Hyperlite

I am currently a freshman enrolled at UF and have just completed my first semester as a biology major. Offered at my school is an interdisciplinary degree in neurobiological sciences which includes mostly upper-level psych coursework and the core sciences and has an emphasis on research. I have read several books in this subject area and the work definately appeals to me. I've always considered medical school as my first option but I was wondering what other opportunities this degree could afford me post graduation such as further education and of course job opportunities. Being that this is a degree you have to work towards and apply for at my school I really don't know who to talk to about it! If you have any information for me it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I've read some interesting books on Neuroscience written by Richard Restak M.D. which were entitled "The Mind" and "The Brain." Both works complement eachother and were quite comprehensible with a background in only biology and chemistry.

Just wondering.. why is it that a person cannot tickle themselves, not relating to any sexual act, but the simple act of tickling to encite laughter and excitement? I would assume that you would know what to expect with regards to what you were doing to yourself... Any ideas?

After a stressful week, there is nothing I like to do better than to enjoy the company of good friends and drink a considerable ammount of alcohol. Though I am not an alcoholic, I truly enjoy the carefree effects of relaxation and mild euphoria, especially after a stressful weekend. I would thereby consider myself a "weekend warrior" as far as my drinking habits are concerned. Though I am certainly not drunk all weekend, I do on occasions get pretty smashed (8-12 beers or equivalent drinks) but on most nights I may drink less than 6. Nevertheless, I am an extremely healthy person, I work out and eat right all week. I feel my only downfall would be my drinking habits. From a health perspective, I consider alcohol fairly benign in moderate quantities, however, I would like the educated perspective of someone besides my friends to determine any health concerns to my weekend activities... Just wondering...

Geologists and scientists alike have noted that the earth's magnetic poles have shifted periodically thoughout the planet's existence. However, I am left to wonder what effects the shift of the earth's magnetic poles would have on the technological advances of todays society. Magnetism plays a vital role in a vast multitude of machines as basic as a compass to something as complex as a computer monitor. However, I hypothesize that the reversal of the magnetic poles would have a catastrophic affect upon what we have become most accostomed to, techonology. Furthermore, I would not expect that this reversal would happen instantly, if the poles were shifted, could the earth be potentially exposed to some of the ionizing particles emmited from the sun? What other effects could be expected to accompany this natural occurence? Just some thoughts...

In my lifetime, I have never heard an issue as criticized as the war in Iraq. In recent polls, more than half of all Americans have said that they do not approve of the U.S. invading Iraq. However, when attempting to assess whether it was the right decision or not, I tried to formulate a completely unbiased opinion to see if it would help to clarify the issue in my mind. So far several hundred Americans have died as a direct result of the United States sending them overseas to overthrow an oppresive dictator. Nevertheless, it is a fact that Sadaam Hussein and his oppressive regime have been responsible for the murders of thousands of Iraqi citizens throughout his reign. One example, the gassing of the Kurds, was a particularly gruesome mass execution which killed hundreds of Iraqi citizens. In my opinion, Hussein's stronghold of power in Iraq would have clearly ensured that his sons, Uday and Qusay would have been the next in line as leaders of Iraq. Of course his two sons, both responsible for countless rapes and murders were clearly more vicious than Sadaam himself! So I pose this question, is the salvation of potentially a few thousand Iraqi lives worth the loss of a few hundred American lives? Are human lives, man for man, not equal? So if my math is correct, though the invasion of Iraq, thousands of Iraqi lives which surely would have been taken, have now been saved... Though the underlying motives for the overthrow of Hussein may have not been necissarily righteous, the overall objective has been quite positive. Therefore, I feel that it is selfish and ignorant for an American citizen to criticize the war on Iraq.

I was thinking the other day about an instance which occured when I was in grade school. Our third grade class had a sewing project for which the entire class was expected to participate in. My sewing partner knelt down upon a needle which was sticking up out of the carpet. I watched as the needle penetrated into the girls kneecap. However, the girl remained oblivious to the presence of the needle and continued with her work. Nevertheless, I felt the need to notify her of the impaled object and as soon as she noticed it, she began to scream hyterically from the pain. Clearly from my understanding of the central nervous system, there would be nerves located within the vicinity of one's kneecap and therefore when injured this area would elicit alarms of pain in the brain. I am wondering if there is a scientific explaination to why she would not have felt the pain until she saw the needle in her knee? I guess as the saying goes, you should see it to believe it...

According to the laws of thermodynamics, the entropy of the universe is constantly increasing. Accordingly, a system will constantly move from order to disorder. However, I reminisced back to the elementary school days when simple experiments regarding magnets were performed. One such observation included emptying iron dust particles onto an overhead projection machine so that the area of projection was covered, then a magnet was introduced into the center of these iron dust particles and they suddenly arranged themselves in the fashion of the two magnetic poles. I was left to wonder if the introduction of the magnet could truly defy the entropy of the system. Just some thoughts..