Res Novae October 2017 Newsletter

RES NOVAE Monta Vista High School | October 2017 | Volume III Issue I

In October, scientists tested raccoons against an intelligence test inspired by the famous Aesop’s fable “The Crow and the Pitcher”. In the fable, a crow drops stones into a pitcher to raise the water level; in the study, two out of eight raccoons dropped stones into a cylinder to grab a marshmallow.

Those two raccoons passed other tests involving water displacement as well. A third raccoon, devising new ways to get her treat, tipped the cylinder over entirely.

cover!

In this magazine Behind our culture of apologies A beginner’s guide to birdwatching A closer look at bitcoin

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Staff list

PRESIDENT & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrea Schlitt LEAD EDITOR Srijani Saha SECTION EDITORS Bhavna Sud Charlotte Chui Daria Syskine STAFF WRITERS Adithya Embar, Alice Lou, Andrea Perng, Bhakti Patwardhan, Bhavna Sud, Brenna Chen, Charlotte Chui, Daria Syskine, Ellie Chen, Janya Budaraju, Jasmine Lee, Jeffrey Gong, Jenny Chin, Keerat Singh, Pooja Vendam, Riya Chatterjee, Sangita Kunapuli, Saumya Tawakley, Surya Konkimalla DESIGN LEAD Ilena Peng ART LEAD Carolyn Duan TREASURER Nikhita Shanker

About us Res Novae is Monta Vista’s studentrun science and technology magazine.

Every month, our dedicated writers publish stories about exciting topics in STEM, from cancer research to artificial intelligence. We answer questions like: “How have MVHS students contributed to cancer research?” and “Can intelligent robots cook my dinner for me?”

Cover and illustrations by Carolyn Duan Page design by Ilena Peng Photo on left by Daria Syskine

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Sorry...?

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A deeper look into our culture of apologies

By Alice Lou “Oh, sorry about that, are you okay?”

“Sorry I’m late.”

“I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault.”

Saying “I’m sorry” is one of the first things we learn to say as children, and as we grow older, saying sorry -- or for some, not saying sorry -- has become an often-overlooked part of our daily lives.

WHY DO PEOPLE APOLOGIZE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

An apology, often a show of vulnerability, allows a power shift from offender to victim, so that the victim can choose whether or not to accept or reject the apology and offer forgiveness. A study from the British Psychological Society found that “apologies were effective in reducing punishment and making the actor seem more likeable.” Their study shows that even with young children, apologies can help diffuse anger, mend personal relationships and allow for self-improvement.

English teacher Vennessa Nava explains the importance of apologies in not only maintaining a healthy relationship, but allowing the relationship to grow.

“I think it could really help relationships especially if you’re showing that you are aware enough to recognize your wrongdoing,” Nava said. “I think you can go a long way and make someone else more good-willing towards you going forward and recognize what kind of person you are.”

Even though Nava encourages genuine heartfelt apologies, she recognized that apologies are not always appropriate, especially for certain small accidents or inconveniences that are often apologized for.

“I think mostly, people apologize when a different word would be more appropriately used,” Nava said. “I think this culture of apologies is kind of excessive because we apologize for small things that may not need apology, whereas I think, [we] also [have] the tendency to not apologize for bigger things that need apology.”

Nava notes that people tend to apologize more often for minor things that don’t require an apology and less often for more significant transgressions. However, this “inversion” of what we should be apologizing for can carry unfortunate consequences.

“I think that we use language to make it seem like we’re taking personal responsibility for things that maybe don’t even necessitate it or warrant it,” Nava said. “Then we might let other things slide because it’s difficult to give a genuine apology for something larger because then it’s a bigger admission of guilt.”

So, when is it appropriate to apologize?

For most people, including Senior Kristy Maanavi, apologizing is appropriate when you have done something considered to be “wrong.”

“I feel like it’s appropriate to apologize in social situations like if you had done something wrong to someone,” Maanavi said. “If I’m walking on the sidewalk

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and I bump into someone, I say sorry because it was an inconvenience to them and I’m trying to apologize for that.”

On the other hand, rather than trying to distinguish the blurred line between “right” and “wrong,” Nava focuses on personal conscience.

“I think if you have the goading of conscience, then that’s a time that you should probably apologize,” Nava said.

Yet despite the evidence that apologies help mend relationships and heal both victims and offenders, many people refuse to apologize, especially for larger transgressions. Refusing to apologize may be due to a variety of reasons -- escaping punishment, preserving selfesteem, or avoiding shame.

WHAT ARE SOME GENDER DIFFERENCES IN APOLOGIZING?

Women are stereotyped to be the more apologetic sex, and multiple studies have confirmed this to be true.

Karina Schumann, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of Waterloo, explains in senior writer Rachael Rettner’s article on Live Science that although men aren’t against apologizing when they recognize their faults, they, compared to women, tend to think they have done fewer things wrong. Schumann says, “Women might have a WE USE LANGUAGE lower threshold for what TO MAKE IT requires an apology because they are more SEEM LIKE WE’RE concerned with the TAKING PERSONAL emotional experiences RESPONSIBILITY of others and in promoting harmony in FOR THINGS THAT their relationships.” She MAYBE DON’T EVEN points out that men, on NECESSITATE IT OR the other hand, tend to perceive events with WARRANT IT a stronger focus on TEACHER VENNESSA NAVA themselves.

Sloane Crosley, a writer for New York Times, explores in her article “Why Women Apologize and Should Stop” a 2010 study in the journal Psychological Science supports Schuman’s speculation by showing through a series of questions that women are more likely to apologize in everyday situations than men. For many women, apologies are linked to their conception of politeness, but from these chronic apologies, they give away their power, give ground and lower themselves unnecessarily.

An online survey taken by 52 MVHS students shows that gender differences affect even the apologies of teenagers in our school.

These differences are big enough for people, especially

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HOW CAN WE FIND A BALANCE?

For men and women alike, apologizing is not always beneficial. A study done by researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of Texas at Austin reveal that apologies, especially those that are not sincere, in the case of social rejections, are not only useless, but also tend to hurt the recipients of the apology. Rather than feeling forgiveness, the recipients felt hurt or angered if they believed the apology is insincere or unnecessary.

In addition, if you believe you haven’t done anything requiring an apology, standing your ground and refusing to apologize can bring psychological benefits as well.

Instead of relinquishing power, you would retain it and therefore feel empowered. Furthermore, standing your ground when accused can help save face to preserve authenticity and self-worth.

However, refusing to apologize isn’t always simple.

Researcher Tyler Okimoto and his colleagues also found that there are often deeper internal motives for refusing to apologize, further complicating the costs and benefits of apologizing. In their studies, they reveal that both apologizing and refusing to apologize can support an individual’s feelings of independence and power while improving the sense of staying true to oneself.

To find a proper balance in apologies, it is crucial to be conscious of what you’re apologizing for and why you’re apologizing. Not only can this self-awareness maximize personal psychological benefits, it can lead to genuine, impactful apologies.

“I think the precursor to proper apology would be genuine self reflection,” Nava said. “I think when something bothers you or that you were affected by an experience or that got into something that got tense or whatever, I think that’s a moment for self reflection -- like what went wrong and how can I not just blame whoever else was involved and think about my own role.”

Next time the word “sorry” tries to slip out of your mouth, reconsider the reason you’re apologizing.

Sometimes, sorry might not be the word you’re looking for. Perhaps it might be better to say nothing after all. *Statistics taken from a survey of 52 MVHS students

males

MV APOLOGIES When asked if they that their gender identity impacts how often they apologize, all males answered either”no” or “I have never thought about it.”

11.1%

10 or more times per day

11.1%

5-10 times per day

33.3%

Once per day

33.3%

2-5 times per day

11.1%

females

women, to notice.

“I notice women say sorry a lot more, especially when it’s small things like bumping into someone on a sidewalk or cutting in front of someone by accident,” Kristy said.

“I think it’s because a lot more women are taught to be apologetic and more considerate of others.”

Unfortunately, this habit of over apologizing leaves women at a disadvantage.

“We read the Deborah Tannen article last year that talks about the way women often apologize for things and that puts them at a disadvantage in many high stakes situations,” Nava said. “I definitely have detected that there is a gender thing to it, especially when I reflected on my own patterns of apologizing for little things.”

These differences in apologizing are often influenced by gender norms set by our society. However, even though gender norms exist and impact our behavior, ultimately, we are the ones who control our behavior, making it possible to break away from these norms.

Several times a week

When asked if they felt that their gender identity impacts how often they apologize, one third of females answered “yes” and linked their gender to being expected to apologize more frequently than males.

15.4% 23.1%

10 or more times per day 5-10 times per day

3.8% Once per day 26.9%

2-5 times per day

11.1% Several times a week 7.7% Once a week 3.8% Once a month

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A guide for beginning birders An introduction to birdwatching

By Daria Syskine

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ESSON #1: BE PREPARED

The first time I saw a western tanager — a gorgeous bird, by the way, with a scarlet head and golden bodies and black wings just for contrast — I didn’t know the first thing about birdwatching. The only reason I noticed it in the first place, in fact, was that my birding friend pointed it out to me, perched like a tongue of flame on a pine branch.

I didn’t have binoculars, or a field guide, or a notebook — only her word for it, and a brief vision of a gold flicker on the branch before the tanager flew off.

First of all: birdwatching is totally worth it. But it takes some work; birds are small, fast and often far away when you see them. So, if you’re interested in birdwatching, the first step is to invest in a good set of binoculars and a field guide. (An Amazon search for such guides turns up 882 results, but don’t be intimidated — there’s plenty of resources to help you figure out which guide is best for your needs).

LESSON #2: BE MORE PREPARED

The second time I saw a western tanager was during an “Ecology of the Sierra Nevada” class with West Valley College. This time, I was armed with a field guide and binoculars, but I also had a few more tools at my disposal that allowed me to spot the tanager as it flew across the trail in front of us, hone in on it in the tree branch and identify it as such — without the aid of my birding friend.

Let me reiterate that birds are small, fast and often far away. In fact, they might not even be visible — maybe all you can hear is a tantalizing, crystalline song reminiscent of a hermit warbler’s. In that case, even the best field guide isn’t of much use if you haven’t taken a few preliminary steps: familiarizing yourself with some common bird calls, for a start, or flipping through your field guide to get an idea for what different birds look like. Learning to use those new binoculars of yours might be a good idea, too.

LESSON #3: BE AWARE

This is the story of the bird I never saw… twice. The mountain quail, similar in appearance to the California quail, is another native of the Sierra mountains. But as I’ve found out, much to my consternation, whining inwardly about the weight of your pack as you trudge up yet another endless rise in the trail on sore and blistered feet isn’t conducive to birdwatching. According to my (same) birding friend and to another backpacking partner, I’ve twice missed seeing this tolerably uncommon bird — probably on account of being distracted by my body’s torment. Now, there’s a good argument for getting my parents to haul my gear for me.

Even if a bird happens to be large, slow and very close by, it’s no use if you’re not paying attention to your surroundings. It sounds simple, but the mind is easily distracted by such minor problems as hips being rubbed raw by backpacking straps. So, especially at the start of your birding career — and even once you’ve got lots of experience — it’s a good idea to remind yourself to look

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up from the trail once in a while or even to set aside half an hour or so to just sit and watch for birds. A nice starting exercise that you can do in your backyard is to close your eyes and listen for five minutes. What can you hear around you? People talking? Bird calls? What kind? What’s the quietest noise you hear? Farthest away?

LESSON #4: NOTICE THE DETAILS…

Here’s a fun fact about MVHS, one you might not have realized (or cared about): ravens occasionally hang out in our parking lot. No, not crows — ravens. Now, both of these birds are very intelligent and very cool. In fact, tests have shown ravens to be smarter than 4-year-old children — using tools to get food, yes, but also bartering, planning ahead and delaying gratification. These birds, however, are both big and black. How to tell them apart?

Once you get the hang of using binoculars, it’s time to start actually identifying birds. In the case of crows and ravens, there’s a few things to keep in mind: ravens have diamond-shaped tails, while crows have rounded ones; ravens tend to be bigger and more massive; and ravens have a deeper, throaty “caw” than crows do. With other birds, details like the presence or absence of a pale stripe above the eye, whether it’s climbing up or down a tree trunk, and the position of its wings in flight can all be key identifying characteristics for distinguishing similar species.

LESSON #5: BUT DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF THE BIGGER PICTURE

An early lesson I learned in humility was in identifying chickadees. There was one right outside my bedroom window; I was hanging out with my birding friend (we’re quite close, if you haven’t figured that out yet), and grabbed a field guide from the shelf. I had two options: one chickadee with brownish-reddish sides and back, and a gray-backed chickadee. “It’s a mountain chickadee,” I said proudly. “See? It’s gray, just like this one.” “Chestnutbacked,” she said.

We weren’t in the mountains.It’s easy to get excited when you spot something unusual, but don’t forget that birds have ranges, too. Once you’ve figured out whether you’re looking at a woodpecker or a sparrow, paying attention to the easy things like where the bird is found and at what time of year can help you narrow down your choices. For example, realizing that a mountain chickadee isn’t likely to be found at sea-level in the Bay Area.

LESSON #6: AND DON’T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS

On my field trip to the Sierra this summer, we spent a good hour standing in a wet meadow and watching the birds come and go. There was one particular one that kept hopping down to sip from the stream; it had speckled white and brown feathers and some paleness on the wings and rump. Flipping through my field guide, I came to the “Warblers” page and announced to the instructor that we were looking at a yellow-rumped warbler. I didn’t bother to check what other birds could look similar.

It was a juvenile dark-eyed junco (for all you nonbirders, it’s about as common as weeds in a field).

Did I mention not getting overexcited? Birding is hard. Not only are there tons of extremely similar birds out there, like different species of sparrows or flycatchers, but one species can look completely different each time you see it. The lighting might make it hard to see the green-purple shine on a starling’s feathers; juvenile or molting birds might lack characteristic coloring; and female birds often aren’t as distinctive or bright as their

male counterparts. You won’t always be able to identify a bird, and that’s okay. Just don’t make conclusions you don’t have the resources to make.

LESSON #7: GET STARTED!

Now, then, I’ve (obviously) convinced you that birdwatching is a wonderful pastime and that you ought to try it out. But, quite apart from everything I’ve mentioned above, how do you actually go out and start birdwatching?

The easiest thing to do is to just spend some time on MVHS’ campus. Yes, that’s right — you don’t need to go on a backpacking trip to see cool birds! There’s a startling variety of birds on our campus, ones that you can see on your way from Calculus to the choir room or to PE or to American Literature. For example, take a look up at the roof of the Fieldhouse next time you pass by it. There’s swallow nests, made out of mud, in the corners under the overhang; you can even see the swallows themselves during spring and summer. Or listen for the shrill, whistling call of hummingbirds as you pass by any one of the trees on campus — they’re often perched on a branch or checking out the territory. House sparrows, house finches and the aforementioned ravens are a few more of the common birds here.

And if that’s not enough for you, there’s lots of options around the Bay Area. McClellan Ranch, just down the road, is a wonderful habitat for seeing everything from great blue herons to spotted towhees. For the more adventurous, Rancho San Antonio offers both good hikes and plenty of chapparal-oak woodland where birds make their homes. And the marshes edging the Bay, like at Shoreline Park or the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge, are a veritable treasure trove of migratory water birds during the fall and spring seasons.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get out there and do some birdwatching!

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Bitcoin: fraud or future?

A look at the new currency that has divided the technology industry

By Janya Budaraju

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n 1999, Nobel laureate and renowned economist Milton Friedman said, “I think that the Internet is going to be one of the major forces for reducing the role of government. The one thing that’s missing, but that will soon be developed, is a reliable e-cash, a method whereby on the Internet you can transfer funds from A to B, without A knowing B or B knowing A.” And today, almost 20 years after his prediction and almost 10 years after his death, his forecast has finally been fulfilled: the digitized currency of bitcoin has garnered widespread attention for its revolutionary characteristics.

Yet the world is still divided on whether bitcoin is truly the technology of the future, destined to revolutionize the finance and commerce industries, or merely an over-hyped fraud with no real purpose.

A LOOK AT THE HISTORY

In 2009, a mysterious person or organization identified only by the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto” invented the protocol for bitcoin and published a paper outlining the general concepts and ideas behind it. Although the currency was plagued by setbacks including hacking and theft, by July 2012, popularity was on the rise, with several groups figuring out ways to popularize and legitimize the currency.

Yet it wasn’t until April 2013 that bitcoin really shot up in popularity, the value increasing 10-fold in just 2 months.

The collective value of all bitcoin surpassed a billion dollars, garnering attention from several notable sources.

It’s important to note, though, that the primary use of the currency seemed to be illicit activity. In October 2013, one of bitcoin’s biggest users, a bitcoin-powered black market called Silk Road, was shut down by the F.B.I. The value of bitcoin continued to climb as months passed, although there have been some fluctuations. Today, one bitcoin is worth around $4,200- a far cry from the few pennies it would have been worth just a few years ago.

WHAT IS BITCOIN?

Bitcoin is a digital form of currency - a ledger with account numbers and balances that constantly update a user’s account balance as transactions occur. Since they aren’t government-backed or based on gold, the value of bitcoin comes from the belief that they are worth something- the users give it value by deciding to use it.

Bitcoins are mathematically generated through difficult number-crunching tasks that a network executes in a process called “mining.” Yet just like mining gold, as more bitcoins are mined, the harder it becomes to find more.

The mechanics of bitcoin get pretty complex.

Someone has to monitor the mining and transactions that are being made, but because there’s no company or government that runs bitcoin, no single entity can verify the communications.

As a solution to this, instead of a single individual or

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corporation monitoring the interactions, any member of the general public can participate in the verification process. When a transaction message is broadcasted, users around the world race to find a solution to a mathematical problem. Whoever finds the solution first and updates the log is awarded a certain amount of newlygenerated bitcoins. Therefore, the log is always verified by users worldwide and up to date. This makes it nearly impossible to steal bitcoin or fake transactions.

WHAT MAKES BITCOIN SPECIAL?

Bitcoin is considered revolutionary for a few reasons.

First of all, it’s the first decentralized digital currency.

Because it has no central management, it is stored in several places instead of a single central location, which means there’s no single point of failure. This makes it far more secure and reliable- if one server fails, the rest are still running.

Additionally, GENERALLY, IT CAN bitcoins don’t require a middleBE USED FOR LEGAL man- they are THINGS. BUT A LOT transferred OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY directly person to person. This IS ASSOCIATED WITH dramatically cuts BITCOIN BECAUSE IT’S transaction fees ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE that we generally have to pay when TO TRACK. paying through a bank. There’s TEACHER JOE KIM also a factor of anonymity that isn’t achievable through other means. Because it’s decentralized, you are the only one who knows your transaction history. And you’re the sole owner of your bitcoin, which means that companies can’t freeze your account.

But this isn’t to say that bitcoin is fault-free. Although some may consider anonymity to be a plus, it’s a feature that is highly valued among black markets and illegal transactions.

“Generally, it can be used for legal things,” math and computer science teacher Joe Kim said, “but a lot of illegal activity is associated with bitcoin because it’s almost impossible to track.”

The F.B.I. caught and shut down Silk Market, an online black market that almost exclusively used Bitcoin, and it has expressed concerns about the anonymity that enables criminals to operate covertly. Many countries, including Russia and China, have also started to crack down on bitcoin. Bitcoin also been hacked several times in the past; from users on bitcoin forums to the bitcoin service MtGox, millions of dollars of bitcoin have been stolen.

There are also more technical concerns about how

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Bitcoin will scale up over the next few years or decades. Because every single transaction is added to a collective ledger, it’s possible that the file will grow to an unscalable level in the future as transactions build up.

A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE

Because of the huge range of opinions surrounding bitcoin, it’s hard to tell what the future will bring.

Some, like freshman Rikhil Konduru, an active investor in bitcoin, believe bitcoin can solve problems around the world. Konduru believes the fact that it has no central management could be what makes it so revolutionary.

“In countries like Venezuela, with terrible money crises and inflation,” Konduru said, “this will replace the greed of people wanting to produce money in governments.”

It’s also a very secure network that is nearly impossible to steal from, as only the owner knows their address. The seller is protected, as there’s no chance of a refund- every transaction is irreversible. Several investors, including billionaire Tim Draper, have invested millions in bitcoin due to its constant climb in value as well as future potential. These reasons make it a lucrative option for many finance or commerce companies as well as investors.

“I’m very excited about bitcoin and what it can do for the world. Bitcoin is as big a transformation to the finance and commerce industry as the internet was

for information and communications,” Draper said in an interview with The Merkle.

Yet others don’t see huge potential for the general population. Right now, bitcoins are not widely accepted in most name brand stores. Since the valuation fluctuates, there’s no one constant value, which could cause problems with buying and selling items. Additionally, the buyer isn’t protected- if a buyer uses bitcoins to buy something and the seller refuses to give them the goods, the transaction can’t be reversed.

Others believe that there’s too much illegal and suspicious activity surrounding it for it to be accessible to the general population.

“I don’t think it’s going to impact me. It could impact me if it was more legitimate. But there is a lot of illegal activity, not just with the users, but the also the people behind it,” Kim said. “It seems like it’s going to be around, because those types of trades are going to exist. But whether it’s going to become more legitimate, to the point where you or I will use it, is unlikely.”

Kim also expresses doubt about whether it serves a real purpose.

“If I had the numbers somewhere, I don’t actually have to carry money… on the flipside, you can do that right now with places like Paypal,” he said. “They create a system where it’s online digital money, but people are already doing that.”

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