SCI-THINK

  Sleep continues to remain a relative mystery even in scientific circles. For example, we don't really know exactly why we need to sleep even though we would die without it. The exact cause for dreaming also elude us. This new study could bring us closer to some of the answers to these questions. So let's talk about why we experience a thing called "tiredness". When we're awake, tiredness (known as homeostatic sleep pressure) builds in our system. As it builds, we experience more and more tiredness. Think of it as as a ballon slowly filling up with air. Once it's past maximum capacity, the balloon will burst. For us, we fall asleep. If you've ever fallen asleep while watching a good movie or reading a book it's because you're "full" of homeostatic sleep pressure. The reason that this happens is to protect your DNA. During waking hours your DNA gets damaged by several things (UV light, radiation, stress hormones, etc). These th...

  The lungfish of Africa are pretty spectacular as they are. They're the closest living relatives of tetrapods (amphibians) and can live in water and on land when freshwater lakes and riverbeds dry up (up to a year for the latter). They accomplish this by surrounding themselves with a mucous like substance that resembles a cocoon. It was previously thought that this cocoon was strictly for protection from heat and for retaining moisture so the lungfish don't dry out and die before the water returns. But now scientists have found that this cocoon is actually a living organism. More recently, the team has taken a closer look and found that the cocoon was chock full of granulocytes. They also found that they migrated from the skin into the cocoon on a slow, continual basis—a finding that showed the cocoon was much more than just dry mucus; it was a living part of the lungfish. It was also discovered that this living tissue creates "traps" that stop bacteria fr...

  A woman in Boston was awakened when her husband fell out of bed, started speaking "gibberish" , and had a seizure. When help arrived the man was aggressive and not cooperative even, at first, refusing to get in the ambulance. When he finally agreed and arrived at the hospital, he started having seizures again. He was given medication and a brain scan was performed. The results were not good. Doctors found swelling and several lesions. The swelling and lesions are typical of a parasitic infection known as neurocysticercosis. The culprit was a tapeworm that had probably been in the man for decades. These tapeworms are caused by eating undercooked or contaminated pork. Once they are ingested, eggs are laid and the larvae then travel to different areas of the body, even the brain. Even after they die the infection continues to cause inflammation of the infected area. This infection can also be transmitted if, say, someone doesn't properly wash their hands after us...

  A recent study has concluded that out of all the land on earth only 3% is ecologically intact. Our ecosystems are vitally important not only to the species that occupy them, but also to human life as well. Without these systems, we would be non-existant in very short order. So how do we measure this sustainability? Well, there are three key metrics for this study. * Habitat intactness which measures the impact humans have made on a system. * Faunal intactness or the number of species lost from the system. * Functional intactness which measures if there are enough species of animals to play their role in the system. “We only find about 2 to 3 per cent of the Earth[’s land] is where you could be considered as having the same fauna and flora that you had 500 years ago, in pre-industrial times, before major human impacts had occurred,” says Andrew Plumptre, head of the Key Biodiversity Areas Secretariat and an employee at BirdLife International in the UK. While this is trou...

  Forget about expensive marijuana shops and low level drug deals because, by exercising, your body can create it's own cannabis and decrease inflammation. Okay, to be honest, you can't get high from this but the effects on your well-being are the same. Scientists already know that exercise is known to decrease inflammation. This inflammation can lead to heart disease, cancer, and other ailments.  When your body produces it's own cannabis, known as endocannabinoids, not only do they relieve pain but also lowers the levels of inflammatory substances called cytokines. This is accomplished through exercise. In the study, 78 people with arthritis were chosen. 38 of them exercised for 15 minutes a day for six weeks and the rest did not exercise. In the end, the participants who exercised had far less pain and higher levels of endocannabinoids. The others did not. But here's where it gets interesting.  The reason for the increased endocannabinoids was gu...

  This Thursday (November 18) and into Friday morning, the longest lasting lunar eclipse will be waiting for you to watch. This will be an almost complete eclipse as about 97% of the moon will not be visible. The moon and sun will be on opposite sides of the earth causing the earth's shadow to block most of the moon's surface. The amazing thing is that it will last for a whopping 3 hours 28 minutes and 23 seconds. This will be the longest lasting lunar eclipse in centuries and probably the last one for centuries to come. You should be able to view it for yourself if you live in North America, Japan, eastern Australia or New Zealand. "For U.S. East Coast observers, the partial eclipse begins a little after 2 a.m., reaching its maximum at 4 in the morning," NASA reported. "For observers on the West Coast, that translates to beginning just after 11 p.m., with a maximum at 1 a.m." For more details, click the article below. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ORI...

  If I were to ask which animal is most likely to survive harsh conditions or an extinction event most people would probably say the cockroach. After all, they can live for a week without a head!  But cockroaches are far behind natures ultimate survivors, the tardigrade. Also known as a moss piglet or water bear, the tardigrades are unique because they can (and have) survived the harshest conditions known to man and done so for billions of years. These very tiny animals are generally only 1mm long fully grown but you have to admit, they're kind of cute. They have a flat head, eight legs, and at the end of each leg are either claws or suction cup like appendages. They have survived in the vacuum of outer space and can survive in freshwater, salt water, deserts, artic regions as well as sand and other generally inhospitable environments. Tardigrade specimens found in moss after 120 years have, seemingly by magic, come "back" to life after being unthawed. How is ...