6. Crocodiles 2024

  Walden University The Undervalued Unconscious    Sleep is often described as our body's "reset button," but as we all know the significance of sleep goes beyond its identification as mere rest. Recent research goes to show the critical role sleep plays on one's memory consolidation.       Each night, as we lie down and close our eyes, our bodies enter the unconscious. Where we not only dwell in the process of rejuvenation and relaxation, but also where our minds perform various cognitive activities such as offline or overnight learning. Studies show that newly acquired skills are faced with superior retention following sleep in comparison to wakefulness.       In our non-REM stage 3 of sleep, through a routine known as slow-wave-sleep, our brain's neural patterns facilitate information from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. For example, you’re more likely to recall something you've done right before going to sleep in...

12/26/23. For a time, this was a date that I refused to remember. I mean, there’s no way the day right after Christmas would be of any relevance, right? Or, at least, that’s what I wanted myself to imagine. But I knew that it was more than just the mundane Tuesday day that took place after an awfully uneventful Christmas celebration when I recently came across an untitled Google document with that same date written as the first sentence. Last year, my faith in my religion was quite strong. There were many times where I would rely on it in order to provide my life with many delightful events, (events which I will always be thankful for every time I look back on them as of now.) And ignoring all the strict restrictions and expectations that one would usually abide by and accept as a devout follower of any religion, I held the “Catholic” title with flexibility. Of course, I’ve encountered many setbacks that caused me to despise my religion many times before, but there was something about ...

 Is Affordable Clothing a Memory of the Past Since when was it normal for a plain, common hoodie to cost $60? Or $30 for a t-shirt? I personally do not remember regular clothes, not by luxury brands, nearing or at least approaching the price of expensive designers. Over the last few days I was hoping to buy some new clothes online where I was met with this fact. I was not only surprised but shocked by how much clothing has increased in the last few years. The last time I was shopping for clothes, shirts and hoodies were at reasonable prices; $10 to $15 per t-shirt or $30 for a nice hoodie. As a result, I was curious as to what caused this increase. Was it inflation? Is the fashion industry still struggling from supply chain issues caused by the pandemic? It seems to be a combination of both. Source An article published by McKinsey finds that Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, a key indicator of inflation, for the clothing sector supplied by the Federal Reserve supports the claim that...

Memory, as defined by cognitive science, is “the ongoing process of information retention over time” (Harvard) . Its significance in shaping our understanding of the present cannot be overstated. A comprehensive grasp of its functions is important for educators aiming to enhance their teaching methods. In accordance with contemporary research, memory operates on a “dual-process” model, where System 1 encompasses unconscious, routine thought processes, contrasting with the conscious, problem-solving nature of System 2 (Harvard). This dual nature highlights the complexity of memory mechanisms. Central to memory are three fundamental processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval (Harvard). Encoding denotes how information is assimilated, whether visually, acoustically, semantically, or tactually. This lays the groundwork for storage, initially in short-term memory before potentially transitioning to long-term memory, characterized by its vast storage capacity (Harvard). Retrieval, the final...

You might be familiar with the idiom, “memory of a goldfish,” used to denote an exceptionally poor memory. Growing up, I was told that goldfish can only remember things for 7 seconds, and that is what I believed for much of my life.  But do goldfish really have such short memories? Turns out, the answer is no. According to Henry Baker’s article, “ Do Goldfish Really Have a 3-second Memory? ”, not only do goldfish have “much longer memories—spanning weeks, months and even years,” but said memories are so impressive for fish, that they are often used as a “common model for studying memory and learning in fishes.” One such study has shown that if goldfish are fed at only one side of their tank, then they will learn to stay at that side of the tank during feeding time, even if no food is actually given. They can also be taught to associate certain cues—a red paddle instead of a blue one, or even different types of bubbles and music—with food rewards. Additionally, goldfish are “good pr...

Memory paves a road—one that stretches years, even decades-long in human time. The final destination? A snapshot. An image that no one else on this planet has access to. You may laugh or you may cry by staring at this image, but it’s yours and it cannot be stolen. Memory does not always have an emotional touch to it, though. For example, remembering a neighbor’s name shortly after being introduced would require the use of memory. Even realizing at 9:50 PM “shoot, I have a blog due today” is a faculty of human memory. But as teenagers, many of us struggle to appreciate memory as a gift to the human race. Therefore, below I shed light on the lives of people who do not enjoy some of the privileges we do in terms of memory. Neurodegenerative diseases are terrifying. Not only because they are one hundred percent incurable but also because of some of the nasty things they do to patients. I shuddered the first time I saw illustrations of the grimy tentacles of neurofibrillary tangles and the ...

Growing up, I was always baffled by how forgetful adults were of past events. Hey Dad, when was the first time you lived without your family for over a day? I don't know." Mom, what classes did you take in seventh grade? "I can't remember." Looking back, I can understand why my parents were forgetful of such information about their lives. I have realized that as people grow older, they hold less information about their past. Is this because of aging? Is it because they have too much to remember? Is it both? Regardless of the reason, having more memory about the events that have unfolded in one's life enables one to have a bigger library of experiences, which fosters wisdom and appreciation for life. However, the remembrance of so many memories can be overwhelming as it could cause a person to constantly ruminate about their past actions and mistakes – evoke feelings of anxiety and regret. This fear could not only damage their mental health but could seep into...

The ability to remember past events is a gift bestowed upon us from the moment we are born. Every second, our mind captures the moment and stores it in its seemingly infinite memory. This memory can either be retained for a long period or be forgotten quickly.  Especially as high school students, our ability to memorize things is crucial. Many of our assessments require us to thoroughly memorize the content. This can be seen with the novel tests this year in AP Lang—we have had to remember quotes, events, and characters’ attributes, which could only be accomplished through our memory.  I think we all know that in the Marvel franchise, Tony Stark always learns from his mistakes. However, a key part of fixing past errors is remembering what was done wrong. Stark looked back on where things had gone wrong, which allowed him to prevent those mistakes from occurring again. This process forms the basis of virtually everything that we learn in life. From learning how to ride a bicycl...