Monday, February 28, 2011

Nature vrs Nurture-accidental genius


Some people were born genius in one are but lacks this genius in other functions. This people are called savants and although quite rarely that are very advantageous in one way and disadvantaged in another. Savants occur because while fetus one side of their brain develops easier and faster than the other. This is because of the testosterones which intercept the process of the brain. Having one hemisphere lack functionality causes the opposite hemisphere to explode with ideas and skills. Savants can be also caused by brain damage. The functionality in the left side is more commonly the developed side in savants and tony is an example of a savants but a quite lucky one. George and tony are examples of savants. While George is autistic he can tell you the day of any date in seconds. George is an incredible artist but is obsessed with it and with writing. While they are exceptional in some things they have problems with others. Science has proven that certain abilities can be obtained by stimulating a side of the brain while shutting the other.

Nature vrs Nurture- made genius


Humans have shown to have accomplished extreme and magnificent things, but are all this people gifted? Many examples and evidence have proven us that with education and consistency in early ages geniuses can be made. This suggest that you can mold a child to do anything it is taught. With a right attitude a child can grow up to be a genius in a specific area. They have found males and females brain work differently but it does not point that one is better than the other. Girls see in a more logical way concentrating on detail while boys tend to see things in a more photographic way and have god special awareness. If a skill is constantly practice the brain will adapt to be able to perform those skills a best possible. Susan the daughter of a psychologist decided she could teach anything to his daughter Susan. He taught her all about chess making her a champion and a genius in everything about it. He proves that the brain can be molded nurtured. Humans naturally separate things into chunks to be able to remember them. Normally working memory has a short capacity but if things are constantly repeated they are stored in the hardware of the brain. Surprisingly scientist also found intuition is a learned skill. Intuition is to trust your experience and the brain can learn to do that quickly and accurately. We also learned that every brain has a face processor that record faces and makes matches with previous memory of faces. With this abilities people can use them in ways normally people do not use them for. For example Susan uses her face processor to detect and compare patterns inches boards. All this abilities in the brain can be stimulated and molded to create geniuses.

Nature vrs. Nurture-Born Genius


Is geniuses born with their abilities? It is still not completely proven whether intelligence is natured or nurture. Scientist and physiatrist conclude that musician’s brains work better in some areas than in others. When studying it they observed some areas bigger than common people and this is the areas they use the most to be able to play. A case od a girl who was isolated in a dark room by his father opened an opportunity to scientist form brain study. After being found she had the brain of an 18 month baby having not developed anything a normal 12 year old girl would have had. It is known the brain uses or loses. This means the brain stimulates areas that are used and loses the brain connections of functions that are not stimulated. If these brain connections are lost they can no longer be used. Marx’s in the other hand is an 8 year old boy who could play the piano since 2 years of age. He had not had any practice and without studying a note he could determine his sound. This led to intelligence being born with but he also practiced 8 hours a day reaching perfection. This in the other hands proves it can also be environmental. Genes can give you the advantages and it develops to become genius when it is nurtured.

Nature vrs Nurture-Homosexuality


Debate weather sexuality is nature or nurtured by your environment is a very discussed and controversial topic. Scientist use twins to help them study and prove this controversy. Identical twins have the same genes so their differences can be explained through nurture and environmental affect. Sings of homosexuality can be observed since a very small age. There is a disorder called childhood gender nonconformity were the child acts as their opposite sex. This can be an indication of homosexuality but is not completely necessary. To investigate further scientist study brain, genes and hormones from homosexual people to detect differences in straight people. Experiments on rats determined a theory of gays. This experiment proved male rats can act like female rats if changed hormones that are exposed to birth. His conclusion with this was that homosexuality is not genetic but hormonally. I agree with this theory because it is hormones that enable you to act in certain ways from your sexuality. It has also been proven strangely but true that the more older brothers a man has the more likely that he will become gay. This only works with males and it is because the mother when becoming pregnant her body attacks antibiotics into the “foreign” substance which is her baby and adds hormones to it. This says scientist is only true if the gay is right handed. I believe homosexuality has to do with both environment and a birth. At birth I believe is affected by the hormones but not implanted in the genetic structure. This evolves or even begins mostly by environmental issued and the way it is managed since early age.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Mind of a Murder


Surprising as it may sound criminal minds and normal people minds are not the same. Delinquents have been proved to have some sort of mental illness or hereditary violence. Normal people even not born always like this become violent because they are damaged. It is usually caused by a trauma and force in the skull that damaged the brain. Another cause of this violence can be by being victims or witnesses of abuse and other violence. When surrounded in a tense, violent and unhealthy environment the brain learns what it is surrounded by becoming aggressive. Even shaking or smacking in the brain can led to damage provoking violent human beings. As it has been prove the brain can learn how to behave if a person has not learn to be kind, gentle and a good person he will never be. It has been proved by many studies that the majority of criminals especially serial killers had had a trauma and mental illness caused by a brain damage. So studies conclude brain damage plus trauma or abuse equals an almost certain serial killer. Even though believed that criminal and normal people’s brain are the same studies have proven otherwise. By scanning some brains they have found differences in their images proving their statement. This different behavior and ability to determine what’s right or wrong or the consequences of their actions makes it even more believable that by having damage in the areas that control this can led to criminals. As more and more investigation is done they conclude criminal behavior is caused by and unhealthy undernourished damaged brain. These types of people have had records of hospitalizations and accidents that involve the brain as others have reported seeing or suffering abuse. All this traumas in life weather physically or emotionally led to a change in behavior and personality converting normal people into criminals.

Traumatic Brain Injury


Pressure, strong contact and swelling of the brain can led to brain injury. Specifically traumatic brain injury is caused when force is applied to the skull. The force is transmitted from the skull to the brain leading to deformity, bleeding or swelling of this soft and venerable part of our body. This force damages the neurons that make up the brain reducing its capacity to function. Depending on the area affected functions that are performed by that area are damaged. This causes the person to lose or reduce those functions and disables the full capacity of that area. Being disadvantaged because of our malfunctions in the brain in things we need for our everyday life is extremely hard. Each person depending on their injury need to adapt to certain lifestyle without using functions that they could use before. The damage in the brain can affect the person physically, mentally and emotionally. There are three main types of brain injuries; these include contusion, Axonal injury and bleeding in the brain. Contusion is where there is bruising in the brain caused by the impact of the force applied to the skull. Axonal injury is when the neurons axons twist or break. The third type of brain injury of bleeding is when a blood vessel in the brain is damaged leading to bleeding inside the brain. All this type of injuries can be classified in mild, moderate or severe. The more severe the damage the more time the brain will recover or even permanently stay damaged. It is very difficult to life with this disorders and disadvantages in the function of the brain. Relatives and friends of someone with brain damage needs to be patient with them and understand them.

MRI -the future of mind reading-


MRI is a machine used to see your brain and scan it while thinking. It is similar to an x-ray but it not only shows the bone and hard surfaces of the body but also the soft tissue. This astonishing new technology even allows us to observe the brain while it is at work. Light appears in the areas where most activity is resent at that time, which allows a sort of mind reading. Scientists have made experiments of the capability of an MRI. They would place someone inside the machine where they would tell the person to think of an object and later study where the brain lightens up. After knowing how the brain looks like when thinking of a precise object you can kind of mind read what they’re thinking by the pattern in the brain. It was very interesting and exiting to see the computer figure out the objects by analyzing its activity brain patterns. This excellent technology has helped improved the knowledge and understanding of the brain immensely opening the opportunity to study it in its work. This machine still has room for improvement making it capable in the future to be able to read entire thoughts and intentions instead of just objects. It was also discovered that the MRI can tract if you recognize a place that you had visited before. This will later need more protection and restrictions to who can be allow to use such a powerful weapon as mind reading trough the MRI.