“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” ~ Albert Einstein

About The ElRo Experiment

We are a group of students eager to explore the world of science. There is a vast universe of

unknown information that remains to be answered. Our everyday lives consist of science, as

it exists all around us. As time progresses, new minds challenge science phenomena and

make huge contributions for mankind. As students, we strive to become a larger part of this

process. We will delve into the science that excites us, and share that joy with you.

Anahit Hovhannisyan

Editor-in-Chief

WRITERS/CREATORS

Sarah Altman-Ezzard

Sabrina Carrero

Anjeli Chapman

Isabelle Greenberg

Anahit Hovhannisyan

Flora Lao

Brenda Mandel

Violet Morrison

Alistair Ramirez

Peter Ribeiro

Raquelle Sewell

Margaret Yannopoulos

Xiaojin Zheng

Freyja Golbach – Cover Artist

Yeajin Choi – Cover Editor

Ms. Angela Sterling

Would you like to contribute?

It is never too late to become a part of The ElRo Experiment! Submit articles, art, brain teasers, or responses

to published work at ahovhannisyan2015@erhsnyc.net.

New Brain Discovery, It’s Cranial by Anahit Hovhannisyan

Come Back Down to Mars by Raquelle Sewell

Kitty-Kat Time by Sarah Altman-Ezzard

Against All Odds: The Story of Mae Jemison

by Anjeli Chapman

Woman Carrying 238 Pounds on Her Legs

by Flora Lao

Why Do We Sleep? by Peter Ribeiro

The Science Behind Blushing by Isabelle Greenberg

Deadly Coffee by Alistair Ramirez

Top 5 TV Shows the Satisfy the

Science Geek in You by Xiaojin Zheng

Lymphoma: An Inflated Cancer by Margaret Yannopoulos

Alien Attacks In Ender’s Game by Sabrina Carrero

2482 – A Sci-Fi Original by Violet Morrison

Fun Science Crossword! by Brenda Mandel

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“Sellars, 38, is diagnosed with Proteus syndrome, an

extremely rare condition thought to only be known

in 120 people in the world”

“It was just a number, on a screen; and no one knew what it meant. Absolutely no one on the entire planet could figure it out, and that wasn’t an understatement; all 58 inhabitants of the desert planet were absolutely dumbfounded.”

“Why can humans communicate cohesive

ideas in distinctive dialect?” 1

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NEW BRAIN DISCOVERY, IT’S CRANIAL

by Anahit Hovhannisyan

The brain is the most complex organ in

the human body. Its capability to store incredible

knowledge, emotion, thought, and a conscience is

difficult to fully grasp. Many scientists have

researched neurology – the study of the brain –

and continue to do so today. In fact, new

discoveries are made every day that either support

an existing theory, or are categorized as an

individual concept that will advance mankind’s

understanding of the brain.

During the end of January 2014, reports

published insight into a new discovery that

specialized in human uniqueness. The

experiment was conducted by a group of scientists

at Oxford University, led by Matthew Rushworth.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner tests

were run on 25 healthy people of age 20, twice.

With these results, 12 regions in the ventrolateral

frontal cortex were found common for each

participant. The same MRI scans were processed

for 25 rhesus macaque monkeys.1

The brain scans

of humans and monkeys were then compared,

and the results showed that every region of the

ventrolateral frontal cortex matched for both

species, except for one. According to the scientific

journal Neuron, this region is called the lateral

frontal pole prefrontal cortex.

What makes finding this region special to

humans is that it has been tied to ADHD and

compulsive behavior disorders. With this new

discovery, scientists can further study psychiatric

disease. Franz-Xaver Neubert of Oxford

University states, “This area has been identified

with strategic planning and decision making, as

well as, ‘multi-tasking’”2

. Furthermore, it

specializes in language, which may hint to answer

the question: Why can humans communicate cohesive ideas in distinctive dialect?

1 Sample, Ian. “Researchers Discover New Area in Your Brain That May

Control Your Bad Decisions.” The Raw Story. Guardian News and Media 2014, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2014 2 Ghose, Tia. “Newly Discovered Brain Region That May be Unique to

Humans.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtomPost.com, 29 Jan. 2014. Web.

07 Feb. 2014.

COME BACK DOWN TO MARS...

by Raquelle Sewell

MARS – An often talked about and

heavily anticipated step in the way for

humankind. Advancements in spaceship journey

design and practicality are bringing scientists

closer and closer to the reality of a manned

spacecraft to mars. However, there are numerous

health risks being revealed from previous space

trips. Yet, these health risks are not deal breakers

for the expedition. That being said, the risks

could potentially set NASA back. The scientists at

NASA, however, plan to find solutions to the

health issues while also continuing with the

preparations for the mars expedition.

One of the many alarming risks that have

been experienced by a few astronauts is the

squeezing of the eyeballs. This issue presents

more questions than it does answers; however,

scientists do know that it’s a result of the change

in pressure of eye fluid. This does not cause

major health issues besides moderate

farsightedness. Even still, much is unknown about

why this occurs in more men than women and in

the right eye more significantly than the left.

Scientists are discussing a return to an

artificially made gravity vacuum in the spacecrafts.

However, the money, time and effort in order to

do this would set the team back immensely.

Another health risk includes the loss of

bone mass when the body is not put under any

gravity. This has long since been solved with

treadmills that astronauts are strapped down to;

but, the issue still remains as to whether this is a

proper and sufficient way to prevent loss of bone

mass.

Scientists believe aircrafts could launch to

mars as early as 2020. The trip would last 2.5

years, longer than any manned spacecraft journey

yet. The longest being 435 days.

Much is left to chance and mystery when it

comes to manned trips to Mars, but what cannot

be disputed are the strides NASA has taken and

the advancements it has made in the way of space

travel.3

3 Chang, Kenneth. “Beings Not Made for Space.” New York Times. New York

Times, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 Feb 2014.

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KITTY CAT TIME!

by Sarah Altman-Ezzard

There are many things that cats do that have

confused and bewildered scientists for years.

Before we can begin to understand cat behavior,

we must first trace the development of the

domesticated cat we all know and love today.

BEHAVIOR

In Ancient Egypt, cats were seen as gods. The

joke is that they’ve never forgotten this. In Egypt,

killing a cat was punishable by death. Cats were

mummified, a process generally saved for

pharaohs (ancient Egyptian rulers). Since the

Egyptians appreciated cats (mostly because they

killed mice, and thus diseases), they didn’t try to

change their traits. They coexisted with cats

peacefully.

Later on, many cats were used primarily as

mouse-catchers. In return for a clean barn, they

were given shelter. Again, there was no need to

change the traits of the cat.

This is important because humans often

choose which animals to breed, a process known

as selective breeding. For examples, humans

dictate which dogs will breed to get the desired

pup. This breeding generally does not occur with

cats, and thus they have remained, for all intents

and purposes, feral.

Selective breeding has caused many issues in

dogs. Since breeders want to create a certain type

of dog, they will often inbreed two dogs (from the

same family). This means that the pups have a

larger risk for inheriting a recessive genetic

disease.

Since cats have never been bred for specific

traits (such as friendliness), the cat could, in some

respects, be considered feral. This accounts for

much of their behavior.

THE SYMPHONY OF THE PURR

Probably one of the most infuriating things a

cat lover can hear is that their beloved kitty is

“antisocial and mean.” Quite frankly, this is

completely and utterly inaccurate. Cats happen to

show affection in a different way than dogs. While

they won’t slobber all over you when you come

home, they’ll find a way to demonstrate their love

in a different way. For example, by purring.

Cats purr. Everybody likes the sweet rumble

they emit. Everyone assumes it’s because they’re

happy. However, there are many reasons for their

purr.

Kittens and cats purr to signal to their mother

that they want her to stay and give them

something, generally milk (they will then use

their paws to knead gently on the mother’s

stomach to promote continuous milk flow;

this explains why cats often knead their paws

when they purr).

Cats grow up and remember this. So, when

they want something from their owners, they

may purr. It could be that they want the owner

to stay and pet them, or that they want to be

fed.

Sometimes, cats purr to console themselves. If

they are in pain, the cat may purr for comfort

(or imitate another comforting maternal

aspect and lick the area of pain).

Cats also purr when they are stimulated. This

stimulation occurs when cats are petted for

long periods of time. If Fluffy no longer wants

to be pet, s/he may walk away, swat you, or

gently bite you.

WHY FLUFFY BRINGS DEAD ANIMALS

Another common misconception is that a

cat brings in dead animals as gifts to his/her

owner. John Bradshaw, an anthrozoologist

(specializing in the interactions between animals

and humans) has conducted research that

indicates that the cat, by nature, hunts. In the

wild, cats bring their captured prey to a place

deemed safe in order to make sure it won’t be

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touched by predators. In actuality, Fluffy is saying

that s/he is safe in your home. The reason

Fluffster doesn’t eat the dead animals is because

s/he realizes by the time s/he is home that Oh! I

can eat canned cat food. That tastes much better than dead mouse.

And so, kitty goes to his/her bowl and eats some

Chow Meow instead.

INDEPENDENCE OF CATS

Many people have also wondered why the

cat is so independent. In reality, this is not so.

They just aren’t as expressive as dogs are with

their affection. According to Bradshaw, the best

way a cat can demonstrate his/her affection is by

his/her straight tail. (A wagging tail generally

indicates irritation. The tail can be used as a

means to balance as well.)

8

An upright tail can be used as a greeting, but

most importantly, it’s a sign of trust and

friendship. In the wild, cats greet one another

with a straight tail. They rub their bodies together

to show familiarity and friendship, which is why a

cat that likes you will rub itself on your legs.

(Additionally, the mouth of the cat contains small

scent glands, so the cat may rub against you with

his/her mouth to put part of his/her scent on you.

They want all other animals to know that you

have their scent, and thus their protection, on

you.)

BRIEF DISCUSSION OF ANATOMICAL

MAKEUP

While this definitely isn’t everything about

cats, there are a few interesting facts concerning

their anatomy that may be of some interest. The

front paws of cats contain five “fingers”, and the

back only four. The ears of a cat can turn 180°.

Cats have twelve whiskers on either side. It’s

true that whiskers grow back, but the whiskers

serve a very important purpose and should never be cut off, trimmed, straightened, or

meddled with in any way. Cats use their

whiskers to sense things. Imagine not being able

to feel. Cats need their whiskers. Don’t mess

with them.

Speaking of changes to the cat’s

composition, the claws are another aspect that

should never be meddled with. Many people

have their cats declawed, believing this causes

no harm or pain to the cat and yay! The

furniture is saved! This is completely inaccurate. Declawing a cat isn’t simply cutting off the nail.

Imagine cutting the nail on your own finger. It

will grow back. So will a cat’s claws. So, to get

rid of the claws completely, the spot where the

nail meets the finger must be cut off. A human

would be left with a nub for a finger. This is

similar to the situation of declawing. The cat is

left with a nub where their claw should be. This

causes discomfort for the cat. Also, it renders it

defenseless, and often times more aggressive.

Not only will s/he have more trouble fighting off

predators, but the cat won’t be able to catch

prey to feed itself. Long story short, it’s best not

to try to change a cat’s anatomy.

11

-3-

If this same process were conducted in humans,

we would see something like this model:

9

Many people think it is okay to declaw cats

because they’re kept as indoor pets and therefore

have nothing from which to protect themselves.

However, sometimes cats run away. Or they go

outside and get into a fight with a stronger animal.

It’s not right to take away an animal’s defense.

They were born with claws for a reason.

The only exceptions as to when it’s

appropriate to alter the anatomy of the cat or any

being, for that matter, is a) when necessary for

medical purposes (tumors, discomfort of the

animal, etc.) and b) to neuter/spay the cat.

NEUTERING AND SPAYING CATS

Granted, there is a lot of controversy

concerning the neutering (for male cats, the testes

are removed) and spaying (for females, the

ovaries are tied) of cats. Some believe it is

unethical. The ASPCA has embarked in a new

program, where it takes feral cats, neuters/spays

them, and releases them back to the wild. This

helps curb much fighting that occurs between

male cats over territory disputes, thus averting

painful injuries. Besides this, neutered and spayed

cats generally live longer.

But what exactly does it mean to neuter or spay a

cat? The answer is relatively simple.

First of all, it’s not just cats that undergo this

surgery. Dogs do as well, in a very similar

procedure (also known as neutering and spaying—

the anatomy of the dog is very similar to that of

the cat in a few aspects).

In neutering, the male’s cat’s testicles are

generally tied and cut off. Sometimes, they are

just tied. It’s much easier to neuter a cat than to

spray one because everything is outside of the

body. In order to spay a cat, a cut must be made

in the vicinity of the ovaries so that the surgeon

can remove them. This is a much more invasive

process. Luckily, veterinarians have years of

training and are therefore quite adept at what they

do. The vital signs of the cat are monitored

throughout the whole surgery. Afterwards, the

general area of the surgery will be a little sore, so

it’s best to avoid it for the comfort of kitty.

In the next issue of The Elro Experiment,

we’ll take a closer look at the way cats in general

tend to behave. We’ll also touch on some

common behavioral problems that erupt. See you

then!

11

-4-

4"What's Mittens Thinking? Make 'Sense' Of Your Cat's

Behavior." Interview. Audio blog post. Www.npr.org.

5"Cat Disection." Cat Disection. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

6"College of Veterinary Medicine - Cornell

University." Fun Feline Facts. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

7Goldschein, Eric. “A Parasite Found in Cats Could Be

Manipulating Our Brains.” Business Insider. 09 Feb. 2012.

Business Insider, Inc. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

8"Katzen Kleinanzeigen." VW-Fahrerin weicht Katze aus –

und landet in der Böschung -. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

9"Clawsforever." : I'm all for Declawing. Web. 11 Feb.

2014.

10"Declaw Your Cat in Israel, Get Year in Jail." Cat

Lifestyle Mousebreath Magazine. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

11"A Day Without Cats: Searching for New Sources of

Online Cuteness." SparkNotes. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

AGAINST ALL ODDS:

THE STORY OF MAE JEMISON

by Anjeli Chapman

Mae Jemison is one of the seminal female

figures in the scientific community. It is therefore

astonishing to note how little recognition she

receives for her work. Perhaps, like Lise Meitner

and Marie Curie before her, Jemison was facing

public resistance because of the fact that she was a

woman in a male-dominated field (even in this day

and age, the lack of female scientists is shocking).

But Jemison faced even greater antipathy as both a

woman and as an African American. Jemison came

of age in the 1960s, a time of terrible racial

inequality. And yet, despite these seemingly

insurmountable odds, she managed to achieve

things others could never even dream of.

Jemison was incredibly dedicated from a

very young age, which is obvious from the fact that

by the age of 16, she was enrolled in Stanford

University. Her lifelong dream was to become an

astronaut for NASA, but she thought that achieving

such a dream would be next to impossible for her

to achieve, given the pervasive inequality of the

field. But Jemison was spurred on by the story of

Sally Ride, the first American woman to go to

space. Jemison now felt that her gender would be,

in her own words, “less of a deterrent” for the

board of NASA.12

She resolved to achieve her goal

of becoming an astronaut. Although her first

application was denied by the board of the space

station, she persevered, and her second one was

eventually accepted. In 1992, she took her first

steps on the moon as part of the United States

Space Shuttle’s fiftieth mission. As the first female,

African American astronaut, she was one of

NASA’s foremost pioneers in the fight towards

equality. Even today, Jemison continues to travel

the country, speaking on the importance of

investing money in scientific research. Despite the

fact that she has already achieved an incredible

amount in her lifetime, Jemison never ceases to

strive in the name of science, despite the fact that

she has already achieved an incredible amount in

her lifetime.4

12

Jemison, Mae. Find Where The wind Goes: Moments from

my life. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print.

WOMAN CARRYING 238 POUNDS ON

HER LEGS

by Flora Lao

Born February 20, 1975 in Lancashire,

United Kingdom, Mandy Sellars had a rare

genetic mutation, evident in one out of seven

million people, that would change her life forever.

Sellars, 38, is diagnosed with Proteus syndrome,

an extremely rare condition thought to only be

known in 120 people in the world. Proteus

Syndrome involves the abnormal growth of

bones, skin, or of the head. Specifically for

Sellars, the bones in her legs would not stop

growing. Sellars’ disease was evident since the day

she was born; her left leg was three inches longer

than her right.

"There was clearly something dramatically

different about me when I was born as my legs

were so much bigger than my body. Doctors

didn't know what it was and whisked me away-

they didn't let my mother see me for two weeks.

They didn't think I would survive," Sellars told

ITV's This Morning. Despite this condition, Sellars flourished

and grew up like any other child; she enjoyed

football and could walk normally.

"I had friends and went to a

comprehensive school for my GCSE's (General

Certificate of Secondary School which is a

qualification test for a specific subject in England).

But I found it harder to deal with as a teenager as

you become more self-aware. Some people would

stare and laugh at me," Sellars reminisces at ITV's

This Morning. However Sellars stayed strong with the

encouragement and support from her family. At

the age of 19, Sellars left home to attend the

University of Lancashire where is got a BSc in

psychology. After graduating, Sellars volunteered

in various places; unfortunately, she was

hampered by chronic arthritis, deep vein

thrombosis, and a blood clot in her leg. In

addition to these symptoms, Sellars suffered a

spinal stroke in 2002 and was paralyzed for two

months. In 2005, she got a blood infection which

resulted in failure in her kidneys. During this

whole time her legs continued to grow at

astounding rates; by 2008 both of her legs were

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210 pounds, her leg was five inches longer than

her right, and one foot had grown to be

backwards. Sellars had to have an amputation of

her left leg in 2010 when it developed blood

poisoning or septicemia without the amputation.

Doctors told her she would die. Sadly, this had

no effect as Sellar's stump continued to grow on

its own and within 3 years it has become 42

pounds. According to the Daily Mirror, 22

months after her surgery, her limb began to grow

to look like balloon and Sellars was horrified.

"Almost straight away the stump began

increasing in circumference and I was finding it

harder to fit inside my prosthetic leg. Then the

stump got so heavy that it nearly broke the

prosthetic leg," Sellars recalls.

Doctors have done all that they could to

find a treatment to her rare condition. Through

the mapping of her DNA doctors are hopeful that

they could develop a promising treatment for her

rare condition. Unfortunately Sellars is now

informed that through her genetic testing, her

condition is the first one in the world. Scientists in

Cambridge were willing to take on this new study.

For several years Dr. Robert Semple, who

mapped Sellars' blood and tissue samples,

believes that Sellars has a unique disorder that

causes doctors to be in a state of bafflement and

amazement. Doctors have tried to create

prosthetic legs; however, her legs grow

uncontrollably so new legs have to be constantly

made to fit her. Sellars’ upper body is only about

46 pounds; as result, she is unable to walk now

with her bulky and cumbersome legs.

Sellars expresses her thoughts with ITV's

This Morning, "I find it incredibility frustrating. I

have such a zest for life and I really want to get

out there and live it. I keep suggesting Dr. Semple

to call it Sellars Syndrome!"

Subsequently, Semple's team was able to

create a medication that attempts to replace her

mutated gene with a restorative gene.

"I started taking it in September and the

aim was to stop my limbs from growing further.

Actually they have started to shrink a little. I just

kind of accepted my condition would get worse

and keep growing but I am more optimistic

following the discovery," Sellars replies.

Sellars tries to be as hopeful as she can

possibly can but at times people can be really

inconsiderate and unsympathetic.

Five years ago Sellars had an interview with

ITV's This Morning and she spoke about the

downsides about living with her condition.

"Adults can be very hurtful. In a restaurant

one blurted out, 'Look at the size of those feet.' I

don't mind children staring, but adults should

know better."

Even so, Sellars continued to uphold a

positive attitude as she told Mirror, a popular

celebrity gossip magazine in England, "I will not

let these things beat me. I'm determined to stay as

mobile as possible and fight for my

independence. I just have to live day to day, week

to week. I have got a life and I have to live it as

best as I can. There are people far worse off than

me."

Today Sellars continues to fight strong.

She created a website, www.mandysellars.com

and she strongly supports the Proteus Syndrome.

In addition, scientists at Cambridge University

have discovered that she has a mutation in her

PIK3CA gene that causes an overgrowth in her

leg and foot. Sellars has a documentary called,

"Shrinking my 17 Stone Legs." Competent and

adept doctors are eager to help anyone suffering

with this condition. The medication that the

scientists in Cambridge have developed continues

to work well for her and she continues to stay a

resilient and optimistic woman. We will update

you on her condition.

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Sellar, Mandy. “Welcome to Mandy Sellars.com.” Supporting the

Proteus Syndrome Foundation. Web. 09 Jan 2014.

Bates, Claire. “Shrinking my 17 stone legs: Hope for woman

whose limbs wouldn’t stop growing after doctors develop pioneering

treatment.” Hail Online. 15 Feb 2013. Web. 09 Jan 2014.

“Mandy Sellar.” Wikipedia. 22 Jan 2014. Web. 09 Jan 2014.

Reynolds, Emma. “I had my FIVE STONE leg cut off…but now

it’s growing back.” Hail Online. 11 Nov 2011. Web. 09 Jan 2014.

“Woman tells of leg amputation after it kept on going.” Mirror

News. 24 Aug 2011. Web. 09 Jan 2014.

WHY DO WE SLEEP?

by Peter Ribeiro

Duh, because we’re tired. Well, that’s the

simple answer. However, there’s still a lot we

don’t understand about sleeping. About one third

of our lives are spent sleeping and we don’t know

exactly why. So, if you live to be 90 years old you

would have spent 30 years of your life sleeping.

This is truly astonishing! As a teenager, I

understand that sleep is truly a blissful experience

and that most of us love to do so on a Saturday

morning. Why do we partake in such an activity

for such a long time?

First, let’s begin with the brain. Contrary to

common belief, our entire body does not shut

down while we sleep. Our brain does not stop

working and in fact, some parts are more active as

we sleep than when we are awake. Sleep does not

arise from one area of the brain but is in fact

caused by a series of messages and connections

sent out within the brain. It could be described as

a network action. So, why exactly does our brain

decide to go through these messages and

connections? Well, the human race has not yet

reached a conclusion to understand why we sleep.

However, there are dozens of ideas and theories

to explain the action of sleep. I’ll outline three of

them here.

The first being quite obvious: restoration.

We go through this process to restore what we

have lost throughout the day. Our bodies heal any

injuries that we might have obtained. Recent

research has shown that some genes are only

turned on as we sleep. This is how our body

begins to restore itself. Those genes are

associated with metabolic pathways within the

body and restoration.

The next reason is energy conservation.

Keep in mind that this does not mean restoring

energy. This means saving the energy left over.

What does this really mean? Well, throughout

the day we eat in order to gain energy from the

consumption of calories. We burn those off

through exercise and simple actions. So

essentially we sleep to save calories. In fact, on

average, people save 110 calories each night. One

could argue that if a person does not sleep and

simply does not move, they will save the same

amount of calories. Also, 110 calories isn’t a lot of

saved for such a complex process. Clearly, there

are holes to this theory.

The third reason is to improve brain

function. What exactly do I mean by brain

function? Simply put, I mean the processes that

our brain goes through on a daily basis, such as,

the building of memories, information intake and

processing, and problem solving. We have

learned that sleep deprived individuals have a

very difficult time learning new tasks. Their ability

to take in information and learn from it is

impaired. Research has also shown that the task

to create a long term memory becomes more

difficult as a person has less and less sleep. The

ability to come up with new solutions to complex

challenges and problems is greatly enhanced by a

restful night of sleep. Important neural

connections are strengthened as we fall into a

deep sleep.

There are many more theories as to why

we sleep and we will probably never have only

one answer. It is important to realize that we do

in fact need sleep. Many people nowadays are

sleep deprived. Research shows that the average

teenager needs 9 hours of sleep. It clearly seems

that some of us don’t get nearly enough sleep. On

average, in 2013, teenagers had around 5 hours of

sleep per night. Teenagers are not the only ones

that suffer from sleep deprivation. It affects all age

groups throughout the world. What tends to

happen when a person is sleep deprived is that

they will fall under what is called “micro-sleeps”.

It is a short period of time when a person falls

under an involuntary sleep. Along with these

involuntary “micro-sleeps”, a sleep deprived

person will have poor judgment, increased

impulsiveness, and a poor memory. It gets worse.

At times, a sleep deprived person will search for

stimulants in order to make up for what the brain

is lacking. Caffeine and nicotine are some very

popular choices of stimulants. These obviously

cause so many more problems. These solutions

throw off your sleeping patterns because when it

reaches 10 or 11 o’clock at night the body is

completely wired. Sleep deprivation has also been

linked to weight gain and obesity. When the brain

is deprived of sleep, it seeks out carbohydrates

-7-

because the hunger hormone, Ghrelin, is

released.

One final but very important side effect of

a lack of sleep is stress. Sleep deprivation leads to

sustained stress which causes poor memory. It

gets worse. This sustained stress can lead to

suppressed immunity. Sleep deprived people are

more likely to become ill due to awakened

immune systems.

Clearly there is much more behind sleep

deprivation than we thought. We don’t just

become tired and there is more behind a sleep

deprived body. There are clear long term health

issues that can arise from a constant lack of sleep.

People need to become more aware of their

sleeping habits in order to prevent such side

effects.5

THE SCIENCE BEHIND BLUSHING

by Isabelle Greenberg

Blushing: the cold blooded killer in high school,

the match that sets a rumor aflame. All it takes is

mentioning someone’s name, or an embarrassing

memory, and all of a sudden you’re cheeks are

redder than the sun. Happen to know the

explanation to this phenomenon?

The psychology behind this reaction is still not

understood, but we know the reactions that take

place.

Embarrassment releases adrenaline, and is

part of an involuntary response. Adrenaline is a

hormone that is like a natural stimulant to the

body. Your pupils dilate and your heart rate and

breathing increase. This is to help you in a

dangerous situation, and is part of something

called a fight-or-flight response. Adrenaline also

gives you the jolt you feel when you are

embarrassed. But, what really causes the red in

your face is when the veins respond to a signal

from the enzyme adenylyl cyclase. This signal tells

the veins to allow adrenaline in. Thus, the veins

allow more blood through and expand slightly.

13

Foster, Russel. "Russell Foster: Why Do We Sleep?" TED: Ideas wort

h Spreading. TED Ideas, Aug. 2013.

This is blushing, the reaction we all know and

love.6

DEADLY COFFEE

by Alistair Ramirez

(www.thesportmind.com)

When you wake up in the morning, you

are probably tired from a long night of staying up

and doing homework. The morning can bring

out your ugly side, because you are fatigued and

lack the energy to start your day off. Many

people have little energy in the morning, and

coffee is usually the solution they turn to. Coffee

is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It

is consumed daily by millions of Americans and

over eighteen billion dollars is spent annually

solely on coffee. Coffee may seem like a

convenient solution to start off your day, but

many people do not know that coffee can have

negative effects on one’s health.

Coffee is not a natural remedy for having

energy in the morning. Severe effects of drinking

coffee can include sleep deprivation, prolonged

depression, and even irregular heartbeat. Some

of the more mild effects of caffeine are: increased

blood sugar, restlessness, headaches, and

irritability. The next time you want to buy a cup

of coffee in the morning, you should reconsider

and maybe pass it up.15

14 Clark, Josh. "Why Do People Blush?" HowStuffWorks.

HowStuffWorks.com, 02 Jan. 2008. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. 15 Ellis-Christensen, Tricia. "What Are the Negative Effects of

Caffeine?" WiseGEEK. 2001-2014 Conjecture Corporation, n.d. Web.

13 Feb. 2014.

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13

14

TOP 5 TV SHOWS THAT SATISFY THE

SCIENCE GEEK IN YOU

by Xiaojin Zheng

1. BREAKING BAD

Type of Science: Chemistry

# of Episodes: 62

Channel: AMC

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn

Summary: Set against the backdrop of the serene

state of Arizona, Walter White, a middle-aged

chemistry teacher learns that he is diagnosed with

cancer. Knowing that he cannot afford to accept

death as an option, he resorts to applying his

knowledge in the field of chemistry to produce the

purest meth anyone has ever seen on the market.

Walter immediately becomes a god in the narcotics

industry, dubbing himself “Heisenberg”. Intending to

only make as much money he needed to pay for his

chemotherapy, Walter becomes too involved in the

world of drug trade. He finds himself in an

unmanageable bind, one where there’s no out.

2. GREY’S ANATOMY

Type of Science: Medical, surgical

# of Episodes: 196

Channel: ABC

Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, Ellen Pompeo

Summary: Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama that

follows the lives of the doctors and interns at Seattle

Grace Hospital (later re-named Seattle Grey-Sloan

Memorial Hospital). The show, despites its wide

range of cast members, focuses mainly on its original

cast of the first season, details their lives and

relationships with each other and with the other

doctors and interns at the hospital. Grey’s Anatomy

offers drama and ongoing suspense while providing

viewers with interesting knowledge about rare diseases

and surgical procedures. It accurately represents the

complexities of human lives and at the same time, is

incredibly inspiring. Show creator, Shonda Rhimes,

has a clever way of spinning realistic and ordinary

lives of humans into something that captivates and

glues viewers’ eyes to the TV during Grey’s Anatomy

time slot on ABC.

3. ORPHAN BLACK

Type of Science: Cloning biology

# of Episodes: 10

Channel: BBC

Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan Bruce

Summary: Orphan Black is a scientific drama series

that explores the dark side of science. When Sara

Manning, the show’s protagonist, witnesses the suicide

of a woman, who, coincidentally—or so she thought,

looks exactly like her, she decides that the only way to

find out more is to assume her doppelgänger’s

identity. The world she uncovers is a startling

realization and discovery that leaves her wishing she’d

never let her curiosity get the best of her.

4. REVOLUTION

Type of Science: Post-power outage

# of Episodes: 31

Channel: NBC

Cast: Tracy Spiridakos, Billy Burke, David Lyons

Summary: Revolution follows the series of events that

occur in a hypothetical situation in which power is no

longer an existing factor of the human world. One

day, the power mysteriously and unexplainably runs

out. Within a week, chaos spills across the nation and

makes its way throughout the rest of the world.

Formidable militias rise up and aspire to dominate

the world while there are forces that work against

them. In compelling forty seven minute episodes,

Revolution keeps its viewers guessing on the fate of a

world that relies so heavily on the existence of

electricity.

5. HELIX

Type of Science: Virology, epidemiology

# of Episodes: 3

Channel: Syfy

Cast: Billy Campbell, Jeri Ryan, Jordan Hayes

Summary: The series surrounds a team of scientists

from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) who

investigate a possible outbreak of an unknown disease

in the Artic. The team of scientists attempt to unravel

the secrets of this disease, and encounter many

struggles that meddle with their fear of ever finding a

cure. They discover that the disease’s behavior is

unpredictable and constitutes a life or death situation

for the ones that are infected. The race against time to

find a cure becomes a matter of life and death.

1"List of Breaking Bad Episodes." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,

02 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. 2 “Grey’s Anatomy Episode Guide.” ABC. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb.

2014. 3"Wikia." Orphan Black Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. 4"Revolution (TV Series)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Dec.

2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. 5"Helix | Syfy." Helix | Syfy. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

-9-

LYMPHOMA: AN INFLATED CANCER

By Margaret Yannopoulos

1,700 people under the age of 20 are diagnosed with

Lymphoma in the United States per year, thus

making Lymphoma the most common cancer in

young adults.

WHAT IS LYMPHOMA?

Lymphoma is a type cancer that originates in

the body’s lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are white

blood cells that travel through the body and move in

fluid called lymph. Lymphoma occurs when mutant B

or T lymphocytes undergo uncontrollable cell growth.

These cancerous cells collect in one or more lymph

nodes or in lymph tissues and eventually form a mass

of cells called a tumor. Malignant, or harmful, tumors

grow and compete for space and oxygen with

surrounding tissues and organs.

ARE THERE DIFFERENT STAGES OF

LYMPHOMA?

There are two types of lymphoma: Hodgkin

lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Malignant

Reed-Sternberg cells present in the lymph nodes, or

in other lymphatic tissues, is characteristic of

Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs when there

is a malignant growth of lymphocytes. This malignant

growth is also seen in specific forms of leukemia,

which makes it hard to distinguish between the two.

However, in people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma it

rarely affects the bone marrow, whereas leukemia

patients have extensive bone marrow involvement.

WHAT ARE SOME SYMPTOMS OF

LYMPHOMA?

The first symptom of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is

an enlargement of the lymph nodes- also known as

swollen glands – in the neck, underarm, or groin. If

the cancer has affected the lymph nodes in the chest,

pressure from this swelling may result in unexplained

cough, shortness of breath, or blood flow problems.

Other symptoms may, but do not necessarily include

fatigue, lack of appetite, itching and/or hives.

Unexplained fever, night sweats, and weight loss have

also been attributed to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

HOW IS LYMPHOMA TREATED?

Common lymphoma treatments include

chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy, or any

combination of the three.

HOW CAN ONE PREVENT LYMPHOMA?

Scientists do not know exactly what causes

lymphoma; however, people with inherited immune

defects, such as HIV, or those who have been treated

with immune-suppressive drugs have a predisposition

to getting lymphoma. Exposure to certain pesticides,

herbicides, and solvents such as benzene has been

associated with lymphoma. (www.cancer.gov)

ALIEN ATTACKS IN ENDER’S GAME

by Sabrina Carrero

SPOILER ALERT!

In many alien movies, the reason for

multiple outsider attacks on Earth are to enslave the

human race, to use humans as a food source, or for

revenge for whatever evil thing we have done to

their civilization. But in Ender’s Game, their goal

was to seize Earth’s water supply to themselves.

This could lead to the extinction of the entire of the

human race. This motive does not make sense in

the real world, and it could be backed up with

science. According to Corey Powell of Discover

Magazine, recent astronomical research has

suggested that water is not as rare as we think it is.

For example, one of Jupiter’s moons called Europa

is covered with a layer of water and ice that is

roughly 100 miles thick. This is more than

equivalent to the total volume of Earth’s oceans. So

out of all of the planets in the world, why would the

aliens come to Earth?7

7 Powell, Corey S. "Watching "Ender's Game" With My

Science Goggles On - Out There | Discovermagazine.com." Out

There. Discover, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2014. -10-

Crosta, Peter. “What Is Lymphoma.” Medical News Today.

MediLexicon International, 15 Apr. 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

“Lymphoma.” KidsHealth. Ed. Jonathan L. Powell. The

Numerous Foundation, 01 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

“Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.” Home Page. National Cancer

Institute, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

2482

By Violet Morrison

It was just a number, on a screen; and no one knew what it meant. Absolutely no one on the

entire planet could figure it out, and that wasn’t an understatement; all 58 inhabitants of the desert planet

were absolutely dumbfounded. That is, until Illiana Reed, the last of the sleepers, woke up. Everyone

had opened their eyes at one point, Marvin Quinn had been the first, and Illiana was the last. She had

looked right at the four-digit number and had wondered why everyone was so confused.

“It’s the year, isn’t it?”

How had they not realized that? None of them could remember that a number to four places was

a year? How absurd.

Now that that was sorted out, there was the larger problem of where, exactly, they all were, and

how they had gotten to be there in the first place.

It was definitely a planet; a big dusty, dry planet. The ground was a huge, orange, rocky, expanse that

stretched on and on. There were no mountains, no hills, and no craters, not even a single tree. The only

thing visible for miles was a small outcropping of silver buildings that glinted in the sunlight. They were

all breathing (thankfully), so it was either fit for humans or had been made so by a false atmosphere.

The sky wasn’t blue (it was a disgusting shade of green), which eliminated earth, but that was pretty much

the extent of it. Ultimately none of this was much help, considering just how many planets Earth had

colonized.

The prospect of how they had gotten there was (if possible) even more perplexing. There had

been no ship, no transport, not even a transmission, just the opening of many confused eyes to an alien

sky. They hadn’t even woken up in proper beds, just on the orange dirt with the wind blowing gritty little

specks in their faces.

In short they were stuck on a planet in a way that you get stuck in a dream; with no recollection of

what has transpired beforehand and in a land that could just as well be a real place or a place of your

own imaginings.

Perhaps it was a nightmare. Either way, Illiana Reed was determined to escape it.

“So . . . does anyone remember anything?” She asked once everyone had gathered inside one of

the mysterious metallic buildings that had been found, already established, on the surface of the alien

planet.

Blank stares were all she got in return.

“Before you woke up we all asked the same questions,” said an older woman with silver hair.

“But no one could answer them,” added an adolescent boy.

There were memories, of course; memories of people and places and things that had happened,

but no memories that told them how they had gotten to this odd planet.

The confusion continued.

“Well what are we supposed to do?” asked another woman, in her mid-forties.

Nobody knew.

Illiana thought though, and then, after a long while, she knew.

“We need to contact the Board of Interstellar Relations, or a ship, or a planet, or anything!

Maybe someone out there knows what happened to us,” she suggested.

No one argued.

They were lucky enough to find a rather archaic transmitting device mounted on the wall under a

raised metal panel and they used it to send the strongest signal they could.

They sincerely hoped that it was strong enough and that it would reach someone. If surviving on

a desert island was impossible, they imagined surviving on a desert planet would be immeasurably worse.

Waiting was hard. (to be continued in the next issue…)

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The answers to this crossword will be published in the next issue of The ElRo Experiment.

8

1 2 11

9 10 12

3

4

13

5 15

14

6

7

1. The only liquid metal on the Periodic Table 9. The first "A" in NASA

2. The proper name for a "killer whale" 10. The ____ Project mapped the body's DNA [2]

3. The body's filtration system 11. Inventor of the telephone [3]

4. E. Coli's home in the digestive system [2] 12. Human DNA chromosome count [2]

5. Length of the longest manned space mission [4]

6. A condition that relates senses to each other

7. The most abundant element in the universe 14. The female equivalent to neutering

8. The branch of science involved with crime 15. The minutes sunlight takes to reach the Earth

13. Number of letters the Periodic Table does

not include

Puzzle by Brenda Mandel

FUN SCIENCE CROSSWORD

Fill in the answers to the science themed

clues in the grid. Answers that are more

than one word indicate the total word

number in brackets after the clue, but

do not include spaces between each

word. If you need a starting hint, the

answer to number 5 is from one of the

articles.

-12-