The new IPOD NANO

By Laia Esquerrà and Rut López

The new iPod Nano is 46% smaller and 42% lighter than the previous one. It measures 37.5 x 40.9 mm and weighs 21.1 grams. It has a Multi-Touch screen that is very precise and easy to use. It has the same connector as previous models and can be used with all iPod products. It has a clip that allows it to be attached to clothes or bags, making it possible to play sports without any inconvenience.

It includes an FM radio, a Nike pedometer and an iPod support and it can play up to 24 hours of audio playback. Its recharge time is less than that of previous models.

This iPod only works at temperatures between 0 and 35ºC and it is only compatible with iTunes 10 or newer versions.

It has a very good resolution. Photos and album covers can be put on to it. It comes in more colours than the previous models – the most amazing color being its exclusive red, only available at the Apple Store. A portion of the profits from every exclusive red iPod purchase will go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

Alzheimer test

By Rut López

American scientists have recently developed the first blood test to allow a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. Details were published in File on Neurology in June 2010. Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects approximately 800,000 Spanish people. The process begins 10 years before the symptoms appear.

The test measures the presence of a protein called clusterin. It is known that clusterin levels increase with age and that it is responsible for the loss of cognitive functions and it is associated with the development of the disease when it accumulates in the brain at high levels.

The study included people older than 70 years: 300 without any loss of memory, 200 with loss of memory for causes other than Alzheimer’s and 102 who had the disease. The results showed a relationship between positive tests and scans made 10 years earlier in patients suffering from the disease.

Pasqual Maragall disclosed that he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in October 2007. Maragall's daily life was filmed for two years and he is the main character of the film Bicicleta, Cullera, Poma. This film, directed by Carles Bosch and screened for the first time at the 2010 International Film Festival of San Sebastian, shows Maragall and his family’s fight against the disease. Bicycle, spoon and apple (the title of the film) are words used in tests to detect the loss of memory.

“Solar Impulse”

By Juan Diego Thielen

Solar Impulse is the first airplane to run on solar energy by recharging its batteries during the day. On April 7th 2010 it made its first flight, piloted by its creator Bertrand Picard, and reached an altitude of 8,500 meters from Payerne, Switzerland. This project, which required five years of work, seeks to promote renewable energies.

Life until 120!

By Daniel Belvis

Nowadays the average life expectancy in Great Britain is 75 years, but this fact could change soon. A pill that scientists think could increase life expectancy to 120 years is being tested in Scotland. This pill contains a protein which would repair and restore the body's natural defences. We usually find this protein in fruits and vegetables, but in smaller quantities. If it works, it would be useful for treating Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Catalan internet users are concerned

By Denis Timotei Savu

The results of a study conducted by the Foundation Centre for the Information Society in Catalonia and the University Rovira i Virgili show that 72% of Catalan Internet users are concerned about the use that public and private firms make of the personal information they find on the Internet. The results also show that people between 16 and 34 years old know more about the security of the network, men more so than women. Furthermore, 55% of the population are members of social networks and most of them post photographs of their friends without their permission. The conclusion of the study is that security on the net can improve.

Lollipop

By Antonio Martínez and Andreu Ribes

The lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker or sticky-pop is a type of sweet at the end of a stick.They are available in many tastes and forms.

The invention of the lollipop is a mistery and a lot of Americans companies say that they have invented it in the 20th century. There is a book, "Food For Thought", which explains that the lollipops were invented by George Smith from New Haven, Connecticut, who started making sweets on sticks in 1908. He named them after a racehorse, Lolly Pop.

The first time that people ate what we call lollipops was about the Middle Ages, but the idea of the lollipop is very simple and it's possible that a lot of people have invented this sweet before.

Chupa Chups is a very important lollipop company founded in Spain by Enric Bernat in 1958. Its name comes from the Spanish verb chupar, meaning "to suck".

This company created a lot of lollipops with many tastes, but they created only one shape, circular form.

The Band-Aid

By Irene Monferrer and Berta Moya

Earle Dickson was working as a cotton buyer for the Johnson & Johnson Company when he invented the Band-Aid in 1920. He created it to help his wife Josephine Dickson, who used to cut her fingers when she prepared food in the kitchen.

The first prototype of Band-Aid was not successful, so he changed its design. James Wood Johnson, his boss, liked his idea and decided to produce it with machines (in the beginning it was hand-made). The Band-Aid was widely used in World War II.

Decorated adhesive bandages first appeared in 1951 and nowadays they can be found in a great variety of shapes and sizes.

There was a music band of the same name: Band Aid. This was borrowed from the bandage brand because the musicians wanted to help people in Ethiopia and “try to cure their wounds”. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. They released the song Do They Know Its Christmas? for the holiday season and it became the Christmas number one song in the charts that year. Two other re-recordings of the song, also intended to raise more money for charity, were also successful.