Research Project (TdR)

More or less nine months later we will have to hand over our research project. This is a project that is made in Catalonia by batxillerat students. We have to hand over it in the middle of the next course so for this reason we start it this year while we are still doing first of batxillerat. This project is important to us because the mark will average with batxillerat and university entrance exam marks. 

We started the most difficult task in march when we had to choose our project theme. It’s very important choose one that you really like and with you could make a good work, too. First they give us some suggestions and if we don’t like any of them we can try to propose our own theme. Personally I think it is better to try to find your own theme because that means that it really interests you. 

I have said that it is the most difficult task because at first I didn’t know what can I do and I didn’t know what subject would choose. At the prime moment, I thought to do something related to biology but all that interested me weren’t possible because of the material or because of the complexity. I can say that until the last moment I didn’t have a project, yet. In the end appears to me one theme that it really enthusiasm me. 

When everybody have their theme we are allocated one teacher who will supervise us our work and who will help us.  And then we are ready to star our project. 

Well, this is how it works but I would like to explain what my project is about and what I’m going to do. 

I have said that at first I didn’t know what to do but I end up with a very interesting theme. My first project was about the improvement of the human, but then we find something more amazing: the neuroethics and more accurate the “neuroenhancement”. We know about a European project called Nerri (Neuro-Enhancement: Responsible Research and Innovation) where the Pompeu Fabra University is involved, too. And, what is more, there are two companies in Barcelona which works in the production and development of new products and services related with neuroenhancement. (This is one of the companies).

Nodaway, thanks to the refinement and improvement of new technologies, we are doing great discoveries in the way that our brains work. The brain is the main controller of our body, instincts and feelings. And thank our brains the human race have a conscience. It has allowed us to create communities, cultures and be the dominant species on the planet. But at the same time the brain is the biggest mystery from our body.

In the brain, we have all kind of mental processing and understand them could be essential to see why we are what we are, why we do something or why we act in one way. And in the last years we have discovered amazing things. 

But this isn’t all for what new technologists can use in this field. The knowing of some of the essential functioning of the brain and the knowing of where are some specializations are located give us the opportunity to change them and modify what we consider as an inconvenient. Let’s take an example related with the memory: there is a pill that doesn’t let brain save traumatic memories. It has been used in the USA army for the military in some wars where they had to kill people. When you take this pill you are not as conscience as you could be and your “mechanism” to detect when kill somebody are affected, too. So you can kill somebody who is innocent. 

There thousands of psychoactive which works in different ways. I can say it’s a multidisciplinary field because it not only affects the world of science or philosophy. In it there are involved all kind of aspects related with the future of our society and the humanity. Neuroenhancement are not only involved in “scientific” themes, they also affect all of us because they can change our sight of what is the man, where are they limits if there is any, or if not more, they will be very present in our next future. 

I have already started my project but I really like it and I‘m finding it very interesting. 

Z Generation

Not long ago I read in the newspaper about “Z generation”. This is the name got to the generation who has born between 1994 and 2010 by the experts in marketing and sociologist. So it means that I am a member of Z generation and because that I would like to comment how they say that we are. 

The principal cause to do this study about my generation it quite easy: we are the coming potential consumers (it’s says that in 2025 we are going to represent the 75% of the workforce in the world) and it is important to the marketing companies to know what we like, what we want and how we want it.

Without taking this into account, the experts trace how is supposed we are, what we want and how we see the global future. 

The principal difference between Z generation and our predecessors (the millennials) is the indifference created by the selfishness, narcissism and the obsession for the consumption in the last generation. The experts say we are a generation who want save the world. 

We are a generation who has been educated between crisis and unemployment and with the threat of terrorism. We grow up watching how our predecessors have wasted their time, accumulating degrees and masters to disdain job interviews because of their over qualification.  

Now, we want to change this. Some investigators compare us with Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of The Hunger Games who reveals against the power. We have been molding by the technologist but more by the recession and austerity politics. We say no to the traditional policy and the study show how only a 10% trust in her government. A part of our learning is made out of the classes (in part thanks to new technologist) and it creates a personalization education, and our free time is invested in professional vocations (like photography, blogs…).

This new generation has a more social conscience and a critical spirit has grown in it. We are more altruists and consents about global issues like inequality or global warming. We try to find jobs with sense that could help us to change the world and our new idols are symbols of transparency and justice (like Edward Snowden). 

 All this characteristics about this new generation that is growing now are encouraging and they allow us to considered a big improvement in the future. Maybe what I like more is that I am a member of Z generation and all this things include me. Experts see us as a new force to change the world, a force more independent, conscience about global issues and with intention to improve it and out of what is considered the individualism and the necessity of consumption. They see in us a generation that doesn’t consider a good place the world that has been left us to live.  

All this is good and truly is a very big change of mentality, but I don’t watch it as real as it is shows. I think that in every generation there is a change in the view of how they see the world and it is linked with the time they have been educated and the principles that there was. But I think these last generations are the opposite of what the experts say. We are not more consents about the others, the opposite, we are more individualists and selfish and precisely what we need is more “collective consciousness”. New technologists, for example, have enlarged inequality and social problems, and the only thing that has changed is that now we know more about these real problems, but they continued increasing. 

Another thing I don’t agree with is that we have created a new critical spirit or we fight for the privacy. I think we don’t promote it. We adapt to what they say without question why we do the things, and this is the major problem: the carelessness and the lack of subjectivity. And in the other side, with the social networks we are fighting against our privacy and not for her. 

After all, I don’t want to sound pessimist about the future. I think it is impossible that everybody in a generation could think alike and could have a mentality to change the world, but I know, and it is proven by history, that we only need a minority to change things. Because are the minorities who change the world and not the “new generations”.

News

'3D Cryosat' tracks Arctic winter sea ice

Europe's Cryosat spacecraft monitors the thickness of the ice in the far north of the Earth. In 2013 we saw the thinnes winter ice ever. This year, in February, we could see an ice layer 25cm thiker. But anyway the trend is go down. 

One researcher from the UK's Nerc Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling says we have seen high levels of Arctic sea ice and thickness volume in the last years. But it isn't a good reference. What people should watch is the sea ice volume because it proof how much ice is left. What we need to understand is the process that have caused the change of the climate in the Artic and it also can help us to know more accurate what may happen in the future.

This year the maximun extent of sea ice was on 25th February and it was the smallest winter maximum in the satellite record. But satellite Cryosat measuring another aspect: the height of the ice near the ocean water. Then experts combining the thinkness and the extent they can calculate the changes in the sea-ice. 

This February Cryosat saw a volume across the Artic of nearly 24.000 km3. In 2013 it was about 21.000 km3. 

Nowaday, Cryosat team is able to turn out the information much faster that five years ago when the project started. And as well as this is the fith anniversary of the satellite, the team is developing a new sistem that works near real-time to improve the work of science and maritime activities.

For example: to move inside the thik sea-ice we need icebreaker ships with strengthened. With Cryosat, now we are able to provide users of the Artic with information of the ice to move quikly and avoid accidents. 

Whereas before Cryosat was only a scientific tool to study the changing environment of the Artic, now it is acting more like satellites tha Europe is providing day to day operational data. 

The European Space Agency's mission manager on Cryosat consideres that this kind of knowledges are becoming a priority for a number of operational and services. For example shipping compaines ask for especific information to operate and sail safely. In this way, a mission like Cryosat has all the characteristics to answer this requirements.

This is a web portal where any user can get information two days after Cryosat had made the observations. It is a series of samplings across the region that can give a clearer idea of the conditions you can find in any part of the Artic. 

Once more we see how science can help any difficulty we have and also helps us to improve all what we do. This time we profit a satellite that scientifics had to study the enviromental changes in Artic to improve the sailing and make it more safe. Obviously all this technologies have a lot of uses and they can help us to make what we do. But certainly we are using a technologie that was create to try to slow the melting as a tool to increase this melting. All the traffic by ship in the Artic cause melting and pollute the Earth, so we are moving to solve the first objective. 

Anyway, this is what science have, evry new discovery or invention have a huge of different uses. Some will be good and others will be bad buet one time that they are think it's impossible to spot any af them. 

Tragedy in Barcelona

Soon This Morning, in the high school in Barcelona, you have an unbelievable success taken place Where one student has Entered In His class and attacks His classmates and one teacher have been killed. This boy is only 13 years old and Because of That I can not be punish by the law and his parents will be Who Will Have to Take Responsibility for his.

Obviously this is a strange case That We had never seen before in our country. Maybe We had listened acerca Similar cases in USA, for example, Where Have arms and everybody can It could be "more predictable". But we never thought That Could have something like Could take place near us. And Now, When we see the Things That Can Happen and Affect us is When We start to think where can be the mistake or what can we do to Improve the situation and avoid future cases like you.

This case, like all extreme cases, show possible legal holes in our society and make us to think over problems or social acerca think if our public centers are safe enough for our children. For example, one boy Who has killed His teacher and Who has Attacked His classmates in high school With Different His arms can not be punishing Because I is only 13 years old. This May be a legal problem, but Also we can see social problems if we think That the cause of the crime is the ambient social Where I lived. If we think about the fact That the boy Entered in the high school with arms That thing we can all is a security problem.

In My Opinion That Say That I think the problem is in the security or in the law is a mistake. We can not install metal detectors in the entries of the schools or force student to wear bulletproof vests. Also We Can not Say That The Problem Is That this boy can not go to prison. I think all those are side problems and the real one is: that's What Makes a child of 13 years old have the thought of killing innocent people and, what is more, I do it? Because the future if society starts thinking esta That kind of thing in age, what would be the next? Where will we living in a future?

So we shouldn't try to change our legislation or our security in schools, we should try to change the new mentality With the new generations are growing up With. A mentality based in any moral value beyond the equipment benefit and the personal benefits. One of the things I think We have lost and for the humanity has Fought During last centuries is the "Collective Consciousness". Now our new society is ruling by try To obtain the maximum benefit materials without conscience acerca take who we get it. And this is damaging our society and our community dividing it more and more problems Instead Causing solutions.

(I let you the new aboutthe cas

e here).

News

How sitting down all day is literally killing you

Around 12,000 years ago our ancestors decided to abandon their nomadic ways and settle down in communities, They satrt to domesticate animals and grow crops, and they noticed it was much bettrer than spend all day searching for food.  Because imagine spending 12 hours a day looking for food while any predator can attack you.

So when our ancestors began to establish  sedentary communities, they found aour civilization. Over time humns became better in their new way of life and thakns that we could develop cience, art, literature and cultural characteristics. We also started to have hobbies. 

One thing that we all have adopted is a love to sit all day. Indeed we spend half of our lives sitting. We sit in our work, in our car o public transport, when we come home we eat and watch our TV programes sitting. Then we go to sleep and get up inthe morning repeating the same cycle. 

But it is that stay sitting is also a way of relax and if it makes you happy, do it. But there are tow problems: number one, sitting all day goes against human biology ans evolution; and number tow, sitting all day is killing you. 

Humans are the only spece in the planet that could devolp to the capacity to walk on two legs. It also allow us used our hands using toold and it has speed up our evolution. No other animal have the same capacity and we have e better quality of life. But we have regressed in how much time we spend sitting down that it make us have less health.

Researchers has shown that even if you exercise, sitting dow all day can increase your risk of dying from diseases or helth conditions. 

One study, wich monitored 92.000 women during 12 years, showed they had 12% increase of dying from any health condition, 27% from a heart diseases and 21% from cancer if they sat for 11 hours or more a day. 

All this has an impact in our metabolism which remains static and it has all kind of negative concequences on the body. 

Well, there is a simple solution to this: standing. 

Standing up helps you live longer and healthier. Stand up at work, or stand up often as posible during the day and stretch out, go on walks or give up your seat on the bus to someone who really needs it. it could save your life.

We have two legs for a reason and we should use them for what they serve.

This is just and advice to improve our lifes and to realize the kind of life we have and to think if it is the best and the the healthiest. It is true that we speend a lot of houers sitting but I think that they are necessary. We can't speend standing the whole day but sure we can make improvements and go for a walk instead to stay home watchin TV. Or if we have free time we can spend it doing some exercice or meeting by friend outsite instead to stay home doing nothing. Sometimes little changes can improve our life a lot and can make feel us much better, less stressed and stay healthier.  

News

Will we ever… speak faster than light speed?

The light speed is about 300.000.000 m/s and it means that the light can make the transatlantic journey between London and New York more than 50 times in a second. With speed like that the questions is: why there is any interest in find a faster than light comunication? Well, maybe in the Earth we could have enouth with 300.000.000 m/s but in the deep-space the messages travelling at the speed of light are too slow yet. 

All that means that it is impossible send messages faster than the light speed without braking the laws of physics. But presently there are some workaround wich hold the promise of Superluminal communication. 

So far, it is not long ago really interests us to develop superluminal messages because it was not necessary for us. We do not have problems if we want to send messages to the Mood (it takes them 1,3 seconds) or if we call someone on the other side of the world. But if we travell further, for example to Mars, we start to have some problems. In Mars messages take 12,5 minutes to arrive at light speed. And the farther you go more problems with communication. For example, to comunicate with Alpha Centauri, our closest star-system, it wouls take more tha four years for each message to be delivered. 

Accordins to Einstein's theory of relativity nothing can go superluminal because the speed of light is a universal constant. If we could discover a way to around this limitation we would be violating the laws and we should make a rethinking of basic physics. 

Today, almost all comunications in space are conduncted using radio waves which travel at the speed of light. We are also developing the optical laser communication. We may not be able to increase the speed of transmission but we can increase the volume of information to transmitte in a second by increasing the bandwidth of the spectrum. 

Perhaps in a future we might find a way to make the speed of the messages seem quicker without interfere in the relative theory. Now we know that this theory allows for things like wormholes that can be explain as warps in spacetime. Other routes have been considered, for example the quantum entanglement, a property which means two particles can share properties regardless of the distance between them. So it means if you change one of them you also change the other and get instantaneous communication. 

If superluminals communication were possible it would have implications for space missions. Sometimes we must wait several minutes to realize that have been a problem in one of our satellites and the comunication is not simple. So nowadays superluminal communication is not possible and it exceeds the limits of scientific possibilitys. 

I have found this new very interesting. Since few years ago we are trying to develop a way to send messages and receive messages as fast as can possible. At moment we always we have encountered with the time barrier and the Einstein's theory od relativity. Without it all our physics laws will not have any sense. And the question there can be: and why try to find somthing that destroy all what we know?

Well the true is that it is the way that the science works. Based on create new theories that including all the thing that we know and when we find somthing new that is not agree whith what we know we must refute the theory and find a new one. 

Sometimes our intentions are who try to destroy a theroy to find a new one which can help us to get what we want. In this case our necessity to find out new ways of live or new places to live are what push us to discover a communication faster that the light speed. 

Anyway we also have found things in the space, like the wormholes, that the Einstein's theoty doesn't works in it. But the problem is that we aren't able to know how wormholes works or what they are. 

The idea of a ney way of comunication, find other worlds to live, new ways of life or simply the idea of the time is not new for us. The films are who have been showing us and who have been inventing and proposing futurist theories. Films are who have been showing us the problems and the paradoxes with which scientists face today (always with a little of fictions because they are just movies). For example, the last I have seen: Interstellar. In there you can find the idea of new dimensions beyond the our idea of the sapce and time (I have to say that it is an amazing film!).

The thing is that our idea of the world and our way to undesrtand it is only our. I mean that the way we know the world and how the thing work are only human ideas that have been invented by humans. All of them can work for us and for what we know until now but, why they must be tha same in the rest of the space? Why they must be true? The porblem is set out like many others. We will be able to find the solution? 

Tanzania

This second term Andrea and I have make an oral presentation about Tanzania. This country is in the est of Africa. We should talk about one conty where the offical lenguage was the English and we had to explais how are the culture, the people or what can you visit in there. 

The tru is that at the beginig of the project I knew practically nothing about this country and at the end I really like to go to Tanzania. I have discover this country and I love the places and landscapes that it has. In Tanzania there are a lot of natural reserves where you can see all kind of different wild animals. Another thing I love of this country is that Tanzania has all kind of natural landscapes: you can find, forest, jungles, savannah, volcanos, beaches and and even snowy mountains in the middle of africa.So I think Tanzania is a really a nice place to go and from this point on it forms part of my list of countries to visit!

There is the video of our oral presentation. Hope you like it!