Nature vs. Nurture- Intelligence

                                 Accidental Genius:

An idiot savant is someone who is a genius in one thing or subject but struggles with all other areas (handicap). A savant's overall abilities are very low and usually because the baby's brain didn’t develop correctly. Their brains are wired differently, allowing the right side of their brain (the creative side) to become more dominant then the left. All savants have unusual skills but they are divided into different categories. A normal savant has a skill but it isn’t considered useful or the best anywhere. The gifted savants can do something that society considers useful. Lastly, the prodigious savants can do something that is considered the best anywhere (there are less than 100 prodigious savants in the world). Scientists have struggled studying these savants because they all are disabled in some way, usually autism, and can’t communicate what is going on inside of their brains. It is sad how such smart and talented people struggle though life. I have heard many people say that they wish they had skills like these savants, but would they really give up their overall abilities to have one amazing skill?

Nature vs. Nurture- Intelligence

                           Make Me A Genius:

In my opinion being trained properly can allow you to achieve almost anything. After practicing so much, the brain develops in a different way (what you do or don’t do changes the brain). It’s like teachers, parents, and coaches always say, ¨Practice makes perfect! ¨ Susan Polgar is a perfect example that by working hard you can accomplish anything. She was born an ordinary child in Hungary and her dad was convinced that he could teach her to be a genius. So, when he discovered her interest in chess, he decided to teach her how to be a chess expert, which is what she grew up to be. She became the first woman to earn the men's Grandmaster title.  Memory is a tool most geniuses learn to use. They come up with tricks to remember things such as chunking, which is putting groups of information together. Also, with constant repetition things go from the moving memory to long-term memory. An example of how are brain adapts to our lives is that Susan uses the part of the brain where most people store and recognize faces to recognize the chess board and its pieces. It is interesting how our brain can become more intelligent by practicing and the right training. What if we all started practicing and training the way Susan did? Could we all become a genius at one thing?

Nature vs. Nurture- Intelligence

                                                                                         Born Genius:

Children who are born geniuses seem to be adults in the body of a child. The really gifted kids drive themselves and go into altered states of mind. They work, succeed at what they do, like doing it and receiving praise, so they keep working. The questions is, are they born that way or are they made that way? An example of a latent many gifted people have is playing music. For some reason, musicians have bigger brain parts then ordinary people, especially the cerebellum. The part of the brain that hears and analyzed music is more developed and complex for kids who play at a young age. Does the brain shape music or does music shape the brain?

By studying Genie, a girl who had the brain of an 18 month old because she was isolated for the first 12 and 1/2 years of her life, scientists realized that the brain cuts off connections that aren’t being used or makes the ones that are being used even stronger. If cut off, the neurons will separate for life and there is no solution. Stimulation is essential for a child's brain, so doctors came up with the Abecedarian Project. This study gave kids from low-income families the chance to have a better education. By giving them the best education possible since birth, the scientists managed to prove that at the age of 15 months, the kids in the Abecedarian Project were already smarter than other kids. It was confirmed that the kids from the project did better in life than most people. So in conclusion, I think that the brain can be manipulated and educated to be more intelligent but that true geniuses are randomly born that way.

Nature vs. Nurture: Homosexuality

Does someone choose to be gay or are they made that way? Many scientists have been trying to answer that question but just haven’t succeeded. There are many theories but none of them have been proven. I would have definitely kept on thinking that the environment a person is in affects them and that they choose to be gay, if I hadn’t realized that there is no explanation for why a person would choose to be someone that most people and society look down upon. It just doesn’t make sense. In my opinion it is a combination of genes, hormones, and the environment surrounding the person, such as in the rat experiment. That study showed that animals, including humans can change and act differently from receiving different amounts of hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. It was very interesting to learn that for every brother a right-handed man has, his chances of being gay increase by 1/3. It makes sense that a woman’s body would try to get rid of a baby boy since it isn’t able to recognize it. The only flaw that this theory has is that it gives no explanation for why some women are lesbians or why only one twin might be gay or lesbian when they have an identical twin. Although this might not be the answer to homosexuality and where it comes from, it is a step to finding the answer.

Mind of a Murderer

In my opinion murderers are made the way that they are and are not born that way. The causes are not just one thing but a combination of various experiences. Studies show that most murderers are abused or witness abuse at an early age. It is said that most killers experience or witness violence when they are young and so they learn to behave that way. Not only are those moments traumatizing for the average human but especially for young children. Memories are engraved in us and it doesn’t matter how hard we try to get rid of them but they will always stay with us. Also, studies show that most murderers have had brain damage or injuries. The loss of a part of the brain can completely change a person and how he/she reacts to something. The combination of abuse and brain damages sparks the person into becoming a killer.
I completely agree with the idea of how nature affects us when we are young and how we evolve because of our surroundings. The household is the foundation of a person and how they will most likely view life, so if a young child sees violence at home he/she will grow up thinking that violence is perfectly normal, when it is not. Parents must realize they have to be careful on what they are showing their kids as right and wrong.
Once a person becomes a killer, they aren’t able to stop themselves. It’s like as if they are missing the emergency brake that allows most humans to control themselves from overreacting when angry or emotional. The mind of a murderer is wired differently, usually from an accident that has caused brain damage and they are missing the feelings of empathy and concern for people. It is sad how fast a person can end the life of someone who will then be missed so much. I hope that somebody will create a way to cure murderers and prevent so many unnecessary tragedies.

Living With Tramatic Brain Injury

The brain defines who you are. If something happens to the brain then there is a great chance that you will change. Brain injuries and damage occur when something hits the brain or when the brain hits something. Almost a quarter of a million Americans are hospitalized each year for brain injuries. Many of these accidents may not have been preventable but brain trauma can be a result of something as common as fighting. This is a lesson that a lot of people take into consideration, especially boys and athletes.
Once a brain injury has occurred there is little one can do to go back to "normal". Learning to make adjustments is part of the rehabilitation process but not everything can be cured. The frontal lobes and temporal lobes are more venerable to being damaged and that is why the most common problem is thinking and emotional and behavior management. There are three main types of injuries: contusion (bruise or blow), Axonal injury (twisted and torn), and bleeding in the brain (blood). So in conclusion, although our skull may feel very strong we still must be careful and try not to harm our brain. Damage can be fatal or cause a completely different life style for you and the people around you. So make sure to think wisely before you do something that could harm you.

Mind Reading

Who would have thought that mind reading would become possible? Not long ago, the idea of mind reading blew people away. it used to be science fiction and now it’s on the verge of changing the world as we know it. Will it still be possible for people to have secrets?
Our brain is a biological machine. The technology present today allows a computer to "read" your mind, if what you’re thinking of has been registered in the computer. Until now a small amount of things have been registered in the computers, but with time more and more objects will be programmed. What is being registered into the computer is not the actual image of the objects but an image of the brain when thinking of that specific thing. Images for kindness, hypocrisy, and love are some of the few things that have been defined.
Once these machines are fully developed, problems might occur with the legal system. Will our thoughts be private or will we be forced to have out mind read? It is a complicated issue but if the testing is allowed it could solve many problems. It would be possible to see who is leading and if someone is guilty of a crime. In my opinion if should be allowed so that all dangerous people are locked away and not able to harm innocent bystanders. I hope I will be alive to witness the effect mind reading has on the world.