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I grew up hearing the phrase “you never stick with anything, what’s the point” a lot. I’ve always been attracted towards seemingly disconnected interests, and gone through phases of being really into something. But eventually my interest would fade and I would move onto something else. 

Or at least that’s always how it’s been phrased for me, by others. Now I realize that my interest for the old thing didn’t fade so much as my interest for something new outshined it, and that’s vastly different. 

I was always made to feel bad about it, with every abandoned endeavour I was told I needed to stop starting things if I wasn’t going to stick with them. I was told I was wasting time and money picking up these random interests and abandoning them after a year. 

So eventually, I stopped picking things up. I told myself “what’s the point, I’m going to give up in a year anyway”. Even worse, I started dismissing every new interest, because I had no way of knowing if my interest was “real” enough or just another passing phase. I stopped trying new things, I stopped looking up stuff that piqued my curiosity, and having chronic depression made it really easy to leave everything on the dirty floor of neglected ideas. The more they piled up, the more depressing it was. All these things that could be nice, but I just can’t take care of them. 

I realize now how bullshit that kind of thinking is. So what if I stopped doing karate after a year? That’s one more year of karate than most people I know. And in that year I learned discipline, I learned to listen to a teacher, something I had never done before in all my years of private education. I learned the true meaning of respect, that it’s something you do out of faith at first and maintain as it’s reciprocated, not something you do blindly and regardless of how you’re treated. 

It gave me the foundation for the determination and grounding I needed to practice yoga. Another year. Not enough to be good at it maybe, but again a year more than most people I know and a year that is not lost, but gained. I learned balance, I learned to listen to my body, I learned how to let go of emotional tightness through physical stretching. 

And then iaido, only a few weeks because I couldn’t afford to keep going. The year of yoga I had done a couple years previous had given me a better starting point than the other newcomers to the class. I already had balance, I had strength in my legs and I had better posture. In those months I learned the importance of precision, the true definition of efficacy, the zen state that is incessant repetition. 

Did I practice long enough to get good at iaido, and yoga, and karate? No. Of course not. It takes years to become proficient and decades to master any of those things, but I learned other skills and those skills were an invaluable part of my growth both spiritually and emotionally. Likewise for my forays into painting, sewing, graphic design, film. I’m a photography student now heading into my second year of school, and every single second of practice I have in those other disciplines has given me more experience in those areas and made learning easier. 

Skills carry over. They intersect and connect in ways that are sometimes unexpected. Nothing is ever lost, experience is never a waste of time or worthless or stupid. Allow your focus to wander, reflect on what you learn, and consider how you can keep using it in other aspects of your life. Stop telling people their interests aren’t worth their time. 

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How to read a scientific article

Hey y’all! This post is aimed at people who are making the transition from textbook-based science classes to article-based science classes. Scientific journal articles are dense compared to textbooks and aren’t written with the intent to teach basic concepts but rather with the intent to expand scientific knowledge. It can often be very confusing to figure out what is going on. Here’s how I was taught to read them 10+ years ago and how I still approach them today. 

(I) After reading the title, start for real with the Results section. 

Why would you do this when you know the abstract will give you a basic overview of the study and the introduction will set the context? Because you want to be an active reader. You want to figure out what happened in this study in a way that makes sense to you rather than be able to parrot what the author’s say happened. This is the major difference between reading a textbook (where you need to regurgitate the information later) and reading an article (where you need to be able to intelligently discuss the content either in class or in writing). 

Look at the tables and figures first. Can you tell what the independent variables were? What the dependent variables are? What might the relationship between them be? What trends or patterns do you see? Depending on your style, it may be a good idea to mark up your document with this information or jot some notes down somewhere else. 

Now read the text part of the results. What parts of the figures are the authors choosing to highlight in the text? Are there any results buried in the text that you can’t connect to part of a figure?   

Now pause and think. What is the most important result of the study? Highlight where this appears in the text and figures. Remember that important doesn’t necessarily mean statistically significant! A good p-value doesn’t signify real-world meaning; you need to make that connection yourself. Take a moment in this step to notice what results still don’t make sense to you– no need to panic or write questions down yet because you haven’t read the rest of the paper. 

(II) Get the gist of the Methods. 

Chances are your professor did not assign you this reading with the intent to make you replicate the study. You don’t have to understand every sentence (or even most sentences!) of the methods unless you’re an advanced graduate student. You do have to be able to explain in layman’s terms what the researchers did. 

Particularly important questions to answer that can be found in the text include: What were the independent variables? What were the dependent variables? What variables were controlled for, either statistically or through researcher manipulation? What statistical methods were used to look for an association?  In health research, we use the acronym PECOT to deconstruct method’s sections.  

P = population– who was being studied? 

E = exposure– what variable were the researchers trying to determine the impact of? This might be an intervention (ie., a smoking cessation video) or something outside researchers’ control (ie., at least 5 years of daily smoking). 

C = comparison– who is the population of interest going to be compared to? This may be a formal control group (ie., smokers who were shown a video on handwashing) or something outside researchers’ control (ie., former smokers of a similar demographic background who haven’t had a cigarette in 5 years). 

O = outcome– what were the researchers looking for? This is also known as the independent variable. 

T = time– how long were participants/subjects tracked and when were measurements taken? 

(III) Read the Introduction. 

Now that you have a very good idea about the design and results of the study, you’ll be better able to understand the introduction of the study. The basic goal of an introduction in any scientific paper is to explain why the study happened. The background may give you some helpful context, or it may be redundant at this point. I typically don’t spend much time on the introduction except for the end where the study purpose/research question and hypotheses are usually written. Mark these in the text! You should already have a good idea of the study’s purpose from the methods and results. Here’s some questions you should answer internally or in your notes at this point: 

Did the methods align with the purpose? 

Did the results support the hypothesis? 

What are the scientific implications of these results? 

(IV) Read whatever is at the end of the article: Discussion, Conclusion, Reflection, Limitations, Research Implications etc. 

It is very important that you save these sections for last because these sections are where researchers tell you what to think of the results. You need to be prepared to critically engage with their interpretation of the results by already having your own. That’s what the three questions above are about! Of course, the discussion was probably written by multiple advanced scientists and you are but a lowly student. That doesn’t mean you should accept their conclusions without seeing their logic. As you read the discussion, think about these questions: 

Do the researchers think the results support the hypothesis? 

How are the researchers interpreting the primary results? [Bonus: what other interpretations are there, and are they mentioned?]

What do the researchers think the scientific implications of these results are?

What limitations do the researchers acknowledge, and how could those limitations be impacting the results?

(V) Synthesize it. 

Try to boil down everything in the paper to just a few sentences that an 8th grader could understand. Whether you think through it internally or write it down is up to you. I usually print out my readings and write my synthesis on the blank back page using the following sentences starters: 

The researchers wanted to know whether… 

They found that… 

This means that… 

Taking the time to write the synthesis and any lingering questions you have can be really helpful if, like me, you do reading far in advance of class and need a quick refresher to glance at before class starts. It can also be helpful for paper writing or exam studying later. Consider revising your synthesis after you participate in the class discussion or hear your professor’s take on the article in lecture. Don’t rely on the abstract– that’s someone else’s synthesis, not yours.

— 

I hope this was helpful!! Don’t feel bad if this process is ridiculously time consuming. I have spent probably 3-4 hours on a 5-page study before. The goal of science writing is to be as concise as possible, which makes reading short articles more difficult than longer ones. I am a graduate student at a top American university, and I typically read 9-12 articles per week this deeply. If a professor assigns more than 4 research study articles per week for a regular course, make sure they explain what students are supposed to be getting out of each article so you can target your reading better. Chances are, you can skip some sections and focus on coming to class with clarifying questions rather than a firm understanding.

Happy reading!! 

@phd-one-day

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Source.

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Photography by Arnar Kristjansson | Iceland

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Reminder for those of us nursing a broken heart

Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.

 You deserve every ounce of love and adoration this world has to offer. 

You are special, you are beautiful, you are perfect.

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I actually read a TON of press releases for studies that describe X or Y as something that will increase/decrease “risk of death” or “risk of death from all causes…”

Gang, there is nothing you can do to affect your risk of death. accept it.

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Picture this:

It is the day of your graduation. Finally, all those years of studying, reading, writing and staying up late preparing for tests and exams are over. Soon, you’ll be heading out into the real world- maybe you have a job lined up, or plan to look for one. Maybe an internship, or more study, or some other unexpected but equally wonderful path. You have done well academically, even if you lost motivation at times or messed up a few papers. As you get called onto the stage you stand in your shiny robe and look out into the audience to see the proud faces of your loved ones. You smile. All that time and effort had paid off, it was all worth it. 

Still want to give up?

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Weekly study schedule printable

After releasing my monthly calendar printables in several colours, I decided to publish my study schedule with a few different options in design and colour! I’ve had so many people say they’ve been really helpful and that makes me so happy! I’m just pleased to know that something small I’ve done has the ability to help someone who needs a little bit of organisation in their lives.

For ease, I’ve created entire Google Drive folders for the timetables starting on either a Monday or Sunday. You can then go through to pick whether you’d like it with or without times on the left-hand side. Then you can pick a colour, download it and print! Click the links below to access the PDF files.

Monday start (includes with and without times, and four different colours) Sunday start  (includes with and without times, and four different colours)

If you need some inspiration on how to use your new timetable, check out my sample! Other examples you can see on my blog or on my tagged photos on Instagram!

I hope you enjoy using these and if so, I’d love to see them in action! Feel free to tag me on Tumblr with #emmastudies or on Instagram with my username @emmastudiess in any photos you upload. If there are any problems or errors, please let me know via my inbox.

Disclaimer: This printable is for personal use only. You may edit it yourself if you like, but please do not redistribute without my permission. Thank you!  

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625 Words to Know in your Target Language: A Masterpost

I noticed @linguangelica asking if there was one of these floating around, so I thought hey, why not start one? This is a directory of the 625 most useful words to know in your target lang, which you can find here. It’s by no means complete, so feel free to make one in your target/native langs!

Spanish by @tryingpolyglot

Spanish by @polyglotten

German 1 2 and 3 by @marvelous-language

Hungarian by @finnishfun

Finnish by @languagesandshootingstars

Norwegian by @lingolden

Turkish by @langrecs

Italian by @metamoros

Dutch by @helaas–pindakaas

French by @helaas–pindakaas

(Brazilian) Portuguese by @autumnian

Romanian by @wordsnnblues

Hindi by @she-learns

(Standard) Arabic by @polyglotten

Korean by @lingolden and @heyemmateach

If there are any that I forgot to include, or if you decide to make one, please send me a message so that I can include it. Thanks!

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Scientists have discovered that beluga whales and narwhals go through the menopause—taking the total number of species known to experience this to five.

Aside from humans, the species now known to experience menopause are all toothed whales—belugas, narwhals, killer whales and short-finned pilot whales.

Almost all animals continue reproducing throughout their lives, and scientists have long been puzzled about why some have evolved to stop.

The new study, by the universities of Exeter and York and the Center for Whale Research, suggests menopause has evolved independently in three whale species (it may have evolved in a common ancestor of belugas and narwhals).

“For menopause to make sense in evolutionary terms, a species needs both a reason to stop reproducing and a reason to live on afterwards,” said first author Dr. Sam Ellis, of the University of Exeter.

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If Looks Could Kill: New Analysis Of Incan Burial Reveals Toxic Mineral

A new analysis of an Incan mummy burial from the 1400s, found in Northern Chile in the 1970s, revealed the presence of cinnabar. Which is bad news for the Inca. Cinnabar is a highly toxic, fine-grained red pigment that can be derived from mercury ore.

Fabric in the grave was colored with bright-red pigment, which the Inca usually produced using the mineral hematite. Occasionally, if the wearer was particularly high-status, cinnabar could also be used as a red dye too. But although cinnabar’s signature color had been previously associated with Inca culture elsewhere, it had never been seen in a cultural context in the region where the mummies were found.

This particular grave contains the remains of an eighteen-year-old girl and a younger girl of about nine. Richly dressed, two were buried with over 100 artifacts. They were likely a human sacrifice. And an important one, given the quality of the goods they were buried with, the fineness of their clothing, and the use of cinnabar.

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a list of things every studyblr experiences

failure

stress

disappointing results

procrastination

problems finding a work, life and study balance

nervousness

not always great or consistent grades

varying degrees of mental health issues

situations out of our control

that ‘i’m not good enough’ feeling

anxiousness

lazy days

regret

tiredness

burning out 

low confidence

sickness

and many more

having a study blog does not mean that person is a perfect human with everything in life on track, in balance and with complete happiness. as a community, we need to remember not everything goes to plan and no-one should be expected or seen as perfect x

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small ways to improve your lifestyle

read more classic literature

read about history from different sources

watch good films

listen to classical music

journal more

go to nice cafes, theatre, cinema and art galleries more often

learn languages

dance more

ask more questions

spend time with positive people

be kind to everyone, even if they aren’t kind to you

spend less time on social media

do some exercise and stretch

buy less clothes and make sure they are made organically and ethically or buy second-hand

buy vegan options in anything that’s possible (for eg. beauty products)

recycle and reuse what you can

take care of your skin and body

eat more fruits and veggies, drink enough water every day

get a good amount of sleep every night

stay positive

edit: i changed the title because there was a lot of misunderstanding around it, which is fine. you don’t have to do all of these to feel like you have a better life/you are a better person, however these tips do no harm, so you might as well do what you can!

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Week: alarm clock

Weekends: breakfast pastry

tag your morning vibe

mornings things;

rosy sunlight: waking up unexpectedly early, enjoying the peaceful silent, laying in bed and just thinking, messy buns, the calm before the storm, deciphering your dreams, peach tones

hot coffee: productivity, writing in a journal or diary, planning out your day, a high ponytail, buying breakfast, newspapers, the smell of fresh coffee beans

cereal bowl: having something sweet for breakfast, walking your dog, morning shower, bubbly laughter, hopefulness, counting down to the weekend

alarm clock: waking up late, no makeup, coffee to wake you up, cold feet, falling back asleep when there’s a moment, cloudy skies, heavy eyelids

breakfast pastry: the bustling of a large family, staying in your pyjamas, morning radio, grocery shopping, waiting for the post, no responsibilities

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[12082018] studying biology for the weekend — hard times ahead, but I keep my head held high ⭐️ follow me on Instagram (same user!)

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Nighttime Checklist on a School Night

Alarms set for the morning (triple check)

Go over what’s written in your planner and see what’s marked down for the next day/what you need to do

Back pack ready to go with all materials

Clothes laid out (if you want to be really proactive)

Laptop/phone is charging

Face washed

Medication taken (if applicable)

Coffee/tea ready to brew (if needed)

Water bottle filled and ready to go (stay hydrated)

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RARE STUDY TIPS

1. write down how much you study over time, then write down how you did on the quiz/test. this will help you see the amount of studying is nessecary for you to get a good grade and fully learn the material!!!

2. make your study space smell fresh, preferably of mint. mint helps you focus and stay sharp. other good smells would be lemon, etc.

3. after studying for a long amount of time, go exercise for ~30 min. shower, get dressed, etc then review the info you had just been studying! you should come back fresher, and your brain is able to remember the info even better!

4. don’t always study in comfy/pj clothes. if you study a lot after school or classes, then it’s ok. but if all you plan on doing is studying for that day, for part of the day get dressed up! put on some business casual wear, that’s cute yet functional and do your hair, etc. this will put you in a “get shit done” mode.

5. after studying a unit/chapter, record yourself explaining it, as if to a person whose never heard of it. this helps SO MUCH. one, explaining/teaching helps you learn so much better, and two, you have a little video to review just before the test!!

6. study on the floor. if you have a carpeted area in your home, spread out all study materials, a white board, etc and study! it helps so much because you are comfertable and everything is within reach. do this if you need a break from desk studying.