February 23rd, 2017

February 23rd, 2017


Affirmation: Today I choose to do things that make me feel good about myself.


Word of the Day: sesquipedalian (adj):

1. given to using long words.

2.(of a word) containing many syllables.

When I Am with You

When I am with you, we stay up all night.
When you are not here, I can't go to sleep.

Praise God for these two insomnias.
And the difference between them.

___


News That Isn't Political

I had a medical school interview all day today. It went well and I enjoyed it a lot. But I am feeling pretty exhausted and spent, so in lieu of a "formal post," here are some headlines from this week that caught my eye. Enjoy!

1. The ocean isn't as fish-friendly as it once was.

According to a new study conducted at Geomar Helmoltz Centre for Ocean Research, climate change has caused oxygen levels to drop 2 percent over the past 50 years. This might not seem like a huge number, but that drop has made it a difficult habitat for larger fish like tuna and sharks to survive in.

2. Addiction is way more complicated than a disease.

Addiction is often referred to as a "disease of the brain," but the author of a new article, published in Nature, reveals that there is no way to actually distinguish between an addicted person's brain and a non-addicted person's brain. Instead, we should be researching the many social and developmental factors we know play a role in addiction.

3. Poetry is music to our brains.

In a recent study, researchers found that the human brain responds positively to poetically constructed sentences. It appears that the brain can appreciate poetry without any regard for its literal meaning. Wish I could go back in time and tell my English teachers! 

4. The world's first "forest city" is in the works in China.The world's first "forest city" is in the works in China.

Italian architect Stefano Boeri is the mastermind behind the Vertical Forest—a skyscraper complex in Milan covered in thousands of plants, trees, and shrubs. Now, he's scaling his idea up by designing a "forest city" complete with hundreds of plant-centric buildings woven together to combat smog in urban China. Though the idea is in the beginning phases, it could be complete as soon as 2020.

5. Want to know what's going to happen 5 or 10 years from now?

New research shows that, in fact, most people would rather not. In fact, only 1 percent of people from this sampling wanted to actually know the future consistently. The only time that number changed was when a pregnant person wanted to know the gender of her child. It's true what they say: Ignorance is bliss.

6. We now know what ADHD looks like in the brain.

A new study, published in the journal the Lancet, found delayed development of five different regions of the brain in people with ADHD. This new research will help diagnose the condition more effectively and proves that ADHD symptoms are characterized by real, recognizable changes in the brain.

7. Match spills on the state of modern dating.

The relationship-fostering company just released the results of a huge study on American singles. Turns out 75 percent are turned off by prospective partners who answer their phone, 66 percent don't appreciate when someone texts during a date, and 71 percent of men love it when a woman offers to split the bill.

8. The Epidemic of Unnecessary Treatment

Long after research contradicts common medical practices, patients continue to demand them and physicians continue to deliver. The result is an epidemic of unnecessary and unhelpful treatments.

9. Trappist-1 Planet Discovery Ignites Enthusiasm In Search For Alien Life

Seven Earth-size planets have been found to orbit a dwarf star 40 light-years away. Finding life as we know it there would mean it's likely elsewhere in galaxy, too, says physicist Marcelo Gleiser.

10. The Promise of 3-D Printing Body Parts

Cheap, easy-made prosthetics could address a major need in developing nations.