CROSS your HANDS to STOP the PAIN

According to newly published research by British scientists, if you cross your arms across your body, you will confuse your brain and it will lessen the intensity of pain. Scientists at the University of London say the reason for this phenomenon is in a conflict of information between the two brain maps, maps for the body and folders to an external space.


Giandomenico Iannettija from the part of Physiology said that in everyday life, we are mostly using the left hand to touch the items on the left and right for the items on the right. In his words, brain areas that contained a map of the right body and right of the map outside world usually are activated together, resulting in effective treatment of pain.


When you cross your hand, these maps are no longer activated together, and that leads to reducing efficiency of brain processing of sensory stimuli, including pain.


The scientists used a laser in a study and on a hand of eight participants in the study generated the sting of four milliseconds. This is the so-called clean pain inflicted without touching.


The process is then repeated, and participants had crossed hands. The results showed that the perception of pain is milder if the hands are crossed. Iannetti also said that maybe we, when we are in pain had to cross our arms in order to feel less pain.


The researchers hope that their discovery could help in developing new drugs and therapies to reduce pain, which would be based on brain maps of the body.

GENE Responsible for CHEATING

If we can believe the results of researches of the relation of the genetic code and cheating, the lack of self control and love aren't guilty of adultery, but the gene DRD4 is. 

If you think that the cheating is caused by a lack of love or self-control, you are wrong. Scientists from the University of New York explored the behavior of 180 adults. After completing the questionnaire on sexual behavior, their DNA was tested to determine whether they carry "the gene for adultery".
The results have shown that carriers of DRD4 are more likely for the one-night sex, adultery, gambling and alcohol consumption. 

The explanation for this behavior lies in the fact that the body of people who carry this gene secrete more dopamine if you engage in the risks that they can provide pleasure, like sex for a one-night or gambling.

DETECTION of the FUTURE CRIMINALS

Warm-up comprehension:

1. What are the most common crimes in your country?

2. Is there anything we as individuals can do to reduce crime?

3.  What are some of the main causes of crime?

4. Are there any parts of your city or town where it is too dangerous to walk alone at night?

Vocabulary builders: 
1. psychopaths --? 
2. antisocial --?

U.S. scientists have discovered that by looking at the brain of a three-years old child can detect whether it have a criminal tendencies. The origins of crime and antisocial behavior can be found in children as young as only three years old, according to a criminal psychologist Adrian Raine and Nathalie Fontaine.

By this conclusion they reached by studying the brain scans in children after compare that with their subsequent behavior. Studies have shown that psychopaths and criminals have developed different parts of the brain that are associated with the behavior, guilt and empathy.

"By identifying these types of antisocial behavior and the with proper approach would prevent criminal behavior, " explains Raine and Fontaine.

Their research showed that punishment of children did not show significant improvement. Results are achieved only by hard work, counseling with troubled children, as well as praise for the breakthrough achieved. Progress was also demonstrated by those who were taking food and medicine rich with Omega 3 fatty acids.

The study was conducted at nine thousand twins whose development was followed over several years.

Scientists hope to be able to begin soon to implement to identify individual children from troubled families, but the question is how to protect these children from other types of marking from their childhood.

The HAPPIEST countries on the EARTH

Have you ever wondered where the most happiest people on the planet live? The answer is in northern Europe. British study conducted by the Legatum Institute from London, and that includes residents of 110 countries, representing 90% of the human population, found that the happiest country on earth is Norway, followed by Denmark and Finland.


Exploring what it is that what makes you happy by individual, they found that in addition to possession of enough money for all purposes, and that high standard that is characteristic of Scandinavian countries, where freedom of thought and expression really means to people, to practice their religion, a sense of safety and security at home, ability to care for themselves.


The main criteria for the detection of where the happiest people live were the economy of the state, enterprises, government, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital. It turns out that in addition to the aforementioned three countries, the ones that are meeting these criteria the most are Australia and New Zealand, as well as Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands and the United States, which were in top 10.


Surveyed men said that they are happy to spend quality time with their friends and family, for opportunities and possibilities to get a good education, to be entrepreneurs, as well as the fact that their work and effort will be rewarded many times. These qualities make Norway, Denmark and Finland the most prosperous countries in the world, reports Forbes.com.

Kids run more slowly than 30 years ago

BEFORE READING

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	levels	a.	figures
2	data	b.	concerning
3.	roughly	c.	variety
4.	reasons	d.	rates
5.	decreasing	e.	usually
6.	worrying	f.	dropping
7.	generally	g.	about
8.	conditions	h.	talented
9.	range	i.	causes
10.	skillful	j.	illnesses

A new report from the American Heart Association says fitness levels in children are lower today than they were 30 years ago. The researchers looked at data from the past 46 years. The statistics were on more than 25 million children in 28 countries. The research team found that on average, today's children run one kilometre about one minute slower than their parents did three decades ago. The figures were roughly the same for boys and girls. The distance a child can run is decreasing by around half of one per cent every year. One of the biggest reasons for the slowdown in children's running ability is obesity. Kids are overweight because they are eating too much and not exercising enough.

The researchers say their report is worrying. If children are becoming fatter and less fit, they will be unhealthier in the future. Lead researcher Dr Grant Tomkinson said: "If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life." Dr Tomkinson said: "We need to help to inspire children and youth to develop fitness habits that will keep them healthy now and into the future. They need to choose a range of physical activities they like or think they might like to try, and they need to get moving." He added: "Young people can be fit in different ways. They can be strong like a weightlifter, or flexible like a gymnast, or skillful like a tennis player."

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Kids are running more slowly because they have shorter legs.	T / F
b.	Researches looked at statistics on over 25 million kids worldwide.	T / F
c.	Boys are running much more slowly than girls.	T / F
d.	Obesity is one of the biggest reasons for kids running more slowly.	T / F
e.	The researchers are not so concerned about what they found out.	T / F
f.	The researchers said too many kids today have heart disease.	T / F
g.	A doctor said we need to inspire children to start exercising.	T / F
h.	The doctor suggested kids could become a gymnast or tennis player.	T / F

Better tables for beautiful people in Paris restaurants (10th November, 2013)

BEFORE READING 

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	trendy	a.	body
2	good-looking	b.	certain
3.	former	c.	reservation
4.	policy	d.	ex-
5.	physique	e.	fashionable
6.	sure	f.	place
7.	regularly	g.	system
8.	furthermore	h.	frequently
9.	booking	i.	in addition
10.	seat (verb)	j.	attractive

Two trendy restaurants in Paris give good-looking people better tables than not-so-good-looking people. This is according to staff who used to work at the two eateries. The former employees told a Parisian newspaper about the restaurants' seating policy. They said: "The good-looking customers are led to the good places, where they can be easily seen; the non-good-looking ones must be seated in the corners of the room." This rule did not apply to celebrity diners. The rule for them was that, "pretty or ugly, old or young," they got the good tables. Even the waiters and waitresses were employed based on looks. One ex-waitress said: "Anyone short, without a model's physique and over 30 need not apply."



The ex-staff members said the restaurant owners wanted to make sure the restaurant had a good image by seating attractive guests in easy-to-see places. They said the restaurants' owner would visit regularly to make sure his 'beauty policy' was working. If he saw someone whose face he didn't like at a good table, he would tell the staff: "There are good-looking people, you put them here; there are bad-looking people, you put them there." Furthermore, staff could not promise to give a table to customers who telephoned to make a booking, just in case they were not beautiful. Staff only decided where to seat them after they came to the restaurant and looked at their faces.

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Most restaurants in Paris seat attractive diners at good tables.	T / F
b.	Staff at two restaurants refused to talk to a Parisian newspaper.	T / F
c.	Old celebrities at two Paris restaurants are given good tables.	T / F
d.	You cannot become a waiter at the two restaurants if you are aged 32.	T / F
e.	The restaurant put good-looking people in seats others could see them.	T / F
f.	The owner of the restaurants rarely visited them.	T / F
g.	It is easy to book your favourite table at the restaurants by telephone.	T / F
h.	Staff seated people who booked by phone after looking at their faces.	T / F

Can learning another language keep your brain healthier?

BEFORE READING 

1 . SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	study	a.	leading to
2	delay	b.	proved / proven
3.	types	c.	away
4.	contributing to	d.	analysed
5.	at bay	e.	benefit
6.	gender	f.	postpone
7.	evaluated	g.	for good
8.	advantage	h.	sex
9.	confirmed	i.	report
10.	permanently	j.	kinds

A new study shows that being bilingual may delay dementia by five or more years. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland discovered that people who spoke two languages did not show any signs of three types of dementia for more than four years longer than those who were monolingual. A co-author of the report, Dr. Thomas Bak, said: "Bilingualism can be seen as a successful brain training, contributing to cognitive reserve, which can help delay dementia." This means that speaking two languages keeps the brain in better health and helps to keep diseases like Alzheimer's at bay for longer than if someone spoke just one language.



Dr Bak's research found that bilingualism and the delaying of dementia had little to do with social status, gender, occupation or educational background. Bak's team evaluated the medical records of 648 people from India who had been diagnosed with dementia. Of these patients, 391 were bilingual or trilingual and many were illiterate. Dr Bak wrote: "The fact that bilingual advantage is not caused by any differences in education is confirmed by the fact that it was also found in illiterates, who have never attended any school." He suggested that learning a language later in life could keep the brain healthier. He said language learning was "socially more enjoyable, and it forces your brain to train permanently"

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Learning a language may slow down dementia by five years or more.	T / F
b.	Tests showed bilingual people had no signs of any type of dementia.	T / F
c.	A doctor said language learning was good training for the brain.	T / F
d.	Language learning cannot delay Alzheimer's disease.	T / F
e.	The research found dementia depended on social status and jobs.	T / F
f.	All of the people researched were bilingual or trilingual.	T / F
g.	The research included those who couldn't read and didn't go to school.	T / F
h.	The doctor suggested that language learning was enjoyable socially.	T / F