moutonoir

I'm not a smoker, but I would guess that while herbal cigarettes may not have the effects of nicotine, for someone seriously motivated to quit, they may be better than nothing. Stopping cold-turkey is often said to be difficult, and while it works for some people, others may need to do it more step-by-step. Herbal cigarettes may help this. It's hard to say whether they would work or not in general because what works varies from person to person. It's like losing weight where there is no single diet that works for everyone. If you're trying to quit and struggling, it may be worth a try just to see if it helps.

There is no way for current chickens to "know" whether we are killing other members of their species or not. The way nature "tells them to" do certain things is through natural selection; members of a species that are born with certain, random characteristics (often mutations) which are adaptive to their enviornment are more likely to survive and reproduce, and the offspring are likely to have the same characteristics that they did. Thus, the trait proliferates.

Interesting; I have always strongly believed myth 7 but I suppose they are working to change that. It makes sense though that as Botox becomes more widely used, the process will become more effective and efficient, and possibly less expensive and thus more widely available. Having wrinkles as one ages may even become unheard of eventually. It will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Vitamin D is important in bone formation, but it itself is synthesized in the skin (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D%23Synm_.28form_3.29) unless taken orally from a vitamin or through food intake. But aside from that, I agree that chlorophyll should not replace melatonin; their functions are completely different and they don't make satisfactory substitutes for one another. I would imagine that chloroplasts would be added to the skin cells in some way, or placed alongside them, or something of that matter. It would need to be an addition, not a replacement. Hence, we would probably end up having a color that was a combination of normal skin tones and green. I have no idea how this would affect the cells themselves or how you might go about doing this...but perhaps it is possible.

I've never caught on to the makeup scene myself, and in some ways I feel lucky. Like Bluebear mentioned, many who use makeup feel that they are ugly without it. Having never really worn it except for special occasions, I don't feel this way. I think that make-up doesn't make you look any more beautiful than you look naturally, it just changes your appearance. Many react to a person who usually wears make-up and then goes a day without it the same way they would if they saw someone who never wears it and then does one day; it's quite a change. We should all learn to feel pretty without painting our faces...but unfortunately that is extremely difficult in a culture that emphasizes uniformity and standards and with make-up companies that want us to buy their products.

As a computer science student, I spend a lot of time on the computer doing my schoolwork. Even non-computer coursework, I complete most of it on the computer. It's just so much easier and faster to use the internet to obtain the information I need. I find though, in my leisure time, I'd really prefer not to use the computer. I like reading off-screen material more since it isn't as hard on my eyes, and I feel that crafting and working with my hands is more fun than playing computer games. Usually I turn to the computer for entertainment if I don't have my other materials around me, or I'm bored with the reading material I have.In terms of information sharing though, the computer facilitates it immensely. If I want to learn something quickly, I go straight to Google or Wikipedia. If I want to tell someone something, I'll post it on my blog. It's much easier and more convienent that way.

The concepts are pretty generic but some terms, such as "method," are specific to certain languages. There are methods in Java, for example, but in C++ they're called functions. Also the examples given are in Java; syntax varies slightly among different languages. Still though, if you wanted an understanding about object orientation in general, these concepts certainly apply.

Even in the event that you can't go back, you can always get your GED. This way you would be able to continue onto college and beyond if you should choose.

It could be localized to certain areas of the skin that would be exposed to sun. We still are able to produce Vitamin D in the sun, even while wearing clothes.You're right about the green though...not sure how to get around that one...

If we could eventually do such a thing, it would reduce the need for other means of food. This could reduce the world hunger issue, but in countries such as the US where food is abound and obesity is a problem, people may not want to be able to photosynthesize. A symbiotic organism would be perfect; those who lived where food was scare could be given it so that they could survive, and those who needed to reduce their food intake would be able to continue without it.You could even extend this idea of creating photosynthesizing organisms to have benefits on the planet; if we could create such organisms, we could harness their abilities to help reduce excessive CO2 in the atmosphere. It could be made so that it was small and easy to store/care for, versus trees which reduce CO2 but are huge.With molecular biology advancing, it seems as though nearly anything will be possible in the future.

There are certain little exercises you can do to keep moving, even when stuck doing housework. For instance, while you're standing at the stove, you can strengthen your calves by slowly lifting and lowering yourself on your toes. This doesn't burn a lot of calories, but it will increase muscle tone and make your legs strong. And it sounds funny, but if you make a habit of fidgeting, you can burn slightly more calories than just sitting still. The amount of activity you can or will get while doing housework is of course limited, but by making small changes and consistantly doing them, you can get just a little bit more exercise, which will add up in the long run.And as bishoujo says, getting out for a quick walk or run is a wonderful way to get exercise, and just 30 min a day is usually enough to keep fit (assuming you eat a healthy diet).

I agree, it's extremely annoying when people can't respect differences in opinions. They view comments like this as attacks against themselves, which is not what they are at all. It's also sad because it causes some to repress their true opinions and pretend to think things that they really don't believe. I've spoken with many people who just agree with me for the sake of agreeing, and then later I find out that they really don't think that at all. This bothers me; I don't get offended when people say they think something different, as long as it's not said like this: "you're wrong, so you suck, and I'm better."We need to learn to be more accepting of differences in our society. There is too much focus on homogeneity, and I really can't see what good it would be if we were all the same.

I have a stress ball, but it's not what most people think of when they think of stress balls. It's this bouncy, rubbery pink ball with thick rubber "hair" around it, and it makes a funny sound as it flies through the air. It's fun to toss around when I'm bored, and when I'm stressed, I throw it as hard as I can against my door. That relieves stress much more than squeezing it does

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and other photosynthetic organisms convert light energy into chemical energy. These organisms use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide and produce energy-rich sugars and oxygen. This process is important to us, as we consume oxygen, and they also reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Here are some interesting facts about photosynthesis:Plants need to photosynthesize to stay alive. One way to increase the photosynthesis of a plant is to give it more potassium. Potassium helps maintain healthy turgor in chloroplasts and other structures that support photosynthesis. When a plant doesn?t receive enough water, its rate of photosynthesis slows down, but potassium has an osmotic effect and helps cells maintain water.In C3 plants, photosynthetic efficiency is limited by the enzyme Rubisco. This enzyme is not very efficient, for it loses 20 to 50 percent of the carbon it fixes. A more efficient Rubisco has been found in red algae, however. Through plant breeding and molecular biology, C3 plants that can produce more products through photosynthesis can be made.The pigments chlorophyll and carotenoids are important for photosynthesis. Chlorophyll, a green pigment, is what converts light energy into chemical energy. Carotenoids protect chlorophyll from photo-oxidation, which are oxidation reactions caused by light. They are also photoreceptors which can absorb light energy and convert into a nervous response.Plant pigments play a role in nutrition as well. 40 carotenoids are vitamin A precursors and provide 80% of vitamin A to the world. Vitamin A is broken down into retinol when consumed, and a deficiency in vitamin A can lead to blindness. Carotenoids such as lycopene can also function as chemopreventers which help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. The properties of carotenoids which help protect plants during photosynthesis also protect humans from carcinogens and heart disease.

Diet and exercise are definitely two of the most important things you can do to have lots of energy. This means sticking to a regular workout plan with a good mix of cardio and weight training, and eating a diet low in sugar and high in protein and complex carbs. Monounsaturated fats are important too, but try not to eat too much fat or it will make you feel sluggish (fat takes awhile to digest). Eating several small meals throughout the day instead of one or two large ones will keep your metabolism and energy levels consistant, rather than spiking and dropping.

Genetics is indeed a very controversial issue. I found the movie Gattaca very interesting since it presented the idea of being able to choose traits of one's children. This, I believe, is very controversial. It involves allowing humans to decide which traits are acceptable and which are not, and thus would lead to a homogenous society. Is this truly what we want? As technology advances, there is becoming less and less tolerance for indvidual differences. Anyone who does not fit the mold is deemed ill and given whatever treatment would make them like everyone else. This is not necessarily a good thing. It is important to to have a variety of individuals in order to maximize skills and capabilities as a whole. By controlling people's abilities and characteristics through genetics, such variety will most likely be reduced. Those who are different will face an even greater challenge since they will be in a much smaller minority, and people will wonder why their parents didn't choose more normal genes for them. Another issue involvong genetics concerns stem cell research, since the embryos used to produce the stem cells end up dying. To some, this is akin to abortion, and they do not support stem cell research. I disagree with this view. Most often, these embryos would not have been allowed to grow into human babies anyway; their sole purpose was to be used for research. By not going forward with such research, people who are currently suffering from severe illnesses are left to continue suffering when there could be treatment for them. By saving the "lives" of these embryos, others lives are being lost. Luckily, it looks like there may be a way to continue with this research without the cost of embryos. Recently, a scientist has found a way to get stem stems from adult cells. This would be wonderful if it proved to work; the controversy mentioned before would be minimized and new treatments could be available for those in need. NOVA did a story on this: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/stem-cells-breakthrough.html There are many ethical issues to consider in the field of genetics. Ultimately, it comes down to the idea that humans are trying to play "god" and become more powerful than nature intended us to be. It will be interesting to see how this technology evolves over the next few decades, and how we deal with it.

I also hate how tired you feel after a long car ride. It seems as if you should feel energized and ready to go after sitting for so long...but unfortunately that is hardly ever the case. If I know I'm going to be seated for a long period of time, I like to get out for a run beforehand. I find that I end up feeling less sore and tired at the end of the day this way, and if I wait to do the run at the end, I may not feel like it!

This idea has been around for awhile; unfortunately, the catalyst required to make the reaction go under obtainable conditions was extremely expensive to obtain, negating the cost effectiveness. It looks like they've found a new catalyst though, so like you say, the process of developing it is going on. If this works out, it could probably be applied to other fuel-consuming products as well, and many of the relationships between oil producing/oil consuming countries would be significantly changed.

See what your school offers, if anything. My school offers scholarships for students who plan to go to graduate school; these vary based on major. There are also websites which list scholarships you could apply for.As for admission and programs, US News offers a book of rankings of various graduate programs, plus some articles on admission. I'm currently using it to narrow down potential programs I might be interested in, so that I can research more specifically from there. Once you know the program you want, it's also easier to think about financial aid. Many science programs here in the US will offer fellowships, so you pay very little for schooling. You could also work for a company which will pay for your schooling.

I've seen Supersize Me as well, and read Morgan Spurlock's book (Don't Eat This Book) which goes more in depth. It's a really good read...if you liked the movie you should read the book. There's also a little clip online where he leaves some McDonald's food and some normal food out for several days to see what will happen. The normal food goes rancid like it should, but the McDonald's food doesn't change.Makes you wonder what exactly they put in that stuff...

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) haves been known to cause colon cancer in animals and people. In a study done at Oregon State University, Stephanie Smith-Roe identified a gene that can keep people from being particularly vulnerable to these chemicals.HCAs are compounds that are formed when amino acids and creatine react at high temperatures, as often occurs in overcooked meat. There are at least 17 different HCAs, some of the most common being PhIP, IQ, and MelQx. Expose to HCAs can cause mutations in a cell?s DNA since they bind to the bases in DNA and make mismatches more likely. PhIP, for example, often attached to guanine, making it likely to mistakenly pair with adenine, thymine, or another guanine instead of cytosine.DNA is always at risk for errors to occur, so the body has ways to repair damage to the DNA or to kill damaged cells. One method is mismatch repair: DNA mismatch repair proteins recognize when a mismatch has occurred, and they remove the segment of the newly created stand of DNA containing the mismatch. Nicks occur in the strands of DNA being synthesized and they allow the proteins to recognize which strand to remove. DNA polymerase and ligase then create a new strand of DNA in place of the one removed.Smith-Roe found that the genes that code for these repair proteins are MLH1 and MSH2. Many people are born with a faulty copy of one of these genes, or one becomes turned off by an unknown process called hypermethylation. Often, this isn?t a problem because they have one good copy of the gene, but this one can also become disabled over time.When performing experiments on mice without the MLH1 gene, Smith-Roe found that they were four times as likely to develop precancerous lesions in their colons when exposed to HCAs as those with the functional genes. They also had three times as many permanent mismatches in their DNA, and their bodies didn't send the usual signal to kill the damaged cells (apoptosis). While the coupling of guanine to thymine or another guanine was often repaired, the mismatch-repair system often failed to correct guanine-adenine pairings.Luckily, for those lacking the gene, there are ways to limit HCA consumption. Since HCAs form at high temperatures, cooking meat for prolonged periods at these temperatures increases HCA formation. Adding starch or acidic marinades to the meat has been shown to limit HCA formation as well.

Knowing how copyright laws work is important, especially in the workplace where you're held accountable for what you produce. Here is some info about what's allowed and what's not:Copyright Laws: A Brief OverviewCopyright laws give the author of the work the right to make copies of, alter, circulate, create sound recordings of, and perform it. Violation of one of these rights is considered copyright infringement. The author may grant licenses which give permission to copy the work under certain circumstances. In order to be eligible for a copyright, the work must be in a concrete form, be of substantial length, and contain originality in its authorship. Ideas cannot be copyrighted. It is not necessary to register for a copyright; one is created when the work is created. The law of the US also does not require the author to inform others of the copyright. Such notice is often helpful though, for it prevents infringers from claiming they didn?t realize that the work was protected. In the notice of copyright, the year of publication and the name of the owner will appear along with the copyright symbol.Fair UseThe concept of fair use states that people should be able to use pieces of copyrighted work for commentary or criticism. Such purposes are called ?transformative purposes.? However, there is no guarantee that others will view one?s use of material in such a way as fair use because the guidelines for what is considered fair use are very general since lawmakers wanted it to open to interpretation. Whenever taking portions of copyrighted material for these ?transformative purposes,? use caution and give credit.Items on a WebpagePictures on the WebImages that appear on websites are often copyrighted and should never be reproduced without permission, even if the site does not state anywhere that the images are protected. After obtaining permission, it is best to give credit to the author, even if they did not request it. Only when there is a message saying that the images are ?public domain? may they be used freely. When using images from a clip art collection for one?s website, one should not assume the images can be used without restraint but should check the licensing agreement that often comes with the product. It may not state exactly whether using the images on the web is permissible, but it should discuss publishing in general. Often, they will ask to give a line of credit for using one of their images.Text on the WebGuidelines for using another?s text one one?s website are similar to those for using images. Work should not be taken without first being granted permission, and even then appropriate credit should always be given. As stated above, text may be taken for commentary or criticism under the doctrine of fair use. If one?s site offers the option of posting material on it, one should be even more cautious. While the actual poster may be the infringer, the webmaster is responsible for all material on the site and can still be held accountable for it. Placing a notice on the site which requires that the poster pay for any damaging activities conducted is a way that can help stop some people from committing infringement. Such a notice should be placed in a leading spot on the page and should have a ?click to proceed? option to further deter infringement.Source CodeGuidelines for using source code are similar to those of using other?s text and images. Viewing the source code of a website does not violate copyright laws; however, copying and/or modifying this code does. Some sites offer web layouts for others to use, and in this case, they may specify what may be modified and how credit should be given.Connecting to Other WebsitesLinkingOne form of connecting to a website is linking, in which a small piece of text or an image can be clicked on, and the user is brought to another site. Usually, one does not need permission to link to another?s website. It is considered good etiquette, however, to always ask before linking. Certain types of linking can anger some webmasters though. These types include deep linking, which is linking to specific pages of a website and skipping the home page, image links if the image is copyrighted, and links to a small piece of a website, such as an image. In order to avoid conflict, linking agreements can be made. One can put a small note on their site claiming that linking to the page is okay, or a more specific contract can be written up. The webmaster who chooses to link to other sites should also put up a disclaimer stating that they are not responsible for material found on these sites. FramingFraming is another way of connecting to sites that can cause disputes. It involves linking, but instead of being taken to the page, the page is displayed within a frame of the site that linked to it. If this is done without permission of the site owner, it is considered copyright infringement, especially if the page is being modified without consent of the owner. Permission should always be obtained before framing, and the user should be fully aware of the connection between the main site and the site appearing within the frame.

Your chromosomes have things on them called telomeres. Each time they replicate during cell division, the telomeres on the new chromosomes shorten just a little bit. Eventually, after many replications, they are gone. This is when the cell "knows" not to reproduce anymore, and is part of how we age.One cause of cancer is telomeres that don't shorten as they should. As a result, the cells keep replicating and replicating.

Thanks for the tips! I'm interested in keeping a small pet around my college dorm, but I don't want it to be too much trouble. I've never considered keeping hermit crabs around, but now I'm going to look into it

I agree that it's good that fast food places are offering alternative choices, but at the same time, I hate to see borderline junk food disguised as healthy. It's like when the low-fat diet craze started; people thought that just because a food had no fat, it was good for you. Soda fits this, but would anyone consider it good for you?Of course fast food places aren't going to completely revamp their menus, but I feel like their "healthy" options are just for show rather than real health. And these few things could be changed so easily. Something like a fruit and yogurt cup could be made healthful just as easily as it could be made junky. By using low-sugar/low-fat yogurt and including plenty of fruit, the item would be a reasonable indulgence and still taste delicious. This way, these restaurants would have actual decent options instead of items that make you feel like you're being healthy when really you're just eating glorified ice cream or whatever.By making people think that junk food is good for you, I think it's doing more harm than good. People don't learn how to actually eat healthy, and they won't change their eating because they think it is healthy and there's nothing wrong with it. But I suppose advertising junky "health" food could be a step in the right direction if it eventually paves the way for real health food, but there's still a long way to go.