Earthquake activity at UAE.

Abu Dhabi - Earthquake activity in the UAE is typically minor. In January, residents were awakened by tremors from a 7.1-magnitude quake with an epicentre in Pakistan. The last seismic activity recorded in the UAE was a minor 2.6-magnitude earthquake in Fujairah in March. More news on it will be updated regularly... 




Edited by Ganeskumaran & the groups.

The human brain.

Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. Albert Einstein.

The brain makes up 2% of a persons weight. Despite this even at rest, the brain consumes 20% of the body's energy. The brain consumes energy at 10 times the rate of the of the body per gram tissue. The average power consumption of a typical adult is 100 watts and the brain consumes 20% of this making power of the brain 20 W. 
  Glucose is the main energy source for the brain. As the size and complexity of the brain increases, energy requirements increase. The human brain is one of the most energy hungry organs in the body thereby increase its vulnerability. If the energy supply is cut off just for 10 minutes, there will be serious injury to our brain that will lead to permanent brain damage. There is no other organ nearly as sensitive to changes in its energy supply. In 1955, Albert Einstein's brain was preserved for research. Three scientific papers have been published examining the features of Einstein's brain. The studies showed that Einstein's brain is differed to normal men's brain in that his brain has more glial cells per neuron that might indicate that neurons in Einstein's brain had an increased " metabolic need". They needed and used more energy. Einstein's brain weighted only 1,230 grams, which is less than  the average adult male brain (about 1,400 grams). The thickness of Einstein's cerebral cortex was thinner. However, the density of neurons in Einstein's brain was greater. This means Einstein's was able to pack more neurons in a given area of cortex. The most recent studies concerning Einstein's brain was published in the British medical journal, The Lancet on June 19,1999. They found that a portion of the brain that governs mathematical abilities and spatial reasoning - 2 key ingredients to the sort of thinking Einstein did the best, was 15% wider than average allowing better connection between its cells, which could have allowed them to work together more efficiently.  

Interesting information about the brain : 


What are studies of the brain called?


The study of the brain and its functions is known as neuroscience.

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour.

Neurophysiology is the study of normal healthy brain activity.

Neurology and psychiatry are both medical approaches to the study of the mind and its disorders and pathology or mental illness respectively.

How many main parts to the brain are there?

The human brain can be divided into three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain:

1/ The forebrain includes the several lobes of the cerebral cortex that control higher functions.

2/ Midbrain functions include routing, selecting, mapping, and cataloguing information, including information perceived from the environment and information that is remembered and processed throughout the cerebral cortex.

3/ Hindbrain - (rhombencephalon) is a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system in vertebrates. A rare disease of the rhombencephalon, "rhombencephalosynapsis" is characterised by a missing vermis resulting in a fused cerebellum. Patients generally present with cerebellar ataxia.

Do men have a larger brain than women?

Male humans have about a 10% larger brain than females. A study of 46 adults aged 22-49 years found an average brain volume of 1273.6cc for men, ranging from 1052.9 to 1498.5cc, and 1131.1cc for women, ranging from 974.9 to 1398.1cc. However differences in male and female brain weight and size do not mean differences in mental ability. There is evidence of a gradual increase in average brain size over the last centuries, estimated to have been around 0.5% per decade.

Is a computer smarter than a human brain?

The brain has a processing capacity of 0.1 quadrillion instructions per second. The fastest super computer in the world, called Roadrunner is capable of handling 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. However the computational power of the human brain is difficult to ascertain, as the human brain is not easily parallelled to the binary number processing of computers. For while the human brain is calculating a math problem, it is subconsciously processing data from millions of nerve cells that handle the visual input of the paper and surrounding area, the aural input from both ears, and the sensory input of millions of cells throughout the body. The brain is also regulating the heartbeat, monitoring oxygen levels, hunger and thirst requirements, breathing patterns and hundreds of other essential factors throughout the body. It is simultaneously comparing data from the eyes and the sensory cells in the arms and hands to keep track of the position of the pen and paper as the calculation is being performed.

Does alcohol kill brain cells every time you drink?

The idea that alcohol kills brain cells has long been promoted. Drinking alcohol does not actually "kill" brain cells. Roberta Pentney, professor of anatomy and cell biology at the University at Buffalo, concludes that alcohol does not kill brain cells but it damages the dendrites, the branched ends of nerve cells that bring messages into the brain cell causing damage to the way the cells in the brain communicate. Luckily the damage is largely reversible and not permanent. However years of alcohol abuse can cause serious neurological damage, including Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

How and why do we dream?

Dreams have fascinated nearly everyone for thousands of years. There are two different schools of thought as to why we dream: the physiological school, and the psychological school. While many theories have been proposed, not single consensus has emerged as to why we dream. Some researchers suggest that dreams serve no real purpose, while other believe that dreaming is essential to mental, emotional and physical well-being. One theory for dreaming suggests dreams serve to clean up clutter from the mind.

Are humans born with all their brain cells?

Babies are born with around a 100 billion brain cells, but only a small number of neurons are actually connected. By three years of age a child brain has formed about 1,000 trillion connections, about twice as many as adults have. At around 11 years, the brain begins to prune unused connections. Connections that are used repeatedly in the early years become permanent; those that are not are eliminated. Hence the saying, "use it or lose it."

More interesting facts about the brain.

1. The diameter of an individual brain neuron is just 4 microns thick, you could fit 30,000 neurons on the head of a pin.
2. Your brain generates nearly 25 watts of power while you're awake, which is enough to light up a light bulb.
3. Alcohol interferes with brain processes by weakening connections between neurons.
4. Every time you have a new thought, or recall a memory, a new brain connection is made between two or more brain cells.
5. A living brain is so soft you could cut it with a table knife.
6. Loss of oxygen for just 5 to 10 minutes can cause serious brain damage. The brain can stay alive for 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen. After that cells begin die.
7. The average adults brain weighs 3 - 4 lbs. but consumes 20% of the body oxygen supply.
8. The human brain contains around 400 miles of blood vessels.
9. There is no sense of pain within the brain itself which explains why brain surgeons can probe areas of the brain even when the patient is awake.
10. The left side of your brain (left hemisphere) controls the right side of your body; and, the right side of your brain (right hemisphere) controls the left side of your body.
11. Your cerebral cortex is about as thick as a doctors tongue depressor and it grows thicker as you learn more.
12. You will lose consciousness in 10 seconds after the loss of blood supply to the brain.
13. Of all creatures on earth humans have the most complex brain.
14. Differences in brain weight and size do not equal differences in mental ability.
15. If stretched out the cerebral cortex would be 0.23 sq. m or 2.5sq.ft.
16. Average surface area of the cerebral cortex is 2,500 cm2 or 2.69 sq.ft.
17. There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, the same number of stars in our galaxy.

                                
                                Use it .


Edited by Ganeskumaran.

 

Smallest countries in the world.

5 smallest countries in the world

1) Vatican City

Size: 0.17 sq. mi. (0.44 km²)

Population: 783 (2005 census)
Location: Rome, Italy

The world's smallest state, the Vatican has a population of 770, none of whom are permanent residents. The tiny country which surrounds St. Peter's Basilica is the spiritual center for the world's Roman Catholics (over 1 billion strong). Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, Italy.

2) Monaco

Size: 0.8 sq. mi. (1.96 km²)

Population: 35,657 (2006 estimate)

Location: French Riviera on the Mediterranean

The tiny state of Monaco lies along the French Riviera on the French Mediterranean coast near Nice. An impressive 32,000 people live in this state known for its Monte Carlo casinos and Princess Grace. It has been independent off-and-on since the 13th century.

3) Nauru

Size: 8 sq. mi (21 km²)

Population: 13,005 (2005 estimate)
Location: Western Pacific Ocean

Nauru is the world’s smallest island nation, the smallest independent republic, and the only republic in the world without an official capital. Nauru only has one significant source of income: phosphates from thousands of years’ worth of guano or bird droppings. This proved to be both a boon and a bane for Nauruans – for a long time, its residents enjoyed a relatively high level of income as the country exported its phosphate like there’s no tomorrow.

4) Tuvalu

Size: 9 sq. mi. (26 km²)

Population: 10,441 (2005 estimate)
Location: South Pacific

Tuvalu is basically a chain of low-lying coral islands, with its highest elevation being 16 feet or 5 meters above sea level. With total land area of just 9 square miles, Tuvalu is not only a teeny tiny island in the Pacific Ocean, it may not even exist in the next 50 years if sea level continue to rise (a controversial claim, nonetheless there were evacuation plans to New Zealand and other Pacific Islands). Even if the sea level does not rise, other problems such as population growth and coastal erosion still make Tuvalu a very vulnerable country.

5) San Marino

Size: 24 sq. mi. (61 km²)

Population: 28,117 (2005 estimate)
Location: North-central Italy near the Adriatic coast

24 square miles - Located on Mt. Titano in north central Italy, San Marino has 29,000 residents. The country claims to be the oldest state in Europe, having been founded in the fourth century. With the formal name of The Most Serene Republic of San Marino, it’s not surprising that San Marino has got lots of charms. Founded in AD 301 by a Christian stonecutter named Marino or Marinus, who along with a small group of Christians was seeking escape from religious persecution, San Marino is the world’s oldest republic.

Edited by : Sereena a/p Sangkar Bahadur

LOVE and LUST. Do you know the difference?

"Lust is what keeps you wanting to do it even when you have no desire to be with each other. Love is what makes you want to be with each other even when you have no desire to do it".  

  Love and lust are are inextricably intertwined. Lust is ground zero for hormones, its the natural way of bringing the opposite sexes together to mate. In fact, without lust its doubtful that love between a man and women would have a chance to develop at all. The diving force of the sexual imperative bridges the gap between the almost incompatible brain styles of the two sexes. So lust can be seen as one end of a broad continuum, which may or may not culminate in romantic affair and love. Lust is an altered state of consciousness programmed by the primal urge to procreate. Studies in this stage suggests that the brain in the phase is much like a brain on drug. Also in the early stage of relationship, when the sex hormones are ragging, lust is fuelled by idealisation and projection as you see what you hope someone will be or need them to be rather than seeing the real person. 
  
  Love is the most ennobling of human emotions, transcendental, exalted and capable of engendering emotional states that can make the male of the species want " TO BE THE BETTER MAN". Men fight wars over lust, but they make homes and families for love. Love creates the true bond between the sexes and gives us the reason and meaning to live the life. The real danger is that both lust and love can rob a man of his natural strength and defences, then its all too easy to hand the male power to a women for sex-ploitation. 

 Lust is especially dangerous because it causes a person to be think of their self and throw all reasons and logic to the wind. When a person in lust they wont care if they and their partner have anything in common. They only get interested in where he or she comes from or where he/she is going and how good is the physical attraction. The brain will only focused on using the key to unlock the door to the secret cave, if a person only in lust, he/she will use this against their partner. BUT if they're both falling in love the sexuality, emotional needs, understandings, caring, respects, values and appreciation is a bond the love.

SIGNS OF LUST

• You're totally focused on a person's looks and body.
• You're interested in having sex, but not in having conversation.
• You're rather keep the relationship on a fantasy level, not discuss the real feeling.
• You want to leave soon after sex rather than cuddling or breakfast the next morning.

SIGNS OF LOVE

• You want to spend quality time together other than sex.
• You get lost in conversation and forget about the hours passing.
• You want to honestly listen to each others feeling and make each other happy.
• HE OR SHE WILL MOTIVATES YOU TO BE A BETTER PERSON.
• You want to get to meet his or her family and friends.

So are you in love or lust ? Ask yourself.

Edited by Ganeskumaran.

Online education vs Traditional education.

  Knowledge is the most essential in every human’s single human’s life. Is it the online learning system or the traditional way of learning at the classroom, which one is more effective?

  Through online education system we can learn at the anytime we want or wish. Online learning system also is so flexible whereby we can learn what we wanted to learn. Online education system gives the student a comfortable learning environment, and without the distraction of the other students. Online learning also can teach self discipline and can bring the common classroom learning to the next level of education system.

  Compared to the online learning the traditional classroom education is one of the oldest method that have been used in education. I belief since small most of us got the exposure of the traditional teaching compared to online learning. Traditional education can be more effective than online learning because the teacher or tutor will be able to notice the weakness in every student in the class. This can’t be done through online learning because most of the online learner will be depend on the online resources to overcome their weakness. Traditional learning also increase our social skill such as communication, listening and think creatively. There are two enormous problems with the online education,that is accountability and the lack creativity and practical skills on the learning compared to the traditional method. 

  In my personal opinion, the traditional method of education is more effective compared to online learning, since the old way have been proven in creating more quality and creative students. Learning a subject online, rather than traditional classroom method is a poor way. 


By Ganeskumaran.