E V O L V E.

Unfortunately I did not win, but annoyingly had written about the same topic as the highlighted student on the list. We had pretty much identical content (mine was slightly more scientific), but to be fair she had a nicer writing style and addressed the question in hand more directly (" One Way Science Affects Your Daily Life")  My submission is pasted below: I can’t imagine my stir-fry tasting like stir…. steam? Or my steak tasting boiled rather than roasted. How does, essentially a raw cow shoulder, become appetizing? What is responsible for the aromatic smells and plethora of tastes in the foods I eat on a day to day basis? The answer is the Maillard Reaction (incorrect term! It is a series of complex reactions, rather than one). The series of reactions occur between amino acids and reducing sugars, using heat to initiate. It all starts with the carbonyl group on a reducing sugar (e.g. glucose, fructose, galactose etc.) reacting with a nucleoph...

Pain has been defined as "an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage." It is a vital function of the nervous system in notifying us with warning of potential or actual injury. First, lets explain the pain pathway: Lets say you accidentally prick your finger with a sharp needle - this would lead to tissue damage which is recognized by specialized nerve cells called nociceptors. These stretch from the spinal cord to your skin, muscles, joints, internal organs and even teeth. Like most receptors, they too conduct electrical signals, but unlike other nerve cells, nociceptors only activate when something happens that can cause or is causing damage. In my example you have pricked your finger, as opposed to gently touching (which would only activate regular nerve cells, indicating to your brain that you are touching something, but it isn't causing any harm). A certain threshold...