Pumpkin shortage

Pumpkin brand Libby's reports that unusually rainy weather in Illinois has affected the harvest of pumpkins negatively, but the company hopes to meet the needs of this year's holiday bakers. Pumpkins need warm weather to grow , but if there is too much rain, they don't get as big and they suffer more diseases.

Some climatologists affirm that the record rainfall in Illinois is related to climate change.

Pumpkins by Martin Doege ( Wikimedia)

From http: //scienceworld.scholastic.com/Earth-Science-News

Written by Sara Mirás, 3rd A ( 9th grade)

O instinto materno

É a oxitocina tan só a hormona do pracer? Baseándonos na investigación realizada por neurocientíficos estadounidenses do NYU Langone Medical Center, a resposta é non. 

A partir do seu estudo publicado na revista Nature, observaron que unha inxección desta hormona no cerebro das ratas sen crías, estimulaba o comportamento materno facendo que se preocupasen por coidar os descendentes doutras.

Este efecto perdura incluso despois de que se bloqueen os receptores de oxitocina. Isto indícanos que esta hormona funciona como amplificador e supresor dos sinais neuronais no cerebro podendo ser manipulada nun futuro para trastornos como ansiedade social, estrés postraumático ou transtornos psicolóxicos de abusos.

Imaxe de: el-gatorriodico.blogspot.com

Fonte: www.agenciasinc.es (15/04/2015)

Chocolate component reverses memory loss in older people

A research carried out at Columbia University in New York and directed by professor Scott A. Small discovered that a component of chocolate called flavanol reverses memory loss in adults. In this research a group of people was given a drink containing lots of flavanols and by the end of three months they found out that their memory had improved. It’s the first time we know diet can help memory decline. 

Unfortunately, the problem of this study is that people must eat or drink big quantities of chocolate to get a beneficial effect.

From http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/27/chocolate-component-reverses-memory-loss-older-people-claims-study

Written by Alejandra Recimil and Antía Rodríguez (3rd ESO - 9th grade).