Myths and Truths about Phlegm, Snot and Boogers

By: Alexandria Addesso

Although Spring is slowly approaching, the cold and flu season is still among us. One of the most unpleasant symptoms of such winter sicknesses as the cold and flu is an increased amount of mucus. Whether, if it's in the form of phlegm, a runny nose or dry booger build-up, an increase in mucus production is a major annoyance and inconvenience.

Although it seems that most people experience an increased production of mucus at least once a year, whether it be during cold and flu season or allergy season, there is still a lot of misinformation about it. Although it seems like a nuisance, mucus actually plays a beneficial role for the human body’s ecosystem. Mucus functions as naturally occurring moisturizer for nasal, mouth, and sinuses, without which the tissue surface could easily become dry and crack. The thick and sticky consistency of mucus also helps prevent bacteria, dust, and other harmful substances from entering the body by trapping it and removing it when it is extracted.



Many parents have taught their children that you can tell what type of common illness you have by judging the color of the snot or phlegm. This is not exactly true, when a harmful virus or bacteria enters the sinuses the enzymes in the mucus contain high levels of iron to combat it thus producing a thick green consistency. When mucus sits for several hours without being expelled, such as when a person is asleep, it becomes more concentrated thus making it a dark yellow or green, thick consistency.

Mucus in all forms; snot, phlegm, and boogers; usually gross most of the general population out. Most believe that they are loaded with harmful germs. Yet, these forms of mucus are actually loaded with a variety of strong antibacterial, antiviral, and other protective chemicals that work to keep you healthy. Now this doesn't mean that you should seek out other people’s runny noses to bask in, but rather just not be too freaked out about it. Especially when it comes to your own. When someone touches snot or phlegm and then touches an object or surface without washing their hands first, the virus will only live on that surface for 24 hours.
Be safe, don’t be too grossed out by mucus, and wash your hands.

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Is the Lose of Religious Liberties Inevitable in a Modern Society?

By: Alexandria Addesso

Religion has long been the scapegoat of many of the world’s problems; poverty, ignorance, immorality, backwardness, and war. It is believed and frequently perpetuated that most wars were started and carried out because of religion, such instances were usually deemed “holy wars”. But do these notions suggest that there must be a war fought against religion itself?

Most first-world Western Nations are highly secularized. Where religions were once used to dictate moral standards and laws, now modern “norms” seem to be the guiding light. Such nations that lean toward secularism seem to hold atheism as the highest intellectual belief structure (or rather lack thereof). So what does that mean for those who still practice religions or formal faith structures?

Religious liberty and freedoms are hot-button topics in current events. The newly elected United States president, just days after being inaugurated, signed an executive order that banned people from entering the country if their visas were from 7 particular countries and if they were also Muslim. And while some may not disagree with these measures and brand the United States as a “Christian” nation, the state department completely disregarded the
Christian genocide that was ongoing in the Middle East and Africa for several years.



What is the cost we pay for progressiveness? Technological and scientific advances seem to push the need for the protection of religious liberties and freedoms further and further away. Would a religion-free society be better than a religious one? There is no doubt that many people would fight to establish the former, and there are currently people working for just that.

But with a look back on history to nations that tried to eliminate religions and make all such practices illegal does not paint a perfect picture, but rather just the gruesome opposite. The Cristero Rebellions in the 1920s where the Mexican government tried to suppress Catholicism and kill off clergy is one such example of such wickedness. The religionless Soviet Union is another. Yet in most of these cases the faith of such adherents only seemed to grow stronger, even unto death. So should these religious liberties be protected like any other human right or should they be part of the “final test”? Stay vigilant.

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The Evolution of Area 51

By: Alexandria Addesso

Area 51 has seemed to exist in two different places for decades, on both the southern shore of Groom Lake about 83 miles north-west of Las Vegas, and in the collective consciousness of those who can only imagine the whereabouts of the military base that has long been kept “top secret” and confidential. Over three-dozen films have been made about Area 51 as well as a host of mini-series despite the fact that very little information about the base has been verified. The idea of Area 51 has definitely evolved over the years.

Area 51 was built in 1941 and was given the official name of “Watertown” in 1956. Other monikers for the test site were Paradise Ranch and Dreamland, the latter was based on a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. The site was originally used as an auxiliary airfield. By 1951 the base was being utilized by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to develop the Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, an American single-jet engine, ultra-high altitude aircraft nicknamed “The Dragon Lady.” It is believed that over half of the unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings during the 1950s and 1960s were actually U-2 aircrafts.



This of course has helped contribute to the largely believed lure that aliens as well as their spacecrafts have been or are currently held at Area 51. It is true that aside from the U-2, numerous odd looking aircrafts have been developed, held and tested at the base. Most of which are used for spying or other military purposes. Also many of the projects done at the site are deemed confidential, to which information and details of can never be disclosed. Despite this fact many so called past employees of the base have “leaked” information. Retired Area 51 scientist Boyd Bushman released a video in which he describes the base as containing aliens, UFOs, and anti-gravity projects. The video was released right before his death.



Whether or not you believe that the confidential information about what is done at Area 51 has to do with alien life forms or not seems to be influence on your belief in extraterrestrials in general. Top secret projects done at the base having to do with both domestic and international spying is already factually known. Another reason why certain projects at Area 51 are kept confidential is because they can actually harm the general population. In the 1970s and 1980s Area 51 employees were repeatedly exposed to jet fuel toxins. In 1996 Helen Frost, the wife of one of the employees that died from these toxins, brought up a lawsuit against the United States government but it was dismissed because such allegations could not be “confirmed” and the base is exempt from any environmental laws.

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Sweat Sensors

By: Alexandria Addesso

Science and technology seems to steadily progress and the health field is one of the main industries that is reaping the benefits of the new innovations. As our health statuses and test results seem to be at our fingertips, people become more and more health conscious. Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have recently designed a biosensor that is capable of checking glucose levels of the person who wears it.

"We've been developing various thin, soft and flexible skin-mounted devices as a next-generation platform for wearable technologies for a few years now," said Dr. John Rogers, the senior author of the study as well as a materials scientist and director of Northwestern University's Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics in Evanston, Illinois. "Now, we've developed such a device to capture and analyze sweat."



The sensor sticks to the skin and is around the size of a quarter, which is a drastic upgrade in comparison to the handheld glucose reading devices that are currently being used. Such devices needed to pluck the user’s finger to draw a small amount of blood in order to read glucose levels, a task most people suffering with diabetes found daunting.

"Fitness trackers that monitor heart rate and step count are very popular, but wearable, non-invasive biosensors would be extremely beneficial for managing diseases," said Dr. Shalini Prasad, a professor of bioengineering at the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

"We used known properties of textiles and weaves in our design," said Prasad. "What was innovative was the way we incorporated and positioned the electrodes onto this textile in such a way that allows a very small volume of sweat to spread effectively through the surface."



Sweat and blood are not the only bodily secretions that have been tested to see if they can get glucose readings. Google Laboratories is currently working on a contact lense that can read glucose levels from tears. While none of these new sensors have hit the market or even yet been licensed, there is no doubt that they will soon make invasive blood collecting glucose readers obsolete.

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The Universe's largest supernova: a spinning, star eating black hole

By: Alexandria Addesso

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a supernova is defined as one of the largest explosions that take place in space, in particular the explosion of a star. A supernova usually manifests when there is a change in the core, or center, of a star.

The brightest supernova ever recorded, and actually categorized as a super-luminous supernova, was the explosion of an extremely massive star at the end of its life. It was named ASASSN-15lh. ASASSN-15 lhn, was first observed in 2015 by the All Sky Automated Survey for Super-Novae (ASAS-SN). It was twice as bright as the previous record holder, and at its peak was 20 times brighter than the total light output of the entire Milky Way.



"We observed the source for 10 months following the event and have concluded that the explanation is unlikely to lie with an extraordinarily bright supernova,” said Giorgos Leloudas the leader of the team that observed the event at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. “Our results indicate that the event was probably caused by a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole as it destroyed a low-mass star."
After a series of further observations, it was discovered that the massive explosion took place about 4 billion light-years from Earth in a distant galaxy. It is believed that the star that the black hole consumed in order to produce such a massive explosion was its solar system's biggest star, comparable to our own sun. Since then rays have been observed traveling from the black hole towards us at the speed of light. These rays are forming a disc of gas around the black hole as it converts gravitational energy into electromagnetic radiation, producing a bright source of light visible on multiple wavelengths.



"Incredibly, this source is still producing X-rays and may remain bright enough for Swift to observe into next year," said David Burrows, the lead scientist of the team utilizing NASA's Swift satellite to monitor the massive black hole as well as a professor of astronomy at Penn State University. "It behaves unlike anything we've seen before."

Could such an explosion happen in our solar system with our own sun? This is a question scientists and inquiring minds are still trying to figure out.

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Glass Solar Roofing: Helpful Innovation or Unrealistic Luxury Item?

By: Alexandria Addesso

Cost-efficient and eco-friendly are buzzwords used in many new product pitches being that they are major concerns of “conscious” consumers. Solar energy has grown as an industry tremendously in the past several years due to its use as a cleaner power source. Solar panels, although initially more expensive when first installed, are believed to save users money on their energy bills in the long run.



Last October Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX amongst many other occupational titles, unveiled his newest project which is solar roof made out of many glass tiles. He revealed the solar glass roof at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, CA.

"So the basic proposition will be: Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less and—by the way—generates electricity? Why would you get anything else?," said Musk.

The tiles will come in four different variations which include slate glass tile, textured Glass Tile, Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass Tile. But could such an innovation really be cheaper than a good old shingled roof? According to Musk the solar glass roofs will be cheaper than the terra cotta or slate roof styles that they are trying to mimic, which are the most expensive roofs on the market.

"The solar roof consists of uniquely designed glass tiles that complement the aesthetics of any home, embedded with the highest efficiency photovoltaic cells," explained a statement released by Tesla. "Customers can choose which sections of their roof will contain the hidden solar technology while still having the entire roof look the same."



The solar glass roofs function by utilizing three levels of glass film, then solar cells. When the sunlight reaches solar cells it is converted to energy and saved on a power wall. The glass solar roofs have not been priced or mass produced yet, the projected date is mid-2017. Although they may be beneficial and aesthetically pleasing, they will most likely be a highly priced luxury item.

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Exoplanets

By: Alexandria Addesso

From a young age we are taught the names and placements of the planets within our own solar system, but very infrequently taught about planets outside of it. Exoplanets are planets the orbit stars outside of our solar system. For thousands of years such planets were unfathomable because of the lack of technology needed to see them. And within the scientific community, seeing is believing.

“People ask what will happen if Mars One fails. There will be Mars Two, Mars Three, there will be Gliese 581 One, Proxima Centauri b One etc,” said playwright Mehmet Murat Ildan.
“If a project opens the path for other projects, it means that it has already triumphed!”



It was not until the 1990s that exoplanets were discovered. In 1992 a pulsar, which is a rapidly spinning corpse of a star that died as a supernova, named PSR 1257+12 was discovered. Although not an exoplanet, PSR 1257+12 sparked the momentum for scientists to do more research in the field. By 1995 the first exoplanet was confirmed, it was a Jupiter-mass-like planet 20 times closer to its sun-like star than the Earth is to its sun. The planet was deemed 51 Pegasi b.

With the help of the Kepler Spacecraft that was launched in March of 2009, many other exoplanets have been discovered. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) there are 3,431 confirmed exoplanets, an additional 4,696 possible exoplanets yet to be confirmed, and a total of 2,562 solar systems. Scientist are also researching what exoplanets may be habitual for human beings. Such planets are usually the same or similar distance from their sun as Earth is from ours.



“This is the big question we all have: are we alone in the universe? And exoplanets confirm the suspicions that planets are not rare,” said astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson.

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Cognitive Dissonance of Believing in Peace and Condoning War

By: Alexandria Addesso

Cognitive dissonance theory describes a mental state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude changes. In many cases cognitive dissonance can be linked to anxiety and even depression. Most individuals deal with some sort of cognitive dissonance on a daily basis. Such as wanting to help the environment but driving a no eco-friendly car, smoking despite the fact that you know it is bad for you, or being against child labor despite buying items that come from such labor.

While the above examples seem to be clear, there are facets of society where cognitive dissonance seems to be completely ignored. Such as believing and even advocating for peace while condoning war. Some even go as far as defending war-making as the only viable way to achieve peace, which is a complete contradiction. In fact, if this last statement was not repeatedly used, perpetuated and accepted then politicians would not be able to justify most wars and conflicts.



Yet where is the cognitive dissonance coming into play? If war was a “necessary” evil to secure possible future peacetime is rationalized, the dissonance is usually silenced. Furthermore, when individuals do not experience the effects of war firsthand, like most living in the first world or Western countries, it becomes easy to ignore it and not let it affect you. If there is already a lax or non-existent value of human life, there is no dissonance.

But, what about the people who practice doctrines that call for peace? Christianity is based on what Jesus said and did. He submitted to all suffering, was nonviolent to all his persecutors, and emphasized the golden rule of loving your neighbor as yourself, even when your neighbor is your enemy. So how can so many people who claim to be Christians, go to church on Sundays, and read the Bible be pro-war? The way they must rationalize such beliefs definitely fulfills the cognitive dissonance theory. And other faiths that proclaim peace are no exception.



Wanting peace but condoning war is contradictory because violence only begets more violence and creates violent attitudes. What goes on inside of the head of the “peace-loving” pro-war individual? How do they sleep at night? Possibly very well, just because you want to secure peace for yourself does not mean you care about the wellbeing of others.

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