Sunday, October 25, 2009

Why do people crave certain foods?


Q&A: Why do people crave certain foods?

I NEED CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone has those special foods that they love to eat in abundance and those feelings of 'I am going to die if I dont eat it right now' always seem to happen when you are not in the position to get any sought of food. Go figure. But why do we get these sudden urges and why are they always so strong?

According to 'Psychology Today', "Up to 97 percent of Americans get seized by strong and specific urges to indulge."

The causes of cravings have ranged from the effects of hormones in the body to stress to emotional instability. Pregnant women showcase a unique variety of cravings and this has been linked to the hormone fluctuations that are taking place in their body during their pregnancy as well to ensure that the fetus is being properly fed. Stress, lack of sleep and other activities that affect the wellness of the body can also cause cravings for certain foods that are not always good for the body. These may be our comfort foods, which are foods that make us feel full and happy and therefore we crave for them often. Serotonin is the feel-good hormone in the body and many simple sugars and carbohydrates release a small amount of serotonin which will allow us to feel good for a small period of time and then we regress to our former stressed disposition and the cravings will continue.

Simpler things like seeing food in commercials can also trigger cravings. Food cravings usually last 4-12 minutes. A way to break these cravings is to realize that after a few minutes they will no longer be there and giving in to them as you feel them is not always the best decision for your body.

That being said I think allowing your body to have what it wants is sometimes a good thing especially when it wants a slice of pizza.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Why does water expand when it freezes?


A: When most liquids are cooled in a stable environment the same affects takes place on all of them: They shrink. This is not the case for the greatest biological solvent: water. When water is cooled is shrinks until a temperarture of 4 Degrees Celcius is reached then it begins to expand until it reaches the freezing point when it continues to expand more. This strange occurrence has to do with the fact that the structure of the water molecule is very unique.


Water is formed when a hydrogen atom bonds with two oxygen atoms. This bond gets stronger as the temperature decreases. The solid form of water which is ice is completely hydrogen bonded.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

'Stephen Hawking Is Making His Comeback'

This article journeyed through the life and career of Stephen Hawking and it thoroughly showcased the amazing accomplishments that he gained even while suffering from a crippling disease. The different headings within the article captivated me because I saw it as different time periods in Hawkings's own life and that forced me to read on because they were so unique and informative. The type of science that Hawking's focuses on does not really intrigue me but the way the article interfused his illness with his career was impressive.

Lede: The lede did not impress me at all. I found it to be boring and much too long. It would have been better if the author condensed some facts that would have created a better flow into the second paragraph. It was the second paragrapgh and third that got me into the story. I would give this lede 14 out of 20.

Content: This article was crammed with information and what astonished me was that everything seemed relevant to the story. 20 out of 20.

Organization: Like I stated above I love the different headings in the article. It just made it easier to understand when reading and gave it a better structure. 20 out 0f 20.

Quality of Writing: This confused me somewhat because it seemed that the style changed throughout the aricle. At some points in the story I was fully engrossed in what was being stated and then at other points I was drifting off while still reading. 17 out of 20

Clarity of Expression: I understood mostly everthing that was written and this shocked me because I don't consider myself that well informed about science terminology and culture. A few things did perplex me but I was still able to formulate some idea of what was being said. 17 out of 20.