Science blog

Have you heard the saying, "A Leopard Can't Change Its Spots"? What if I told you they were wrong? What if I told you that you can change and that your history is not the main factor in what you want to do, or become even at a biological level. Advancements in biology and in how we think and function are catching up with people like Napoleon Hill or Maxwell Maltz of whom, told us that the way we think and feel, and that which we focus on will shape our world and the outcome of our lives. We literately become what we focus on most. Scientists who are studying Stem Cell research challenged the notion that once a cell is programmed to become a particular thing, whether that is an arm, liver or heart, that it will always be that and will not and cannot change. It is in line with what we have been told about the leopard and our own nature and reaction to life. However, the scientists have taken cells from a liver and introduced them into a heart. They were thrilled to find out that the cells from the liver started to transform and take on the coding and function of the heart. The cells literately started communicating with other heart cells to work as one. This has far reaching possibilities for our health and for people who were told that there is no hope for their health challenges. So, if your cells can transform into something else than so can you. When I read this information, I came to the conclusion that for the cells and for us, one of the biggest factors in changing our lives or our spots as it were, is to submerse ourselves in the conditions that we want to become. Using the cells as an example, it is hard not to be a liver cell when you are surrounded by other liver cells. You copy that which you see are apart of. By intentionally choosing to be around other successful people in what ever area you want to be in, you start to take on the traits and habits of those people. However, if you stay around people who would rather complain, bemoan their fate and blame the world for their challenges, that is the personality that you will take own. That is the energy that you will absorb. So first decide, what it is you want to do, be and have. Then once you have a clear picture, start to be around those types of people, places and events. And know that you can change your life and alter the reality that you felt you had. If you want to be a marketer, chef, athlete, writer or entrepreneur, start getting to know some. Find out what they do and get into a mastermind group. Submerse yourself around those skills and traits you wish to take on. And yes, that means leaving some people behind. Especially those who want you to remain the same.

Your Brain - General Features

I have always been a naturally curious person. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been full of questions. My mother and father frequently tell me and my family stories about how they could never make it through a car ride, a grocery trip or almost anything without me stopping them at least once with a question. For me, everything holds a little bit of mystery and magic. One of the biggest things that is mysterious to me is marine life. I became interested in marine life upon my family's first vacation to Florida during my elementary years. We visited a couple of large aquariums and zoos that contained a lot of marine life and I was hooked. I didn't know such a thing as marine life existed before that trip to Florida, but my curiosity couldn't be stopped from that day on. I asked my parents for books about marine life, for stuffed marine life animals, and for trips to the zoo as often as I had the opportunity. I think the main thing that first intrigud me about marine life is the fact that is takes place mostly under water. Marine life is a totally different kind of life, and that's why I am full of wonder about it. When it came time for me to choose a college and to prepare for a career, the choice was obvious. I went to university in Florida and studied Marine Biology. I chose this subject because it meant that I got to spent four years studying marine life. I couldn't be happier. Even if you have no desire to study marine life for a profession, there are many ways for you to curb or entice your curiousity about it. Get online and see what you can learn or get off to your local library and check out a few books or magazines about marine life. See what can be learned and see if you can even narrow your interest further to include a particular variety of marine life. If you are full of mysterious wonder about marine life, one of the best things you can do is to make a visit to an aquarium that is full of marine life. There is nothing like seeing your favorite species of marine life live. So make plans to explore the wonders of marine life on your next vacation. You'll be so glad you did.

Passive solar is a method of using the energy from the sun to heat a home. It is extremely popular because the process is free once a passive solar home is created. Is Passive Solar A Viable Home Heating Option In Cold Areas? Passive solar can be used to heat a home in colder areas, but you have to go into it with reasonable expectations. While the cold climate is a hurdle, the real issue is going to be the length of time the sun beats down upon your property. If your home receives only four or five hours of direct sunlight a day, forget it. You will never produce enough energy to keep the home warm for sufficient periods of time. Passive solar design is very popular in warm to mild climates because it is more or less a free method for warming a home. The manipulation of the position of the home and placement of large windows in the south facing wall is typical strategies for dealing with the issue. Obviously, large windows in a cold climate are going to result in significant heat loss regardless of the quality with which they are built. So, what can you do? There are two primary approaches to creating a passive solar design that works in the winter. One is the use of a large Trombe Wall and the other is the greenhouse approach. Let’s take a look. Trombe Walls are popular in passive solar designs because they effectively convert sunlight to heat and are interesting from an aesthetic view point. Typically, a Trombe Wall is 8 to 12 feet in length on the south facing wall of a home. In significantly colder areas, the wall is going to need to be much larger, perhaps the full length of the home depending upon energy analysis and the cold weather expected. An energy audit of the home is the only to arrive at a definitive answer. You are also going to have to incorporate a flip strategy for the heat. As the sun enters the glass plate and heats up the masonry of the wall, you risk losing vast amounts of it through the glass surface. This means you need to create an air circulation method whereby you draw the hot air into a secondary space behind the wall. This can simply be a closed off room or a space intended for the purpose. The circulation should be done on a timer similar to the solar thermostats used on solar hot water panels. The point is to keep the built up heat from escaping back into the environment. The greenhouse approach simplifies matters. The essential idea is to build an insulated greenhouse to collect and store the heat of the sun during the day. Often called a sunspace, the greenhouse is similar to those used for plants. Even in cold climates, the sun will produce a magnificent amount of heat. Again, the problem is keeping the heat from escaping once it has built up. Since the sun has to come in through a transparent surface, you inevitably have the problem of the heat escaping through the same. The best option is to use a controlled timer to blow the air through to the house once certain temperatures are reached. It is not very efficient, but you have little choice. An alternative to passive solar heating in very cold areas is biomass. Corn burning furnaces are popular. They are a much cheaper solution as are the corn kernels. This biomass energy is also much more reliable and, personally, it is the way I would go.