CSB#3-Dreaming Makes Perfect

Dreaming Makes Perfect

Definitions

REM- rapid eye movement. A stage in the normal sleep cycle during which dreams occur and the body undergoes marked changes including rapid eye movement, loss of reflexes, and increased pulse rate and brain activity. In this type of sleeping one often has bizarre dreams. Dreams can happen in both NREM and REM modes.
NREM- non-REM; Also referred to as slow wave sleep, a mode of sleep divided into four stages of progressively deepening sleep
Dream- A dream is a succession of images, sounds, or emotions that the mind experiences during sleep.

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Summary
Dreams can be recognized and unexpected, wonderful or dull, and no one knows for certain why people dream, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between naptime dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill. In the study, 99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a computer, trying to get through a virtual maze, and they were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was. For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and half were told to take a short nap, and the participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dreams before sleep and after sleep, and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dream. Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze, and some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps. The scientists suspects that the brain processes associated with learning caused the dream, and the people who had other dreams, or people who didn’t take a nap, did not show the same improvement.

Discussion

I think that if the public knew this many people would become smarter. In fact, in school when one needs to cram some vocabulary words or Spanish one can sleep on it. So perhaps one way to learn something new is to practice, practice, practice, and then sleep on it (This is not an excuse for falling asleep during class). So the next time I have to memorize tons of vocabulary I can just sleep on it.

Questions

Does NREM dreams show up only when a person finds a new task particularly difficult?

Could there be a difference in dreaming in dumb and smart people while they are sleeping?

Citations

Ornes, Stephen. Dreaming Makes Perfect. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

Science Online. Science Online. N.p., n.d. Web 11 Nov. 2010.

'Tabletop' science confirms relativity

Definitions
Einstein's theory of relativity-A part of the theory related to this post is the faster you travel, the slower time moves, the heavier you get and longer things become shorter. Nothing to you is different. Your clock will still tick away at the same rate. An observer, however, would notice your clock running slower. You would notice the observer's clock runining slower while they would be seeing things perfectly normal. It's all relative to the observer. General relativity incorporates gravity into the equation and shows how gravity effects time, bends light and thus effects time. A clock for intance on the ground next to the Empire State building will run faster than a clock on the top of the building because the pull of the earth causes clocks to run slightly slower then a clock that is further away from the center of the planet. 

Summary
Exploring the peculiar effects of Einstein's relativity theory is no longer rocket science. Using extremely precise atomic clocks, scientists have witnessed the phenomenon of time dilation. Time dilation happens in two situations, where time appears to move more slowly the closer you are to a massive object, and it speeds up for someone at rest relative to someone moving. Now researchers have used two atomic clocks sitting atop steel tables in neighboring labs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colo. Each keeps time by vibrating an atom of aluminum more than a quadrillion times per second. A 75-meter-long optical cable connects the clocks, which allows the scientists to compare the instruments. The researches first raised one clock about a foot in relation to the other, and the lower clock ran more slowly, at the rate of losing a 90-billionth of second in 79 years. They then caused one clock to move slightly, and the moving clock ran slower than the one at rest.

Discussion
I chose this topic because I think that the concept of relativity is extremely interesting. This method can be used as a deep-sleep chamber or an interrogative chamber. In the future, Einstein's theory of relativity could advance into many things such as slowing down time or speeding it up. Overall, the concept is vast and can be researched on further to prove and discover many things.


Questions
Who is working on researching Einstein's theory of relativity?
Is there signs of improvements on this subject?


Bibliography
Stanford. Einstein's Relativity Theory. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
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Science Online. Science Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
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New Science Theory. Einstein's Relativity Theory. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
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Possibility for life on Mars


Definitions

Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)- is a colorless gas with a sweetish odor. It is also a major greenhouse gas and air pollutant. It has 298 times more impact per unit weight than carbon dioxide.           

Brine- is water almost are completely saturated with a salt, which usually sodium chloride.

Martian nitrogen cycle- it is possible that nitrogen may have played a key role in the early evolution of life on Mars, and that later a lack of available nitrogen on that planet may have been involved in its subsequent extinction.

   

Summary

From the University of Georgia, Professor Samantha Joye and her team disclose their discovery of a new chemical apparatus that produces nitrous oxide. This revelation was made at Don Juan Pond in Antarctica. This pond is eighteen times saltier than Earth’s oceans. Even in temperatures as low as negative forty degrees Fahrenheit the pond never freezes. Soil and brine are similar to those found on Mars. For finding microbial activity in extreme conditions this pond was ideal. Although no biogases were discovered, Joye and her team encountered high concentrations of nitrous oxide. “The reaction of brine-derived nitrates with basaltic rock could … mobilize nitrate from surface soils and return it to the Martian atmosphere as nitrous oxide.” This is a very important component in the Martian nitrogen cycle. The chemical apparatus is that nitrogen is needed to spark life on Mars. Just like a fire needs a spark to start it, life on Mars needs nitrogen to start it. If this chemical apparatus could be transported or undercovered in Mars eventually life on Mars may be possible.
  

Discussion

I think learning about life on Mars is very important. Resources left on Earth are starting to diminish and people need a large place to live. By the 2070 there will be about 128 billion people on the Earth. The Earth is starting to have population problems and if we can discover a new resource base similar to Earth it would make a substantial difference in life as we know it.

Questions

What other components besides nitrogen enable people to live on Mars?

What other places on Earth have conditions like the Don Juan Pond?

Citations:

"Non-organic greenhouse gas producer found." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin=UPI-1-20100427-121924-bc-us-donjuanpond-crn&SingleRecord=True>.

RL., Mancinelli, et al. "Biological Nitrogen Fixation under Primordial Martian 
     Partial Pressures of Dinitrogen." Pub Med. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. 
     <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11537369>.

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