Practice GRE

After taking the practice subject GRE test for biology, I realized that I knew next to nothing about plants seeing as I'm more of an animal person. I almost wish that I wasn't graduating in May so that I could take Dr. Brauner's General Botany class to learn more about them. But since there are already enough blogs written about plants, I thought I would address another set of subject questions that I did not do so well on this practice GRE; molecular/cell processes.

It's not that I don't understand molecular/cell processes, it just that it doesn't interest me as much as my vertebrate and invertebrate classes do so I guess I didn't retain much of that knowledge after I learned it in Genetics (a class in which I did really well in). The sad part about this is that I'm currently relearning this stuff in my Microbiology class and I still got many of those questions wrong. I believe that this is an important aspect of biology that every Biology major should know upon graduation, so I guess I'm going to have to try harder to retain the information this time around.

Here, there, everywhere

Has anyone seriously thought about how some of the food in our diet comes to our table to be eaten? If not, the arthropod phylum (especially the honey bee) assists with pollination to create many of the foods we eat. The arthropod phylum is very important in the delicate earth ecosystem. I feel that there are two sides to this particular phylum, the good side and the evil side. An example of a creature on the on the evil side, in my opinion are wasps because the sting and are very annoying. On the flip side, the honey bee as described earlier is a trigger for the development of many other things (ex: pollination of flowers for apples we eat).

I thought some information about the phylum is appropriate because probably many people do not have much knowledge. Arthropods are invertebrates with segmented bodies and jointed limbs. The limbs form part of an exoskeleton which is mainly made of α-chitin, a derivative of glucose. Now the most important part is the diversity of this particular phylum, which is very astounding. The diversity in a small area of forest can reach hundreds of different kinds, or any type of living environment. In the end, I feel that this particular phylum is very important to the earth’s survival, but the threat of global warming can threaten earth’s survival life line.

Fish with a Transparent Head!?!

The phrase "I can see right through you" is more than just a phrase to this bazaar creature. Macropinna microstoma is the only species of fish in the genus Macropinna, belonging to Opisthoproctidae, the barreleye family. It is recognized for a highly unusual transparent, fluid-filled dome on its head, through which the lenses of its eyes can be seen. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has more information on this deep sea dweller.

Are Germs really THAT Bad?

This post could also be called Babies Part Deux because I am again thinking about my newborn niece and nephew. I have a feeling these two additions to my family will often be the topic of many of my thoughts.

So my nephew was born a week ago, and I still haven't seen the little guy. I was planning on visiting Anna (my sister) and him this past weekend, but after talking to my hysterical sister on the phone, I opted out. Apparently the nurses at her hospital had her sign an agreement swearing that she wouldn't let her baby be exposed to any individual who has been sick or has even recently come in contact with someone sick. Doesn't that basically rule out everyone? Well apparently it ruled me out since people on my track team have been sick. On the phone, Anna (sobbing) told me "He is losing weight and not getting enough to eat as it is, and if he gets sick and starts throwing up then he will die!" Yikes, talk about a good way of keeping me away. I then called my other sister Lee who told me to come visit her and her two-week-old baby girl instead. Obviously she never signed any aforementioned paper.

I understand why Anna is so touchy about her son contracting an illness, it being her first time as a mother and having those papers to sign. Hopefully she will eventually grow out of this fear. It is a pet peeve of mine when parents make you wash your hands or apply Germ-X whenever you are interacting with their child. The children need to build up their immune systems! Plus, do these parents really think they can eliminate all germs their children are exposed to?

I found that a pediatric doctor believes in a relatively anti-bacterial free environment for his toddler who needs to attain a strong immune system. I agree with this idea, but I wouldn't go as far as letting the child eat random food off the ground....yuck! This doctor believes in the "Hygiene Hypothesis" that Andrew referred to in his post for the blog site Leading Cause of Death. Being exposed to germs at an early age can help us fight allergies, asthma, and diseases later in life. Another article states that "studies have claimed that babies and children who grow up with multiple pets, siblings, or spend a lot of time in daycare are less likely to have wheezing, certain allergies and asthma". To me, it's a moderation thing. Allow children to be exposed to germs in moderation, and don't be an anti-bacterial freak.

Maybe I'll see my nephew some day........

An annoying public health issue

This particular type of bacteria has wreaked havoc in the health care industry. The culprit in question is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In society today, the warning signs at the local gym are in regard to this particular type of bacteria. Today, I am going to give some information on this culprit so that the chances of contraction at the gym or other public use area are slim.

I decided to do some more research about this bacterium. MRSA causes infections in different parts of the body because it is all over a human body. Today, it is tough to treat certain staph strains because of resistance. Resistance emerges because of over use of medications to treat it. Once an infection occurs with this bacterium, there is usually a painful pimple or boil. On the other hand, in more serious cases, infections can enter surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract. Now that I have talked about worst case scenario, the worry today is about the spread of tough strains of MRSA. Because it's hard to treat, MRSA is sometimes called a "super bug."

Now that I have talked about the symptoms of a staph infection, some information about the actual bacteria seems appropriate. Regular staph lives all over our bodies, with the majority taking refuge in our noses. A majority of people can go on with their day without having problems with this bacterium.

As I explain earlier, this bacterium has an evil side which shows up when it enters our body through a cut. Once there, it can cause an infection. Staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections in the U.S. Usually, these are minor and don't need special treatment. The game of trying to treat infections from this particular bacterium is a never ending battle. The reason why is because MRSA is constantly adapting. This is scary because researchers have to continue to develop new antibiotics.

In the end, since I talked about this bacterium, I thought I should bring in my personal story. About six months ago, I thought I had a normal pimple but boy was I wrong. The area started to become painful so I went to the doctor. The doctor cultured the area and the result was great. The result was a staph infection but of the non-MRSA type. I was so relieved.

Some Perspective

In my usual activities of being a geek, I found an interesting video about evolution. All those classes we have all took that talk about how long it took things to evolve, the evolution of recent life forms is but a mere smidge in that time scale. The video I found on the website for Seed Magazine put the evolution time scale into perspective. Please enjoy this video by Claire L. Evens. I think it puts the timing of evolution into perspective. Enjoy!



Evolution of Life in 60 Seconds

To Immunize or Not to Immunize?

How often do two sisters become unknowingly pregnant at the same time? Well maybe more often than I think, but in my family it's a first. Over the summer I received the news that both my older sisters were expecting in February. So here we are awaiting the little rascals and basically freaking out. One big question on my sisters' minds is whether or not to immunize their babies with all of the vaccines available these days. Not only are the small pox and the measles vaccinations given, but now there is also a chicken pox vaccine. My mother has her own opinion. She has gotten wrapped up in the media accounts of vaccinations leading to autism in children.

So is there any truth in this idea of vaccines leading to other problems such as autism or the increased chance of having allergies?I decided to look into this now hot topic in the news. The Pennsylvania Department of Health offers a schedule of the recommended immunizations for children 0-6 years old. There are eleven vaccinations recommended, and these are not even the total number available to children. Growing up, I never doubted why I received the vaccines I did; I followed the lead of my parents and unwillingly allowed the needle to puncture my skin. I always assumed that vaccinations were for the best, ensuring the good health of children in our country. So why is my mom so concerned about my soon-to-be niece and nephew receiving their vaccinations?

Perhaps it has to do with articles such as “Fight Over Vaccine-Autism Link Hits Court”, or "Vaccine-Autism Question Divides Parents, Scientists" that has my mother so worried. She is becoming overly wrapped up in a frenzy the media has the power to create. What's interesting is that the majority of the articles or stories claim that there is actually no experimental proof that there is a link between vaccinations and autism. In his article in The Washington Post, "Study Finds No Autism Link in Vaccine" Shankar Vedantam summarizes the research of Andrew Wakefield. This British researcher concluded that there is no link between autism and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Actually, there has been no scientific evidence introduced thus far pointing to any of the vaccines being responsible in causing autism.

I attempted to explain all this to my mother the other night, but she still seems weary. I guess you'll have that when dealing with a first time grandmother.