New Star Discovered!

Recently a new star has been discovered.  The HR 5171 is a yellow hypergiant 13000 times larger than our sun, and is considered as one of the largest stars found, and probably the largest one in the Milky Way. Also, scientists have found that HR 5171 is a part of a binary and its partner star is “ so close that they touch and the whole system resembles a gigantic peanut” as said by Côte d’Azur Observatory’s Olivier Chesneau.   

A hypergiant is basically a supergiant – the largest stars that ranges between 10-70 solar masses [1 solar mass =1.9891 × 10³⁰ kilograms = simply the mass of the sun]. They are also tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands brighter than the sun. Though, some will be hundreds of times as massive with very high levels of luminosity which makes them a hypergiant.

Other supergiants found in our galaxy are the KW Sagitarii and KY Cygnii among others.

Blogpost by: Glessa Francesca Garibay

References:

Cain, F. (n.d.). Supergiant Star. Universe Today RSS. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.universetoday.com/25325/supergiant-star/

HR 5171A: Astronomers Discover Largest Yellow Hypergiant Star. (n.d.). Breaking Science News SciNewscom. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/science-hr5171a-largest-yellow-hypergiant-star-01802.html

Millis, J. P. (n.d.). Hypergiant Stars. About.com Space / Astronomy. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://space.about.com/od/stars/a/Hypergiant-Stars.htm

O'neill, I. (n.d.). Monster Rare Yellow Hypergiant Star Discovered. DNews. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/monster-rare-yellow-hypergiant-star-discovered-140312.htm

Star Classification - Zoom Astronomy. (n.d.). Star Classification - Zoom Astronomy. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/startypes.shtml

MANxOS?

Recently, I had the chance to watch the Spike Jonze film ‘Her’. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, it is a movie set in a probable near future about a man who fell in love with his highly intelligent operating system (voiced by Scarlet Johansson). By ‘fell in love’. I meant the two of them really had a romantic relationship.

I find it interesting that this movie sounds a little weird or bizarre yet so ordinary given the face that somehow a lot of the people in world right now has some form of relationship or attachment to recent technology like iPhones perhaps, or laptops, or maybe a gaming platform. And it is not inaccurate to say that we love them. But, of course, even if we talk to our computers, they won’t exactly respond or empathize with us unlike the OS in this film. Though, we might be getting there. Siri, for example, is a start. What’s needed to be done is to completely figure out the complexity of the human experience.

               

There are two lines from the film that stuck with me.

“….you can't handle real emotions…”

          This line was given by Catherine, the protagonist Theodore’s ex-wife, after learning that his girlfriend is an operating system. What, then, is a real emotion? Is feeling something not enough for it to be real? Or perhaps Catherine meant that Theodore could not handle dealing with the emotions from a human to human interaction/relationship.

          Though, at the moment, we have human to human interactions online. We can talk to people we do not see and can even form an intimate relationship with them without ever meeting. Who knows if that person really physically exists in the world? Somehow, it feels like the same thing that Theodore was experiencing in the film. But it’s actually funny yet sad that sometimes we hold really deep and interesting conversations with some people online yet when we see them in real life, we can barely spare a glance. Are we afraid to be embarrassed? Disliked? Feel awkward? Well, aren’t these emotions? Can we not handle them?

“I'm yours and I'm not yours”

          A line said by the OS, Samantha, to Theodore. Well, if we think about it, we own technology and yet we do not. For example, the internet is a product of much technological advancement and we freely use it to suit our needs. We can do what we want. We are like the masters of the internet. But, at the same time, what happens to the internet is beyond our control. We, individually, cannot grasp the entirety and complexity of it. Just like there are parts of Samantha that are probably beyond the comprehension of Theodore, an experience for Samantha that Theodore will never experience and vice versa. And of course, there are more complex interpretations of this statement.

In the end, this film is not just an odd love story; it’s also a story of humanity and its creations. 

Blogpost by: Glessa Francesca Garibay

Sailing in the seas of Batanes: A short summary on Batanes Traditional Boat making

The famous lighthouse in Basco, Batanes

The wonderful view above a mountain

Last year, I spent my summer together with some of my batchmates for the Anthropology Field School 2013, which was held in Sabtang Island, Batanes from April 16-May 21. It was a very memorable and rare experience, since only few people can have a chance to go there because of the very expensive airfare as well as the distance of the said province to the center.

Near the sea of Baranggay Chavayan

We stayed on our field site (which is Baranggay Chavayan, the last barangay located at the other end of the island) for 3 weeks and we were able to immerse ourselves very well with the Ivatans  (the Indigenous Peoples of Batanes) and got to know them up close on their day-to-day activities. People from the outside (which includes me and my batchmates) were known as the Ipula. Because of the province’s small population, it’s not that hard to distinguish which one is an Ivatan or not. Also, almost everyone in a particular community knows each other, either in terms of kinship-related knowledge or whether they were classmates during high school.

During our one month stay, we crossed the Batan Island (where Basco, the province’s capital is located) and Sabtang Island occasionally to buy our food and other supplies (which is usually good for 2 weeks). In order to reach the other Island, we need to ride a boat. During the boat ride, I was really stunned and amazed by the endless blue ocean surrounding the Islands. Just imagine seeing and sailing in the Pacific Ocean and the other large bodies of water surrounding the Islands. I really felt “being one with the nature” because of that experience. We also attended different local feasts and learned many Ivatan words which helped us survived and conduct our research in the said place.

As for our Social Anthropology Research Paper (which is considered as our undergraduate thesis), me and my partner worked on Tataya, which is known as the Batanes Traditional boat used by fishermen in catching fishes. Our curiosity for boat and technology started while we’re still here in Manila, trying to research on some possible topics we can work on. Me and my partner honestly don’t know anything about boats, but we really like to gain some information about how Indigenous boats are made that’s why we pursued the topic and tried our best to know the different parts of the boat and its functions.

From our research, we discovered that 4 types of Boats exist in Batanes Island namely:

•          The Tataya which is known as the traditional boat of the Ivatans and the smallest boat among the 4 types.
• 
  
•          The Chinarem which is the second smallest boat next to the tataya. It can accommodate four to six passengers. Chinarem does not exist anymore in the Sabtang Islands since 1970’s.
•          The Falua the largest type of boat used in transporting trade products and tourists from one island to the other.
•          The Kasco or motor boat which is made of fiber glass and is now commonly used by the fishermen in catching fishes.

Tataya

Falua

During the days of our data gathering, we encountered some problems like the difficulty of finding a traditional boat maker. Because in our field site, the only existing boats were motor boats made of fiber glasses. That’s why we still need to go to the other end of the island (which is Baranggay Nakanmuan) and stay there for a night to immerse ourselves and look for boatmakers (called as a maestro). It was said to us that the best boatmakers in Batanes resisdes in Baranggay Nakanmuan. We were not failed by these rumors because we met some of the best boatmakers in the province (who also created the boats we ride to cross to Batan Island) which helped us understand how the traditional boats are made and some of the social functions included in making it. We were even lucky enough to see the raw parts of the traditional boat and how it was made and where amazed by how boatmakers themselves calculates and measures every part of the said boat. What we learned from the boatmakers themselves is that whenever they cut trees to make a boat, they always replace it by planting trees greater than the number they had cut so that balance in the forest will be maintained. Several wood varieties were used in making the traditional boat. The most common is the Palomaria or Vutalaw in Ivatan Language. They also use specific wood varieties in making the nails in order to connect and assemble the different parts of the boat.

Seaside of Baranggay Nakanmuan

Another interesting thing we discovered in our research is why does Batanes boats don’t have outrigger unlike in other parts of the country? The answer given to us by boatmakers is because the waves in Batanes were generally classified as strong, that’s why having outriggers will only cause problems when it comes to balance. We also discovered that the condition of waves varies from one barangay to the other. The boats of Baranggay Chavayan have a generally flat base because the waves there were very strong compared to Nakanmuan were the boats usually have a very thin body and almost flat base because the wave there were considered calm.  We also saw these matching with the seashores of the said barangays. In Chavayan, the seashore was very wide and settlements were elevated unlike in Nakanmuan were the seashore is very short and you can’t almost see it from afar.

Based on the outcome of our research last year, what we see is that many Ivatans now switch to using motorboats made of fiberglass because it is more practical and durable compared to the traditional ones. But they recognized how expensive it is to buy a fiber glass boat and also to deliver those boats in the area. Despite the impact of modern boat technology, many Ivatans still create Indigenous boats (especially for newly-weds) and share their knowledge to their kins (such as their sons) for it to survive. With the changing conditions of the waves and tides, the practice of making the traditional boat among the Ivatans still sails in times of today’s modernity.

*This was a brief summary from the unpublished paper that me and my partner, Monica Anical wrote as a partial fulfillment of our Requirement in Anthropology 196-Field Methods in Social Anthropology during the Anthropology Field School 2013-Sabtang, Batanes. The revised version of our paper was submitted also as a partial fulfillment for Anthropology 119-Introduction to Museology. I would like to acknowledge our Fieldschool director, Mr. Edwin Valientes for guiding us in writing this unpublished paper.

Blogpost and Photos By: Hiedi Martinez

Reference:

Anical, Monica and Martinez, Hiedi. 2013. Kapitataya. Unpublished paper from the Anthropology Field School 2013-Sabtang Batanes.

How about some bugs for lunch?

Photo from: : http://theworldaccordingtodotdotdot.com/

Eating bugs is not really that shocking. You’ve probably heard of Thailand’s street food which includes cockroaches and crickets. In the Philippines, we have the Camaro or the fried crickets. When I was younger, I didn’t mind eating some crispy spicy locust or what we call ‘apan’ in South Cotabato. Yet, of course, knowing that there exists food made up of insects does not mean that everyone would be ready to include it in their diet or would be ready to stuff some into their mouths.

          

Entomophagy,  or insect-eating , is practiced by several cultures all over the world like in Ghana, Mexico, and of course parts of Asia including some of us Filipinos. But, as mentioned earlier, it’s not for everyone’s taste. Probably it is because insects are perceived by many to be awful creatures. For farmers, many insects are enemies because they destroy crops. For others, they simply are simply icky, especially the cockroaches, with their tiny legs that probably landed somewhere disgusting and with generations of nuclear survivors. It’s really not appetizing.

          

But, recently, scientists have found a way to turn insects into flour with hopes of turning them into snacks like break or cake maybe. That’s right – soon enough we can have insect breads. So you may be wondering: WHY? Well, actually, the UN has been contemplating entomophagy as a solution to end world hunger. Why not? Insects multiply fast and they are filled with protein. And, aside from insects dwelling on our wastes, many insects are pretty much nature-dwellers and feeding on vegetation. And, we should apply the ‘do not judge a book by its cover’ to our food. From my experience, locusts may look weird and icky but they’re delicious. And, when their turned into flour, I don’t really think anyone would notice.

Blogpost by: Glessa Francesca Garibay

References:

Carter, C. (2005, February 11). Insects to be turned into cakes and bread. The Telegraph. Retrieved February 6, 2014, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10619201/Insects-to-be-made-into-3D-food.html

Holloway, J. (2013, August 16). Insects: The future of food? Gizmag goes "taste buds on" with grubs, crickets and caterpillars. Insects: The future of food? Gizmag goes "taste buds on" with grubs, crickets and caterpillars. Retrieved February 6, 2014, from http://www.gizmag.com/insects-as-food/28713/

Weiner, M. B. (2011, April 28). Countries That Eat Bugs. Best Vacations: Top Destinations and Hotels. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://travel.usnews.com/features/Countries_That_Eat_Bugs/

Spot Early Signs of Alzheimer’s By Yourself

Photo from:  http://masculineheart.blogspot.com/2010/07/preventing-cognitive-decline-and.html

Now, it only requires a pen and paper to identify whether a patient has early signs of cognitive impairment of cognitive problems like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Just print the SAGE test or Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination to the paper and it can be used to measure impairment.

It would be better to discover cognitive problems as early as possible for early pharmacological intervention may delay this. Now, people with Alzheimer’s disease usually take three to four years after first signs of the problem appear before they seek help. The number of Americans who has Alzheimer’s disease is approximately 4.7 millions right now so this test could help in preventing this problem.

The test is very practical since the whole process only takes a short time. Also, it could be administered anywhere without requiring any technology. Though can be self-administered, It is best scored by a doctor, in order to interpret it correctly and best determine if further evaluation is needed.

Though it does not definitively diagnose a cognitive problem, it is useful in checking whether impairments is happening and to be able to constantly monitor it. With this, cognitive problems can be detected early, and be exposed to treatment early.

Blogpost by: Carl Chan

Reference:

Scharre, Douglas. "Self-Administered Test Helps Spot Early Alzheimer's." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/42715-alzheimers-pen-and-paper-test.html>.

The Downside of Love

Are you familiar with the term Oxytocin? This is also known as the love hormone that is released during hugging, touching, and orgasm in both genders. In short it is the hormone you get from being in love or engaging in physical contact with someone you love. It is also known as cuddle hormone, monogamy hormone, or trust-me drug.

Some psychologists prescribe oxytocin off-label to help some people with autism and schizophrenia. It eases the uneasiness of those people. But researchers from Concordia’s Centre for Research in Human Development claimed that prescribing oxytocin is not a good idea. They said that having too much oxytocin can have its side effects.

Too much oxytocin results in oversensitivity to the emotions of other people. An experiment was tested on 82 young adults who have no signs of autism or schizophrenia. Half of them are given doses of oxytocin while others are offered placebo. The participants did an emotion identification security test in which researchers compare their emotional states. Those who took oxytocin doses showed greater emotional intensity in their faces.

Researchers suggest that people who do not need oxytocin must not be given dosage since it will greatly affect their emotions. These people will tend to be easily irritated with small things or it can tend people to overreact. An example can be that when someone stares at you for even a short time, you tend to interpret a lot of things. You also tend to be more paranoid to the point that seeing someone in a dark place will make you think that he/she will do something to hurt or kill you.

Oxytocin is really a great help for those who really need it. But it is not advisable for those who do not have autism or schizophrenia. Who knows, oxytocin may also be the reason why other couples engage in fights more often on small things since it makes them easily hurt and sensitive. I am not stating in this article that you should prevent making physical contact or to engage in a relationship, for it really has a lot of benefits. Having someone by your side to take care of you and to be with you in good and bad times is really worth living for. After all, some says that love is all you need.

Blogpost by: Stephen Ko

Reference:

Concordia University. (2014, January 22). 'Love hormone' oxytocin carries unexpected side effect. ScienceDaily.Retrieved February 8, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140122112626.htm

Nutrition Label Tips

Photo from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition_facts_label

A lot of people are very conscious of what they eat. In order to eat just the right amount, they look at the nutrition labels to make sure they don’t go over what they’re supposed to eat. 

Research shows that people who look at nutrition labels are probably eating healthier than those who don’t. But just because a person always looks at nutrition labels and eats healthier than others doesn’t mean that he interprets the labels correctly. When reading labels, sometimes, there is label confusion.

Here are three tips in interpreting labels:

1. There's no such thing as a standard serving size. How much is one serving for you may not be the same for the manufacturer. Also, serving size differs depending on the brand and it would be good if to check this when comparing two different brands.

2. "Percent Daily Value" is based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet. This means that the percentage for each nutrient is based on a standard amount. So if you eat fewer than 2,000 calories make sure to check the label.

3. Recommendations aren't necessarily goals. The percentage in the nutrients may mean different things. For example, the percentage for fat and sodium may be considered as limits while for fiber and carbohydrates it may be considered as a minimum.

Blogpost by: Carl Chan

Reference:

Enos, Deborah. "3 Things to Know About Your Food's Nutrition Label." LiveScience. TechMedia

Network, 07 Feb. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.

<http://www.livescience.com/43201-nutrition-label-healthy-eating-tips.html>.

Memories: What is Alzheimer's?

Photo from: http://ideas.time.com/2013/03/20/what-our-memories-tell-us-about-ourselves/

It is still clear in my mind how my grandmother suffered under wrath of Alzheimer’s disease. When she was still alive I remember how my family and I would talked to her and reminded her about precious memories we spent with her but we knew that time that we could only do so much. I cannot imagine until now how disease ruined the memories of my grandmother who used to be cheerful and strong.

According to MacGill (2013) “Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline. A neurodegenerative type of dementia, the disease starts mild and gets progressively worse.”  This disease is caused by brain cell death and categorized as a neurodegenerative disease. When one is detected with Alzheimer’s disease the original size of his brain shrinks as time passes by and tissue has progressively fewer nerve cells connection. This disease occurs in individuals ages 65 above and mostly women are the victims of this disease.

Below are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease:

•       Impairments to reasoning, complex tasking, exercising judgment            
•      Worsened ability to take in and remember new information.
•       Impaired visuospatial abilities (but not, for example, due to eye sight problems).
•      Impaired speaking, reading and writing.
•    Changes in personality and behavior

Every time I remember how my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s I pray to God that one day we’ll wake up and cure for this disease is available. What I hate about Alzheimer’s is that it takes away our love ones experiencing this by ruining their memories. Yes, we have them physically but it hurts to see them being naïve because they cannot remember anything even their names. A piece of advice, if one of your family members has this disease never show them sadness instead, try your best to tell them how beautiful their journey was than showing them how sorry you are seeing them suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Blogpost by: Alexis Perez Dujua

Reference:

MacGill, M. (2013, November 1). "What is Alzheimer's disease? Causes, symptoms and treatment."   Medical News Today. Retrieved from

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.

Stem cells on Nanotubes

Photo from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuARH9yuCoko73pf_cSErVrt-YATARHxPyCBH81T5Q_qepDkbjZ-3Ciuh47vDA2mq6wL3f3GgSnuCTjULIKP9M9FPGH4SYHLmtsMwQmfqYCDKAeT2Eyv4fA-sc-rOliM9w7bRhAmyRhn6/s1600-h/Stem%20cell%20-%20Ethical_problems%5B3%5D.gif

Degenerative diseases and loss of senses such as blindness and deafness are serious illnesses and disabilities mainly because they cannot be cured by any drug so far discovered. When stem cell research started in the recent years, we all thought that we can finally put an end to the lack of cure to these diseases. However, stem cell research brought up more questions than it answered. A lot of issues accompany the revolutionary breakthrough due to the involvement of human fetus and/or animals. Aside from this, stem cell transplants are rarely successful due to the adverse effects of xenogeneic tissue grafts or cell cultures. In a research in the University of Surrey, scientists found a way to eliminate the effects of rejection by the recipient of the stem cells that are cultured on human or animal tissues. Instead of cultivating the cells on animals/humans, they have developed a scaffold of carbon nanotubes upon which human stem cells can be grown into a variety of tissues. This nanotubes mimics the surface of the body’s natural support cells and act as scaffolding for stem cells to grow. These nanotubes took its glory from its use in cancer research and diagnosis, but it was the first time that it was used in a stem cell research. Scientists say that if studied further and found effective, stem cells grown on nanotubes can be used for cheaper transplant treatments and could potentially allow the production of whole human organs without the need for donors. Also, since they are xenogeneic, they can be used on anyone without the individual’s immune system attacking the new cells or tissues.

Although the controversy on using embryonic stem cells cannot be completely eradicated by this new discovery, opportunities especially for people whose diseases had been deemed incurable can once again see their life with a new light of hope. Personally, I think that such discoveries should not go to waste, and efforts of the intellectual community not go futile just because of ethical issues. Not eliminating the fact that such issues are sensitive for us, humans, I believe that science is finding its own way to penetrate the minds of everyone to comprehend and consider treatments that may be, for now, are invasive to the human’s natural tendency to sympathy.

Blogpost by: Franzelle P. Padilla

References:

University of Surrey. "New stem cell research removes reliance on human and animal cells." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140205210411.htm>.

Eric W. Brunner, Izabela Jurewicz, Elena Heister, Azin Fahimi, Chiara Bo, Richard P. Sear, Peter J Donovan, Alan B. Dalton. Growth and Proliferation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells on Fully Synthetic Scaffolds Based on Carbon Nanotubes. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2014; 140123104241006 DOI: 10.1021/am405097w

Reaction on Ms. Anna R. Oposa’s talk on marine life conservation

Chief Mermaid: the title that was given to a UP alumnus who finished B.A English and found herself one day leading a non-government organization who advocates marine conservation and protection of underwater animals. Ms. Anna R. Oposa thought of working in big advertising companies however, she realized that she wanted to use her skills in oral and written communication to protect our marine natural resources. According to her campaigning for the conservation of our marine resources is a tough job because it means dealing with different individuals from the political arena. However, Ms. Oposa said still there some individuals who would like to help in her advocacy.

Ms. Oposa’s talk on marine conservation made me realized how important our seas and oceans and at the same time how we damage the life beneath these body of waters. Sea turtles, sharks, corals and many other underwater species are already close to extinction as stated in the talk. Humans are the main perpetrators why their number is decreasing every year. Indeed, Ms. Oposa’s stand that everyone needs proper education on how we can help to protect these marine species because in the first place we benefit from it. I, personally salute Ms. Oposa for dedicating her time and passion in promoting marine conservation because it’s not an easy job after all. Many of us who are still in college would like to land a white collar jobs in big companies but as for Ms. Oposa, she used her knowledge to fight for what is right and what should be done to conserve our marine natural resources so the next generation will able to witness how majestic our seas and oceans as well as the lives beneath it.

The University of the Philippines, as the leading institution in marine studies, should continue to conduct dialogues and seminars on marine conservation not just to its students but even to communities outside the campus. We should all be aware that oceans and seas contribute a huge percentage in our existence. Like what Ms. Oposa said during her talk “We can live without having a girlfriend or boyfriend but we cannot live without WATER.” I also would like to encourage my fellow colleagues in the university to start doing our share to protect our marine natural resources. Most of us are members of college and university and organization maybe we can tap our friends to do projects in protecting marine life.

Blogpost by: Alexis Perez Dujua

“It must have been your X”

Photo from: http://www.livescience.com/22179-evolutionary-battle-sexes-height.html

In this day and age when the Pope claims that there’s nothing wrong with LGBT, when sexuality and gender rights in some countries is much of a national concern, and when women’s rights advocates are going over the top by also being anti-men, talks about gender and sex have become a sensitive matter. Putting biology aside, gender and sex may mean a lot of different things depending on the context, culture, belief and philosophy of an individual. But what we can’t dispute is the fact that males and females are determined genetically (from here starts the science part) by the presence or absence of the chromosome Y. On the contrary, absence of the X chromosome is fatal because it contains a lot more loci (and therefore, genes) than the Y chromosome (which is also why X is significantly larger than Y), and losing it may mean losing the codes for processes essential for survival. More strangely though, scientific research neglected this chromosome in wide-scale genetic studies. However, very recently, researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland decided to probe the X-chromosome to understand characteristics that differ between sexes. This year, they found novel X-chromosomal genetic variants that influence human height. So, why are men generally taller than women?

Through studying 25000 Northern European individuals with diverse health-related information, researchers analyzed the commonly occurring genetic variation in the X-chromosome. Their study showed that a genetic variant close to ITM2A, a gene found in the X chromosome and has a role in cartilage development, is frequent among individuals that are shorter than average. It also showed that the more the gene is expressed, the shorter the person will be. They found that, evidently, this variant was more strongly expressed in women. More interestingly, this gene escapes the silencing that is imposed in one of the two copies of the X chromosome in each cell. Because both copies of ITM2A remain active, it is expressed in higher levels in women.

Probing more on the difference of men and women on the molecular level can help us discover how and why some characteristics differ between sexes. This study was one of those that hopefully influence other researchers to probe deeper into the matter. Through these new knowledge, each one of us may be able to understand deeply why men and women are different. This may be the key for us to think more critically and rationally about the changing reputation of the different gender classifications. For someone who takes gender issues seriously, it may not be far-fetched to take the scientific aspect of the matter into consideration.

Blogpost by: Franzelle P. Padilla

References:

Helsingin yliopisto (University of Helsinki). Opening 'the X-files' helped researchers to understand why women and men differ in height. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140207083836.htm>.

Taru Tukiainen, Matti Pirinen, Antti-Pekka Sarin, Claes Ladenvall, Johannes Kettunen, Terho Lehtimäki, Marja-Liisa Lokki, Markus Perola, Juha Sinisalo, Efthymia Vlachopoulou, Johan G. Eriksson, Leif Groop, Antti Jula, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Olli T. Raitakari, Veikko Salomaa, Samuli Ripatti. Chromosome X-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci for Fasting Insulin and Height and Evidence for Incomplete Dosage Compensation. PLoS Genetics, 2014; 10 (2): e1004127 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004127

How connected you are through Facebook?

Photo from: fastcodesign.com

Since Facebook was celebrating its 10^th year anniversary, let’s talk about Facebook. J The map above was done by Paul Butler, an intern on Facebook’s data infrastructure engineering team. The map was created because of Paul’s curiosity about the locality of friendship, and what better way to show it than using linkages clamped by Facebook. The objective of this map is really simple, it just wants to show the linkages of people through Facebook, how connected are the people from one another beyond boundaries of countries. In a larger scale, how connected are the countries from the others or how open they are.

But what I find interesting about this map is, if we would observe, we could see that some countries are still not connected to the social cyber realm. We might say that these areas that are blacked-out are perhaps inhabited by people, or internet is not accessible, or the government does not permit them to use social networking sites.  

In addition, we could say that this map is a powerful tool to examine people’s social cyber activities. One couldn't deny the fact that the people are connected and through the employment of social networking sites like Facebook, everyone gets more connected regardless of distance.

Blogpost by: Aisha Macud

Reference:

N.a.(2010). Retrieved from http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662881/infographic-of-the-day-the-facebook-map-of-the-world on February 6, 2014.

The Flying snakes of Southeast Asia

Photo from: http://www.livescience.com/42958-how-flying-snake-glides.html

Are you scared of snakes? Then maybe this one will scare you more but at the same time will interest you. Scientists recently learned about the secret of flying snakes, particularly the Chrysopelea paradise or what is commonly known as Paradise snakes which is included in the five species of flying snakes around the world.

The Paradise snakes are mildly venous snakes with green and black color occasionally combined with red and orange touch. It has the ability to glide (not fly) to the air of about 30 meters high which enables it to escape potential predators and move to one place from another immediately. It is usually seen in the rain forests of Southeast Asia and South Asia including Philippines.

What’s unique about this snake is that it executes a “flat, flying saucer like cross-section shape” when gliding which in turn helps in the aerodynamics of the said animal. Scientists were primarily interested on how the shape of the snakes when gliding affects their aerodynamics. The researchers were led by Jake Socha from Virginia Tech which was funded by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced research Projects Agency (Darpa).

Blogpost by: Hiedi Martinez

Reference:

Dunham, William. (2014) “Ophidiophobics beware: flying snakes have great aerodynamics”. Uk. Reuters. Com. Retrieved from: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/30/us-science-snakes-idUKBREA0T1SK20140130 on February 3, 2014
 

Ghose, Tia (2014). “Flying Snake Morphs into UFO Shape to Glide in Livescience.com.

Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/42958-how-flying-snake-glides.html on February 3, 2014.

Reuters. “Scientists learn secrets of fying snakes”. Philippine Daily Inquirer- February 1, 2013

Dolphin and Whale Killing in the Faroe Islands

Photo from: http://www.protecttheocean.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/FI10.jpg

The Faroe Islands is an archipelago under the sovereignty of Denmark, and they have this culture of dolphin and whale killing.  It is traditional for them to kill dolphins and whales in the month of August since this tradition of killing signifies the coming of age of teenage men who participate in this.  This tradition is more than a century old and in the past, this is important for the residents of the Faroe Islands because they need to eat the dolphins and whales they kill.  However, now, this is completely useless in my opinion because the Faroese eat fish.  Also, according to health experts, pilot whale meat is not safe to eat since it contains large amounts of mercury which is poisonous to the body.  Now, whenever killings occur, they just leave the whales and dolphins on the beach to die in their own blood.  They don’t do anything to the carcasses of the whales and dolphins, but leave them to rot on the shore.

This is completely ridiculous in my opinion since whales and dolphins are considered endangered, so why in the world would you still want to kill them.  These animals are important to our ecosystem and every animal you kill upsets the balance of the ecosystem.  That is why I believe that we should only kill animals if this benefits the survival of the human race.

But in the Faroe Islands, an average of 700 whales and dolphins are killed every year for no other significance than to prove that the teenagers who participated in the killings are now men.   Terrified pilot whales were driven ashore, gaffed with steel hooks and dragged into the shallows, their necks cut with knives so they bled to death.  This is just too much.  I could not even stand to see a single whale or dolphin killed since whales and dolphins are such gentle creatures.  Dolphins come near the beaches of the Faroe Islands to play with the villagers living there, not to get brutally killed.  It just pains me that these amazing sea creatures are tortured to death.  The reason the Faroese give for their actions is just plain wrong in my opinion.  Men are supposed to take care of animals.  I don’t understand how killing creatures that could not fight back proves that you are true men.  All I see from this tradition is how sick the minds of these men are.

I really wish that this horrendous tradition would stop.  Not only are the people who participate in this tradition endangering the existence of whales and dolphins, but they are also making me (and probably other people as well) lose faith in humanity (well probably just the Faroese and people in Denmark) to think that whole tribes of people are capable of being so insensitive and vicious.

Blogpost by: Elaine Lee Ramos

References:

Erwin Vermeulen. Pilot Whale and Dolphin Slaughter in the Faroe Islands. Last Updated: August 25, 2013 Retrieved from: http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2013/08/25/pilot-whale-and-dolphin-slaughter-in-the-faroe-islands/

Campaign Whale. The Faroes Islands: cruel whale and dolphin slaughter!. Last Updated: 2014 Retrieved from: http://www.campaign-whale.org/campaigns/the-faroes-cruel-whale-slaughter