The Scientific Possibilities of Time Travel

There's a bucket full of different theories concerning time travel, some of which are actually quite convincing. While the subject of time travel itself appears ludicrous to many, others choose to be more open-minded and consider these theories.

As you all probably already know, traveling into the future is substantially more viable than traveling into the past. This may sound confusing, but I'll explain why in the following paragraphs:

Theory #1

Black Holes

Described by Stephen Hawking as natural time machines, black holes could possibly be used to travel to the future. The main idea is to orbit around them instead of going inside them, as the area around the black hole is extremely dense, not only distorting space but time as well. If you don't already know, there is a strong theory that if space is distorted, then time is too. More on that here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_time_dilation

Heres an example: 

If there where two spaceships, one orbiting around the black hole, the other a bit farther out in space, the crew orbiting the black hole would age half as less as the crew farther out in space. As, say, 1 year passed for the crew floating out in space, the crew in orbit would have only aged roughly 6 months.

If you have seen the movie Interstellar, then you have seen this theory in action.

Theory #2

Rotating Universe

In 1949, one of Einstien's friends, Kurt Godel (a brilliant mathematician of his time) introduced a new theory opposing Alberts equations (upsetting him) concerning time travel. He thought that if the universe was rotating, a spaceship traveling at a magnificent speed opposite of the direction of the universe would eventually travel back in time and arrive at the same time in left. I honestly think that this theory is pretty stretched, especially since traveling at that speed is near impossible.

Theory #3

Wormholes

Yes, you probably saw this one coming. These theoretical passages are not only shortcuts through space but possibly through time. NASA has apparently already begun to work on spaceships that could potentially generate wormholes. But in order to keep it from collapsing, there is one main thing need: negative matter, a subject poorly misunderstood by modern day scientists. 

Heres an example of how wormholes could be used for time travel:

Imagine two end of the same wormhole sitting side by side. If one end was put in a place with higher gravity then the other end, this would result in the higher gravity end to be in a "younger" state.

Yeah I know, its a little difficult to understand. Heres a little easier example.

If both you and I had a wormhole on each of our spaceships, and you took yours to a place with a higher gravity state then mine, when you came back (with a supposedly younger wormhole-end) then at that point you would have been, say, 10 years younger then me. But, if you entered your wormhole and came out through mine you would have technically traveled to the future.

Theory #4

Speed

If you've seen The Flash series, you've seen a cool example of this. Barry Allen, having super speed powers, is able to run in a circle fast enough to create a wormhole that he then jumps into... traveling through time. For example, when Barry travels at extremely high speeds, he is not affected by gravity as much as those around him, causing him to experience time much slower than others. You actually do this every day, even if it's in extremely small amounts. If your traveling in a vehicle, say at approximately 70mph, you are experiencing time 0.00000009 times slower then your brother, who decided to stay home. Obviously, it's an unnoticeable amount. Even when people travel to space they experience this... but in a slightly more intense manner. If a group of astronauts was to orbit the earth in a spaceship for a month or so, they would actually experience time roughly 1 second slower than people back on earth.

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at time travel as much as I did. Or you could have thought it was complete rubbish. Everyone has an opinion. Anyways, if you did happen to find it this post interesting, comment and let me know what theory you found the most intriguing. 

The Immune System

Basics of the Immune System

The immune system is probably one of the most complicated systems in your body. It communicates with the rest of your body, and also defends it from bad bacteria. It also attacks bad bacteria with cells like macrophages and neutrophils.

This complicated system involves many different parts, but here are the few that I will be talking about:

Macrophage - Defender

Neutrophils - Attacker

Dendritic Cell  - Decision Maker

Helper T Cell - Keeps Other Cells Energized

B Cell - Produces Antibodies

Antibodies - Slows down, immobilizes, and kills bad bacteria

The Process of the Immune System

Say you are cut by a dirty piece of glass. The first barrier of your immune system has been breached. Your skin. Bacteria from the glass then seize the opportunity to flood into the cut. They immediately began to multiply by feeding on your bodies resources.

They swarm unnoticed until they actually began to damage the other cells around them. This is where the macrophages come into play. These large cells guard every part of your body, and most of the time, they can take out a whole infection on their own, swallowing up to 100 bacteria each. They also send out communication proteins so that the body will send out water into the battle so it will make fighting easier. This causes the slight swelling you get after a cut. If the bacteria gets out of control, the macrophages send for backup. Neutrophils leave their patrol in the blood stream to come help. The neutrophils fight so furiously that they actually kill good body cells and themselves in the process. The macrophages then communicate to a different cell, the dendritic cell. These cells are the brain of the immune system. They take samples from the enemy bacteria and decide what the next move should be. When they do decide, they travel to the closest lymph node, which takes them about a day. 

Once the dendritic cells reach the lymph node, they search for T helper cells. When they find them, the dendritic cell presents the samples of the bacteria it had collected, and a chemical reaction takes place between both cells. The T helper cells begin to rapidly multiply. Some of them become memory T helper cells, which are kept in the lymph node, so that if you ever have an infection like this again, it will remember how to efficiently take care of it. The second group of T helper cells go help battle with the bacteria. But the third group travels to the center of the lymph node and finds the virgin B cells. And when they do, they connect, and the B cells, no longer virgin, began to multiply. And during this process, the B cells also produce a swarm of a tiny but powerful weapon: antibodies. The B cells work so hard to produce these antibodies that they begin to shut down. But the T helper cells give them energy by stimulating them.

The infection has gotten out of control. The bacteria has kept multiplying, and many of the defense cells have been killed, even though the T helper cells have been trying there hardest to keep the other cells alive. But finally, help arrives. The antibodies invade the bacteria, disabling and killing them. They also attach to the bacteria, immobilizing them, making them an easy target. The microphages then take care of that bacteria. And then, all of the cells that helped in this battle commit suicide, so as not to infect the body with any bacteria that they might have touched.

How to Keep the Immune System Healthy

If it wasn't for our immune system, we would be very sick, unhealthy, and probably dead. So its a good idea to find ways to keep it strong. Here are some preferable ways to do that:

1. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains

2. Get plenty of exercise

3. Get a sufficient amount of sleep

4. Wash your hands periodically

5. Sustain a healthy weight

6. Don't overdo you intake on alcohol

7. Never smoke

The Respiratory System

The Respiratory System is the system that enables us to breath and function. Every day we breath approximately 23,040 breaths a day. Breathing is, simply, keeps us alive. When we inhale, we breath in oxygen, and when we exhale, we breath out carbon dioxide. This process is called respiration, and I will explain more about it below.

The Four Main Parts

This system involves 4 main parts, the nose, throat, windpipe, and lungs. The air we breath is first filtered through the nose, where tiny hairs pick out any particles of dirt that might have been in the air. The nose also help to moisten the air so it makes it easier for the lungs to work with. While the air passes down toward out lungs, it has to go through the Epiglottis, which is located in the trachea. The Epiglottis is a fleshy flap that makes sure that no liquid or food gets into the lungs. The trachea then goes down farther, about 12 centimeters, until it finally reaches the lungs. The trachea then splits into two, each part going into each lung.

Inside the Lungs

Once the air reaches the lungs, it travels through tiny bronchi, that continuously branches out into smaller bronchi. This air, or oxygen, travels until it reaches the alveolus.

Inside an alveoli, there are multiple chambers. On the outside, the alveoli is covered in capillaries. Blood, not yet containing oxygen, flows through these capillaries. The oxygen from the air, just recently inhaled is absorbed into these blood cells. This causes the change in color from blue blood to red. This blood is now ready to spread throughout the rest of the body.

After this, there is still one more thing to be done. Carbon dioxide is still flowing through the capillaries, so it is then absorbed into the alveolus chamber. From there, it travels all the way back through the bronchi, into the bronchus, back through the trachea, and then finally breathed out by the nostrils. Then, the whole process starts all over again.

How to Keep the System Healthy

As you have learned above, the respiratory system is a very important system to keep healthy and in shape. Here are some great ways to do that:

Stay Hydrated:

Staying hydrated helps to keep a nice thin layer of mucus that lines your airways and lungs. If you don't stay hydrated, then the mucus will become thick and sticky, making it harder to breath.

Avoid Smoking:

Smoking things like cigarettes and pipes are probably the worst thing you can do to your lungs. It basically kills the cells inside your body, causing lung cancer.

Exercise:

Challenging your lungs helps to keep them strong, fit and functioning. Becoming more aware of your breathing rate improves it over time.

Vitamins:

Vitamins like vitamin A, C, and E also help to keep your respiratory system healthy.  

The Skeletal System

The skeletal system is the structure of bones inside our body. They protect our internal organs, are our internal scaffolding, and produce blood cells for the rest of our body.

Different Kinds of Bone

We have all kinds of different bones in our body, some of these being long bones like the femur, short bones like the wrist bones, and even flat bones like the skull.

There are two different types of bone in the human body. The first one is compact bone, which is typically dense, strong, and smooth. The second is cancellous bone, which  is mostly light and spongey.

Parts of a Bone

Take a bone like the one above.

The diaphyses part is composed of compact bone, while the epiphyses is composed of cancellous bone. Inside a bone like this is where bone marrow is kept, which produces blood for the rest of your body.

The Axial and Appendicular Skeleton

Axial Skeleton:

The axial skeleton is basically the center of the human skeleton, containing 80 bones, some of these being the skull, vertebrae column, and thorax.

Appendicular Skeleton:

This part of the skeletal system branches off the axial skeleton. It consists of 126 bones, some of these being the shoulders, hips, and the upper and lower extremities. Our hands and wrists consist of 27 separate bones, these being a large majority of bones that make up our appendicular system. Because of this, they are the most adjustable part of our body. Our lower extremities include our legs and feet. The 2 biggest and heaviest bones in our body, the femur, is in the upper legs.

How to keep the Skeletal System Healthy

Consume Products High in Calcium

Calcium keeps our bones strong and healthy. If you don't have a sufficient amount of calcium, your bones become weak and brittle

Get Lots of Vitamin D

Spending as little as 15 minutes in sunlight a day will definitely improve the health of your whole body.

Exercise

Bones benefit from the occasional stress from exercising. It will also help them to grow stronger the more they our used.

Sleep

Getting at least 8 hours of sleep is a great way to help your body. Make sure you spine is in a healthy position when you sleep.

Weighing only about 30 pounds, standing stronger than concrete, even able to repair itself, it remains the perfect material to be the framework of the human body.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence

After the Olive Branch Petition, when King George III sent 30,000 German Hessian troops to fight with the British, a man named Richard Henry of Virginia presented a resolution that said that the colonials where free and that they had their own independent states. Congress responded by drafting a Declaration of Independence with the help of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. The resolution was passed, and the United States of America was born... provided the colonists won the war.

We now celebrate July 4th as Independence day.

Some Cool Facts:

Jefferson was quite unhappy about some of the edits made to his original draft of the Declaration of Independence. He had originally included language condemning the British promotion of the slave trade (even though Jefferson himself was a slave owner). This criticism of the slave trade was removed in spite of Jefferson’s objections.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the vote to approve the Declaration of Independence.

Once the Declaration of Independence had been written and signed, printer John Dunlap was asked to make about 200 copies to be distributed throughout the colonies. Today, the “Dunlap Broadsides” are extremely rare and valuable. In 1989, someone discovered a previously unknown Dunlap Broadside. It was sold for over $8 million in 2000. There are only 26 known surviving Dunlap Broadsides today.

The Circulatory System (How Your Heart and Blood Functions)

In todays post I will be explaining how your Circulatory System works. I will also be sharing a few cool facts. I hope you find this informative and interesting.

The Heart

The circulatory system is a very important and effective system in your body. It keeps us moving and circulates oxygen throughout our whole body. But none of this would be possible if it wasn't for the main and most important part of our body: the heart. The heart is one of three types of muscle, called the a cardiac muscle, or heart muscle. The heart is located right in between the lungs, from which it circulates oxygen to keep the body energized. After it circulates throughout the whole body, it sends back waste (carbon dioxide), which you then exhale. This process continues for the rest of your life.

Inside the heart, there are four chambers. Two chamber receive blood from the body and circulate it through the lungs to grab oxygen, and the other two chamber push it out through the body, spreading the oxygen where it needs to go. There is definitely much more to say about the heart, but thats all I will say for now.

Blood
Blood keeps every single part of you body circulating with oxygen. It also helps to fight germs and disease. If it wasn't for blood, nothing in your body would function at all.

Blood is a mixture of cells and a slightly yellowish liquid called plasma. This plasma is mostly make of water, but it also contains proteins, sugars, hormones and salts. There are three different types of cells mixed with the plasma, these being red blood cells (or erythrocytes), white blood cells (or leukocytes), and thrombocytes.

Red Blood Cells are what give you blood that red color. Theses are also the cells that transport oxygen throughout your body.

White Blood Cells are you body's defense system. Once they figure out the location of an infection, they go to attack and eat the germs there.

Thrombocytes work together to fill up and fix any gap or tear in a blood vessel. After this tear is healed and replaced by new cells, the thrombocytes detach and float away to its next destination.

How to Keep Your Circulatory System Healthy

The circulatory system is what keeps you body alive and flowing, so for that reason it is vital to keep it healthy. Here are some great ways to do that.

Engage in Physical Activity/Exercise
This helps to keep your blood flowing. It also helps to reduce the risk of conditions that make the system work harder, these being high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

Eat High Quality Foods
Eating foods like fruits and vegetables significantly improves the health of the circulatory system. Also, it is important to avoid processed food.

Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight increases your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, all of which give you more of a chance to have a heart attack.

The Brain

Today I am doing a report on the brain and how it works, what its made of, and how to support it. I also will share a few interesting facts.

How does it work?

There are 7 main parts of the brain: the brain stem, the hippocampus, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and the cerebellum.

The Brain Stem

The brain is found in the very center of the brain it controls very important functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. It lets our body know if we are hungry or thirsty. Its also the seat of are most fundamental emotions.

The Hippocampus

This is a very important part of the brain, mainly because its where we store are memory.

Occipital Lobe

This part of the brain controls vision.

Parietal Lobe

The Parietal Lobe contains sensory information.

Temporal Lobe

This lobe is the center for memory and learning. It contains the hippocampus, and helps us to recognize objects or faces.

Frontal Lobe

The Frontal Lobe basically defines us as human. This is where are emotions and personality reside, as well as language and social behavior. This lobe is our decision making center.

Cerebellum

This part of the brain controls movement,  giving accessibility to move muscles.

What is the brain made of?

The brain is made up of billions upon billion of cells called neurons. These cells connect with one another, communicating and forming long, complicated networks. Those networks are the basis of how the brain does what it does.

How to Support and Nervous System

There are many ways to keep your nervous system in shape. Here are some great ways to do that:

-Make sure to keep yourself calm and not be stressed, stress is very unhealthy for you whole body

-Eat a balanced diet

-Drink plenty of water and other fluids

-Avoid alcohol and drugs

-Increase your attention span and learn new things everyday

There are also some essential oils you can use for your nervous system and brain:

-Lavender

-Rose

-Vetiver

-Ylang Ylang

-Bergemont

-Chamomile

-Frankincense

-Cedarwood 

Also, here are some cool facts about the brain that I found very interesting:

If you've ever wondered what a brain might feel like, this is how. The human brain is covered in membranes that protect and anchor it inside the skull. These membranes tend to feel quite leathery. If you where to remove these and run your hand over the a surface of the brain itself, it would feel smooth and soft, similar to a ripe plum.

The record for the biggest brain is held by the sperm whale. Its brain is about the size of a pumpkin and weighs more than 17 pounds. Thats 5 times heavier than the human brain.

In 2004, a study was done on 144 six year olds. They where randomly divided into 4 groups. One group was given free piano lessons, another free singing lessons, another free drama lessons, and the last group, the control group, was given no lessons at all. Thirty six weeks later, all the children took an IQ test. All the groups improved there scores in the 36 week period. But the two music groups improved more. A LOT more. Students in the non music group improved there scores by about 5.5 points. Students in the music group improved there scores by about 8.5 points. So how did this happen? Basically, certain areas of the brain show as significantly more developed among people who play musical instruments. The main parts of the brain that develop are the Primary Motor Cortex, the Auditory Cortex, and the Visual Cortex. So this means that it the brain of a musician actually look physically different from the brain of a non musician. A late, famous neuroscientist named Dr. Oliver Sacks once wrote: "Anatomists would be hard put to identify the brain of a visual artist, a writer, or a mathematician. But they could recognize the brain of a professional musician without a moments hesitation".