science
Topics and developments in science and medicine, presented by Futurism.
Toxicity and What It Does to the Body
Toxic leaks from landfills seep into our groundwater all the time. Imagine all that plastic just not biodegrading at all, staying put in that landfill for all time. We have access to many a lethal chemical on this planet right now. Toxicity cannot be resolved in one generation, in fact, it may take many but we need to quit ignoring all the problems it brings. Prolonged stress can cause reactions in the physical body. Poisons work inside the body but some will increase or lower the heart rate for example.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
DNA Testing—8 Things You Should Know
The discovery of DNA structure (along with technology improvements), made possible for us, without even seeing a doctor, to analyze our DNA and find out a lot about ourselves. Being a carrier of genetic instructions, DNA can tell us about our health risks, our ancestors, distant relatives, and our children. Public awareness about DNA tests grows each day, yet there are still many misconceptions about methods, accuracy, and outcomes of DNA analysis results. Here are the essentials that you should know about DNA testing.
By Nina Simons8 years ago in Futurism
Afterimages
Everyone has experienced an afterimage at some point in their life. Yet, most people don’t realize what they are. An afterimage is a faded illusion of an object continued to be seen for a brief moment, even after you have stopped looking at the actual object. Sometimes the colors are very vivid and bright, while other times, the colors are dull or even inverse or opposite from the original color. Afterimages can all look very different, varying from blotches of light, faded images of the original object, or of course in reversed colors. Afterimages happen all the time, try to recognize it the next time it happens to you.
By Grace Mitchell8 years ago in Futurism
Building Silicon Brains
What does the future look like to you? Perhaps you see quantum computing as the next big leap or envision a future powered by cold fusion. Maybe you think Artificial Intelligence will be the biggest game changer of all, but what you probably don’t have in mind is the most dated piece of hardware we have, a processor 100 million years old: the human brain.
By Corlett Novis8 years ago in Futurism
Strange Sounds: 'Frost Quakes'
What is that strange sound outside? During the summer of 2009, myself and an old friend heard strange sounds at night in Niagara Falls, NY. At the time I was living in a small trailer park, with my two sons, practically across the street from the Niagara Falls Air Force Base. While my friend was visiting me, he took an evening walk. When he got back, he asked me to join him outside so I could listen to something. He didn’t say why but told me that I just had to hear what he was hearing. I stepped out, into the dark street with him, and we could hear a strange hum that was echoing all around. It sounded like electricity humming through strings of an electric guitar. It was off in the distance... somewhere from the north, I surmised. We stood there for a bit, looking up at the sky, wondering WTH?! The strange sound that night lasted for hours! There had been reports to the Niagara County Sheriff Department and had been heard a half hour away in Lockport. AND also made our two local newspapers’ front page the next day, but no source of the strange noise was found.
By Lady Sunday8 years ago in Futurism
False Vacuum Theory. Top Story - April 2018.
Coming to the realization that there just might be a "start over" button for the entire universe can be pretty unnerving... not knowing for sure whether the physics we use in our world today are legitimate is even more terrifying. Yet here I am with another unproven theory. This one's about the evolving False Vacuum Theory.
By Sarah McDaniel8 years ago in Futurism
How Psychic Ability Can Be Used in Archaeology
Debunkers would call psychic archaeology a fraud, but as I have an interest in the field of archaeology in general, I want to explore how my abilities can help me as an archaeologist. Archaeology is a field of many subheadings such as historical archaeology, or as known as the archaeology of the modern period. I’m interested in the actual science of real archaeology, not just pseudoscience as I want to be a real scientist, in addition to law school and my M.D. UCLA has an archaeology department besides the law department I want to enroll in when I go back to school and get my grades up.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
Fusion With Our Past
Fusion energy has been known as the gateway to our civilization's future. Fusion reactions yield the largest amount of energy per unit of mass than any other reaction that we know of, and it is in our near technological reach. The amount of energy produced from fusion fuel would be so large that, once commercially stabilized, the fuel would be so inexpensive and require such modest amounts to operate, that electricity would eventually be virtually free. This, however, is the bliss of idealism. We have yet to actually achieve remotely close to any of these claims, and it seems as though that almost-in-reach phase is lasting much longer than we anticipated.
By Oliver White8 years ago in Futurism
Discuss and Evaluate the Influence of Hormones on Psychology and Behaviour
Hormones are organic chemicals which arise in the body and are connected with behaviour, mood and development, helping to maintain homeostasis. They are produced and released by specialized glands called endocrine glands (J. Nelson 2000). They can be divided into three categories: amino acid derivates, peptides, and proteins and steroids (Preece 2012). Hormones are the most familiar to people because of the use and abuse of steroid hormones for different aims, such as contraception and bodybuilding (D. G. Hardie 1991). In this essay, I will explain the main concepts of the endocrine system with a regard to behaviour and in particular sexual behaviour.
By Chiara Marullo8 years ago in Futurism
The Scientific Method Vs. Pseudoscience in Archaeology
Real science demands inquiry, skepticism, and ability to prove theories using a hypothesis. Believing in pseudoscience can cause great harm to the mind. There is much logic used in the acquirement and interpretation of data. A theory is a systematic explanation that can reinterpret existing data so that new predictions can be made about new data. Using hypothesis becomes a matter of testing statements about something, which is linked to our broader understanding of the past. Archaeologists are interested in how people lived in the past through the study of gravesites featuring objects buried with the dead.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
