Soap is not Clean?

Walk into a public restroom and all over you see signs about washing your hands. There are funny signs and serious signs, but what if you are putting more bacteria on your hands when you wash them, it kind of defeats the purpose of washing your hands. Studies have shown that certain types of soap dispensers have high levels of harmful bacteria that keep growing and tainting the soap. Dispensers with single use bags to contain soap are the best and the cleanest, but more expensive. Refillable dispensers are the worst culprits, the actual dispensers are usually never cleaned, just refilled with generic soap, allowing all sorts of bacteria in and grow.

            Scientists gathered samples from various places, like gyms, schools and hospitals and studied them. The samples from gyms and schools contained the most bacteria while the hospital sample contained none. As an experiment, the scientists convinced the places to change dispenser types to those with one-time use cartridges, after a year the dispensers were bacteria free. Even though there is a potential for harmful bacteria laden soap to be used, it is still recommended to wash hands frequently or use waterless hand sanitizer.

            I think its kind of scary to think how we might be exposing ourselves to more bacteria that can get us sick by washing our hands. I always have hand sanitizer with me so I can avoid those problems. Just the idea of how often people use the dispensers and what kind of stuff they have on their hands makes sense on how the soap can get “infected” with the bacteria and it can then spread and grow gives me the creeps. People can feel safer using the dispensers with the one use bag  cartridge and I have been seeing more of those in public restrooms, so it seems that changes are being made to keep bacteria levels down.

http://news.discovery.com/human/soap-bacteria-clean-110506.html

Robots in Spaaaaaaace

            It seems like the next advancement in NASA technology is sending humanoids into space to help with the daily mundane tasks on the space station. The robots would give extra help to the astronauts while not requiring food or rest. The can also quickly prepare to go outside of the space station in seconds, allowing for faster repair of the shuttle in case of emergency. Currently on the space station there is part of one of the robots, with the rest being sent up on the last shuttle launch in June of this year.

            The robot would allow for research and discovery in places where humans cannot go, they don’t require oxygen and can fit into smaller spaces because of not having to carry tanks or wear bulky suits. Currently researchers are working on various appendages for the robots that mimic human movements and can be controlled by a computer. They will never replace real astronauts in the space station, but they allow for an easier life for those up there. Technology is not good enough yet to allow the humanoids to explore on their own or last very long with the amount of electricity they require and it will take time to develop.

            I think it’s very cool that we are now sending robots into space to aid on the space station. It allows for us to advance the research being conducted in space; which allows for better scientific advancement here on Earth. They are an extra set of hands that can help, but do not require any much more than being plugged in at night to recharge.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/05/08/robonaut-humanoids-space-program/

Mayan Mistake?

            According to the Mayans, the world is going to end on December 21, 2012, but according to recent studies of the Mayan calendar it may be off by 60 days at a minimum. In fact, the Mesoamerican calendar never predicted the end of the world, one of the different calendars that was used was the Long Count, which measured 52 years and was used to mark past and future events. It was believed that the Long Count calendar would run out after a certain number of years, over 5,000. The calendar started in 3114 B.C. and ended the first cycle in 2012.

            Scholars were able to correlate the Mayan calendar with our modern Gregorian one by analyzing events that happen in both. Questions have come up if the correlation between the two is accurate, due to the use of planet alignment of Venus at one time and the close resemblance to a meteor that had passed through at the same time. This mismatch has lead to further doubts about the accuracy of the Mayan calendar to predict future events, as in doomsday.

            I find it interesting how scholars were even able to make a correlation between the two calendars, even if it is inaccurate. I do not think the Mayans predicted doomsday, just didn’t feel like continuing their calendar that far into the future, to me 5,000 years is a good head start. Its just a matter of time till someone finds another ancient prediction of the end of the world.

http://news.discovery.com/space/the-2012-mayan-calendar-doomsday-date-might-be-wrong.html

Mission: Fail

            Imagine being a soldier somewhere in the western Egyptian desert about 2,500 years ago. You have been walking for about a week with 50,000 others, you have been sent on a mission to attack and destroy the Oasis of Siwa and the Temple of Amun. You get ready to set out the next day, but you never get to see the sunset on that day, you drown in the desert.

            One of the lasting mysteries of ancient history has been the disappearance of the Persian army about 2,500 years ago. Herodotus wrote years later that the army had been swallowed by the sand and caused them to disappear instantly. Years passed by and the story became a tall tail and almost faded from existence. In 1996 explorers were working near Siwa and saw some items sticking out of the sand, a few broken pots and some human bones. Further investigation revealed more human remains, hundreds if not thousands of years old. The archeologists decided to investigate local Bedouin stories of a sea of white bones that would appear when the winds blew a certain way. The stories turned out to be true, a mass grave dating back to the time of the disappearance and held artifacts that were Persian in design.

            Those archeologists had, by accident, discovered what happened to an ancient army that almost disappeared from history. I find it amazing that people today are still uncovering mysteries of the ancient world, ones that we had thought of as fiction. It is sad that the army was overtaken by a sandstorm on their journey and they scattered in panic, but they have a happy ending in that they are now free from their sandy graves and can be given proper burials.


http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/cambyses-army-remains-sahara.html

Cleopatra not the most epic female Pharaoh of her line?

200 years prior to Cleopatra taking the throne as a female Pharaoh one had already claimed the spot. Queen Arsinoë II was the first female ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Before she became the queen she competed in the Olympics, winning 3 events with her horses. Arsinoë also fought in battles along side regular soldiers, making her one of the greatest females of the time. She was married to a Greek general when she was 16 and she became very popular and wealthy, 18 years later she married one of her half-brothers, but ended it after he killed 2 of her sons. After that failed marriage, she moved back to Egypt and married her younger brother, the king.

Egyptologists have discovered how influential she was in her lifetime by studying her crown that has been depicted in many reliefs covering around a 400- year time span. The crown was very unique in the elements it combined and what they depicted. There were 4 separate elements that were combined to make her crown, a red crown, cow horns, a solar disc and ram horns. Loosely combined it meant that Arsinoë was respected as a co-ruler of Egypt, goddess and high priestess. Arsinoë was revered as a god for over 200 years after her death and she was the role model for future queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

             I find it interesting how as people dig deeper and deeper in to Egyptian history how more heroic and powerful people are discovered. We have always looked at Cleopatra as the iconic female Pharaoh of Egypt, powerful and beautiful. It seems she had someone to look up to who paved the way for strong female rulers in Egypt who didn’t just sit by while battles were fought for her country, she fought in them right alongside the common soldier. I believe these are the kind of role models that girls need today while growing up, a strong woman who was willing to go the extra mile as a ruler and use her brain to rule, not just her body.





http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/queen-arsinoe-egypt-pharaoh.html

Thanks, but I think I will pass on glowing in the dark

 Tuesday April 26^th 2011 marked the 25^-year reunion since the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine. Nuclear fallout and dust could be detected on a measurable level as far away as Ireland and Scotland. The recent tsunami in Japan damaged the Fukushima plant, releasing radiation amounts that are the same, if not more than Chernobyl and has been measured as far away and the Midwestern United States. At the time, there had been a run on iodine pills, a common cure and prevention for radiation poisoning in small doses. 

            Today, we are constantly surrounded by radiation; almost everything emits a small amount, even China dinnerware. A chest x-ray or a flight from New York to Los Angles exposes you to a slightly larger amount, but barely comparable to the disasters. People cannot sense or feel or taste or smell radiation, in very large amounts it’s a silent killer but it’s a part of our everyday life. It’s understandable for people to be scared of something that can kill or cause cancer and not even know it.

            The effects of radiation after the Chernobyl accident can still be seen today in the area surrounding the containment zone. There has been a spike in heart defects in children born since the disaster, so much that it has been labeled “Chernobyl Heart,” the rates of mental illness and physical deformities has grown significantly as well. This is one of the reasons why people are so scared of large amounts of radiation; it not only affects them, but their children and grandchildren.

            I see the threat of nuclear disasters as minimal, but the handling of the disasters is what scares me more. Chernobyl was allowed to continue to leak radiation for months after the disaster while a containment structure was being created. The container was only meant to last 20 years, today its rusting through and leaking radiation and there is no funding to build a better, long lasting containment structure.  The accident on 3 Mile Island was better managed and containment was almost instant compared to Chernobyl. It’s the fear of not knowing how much radiation one is exposed to at any time is what frightens people and increases the fear when a nuclear disaster strikes. 

(Radiation Dose Chart from http://xkcd.com/radiation/)

http://news.discovery.com/human/nuclear-radiation-fear-chernobyl-110425.html

Olympics on the Sea?

  One worldwide event that is planned almost a decade in advance is the Olympics; countries vie for the hosting responsibilities for years in prior to the vote. A limiting factor is the cost of the event itself, a country must prove that it can build the necessary venues and infrastructure to host the great influx of people and cater to their needs as well as the sporting facilities.  One professor of architecture from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology has a solution, a series of floating venues that can be transported easily along coastlines.

            The idea of floating, transportable venues for the Olympic games seems like a plausible idea due to the large cost to each country when they are chosen to host the games, then after their investments often go unused and seen as a blight if not up kept. Also the ordeal of planning and building venues that would be used only once for its intended purpose. The design plan would entail the structures to be built on a latticework frame that was designed in the 1980’s. The initial cost would be great and would need to be funded somehow. Another benefit to having transportable venues is in case of a natural disaster; they could be easily moved and even “stored” in areas not prone to bad weather when they are not in use.

            Opponents to the idea say building venues stimulates the economies of the countries and the facilities are often used again for local sports teams.

            I think the idea of transportable venues is a good idea not just in cost efficiency, but it also allows for standardization of footing and facilities that would be able to be up kept and modernized as necessary, instead of building a new facility each time. It would also allow for countries to spend more of their focus on the venues that would have to be on land and their visitor facilities. People want to see a countries beauty when they go to the Olympics, and it allows the country to put its best face forward. Finally, more countries would be able to host the Olympics due to the lessened cost.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/future-olympics-reusable-floating-venue-110415.html 

Divorced, Beheaded, Died; Divorced Beheaded Survived

            One of the most known stories in history is of King Henry VIII and all of his wives. The story is that of Henry’s obsession to have an heir to the thrown and his desperation to the point of having 6 wives. Recent science has shed light on a few interesting points that could explain his inability to have a healthy baby boy as well as his seeming “madness” as he got older.

            Scientists have decided to take a look at Henry himself as the reason he was not able to produce healthy heirs with so many wives. For most of history it was believed that the reasons for the miscarriages and infant death was due to poor pre and post natal care or some even believe and act of God, punishing Henry for marrying his brother’s wife after his death. Henry was already believed to have suffered from diabetes, syphilis and Cushing’s syndrome. Since there are no available tissue samples for testing, researchers have to guess what might have been ailing the king.

            One idea is that Henry had a rare blood group, Kell positive. According to the article, if a Kell positive man has a child with a Kell positive woman, the first child will be healthy, but since blood is often exchanged between fetus and mother, the immune system of the mother will build up antibodies. Any following pregnancies will most likely end is death of the fetus because the body would attack it like a foreign body that it has built up immunity to.  Henry’s relationship with Anne Boleyn is an example. Her first child with Henry was healthy and survived, but after she never carried another successful pregnancy.

            Another health issue that could explain Henry’s deteroriating condition as he aged was actually a genetic disorder, which was carried on the X-Chromosome and called McLeod’s syndrome. The symptoms include paranoia, immobility, weight gain and general mental decline.

            The article also says since there is no clinical evidence and no tissues to test, it is virtually impossible to tell what was ailing King Henry VIII and why he could barely produce living heirs.

            I would find it very interesting to find out what was the issue with Henry and his wives, but it has become such a fairytale in history, it would spoil the story if it were found out. I believe this research has come out at this time because of the recent popularity of the story. Current books and television shows have romanticized the story, all while distorting the actual history. I have always found the story to be interesting and worth researching further. 

http://news.discovery.com/history/henry-viii-blood-disorder-110311.html

Cats, Cats, Cats and More Cats

            Cats were once worshipped as gods and divine creatures; they have never let humans for get that. My article for this week is on how cats can manipulate their owners, mostly female. The amusing thing is that I personally find this to be 100% true.

            In a recent study published in the journal of Behavioral Processes, researches posed an experiment where the relationships of 41 cats and owners were videotaped and later analyzed.  The results showed that the felines were more apt to interact with the female owners than their male counterparts. The study also showed how cats and their owners influenced each other. Pairs that had been together for several years used very subtle clues to express their feelings or wants. It also showed that cats remember interaction with their owners and in a sense, return the favor at a later time. It was suggested in the article that felines could soon replace dogs as man’s best friend.

            The second I finished reading the article, I immediately knew it to be true. The relationship I have with my cat, Fred, is exactly like what the article states. I adopted him in the Fall of 2006 from a local animal shelter. He was the cutest thing ever, climbing up the cage that he was in with his fellow brothers and sisters. I knew he was the one for me as soon as I picked him up he settled right into my arms and fell asleep while purring up a storm. After that, I would sneak him into my room and play with him and he would burrow under my bed sheets and sleep at my feet for hours. Fred would be the first thing I saw when I woke up, he met me at the door when I got back from school and he would snuggle up to me before I fell asleep. He was almost like my child, but at the same time we were equals, when I felt ill he would never leave my side and I always knew when he was sick. He got depressed when I left for collage and had a dramatic loss of weight. What further proved the study in the article was when I video chatted with my parents. The second he heard my voice Fred would come tearing around the corner and jumped up on the computer table and would watch the screen and listen to my voice. He does the same thing when I call home, he will rub his face all over the phone while my parents are talking. Also while I am away he sleeps in my room and all over my clothes, just to get my scent. Fred knows when I am coming home for school breaks as well, he will run to the door when he hears the car pull into our driveway. Once we are back together its like time never passed and we fall into our normal routine and our interactions don’t change from previous times.

            The article is beyond true and is proven with my relationship with my cat. Its almost eerie with the truth. It also shows how cats don’t see themselves as pets or companions to humans but as equals and sometimes they believe they are better than us.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/cats-humans-pets-relationships-110224.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Natural Mummies?

            When someone normally thinks of Europe they think of the sprawling cities of London and Paris, or the vast green countryside. Some might even think the marshes and peat bogs that spot the landscape, not many think of mummies.  Imagine being a farmer in Denmark in 1900, just going about your daily business harvesting peat to heat your home and you come upon a shriveled up body, I know I would be surprised.

            The bodies have been preserved by the peat in the bog, basically tanning the body into leather and keeping the organs intact even thousands of years after their horrible death. Most were not wanderers, who got lost, but criminals and sacrifices. Evidence has been found on the bodies of their deaths being intentional and planned out. One man who was found probably knew of his impending death several days in advance because of several days’ worth of stubble on his face. Other bodies still had leather nooses around their necks and one still had a wooden arrow through his skull.

            When speaking about mummies most people think of Egypt and the royalty, not of commoners in Northern Europe. Those who were sacrificed or murdered were everyday people, going about their daily business when they stumbled upon misfortune.  I think these mummies are much more interesting due to the fact that there are natural and their preservation was unintended. What seemed like a punishment from their local village actually turned them into celebrities thousands of years after their death. Their bodies have given science countless chances to delve into ancient society and discover how our ancestors lived thousands of years ago.  The details preserved on the bodies show researchers what their clothing was made out of and how it was made as well as how they did their hair and what color it was.

            I enjoyed reading more into these mummies and what they have brought to modern science. My interest came after talking in class about the Egyptian mummies and I was reminded of these lesser-known natural phenomenon mummies. 

Information taken from: http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/bog/index.html