Phantom... Baby and a Greedy Panda

A giant panda at the Chengdu Breeding Research Center in China named Aj Hin was starting to show signs of pregnancy. The staff at the Research Center planned to film the first ever live broadcast of a panda giving birth. But before the birth could be filmed, the whole project was cancelled due to the fact that the panda was never really pregnant in the first place. Aj Hin was experiencing phantom pregnancy and probably faked the whole thing just to get attention and more food. Once a panda shows symptoms of pregnancy, they are moved to a room with air conditioning and are given more food. Aj Hin's behavior returned to normal after two months of observation. Phantom pregnancy is common among bears that are endangered. They want special treatment that other bears get when they are pregnant. This reminds me of how kids envy their friends or siblings when they are sick. They get special treatment just like a pregnant panda does. The mother will carry a tray to their room and the sick child doesn't have to go to school. Therefore some kids probably pretend to be sick sometimes. I've done it before and most kids probably have. The Munchausen syndrome is when someone will fake illnesses for attention and sympathy.

Phantom Limb

Phantom limb syndrome occurs when an amputee senses and feels their limb that isn't really there. Even when the limb isn't real, the amputee will still feel pain from their "phantom limb". Although phantom limb syndrome only happens to amputee's, a group of researchers discovered how to let non-amputees feel this sensation of having an "extra limb". They hope that this will lead to better understanding of phantom limb syndrome and find a way to prevent it. The scientists experimented by making a person put one hand on one side of the table, cover it in a way so that the person cannot see their hand. Next two paintbrushes are used to stroke the covered hand and to stroke the "invisible hand". This gave the sensation that the person had another hand. When the stroking stopped, a knife was raised and was swung around at the "invisible hand". By measuring sweat, scientists were able to know that the people really felt the "invisible hand". But when a person did not have a phantom hand, they did not feel as stressed when the knife was waved around. I am reading a book by William Sleator called the Phantom Limb. I won't reveal much of the story, but I will say that the main character discovers a mirror box. A mirror box is used in mirror therapy to help with phantom limb syndrome. When the amputee is feeling pain they insert their hand in the box. There is a mirror in the middle of the box that reflects their one existing arm and hand. Because their arm and hand is reflected, it looks like they have both arms. If they unclench their hand, it looks as though the other hand unclenched as well, the "phantom hand". This was invented by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. I thought that this was very cool. I want to try it out, but it is kind of creepy as well. If a non amputee were to stick their hands in the box and move their left hand the mirror will show the right hand moving as well even though the person isn't actually moving their hand. I think that this would feel really cool.

Hey! I'm Back!

Hey I'm back to write some more. I was in San Francisco for a week. It was GREAT!

Perfect Pitch

I didn't know I was perfect pitch until I was in 5th grade. My sister and I were just playing around the piano, tapping keys and I just blurted out the notes she was playing without looking. She stopped and looked at me. She claimed that I was perfect pitch and that I had the ability to hear a tone and tell what note it is. I had thought all along that anybody was able to do it, because I was able to do it all my life, and so when my sister couldn't do it, I was rather surprised. Only 1 in 10,000 people have perfect pitch. That's amazing. I never knew that and I feel quite proud of myself now, for being the 1 in 10,000 people that has perfect pitch. Perfect pitch is usually acquired at the age of 4-6 which makes kind of sense since I started learning piano at the age of 5. But study shows that a pill used as a mood stabilizer also allows people to recognize notes better. The name of the drug is Valproate. Not only does this drug allow you to become better at recognizing notes, it also helps people learn a second language. Learning a second language or being perfect pitch all starts when you are young, but the drug Valproate restores the plasticity of an adult brain to a juvenile state. Making adults to be able to do things that kids can do. Even though this drug can do good for other people, although this sounds selfish, it kind of makes me sad that now that all the things I can do, are now becoming something that anybody can do.

Dreaming

The subject of dreaming automatically brings up the thought of my favorite movie of all time; Inception. (If you haven't watched that movie, you should, because it is the best movie ever!) Anyway, when I first learned that it was possible to control your dreams, I was really excited. I read about it in a book and I wanted to try it. Although there were many different steps and things you needed to do the control your dream, they never really worked out to well for me. Controlling your dream is called: lucid dreaming. But really, it's not controlling your dream, it's about controlling yourself and recognizing that you are in a dream while you are dreaming. 58% of people claim that they have lucid dreamed at least once. I really want to lucid dream because then, anything is possible because I no longer think that the dream is real, I know that I can do whatever I want because it's my dream! Soldiers from the military that have "military dreams" are unable to pull the trigger of their gun in the face of danger, but soldiers who have played video games to help out with nightmares were able to shoot back at the enemy. Robert Waggoner, an author of a book called Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self, said, "The sailor does not control the sea, and neither does the lucid dreamer control their dream." I really wish that I would one day be able to lucid dream.

Rube Goldberg

Brett Doar has a peculiar job; create intricately designed Rube Goldberg machines. For those of you that don't know, a Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption that is overly complex and has many components that lead to something very simple. Brett Doar creates these machines for companies that use them for advertisements. Rube Goldberg machines remind me of GBC's or Great Ball Contraption, which is similar to a Rube Goldberg machine. A GBC is a cycle where you can throw balls into the start of a contraption and they go through different parts of the machine and eventually comeback to the beginning. Here is an example:

I used to really think that these machines were really cool and so I tried to make my own versions and I made new contraptions. It's a fun thing to do. I really like small, compact, and simple mechanical contraptions. They are fun to make and really neat if they have a cool design. A Rube Golberg machine takes a bunch of those and puts them together to create a big contrapion that does something. I think making Rube Goldberg machines would be a fun but painstakingly difficult job.

Woodpeckers!

 You would think that slamming your head against a tree repeatedly at 16 mph would cause you to get a headache or maybe even worse. So then you ask yourself, "Can a woodpecker get brain damage?".
This was the question psychiatrist Philip May asked to his fellow colleagues at UCLA.
Shock absorbers are springy mechanical creations used in cars to make your drive a little more smoother, hence the name, "shock absorber". Similarly a woodpecker has a spongy patch of bone around the front of its skull that scientists believe act as a shock absorber. Woodpeckers also have a bone called a hyoid that wraps around the woodpecker's head and brain. The UCLA team also discovered that the woodpecker's brain is packed tightly unlike the human brain. Compared to a normal bird, the woodpecker's skull is more stronger and dense. After doing research, when Philip May published his research about the woodpecker in 1979, a neurologist claimed to have seen a woodpecker slam into his window and die several hours later from cerebral trauma. I think that a woodpecker is a really cool creature. Shaking your head back and forth at 16 mph is pretty amazing. The average human can run about 6-7 miles per hour!
. 

Monster Chess!

My favorite "toy" Lego's and my favorite "game" Chess. But, a Lego chess set that moves? That's crazy! A Lego robot designer named Steve Hassenplug built a Lego giant chess set that was said to be inspired by Harry Potter's wizard chess. The set took over 100,000 pieces. Steve Hassenplug's friends that helped him build the chess set included Ron McRae who created a working Lego ATM before. Each square on the chess board has a small 4 color square that each piece can see with it's color sensor. This will show where the pieces are and help the pieces no where to go. A touchscreen PC will direct all the pieces will go. I thought this project was really cool. The idea was brilliant and just the fact that this project was a success amazes me. I would really love to try and play chess with this creation. I think that Lego isn't just a child's plaything. But it can be a tool to create mechanical and technological creations that you design.

Perovskites

Solar panels are useful sources of energy but rather costly. But scientists have recently discovered a new mineral that can be used to manufacture cheap and efficient solar panels. This mineral is called Perovskite. These are crystalline minerals that can produce solar power. The efficiency of using lab-grown Perovskite minerals to create energy from sunlight has went from 3.8 percent to 20 percent in just five years. Compared to silicon solar panels that took 3 decades to get to the same level, it is an amazing feat. Perovskite is both cheap and easy to manufacture, two qualities that silicon solar panels don't have. The problems are that 1. the most efficient type of Perovskite use lead, which is poisonous. As a solution, scientists used tin as a replacement. Although tin is less efficient, it is more safe. 2. Water will dissolve the crystal. Although weatherproofing each and every individual cell would work, it would add to the cost. 3. Since these cells were recently discovered we do not know yet if they will last a long time. I personally think that using solar panels and other forms of electricity in general is a great idea. I never knew that solar panels were so expensive. Upon researching this subject, I learned that an average solar panel system for the home of a person can be a little over $10,000! The power inverter for the solar panel can cost from about $1,000 - $3,000. That's a lot of money. But this newly developed mineral can cut down the price to less than half! I think that solar panels are more healthy for the planet rather than conventional coal-fired power plants. Another type of electricity to consider is nuclear fusion reactors. Fusion power plants can efficiently produce more electricity than a fission power plant. They are more safer but is still in its prototype stage. I hope that the world's leading scientists can create the most efficient way of producing energy without harming the earth. And maybe that scientist will be me!

Yeti or Not, Here We Come!

Lausanne Museum and Oxford University's team of researchers studied plans to study hair samples from different institutes around world claimed to be hairs from the mysterious legend, the Yeti, also known as Sasquatch or Bigfoot. In 1976 a photo of a abnormally footprint was taken in the Himalaya's. The footprint was claimed to be Yeti's. Yeti is known as a cryptid, or an animal whose existence has never been proven. The Loch-Ness monster is another well known cryptid. Although there are multiple "sightings" of these creatures, nobody knows if they're real yet. The study of these creatures is called cryptozoology. A co-leader of this project is Bryan Sykes who says that "DNA will tell the truth". I don't believe in these strange creatures that people tend to see from time to time. I think that most cryptids aren't real but just parts of somebody's imagination that go widespread. Although I don't believe in them I think they are very cool. I am currently reading a series called Cryptid Hunters. Hence the title, it is about two kids, their uncle and how they hunt for cryptids. I think the reason why people make these strange legends about mysterious creatures is for entertainment. Although I doubt these animals' existences they may be real and they may no longer become a cryptid, bud a real animal one day.

Spiders!

Spider silk is a very important and incredible material of nature. It can help cure Alzheimer's because it's structure resembles the structure of the amyloid fibrils in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's. This allows scientists to understand better how Alzheimer works and they may be able to create a solution. Spider silk is stronger than steel and yet it is still very light. This reminds me of Spider-Man and the web shooters he used in the Amazing Spider-man. The webs he use are extremely strong and flexible like spider silk. It made me think, what if someone used real spider silk and made web shooters from them? Possibly a real
Spider-Man? Although I don't think we have the technology to make these, I think that it is a really cool idea that will be beneficial to the world. Although the web shooters from Spider-Man were used to fight crime, I think spider silk can used for other things as well. You may be able to use them to create strong and flexible objects. And also to satisfy all Spider-Man fans, a way to swing around New York City. Although it is only an idea right now, it may become more than just an idea in the future.

Computers Too?

During 1960s MIT created a chatbot called Eliza. In 1977 a super chess computer from IBM called Deep Blue defeated Chess Champion Garry Kasparov. In 2011 IBM introduced Watson, that beat humans in Jeopardy!
Sure robots are really smart, but can a human fall in love with a robot? In 2013, the movie Her, was released. The movie was about a man falling in love with a software. Although it seems impossible, researchers say it is possible for a person to fall in love with a computer. Softwares and programs created by people can reply with more "interesting" replies to questions or statements that are asked to them. In a movie called Transcendence, a scientist was killed from a poison bullet. His wife tried to keep him alive by using his consciousness and putting it in a robot. She couldn't realize that the robot might not be him but nothing more than a robot. Studies have shown that computers can coax people into being more polite. I think it is because machines are perfect, have no mistakes, and cannot become angry. It's easy to fall in love with someone if they always agree with you and are an angel to you all the time. Even though this is possible, I think it is a ridiculous idea to fall in love with a robot.

Ebola Treatment

You've probably heard of Ebola by now, it was on the news not too long ago. It is a deadly disease that can spread among many people. Countries such as Liberia and Nigeria had Ebola outbreaks and doctors have volunteered to help out. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol got sick with Ebola while volunteering in a Ebola clinic. Brantly and Writebol were both sent to America for treatment. But before either of them left they were injected with experimental, untested drugs. I think that it is indeed necessary to use experimental vaccines for life threatening situations. It could save somebody's life although it could go wrong and kill them instead. I think it is worth risking.
When I first heard of Ebola I thought about parasites. Therefore Ebola absolutely terrified me. I have a fear of parasitic creatures. The thought of them makes me cringe. I have a trauma from a movie I watched a long time ago along with a cartoon I saw about parasitic creatures and they both left a bad impression on me. Even though Ebola is not a parasite, I find Ebola just as scary. An entire population can possibly die because of it. Contagious diseases can spread and kill thousands of people. I think taking risks like untested drugs can sometimes be needed.

Crime

It's not just once in a while that I hear about an innocent man coming out of jail for a long period of time. These people haven't done anything except be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This reminds me of the time when I was wrongly accused of "bullying" a younger child when I did not do anything. At the time, the only proof that the vice principal had that my friend and I had bullied this child was from the child's mouth. The child claimed to have been bullied by me and my friend multiple times, although we barely even knew this kid. The vice principal, didn't even listen to what we had to say, and the next thing we knew, we were in big trouble. Although jail, and just getting in trouble, has a very big difference, I don't think that it's that different. People can be sentenced to death innocently. John McCormick is a 63 year old man who was shot and killed July 26, 1978. The prime suspect was Santae Tribble, a seventeen year old boy. An FBI agent matched his hair with some of the hair found at the scene of the crime. He was sentenced to 23 years of prison. But in 2003 it was proved that the hairs in the crime scene were not even close to Santae Tribble's hair. In fact, some of the hairs, were dog hairs. Sloppy forensics, can lead to innocent deaths and innocent people being wrongly accused. The crime lab of St. Paul, Minnesota was revealed to use dirty equipment, have operators who did not know much science at all, and had illegible reports. Although things are slowly getting better, I hope that the police will be able to save innocent lives quickly, because I know how it feels to be wrongly accused.

Vision

When I was little I didn't really understand that my sister was not able to see things well without her glasses. She could open her eyes and look around and see things just like me when she was younger. But after a while her vision got worse and worse until, she had to wear glasses. Although she isn't blind, without her glasses, she can only see things clearly around a 6 inch radius, everything farther than about 6 inches is just a blur to her. She isn't blind or unable to see, but without glasses, she can't do anything. Yet when she takes her glasses off, she can recognize things, even if they are blurry. On the other hand, Mike May is a 60 year old man, who is perfectly normal just like us. But when he was three, a chemical explosion caused him to lose sight. But after 43 years of total darkness for him, he was able to see through a surgery operation. But even though he was able to see clearly and well, he couldn't tell what all the colors and shapes meant. Although he could see, he didn't have the sense of vision. Because he hadn't seen things for 43 years, he could not interpret the shapes and color. I thought this was interesting. Because although, after a while, Mike was able to see, when he was first able to see, he was not able to see anything. This means that after not using a part of your brain for a really long time, you will no longer be able to use it even though you have the ability to do so. But with practice, you can eventually use it once more. Even if a blind person is able to locate anything in their room, and be able to walk around without bumping into everything, they will not be able to draw a 3D map or view of their room because they cannot see, and if you cannot see 3D you won't understand it. They only know 2D because they haven't seen the actually room, they can only feel it. I think that in order to cure someone of a disability they had for a long time. You must not only make them able to do something again, but you have to teach them the concept of the ability that they have never been able to do. Since a blind person, cannot see anything, and cannot understand the concept of seeing at all. Then in order to restore their vision, you need to start early on, you need to input images in their head. This is probably not possible with the technology right now, in the future, I hope that people will discover a way to cure these kinds of "sense" disabilities. But still even just allowing people to be able to see is an amazing feat.