If you're a yogurt consumer like myself, you've probably noticed the aisle flooded with signs for probiotic yogurt, probiotic shots and even probiotic candy bars (hey, it's true!)  While staying away from these items for some time I thought I'd now try to figure out the reality behind these and put the hype to rest.

Apparently, probiotics have been used for centuries as natural components in health-promoting foods and upon transportation to the United States, they have sparked a huge growth in the yogurt industry for their claims of increased immune response as well as sufficient promotion toward digestive health.

We all know that high cholesterol is associated with the possibility of diabetes, but what about a connection between triglyceride levels and obesity? It may seem far fetched, but conducting a simple test of bodily triglyceride levels may give beneficial insight to those of who that are more susceptible for becoming obese.

College students are under quite a bit of pressure these days. Trust me, I know. Working to make enough for tuition, fighting with endless hours of homework and worrying about living expenses on top of the exam you have to study for... it can be quite overwhelming. With all the complaints of stress affecting a student's academic performance, University of Minnesota researchers decided to test the reliability behind them.

Eyes are the interface between the outside world and our brain's perceptions.   Being the instrument of sight, and therefore a lot of our information, we rely on the functions of our eyes quite obsessively, and why wouldn't we?  They make it possible to observe our beautiful world and really appreciate different species and the unique characteristics they hold - like their eyes. 

Evolution of the Eye

The awe of staring into the never-ending black sky is what brings thousands to the hilltops every year; myself included. I have always been interested in astronomy and the vastness of space. Even as a thirteen year old I was wishing upon stars, plotting constellations, and dreaming of venturing to a world beyond...

Knowing how much I loved the sky, my mother set up a trip to the Sierra Nevada's to catch a glimpse of the miraculous night sky. The view was beautiful, just dazzling with stars brighter than I had ever seen. Looking up into a world of pearls nestled in a black canvas, shimmering wildly, and in contrasting colors ... but I wasn't going to settle for just looking at the dots in the sky; I wanted to see the planets up close. To define their unique characteristics and so on, so the few dozen astronomers who had hosted this event set up their telescopes, directly pointing them at various stars and galaxies.

I will never forget the feeling it gave me... an irresistible sense of insignificance when I peered into space, almost a euphoria. Realizing that I was smaller than a speck of dust in the whole scheme of things baffled me, and it changed my perspective toward many things as a result...

It was an exhilarating experience and it included the outstanding pleasure of seeing other worlds as well as S'mores by the campfire when the event was through. Needless to say, when I returned home the following night, I immediately ran outdoors to capture the remarkable sights yet again. Only something had drastically changed; the millions of stars I had seen the night before were reduced to a handful - if that. 

 

A Gecko's ability to climb sheer walls has long caught the attention of scientists and they've been trying for years to duplicate this strange talent. Major universities such as UC Santa Barbara, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Dayton have recently come to grips with materials that mimic a gecko's ability to stick. Some new research in Science on this is referenced below but there have been a few others over the last year also. With this recent research, the structural composition of the zoological magic behind the gecko's sticky feet has nearly been reproduced, and then comes the possibility to make it available for human use. This technology may take humans to new heights, literally ... sound like Spiderman anyone?