Dear
Griffin Post
Carbohydrates and Atoms: What Makes Up our Diet and our World
By: Ariana Larson
01/10/2025
Why does bread have so many carbs?
Question From: Ibrahim
Every year in PE, as required by the state of Michigan, we learn about My Plate. My Plate is a nutrition tool used to help spread nutrition education, meaning ways to eat healthier. My Plate is typically shown as a plate divided into four portions. These portions showcase the four of the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins. The fifth food group, dairy, is represented as a circle off to the side of the plate showcasing the typical beverage, milk. When we think of foods that are part of each category, we usually think of bread as the main carbohydrate (even though rice, another carb, is eaten more).
Carbohydrates are actually sugar molecules. They are found in most of the foods we eat! Sugar is found in many of the foods we eat, and that is a type of carb. So, when classifying food into carbohydrates, people tend to look for an abundance of the other types of carbs, like starches and fiber. One food that contains both of those (depending how it is used, prepared, and what type it is) is grain, which is the staple for making bread.
Bread, in all its forms, has been the easiest thing to make since the beginning of human civilization. You can make bread basically by mixing water and flour with a few extra steps. Most breads are made with different types of flour. Flour is just crushed up grains, which as we just explained, are rich in carbs. Fermented flour being the main source of nutrients, bread can be mostly carbs.
Carbs can be really beneficial for your health, but they can’t be everything in your diet. They can cause discomfort and blood problems if eaten too often. But, even if you eat a regular amount of bread, you may still not see the benefits you are seeking. This might be because you could be eating sugary bread. Yes, this is America, everything is overprocessed and sugared, but can be more pronounced yet avoidable in bread. When shopping for bread, check the label, is it refined (otherwise known as white bread) or whole grain? There can be a real difference when choosing bread types. Whole grain uses its namesake, the whole grain, to make the flour needed. What is known as refined grain, only uses the innermost layer of a grain, leading it to have less color, nutrients, and taste. With less flavor, bread companies sometimes kick the added sugar up a notch and the fewer nutrients don’t help improve its nutritional value. But, if you want the nutrients of whole grain and the taste of refined bread, there are options for this.
To surmise, it is recommended by My Plate to have a balanced diet, which includes a certain amount of carbohydrates. Bread is one source of carbohydrates. Due to the process of making bread, the grains which the food comes from supplies an exuberant amount of carbs. But be careful, some carbohydrates aren’t the healthiest. Two types of bread are usually found in grocery stores: bread made with refined grains, and bread made with whole grains. Both express different tastes and effects, so choose wisely.
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What is an atom?
Question From: Ibrahim
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A microscope is a tool used in science to basically “zoom in” on objects and organisms. Let’s pretend we have a super microscope (or an STM electron microscope), and we can zoom in on ourselves. At first, we can see our skin’s little details. Then, we can see our skin cells. When we zoom in further, we can finally see the atoms that make us up.
Science defines atoms as the smallest and simplest things that make up the universe. They can combine to make molecules, which all together make up us and everything we can see. Knowing this is the base of all science, chemistry, and knowing how the universe works. I might not have said this before, but there are different types of atoms. We can define the different types as elements. You cannot separate atoms or elements because they are the simplest form of that type. How we organize all these elements is through the periodic table.
Atoms were not officially discovered until the 19th century, but they have been speculated about since the ancient Greeks. In Greece (among other civilizations like ancient India or China), it was contemplated that everything could be divided into smaller pieces over and over again, until it reached the smallest unit. This is where the name “atom” comes from. The name “atom” comes from the Greek word “atomos,” which means uncuttable or indivisible. Later, the concept was theorized again and used when the botanist Robert Brown noticed pollen grains moving in complex paths in seemingly still water. Fast forward years later when slowly we have studied and classified all types of elements and atoms. However, in 1897, seventy years after Brown studied his moving pollen, the initial concept of an atom was discovered to be wrong.
The concept of an atom is that it can’t be divided into anything smaller. But after tests and research, the concept of how atoms operated was discovered. After much research, the subatomic particles that make up each atom (and what makes the elements unique) were discovered. There are three types of subatomic particles, electrons, neutrons, and protons. How these work together to make up an atom and how they operate led to even more discoveries, such as electricity.
To conclude, atoms are one of the smallest building blocks of everything we know. They have been speculated about for thousands of years, but weren’t officially discovered until 1827. However, seventy years later, the concept of atoms was altered with the discovery of subatomic particles.
Sources:
Science of Bread Making - Bakeinfo - Baking Industry Research Trust
What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Bread Every Day
What's the Difference Between Whole Wheat, Whole Grain, and Multigrain Bread?
Atom | Definition, Structure, History, Examples, Diagram, & Facts | Britannica
Video Games and Diseases
By: Ariana Larson
12/20/2024
Why are video games fun?
Question From: Atticus W.
Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox have one thing in common. They are video game companies. The first video game was created in 1958, and it was a very simple tennis game. Now, 66 years later, we have virtual reality and thousands of video games at our fingertips. They can become addictive rather quickly, so it is easy to get heavily engrossed in them.
The reason behind video games being considered desirable is because they stimulate dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that is linked with pleasure and satisfaction. We like dopamine; it makes us feel happy and calm. How video games are set up is that if you do a task, you get a reward. When we get rewards, our brains fire dopamine and we start wanting all that dopamine.
Mobile video game companies depend on this a lot to make money. They use different methods developed by psychologists to make their games as addictive as possible. If you’re addicted to their video games, you play more, which means you’re more likely to spend more. So, the longer they hook you, the better the possibility that you spend money. Some of the tricks companies are known to use are Skinner’s Box, virtual goods being the same worth as real goods, changing the rate of reinforcement, punishments for not playing, streaks and daily rewards, and seasons. All these combined can make a game hard to put down. But, it is possible to not have video games control your life.
Ways to combat a gaming addiction is to try to remove it and detox it from your system. You can do this by setting limits to avoid going cold-turkey. This can help reset your dopamine levels to normal. Another way is participating in non-screen activities that give your senses and brain a rest. Activities that you can do are playing sports, drawing, reading, or (if you find it fun) studying and doing homework.
To surmise, the video game industry is well known to many people. A multitude of people enjoy it because when you do well in the game, your brain gives you dopamine, which makes you feel good. Video game designers utilize this by making games as addictive as possible. A way to combat your addiction is just going and touching grass.
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What should you do with everyone who is sick?
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In these colder months, you may notice you or people at school are sick. It can seem in these winter months like the apocalypse. Everyone is absent from school or coughing. It is actually scientifically proven that diseases, especially respiratory diseases, spike in winter. This is mainly because cold weather can decrease our immune system’s ability to fight illnesses. Another reason would be that we don’t like the cold and start spending more time indoors, which makes it easier for diseases to spread. However, it isn’t the end of the world (just the end of the year), and one of the best ways to stop sickness from spreading is to take measures to keep yourself from getting sick.
You don’t have to go out and take elaborate measures to prevent getting sick. There are actually many easy ways that usually cost next to nothing. The first way is building up your immune system. To do this, try to eat healthy. You don’t have to go on an all organic, vegan diet. Just watch what you eat and try to avoid unhealthy foods. Another measure you can take is getting enough sleep. I know we have to get up really early to come to school, but you can control what time you go to bed. However, the most important thing to prevent getting sick is keeping yourself and surfaces around you clean. Wash your hands, especially after using the bathroom, after you get any of yourself dirty from sneezing or coughing, and before and after cooking. Cleaning highly used surfaces is also helpful. Surfaces like desktops, pencil sharpeners, and doorknobs should be cleaned often.
Those are all easy things to do on a daily basis, but sometimes extra measures need to be taken. These can include going to the doctor for regular checkups and when you feel sick. This can help majorly because you can get diagnosed and treated sooner. Also, if you are diagnosed with a sickness, take your prescribed medication your doctor recommends.
But even if you take all these precautions, you can still get sick. If you do get sick, you should quarantine from others to prevent them from getting sick. Although, if you are still showing symptoms and have to go out in public, wear proper protective gear like a mask to keep others safe. This along with everything else previously mentioned and what your doctor recommends can help a quick recovery.
To conclude, in the winter months, diseases are more common than throughout the rest of the year. Many measures can be taken to prevent diseases. This could include eating healthier, wearing a mask, and listening to your doctor’s recommendations.
Sources:
Does Video Gaming Have Impacts on the Brain: Evidence from a Systematic Review - PMC
Are Video Games Designed to Be Addictive?
5 Ways to Stop a Gaming Addiction
Mayo Clinic Minute: Why do people get sick with viruses in the winter?
Do People Really Get Sick More Often During the Winter? | Atlantic Health
Banana Bananza
By: Ariana Larson
12/06/2024
Are bananas going extinct?
Question From: Kevin
We all know what bananas are. Well, in case you don’t know what they are, they’re long yellow fruits that grow in tropical areas. But you probably have had them because they are the most popular fruit in the world. The average American eats an average of 26 pounds of bananas a year. Given that we eat so many bananas, it would be a disaster for the fruit to go extinct. What would lead us to think that bananas are going extinct is that bananas are getting sick. As history would suggest, we've been waiting for it to happen all along.
I might be confusing you, but stick with me. The bananas we eat today are genetically modified. They have been specifically bred to have a number of qualities like being seedless and able to ripen without staying connected to the plant, extending the time in which they can be shipped. However, since they are seedless, they are reproduced from offshoots of a parent plant, making every banana a clone of every other banana. Without any way for evolution, they are practically helpless against threatening diseases or fungi.
This predicament has happened multiple times in history, even with bananas! The worst botanical epidemic of disastrous effects for people was in 1845 in Ireland. The potatoes were a game changer in 1589 for the people of Ireland. It was a highly nutritious plant that grew well in the rocky climate of the country and soon became a staple food for most people. The plants grew into clones of each other, into genetically the same vegetable. So, when a fungus dubbed “Late Blight” came into contact with the vegetables, the disease spread like wildfire. The absence of the staple food led to the starvation and death of one million people as well as the emigration of another million. Later, a similar plight plagued bananas.
The bananas, like today, were of the same variety and clones of themselves. Then, when an epidemic hit the bananas, it virtually wiped them out. Now, the Gros Michel variety (lost in the first epidemic) is replaced by the Cavendish variety (the most common one now) in everyday grocery stores. Now, you can only get Gros Michel from private vendors as opposed to the supermarket. If the Cavendish banana is fated to die out, what will come of our favorite fruit?
Like all things in life, it will adapt and change. Given that history tends to repeat itself, we will probably start developing a more diverse palette of bananas that are resistant to any disease to come. Even now, we can find different types in everyday grocery stores.
To recap, the most popular banana type, Cavendish, is facing the threat of extinction. Their genetic identicality means that every banana is vulnerable to the same set of disease, but we don’t have to worry, because, as history has shown us, bananas will find a way! After all, they rebounded from the earlier Banana Epidemic. Scientists and farmers are combatting the outbreak of disease among bananas by slowly introducing more varieties of bananas. So, rest assured that the yellow fruits will not disappear.
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Why do monkeys like bananas?
Question From: Randeep
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As kids, we have all probably eaten a banana and pretended to be monkeys by hanging on things or saying “Oo oo ah ah,” but where did this come from? Media might depict monkeys as unintelligent primates who spend their time eating fruit, but they are actually quite smart and do not eat bananas. At least not the ones we eat.
Bananas need a warm environment to grow. They are mostly found in hot and tropical areas. Monkeys on the other hand, live in a variety of climates from savanna plains to high mountains. A habitat most live in, though, is a tropical rainforest. That is the same habitat that bananas grow in, so what's keeping monkeys from their wildest banana-filled dreams?
Monkeys usually are not exposed to the bananas we eat due to the fact that our bananas are a domesticated plant that does not grow in the wild. The bananas we eat have been domesticated to grow big, sweet, and seedless. Wild bananas are typically small, and the fruit part is mostly taken up by its big seeds. This fruit is commonly used for its health benefits by humans (though, like most fruits we eat, it contains a lot of sugar), however, bananas can have the opposite effect for monkeys.
Monkeys' diets mainly consist of fruits, nuts, or insects in the wild. Many zoos have stopped feeding monkeys the typical food because of its high content of sugar. The cheap banana from the supermarket contains a large amount of the sweet substance, too much for monkeys, most of whom are very small. Just like too many sweets, the effects of the unhealthy bananas can include diabetes, obesity, tooth decay and over aggression.
To sum up, monkeys and bananas are usually associated with each other. But this is misleading: Monkeys do not typically eat bananas in the wild. Though they share the same habitat, bananas are eaten by monkeys mostly in zoos. However, even that is disappearing with zoos taking bananas out of monkeys' diets due to health risks.
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Sources:
The ‘banana pandemic’ destroying the world’s favourite fruit
Banana list | Bananageddon The Film
Why Do Monkeys Love Bananas? | Wonderopolis
Monkeys Do Not Eat Bananas in the Wild - Business Insider
UK’s Paignton Zoo bans monkeys from eating bananas for health reasons | CNN
The Science of Flies and the Truth Behind our Fascination with Celebrities
By: Ariana Larson
11/15/2024
Why do flies like stinky stuff?
Question From: Ibrahim
Think of the stinkiest things you have smelled. That might include bodily excrements, skunks, trash, and dead animals. The last two objects mentioned might attract flies if left out for too long. What flies do with waste is significant to their survival and also aids law enforcement in the investigation of deaths.
The fly is an insect in the Diptera order, which means they are classified by having two wings (strangely enough, the order they belong to includes types of mosquitos too). The types of flies we see on things that emit a foul odor depend on what is producing said odor. Flies go to malodorous places because the decaying material can provide nutrients for larvae. Flies lay eggs on the waste, and when larvae hatch, the larvae eat the waste. Though we now know that, how do flies find this waste so quickly?
Flies use their antennae to find waste. Their antennae act a lot like your nose. When an object or person produces a smell, they send out specific molecules. When those molecules are breathed in via your nose, they set off smell receptors. Those receptors send a signal to your brain telling you what you smell. The same thing happens with flies, but with antennae instead of a nose. Also, their antennae are especially attuned to find the source of the waste they are detecting. Flies finding all our trash can sometimes be annoying. Very annoying. But this ability can help a lot of people.
For example, flies can help law enforcement when someone dies in a crime. Police and forensic investigators can use the type of fly and the stage of life a fly is at to determine many things to solve a case. Forensic entomology (using bugs to solve a crime) can be used to find how long ago a person died using the type of fly and the stage of life the fly found (near the body) is at. Additionally, if a type of fly is not common where the body was found, but it is common somewhere else, it could be assumed the body was moved.
To conclude, flies can use their antennae to find waste far away. When they find waste, they lay their eggs there so their larvae have food to eat. They can sometimes be pests, but they can help police investigators determine valuable information about what happened in a criminal case.
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Why do people feel drawn towards certain celebrities?
Question From: Alexis Dear
There are many people that we collectively hear of, but aren’t close to or friends with us. They are called celebrities. We don't usually interact with them on a daily basis like we do with our friends and family, but we know a lot about them. For example, I could name random names and most people in the room would know them. (There are also people who don’t know celebrities, and I am usually part of that group. Please don’t be mean to us.) Celebrities can become famous because people can like them since other people like them.
That might sound complex and confusing, but it can be explained very simply. If a lot of people at school like croissants, you will want to try a croissant or eat croissants for a snack. You would probably do that because you want to fit in. People have wanted to fit in for thousands of years, ever since we started living in groups together. The best way to survive was to have everyone in the group want you, so they would allow you to enjoy the benefits of staying in the group. Another reason why we like certain celebrities, is that we seek out qualities that we lack in them.
If you feel you lack something, be it friends, self-esteem, or something else, it would be human nature to surround yourself with people you think have an abundance of that thing. This would be another reason someone would be obsessed with a certain celebrity. The person might look prettier or have more friends than you feel like you do. But, usually, that isn’t the case.
The place we can see and obsess over celebrities the most is social media. And not all of it is true. Online, someone can look all perfect and have the best life. However, in reality, they aren't living the dream. They could orchestrate a video or only show part of what happened in a situation. It’s like if you bit out of an apple and turned it around so all people saw of the apple was the whole part. You don’t want to show the bad parts of your life because you want people to think highly of you (this also ties back to wanting to fit in).
To summarize, celebrities are people that are collectively known in society. People feel drawn to certain celebrities for two reasons. One would be to fit in because everyone else likes them. The second reason would be that they look like they have an admirable life, and people want it. However, this is not true, they are human, and their life is only slightly less hard. A regular person and a celebrity are entirely parasocial, meaning they might be the center of your life, but they don’t even know you exist. You can combat your celebrity obsession with going outside, speaking with people you are close with (in real life like parents and friends), and distancing yourself from whatever is giving you access to stalking this celebrity.
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Sources:
Nature curiosity: How do flies find garbage and other stinky things?
The House Fly and Other Filth Flies Prevention and Control
We All Want to Fit In | Psychology Today
The Future of AI and the History of Math
By: Ariana Larson
10/18/2024
Will AI grow enough to stop humanity ? If so, is there a solution to stop it?
Question From: Ibrahim
You’re home alone and doing your homework. You shout, “Alexa, what is the square root of 64?” even though no one else is there. Nevertheless, a cheery voice replies, “The square root of 64 is eight”. You might not know it, but voice assistants like Alexa and Google are forms of artificial intelligence or AI. In our advancing world, AI is appearing in more and more places.
One of the places where AI is included is on your devices. It is included in most software because instead of having a human carry out and solve a multitude of tasks, you can program a software to do it. AI can help a bit by predicting what you will search, but it can show itself on a larger scale in apps dedicated to it like ChatGPT. Although these forms of AI are current, the concept of AI was used in 1952 about 72 years ago!
The program was originally made to play a game of checkers with a human player independently. Three years later at a college workshop, the term Artificial Intelligence began to be used, even though the concept had been in the public’s eye since the late 1810s.
The idea of creating another independently thinking being has been pondered over since 1818 when Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was published. Since then, books have been written and movies have been made asking: What if we made new intelligent life forms (usually robots)? What would they do? We can only guess, but one of the major developers of AI has voiced concerns about the possibilities.
Geoffrey Hinton has worked at many software companies, most recently Google. He is considered the godfather of AI for his work with developing AI. Now, he is trying to warn people about the dangers of AI. Hinton acknowledges that it may seem far off in the future, but he says it’s actually closer than we think. With all this bad news, what should we do?
There have been measures taken to prevent the future domination of AI, like a letter suggesting that we should pause work on AI. Over 33,000 researchers and technologists have signed this letter. It sounds like a lot; however, it’s not enough. You could help this cause by limiting your dependence on AI. For example, try thinking things through yourself and being creative, not just asking questions to a chatbot.
To conclude, artificial intelligence can be found in a variety of places. Even though it is a fairly new technology, the idea has been around since the start of science fiction. Ironically enough, like in science fiction, we are facing the threat of it taking over. Thankfully, we don’t have to fear just yet because there are measures we can take to mitigate the risks.
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How did math start?
Question From: Aanya
As annoying as the homework is, math is a subject you use in everyday life, no matter your job. It is overlooked a lot because you could just punch numbers into a calculator instead of solving math problems yourself. However, it is and has been important for daily life since ancient times.
The first artifacts containing mathematics were clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia. There was mathematics in most ancient civilizations. Ancient Mesopotamia developed many mathematical concepts we still use today, like the base sixty system that we use for time. Despite Mesopotamia’s mathematical prowess, the most evidence of sophisticated mathematics is found in Arabia. This is where the mathematician Muhammed ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi used a system of formulas that today is known as algebra. In addition, by the tenth century, the number zero was in the Arabic numeral system.
Wait, why is zero important? It doesn't have any numerical value. Well, it has value in other mathematical areas. It developed in many physical areas. For example, in Mesoamerica, the Mayans used zeros to indicate different dates. Then, the Indian mathematicians were the first to give meaning to the number zero. Finally, in Arabia, zero was made a number. Zeros then got a role in what is now called algebra.
What did we use this new math for? At first, algebra was used to aid geometry. Geometry was used for dividing land and for architectural purposes. Then, when a basic understanding of principles was developed in ancient Greece, more complicated math could be learned. After this development, they could use the new, more advanced math to figure out other problems. The new, more complicated math allowed people to deal with astronomy, which then led to the development of recording time and making calendars.
Lastly, math has been around for millenia in most ancient cultures. So, it wasn’t developed by one person, it was a collection of ways and ideas that made today's math. Additionally, one of those ideas was the concept of zero, which aided the different forms of math, such as algebra and geometry.
Sources:
What is the history of artificial intelligence (AI)? | Tableau
Who invented computers? | Bricsys Blog
National Sci-Fi Day: Getting Started
'The godfather of AI' sounds alarm about potential dangers of AI : NPR
14 Dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Built In
Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter - Future of Life Institute
Who Invented Math? | Wonderopolis
Mathematics - Ancient Sources, History, Culture | Britannica
What is Zero in Math? Definition, Facts, and Examples
Mosquitoes and Michigan Lefts
By: Ariana Larson
10/04/2024
Why are mosquito bites so itchy?
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Summer can be defined by many things, good and bad. And for most people, a bad thing would be mosquitos. They are tiny buzzing vampires that not only take your blood but also leave the area were they bit you itchy for days. This begs the question: why are mosquito bites so itchy? But before we learn why they are so itchy, we need to know more about the insect itself.
A mosquito lives its life similar to most insects. It starts off from an egg and becomes a larva. Soon that larva grows into a pupa. Then that pupa is finally ready to emerge into an adult and make its own eggs, which brings us back to the topic of blood. Blood is basically the transport system for our bodies. So, even a little bit of blood can contain many different nutrients that would be vital to our (and other species’) survival. Our blood contains iron, proteins, and other types of amino acids, which are vital. However, blood is not their main meal. They have non-hemoglobin alternatives like fruit juice and nectar. Because of this, only the females bite us owing to the extra boost of iron needed to produce the eggs.
So, when a female mosquito comes down and bites you, why does the bite itch so
badly? Well, just like you, mosquitos have saliva (AKA spit), and when they bite you with their proboscis, some of their saliva gets injected in you. Gross, I know, your body thinks that too. This means the red lump you get is the response of your body to the saliva, which it deems an allergen.
If a mosquito bite is just basically an allergic reaction, itching mercilessly won’t do anything right? Wong. If you constantly scratch the wound, problems could occur. The bite may bleed, causing it to scab then potentially scar. Also, with the bleeding, blood out in the open could possibly lead to infection. All bad things, and it’s not just one hole the mosquito drank from. It’s six small ones. That’s because inside its proboscis is a sophisticated system of six small styles (try saying that five times fast). I would include a picture but a photo may be too nauseating for some readers (including this writer). Another bad thing a mosquito bite can give you is disease. Like viruses, parasites, and other forms of sickness.
There are many different ways of alleviating the discomfort of the bite, such as wearing bug spray to help prevent most of the bites in the first place. There are products to soothe the itchiness like anti-itch and antihistamine creams (histamine is the thing that causes the bug bite to cause an allergic reaction). There’s also technology like the suction-powered gadget “The Bug-Bite Thing,” and of course the long list of home remedies.
All in all, mosquito bites are so itchy because our body perceives mosquito saliva as a threat and try to counter it. So, remember next time you want to itch the bites, at least you know why they’re there in the first place.
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Why do we have Michigan Lefts?
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Why didn’t the chicken turn left at the intersection? Because he was in Michigan. A Michigan Left is a very strange concept. It leaves many people confused when they first come here. However it is more than just an indulgence Michiganders enjoy, it is a very important process to prevent lethal accidents.
How do you do a Michigan Left though? Let’s take a two lane intersection for example. If you live in a normal place you would cross two lanes before you turn left. A Michigan Left is when, instead of doing the former procedure, you turn right first, then you shift to the left and do a U-turn around the median. Now you are back on track on the road you originally wanted to turn to. Still why be so extra and add all those steps?
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Well, in the 1960s, Thomas Maleck, a traffic engineer, was assigned the task to help decongest traffic. Even though he credits the concept to another person, Don Snakey, the idea was a hit. Now the concept is seen all over Michigan, even in places it isn’t needed. But why is it such a good idea?
Remember those two lanes we crossed over at the start of the article? Well, now we’re crossing them again but in one of those lanes there is a car coming at you from the right. They hit you right as you’re crossing the lane. Wherever they could've hit you, they hit you on the left side with full force, injuring or sadly killing everyone on the left side (including the driver). If we had the Michigan Left, they would’ve just hit our back, or had time to slow down and stop.
Reading this, it may just seem like it just helps in those specific scenarios that rarely happen. However, Michigan Lefts have prevented thirty to sixty percent of accidents. It also has been shown to relieve traffic congestion and also protect not just cars but bicyclists and pedestrians.
Even if it has been overused or been a foreign creation, it is and has been very helpful. It isn’t just found in Michigan, either. It is not called a “Michigan Left,” but the same idea is found in Louisiana, Texas, Utah, North Carolina, Arizona and even other countries like Mexico and Australia (oddly enough because they drive on the left side of the road already). Nevertheless it has been helpful in saving countless lives.
To conclude, the Michigan Left is an action taken by many drivers in Michigan and beyond to avoid directly turning left. Even though it seems excessive, it has been proven to alleviate accident injuries and help decongest traffic. So, next time you get nauseous because of how crazy you’re turning, remember you’re turning like that for a reason.
Sources:
WATCH: Mosquitoes Use 6 Needles To Suck Your Blood : Shots - Health News : NPR
Mosquito Bites: What They Look Like, Why They Itch & Treatment
CuriosiD: Where Did the Michigan Left Come From? - WDET 101.9 FM