Commentary: Essay Example

Summary of Seven Articles

Article (1): Bio-Art: 3D-Printed Faces Reconstructed from Stray DNA
Link: http://www.livescience.com/50146-art-genetic-data-privacy.html

Summary:

According to experts, DNA contains large amount of information because it can reveal so much about the person who left it behind. Dewey-Hagborg discussed in this article what can we learn about any person from his DNA. She depended on collecting forensic samples then she used computer model for DNA analysis to predict the faces of people who left them and used 3D printing to recreate those faces. Hence, Dewey-Hagborg developed state-of-the-art method for people to wipe away their genetic traces.

3D-Printed Faces technique may witness more advancement in the future, in terms of developing more sophisticated application software for 3D printing of faces based on the recognition of DNA traits. The problem will be related to privacy issues, because DNA can be taken easily from people so the problem will be more evident if DNA were taken from specific people for 3D faces printing purposes without their approval. However, the technique can be helpful for police investigations and customs screening activities.

Article (2): Brain Scans Show How Facebook and Cocaine Addictions Are the Same

Link: http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2015/02/03/why-delete-facebook-facebook-addiction-similar-to-cocaine-addiction/
Summary:
According to brain activity researches, people who report compulsive urges to check Facebook updates share the same brain pattern with cocaine addicts. People dependency on social networks increased lately with a daily log in activity. Researches ensure that compulsive Facebook users exhibit greater because they can control their behavior but they lack the motivation for controlling it. Researchers in this article used a questionnaire to gauge the addiction-type symptoms of Facebook users and they found that Facebook cues act as triggers to users' brain even more than traffic signs, which is an indicator of their quick response to Facebook notifications.
Social media networks can be useful for youth if they wish to participate in free courses or share social events with their friends and families. However, it can be a big waste of time if they get used to follow hundreds of notifications that can lead them eventually to a more stressful lifestyle. In the future, social media networks may be developed to simulate realistic emotions of people, which will attract more users to participate in it and, hence, will reduce the real social communities sharing rates.

Article (3): Apple Watch Scored an Estimated 1 Million Pre-Orders on Launch Day

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2015/04/13/apple-watch-scored-an-estimated-1-million-pre-orders-on-launch-day/
Summary:
Apple Company enhanced its sales by launching a new watch; the watch sales reached around one million orders with a selling price of $503.83 per watch. The watch sales are finding massive consumer demand in countries like China, Germany and France. Apple did not report watch sales yet in its own category compared to other Apple products. Users praised the watch as the first smart watch with mainstream potential.
New devices find its way to the market easily and quickly. Based on state-of-the-art features, smart-watches and similar products can attract more buyers who have cravings for new technology. The product design and its functionality can make the best combination for any similar product to be sold easily. In the future, more advanced technologies will help businesses invest its time and effort in fashioned products that exceed customer's expectations and maintain his loyalty to the brand.

Article (4): Yes, Dead Batteries Do Bounce

Link: http://www.livescience.com/50463-yes-dead-batteries-do-bounce.html
Summary:
AA batteries can breed when we left alone without usage. When batteries run out of juice the dead ones get mixed up with the new ones. To test the batteries we can drop it on the floor to determine a flat battery from a good one. The study experiments battery discharging operation regarding the battery bouncing as measured by dropping it down on the floor. According to researches, batteries can reach the maximum bouncing when they are below half of its charge so the bounce can reveal that the batteries are not fresh. Many skeptics claim that this technique has no scientific basis because the bouncing levels cannot be an indicator that the batteries are entirely flat.
Using the simple drop test of bouncing to make sure the battery is flat or not is a simple tool to check the battery charge. All we need to perform the test is a hard surface, such as the floor, to drop the battery on it and measure its bouncing level. However, this bouncing operation can be risky for the battery, because hitting a hard surface can crack the battery and leak the juices out.

Article (5): NASA, Microsoft Collaboration Will Allow Scientists to ‘Work on Mars’

Link: https://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/january/nasa-microsoft-collaboration-will-allow-scientists-to-work-on-mars/
Summary:
This article highlights the efforts performed by both NASA and Microsoft to develop OnSight software that will grant scientists the chance to work virtually on Mars. OnSight will help scientists in planning and use wearable technology called Microsoft HoloLens on Mars. OnSight will enable scientists to virtually walk around Mars from their office seats. The software depends on real rover data and utilizes 3D simulation of Martian environment; it enhances the ways in which scientists can explore Mars and share their experience with the world. Scientists need first to examine Mars imagery on a computer screen and provide their references regarding what is presented on the screen.
The idea of simulating Mars environment for scientists will provide great chance for better exploration and for video recording and documentary film making about Mars, which will be useful, not only for scientists but also to scholars and space amateurs. However, the preparation of images and 3D stereo views will require the natural sense of depth that any viewer can depend on to understand the relationships between different elements of the space.

Article (6): The Health Concerns in Wearable Tech

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/style/could-wearable-computers-be-as-harmful-as-cigarettes.html?_r=0
Summary:
The article discusses the idea of harmful effects of current technologies and innovation in the future that we may ignore now and discover afterwards, such as cigarettes and cell phones. Brain tumor, cancer and other similar disorders cases are increasing year after year and scientists attempt to identify the relation between them and the new technologies that we deal with everyday. Some people believe that wearable computers have dramatic health effects on our bodies; however, no definitive evidence is clear regarding this claim. Similar fears exhibited regarding the effect of cell phones which let the WHO to declare that the farther the device from user head the less the harm will be. Researchers are concerned about the harm resulting from powerful batteries so close to our bodies for long time. The final decision reached regarding all these fears will stick to the guidelines of the WHO, in terms of enlarging the space between user and the harmful device.
Commentary:
The suggestion of the WHO seem to be credible, it implies that there must be a space between our bodies and the device we use. However, this can solve the problem for the majority of users who may share similar biological characteristics, but for people whose bodies are vulnerable to have cancer or brain trauma the problem still needs an effective solution, because in the next few decades, using these devices will be a part of everyone lifestyle.

Article (7): Mars might have salty liquid water

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150413130611.htm
Summary:
According to space scholars, there is water resources ice shaped on Mars. Recently, researchers from NASA suggest the possibility to find liquid water on Mars surface. The suggestion is based on the discovery of calcium perchlorate in Mars soil, which absorbs water vapor from atmosphere and lowers the freezing point; this can hence explain the possibility to find liquid water in the form of very salty water. Researchers claim that before 4.5 billion years Mars had more than six times as much water as it does now; because the lack of global magnetic field on Mars, most of this water disappeared. Researchers imply that even if we found water on Mars that does not mean that there is any life on it because of its dry and cold atmosphere that is not suitable for life.
Commentary:
The hypothesis that Mars may have salt water is based on the existence of calcium perchlorate in Mars soil, which absorbs water vapor from atmosphere and lowers the freezing point worth further study and research to make sure of the sanity of the potential water on Mars and to identify the purpose that can be targeted after the discovery of water resources on Mars, and whether it can be used for drinking, irrigation or any possible usages.