Science catches up with jet lag

Science catches up with jet lag

Questions:

 1. What are the effects of jet lags?

2. How it impacts travelers on board the flight?

3. How the biological clock work in human body?

Answer-

Introduction

In this era of science we have seen many inventions which are beneficial for us. But if we look on the other side then we can see many disadvantages too. Everything has two sides, one is good and one is bad. Same is the case with science. People cannot clearly see the problems that science has brought us. In this story there is disadvantages of Jet lag, how it affects human body is described here. There are so many adverse effects of Jet lag in human body because our body is cannot work properly with the speed of Jet. It can’t cope with it.

Jet Lag

Modern Jets are best invention of science which makes world smaller by flying at more than 900 km an hour. It can reach to the far away places in shorter period of time. For example, we can leave Delhi at 4.00 in the morning, eat an early breakfast in the sky, over Kabul, and be in London in time for Lunch by about 1.00 pm.

Problems regarding Jet Lag

When we are travelling from one place to other then we have to adjust our self according to the time of that particular country. For example, when we are travelling from Delhi to London then there is vast difference in time zone. Delhi timings is totally different from London timings. If you leave from Delhi at Morning time and about to reach London after 8 hours then you will expect that it will be noon time there, but unfortunately there is also morning time. Means time moves for only 3 and half hour, even if you are travelling for 8 hours. That is only because of geographical location of country. Sun rises earlier in India as compared to London.

Adverse effect of Jet lag on our body

The speed of Jet lag is enemy for our body. Our body takes time to adjust. Jet lag did not provide proper time. It makes our journey shorter. Our biological clock requires time to adjust itself. We can adjust our wrist watch easily but our internal clock will take time. We have left Delhi thousands km behind, our body and mind still seem to be controlled by the things happening there. Our body follows the cycle of day and night. The temperature of the body rises and falls at regular hours. Similarly our kidneys are also controlled during night, producing very little urine. In this way all our activities, our habits of sleep, work and hunger follow the biological clock. If this clock is disturbed then there is trouble.

Politicians, Pilots and businessman

The people who suffer from it more are Pilots, Politicians and businessman. Jet pilots are constantly moving from one time zone to other. For them it is very tough task to deal with the adverse effect.  Similarly for businessman there is great deal of suffering because if they are on important meeting in London, then they have to fight to keep themselves awake when others are full of energy. Even the politicians who are going to deal with important speech suffer a lot to keep them active.

An experiment

An experiment was conducted in England on 8 men and 6 women to check the adverse effect of high speed travelling on their bodies. They had to pass through 9 different time zones. Throughout they were given different tests like, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration etc.

Result of the experiment

When people travel from one time zone to another, their body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure etc moved away from normal and it requires many days to come back to normal. Travelling also had an effect on minds of these people. Their power of concentration and ability to make decisions quickly decreased. Emotional disturbance were also common. Men become short tempered and women become nervous.

Conclusion

Therefore our body requires at least 24 hours adjusting itself to local conditions. Nature never wanted us to travel so fast. High speed travel, which is one of the gifts of modern science, seems to be one of the greatest enemies of these natural rhythms. In old days people are travelling at gentle speed and body was able to adjust itself to local time, but jet planes which travel as fast as the sun given no time to re-set its biological clock.

Lap of honor

Unit 4

Murray  Halberg’s Lap of Honour’

By Maurice Shadbolt

About the writer

Maurice Shadbolt was a new Zealand writer. He was born on 4^th June 1932. Shadbolt wrote 11 novels, four collections of short stories, two autobiographies, a war history, and a volume of journalism, as well as plays. His first collection of short stories, “The New Zealanders” won publication in the United Kingdom, as well as New Zealand.

Murray Halberg

This story is about the famous runner of New Zealand who has won 5000-metre race at the Rome Olympic Games in 1960. His left arm was paralysed after the accident in football match. Then he left football  and basketball and took up athletics.

-        

           Physical appearance

Murray did not have a big, strong body. His weight is about 57 Kilogrammes. One sport writer who saw him said that he looked more like a refugee from a prison camp than an athlete. He is thin young New Zealander with the ugly, crooked style of running. It seemed that he has no muscles.

-       

               Coach of Murray Halberg

  

In 1951 Murray met a man called Arthur Lydiard, who became his coach. Lydiard is famous long-distance runner. He has new ideas for the training of athletes. When Murray Halberg face defeat in Olympic games in Melbourne then he and his coach Lydiard decided a new plan for all these races. Lydiard had found that most runners were in habit of slowing down a little when they were about three laps away from the end of the race; then, when they got their breath back, they would make the last jump for victory. Lydiard thought it was at this point that Halberg should make his great effort.

-          Games in the life of Murray

i)                    New Zealand one-mile and two mile race

Murray won New Zealand one-mile and two-mile junior championship. In 1954 Murray became famous after running a mile in 4 minutes 4.4 seconds.

ii)                   United States

Murray was invited to run in the United States. He beats the best runners in the United States and ran a mile in just over 4 minutes.

iii)                 British Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada

In 1954 Halberg ran against Roger Bannister in the mile race at the British Commonwealth Games.

iv)                 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia

Murray has prepared a lot for this Game because mere stamina was not enough to win Olympic Games. But in this Game Murray became nervous and took the lead from the start. That was his biggest mistake which leads to his defeat. He was completely disappointed at this failure.

v)                  Three mile races

After getting defeat in Australia, Murray has decided to run in three miles races means 5000 metre instead of one mile that is only 1500 metre. His timing in these races was much good as the best in the world.

vi)                 British Commonwealth Games at Cardiff, Wales

Halberg won the race easily in record time. He breaks the record of Alby Thomas of Australia in this race. It was his first great international success.

vii)               Rome Olympic of 5000-metre race

Halberg has won Rome Olympic and it was his biggest victory. It changed the life of Murray Halberg because after that he had almost left athletics. In this race Murray defeats German and Australian runners. Hans Grodotski, a German was only few distance away from Halberg but at that time Halberg loses his stamina and stragth. His body was crying out for rest. But his mind and spirit could not allow the body to win. Halberg prepared himself for the last effort and won the race. He fell down into the tape. His friends gathered around his body, but there was that faint smile on his face.

-          Change in Murray’s mindset

Murray has decided that he will not run in 10,000-metre race. His desire to win was gone. Now he wants to spent time for his family. His wife had given birth to daughter. Murray was happier after hearing this news. This happiness is greater than those victories of races.

-          Charity work

Murray has decided to work for crippled, disabled children of Canada. A lot of money was raised and it was used to help these children. He has also taken this task in New Zealand. Many sportsmen joined him in this work and given fund for Murray Halberg Trust fund. Murray has changed the life of two disabled children. One of them is the boy who had lost both his feet, but ran on the remaining body part in a race for crippled children. Another boy whose entire body was paralyzed below his shoulder won a prize for swimming 400-metre in open sea.

Conclusion

The new victories which Murray is winning in his work for crippled, paralyzed children are far more meaningful than that famous victory in Rome Olympic. In this way Murray changed his entire life. He has never given up at any cost. When he was paralyzed then all his family members lost their hope but Murray has decided to try hand in another sport.  After that when he has got much fame already, decided to work for some other cause which will add meaning to his life. Now he wants to live for his family, for other disabled children in order to give them motivation.

Super trains for tomorrow

Super Trains for Tomorrow by Anthony paul

Best Railway system in Japan

Japan has best railway system in the world today. It has exceeded the speed of the fastest train of India which is having the speed of 120 km an hour only. Japan’s Bullet trains are running with the speed of 200 km an hour.

Japan is a developed country even after the disastrous attack of nuclear bomb, Second world war in 1945. Geographical structure is also not perfect for railway lines because it is made of four large islands, and mountains cover three-quarters of the land area. This makes it difficult to have a good railway system. But Japan never thinks of negativity. With positive mind and positive attitude they make everything possible and perfect.

Tokyo and Osaka

Tokyo and Osaka are very much crowded cities. Traffic between these two cities is always overcrowded. This part of the Japan has the greatest population because most of the factories are situated here. Even the fastest train was not enough because of overloading.

Railway lines in Japan from beginning

Japan has best Railway system. If an express train is late by more than a few minutes, The JNR (Japanese National railway) often returns a part of the fare to the passengers.

The JNR running 122 passenger trains and 78 goods trains every day in each direction. JNR is ready to spend more money on Railway lines even if railway all over the world facing loss due to increase in road and air transport.

According to the statement of the head of JNR, Shijni Sago

“If we cannot run our trains between Tokyo and Osaka, then Japan will never prosper”

i)                    Tokaido Line

The head of JNR has asked to his engineer to build a completely new system for Railway. Hence they have build Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Osaka. It was started in 1964. It has carried 500 million passengers saving them 1200 million hours in travelling time. Therefore production in the factories is also raised by 2812 crores.

ii)                   Seikan Tunnel

Japanese government has build Seikan tunnel to connect the two islands, So that JNR will run through this Tunnel. It was necessary because of unclear route. Trains had to be carried out from one island to another. Tsugaru strait, which separates the main island of Honshu from Hokaiddo, cannot be crossed by a bridge because it was the largest of four islands. In 1954 Toya Maru (Ferry ship) sank while crossing this bridge because of storm. Mostly bridges are swept away in a storm. Therefore with Seikan tunnel the journey from Tokyo and Sappora, the capital of Hokkaido will be cut down to about 5 hours from 16 hours.

iii)                 Problems regarding Tokaido Line

-Tokaido Line is not able to carry all the passengers and goods.

-Great noise is created by Bullet Trains of Tokaido Line.

- These trains are too slow for the needs of the future.

-Any train running on wheels cannot go faster than 300 km an hour.

iv)                 Problems regarding Hovertrain

-Hover trains which are used today in few places of France and Germany are also not applicable for Japan because of its great noise.

-It is noisier than the Bullet Trains because of the fans which keep the whole train above the ground.

-It cannot run through Tunnels because there would be not enough air to support its fan system.

v)                  A Magnetic Train

Scientists have discovered a Magnetic train which runs on the principles of North and south poles of magnet. If two Magnets have same pole they will repel each other, however opposite poles attracts each other. Same formula was applied in train system where the track and the train having same positive electrical charge or same poles which pushed away or repelled the train from the track. Thus the train will float a few centimeters above the track. It was tested in Japan in 1972.

Conclusion

This was a very small beginning, but the JNR plans to run, perhaps within next five years, magnetic trains carrying 100 passengers between Tokyo and Osaka, at a speed of over 500 km an hour. The day may soon come when trains will fly across the countryside at almost the speed of airplanes. When that day comes, Then JNR will be in first position.