The Young Chronicle: For 4th Graders December 5th, 2014 | Page 2

YOUNG CHRONICLE

November 28th, 2014

THE YOUNG CHRONICLE
What is the European Union?
Rambo and Pranks have always been curious about the
European Union. When papa told them that a new president
had been elected? They grew more curious. Why would so
many countries unite and have one Visa and One Currency,
and still be different countries? And why didnʼt the entire
world have the same currency and why did they need Visas
to travel at all?
Their questions went all over the place. Mumma and Papa
grew pretty confused and wondered which question to tackle
first. So they decided to start with a brief history of the
European Union.
European Union or EU is an economic and political union of
28 member states, located primarily in Europe. These
countries are committed to regional integration, (if you have
travelled to Europe, you may know that many countries just
need one Schengen visa to travel).
Rambo and Pranks had heard of the World Wars. Their
father explained that after the Second World War, the entire
continent of Europe was devastated, because some
countries had upheld their national interest over others. After
the Second World War, the face of Europe changed with
many more countries breaking away to form new ones. To
create some unity amongst them, there was a need to create
a body which unified the countries together.
The EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht, a city in
Netherlands, on 1 November 1993. The treaty led to the
creation to the Euro Currency. It also led to a common
Foreign and Security policy (which enables people to travel
to member countries with a single visa) which also includes a
common defence and anti-terrorism policy. The treaty
created the need for the formation of the
European Commission, the European Parliament and
the European Court of Justice. The European commission
manages the day-to-day affairs of the EU and makes and
implements policies. The Parliament and the Court have
similar duties that any Parliament and court do, except that
they function at the EU level.
Coming to the other questions, about common currency in
the world, that is a far cry because of umpteen regulations
and socio cultural differences, and the fact that most
countries are not at par when it comes to development,
infrastructure and other issues. Why would America want to
have a common currency with India, when their currency is
over 60 times more powerful than ours? Basically this means
that all children need to study hard and work towards making
India a better place.

Mumma added, that living in a boundary less world was a
myth, as terrorism still existed, there were different laws
in different countries. Some countries were totalitarian
countries, and some were divided on the basis of religion.
Each country had different languages and socio-cultural
norms, which made it virtually impossible to live in a
boundary less world.
To Read About Donald Tusk, the new president of the
EU, Go to Page 6. If you havenʼt subscribed to the paper
yet, click ʻFull versionʼ to read the article.

The Brain’s GPS!
How do we know where we are? How can we find the
way from one place to another? And how can we store
this information in such a way that we can immediately
find the way the next time we trace the same path?
This year's Nobel Laureates have discovered a
positioning system, an "inner GPS" in the brain that
makes it possible to orient ourselves in space,
demonstrating a cellular basis for higher cognitive
function.
In 1971, John O'Keefe discovered the first component
of this positioning system. He found that a type of
nerve cell in an area of a Rat’s brain called the
hippocampus was activated when a rat was at a certain
place in a room. Other nerve cells were activated when
the rat was at other places. O'Keefe concluded that
these "place cells" formed a map of the room.
More than three decades later, in 2005, May-Britt
and Edvard Moser discovered another key component
of the brain's positioning system. They identified
another type of nerve cell, which they called "grid
cells", that generate a coordinate system and allow for
precise positioning and path-finding. Their subsequent
research showed how place and grid cells make it
possible to determine position and to navigate.
The discoveries of John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser
and Edvard Moser have solved a problem that has
occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries –
how does the brain create a map of the space
surrounding us and how can we navigate our way
through a complex environment?

Know more about the inventions on Page 5. If you havenʼt
subscribed to the paper yet, click ʻFull Versionʼ to read the
article.