Online learning has become the next big thing with all the major changes in businesses digitalizing their approach. Educational institutions have followed this cue and they now offer online courses to students. 

At first, this practice was done for simpler courses that do not have extra complications, but slowly more technical and specialized skills are being taught online. Those skills include biological studies that are also available from online education institutions. Here are the best free online courses intended for aspirant biologists.

Lactation Biology

Coursera, one of the world’s leading online course providers, is offering a course titled Lactation Biology. The course is much needed for individuals who see their future working in the business of producing milk. 

You can access this course for free online to understand the basic physiological principles involved in the process of lactation. The material provided can help you understand this field better and when paired with the best online resources for students, your understanding will be far more broadened. 

Synapses, Neurons and Brains

Synapses, Neurons, and Brains course from Coursera but this one shifts its focus to the study of the brain and the function of neurons. If you would like your biology future to be based on studying neurology and how the human brain works, this course is for you. 

The brain is one of the most complicated creations of all time, the networking capabilities of millions and millions of neurons is just more than what we can fathom. 

You can try to understand the little bits and pieces to grasp the principles of how the brain functions. The course will give you a great introduction to that field of study.

And if you still face difficulty, dig up useful information from Samplius while looking for science essay examples. The examples there are of great quality and trusted by students and even teachers across the globe for their academic requirements.

Animal Feed Production: Feed Safety

The Queen’s University, in collaboration with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, runs the Animal feed production free online course. Although the name of the parties involved may suggest that this course teaches European principles, the truth is the skills can be used anywhere in the world. 

The main focus of the online course is teaching potential biologists the importance of keeping their animal feed manufacturing plant healthy and profitable. 

A buzzword that keeps on popping up during this course is food safety, which is a term you may be familiar with in human food preparation. The course highlights how important it is to optimize food safety for animals, too, just like it is essential for humans.

Introduction to sustainability and development

Deakin University is offering the Introduction to Sustainability and Development course for free of charge online. The course only requires an investment of 3 hours per week, which is not demanding and should not derail you from your other studies. The main focus of the course is helping students identify the activity of human life on planet Earth.

With that information, the students will learn how to implement certain measures to create a sustainable future for everyone. Students can get basic information on how resources should be used and everything pertaining to creating sustainable development for future generations.

Image Analysis Methods for Biologists

FutureLearn provides this free Image Analysis Methods for Biologists course to aspirant biologists that want to get a basic understanding of analyzing images. The course covers the fundamentals of how you can acquire images and how they are analyzed afterward. If you are looking into pursuing a biology career that needs these skills, it recommended taking this free course. 

It will be better to learn more about Image Analysis after you have received the basic training provided by this course. That will make your study time much more fruitful when studying it at a university or college class. The course also covers the basics of the latest developments in using automatic image analysis.

The bottom line

You can get going on your biology goals by starting to learn the basics using these free online courses. During these free online courses, you can identify if the biology sector is really the one for your goals and if it what you expected. Sign up today to start getting a better understanding of the biology sector you will potentially work in.

Author’s Bio:

Emma Rundle is an online tutor and a virtual academic coach for school and college-level students. She’s also an exceptional academic writer and works part-time covering thesis, essays and dissertations. When she’s not at work, she attends Zumba classes, watches the latest web series and cooks South Asian food for her family.

In the light of recent events, especially the Covid-19 pandemic, the profession of a medical worker is valued more than ever before. Doctors and nurses are in high demand in every place in the world. The profession is already being promoted, and students will be encouraged to pursue a career in medicine even more now, and there are lots of viable reasons to do so. Working in medicine might be one of the best career choices available in 2020.

Why Should You Study Medicine? 

There are lots of reasons why you should consider studying medicine in 2020. They do not only involve great career prospects, but also the massive contribution you can make into the well-being of humankind. Here are some of the top reasons. 

Discovering New Drugs and Cures

The world desperately needs talented researchers and scientists in the domain of medicine who can discover new drugs. There are lots of diseases that have been plaguing the planet for ages, and no remedy has been found to eliminate them yet. As a medical worker, you can become one of the discoverers who change the course of history and invent a new future, free of certain illnesses and diseases. 

Always Being in Demand 

Considering the current state of global affairs, there is no way being a doctor can become unnecessary. This profession will not be secondary for many decades to come. It means that you can always expect to have a steady job and a great number of job opportunities. You can travel the world and work in any country you want, as this profession is so unique that it does not really get you attached to a certain location.   

Having a Variety of Career Options

Medicine is a world of its own. There are lots of professions you can pursue as a medical worker. You can study dentistry, pharmacy, nursery, physiotherapy, and many other fields of medicine. You can even choose to become a surgeon and decide on a narrow type of surgery to specialize in. For example, you could go into cardiovascular surgery and become as successful as Denton Cooley, one of the best surgeons in the history of the USA. In his own time, he studied various reasons for people getting cardiovascular diseases, and he was actually the very first surgeon to perform an artificial heart transplant in a human being. 

Easing People’s Suffering and Pain

There are also high moral standards behind studying medicine. As a medical worker, you will hold the great power of helping people get rid of their pain and have a happy and healthy life. You will be able to help your patients manage stress and insecurities, give them hope and new chances to live, and simply bringing joy to everyone you interact with. 

Top 5 Healthcare Majors to Choose in 2020

The landscape of medicine is very dynamic, it is constantly changing, and you need to choose the right healthcare major to secure better career prospects and more learning opportunities. Here are the majors that will meet the highest demand in the upcoming years:

Registered Nursing

People with this major will have abundant learning opportunities around the world in the years to come. Registered nurses get to work directly with patients, diagnose, and help manage their conditions. You can also choose a specific group of people to work with, like only children or only elderly people. The studying itself can get quite challenging, so if you feel like you are overwhelmed with all of your assignments, consider reaching out to a medical essay writing service to easily manage your studies. 

Healthcare Administration and Management

Working in medicine does not automatically mean that you have to become a nurse or a doctor. You can also work in medicine and take a managerial position where you get to organize and synchronize the work of medical staff. Healthcare administration and management professionals are facing a rising demand from employers. Running operations within healthcare facilities and making sure everything is in good order is essential for the successful performance of medical institutions. As someone working in the field, you will get to learn financial and business management along with healthcare-specific instructions.

Adult Health Nursing

One of the reasons why adult health nursing would be an excellent choice in 2020 lies in the fact that there are more and more prospects for graduates. This is due to the fact that the adult population is considerably higher than the US underage population. It means that at a point, there will be many elderly people needing the services and assistance of nurses and carers. What’s more, compared to other majors like surgery, this one is considerably more affordable to pursue. There are lots of aspects of healthcare that are focused on adult patients, so you will have many narrow-field options to choose from.

Dietetics Nutrition Services

With each coming day, the world is getting more and more into a healthy lifestyle and sports. A healthy lifestyle is promoted on social media every day, with all the fit influencers around. Many young people have already embraced the power and potential of regular exercise, and they do their best to watch their diet. In addition, they seek help and professional consultations from the medical workers who are knowledgeable in the field of nutrition. Choosing such a major will give you a chance to work not only at a hospital but also to offer consultation services, which pays very well. 

Maternal and Child Health

The world is becoming more conscious of the importance of healthy motherhood experience. People are discovering the bonds between a healthy pregnancy and the whole life of a child after being born. Pregnancy and reproduction are some of the top fields of medicine to study as they have to do with the future of the world. As a professional in the area, you will get to study the health of families, children, and women.

Article by Joy Mayo

Joy Mayo is a professional writer with more than 15 years of experience now in the essay industry. She writes on different subjects, including history, English, linguistics, business, economics, and politics. Her passion is journaling, but she also helps with essay support and is one of the best essay writers in the field.

One would think, at first glance, that there is no link between luck and science. Luck is just something that occurs naturally, a winning streak on a game, or just someone who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, right?

Is there a way to improve your luck?

However, luck is no more than the odds of something happening, given a certain set of circumstances. There are two types of luck that you’ll come across: real luck and false luck. Today we’ll see how both of these play out in the wild.

Real luck = probability

Real luck is based on probability or odds.

When you type into Google “What are the odds of” you get a few interesting suggestions: What are the odds of getting pregnant, What are the odds of winning the lottery, What are the odds of getting struck by lightning.

The odds of getting pregnant is a combination of the virility of the man, the fertility of the women, the day of the cycle, and the health of both people (among a few other factors). WebMD says “for most couples trying to get pregnant, the odds are 15% to 25% in any one month.”

The odds of winning the lottery can be calculated by the number of numbers available to choose from vs the number of slots and position. According to quick maths, for the US Powerball, “the probability of winning the big prize is 1 in 292,201,338.”

The odds of getting struck by lightning depend on whether you live in a place where electrical storms are common, if you go outside during electrical storms, etc. According to the National Geographic, the odds of getting struck by lightning are around 1 in 700,000. 

Casino games can be easy dupes for players who believe in pure luck and superstitions. If a person is ‘feeling lucky today’ or has on their favourite shoes, they may believe they’ll get a winning streak on the slots. While it can happen, slot games give you on average over 90% return to player. What that means is that as your spins increase towards infinity, you’ll only receive 90c for every dollar played. You can get a lucky streak – as a coin flipped 100 times is hardly ever 50 times heads and 50 times tails – however, it is not predictable (except in the case noted below!). The more you play a game, the more likely you are to come out at a loss overall – your chances of winning do not increase the longer you play.

False luck = trickery

How about the ‘luck of the Irish’? Well, that is probably trickery, dear reader. The Leprechaun is, after all, one of the most famous trickster figures in the world.

If someone seems to be having endless luck in a game or other field where luck is at play, then there is likely something funny going on behind the scenes.

Let’s investigate a couple of famous cases.

Russian hackers uncover the secret to winning on the slot machines

A man walks into a casino, takes out his phone, plays a slot machine for a few rounds, then leaves. His win/loss profile? What it would regularly be. Shortly after, he does the same thing, but this time he cleans up big time.

Suddenly, this starts happening in a few different casinos, all over the world – with the same slot machines, from the same game maker.

Of course, it wasn’t luck that had these players raking in the dough on the slots.

The phones were used in the first instance to record the plays the machine went through. From those recorded plays, they then went to a back office, who had worked out the algorithm behind the random number generator used on the machine (as well as the reels on the machines). Once they knew where in the sequence the random number generator was at, they could determine which symbols would come up next – and thus what to play to win big.

A fake lottery ticket nets millions before a suicide exposes the secret

In 2009, a man named Edward Putman presented the National Lottery with a crumpled up winning ticket, missing the original barcode, for a £2.5m jackpot – just in time before the winnings expired.

However, the man wasn’t lucky at all. He had simply been the lucky recipient of a collaborative plan with a man on the inside at Camelot – Giles Knibbs, a friend of Putman’s. After experimenting with various different false tickets, they finally got lucky.

Both men wound up unlucky in the end. Knibbs killed himself after an argument about the split of the winnings, after first telling multiple other friends about what the pair had done. 3 years after the win, Putman was already in jail for benefit fraud, and now 10 years later, he has finally been convicted of the lottery fraud – with sentencing still to follow.

 

It turns out it’s all about dopamine.

Our brains are hard-wired to work towards things we desire. When we think of something we want or need, our brains release a chemical called dopamine that spurs us on to get that thing. It was a great idea in prehistoric times to keep us fed, sheltered, and reproducing but it’s taken a sinister turn in the modern era. 

Simple yet so nice

Now with the advent of online shopping, gambling, on-demand sex and drugs, 24-hour everything, fast food, and literally anything else that you can quickly buy, discover, or download on the internet, this chemically-activated urge is more powerful than ever… and not necessarily helping us in the “survival” department. 

The scary part is that companies have really picked up on this and leveraged the power that it has over human beings to increase profits, keep us wanting more, and creating a feedback loop of neural circuitry that is as devious as it is brilliant.

What is Dopamine?

Dopamine, first discovered in 1957, is one of 20 or so major neurotransmitters, a fleet of chemicals in the brain that are released to send signals to nerves, neurons, and other cells in the body. 

Dopamine is largely associated with desire, addiction, ambition, and sex drive. It causes us to seek reward but not to reward us, also causing frustration and anxiety. Marketers use this feature best when they tell us that the deal won’t last long or that supplies are limited.

People even get dopamine tattoos, a tip of the hat to this neurotransmitter that controls so much of our behaviour and lives.

This evolutionary survival mechanism that worked so effectively for our primal ancestors, has unfortunately found its way into our modern-day lives too.

Neuromarketing

No other field of inquiry sees the exploitation of dopamine more than the burgeoning realm of neuromarketing, or consumer neuroscience. It’s basically the study of the brain with the goal of predicting or even manipulating consumer behaviour.

Interest in neuromarketing started in the early 2000s when graduate student researchers began to show significant connections between branding, advertising, and other marketing tactics and consumer decision-making. Their findings showed measurable impacts on the brain from the bombardment of dopamine by means of various stimuli.

The promise of reward, whether monetary, sexual, indulgence, or status triggers an immediate release of dopamine to the brain. These stimuli propel us to desire something that we may not desire of our own accord. This confusion of reactions in our brains causes us to buy, do, or otherwise crave a product or activity that we may not have had any prior interest in.

Social Media & the Internet

There is no better example of the powerful effects of dopamine than in the online world of social media and the internet. The founding president of Facebook, Sean Parker, has even said that this is not by accident — but rather by design.

He admitted that the social network was founded not to unite us, but to distract us with that little hit of dopamine every time we get a like or comment on a post that keeps us coming back for more. It’s the same principle that addicts people to drugs, except in this form, it is a social-validation feedback loop, a blatant exploitation of human psychology.

Examples abound of people being glued to their smartphones, checking, rechecking, and triple-checking their social media accounts, sitting glued to YouTube for hours, or blowing up their Instagram with photos to get that all-important “Like”.

Games & Music

The gamification of activities such as loyalty programs is a hugely dopamine-driven method for encouraging consumer participation. The McDonald’s Monopoly Game or the Starbucks for Life reward program are great examples of this working extremely well and creating a drone-like consumer following, each one hell-bent on collecting the most game pieces or stars. 

Catchy slogans or, when put to music, jingles have long been used to remind us of products every time we hear them. The addictive music used in online casino slot machines, video games, and keno machines reminds us of something that gave us pleasure in the past. In turn, our brains release the all-important dopamine, which triggers inspiration to pursue that desire once again.

Food

Over time and with more “hits” of dopamine to the brain, the neurons start to become less responsive to familiar rewards. For example, eating an amazing steak and lobster dinner would be great the first few times… but what about the 74th time in a row?

This is why dopamine-savvy companies are constantly changing their food menus, adding new items all the time (with the same manipulative marketing) to keep our receptors coming back for more.

It’s not only something you can see in marketing either. If we stick with the Starbucks and McDonald’s examples, we get a glimpse of food that is manufactured with the perfect combination of salt, sugar, and fat to increase our dopamine production and make us crave the “reward” almost irrationally. 

These ingredients (and chemical additives) combine to create engineered food that hits every pressure point in our brains, literally hijacking our mental circuitry until we get what we’re craving.

A Vicious Cycle

Dopamine fuels addiction and keeps us coming back for more even when we’re not actually happy with the outcome of our purchase, actions, or meal. 

The downside of dopamine is that although we feel really good when we’re engaging in the reward-seeking behavior, the feeling is gone when we’ve accomplished our goal. 

Over time the dopamine receptors in our brain become less sensitive and we build up a tolerance that only ever-higher levels of dopamine can affect. Like a potent drug, we keep going back time and again to try to experience that same satisfying “high” as the first time.

Depression is never fun for anyone. The feeling of lifelessness, the feeling that you don’t want to do anything, it can take a toll on your mental health. While certain things such as CBD can help temporarily reduce those low feelings, are there other ways to reduce depression symptoms? The answer is yes, and we’ll talk about how you can naturally reduce these symptoms to make life a bit easier. 

Reduce Your Processed Food Intake

Processed food that’s not part of a healthy Mediterranean diet has links to depression. It doesn’t provide vitamins and minerals, which help your body. Along with that, they also have white sugar, artificial sweeteners, and MSG, which cause a spike, and then a sudden decline in your blood sugar, and your own general well-being.

While changing your diet may not fix it right away, it can help with reducing the instance of this, and combatting that slow, sluggish feeling that you feel when you’re depressed. 

Plus, it’s better for the body and helps reduce the chances of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes as well.

Get outside

Getting outside is a mindful activity. You can walk around and get some fresh air. It also helps stimulate your nervous system naturally, since you’re not just sitting around. Being mindful of the world around you is good for your mental health because it builds awareness on what’s going on in life.

Awareness is good, and mindfulness is known to naturally boost your own chemicals in the brain plus, walking around a pretty butterfly garden or park identifying butterflies is a relaxing activity. 

You should definitely consider this if you’ve been feeling down due to being cooped up all day.

Get some Exercise  

Finally, get some exercise. 

Excise produces endorphins, which will naturally make you happier. It also increases circulation all around to different parts of the body, improving cell formation and the connections between the neural circuits. Physical exercise works better in most cases than SSRIs, so it can naturally help uplift your mood. Exercise is powerful, and it promotes brain growth too.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to exercise every day for hours on end. Even just thirty minutes a day is incredibly helpful and worthwhile since it’ll work to naturally regulate those neurotransmitters.

Get Help

If you’ve tried the natural way, however, and you’re still feeling down, it’s important to seek out alternative means. BetterHelp therapy is one solution. They offer convenient online therapy on the go, and you can speak with a counselor right away. Sometimes the solution isn’t just going outside or eating healthy. While these can help, don’t discount actual therapy, for it can assist you with combatting some of those thoughts.

Depression is a real issue for many people, and natural means might be a better solution for you currently. If you’re taking SSRIs and want to switch over to something else, or don’t want to take those, then it might help you to look at these natural means to reduce depression symptoms. While it won’t naturally disappear, it can help you.

I made a seal video for the New England Aquarium! How exciting is this.

Sometimes I do work with zoos and aquariums and sometimes I get to make behind the scenes videos about it. I made this short film at the New England Aquarium and was pretty amazed at how much everyone cares. I see this all the time with zoos and aquariums, but marine mammal folks really are one of the nicest groups. I hope this short was able to show that.

Coronavirus has brought up some issues around human-wildlife interactions. Could this pandemic be one solution to wildlife conservation of certain animals? Probably.

If I’ve learned anything about conserving animals though, is that there are thousands of solutions and there is nothing that’s black and white. We all need to think outside of the box if we’re going to make an impact. (you’re helping by helping me share these stories)

So this story, is a success story. It’s not directly related to what’s happening in the pandemic, other than it made it more difficult to shoot. But it is a great example of how a group of people are helping with something that seems so simple. I think we can all learn from this. Maybe it’ll allow others to think about alternatives to our current approaches in the other areas that need our attention.

Stay healthy and stay in if you can. Thanks always for watching the videos I put out. I’ll probably be able to put out more in the coming months, as I lost all my current storytelling jobs. Literally this pandemic is shutting all of my travel down. But that’s cool (I guess), because I still have a lot to share.

Because of that I want to give a big shoutout to all of you. While the number is still small, it does allow me to keep moving forward on this platform. That’s amazing.

Studying living organisms? Isn’t it interesting! Biology has become a mainstream subject in the last few years of school. Choosing biology or showing interest in life automatically makes you lean towards a plethora of career options.

As per 2018 statistics, 25% of the students in the UK choose to study biology. Some students already know they are going to be in the healthcare industry while choosing biology while others are simply interested in studying life. In this article, we are going to list the main career options that pop up when you are a biology student. Some of the career opportunities might surprise you.

1. Doctor

The first and foremost career opportunity that people think of is being a Doctor. It is one of the well-paid and prestigious job opportunities in the field of biology. Being a Doctor is not difficult but you need to be patient and ready to face challenges at every step. It is a 4-6 years course depending on the country. The journey is quite long and tedious. One more thing is that you do not automatically become a doctor after finishing med school. You need to prepare yourself for those cross-roads.

2. Food Science Specialist

Food scientists are supposed to come up with innovative ideas for food production. They monitor every step from raw material to final processing. They are the people who prevent harmful chemicals from being added and preserving the food’s nutritional value. They usually go through an intensive course of 4 years and then apply for vacant positions. 

3. Lab Technician

Every hospital or diagnostic center requires laboratory services to provide accurate results. They form the backbone of diagnosis. As a biology student, you have a lot of essays to finish. You can check this site out and leave them to this writing service. Meanwhile, special degree courses are available to develop the skills. Salary depends on the hospital and whether the institution belongs to the private or public sector.

4. Pharmacist

Another favorite career for biology students apart from being a doctor is being a pharmacist. It is easy to get in the courses and it will definitely be less expensive than medicine itself. A pharmacist may get involved in research and production of medicines or selling medicines.

5. Dentistry

If you like to see bright and clean smiles, dentistry is the perfect job for you. It is one of the best biology jobs for students to choose from. After a year of internship and a 4-5 year course, you may be eligible for the license to practice after passing an exam. Even in dentistry, several specialties exist among which you may choose.

6. Nursing

Nurses are the people without whom the hospitals won’t function. They perform a number of procedures and give IV medications as and when required to patients. Nursing courses vary from 2-3 years depending on the country. If helping people is your agenda, nursing is the best option. 

7. Psychology

It is a huge field with various career opportunities. So there are 2 options, you may become a psychiatrist after completing your medicine or just study psychology and become a psychologist. As a psychologist, you can work as therapists or as counselors in school. They basically help patients to talk about your problems and understand them. They might not be able to prescribe any medication but can offer certain exercises to overcome the problem.

8. Research

Research is the most interesting field for a biology student. Clinical research is a varied field where you can choose to perform research in a designated area. Whatever you study in medicine based on clinical research. Clinical trials, biotechnology, Bio-IT training, bioequivalence studies, the opportunities are countless. The courses are of different time periods. It is a developing field and has great career options.

9. Teaching

If you want to continue the knowledge you got, you can get into teaching jobs. Teaching is an art that cannot be given without proper training. Teaching courses are available for 2-3 years. This is an important responsibility as you are teaching the budding future biologists.

Conclusion

That is a summarized list of biology degree jobs available for all students. Many more opportunities exist like an agriculturist, botanist, zoologist, and life science specialist to name a few. Biology comes with limitless options. All you need is your interest to explore the living and the dead too (Forensic medicine).

The career possibilities are an umbrella under which many subdivisions of the field occur. As you get into the medical field and specialize your way to narrow your field. There is an overall growth of about 7% in the medical field from 2018-2028. This refers to the fact that there is more opportunity for biology students.

Extra Resources from Untamed Science

If you want to find out how to be a science filmmaker, go here.

What is THC?

THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol is a type of chemical that is secreted by the glands present in the marijuana plant. THC is available in high doses in the reproductive organs as well as in the flower/bud of the female plant.

THC is among 85+ chemical compounds (cannabinoids) present in the cannabis plant. However, THC is the primary psychoactive ingredient; meaning it can get you high. In fact, THC alone carries the responsibility for causing ‘the cerebral high’.

And, while it causes the high in humans, the plant actually uses it to fend off bacteria, viruses, and parasites. 

The concentration of THC in Cannabis

Hemp is a type of plant from the cannabis family that carries as low as 0.5% THC, as per the North American Industrial Hemp Council. Many can have even less THC than that. 

(Industrial Hemp Farms grows hemp for CBD production that is compliant with all federal guidelines.)

Some strains can even carry around 20% of THC by dry weight. On average, the concentration of THC is 1-5% in marijuana. In hashish, it can be 5-10 percent, and in hashish oil, it can be around 20%, according to NHTSA. THC concentration is highly variable in marijuana that’s meant for recreational purposes.

CBD vs. THC: Chemical Structure

THC and CBD have the same molecular structure. They both have 30 hydrogen, 21 carbon, and 2 oxygen atoms. The real difference stems from the way these atoms are arranged which is why both have a different range of effects on the human body.

In terms of chemical structure, both these cannabinoids are similar to the endocannabinoid that the body produces via the ECS (Endocannabinoid System).

When cannabinoids interact with the ECS, it affects the neurotransmitter present in the brain. These neurotransmitters release certain chemicals which then relay a bunch of messages back and forth between cells. This constant communication is responsible for a variety of functions such as pain perception, sleep, stress, immune function; among other bodily functions.

CBD vs. THC: Psychoactive Components

Even though both cannabinoids are similar (structurally speaking); they are poles apart in terms of how they impact the human body. While TCH is famous for being a psychoactive compound, CBD has no such effect. That means you can expect absolutely no ‘high’ from CBD.

THC does the job by binding itself with CB1 or cannabinoid 1 receptors present in the brain. That’s when you experience the sensation of euphoria. CBD also binds itself with the same receptor, but quite weakly. In fact, CBD is supposed to dampen the euphoric effects caused by THC.

Why do People Talk About THC Content in CBD Oil?

It’s for the same reason that THC can cause psychoactive effects if consumed in high doses. Since CBD comes from the same plant that also carries little traces of THC, there’s always cause for concern that some THC might be available in CBD products.

It’s because of this that the FDA has laid out strict guidelines regarding the percent of THC (0.3% by dry weight) that must not be exceeded in any CBD product to ensure no ‘high’ whatsoever.

How Does THC Affect The Brain And Body?

When you smoke, THC reaches your brain via the bloodstream where it goes on to mimic the natural cannabinoids that the human body produces naturally. There, it attaches itself to those cannabinoid receptors.

These receptors are present in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and cerebral cortex. It controls a lot of things from movement to thinking, to motor skills, concentration, coordination, pleasure sensations, etc.

The reason why THC’s effects are much more pronounced in the human body than any other cannabinoid is because of its unique molecular structure which allows itself to practically bind itself between neurotransmitters much the way a bud does in a rug.

Once the THC has attached, it mimics the role of a bliss molecule called anandamide (a type of natural cannabinoid). It then stimulates the brain cells to release dopamine which is what causes the ‘buzzing’ or the ‘feel good’ sensation. 

How Does CBD Affect The Brain And Body?

Cannabidiol binds itself with certain proteins and receptors that are located all throughout the body. It thereby initiates a certain physiological response. We already talked about the cannabinoid receptors that are part of the nervous system. 

However, unlike TCH, CBD does not bind itself strongly with these receptors. Researchers believe CBD mostly binds to other receptors such as those responsible for the production of serotonin which influences things like sleep, mood, pain perception, etc.

While CBD’s entire working mechanism is largely unknown, the most reliable information is that pertaining to the research around epilepsy. Because CBD effects in this regard have been studied to the point where epidiolex, the first FDA-agreed drug is now part of mainstream medicine.

Side Effects of Using CBD/THC

CBD

Based on a lot of studies that wanted to establish the safety of CBD in adults, it’s clear that adults tend to tolerate CBD well. As such, there are no major side-effects of CBD on the vital signs, nervous system, mood, etc. (even when consumed in relatively higher doses).

Most people tend to feel tired while some may report diarrhea and a change in weight/appetite. 

However, if you are on some kind of medication or are pregnant, it is important that you talk it out with your doctor before consuming CBD in any form. That’s because CBD may interact with some dietary supplements, OTC aids, and medications.

CBD may also disrupt cytochrome P450 complex, a type of enzyme found in the liver. This might cause liver toxicity due to the liver’s inability to break down toxins. However, such incidences are rare and almost impossible if you are consuming CBD in moderate doses.

THC

If consumed in high doses, THC can cause a range of buzz-killing side-effects. You might experience bouts of depression, fatigue, anxiety, lightheadedness, dizziness, forgetfulness, etc. 

Some may experience pain inhibition, slow motor movements, change in appetite, and a dry mouth. Other effects can also include increased heartbeat, red eyes, memory loss, slow reaction time, etc.

The long-term negative psychiatric effects of THC are more pronounced in teens and adolescents who consume it in large quantities.

Takeaway

Let’s just say that CBD and THC are siblings and not twins. They may come from the same family but their roles and effects on the human body are completely bipolar. While one will make you high, another offers a bunch of medicinal benefits; not to mention the ability to counterattack the unwanted euphoric sensations.

A study into how specific game design elements affects psychological need satisfaction

Gamification is simply the implementation of elements of game designs into real-world contexts, but not for purposes of gaming. The idea is to instill human motivation and performance regarding a specific obligation. 

Motivation through gamification

Video games hosted in specific platforms like the Betway98 casino continue to increase in popularity among both the young and the old, to a point that they are unanimously seen as the future of entertainment. Indisputably, video games bring about high levels of motivation in terms of potential, consequently, making the use of their motivational power in real-world applications all the more reasonable.

Gamification is about using game design elements in non-gaming contexts. The reason behind it is to take the concept of building blocks of games, and implementing them into situations faced in real life, mainly to motivate specific behaviors in the gamified situation. Gamification has previously been implemented in a variety of works, for example; data collection, education, crowdsourcing, marketing, social networks, health, and environmental protection. The expectation in all these contexts is that gamification can successfully foster the continuation of behaviors directed by goals.

Psychological need satisfaction

Within the field of psychological need satisfaction, there are several perspectives that can be distinguished to a point that they all become relevant in the gamification context. These are;

• Behaviorist learning perspective
• Trait perspective
• Cognitive perspective
• Emotion perspective
• Self-determination perspective
• Interest perspective

All the above perspectives are, without a doubt impactful with regard to how gamification works, and it’s possible effects. With special attention to the self-determination perspective, we take a look at the possible effects of the game design elements. Our basis for selecting this perspective is due to the fact that it encompasses a wide array of motivational mechanisms which overlap with almost all other perspectives in one way or another.

Self-determination perspective has already been applied in games contexts like in Betway88 games, but that is not all there is about it. Much of it emphasizes on the significance of the environment in fostering the required motivation. What it does is that, it directly modifies the environment to cause the intended motivational user experience through enriching the environment with the use of game design elements. 

There is need for autonomy, competence, as well as social relatedness within the self-determination perspective. The need for autonomy refers to the freedom of psychology and the power to make a free choice with the purpose of fulfilling a given task. The need for competence, on the other hand, refers to the feeling of acquired satisfaction through success and efficiency while interacting with the environment. Lastly, the need for social relatedness refers to the individual sense of belonging, care, and attachment while in a group of significant partners.

To sum it up, the three intrinsic needs are highly motivational resources that can be created through the modification of the environment. Therefore, the patterns of motivational behavior can be developed to a certain degree through addressing the need for autonomy, competence, and social relatedness. It is more or less the same effects of playing video games on different platforms such as Betway88 and other top sites.