long time till the fish found a good spot to break the rock.




Critique- I have no objections I think it is amazing how a fish did that. So I honestly don’t think there is a critique to this.




Impact- This tells you how fishes are smarter than they really appear. Even though some fish can’t even make it through a obstacle. So maybe the fish was hungry so it used its brain.

Is human combustion possible?

Summary: Human combustion is usually when people set themselves on fire on purpose. There have been possibly thousands of cases, however, where there was no particular reason for the fire. It just . . . happened.
You may have heard of a case involving a Mrs. Mary Reeser who was burned alive on her couch. When the coroner came to inspect her body, the burn marks were nowhere else to be found except the area surrounding her chair, such as a small table. Her son, who had visited her before leaving, testified that she had been smoking, and taking numerous sleeping pills while wearing flammable nightclothes. Now, I know what you’re thinking: She OD’d and accidentally lit herself on fire. Bzzt, WRONG. That’s what the coroner said. Don’t ask me what his analysis was – I’m not a coroner – but he thinks that the cigarette wasn’t the cause of the fire. He didn’t give elaborate details of his theory.

Critique: I don’t think it can happen physically, because the physics of it is impossible. What was also interesting was the trend of these spontaneous combustions: elderly or infirm people set on fire more often than not.

Impact: Well, we don’t want people bursting into flames mid-sentence, but there’s really no way we can stop it. For the most part, it’s like believing in an alien invasion. SURE it could happen, but will it really? Shaky words from attention deprived witnesses are the only “proof” we have. Usually what is believed to be paranormal activity is either a joke – otherwise known as FAKE – or a frequent activity that was mistaken for an infrequent activity.

Hydrogen bomb!

Hydrogen bomb!

Summary- Hydrogen bombs are similar to nuclear or atom bombs. The differences are that a hydrogen bomb has hydrogen but still doesn’t use hydrogen fission but in fact uses uranium fission which is slightly different. Hydrogen inside this bomb is basically just a bigger bang for your buck and is a lot easier to make than an atom bomb or nuclear bomb. This bomb gives the perfect amount of time for it to hit its target so it doesn’t hit too early or too late, not that it matters though.

Critique- I think that all nuclear weapons are bad but when or if you use them you will want to make the most damage possible because most of the time when your dealing with nuclear weapons you want to destroy everything not just one specific thing.

Impact- All nuclear weapons are bad unless they are needed which we won’t for a very long time thank fully.

Life and the suns difference?

Life and the suns difference?

Summary- Why are plants green and not black? After all black does absorb sunlight better so why not black? Well as cool or pretty green looks it’s not as efficient as black, but why didn’t plants evolve to black in the first place? Well they shouldn’t and cant because if they do they will grow beyond the normal height and cause problems to the creatures below. For example when the dinosaur era occurred plants were two times the height of the trees we have now and along with that they had black leaves. The reason why the animals survived the height and size of the trees was because they were also a similar size but as time went on plants evolved and animals evolved to a smaller size. Is it possible that we will keep shrinking? Well not exactly because there’s a thing called gravity that is determined by the size or strength of a star. Our sun is a orange sun, It’s a medium sized star compared to a white dwarf, but if life is based on a blue star our planet would be much bigger and much more extravagant with life along with humans and plants humans would have eyes that can see through intense light and gravity. These eyes would be small and beady but powerful, while plants would have dark blue or black colors to survive. If earth was based on a red star humans and plants would be small and have huge black eyes that have heat vision or no eyes at all, plants would be small and white for survival through intense cold. All these descriptions sound weird but the weirdest one is a creature that can see through ultra violet (the colors we see around us).

Critique- I think I would like to live on a blue star ecosystem because earth would be way bigger and we would be 10 times our normal size. Plants should not be black though because I am to used to looking at green trees

Impact- We should do ore studies on stars and what they can do to different things on earth for full intelligence incase we come across extra terrestrial life and we will know what we are dealing with.

References-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll

Forward Pass for Renewables

Reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/09/pictures/110915-nfl-renewable-energy-green-stadiums/

Summary: So everyone has been asked the same question this year. What are you doing to help the environment? Well the NFL is putting up solar panels. On Thursday the 15th the Redskins stadium unveiled a “solar man”. This “man” consisted of 8,000 solar panels in the shape of a quarterback about to throw the football. The Redskins aren’t the only ones trying to help the planet though. On Sunday the 25th the Seahawks showed off their 3,750 solar panel array on the roof of the century link stadium in their first home game of the season.

Critique: I actually think this is really cool that the NFL actually cares. I mean I don’t know if this has anything to do with the players but if it does and the players of the Seahawks and Redskins actually thought about the environment that’s really cool. Everybody thinks that professional athletes, movie stars and pretty much anyone seen on a billboard or a magazine doesn’t care about anyone but themselves. That all those fundraisers and organizations such as “NFL cares” are just for publicity. What if the NFL actually does care? What if just like us their fighting against pollution, global warming and other problems like those to make the world a better place.

Impact: I think anything thing done to protect the environment has an impact and a good one at that. When everyone fights for the same cause things get done and problems get fixed. Take Facebook for instance I haven’t met one person that likes the new layout of Facebook and because everyone stood up for the old one they are changing it back to the old one. Every action has a reaction so stand up for what you believe whether it is the environment or Facebook because everyone can make a difference.

Promising Research in Breast Cancer

Summary: When combined, two drugs from Novartis and Pfizer doubled the time that post-menopausal women with a type of advanced breast cancer lived without their disease getting worse. The combination had progression free survival of as much as seven months more than women treated with the Pfizer drug alone.

Critique: I think that this is awesome. Maybe with a little more work, scientists will be able to extend that seven months.

Impact: A lot of scientists are saying that this is really significant. However, many breast cancer patients, and almost all of them with advanced forms of the disease become resistant to hormonal therapy. I think that this treatment may help some people, but it won't help others. Although I think that it's worth trying.

Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/26/novartiss-afinitor-shows-promise-in-breast-cancer/

Eating Fish Lowers the Risk of Strokes

Summary: An international analysis of 15 studies conducted in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China shows that people who eat fish a few times each week are less likely to have a stroke than those that eat little or none at all. The omega-3 fatty acids may lower stroke risks through their effects on blood pressure and cholesterol. The studies asked people how often they consumed fish, and then followed them between four and thirty years to see which people had strokes. The evidence suggested that about two or three servings of fish a week is enough to lower stroke risks. People who ate more fried fish and fish sandwiches did not receive the same benefits. However, the research can't prove that adding more fish to the foods you eat will keep you from having a stroke, it just lowers the risk. The American Heart Association already recommends that at least two servings of fatty fish, such as salmon, be consumed each week.

Critique: I think that this is cool. I really like fish and now I will be sure to eat more of it.

Impact: Strokes can be detrimental, so I think that anything you can do to lower the risk of having one is great.

Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/26/can-eating-fish-lower-risk-strokes/

They lied!

Babys feel pain early

Summary:

When babies are born they can’t really feel pain. The first ever pain they ever feel is a prick that is needed for a blood test. Babies that are born recognize the difference between a prick and a harmless touch from a normal human. They tested this by reading the electro activity of a pre mature baby brain. The babies that were born on schedule noticed the pain difference. The ones late did not notice any of that

Critique:

The critique in this is that the babies are now being studied more and more very day so we found out new things. We may soon find out how to stop premature deaths of babies

Impact:

This will not impact anything it’s just a study!

Some Brain Wiring Continues to Develop Well Into Our 20s

RESOURCE: : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922134617.htm

Most think the brain stops developing at adolescents, but it doesn’t until we’re well into our twenties. Medical research was conducted in the Department of Biochemical Engineering at the University of Alberta led by researcher Christian Beaulieu and his PhD student, Catherine Lebel to research this theory. The team scanned the brain of 103 healthy people twice ranging from ages five to thirty-two using a magnetic resonance imaging software. The study found that parts of the brain continue to develop in post-adolescent subjects. In these patients, it showed that the white matter in the brain is still developing well after adolescents. The white matter is wiring of the brain that connects different regions to the frontal lobe which have to do with inhibition, high level functioning, and attention. From this we can infer that these connections strengthen as we become adults. The researchers think this is due to new challenges young adults face such as college, starting a career, and developing independence and new relationships. Another observation they made is that the connections in the brain were actually reducing in some individuals which is associated with the brain degrading. They feel that this should be studied further so we have a better understanding and a distinguished line between psychiatric disorders and brain structure. Humans are always growing and learning every day. I wonder if the world will develop more challenges which would cause the brain to never stop developing?

Why Water? Healthy Drinking That is Crystal Clear

Resource: http://cbn.com/health/fitness/FF_water.aspx

Summary: People around the world drink six to eight sodas, coffee, or tea a day to get their caffeine kick.  You can get better nutrients in sports drinks.  But the best drink that any living thing can have on this earth is water.  Our bodies are seventy percent water not soda.  A doctor’s advice is that we should be drinking at least eight glasses of water per day.  Everything in this world cannot live without water.  Eighty three percent of water is in some of our vital organs.  Your muscles cannot contract properly function without water.  If dehydrated too much, it can be deadly.  Water can also help you lose weight.  If you wanted to lose fifty pounds, you would have to drink ten to eleven glasses of water every day.   Water helps cleanse your body from toxins and poisons.  Without drinking water and allowing our bodies to be flushed toxins can build up in your body and cause disease and sickness.  Water also helps keep your skin soft and moist.  Water is definitely one of the most important things we can do for our bodies.

Critique: I never knew water was so important.  Water can be a lifesaver.  The fact that water does so much to help our bodies is amazing.  It is definitely an inexpensive way that we can help take care of our bodies and yet many of us don’t utilize it.

Impact: I think that this is critical.  It is very important for people like myself to realize how important water is to our bodies.  Realizing that this could be fatal to your body caused me to see it’s importance.  Instead of grabbing a soda, we should grab water to not just stay healthy but to stay hydrated. 

Frige Fix: How Food-Safe is Your Refrigerator?

Resource: http://www.cbn.com/health/nutrition/reinke_fridgefix.aspx?

Summary: Does your fridge need a “Fridge Fix”?  To stay safe you should have a “Fridge Fix” to keep you from getting food-related illnesses.  Here are some “Fridge Fix” safety tips.  Every three months you should check your foods that are in your fridge.  Start at the top and work your way down and throw away expired foods.  This should be done at least every three months.  Second, when you’re done with that, you should get hot water, soap, and a sponge to clean the surfaces in your fridge.  Dry the refrigerator completely.  Studies show that vegetable and snack drawers usually have the most bacteria.  Third,  keep your refrigerator cool.  If you have a fridge thermometer, make sure that at all times it stays below forty degrees Fahrenheit.   Fourth, store your fish, poultry, raw meats, and dairy products right.  If you don’t, you can release bacteria in your refrigerator.  Foods can only last a limited amount of time.  Fifth, make sure you keep track of your left over’s.  Sixth, make sure you wash your hands after touching raw fish, meat, and eggs you should make sure that you wash your hands in hot water and use antibacterial soap.  Seventh, when cooking your food use an internal thermometer to check that you are cooking your food to the right temperature.  Eighth, when you are done with your food, you should use smaller condiment containers that can be used before your food gets bad. 

Critique: I never realized that food-related illnesses could start in my fridge.  But now after reading this article, I am going to make sure that my refrigerator stays clean so that no one will get sick.  If you do these things on a regular basis you are helping to prevent food born illnesses.

Impact: I think that if we realize that we can get sick and have bacteria grow in our fridge it would change the way we take care of our fridge.  It really doesn’t hurt or take much time to do this on a regular basis. Everybody, world wide, should do the “Fridge Fix” to stay safe and to not get any one else sick.   

Edible Carbon Dioxide Sponge

Reference:

            http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110923130112.htm

Summary:

            A year ago Northwestern University chemists published their recipe for a new class of nanostructures made of sugar, salt and alcohol. Now, researchers have discovered the edible compounds can efficiently detect, capture and store carbon dioxide. And the compounds themselves are carbon-neutral.

           

Critique:

            Researchers should show and tell why us people would eat such a thing. They should also state if eating it could be good for us in some way.

             

Impact:

            If researched more and has good effects on the human body could help humans in the way it needs to.

Some Brain Wiring Continues to Develop Well Into Our 20s

Reference:

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922134617.htm

Summary:

            The human brain doesn't stop developing at adolescence, but continues well into our 20s. It has been a long-held belief in medical communities that the human brain stopped developing in adolescence. But now there is evidence that this is in fact not the case, thanks to medical research conducted in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Critique:

             Finding this out is a great accomplishment that I feel needs no critique.

Impact:

            Many humans will still have a slightly un-developed brain in there teens.

Increase Your Memory at Work

http://video.foxnews.com/v/961402657001/increase-your-memory-at-work?playlist_id=157834

Summary: As we age we lose are memory and are at risk of getting dementia. Cynthia Green, PH.D states that exercising our brains in different ways can help our memory. Everyday most people do the same routine especially adults at work. Cynthia says to challenge your brain in different ways like wearing your watch upside down one day or taking a different class. For those at work you can rearrange your desk every 12 minutes. This isn’t just for adults at work though. Many teenagers forget things like when my mom tells me to clean my room and I ‘forget’. Teenagers at school can doodle which actually helps you focus better on whoever is speaking. Every day we can take different steps to help build our memory.

Critique: I think this is an interesting study and that’s not only because all I do in class is doodle. People start losing their memories as young as teenagers. With these exercises we can gain back our memory and lower the risk of dementia. I know with all the work that we are getting from school sometimes I just forget to do it, these exercises can help me remember. Cynthia also showed on the study a way to remember names. To remember a name you just have to associate it with something else or someone else you know. Say the name is Taylor well I can associate that name with the actor Taylor Lautner and that I will never forget.

Impact: we should all be practicing the exercises daily. I know that I will because I want to have a good memory. It’s funny to think that something so little as flipping our watch upside down for the day can help our memory. It’s simple and easy things we can do that effects us greatly in a great way.

Using super glue in brain surgery?

Reference:http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/23/tedmed-fixing-the-brain-with-super-glue/

Summary: Explains how super glue can be used to treat a rare disorder in the brain called vein of Galen malformation. They have treated at least 250 kids , most ending successfully.

Critique: That is so cool. They can do all that with super glue? Man, those superglue companies must be happy about this. :)

Impact: Now less kids will have the rare disorder in their brain, and super glue companies will be very happy!

Burning Calories

Reference:http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/23/which-burns-more-calories-walking-or-running/

Summary: The amount of calories you burn is not determined by the distance but by how rigourusly you are exercizing and for how long. You can walk a mile and run a mile but in the end the running will have burned off more calories then the walking.

Critique: Makes sense to me. I think it is correct, and it even takes into account of how much you weigh and exercize.

Impact: Either one: we will have to go running more often or two: walk two miles.

Panda bears

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_bear

Summary: The panda bear is native to central-western China. They have black patches around its eyes, ears and body, which is how it is recognized. The pandas diet is 99 percent bamboo even though it belongs to the order of carnivore. They are endangered species with only 239 living wild in China, and another wild 27 living outside China. Only about 1590 are living in the wild. A DNA analysis in 2006 estimated that this figure could be as high as 2000 to 3000.

Critique: I like pandas because even thought they are part of the bear family, they will not attack unless provoked.

Impact: The impact the panda bear has on the Earth is a positive one because with out it, the food chain would be very different.

Bumblebees

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumble_bee

Summary: Bumblebees have black and yellow hairs, usually in bands, and are social insects. Some other species have different color hairs, such as orange and red, or entirely black. Just like honey bees, bumblebee’s feed on nectar and gather pollen to feed their young. Unlike honeybees, bumblebees can sting more than once before they die, they will only sting to defend their nest, or if they are annoyed.

Critique: Bumblebees, I think, are pretty cool because of their colors and how they are striped. I don’t like them though because they sting and it hurts.

Impact: The impact bumblebees have on the Earth is a positive one because they can pollinate a plant.

Brain may sabotage efforts to lose weight.

Reference- http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/334505/title/Brain_may_sabotage_efforts_to_lose_weight




Summary - In obese people even when the brains knows it isn’t hungry. It responds to food as if it was new brain data scanned. This means if obese people try to lose weight they may find themselves not doing as well cause of neutral centers that unconsciously encourages them to eat. For an example usually normal weight people they give themselves a positive feedback on how good you are eating. Your brain for obese people is thinking that you aren’t getting enough food even though you are probably getting more than enough food for you, makes it harder effort to lose weight.



Critique – It may be all of the bad food that is out there. Which when people eats it you put on some more weight, and from that. Your mind starts to get a little messed up thinking you need more food for yourself even though you don’t need more food. Which makes it hard for obese people to try to lose weight.



Impact – I think this will get a message out saying that you shouldn’t be eating bad food. Even though it is talking about just food, but junk food is worse for you and it makes you gain more weight rather than vegetables and fruit.

Ringing ears may have a different source

Summery:

Ever had that time where you just heard random ringing in your ear? Well that could mean something else! It means that your brain is just adjusting the volume in your head. Isn’t your ear that’s doing that it is your brain just trying to process the noises around you. Or it can be making up for the loss of hearing scientist believe. It’s called hidden hearing loss or something like that. I always get the slight ringing in my ears too, so hopefully it does not get worse or else I might have to go check it out with the doctor.

Critique:

That hopefully I and other people don’t start getting constant ringing in my ears. Hopefully they find out that it not harmful.

Impact: The impact of the ear ringing is that more people will start to figure out what this mysterious ringing is.

The ultimate camouflage

Resource: http://www.macroevolution.net/camouflage.html

Summary: Camouflage expert Roger Halon is studying the marine life and how certain animals change their their skin color to blend in with their enviorment. He has been studying the skin of ocotpus, cuttlefish and squid. He is hoping to find a way to mimic how these animals change their color so that people can use when in war. Roger and his team will be experimenting to find a way to make this possible.

Critique: This article was interesting to read because its exciting to see that we might be able to have better camouflage in the future.

Impact: Better camouflage would impact the U.S. in a very good way, because if when we do go to war the new camouflage could help us win and less soilders would die.

Earth a gas planet?

Earth a gas planet?

Summary- Scientists and astronomers think that mars and earth like planets are actually giant gas planets. They think this because when a giant gas planet gets to close to a sun its gases will burn and evaporate, which then revels its inner rocky core. So this may be a theory of what earth looked like at its formation in the early beginning? Well if it did we would have a lot more larger and thicker atmosphere although we think our atmosphere is normal it could be thicker or even thinner to creatures on other planets.

Critique- I thought that the earth would have had no atmosphere at all in its early development but the more I think about it may have had a very thick atmosphere.

Impact- We should look at our world more differently other than thinking that our earth is just like all the planets we will find in the future will not be the same. The movie Avatar for example.

Reference-

http://news.discovery.com/space/are-rocky-worlds-naked-gas-giants-110916.html

Boom in Prescription Drugs Makes Its Way to Young Children; Accidental Poisonings Way Up

Researchers say that the use of prescription medicine being used by children is growing to be more common. Children are becoming more exposed to these drugs. The number of children 5 years old or younger being admitted to the emergency room due to these drugs have increased 36 percent in 7 years. During 7 years, 43 percent of the kids were injured and a total of 90 children died because of unintentional overdose or misuse of these medicines. The use of prescription drugs is becoming more normal for adults and teenagers, so this provides easy access for children. Being a teenager, this totally upsets me. Our younger siblings and friends should not have to pay for our bad decisions of using drugs for the wrong reasons. I’m not saying that all teenagers do this, but I’m saying that we need to do something to prevent it. Such as, keep our medicines out of reach of young kids and make sure you know exactly where they are at all times. It’s always better to be cautious.

Curb Chronic Diseases for $1.20

Summary: WHO, the World Health Organization, says that poorer countries could introduce methods to prevent and treat millions of cases of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. They also said that these countries could do that for as little as $1.20. The WHO said that there are many cheap steps countries could take to stop non-communicapable diseases, such as heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and chronic respiratory disease. These are responsible for more than 63 percent of all deaths throughout the world and kill about 36 million people every year. Some of the methods are: excise takes on tobacco and alcohol, legislating for smoke-free workplaces and public places, campaigns to reduce the amount of salt and trans fats in foods, public awareness programs, screenings, and counseling.

Critique: I really hope that the citizens of these countries can get the medical help that they need. The steps aren't really expensive. I'm not sure if their governments will implement these ideas, but I think, that it they were properly executed (no corruption occurring), they would succeed.

Impact: Over the course of several years, these steps could potentially save millions of lives.

Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/19/who-says-120-person-could-curb-chronic-diseases/

Fighting Cancer with Scorpions

Summary: According to recent discoveries by the American Chemical Society, a compound called chlorotoxin may help deliver anti-cancer genes to the most common and severe form of brain cancer, called glioma. Chlorotoxin is found in the highly poisonous venom of the deathstalker Leiurus quinquestriatus scorpion. When the chlorotoxin is added to nanoparticles of iron oxide, it can double the amount of anti-cancer genes that to go into the brain cancer cells as nanoparticles that don't have the scorpion toxin.

Critique: It sounds promising. Double the cancer fighting genes can reach the brain with the chlorotoxin compound, as compared with other approaches.

Impact: I believe we are another step closer to curing cancer. Many people are diagnosed with cancer every day and I think that this could stop the cancer from spreading and the patients dying.

Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/08/fighting-cancer-with-scorpions/?intcmp=obinsite

Are hearts necessary?

                                                             Are hearts necessary?

Summary- The reason why our hearts beat is because we have an energy input output that makes the muscles in our heart move to pump oxygen through our bodies. With out a heart we would be either dead or some sort of creature that scientists made. If a human has a infection in there heart they will go through having a heart replacement. Why do we need a heart, simply because all life needs oxygen to survive. Most people think our lungs process oxygen to the brain but blood is what contains the oxygen through the jugular vein.

Critique- I think that we could increase oxygen by putting a oxygen amplifier or filter for maximum intake. I have a friend that told me his uncle had a heart replacement and I thought why not make a filter to reduce infections in hearts, and amplifiers to increase oxygen intake for runners for the Olympics and everyday sports. Future devices maybe?

Impact- Hearts can kill yourself if you don’t take care of them correctly. Are hearts a burden on humans because they are so fragile?

References- My own intelligence

Vigorous Exercise is Good for Stress

Resource: http://cbn.com/health/fitness/DrLen_vigorousexcercise_stress.aspx?

Summary: People say you can lesson the affects of stress on your body by performing fourteen minutes of physical, vigorous activity a day.  But you must be careful to not over work your body or else you can bring stress to it.  Exercise can help by lowering your blood sugar, blood pressure, weight, your cholesterol, and feelings of depression.  Can working out intensely longer than you should affect your health?  Yes.  Stress can be added to your body if you exercise for too long.  Your immune system can get weaker when stress is upon you.  The release of cortisol and adrenaline from your adrenal gland is triggered by stress.  Be careful to not over-train yourself because it will then produce more stress hormones.  While most of us can work out for longer periods it is not necessarily healthy for everyone to do that.  Exercising for roughly 10-20 minutes a day can be a huge help for your body and stress. 

Critique: I find this quite interesting and ironic.  I didn’t think that working out a long period of time could put physical and mental stress on your body.  I always thought working out longer would result in a healthier body.  I’m amazed you can exercise for 10-20 minutes and still have a healthy workout without having stress come upon you.

Impact: Exercise is very important. I consider myself very physical.  I would suggest that we take heed to this article because anything done in abundance can be harmful to our body.   It is important to keep our stress levels down because we stay healthier.  I believe everyone should exercise throughout the week.  It is important for everyone to know and understand what their body can handle and work out according to that.  

Pill Popping Nation? America's Growing Adiction

Resource: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2011/july/prescriotions-drugs-americas-growing-addiction-addiction

Summary: Besides “meth”, there is another very bad drug causing addictions across America.  It is the prescription drug.  One day in New York, a robber entered a pharmacy and killed four citizens and took with him ten thousand pain killer medicines.  When that robber and his wife got arrested, the officers thought they were high on painkillers in the middle of the arrest.  Such prescription medicines should be used if medical attention is needed.  In the last five years, recent drug store robberies are in the top eighty one percent.  These days, many teens are not buying prescriptions because they usually use their parent’s prescriptions.  The government is now thinking about changing the way to get prescriptions.  Parents with old prescriptions should dump their medicine into the toilet or give it to a drug disposal company.

Critique:  I like what the government is trying to do here.  They’re telling us that they are going to place stricter regulations on the disbursement of prescription medicines.

Impact: There are many drug problems in our country.  We should help by disposing old medicines without throwing them away in the trash, but rather by throwing them down the toilet.  This will help because it should weaken the chance of somebody getting into your meds and getting high with them.        

NASA Mars Research Helps Find Buried Water On Earth

RESOURCE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915182850.htm

The world has come a long way since America first set foot on the moon nearly forty years ago. Now today we are trying to send astronauts all the way to Mars, and even trying to answer the question as to if the planet is capable of sustaining life. NASA developed a radar sounding technology to detect all the buried water on Mars. Now researcher and scientist Essam Heggy and a team he led thought the same system could be used on Earth’s desert regions. They traveled to northern Kuwait and used this system to map the depth and number of fresh water areas throughout that area of the country. For two weeks they flew in a helicopter with the system attached and scanned the area. Their results found that the system could actually find fresh water sources, the depth and amount of water in the area, and where the water flowed in and out. They think this will help to drill water more efficiently, be able to map the Earth by a satellite, and even increase our Earth’s water supply. I wonder what the future has in store for us.

Lasers Could Be Used to Detect Roadside Bombs

Reference:

          http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110917082729.htm

Summary:

          A research team at Michigan State University has developed a laser that could detect roadside bombs -- the deadliest enemy weapon encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The laser, which has comparable output to a simple presentation pointer, potentially has the sensitivity and selectivity to canvas large areas and detect improvised explosive devices.

Critique:

          This should be known worldwide for more use of protecting our country.

Impact:

          Our country would be better protected from any bombs.