9th TEXT COMMENTARY: Can cats and dogs eat a plant-based diet? - Esther Salvador

HEADER 
A Worrying Number Of Vegans Make Their Pets Eat A Vegan Diet

SUMMARY
The amount of vegan people is increasing, and it seems that there are a really large amount of this group that force they diets onto their pets. It has been found that a little percentage of dogs and cats are being fed an only plant-based diet. Eventhough the percentage is small, there are a lot of this animals, making the small percentage a big amount of pets that are fed with only plant-based food. And there are a near to 50% of the people that said they would feed their pets a vegan diet if it met their nutritional needs.
As dogs and cats come from wolfs and wildcats, we can say that their metabolism is similar. Eventhough that's true for cats, it isn't completely for dogs. Cats are carnivore animals, if they eat an only plant diet they will end up dying from malnutrition. Dogs, on the other hand, have evolved and eventhough they are basically carnivore, they can digest starch, found in crops such as potatoes, wheat, corn, and rice.
Although dogs can eat plants there are studies that prove that plant-based dog foods don't contain the suitable amount of amino acid content. A large amount of vegetarian dogs in Europe where found with a deficiency of protein, essential amino acids, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin B12. As dogs require two types of amino acids (L-carnitine and taurine) and those are really hard to obtain from a plant-based diet, we can say that eventhough dogs can diggest plants, it is not enough for them to live an appropiate life.

LINK OR REFERENCE

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/a-worrying-number-of-vegans-make-their-pets-eat-a-vegan-diet/

PUBLICATION DATE

March 21st, 2019

SCIENTIFIC SCOPE

Biology

TEXT COMMENTARY

A human being vegan is not a big deal since we are omnivores and have enough eating an only plant-based diet. I can understand their love for animals and their will to stop killing them, but feeding your pets the same type of diet you eat is something I can't understand and it kind of pisses me off.
Cats and dogs are domestic animals because we made them be that way. They are originally wild animals that eat meat by instinct. What I'm trying to say is that if they weren't "our" pets and they were wild, they would eat only meat.
Each animal eats only what it's necessary for their body, with the exception of humans that nowadays eat more than they should because there's an easy way to get the food (unfortunally not all the people in the world live this kind of life). So if animals eat only what they need to keep their body running and the food they eat it's meat, then, doesn't it means that without meat their body can't work?
Vegans want to avoid eating meat, but there's no way they can stop a lion from hunting and eating some other animal, is there? Then, it's the same for their pets. There's no way they can stop giving their pets the food they need because otherwise they will end up dying from malnutrition.
So following everything that's been said, it's ok if vegans don't want to eat meat, but their pets need it to live. If their pets weren't with them, they would be wild animals and they would eat meat. If they ate meat, they wouldn't try to give them plants to eat as they don't give plants to the lions. So we have to understand that each animal have different bodies and different needs. If they don't want to give their pets meat, then get a herbivore pet, but don't go giving a carnivore pet a plant-based diet. It's like they are killing them.

GLOSSARY

None needed

8th text commentary: Easy way to distract children

Smartphones are the new "drug" for children

Summary: Long time ago, screens weren't invented and people had to search creative ways so they wouldn't be bored. But nowadays, it's impossible to get bored.
At this moment we have netflix, HBO, youtube, instagram, videogames, etc. And the problem is that this way of living is going to children. 
There are already studies that say that a child that waste time looking on tablets or phones, aren't as sociable as other kids, and they have said that is gaining percentage of the population really fast.
For some people might sound ok, but the problem comes when we don't have these things to satisfy us. Some people get agressive and aren't able to live without it, others are fine, and there's also some that do want it but they can live ok for a certain ammount of time without it.

If we are at this point in 2019, we better not continue in this way.

Link or reference: https://www.xataka.com/medicina-y-salud/clase-alta-esta-escondiendo-pantallas-a-sus-hijos-movil-tablet-nueva-comida-basura

Date: 19/12/18

Scientific scope: Technologic

8th TEXT COMMENTARY: Solar panels can be useful even in northern countries in winter - Esther Salvador

HEADER 
How Solar At High Altitudes Could Power Entire Countries, Even In Winter

SUMMARY
The text says solar energy is really useful, fast and cheap, but it also has problems as there isn't sun all year around all the globe. Eventhough that's true, it seems new researches have made public that even zones far from the Ecuator at winter can take advantage from it.
It is necessary for there to be high mountains, though. In high mountains there's less athmosphere, so by putting them there and placing them in a more vertical position they can be as effective as in low places in summer. In fact the difference of energy between lower places and higher places decreases with height. By leaning it in a more vertical way, it receives more energy in winter, when the sun is lower, and less in summer, but eventhough the total amount of energy through the year decreases, in winter, that it's when it's more necessary, the energy that it gets is greater, so it's worth it.
This system allows clean energy to be produced in winter even in countries where the sun isn't too strong or doesn't show much at all. It uses hydrogen, instead of batteries, to storage the surplus energy from the summer and burn it in winter for it to supply heat and electricity. It is belived that buildings can be powered by solar energy all year.
One building in Sweden, which doesn't get much sunlight in winter, is already using this system.

LINK OR REFERENCE
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/how-solar-at-high-altitudes-could-power-entire-countries-even-in-winter/all/

PUBLICATION DATE

January 8th, 2019

SCIENTIFIC SCOPE

Technology

TEXT COMMENTARY

After reading this text I can tell the world is trying to take care of the planet. If you can get a whole year clean energy in places where that energy isn't abundant, then you can tell that almost every country in the world can use clean energy and/or reduce carbon emissions. We are in an age of progress, we can evolve without damaging the planet, we can live without damaging the planet, so: why not live that way?
Renewable energies are abundant and really close by. We are slowly but surely introducing them more and more each day in our lives. Our planet has still an oportunity to keep living. Let's allow Earth to keep living.

GLOSSARY

None needed

8th Text commentary: "Our gene therapy cures type 2 diabetes in mice"

Header

"Our gene therapy cures type 2 diabetes in mice"

Summary

The news speaks of a new treatment against type 2 diabetes. Fàtima Bosch published one of his latest advances: an experiment he did with mice that turned out correctly. The mice accepted the treatment well without showing side effects. The treatment consists of introducing the FGF21 gene into an adeno-associated virus derivative, that infected the cells that produced the FGF21 protein continuously into the blood. The scientists say that this treatment can begin to be used in people in three years or so.

.

Link or Reference

https://www.lavanguardia.com/ciencia/20190202/46160901197/terapia-genica-cura-diabetes-tipo-2-fatima-bosch.html

Publication date

4/2/19

Scientific scope 

Sanitary

Glosari

The subject of this news did not contain a very specific vocabulary that I did not understand.

Text commentary 

I have chosen this news because this disease is suffered by more than 400 million people in the world and unfortunately, until now, no cure has been found. Currently there is an effective treatment but it presents long-term problems in patients who have cardiovascular diseases, neurological and ocular problems.

As the news says in just 3 years you can start experimenting with humans, unfortunately you can only try people who are not treated with a any treatment. Unfortunately, those who are already being treated this news did not like them because the treatment,can not help them, unless that treatment will evolve. 

The experiment has been made with mice, but later it can be made with larger animals similar to humans, in order to see how thouse are affected, especially their internal organs. 

In my opinion this project will continue because there are many interests involved and a lot of people and organizations expecting the outcome of the experiment. In fact there are details and further tests and checks to be made in order to ensure its effectiveness The good thing about this treatment is that it prevents this disease from appearing. On the other hand it is also bad because the person does not have previous symptoms and the disease appears you can not be cured because you have not been aware of the ill. I believe that this negative aspect will be solved as they continue to investigate.

Notícia 08: S'han trobat contaminants del plàstic en ous de ocells de l'Àrtic - Víctor García

- Heading:

Plastic Contaminants Found Inside Eggs Of

 Seabirds In Remote Arctic Wilderness

- Summary:

    They have found evidences of hormone-disrupting chemicals used in plastic production (named phthalates) within the eggs of northern fulmars (a type of bird which only has 2 species, one for each hemisphere). Now, we can say that footprints of the plastics production factories have arrived to every corner of the wild world, even to a very isolated places, just like the Arctic.

    The scientists have came to the conclusion that these chemicals were ingested by the mother bird. Then, the contaminants made their way to the bird's bloodstream and to the egg.

    These chemicals, interfere with the normal hormonal interaction between the organisms and their environment. They also could originate changes to the reproductive system, deformities and increased rates of infertility.

- Link or reference:

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/plastic-contaminants-found-inside-eggs-of-seabirds-in-remote-arctic-wilderness/

- Publication date: February 18^th 2019

- Scientific field: Environment

- Glossary:

    - Phthalates: a type of hormone-disrupting chemicals used in plastic production.

    - Fulmars: a type of bird which only has 2 species, one for each hemisphere. They resemble to seagulls.

- Text commentary:

    I chose to comment this new because it makes me feel interested and worried about how rotten is the world right now, as we the humans have polluted it with our plastics and chemicals. What we need to do is to make sure that everyone knows about this problem.

    Even though the high factories say that there are no proves that the chemicals will affect or harm the eggs, but there are also studies of evidences of these phthalates inside over the 70 % of dolphins in Florida. This should work as an evidence of how great and far-reaching is this problem. It is already tragic that since the very beginning of its development, these birds will have these plastic chemicals inside of them, and that they can't do anything about it.