The teenage brain explained or the reason why young skulls are full of mush.
For most people, the teenage years of life are a time of anxiety and pimples. It’s not that much fun.
But what exactly is going on in our brains that makes us act like jerks, and often throw logic and common sense out the window?
Internet nerd Hank Green of Sci Show explains all the ins and outs of the rapidly changing teenage brain.
Dr. Nicole Avena explains how sugar affects the brain.
Enjoy!
When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine — an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.
The Loathsome, Lethal Mosquito from Ted Ed
Everyone hates mosquitos. Besides the annoying buzzing and biting, mosquito-borne diseases like malaria kill over a million people each year (plus horses, dogs and cats). And over the past 100 million years, they’ve gotten good at their job — sucking up to three times their weight in blood, totally undetected. So shouldn’t we just get rid of them? Rose Eveleth shares why scientists aren’t sure
Can being cold make you sick?
“You’ll catch your death of cold!” Grandma says when you show up with just a sweater on in the winter. So you once again explain to her that you aren’t allowed to wear a coat in class because of security rules and there’s no place to put one where it won’t be stolen. But does cold weather make you sick? No. And yes. AsapSCIENCE explains the nuts and bolts of winter weather and colds and flu.
Put another way, cold weather makes me sick. Sick at heart when I have to venture out to start the car early. And sick to my stomach when I think of the heating bills. And I think it might affect my arthritis a bit, too.
Your science lesson for the day courtesy of Minute Earth.
Enjoy!
Herein we explain that birds do not hibernate in lakes, do not migrate to the moon, but DO go on very unique journeys, which we humans have learned about in a variety of ingenious manners.