Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson is known for being an advocate for eliminating harmful chemicals in the environment. Carson's viewpoint on these chemicals have both positive and negative outcomes. One of main toxic chemicals that Carson pushed to be deemed unsafe for use is DDT. DDT is an insecticide that has been used throughout the world to help with some of the harmful insects in the environment. When DDT is sprayed everything is covered with the toxic chemical. Carson knew of the effects of DDT and was outrage when she found the negative side effects. With much determination Carson was able to get the use of DDT banned. On the negative end of the spectrum the use of DDT is no longer allowed in remote locations plagued with malaria. Without the use of DDT people are held captives in their own homes. In some regions people must sleep and live under mosquito nets. I believe DDT is a horrible chemical, but I also believe that it needs to be used under close supervision and in moderation. This chemical could provide a new life to a group of people that deserve to live their life. 

Cancer Statistics

Did you know, most cases of lung cancer death, close to 90% in men, and 80% in women are caused by cigarette smoking? There are several other types of cancer that can be attributed to smoking as well, and they include cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, bladder, stomach, cervix, kidney and pancreas, and acute myeloid leukemia. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, and cigarette smoking causes most cases. In 2003, an estimated 171,900 new cases of lung cancer occurred and approximately 157,200 people died from lung cancer. Reductions in the number of people who smoke cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and other tobacco products or use smokeless tobacco could prevent most of the estimated 30,200 new cases and 7,800 deaths from oral cavity and pharynx cancers annually in the United States.

What is life?

What is living and what is not? It is almost impossible to be completely accurate with what is living and what isn't with such a large variety of organisms in our world. To the human eye it may be very difficult, but there are many different ways to look further into a organism and tell whether or not it is living. Many aspects of viruses and protein prions are living, but some are also many things that make the feel not so living. As time changes organisms begin to change themselves and adapt to their surroundings. As these organisms change and adapt they become even more efficient in there environment and thrive in life. The classification of "living" and "dead" isn't something that is to classify. You must look at all the different parts and behaviors of the organism before one could classify and make a accurate decision.

Three diets for three blood types

A blood type diet is a diet that is based around your blood type. It can be said that the type of food that your blood type enjoys consuming can be linked all the way back to your ancestors. Blood types can be linked to the geographical regions where your ancestors were from and the food types that ate. For each blood type there is a different type of diet. These diets are based on different types of nutrition that the body breaks down and absorbs. Generally speaking blood type A should avoid red meat, eat plenty of fish and vegetables, with a low dairy intake. Blood type B should avoid chicken and bacon; eat plenty of meat and dairy, some fish, and plenty of fruit and vegetables. Last, but not least blood type AB should eat a combination of the two blood types. If we were to look back at the geographical region we came from and our blood type there is a correlation with what type of substance our ancestors would have been consuming and our blood type. 

My poor baby!

Today I received my "baby" which is a small sunflower seed seated inside a small cup surrounded by potting soil. The first thing I did to my cup was to poke a small hole on the bottom in the middle to allow proper drainage for the plant. I placed my sunflower seedling in the corner of my bedroom window and I water her until she is moist on the top layer of soil. It is very important not to over water your plant or you risk drowning your seedling. After a week had past no progress was made. Another week had past and still no progress. I decided that something must had gone wrong in the planting process of my seedling, so I decided to start again with a new seedling. After watering this new seedling for another week and a half nothing happened again. I checked my drain hole in the cup and she was draining fine. The soil seemed to be just right, not too moist not too dry. A week later still no progress had occurred with the seedling and I decided again to abandon this seed and try another. This would be my last and final shot at having a sunflower sprout. I seated the new seed in a cup of potting soil filled to about the half way mark on the small cup. I poked another hole in the bottom of the cup and the watering continued. After about a week of water, no signs of sprouting were showing, but a weird covering began to show on the top of the plant. A week later still no signs of sprouting. About another half week later the seedling still hadn't sprouted. After the third seed seemed to be a failure, I hung up my hat and decided that I'm a horrible Gardner. After this experience I think I'll leave the planting and growing to the professionals.

Mitochondrial Eve

In the field of human genetics, Mitochondrial Eve is a woman from whom all humans have descended from, on their mothers side all the way back to the beginning of time. All mitochondrial DNA in every living person is directly descended from her by definition. Mitochondrial Eve is estimated to have lived about 200,000 years ago in East Africa. It is said that all man kind started from this origin over 200,000 years ago. Mitochondrial Eve is so important to us because it shows the beginning of human life and how every human is genetically connected. All humans are related to each other rooting hundreds of thousands of years streaming back from ancestors. We are all connected to one another in the game of life.

Extremeophiles

Extremophile comes from the Latin word extremus meaning extreme and Greek word philiā meaning love. Extremophiles are organisms that thrive in and may even require physically extreme conditions that most life on Earth could not survive to live in or even be around. Some of the types of extremophiles that thrive in these extreme enviornments are: thermophiles, halophiles, and acidophiles. A thermophile is a type of extremophile that thrives at relatively high temperatures, specifically around 45-80 degrees Celsius. Thermophiles are generally found in geothermally heated regions such as hot springs and deep sea hydrothermal vents, as well as decaying plant matter such as peat bogs and compost. Halophiles are also a type of extremophiles. Halophiles are organisms that thrive in areas with a high concentration of salt. The word halophile comes from the greek word for salt loving. Halophiles can be found anywhere with a high concentration of salt that is five times greater than the salt concentration of the ocean. Acidophiles are organisms that thrive under highly acidic conditions. Acidophiles usually have a PH level of 2.0 or lower.