After reading an article of Yahoo Health, I thought that many people would find it interesting. There are many well-known triggers for depression including trauma, grief, financial troubles, and unemployment to name a few. Depression affects approximately 3 out of every 100 people in the United States alone, according to Psychology Today. The effects can be devastating. As one of those people who have actually dealt with it in my life, I can say with a certain degree of confidence that it is not fun. The article on Yahoo Health goes through a number of little-known causes of depression which …

What is the G8 Summit? According to chicagog8.com, in the early 1970s, several leading world economic countries would meet at the White House to discuss a number of different issues including pollution and conservation. By 1975, after France and Germany called for a more formal summit, France hosted the first summit that included a group of six nations, and was called the G6. This tradition continues to this day, with an annual summit held in a location selected by that year's host country. Currently, the G8 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK, and the USA. On some …

Research in this area is of course something that is considered taboo by many, even professionals in the medical field. Having a healthy digestive system and understanding the research in this area is, in my opinion, extremely important to your health and well being. So, I guess I am one of the brave souls that will be attempting to tackle this issue. I like a good laugh like any other person, but the fact of the matter is, talking about this subject is just as important as talking about the risks of smoking and the benefits of exercise. After reading an article on the subject by Mairi R. …

After reading an article in the March 4th edition of Parade Magazine entitled “Your Body’s Mysteries Solved” by Catherine Price, I thought that some of the topics discussed would be a great addition to the “Practical Science” repertoire. Below are a list of some of the idiosyncrasies and strange bodily functions that most of us experience on a daily basis.   Why do I wake up in the morning with crust in my eyes? Surprisingly, that “gunk” that you wake up with in your eyes is not there just to irritate you and gross you out. According to the article in Parade, the crust, whose scientific name …

Welcome back to part 2 of our amazing journey! After shrinking the sizes so small that came into contact with the fabric of the universe itself, is it now time to travel far into space to see some of the most massive structures of nature. For our amazing journey today, we will rely on data provided by the Scale of the Universe interactive tour created by Cary and Michael Huang. Take the tour yourself by clicking here!   A Review of the Metric System If you weren’t here for the first leg of our adventure, fear not! Let’s go over the metric system one more time. Remember that 1 meter is equal …

We humans love to measure things. However, our view of the world is only but a fraction of what is actually out there. A patch of soil in the garden, outside your own home, is a “universe”filled with wonderful creatures, some so small that you would need a microscope to see them. According to the University of Utah, the smallest thing an unaided human eye can see is about a tenth of a millimeter, or about 4 thousandths of an inch. Believe it or not, a paramecium and a human egg cell are about this size and under the right conditions, you can see them with your naked eye. Granted, that is …

What is a living thing? This is not an easy question with an easy answer. To put it bluntly, a living thing is either a bag of chemicals or a collection of many bags of chemicals. The vast majority of life on Earth is comprised of single celled organisms (one bag of chemicals). Multicellular organisms, like humans, are actually a collection of single-celled organisms that work in concert with one another. Without the cells of the brain or the heart, the rest of the body would die. In essence, we are a collection of many bags of chemicals that totally rely on one another.   The Building Blocks…

If you’re like me, countless New Years have come and gone, and with each one, a resolution has come and gone just as fast. Quitting smoking (I admit that I am a smoker), working out, and eating healthy have been my collective resolution each year. I usually succeed at one of them each year, which is usually joining a gym and working out. Unfortunately however, it doesn’t last as long as I would like. Issues pile up: mortgage, bills, school, work and life in general. Before you know it you’re sucking down a cheese steak, in front of your computer with an ashtray full of butts. Well enough is …

On Thursday, we Americans will stuff our faces to a point that we have awaited all year. Probably the most common Thanksgiving fare includes stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and of course – Turkey! If you’re like me, you load up on all of these tasty treats, find a nice open space on a big comfy couch and stare at the TV, wondering why you just ate so much food until you quietly pass out. Why does this happen? Is it really because of turkey, or is there some other explanation as to why we feel so tired after Thanksgiving dinner?   The #1 Suspect In turkey, and many other meats, …

Autumn is truly a special season. As the temperatures start to fall and the days become shorter, trees start to exhibit the beautiful hues of yellow, orange, brown, and purple that are synonymous with the harvest season. For others however, the mass accumulation of dead leaves is just a bother. Have you ever stopped and wondered why this phenomenon happens and how?   Deciduous vs. evergreen trees First, we need to define two important biological terms involving trees. In the northern latitudes, there are two types of trees, evergreens and deciduous trees. Trees are considered deciduous if …

- Biographical information compiled from the Academy of Achievement, the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Youth and Education Edward Osborne Wilson, or as some call him "The Lord of the Ants," was born on June 10, 1929 in Birmingham, AL, but was raised mostly in Washington, D.C. and Mobile, AL. Wilson’s father was a government accountant and moved the family frequently. This left little time for young Edward to make friends; instead, he turned to nature. At an age of 7, Edward’s world was changed forever. First, his parents, Edward and Inez …

What is FIV? FIV, or feline immunodeficiency virus, is extremely similar to the virus that causes AIDS in humans (HIV). Both belong to a group of viruses called lentiviruses. All lentiviruses belong to a larger group of viruses called retroviruses which can lie dormant in the genetic code itself and activate at a later time. This is what makes viruses like HIV and FIV so dangerous because of the fact that they can lie dormant in host cells. This makes it nearly impossible to eradicate the entire viral load. Hence, there is no proven cure for FIV or HIV currently. FIV causes similar symptoms …

If you are among the 50 million unfortunate people in the United States that suffer allergy symptoms each year, like me, then this article may help you better understand how and why allergic reactions work. As long as I can remember, I have dreaded the onset of autumn because I knew that, shortly, my eyes would be burning, my nose would be running, and my sinuses would start to inflame. And even as I write this, I am battling sinus pressure and headache. I am not looking for sympathy because I know that many of you suffer the same fate. I am simply providing allergy suffers an informative …

When you look at birds, what do you think of? Is it flight, feathers or beaks? These qualities are the telltale signs of a bird, but did you know that birds came from creatures that didn’t have any of these features? What may be more surprising is that the ancient ancestors of modern birds were some of the largest and most awesome creatures that have ever inhabited the earth. If you are thinking dinosaurs, you’re right! As strange as it may sound, those little robins, finches and pigeons that frequent your yards and gardens evolved from the some of the most massive dinosaurs! Let’s take a …

After pulling into the main entrance of the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, I thought that I stumbled into a dream. I said to myself, “Wasn’t I just on Huntingdon Pike? How on Earth did I get here?” A few quick turns of the wheel, and I had discovered a magical realm with pristine woodlands and prairie. It seemed that civilization itself was far away. After I got myself together, we were met by the executive director of the Trust, David J. Robertson, Ph.D. Dr. Robertson received his Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 and has been employed by the …

Two weeks ago, I rushed home from work to watch Discovery Channel’s first installment of their new series “Curiosity”, in which questions that have perplexed the minds of great thinkers throughout human history, are analyzed. For the series’ first conundrum, Professor Stephen Hawking tackled the mother load of all questions: Does God exist? The question in itself seems ultimately unanswerable, but Hawking stated that by the end of the episode, he would, through scientific analysis and explanation, prove that a higher power does not exist nor did He/She have anything to do with the creation of…

What is migration? The definition of migration, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, is the regular, usually seasonal, movement of all or part of an animal population to and from an area. This definition seems cut and dry, but it fails to illustrate the magnificence of these amazing journeys in which individuals die in the process. So, why do animals do it? Why do animals migrate? There are three main motivators behind migration, according to Live Science: food, breeding and climate. The simplest answer to the question is that resources on Earth constantly fluctuate with the seasons. The…

We mammals are an amazing group of creatures. We have an internally regulated body temperature, carry our young inside us for protection, produce milk for our young and have hair which enables us to adapt to extreme environments. However, we came from humble beginnings. Mammals evolved from reptilian ancestors who lived in the shadows during the age of the dinosaurs. We were small, rodent-like creatures that hid in the trees and underground. We fed on what we could, which usually comprised of scraps left over by the giant dinosaurs of the time. Then, approximately 65-million years ago, …

Last Thursday, the final flight of the space shuttle Atlantis safely returned to Earth after a rendezvous with the International Space Station, ending NASA’s longest running spaceflight program. According to an article published on Haaretz.com, the decision to cease the shuttle program came down to money. In addition to nixing the program, 1,510 skilled employees, including engineers and scientists, have been laid off. According to an article on Voice of America, the ending of the program also leaves the U.S. with no means of putting astronauts into space unless we feel like paying Russia $50…

Echolocation is an amazing process which helps bats and toothed whales, which include the dolphins, pinpoint obstacles and prey. If you have ever seen a dolphin on the Discovery Channel or have had the opportunity to see one at a place like Sea World, you have probably heard their signature clicks they make. Did you know however, that these innocent clicks and squeaks are actually deadly weapons? Whale/Dolphin Echolocation Have you ever heard the expression, “art imitates life?” Well, in some cases, humans imitate nature. As far back as the time of Leonardo Da Vinci, humans have attempted to …