Dog's Intelligence and Emotion:

We feed them, we let them sleep in our beds, we play with them, we even talk to them. And of course, we love them. Any dog owner will tell you that their pet has a remarkable capacity to understand the world around them. And they’re right. Scientists have figured out great ways to find out exactly what human’s best friend is capable of.

The Science of Animal Cognition

Over the past several years, one of the biggest advances in our human understanding of doggie cognition has been the use of MRI machines to scan dog brains.

MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging, the process of taking an ongoing picture of what parts of the brain are lighting up through what external stimuli.

Dogs, as any doggie parent knows, are highly trainable. This trainable nature makes dogs great candidates for MRI machines, unlike non-domesticated wild animals like birds or bears.

Ragen McGowan, a scientist at Nestlé Purina specializing in dog cognition, takes full advantage of a certain type of MRI machine, the fMRI (which stands for functional MRI), to study these animals. These machines detect changes in blood flow and use that to measure brain activity.

Through ongoing research, McGowan has found out a lot about animal cognition and feelings. In a study done in 2015, McGowan found that a human’s presence leads to increased blood flow to a dog’s eyes, ears and paws, which means the dog is excited.

McGowan also studied what happens to dogs when they are being petted.

We’ve known for some time that for humans, petting a beloved animal can lead to lower rates of stress and anxiety. Well, it turns out the same is true for dogs. When humans pet shelter dogs for 15 minutes or more, the dog’s heart rate decreases and it becomes less anxious overall.

Another recent study on dog cognition found that our beloved companion animals can tell the difference in our emotional expressions.

In another study done with the fMRI machine, scientists found that not only can dogs tell the difference between happy and sad human faces, they also respond differently to them.

As Smart as Children

Animal psychologists have clocked dog intelligence at right around that of a two to a two-and-a-half-year-old human child. The 2009 study which examined this found that dogs can understand up to 250 words and gestures. Even more surprising, the same study found that dogs can actually count low numbers (up to five) and even do simple math.

And have you ever experienced the emotions of your dog while you’re petting another animal or paying attention to something else? Do you imagine they feel something like human jealousy? Well, there’s science to back this up, too. Studies have found that dogs do, in fact, experience jealousy. Not only that, but dogs do their best to figure out how to “handle” the thing that’s taking their parent’s attention — and if they have to force the attention back on them, they will.

Dogs have been studied for their empathy, as well. A 2012 study examined dogs’ behavior towards distressed humans that weren’t their owners. While the study concluded that dogs display an empathy-like behavior, the scientists writing the report decided that it may be better explained as “emotional contagion” and a history of being rewarded for this type of emotional alertness.

Is it empathy? Well, it sure seems like it.

Numerous other studies on dog behavior, emotion, and intelligence have found that dogs “eavesdrop” on human interactions to assess who is mean to their owner and who isn’t and that dogs follow their human’s gaze.

These studies may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our learning about dogs. And as for doggie parents? Well, they may know a lot more than the rest of us, just by observing their best canine companions every day.

The studies done on dog cognition all illuminate one thing: that humans may know much less about dog brains than we previously thought. As time goes on, more and more scientists are becoming interested in animal research, and with each new study done, we find out more about how our beloved pets think.

Unbelievable Facts:

THE BLIND MAN WHO TAUGHT HIMSELF TO SEE WITH HIS EARS:

Daniel Kish is a totally blind man who has transformed the world’s perception of his “disability” into a superpower. His story is truly amazing! Without sight, he uses sound to “see” his environment just like a bat does using sonar.

He can do extraordinary things that blind people can’t and people with eyes take for granted. He mountain bikes and camps out alone for weeks while navigating through trails, cross rivers and avoiding trees!

Born with an aggressive form of cancer called retinoblastoma, which attacks the retinas, Daniel Kish has been blind since both of his eyes were removed when he was 13 months old. Now 44, his adaptation to a world of darkness has been so remarkable that some don’t believe that he is blind.

He has given his own name to his technique, which he refers to as “Flash Sonar”, but it is a phenomenon with a scientific name known as echolocation. By clicking his tongue, he creates sound waves, which travel at a speed of more than 1,000 feet per second. These waves of sound bounce off every object around him and return to his ears in the form of slight echoes. Kish has trained himself to hear these echoes and to interpret their meaning.

These readings allow Daniel to decipher information that on the surface would appear impossible for a blind person. He can be incredibly precise about the distance between two trees on a lawn and how far away from a curb a car might be parked. In addition to bats, Beluga whales and dolphins interpret sound in the same fashion.

His mantra is complete and unfettered independence and his mission is to change the way the world views blind people, and the way blind people view the world. He runs a non-profit organization called World Access for the Blind, which is headquartered in his home. There he offers access training on how to utilize echolocation to interpret the environment, and so far, more than 500 students have benefited from his teachings.

Dan may not be the first blind person to use this technique, but he is the first to document it, break it down into all of its parts and to develop a method for teaching it to others.

The Most Hatred Moment..!!

The hardest part is to untangle the earphones.

Home Remedies for Treating Hair Loss & Baldness:

1. Regular application of castor oil combats hair fall and baldness. It is a very good home remedy to treat baldness/hair loss naturally.

2. Apply a fine paste made from pigeon pea or red gram; it is an effective home remedy for curing hair loss baldness naturally at home.

3. Massaging the scalp with aloe vera gel or coconut oil prevents hair loss and helps in growth of new hair naturally.Try this home remedy to treat baldness/hair loss at home.

4. Seeds of lime and black pepper ground to fine paste when applied on a daily basis on the scalp helps in curing baldness/ hair loss naturally at home. 

5. Take fenugreek; grind it to make a fine paste, and apply it to the bald patches, and let the hair absorb the paste of fenugreek for one hour.This baldness/hair fall treatment helps in treating hair fall/baldness.

6. Home remedy of beetroot leaves, when mixed with henna, can do wonder in curing baldness/ hair loss naturally at home.

7. Make a hair pack at home mixing hot olive oil, honey, and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and apply it on the scalp before bath for 15 minutes. It is a very effective home remedy for treating hair loss and baldness at home.

8. Coconut oil mixed with lime juice is effective in curing hair loss/baldness.

9. Application of coconut milk is a very helpful home remedy for treating baldness/ hair loss at home.

10. Take 1/2 cup of olive oil with 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds to rub on your bald patches to treat baldness and hair fall. Try this home remedy.

11. Juice of alfalfa with spinach or coriander is taken orally promotes hair growth and treats baldness naturally. You must try this home remedy for beautiful hair.

12.Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar and sage tea to cure baldness and hair fall naturally at home.

13. You can drink the mixture of banana, honey, yogurt, skimmed milk to take as a home remedy to fight hair fall and baldness naturally at home.

14. Arnica oil is very helpful for combating hair fall.Arnica oil is extracted from the dried arnica leaves and has full of anti-inflammatory properties.This treatment is very helpful in curing premature graying of hair also.

15.Coconut oil in which a mango has been preserved for one year treats baldness/hair loss. This home remedy stimulates hair follicles to regrow hair.

Remember, all these aforementioned home remedies are helpful in treating baldness/hair loss, but all must be followed on a regular basis, and it needs patience. Because baldness cannot be cured in one day or month; it takes time for arresting hair fall and the growth of new hair.

Apart from using these home remedies, remember, a nutritious diet plays an important role in restoring the healthy hair, so take a healthy diet which has plentiful of iron, calcium, protein, vitamins. Do not forget to drink at least 2-3 liters of water daily to combat hair loss and have shiny hair.

Yes..!! I'm Stressed....!!

The History of the Violin:

Whether it was inspired by the Byzantine lyra (similar to a lyre), the bowed string instrument the medieval rebec, or the lira de braccio, a bowed string instrument of the Renaissance period, the earliest version of a violin emerged in Italy in the early 1500s. Andrea Amati gets the credit as the first known creator of the violin.

The viol, which came before the violin, is also closely related. It is larger than a violin, and played upright, much like a cello.

Other stringed instruments predating the violin include the Arabian rabab, which led to the medieval European rebec.

Violin Makers

Amati lived in Cremona, Italy. He first apprenticed as a lute maker. In 1525, he became a master instrument maker. Amati had been commissioned by the prominent Medici family to make an instrument that was like a lute, but easier to play. He standardized the basic form, shape, size, materials, and method of construction of the violin. His designs gave the modern violin family its look today but had vast differences. The early violins had a shorter, thicker, and less angled neck. The fingerboard was shorter, the bridge was flatter, and the strings were made of gut.

About 14 of the earliest Amati violins commissioned by Catherine de Medici, regent queen of France, are still in existence. Other noted early violin makers are Gasparo da Salò and Giovanni Maggini, both from Brescia, Italy.

During the 17th and early 18th centuries, the art of violin making reaches its peak. The Italians Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri, as well as the Austrian Jacob Stainer, are most noted during this period. Stradivari was an apprentice to Nicolo Amati, Andrea Amati's grandson.

Stradivarius and Guarneri violins are the most valuable violins in existence.

A Stradivarius sold at an auction for $15.9 million in 2011 and a Guarneri sold for $16 million in 2012.

Rise in Popularity

At first, the violin was not popular, in fact, it was considered a musical instrument of low status. But by the 1600s, well-known composers like Claudio Monteverdi used the violin in his operas, and the violins' status grew. The violins' prestige continued to rise during the Baroque period once major composers began dedicating time writing for the violin.

By the mid-18th century, the violin enjoyed a vital place in instrumental music ensembles. In the 19th century, the violins' rise to fame continued in the hands of virtuoso violinists such as Nicolo Paganini and Pablo de Sarasate. In the 20th century, the violin reached new heights both in technical and artistic aspects. Isaac Stern, Fritz Kreisler, and Itzhak Perlman are some of the well-known icons.

Well-Known Composers for the Violin

The Baroque and classical period composers who incorporated violins in their music included Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.  Antonio Vivaldi is best-known for his series of violin concertos known as the "Four Seasons."

The romantic period featured violin sonatas and concertos by Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3 is considered one of the best violin pieces ever created.

The early 20th century featured masterful works composed by Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, Bela Bartok, and Igor Stravinsky for the violin. Bartok's Violin Concerto No. 2 is rich, vibrant, technically mind-warping, and another of the world's best examples of music for the violin. 

Relation of Violin to Fiddle

The violin is sometimes called a fiddle, most used when talking in relation to folk music or American country western music, as an informal nickname for the instrument. The word "fiddle" means a "stringed musical instrument, violin." The word "fiddle" was first used in English in the late 14th century. The English word is believed to have derived from Old High German word fidula, which may be derived from the medieval Latina word vitula.

Vitula means "stringed instrument" and is the name of the Roman goddess of the same name personifying victory and joy.