Curiosities

Today I am going to talk about some curiosities of the human body. I have chosen certain things that I think are quite interesting.

Alright, I will start with sneezes. Do you hate when someone sneezes and does not cover his mouth? Yes, me too, so let me tell you something. Sneezes travel at 100mph, that is a good reason to cover your mouth.  And as well, this is the reason why you cannot sneeze with your eyes open. I have tried, it is impossible... 

Everybody has seen grandparents, I am sure. Have you noticed that some of them have quite big noses and ears? That is because they are continuously growing. However your eyes will be the same size for your entire life from the same moment in which you are born.

This curiosity is a bit bizarre. A human head can be conscious from 15 to 20 seconds after it has been severed. I could not believe it, I thought it only happened in films. I remember one chapter of The Simpsons in which this happened. At first I thought it didn't make sense, but now I think it is quite realistic. This happens because there is enough blood in the head to maintain it conscious for some seconds after it has been cut off.

My last curiosity is that it is impossible to tickle yourself. It is true, I have also tried it. This happens because your brain predicts what your hands are going to do so it does not react. However if someone else tickles you it will work because your brain is not prepared for that. 

Reading: paper…or e-book?

It is well known that technology has changed our lives and, in most of the cases, for better. But... has it helped in matters of education? Let’s start! 

With the advancements of phones and tablets, ebooks have become a popular reading standard. Still, some people argue that there's something about the feeling of an old-fashioned paper book. 

So... starting with the advantages of electronic books we find that they are more accessible and portable than traditional books, allowing you to carry your whole library everywhere.

However, as many others say, and this is something I support, the kind of format depends on the kind of book. Probably you won’t mind reading a certain novel on a screen, but, when it comes to some series that you like, you may prefer (as I do) a normal paper book of which from my point of view, is easier and more comfortable to read.

In terms of reading, this may not seem important, but I’m one of those people who feel the weight and touch of a book is a hard opponent for a screen. 

On the one hand, ebooks help us to save money and resources, reducing the amount of trees which are cut for us to enjoy a simple book. However, on the other hand, due to the facilities we enjoy nowadays for downloading new books, publishing companies are being damaged both in terms of economics and prestige. With more and more people moving to ebooks and more and more editorials being closed, the decision is yours, screen...or paper?