Life in the womb of Mars

No, I will not tell you about David Bowie. First of all, what is considered life? Maybe you could say that any simple form or organism is considered life, or maybe you think in a more complex and conscious organism. What I want is to take both points of view and make the same comparison, but in two different topics.

Scientists have always tried to prove the existence of life in other planets. Some of them say that the only thing you need for life to exist is methane, which consists of one carbon and four hydrogen atoms, simple, right? And they have tried to find it in the outer space. They affirm that finding that molecule means finding life. Nevertheless, some other men of science think that life is more complex than that, and that molecule only provides the chance for living organisms to exist.

And now, let’s see it from another point of view; the human life. The same scientists that assure that methane means life are supporters of the morning-after pill. Which basically eliminates the zygote, preventing the embryo to fully develop. Why is it that they do not consider that same zygote represents life in the same way that an even more simple molecule of methane? I leave you the answer to you. 

Is there life after death?

At some point in our lives, we've all wondered if there is life after death. There are many beliefs say that yes, there is. For instance, some religions that say that we should have a good behavior in life so that, after this, we won’t go to hell. However, there was still no evidence to prove it so far. Dr. Eben Alexander, after suffering a near-death experience in which his brain stopped working, has returned to the world convinced that there is a higher spiritual dimension and that consciousness does not depend on the brain, it exists beyond the body and death.

Near-death experiences are one of the most interesting research areas in neuroscience. For most scientists are a phenomenon that can be explained perfectly by the physics (spiritual divinity is a conceptual experience generated by the brain), but people who have experienced these close encounters with death, do not listen to the voices of men qualified white coat and, seduced by the beauty of his visions.

Dr. Eben Alexander, neurosurgeon from Harvard University, had experienced one of the most commented encounters about death. He wrote a book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Near Death Experience and Journey into the Afterlife, and a condensed version of his experience has been featured on the cover of Newsweek (one of the last editions of this iconic print magazine).

He claimed that he did not believe in the phenomenon of near-death experiences. He understood what happens to the brain when a person is near death, and always believed that there was an adequate scientific explanation for extracorporeal heavenly visions described by those who narrowly escaped death. Nevertheless, after 7 days in a coma in which the human part of the brain, the neocortex, was off, he experienced something so profound that gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death. All the main arguments against near-death experiences suggest that these experiences are the result of a least transient or partial malfunction of the cortex. His near-death experience; however, did not happen when the cortex was malfunctioning, but when it was just off. According to scientists, there is no way in which he could have experienced even the slightest and dark consciousness during coma. He argues that while his neurons were obfuscated in complete inactivity by the bacteria that had attacked, its free-of-consciousness brain traveled to another dimension larger the universe: "a dimension I never dreamed existed." – he says.

It is hard to believe that there is life after death, but according to this neurosurgeon, there is. In my opinion, I do not believe in heaven or hell. I think there is some kind of dimension in which we all go after we died. Do you believe in something similar? or do you think that when we died, our spirit and body died too?

5 things that, strangely, make people happy

Happiness is a state of mind that all human beings want to reach. Nowadays, it has become one of the most successful businesses in the recent years. Books, drugs, therapies, magazines, courses, etc., are part of the paraphernalia that surrounds happiness. There are certain activities that are known that they are "bad" for humans, can, paradoxically, improve quality of life.

Yesterday, I read in an article that there are five things that are weird, but make people happy and I want to share them with you.

1. To watch a sad movie.

According to a studio, the brains of the people who watch a movie where there is a lot of drama in it, unconsciously, compares their own lives with the character’s lives, and realized that their lives are fine. They start to see life in a different way. For instance, Million Dollar Babby.

 

2. Eating red meat.

Australian scientists did a study that analyzed the eating habits of a thousand women. Those who ate the recommended amount of red meat reported higher levels of optimism compared to those who consumed less or nothing. This is because high levels of Omega-3 that this food has. Red meat improves due mood and prevents various mental illnesses such as depression and senile dementia.

3. Fighting.

In a study, scientists experimented with mice the relationship between aggression and happiness. For this, they placed one female and one male mouse in a cage. Time after cohabitation, the scientists replaced the female by a male intruder. After several minutes, the intruder began attacking. After several repetitions, the researchers injected the male mouse a suppressor of dopamine. A few minutes later, the mouse decided to move away and began to have peace-related behaviors, while the intruder is noticed more agitated, or what could be translated in other words, more "happy", product of dopamine, also called "hormone of happiness".

4. Traveling by subway.

Researchers in Sweden recruited a group of volunteers for a study that in which they would have to travel by subway several times a month. At the beginning of the research, participants were asked about their mood and emotional. As the investigation progressed, scientists were collecting data on happiness. When the study finishes, volunteers reported higher levels of happiness compared to the first records. According to scientists, this is because the routine vary or breaking is favorable for sanity.

5. Thinking about death.

According to a study conducted near to a cemetery and the surrounding streets, a man pretending to throw their belongings. The number of people who were walking near the cemetery and helped the man to pick up his things, was higher compared to those traveling along streets near the cemetery. This is because, unconsciously, death sensitizes people about feelings related to charity and the common good.

I consider this amazing, because I never thought that these five actions could make people happy. Where do you think you can find happiness? Do you think that you could find it in doing these five things?