Goodbye,G Bad Memories!

Goodbye, Bad Memories!

Science = Fun

Waffles = Fun

Scientific Waffles = Fun x2 = SUPAH FUN

Guess what? I'm going to erase your memory of that super cheesy intro! :3

GutBai!

That's right folks, neurologist Marijn Kroes is working on ways to erase the details of bad memories, and maybe erase them completely! A form of severe depression treatment called electroconclusive therapy (ECT for short) can lessen depression. But Kroes is testing with it, and saying that if patients try and remember specific details of the memories right before the treatment, the details are fuzzy and/or gone when they are done.

Well, that's all for today, Buh Bai!

Links:

Student News

Viruses: A New Kind of Enemy

Viruses: A New Kind of Enemy
        We have all found ourselves sick with the common cold or the flu, but do we ever actually think about how viruses work? Well, you're in luck, because today is the day you find out!

        The first thing you need to know is that many scientists theorize that viruses are not, in fact, alive like you and me. Some evidence of this is that viruses do not move, they must be moved around by outside forces, like the wind blowing.

        Viruses make us sick by destroying our cells. If a virus lands on a cell, it will invade the cell. It will then inject a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (ribonucleic acid) code into the nucleus of the cell, which will tell the cell to proceed to make more copies of the virus. Pathogenic viruses will kill the cell when they emerge, while other viruses don't. The animation to the left shows a pathogenic virus engaging in this process.
        Viruses kill hundreds of cells in your body alone every day! But you can stop this tragedy; and all you have to do is get a vaccine! The only way to combat a virus is to build up antibodies in your blood to fight off the viruses. Antibodies are produced when your body encounters a virus, but not enough are produced. A vaccine is a way to get extra antibodies before you get a virus, so you will be able to fight it off if it comes! A vaccine inserts a weakened version of the virus into your bloodstream, where your immune system can fight it off without your body getting damaged. Your body will produce a bunch of antibodies to help fight it, even though it doesn't really need them. It also produces memory cells, which keep watch for the virus in case it comes back.

        Antibodies only work for the type of virus they were made for, so a flu virus antibody wouldn't be able to attack a cold virus. Doctors make predictions on what type of flu will be most widespread each year, and give their patients that.

        Now for some of the good stuff.
Good stuff #1: Edward Jenner created the first vaccine LIKE EVER. It was for smallpox, and at the time, he didn't realize how important it would become.
Good stuff #2: Three different types of viruses are tuberculosis, ebola, and influenza (the flu).
Good stuff #3: Viruses can go latent, or dormant, and you can have it for a long time without knowing.