Sugar Power for Cell Phones

Drinking sugary soda gives you a burst of energy. Some day, sugar might power electronic equipment as well. That's because scientists have now found a way to turn sugar into electricity. If they can find a way to make the technology work on a large scale, you may some day share your sweet drinks with your handheld video game player or cell phone. The new strategy involves fuel cells, which are devices that use chemical reactions to produce electrical currents. And the new fuel cells that run on it are biodegradable, so the technology wouldn't hurt the environment. The scientists are now trying to use different enzymes that will get more power from sugar molecules. They predict that popular products may be using the new technology in as little as 3 years. This is a great step in science advancement.

Metabolic syndrome and Diet Soda?

Zero Carbs, Zero Calories, and only a few miligrams of sodium in an entire bottle of soda, why not? Yes people, this is what diet soda consists of, nothign but water and chemicals for taste. People have been drinking diet soda hoping to lose weight for years now, but why have these people not been satisfied. Yes it can very well be because of their behavior, most people will indulge inother places if they have a diet soda, for a balance effect. But maybe it is something more, than behavior, maybe it is the diet soda who is doing all this. Diet soda is now linked to metabolic syndrome,which consists of abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Who ever would have thought this could happen, something wiht nof at opr calories could give youa belly, something with no sugar can raise your blood sugar, or something with hardly any sodium could raise your blood pressure? Well, a study was conducted by a few researchers, and the results were astounding. People ages 45 to 64 were monitored for nine years, the people whod rnak diet soda regularly had a 34% higher risk for developing some of these aspects of metabolic syndrome than peopel who do not drink diet soda. Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota said, "Why is this happening? Is there some kind of chemical in the diet soda..." I think this needs to be thoroughly investigated and figured out soon. I have been saying diet soda is no good for you for years and I refuse to drink it. But I would like to know for sure once and for all.

Irregular Exercise Pattern May Add Pounds

The consequences of quitting exercise may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that determined that the weight gained during an exercise hiatus can be tough to shed when exercise is resumed at a later date.The study, conducted by Paul Williams of Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, found that the key to staying trim is to remain active year-round, year-after-year, and to avoid seasonal and irregular exercise patterns. Most of all, don't quit. Failure to do so may be a contributing factor in the nation’s obesity epidemic.The study should prompt people to think twice before taking a break from their exercise regimens, despite the pressures of family and work obligations, or waning motivation. I know from exercising, that it has many benefits. You feel better, you look better and have more energy. Everyone should exercise.

Tobacco Addiction Greater in Teens!

All you girls and guys out there who think that a cigarette every now and then is fine, you're wrong. Many or atleast all adolescents report being social smokers, like every once in a while when you go out or something, maybe one or two a week. Most report smoking maybe one cigarette a day, thinking it isnt a big deal. And I can udnerstand where they are coming from, because it does nto feel like a big deal. Even for me, when i have smoked a cigarette, I don't feel it afterwards, I feel like I can smoke another one right after. The reason for this is, according to studeis by Dr. DiFranza, a medicine specialist at the University of Massachusetts, that tolerence levels in the brains of adolescents are greater than that of adults. A normal adult smoker can have a cigarette but cannot smoke another right after, they feel the effects of it, and usually wait 45 minutes to smoke another. But a single cigarette can mildly affect an adolescent, causing them to smoke more and more in an unreasonable amount of time. This is how addiction starts in most teens these days. So the next time you smoke a cigarette, do not use the excuse that it is only one and nothing is going to happen. Yes, it is very easy to get hooked on cigarettes, especially if you are young.

Be cautious of thetoys you buy your kids!

Many toys for children out there have small parts which can be swallowed. Every once in a while kids will swallow small objects, which for the most part will pass through their system. But in the case of four year old Braden Elberte of San Jose California, according to an article in the New York Times Science section by Nicholas Bakalar, the object did not pass. Braden had told his mother that he swallowed a small magnet by accident one night, but that was no big deal because it would pass on its own. But Braden accidentally swallowed another magnet the next day. 72 hours later Braden started experiencing pain in his left abdomen. His parents, being on the safe side, took him to get an x-ray. Turns out that the original magnet did not pass, and the second one had gotten stuck to the other, pinching some bowel tissue. Dr. Dutta used laparoscopic surgery to remove the magnets and the boy turned out fine. But this could have perhaps been potentially fatal if the matter was ignored. Thankfully the parents decided tot ake him for an x-ray even though he wasnt in much pain. It could have ended up worse over time. This just goes to show you how dangerous some toys can be for kids.

Fossils of New Meat-Eating Dinos Found

"Fossil hunters say they have discovered bones of two massive meat-eating dinosaurs in Africa. University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno and co-author Stephen Brusatte named one Kryptops palaios, or "old hidden face," because of a horny covering over its face. They named the other Eocarcharia dinops, or "fierce-eyed dawn shark," for its razor-sharp teeth and bony brow.
Both were about 25 feet long and stood 7 feet high at the hip. Kryptops had a short snout with teeth better for gnawing, leading the scientists to believe it was more of a scavenger.
Eocarcharia's brow was so pronounced that Sereno thinks it was used for head-butting rivals to win over potential mates.
"The only thing I can think of is they were smacking each other with it," Sereno said.
The creatures lived at a time when land bridges connected Africa to India and even Antarctica, which was then a temperate home to dinosaurs. But Africa later became isolated and its dinosaurs followed unique evolutionary paths scientists have just begun to uncover.
Sereno's group found the new species during a 2000 expedition to the Niger desert. They found bones from about a dozen new species, and stumbled across one of the richest archaeological sites that's been found in the region.
"We have not released even half of all that we found there," Sereno said.

http://news.yahoo.com/dinosaur_discovery;ylt=A0WTcVjyPbpH4IQBUAsPLBIF

These discoveries give you a perspective on life. There were beings on earth before us. These discoveries are a great way to get a better understanding of our lives.

SUPERBOWL XLII

Well they did it, the New York Football Giants proved everyone wrong and came out victorious in Superbowl XLII. What a way to shock the world, beating the almost perfect 18-1 New England Patriots; a team that absolutely dominated the regular season and the playoffs with their star quarter back Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterback of all time, and their unstoppable offense. they have been scoring touchdown after touchdown in every game. When Plaxico Burress of the NYG predicted a 23 to 17 NYG victory, Tom Brady only could laugh at the fact that he thought the Pats would only score 17 points. But I think Burress knew this was a possibility because of his team's outstanding defense. The New York Giants all season have been known for their explosive pass rush and defensive line, they have been putting extreme pressure on every quarterback in the league. Thanks to people like Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, offensive linemen ahve been fearing the Giants all year. And in Superbowl XLII, the Ginats' defensive line did exactly what they were doing all season. They gave Tom Brady a serious challenge and sacked him a few times as well. The Pats were only able to score two touchdowns for a total of 14 points. Meanwhile, the giants offense got help from an unusual wide receiver David Tyree. He came up with a touchdowna dn a play that saved the game for the giants late in the 4th quarter, with an amazing catch using his helmet to gain possession of the ball. There was less than a minute on the time clcok, and Eli Manning came up big and moved the ball down the feild just in time, giving the winning touchdown pass to his elad receiver Plaxico Burress to make a final score of 17-14 in favor of the New York Giants. This was the greatest football game I have ever seen and I am so happy ffor the Giants. They deserved to win the championship, all of their players came out and played with the heart of a champion in tht game. They stopped an almost perfect New England Patriot team in their tracks righ before the finish line and went down in history. Congratulations to the New York Giants franchise and hope they come up big next season as well.

Statins: A Misunderstanding

Statins are one of the most prescribed drugs in the world, and they do work just as they are supposed to. These are drugs like Vytorin, Lipitor, Crestor, Pravachol, etc... They are made to lower cholesterol, therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack. But here is where the misconception comes in. Most users do not have established heart disease, they just have high cholesterol. Therefore these users may think it helps them to live longer, but they are actually not helping as much as people may think. Studies have shown that statins did not lower mortality on the same group of people. The reason is that just because these drugs help the heart, they are not helping the patient. Heart disease can have other affects on a person as well that must be looked at. These drugs are definetly overrated in my opinion and somewhat misunderstood. Some patients may think these drugs are prolonging their life, but there is no proof to show that they are. Another problem with these drugs is that their side effects have not been studied well enough. Some side effects are reported to be muscle pain and cognitive problems. Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, a retired Swedish physician, has said that "Statins have side effects that are underrated." It's much more frequent and serious than has been reported." Ask anyone who uses these drugs, some days you can really feel these side effects a lot more than you are supposed to. The point is, although they are great drugs, they are not all that they are cracked up to be.