Title: Why Bilinguals Are Smarter? (Science)

URL: http://extensivereadingprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-bilinguals-are-smarter-science.html?utm_source=BP_recent

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

Reading Time: 17minutes

Level of Difficulty: 3

Summary:

Bilinguals have practical benefits in a globalized world. Research shows that in a bilingual’s brain are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating conflicting situations. However, researchers are finding out, it forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles. Studies suggest that the bilingual experience improves executive function. It also influence the brain from infancy to old age and were more resistant to Alzheimer’s disease.

Feedback/Comment:

It is not surprise that people who learned more language are smarter. Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often. In other words, they activate their brains frequently. Bilingualism’s effects also extend into the twilight years. The bilingual experience improves a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and ignoring distractions to stay focused, switching attention quickly from one thing to another and holding information in mind. Just like remembering a sequence of directions while driving. Nowadays, parents send their children to bilingual school to accept a better education environment. However, students living in Taiwan still need to face the pressure to enter high school or university. As a result, the bilingual environment can’t last thoroughly and the effect may be restricted. If we have chances, studying abroad may be a substitutive way to enhance the ability of language. At least, we can reduce the percentage of suffering symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.

Discussion Issues

1.If you can choose two languages as your native language, what would you choose?

Title: On Campus, Opening Up Conversations About Sex (Education)

URL: http://extensivereadingprogram.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-campus-opening-up-conversations.html?utm_source=BP_recent

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/science/college-students-opening-up-conversations-about-sex.html?_r=1&ref=science

Reading Time: 13minutes

Level of Difficulty: 3

Summary:

Sex Week was held at Yale first ,and then quickly spread to other universities. The event had helped dispel rumors and gave people the right information on how they should be pursuing relationships and sexual choices. This year, new groups established for a better form to replace Sex Week by hosting a spa night or other ways.

eedback/Comment:

Speaking of Sex , many people would feel shy at the first time, but sex education is not only important but also necessary for everyone. The most common way of it is to giveaway the condom. Some people may think that reading pornography magazines is not a good way to acknowledge correct information about sex, but we still couldn’t deny it existence. Some opponent claimed that it just gave a reasonable way to talk dirty in public. If we always avoid to talk about it, once facing the situation ,we may be at a lost . At that moment , you can’t deal with the problem properly or even do something ridiculous. That is the most dangerous. Perhaps we can consider the topic in another way. Animals and human are all creatures, so it is inevitable for us to skip the mating season. It is merely a physiological reaction mechanism. Maybe we has been living under a conservative culture for a long time, so we can’t accept these concepts. In my opinion, we should learn how to acclimate it gradually and view it in a healthier perspective, or you will restrict yourself in a small circle.

Discussion Issues

1.    Do you feel shy when talking about sex topic?

2.     When will you give the first lesson about sex to your students if you were a teacher?

Title: Seeing Crime Before It Happens(Technology)

URL: http://discovermagazine.com/2011/dec/02-big-idea-seeing-crime-before-it-happens

http://extensivereadingprogram.blogspot.com/2012/04/seeing-crime-before-it-happens.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Reading Time: 13minutes

Level of Difficulty: 3

Summary:

DHS was trying to develop a sensor called FAST to predict crimes through the subtlest of physical changes. In theory, FAST has the potential to detect terrorists in the final minutes before they act, but it denies that people have the capacity to control their own actions and to change their behavior in new environment. Although this technology has many problems , it is still worth pursuing.

Feedback/Comment:

Sensors judge a person who has criminal motivation only by measuring heart rate , breathing and some physical reactions. That sounds so skin-deep. Some people claim that people were friendly since they were born. However,others don’t think so. Anyway, only one thing is sure. That is ;environments have great impact on people and we can learn some fundamental concept of ethic through education. People who  disobey the law will be sent to the prison, but they are still miniority. It suggests that the majority of people can control their own actions. The system violates a basic tenet of personhood: free will. Thinking about one thing and actually doing are quite different. We can’t limit human’s freethinking. Even though this technology has many problems , it still has some deterrence. Just as you see a sign saying,“Video Surveillance Is in Operation”Whether the location set the surveillance camera or not,it still has a reductive effect. As a result , they are still worth pursuing.We shouldn’t deny their existence too early.

Discussion Issues

1. If this technology sensor is set in public, will it have positive effect?

Title: Misery index (Health)

URL: http://extensivereadingprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-build-dog-science.html?utm_source=BP_recent

http://www.economist.com/node/21552539

Reading Time: 12minutes

Level of Difficulty: 3

Summary:

Biologists are starting to understand why low social status is bad for your health. To investigate this phenomenon relates to social hierarchies, scientists were searching for correlations between social rank and gene activity.Finally, they found that glucocorticoids, which regulate immune-system activity and response to stress played an important rule. However, the destiny wasn’t such absolute.They can be wiped away and changes in gene expression appropriate to the new status quickly followed. Those who do break free from their lowly station, then, may begin to reap the health benefits immediately.

Feedback/Comment:

The result is based on the research about macaques. After reading the article ,you would know that glucocorticoids and genes can control immune-system activity and response to stress. In particular, low-status individuals showed high levels of activity in genes associated with inflammation .It was the sign of sickness.As a result, it seems reasonable because most of the celebrity can face the challenge and make a good deal with friends. Moreover,they always put much attention on health and diet. Even though ,you were very intelligent and had a high status,you still needed to live longer.Otherwise,you may die first before your dream was realized. As with any animal study, this one cannot simply be mapped straight onto humans. But it does provide pointers that researchers who work on people can use. In particular, the experiment ensured that social rank was the only factor being changed, providing strong evidence that the chain of causality runs from low social status, through a disrupted immune system to worse health.In my opnion , whether your genes and immune system is bad or not, promotion and determination are still the most important factors.

 Discussion Issues

1. We observed monkeys and get the conclusion. Is it result suitable to human?

Title: Who Are We Really? (Science)

URL: http://extensivereadingprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-build-dog-science.html?utm_source=BP_recent

http://the-scientist.com/2012/03/01/who-are-we-really/

Reading Time: 14minutes

Level of Difficulty: 3

Summary:

We have learned that the behavior and disease are controlled by gene. In fact ,living in and on the human body is an ecosystem of microorganisms. Because the consequences of even ostensibly benign genetic manipulations cannot be predicted with certainty.Research is currently investigating the potential role of microbes and the relation between disease and ecosystem of microorganisms.

Feedback/Comment:

Because the consequences of even ostensibly benign genetic manipulations cannot be predicted with certainty,we started to think about the changes to the human microbiome , especially to the microbiomes of infants and children, and whether such changes could offspring inherit.The effect of antibiotic is often judged by how permanent it will persist.However,it just presented that microbiomes  return to a fairly stable state. Babies  were  immediately colonized by microbes since they were given birth by female.In the case of cesarean section, different characteristic hosts a significantly different bacterial community. Hence, it is possible to exposure or lack of exposure to certain microbial communities may have important implications for health and illness later in life since it born. More important in the context is the possibility that if the adult microbiome is indeed relatively stable, then such early childhood manipulations of the microbiome may be used to engineer permanent changes that will be with the child throughout life. Although many of opinions were hypothetical, I believed that time will reveal these problems as research progressed rapidly.

Discussion Issues

1. Can human really control gene or microbiomes in the future?

Title:How to Build a Dog (Science)

URL: http://extensivereadingprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-build-dog-science.html?utm_source=BP_recent

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/build-a-dog/ratliff-text

Reading Time: 17minutes

Level of Difficulty: 3

Summary:

Canines were the earliest domesticated animal, most likely when gray wolves began scavenging around human settlements. People tended to grab traits which they desired from across multiple breeds or tried to rapidly replicate mutations in the same one in order to get the dog they wanted. The spectacular variety of dog shapes and sizes are only governed by just one or a few genes. After a long period of research,scientists have found the secret recipe behind the spectacular variety of dog shapes and diseases. Certain types of disease show up much more frequently in dogs than in human. As a result, it could help unravel the complexity of human genetic disease.

Feedback/Comment:

After reading this article, we can roughly know the evolution history of dog.Nowadays, it is not difficult to see many different type of lovable pet kept by human. People tended to grab traits which they desired from across multiple breeds or tried to rapidly replicate mutations in the same one in order to get the most beautiful dog. Do human have the right to decide the evolution direction of dogs? In my opnion , no one has the right to deprive lives of creatures or decide the evolution direction. Artificial selection strongly against the natural law .It's kind of like when aliens try to do some experiment on you. No one would like to be the Guinea Pig. In another aspect, we got much precious data and the knowledge about gene heredity. Not only did they help us how to prevent recessive allele disease present , but also improve the technic of animal breeding. And we can avoid rare animal species from extinction. Even though we could get both advantage and disadvantage at the same time, we still need think about the ethic issue. For example, protocol about human cloning mutation and genetically modified organism are all controversial. Because we can’t find out the impact on them temporary, we should not be too selfish to sacrifice animals. There is no perfect thing in the world. Once we chose to do one thing,we must pay for it. Hence,how to strike a balance between them is very important for us .

Discussion Issues

1. What is your idea about doing experiment on animals? Do you think human is selfish?