Science Memes

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Can Sugar Make You Stupid?

It is a known fact that one can get obese by eating foods with high sugar levels, but who knew one could become stupid?  Foods and drinks high in sugar have been proven to slow you down.  Study shows that diets high in sugar levels completely damage the ability of synapses to change.  This is a key factor in learning.  Likewise, drinks made with sugar also ruin protein insulin by the brain called hippocampus.  The hippocampus regulates the sugar and helps with memory formation.  To prove this, scientists used lab rats.  The lab rats were trained to navigate through a maze for five days.  Thee rats had nothing but water and rat chow.  In the following six weeks, the rat’s water was replaced with syrups that were 15% fructose.  Also, half of these mice were given flaxseed oil and fish oil.  These two oils are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.  Because of the omega-3, the chemical connections in the brain are protected.  After six weeks, scientists put the rats back into the maze.  The rats’ speed was reduced dramatically.  However, the rats that received omega-3 were considerably faster than rats that were on the fructose diet. 

                I found this article to be astonishing.  Who knew that sugar can affect you so much?  I believe that this article gives more reasons as to why Americans should be eating in moderation.  Not only do we have to worry about gaining an extra pond or two when we have our daily chocolate, now we will be worrying about getting stupider!  Most people want to be smart.  Therefore, knowing that sugary foods and drinks can make you less smart will motivate you to eat healthier.  This is definitely a good thing.  I think that this shocking discovery will make America more fit.

                

Sources:

Article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120522-sugar-stupid-rats-high-fructose-corn-syrup-health-science/ 

Picture:http://bitmob.com/articles/the-video-gamer-nutrition-activity-and-mental-health

A Body with Forty Livers

Dysfunctional liver?  Do not fear because now you can have forty functional livers all throughout your body!

Doesn’t that seem crazy?  Well, it is actually is a plan that has a good chance of working.  In University of Pittsburgh, a stem cell researcher named Eric Lagasse found a successful way of helping treat liver failure patients.  When pondering about how the scar tissue in a damaged liver doesn’t allow the organ to heal, Lagasse noticed that transplanted liver cells can grow in certain areas of the body.  So to test his theory, Lagasse used several healthy mice to transport liver cells into the end-stage liver disease mice.  A majority of the mice died within eight weeks (this is normal as they are at the end-stage of liver disease), however the ones that survived Lagasse injected liver cells into their belly.  That changed everything.  The mice began to get healthy.  After tracing the path of the imported liver cells, Lagasse found that the cells moved to the lymph nodes.  The lymph nodes are ideal things to use to grow a liver because they can expand to the size of an organ, and there are so many of them that it won't make a difference if one is sacrificed.  Additionally, lymph nodes have direct access to the bloodstream meaning that they can nurture the growing organ with nutrients, hormones, and signaling agents.  Through this experiment, Lagasse grew twenty to forty mini livers in mice with liver failure that slowly took the place of the dying liver.  The size of all the mini livers combined is 70% of a normal liver.  In the experiment, Lagasse did not have any rejections because the mice were genetically engineered to have the same DNA.  However, when he tries this treatment on humans, he is going to be depending on immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection.  Lagasse is also looking into a new technology that allows patients to be their own donors.  This is called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).  This technology allows adult cells to turn into embryonic stem cells.  Ultimately, they can become any cell, such as a healthy liver cell.  Although this cannot heal liver disease, it can keep a patient healthy until they receive a transplant.

When I first read about this plan, I thought it was ridiculous! Why would having forty livers help treat a liver disease patient?  As I read on though, I realized that it was an interesting plan.  It’s amazing how a tiny lymph node can become a whole liver.  Moreover, I found it intriguing how the liver can grow in other places.  It’s strange think about having a liver in the back of your knee instead of your abdomen.  It is also interesting because instead of having one liver, you have several.  So if one of the new ones fails, you have thirty-nine to back it up.  However, there are some things that I think that demeans this idea.  First off, say you get a liver in in the back of your knee.  Wouldn’t it be a pain to walk around with an extra pound on one leg?  Also, having a liver in the back of your knee isn’t exactly slightly.  Lastly, the liver cells can migrate to the lungs causing severe respiratory problems.  Overall, Eric Lagasse’s idea fascinating and will save millions of people.


Sources:
Article and Picture: http://discovermagazine.com/2012/mar/30-turning-lymph-nodes-into-liver-growing-factories

"Mom's Weight May Be a Risk Factor for Autism"

A recent study shows that a mother's weight can be a cause for Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. in an unborn child. In this study, it was proven that an obese mother-to-be or a mother with diabetes or hypertension is 67% more likely to give birth to a child with autism. In addition, a mother that is obese is two times as likely to give birth to a child with other developmental disorders, such as poor communication skills or lack of attention. In a fetus, anything that happens in a mother's body will affect it. A mother with hypertension or diabetes exposes her unborn child to high glucose at an early age. This glucose level can alter the way an unborn child's brain develops. During the study, it was found that autistic children born diabetic mothers had poorer communication skills compared to autistic children born to healthy mothers. Furthermore, children without Autism born to diabetic mothers showed sign of socialization problems and poor communication skills whereas the non-autistic children of healthy mothers didn't.

In my opinion, this article shared very important information. To begin, it explained that there are several causes of Autism. I used to think that Autism was just some sort of genetic mutation. I now know that it is much more than that. It is disorder that alter the way a child thinks, communicates, and acts. Moreover, this study will encourage mothers, women, and even girl to be healthy from the start. In America, 60% of pregnant women are overweight, 34% are obese, 16% have metabolic syndrome, and 9% are diabetic. These are huge numbers. Next, this new information adds another piece to the "Autism puzzle." Scientists have struggled for years to find more information on Autism, and this study will trigger more answers to even more complex questions. Likewise, this study gives scientists more information on what causes Autism and how to treat it. Lastly, this tell women planning on getting pregnant to keep their glucose levels in control and to exercise and eat right. All in all, this article gives great insight on Autism and ways to reduce the risk of giving birth to a child with it.

Sources:

Article and Picture: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/09/moms-weight-or-diabetic-condition-may-be-a-factor-in-autism/?hpt=he_c2

Atom Bomb your Molecules

Atom Bomb Your Molecules: The Atom Song

Based on "Till the World Ends Remix" by Britney Spears Ft. Nicki Minaj, and Ke$ha

LYRICS:

Electrons is hatin’ but I take it all in stride

Put her in an atom with electrons on the side

Told you they’d revive your career but somebody lied

I ain’t talking poultry when I say Bohr’s got diagrams

Anyway neutron, why they so jealous that you teamed up with me

Tell my mass number just so high

Anyway atom whats that I don’t know but its got proton, neutron, electron

I done drew your whole entire atom model

Oh oh you got some diagrams?

I done balled all day

You ain’t touch the court

What, what you tired?

You need a break?

You was smart what?

Nucleus

I notice that you got it

You notice that I want it

You know that I can take it

To the next atomic number

If you understood this

This is the remix

Baby let me count your protons tonight

It’s Britney babe, I’m Nicki Minaj, and that’s Kesha

I can’t take it take it take no more

My neuclues never been this heavy before

C’mon get me get me get me on the floor

Particles what you what you waiting for . . .

WOAH OH OH OH OH OHO OH OH . . .

Watch my electrons move as they lose control

They got a negative charge

You notice my Bohr Diagram

It’s got protons, neutron, and electrons

You know that I can take it to the next atomic number

Just count the protons

Next one on my model

Baby let count you neutrons tonight

[Chorus] I can’t take it take it take it no more

protons and electrons cancel each other out

C’mon get me get me get on the floor

Particle what you what you waiting for

WOAH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH . . .

[Bridge] let’s take these elements

put them on a

periodic table

Gonna add my

Protons and neutrons

To get my mass number

Electrons keep on moving till the world ends

Keep on moving till the world ends

WOAH OH OH OH OH OH . . .

See the sunlight

We ain’t stopping

Electrons Keep on moving till the world ends

If you feel it

Let it happen

Electrons Keep on moving till the world ends

Physical and Chemical Changes

In class, we performed four labs that were all very alike. The purpose of these labs were to show examples of physical and chemical changes. A physical change is when the appearance of a substance changes, but the chemical composition does not change. On the other hand, a chemical change is when the chemical composition changes.

The first lab was called “Observing a Candle.” This lab was very simple. We observed a candle before and after it was lit. During this lab, I noticed a physical and a chemical change. After our teacher lit the candle, the candle wax started to melt. Melting is the process in which a solid, in this case the candle, turns into a liquid. This change is a physical change because the appearance of the candle changed. The chemical change that occured in this lab was when the candle started to burn. This would be a chemical change because the chemical composition of the candle changed. The candle caught on fire because of the way the components of the candle reacted with the fire.

The next lab our class performed was called "Pouring a Gas." In this lab, we made carbon dioxide. To do this, we had to mix vinegar and baking soda together. Once the mixture started to fizz, I knew a chemical change occurred. The combining of vinegar and baking soda is a chemical change because the chemical composition of the two components changed. The way the vinegar and baking soda reacted with one another caused a new substance to be formed -- carbon dioxide. Before making the carbon dioxide, our teacher lit a candle. To perform this lab, we had to hold the fizzing carbon dioxide over the candle. When we did this, the fire went out. This because carbon dioxide does not support fire.

The next day, our class did a lab called "Marshmallow Fun." For this lab, we were given small marshmallow and a large marshmallow. After describing the characteristics of both, we took the small marshmallow and ripped it in half. By ripping it in half, we made physical change occur. This would be a physical change because the appearance of the marshmallow changed, but the chemical composition did not change. After ripping it in half, we were allowed to eat it! After we finished using the small marshmallow, we moved on to the large marshmallow. Our teacher lit the Bunsen burner and we put the large marshmallows on on kabob sticks. We roasted the marshmallows over the burner until part of it turned black. The change that occurred in the marshmallows after I burnt it is called a chemical change because the substance changed after interacting with a different substance. Afterwards, we ate the large marshmallow. The burnt part tasted bitter and was hard and brittle. The inside of the marshmallow, however, was soft, creamy, and sweet.

The last lab we performed was a lab with sugar cubes. At the start of the lab, we took a couple sugar cubes and crushed them. This would be a physical change because the substance did not change, just the way it looked changed. Then we took the crushed up sugar and put it in a cup of water. The sugar dissolved immediately. At first, I was confused on whether this is a physical change or a chemical change. I then learned that it was a physical change because a new substance wasn't formed. The form of the sugar changed -- you could still separated the sugar from the water. Then, we put two sugar cubes in a test tube and put it over the Bunsen burner. The sugar went through different stages very fast. It melted, then became caramel, and then burnt all the way through. This would be a chemical change because it describes the way the sugar reacted with the heat. At the end of the lab, I tasted the burnt sugar. It was very bitter and very disgusting.

You can find physical and chemical changes all around you. When it is cold outside and you want to get cozy, you light the fireplace. That would be a chemical change. Another time you see a chemical change occur without even knowing is when you bake. The way the ingredient react with each other creates a whole new substance. In addition, physical changes take place all around you. For example, when comb your hair, you are making a physical change. Your hair is not changing, just the way it looks changes. Furthermore, you create physical changes when you eat. The crushing of the food in your mouth with your teeth is a physical change.

All in all, physical and chemical changes are all around us. You don't just see them in a chemistry lab. I also learned so much more about physical and chemical changes through the labs I completed. I can now tell the difference between the two and give example of both. Additionally, it was intriguing to see physical and chemical changes take place first hand.

Image Sources:

Candle

Marshmallow

Sugar

Separating Mixtures

Procedures:

1. First, remove toothpicks from heterogeneous mixture with your hands.

2. Secondly, remove the marble with the spoon.

3. Take the beans out with the spoon.

4. Then, turn the filter paper into a cone and put it into the funnel. Following this, put the funnel on top of the graduated cylinder. After this, put the beans into the funnel and pour the mixture through the funnel.

5. Once the water goes into the graduated cylinder, take the beans out with your hands and put them aside on the tray.

6. Then, use the magnet to pick up the iron fillings from the funnel. Put the iron fillings onto the tray.

7. After that, dump the sand in the filter onto the tray.

8. Next, remove the funnel from the graduated cylinder.

9. Following this, pour the remaining mixture into the Erlenmeyer flask. Then, turn the hot plate on and put the flask onto the hot plate. This will separate the salt from the water.

10. Once the water is evaporated, you should see the salt. Turn the hot plate off and use the tongs to remove the Erlenmeyer flask from the hot plate. Place the flask onto the table (not the tray!).

11. Lastly, clean up your area.

The seven parts are now separated!