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BIOPHYSICS: WEEK 14

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Whether I support the use of bionics in order to build a bionic person does not affect the fact that this is where the future is heading.  What I do know is that there are always the pros and cons of everything or the flip side of the coin in every situation.  I'm sure that the creation of bionics to improve human life is undeniable.  For example, it would lend huge progress to the field of medicine since the technology can be developed to help paraplegics and those individuals who have lost the use of their limbs.  However, the technology is imperfect and will have cases of malfunction before it improves over time.  Also, the technology itself is expensive and will only be affordable to those who  can afford it.  This may raise social issues about the ever-increasing divide amongst rich and poor.  The end result is a mixed bag in of pros and cons.  Just like everything in the past, we will have to use the test of time to navigate the issues that bionics will raise in the n
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BIOCHEMISTRY: WEEK 14

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Today we discussed the topic of aging genes and moms who have had multiple children.  The study found that that the telomeres on the ends of these mothers' chromosomes were significantly shorter than women who have not had children.  These altered genetic markers showed accelerated cellular aging.  However, our group discussed the fact that the aging might be due to other external factors involved in tasing children, such as stress, that might be adding to the cellular aging process.  In the end, we agreed that it was probably a combination of both internal and external factors that contributes to the acceleration of aging.
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BIOCHEMISTRY: WEEK 13

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"The human species is living as if it had more than one planet to occupy." Humans are living beyond their means.  We use more ecological resources than nature can regenerate through unsustainable practices of overfishing, misuse of land and overconsumption.  Our destruction of nature is detrimental to the future of not only the planet, but also the future of generations to come.  We are eroding the world's capacity to provide food, water and environmental resources to billions of people. The loss of biodiversity is one of the most tragic outcomes to the destruction of the human species on the natural environment.  Thousands of species of plants and animals are on the brink extinction due to the damage we have imposed on Nature.   For example, more than 95% of high grass prairies have been transformed into farms in the North America and the Amazon rainforest is rapidly diminishing due to deforestation practices in South America. Humans are demanding more fr
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BIOPHYSICS: WEEK 13

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Acupuncture focuses on the energetic qi of the human body.  The belief behind Chinese medicine is that there is a network of energy that flows through the body and that pathological conditions arise from the disruption of the natural flow of this energy.  Therefore, acupuncture can be seen as effective energy medicine because it addresses this "unseen" system within the body.  Western science has long  disregarded acupuncture as a medical practice based on the fact that it's foundation lies on a physically intangible system of energy.  The truth is that Chinese medicine has been able to tap into a subtle body system that has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments and diseases for thousands of years. Kirlian photography utilizes high voltage, high frequency, ultra low current, electrical fields and photographic techniques to uncover subtle energy fields through photos.  The biological and energetic exchanges of living objects are visible through Kirli
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BIOLOGY: WEEK 13

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It think that compulsory vaccination should not be enforced because it should be a choice amongst people.  The government should not intervene in personal medical choices regarding health care.  Besides the fact that some people have religious beliefs that are opposed to vaccinations, vaccines can sometimes have adverse or fatal side effects on certain individuals.  Medical procedures should be a personal choice. I chose my research topic on self tanning because it's a subject that I've been interested in as an esthetician.  The mechanism of self tanning has always been a mystery to me even though I am an occasional user of self tanners.  I work with clients on improving the health and beauty of their skin on a daily basis and the research on self tanning gives me more information to add to my knowledge of skin care products.  My clients depend on me to educate them about different products and options in terms of caring for their skin and the current concern for
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BIOCHEMISTRY: WEEK 12

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Thousands of people who left Fukushima after the nuclear catastrophe are on the brink of being returned to contaminated areas due to withdrawal of government subsidies.  Residents are forced to either move back to homes they believe are unsafe or succumb to financial hardship without help from the government. The Fukushima incident has resulted in unanticipated issues that involve socioeconomic problems and safety concerns amongst the displaced.  I can't imagine living in limbo since the aftermath of the nuclear meltdown.  Families are faced with not only financial difficulty, but also the fear of exposure to residual radiation upon returning to the Fukushima area.  Women and children have also been greatly impacted by the disaster since they were the primary group that fled the area.  Men were more apt to stay in order to keep their jobs in the Fukushima area. Plant cell structure is different from an animal cell because it does not contain centrioles, lysosomes, in
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BIOPHYSICS: WEEK 12

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I know I'm a living system because I interact with my environment through information and energy exchanges.  I can also define myself as a system based on autopoiesis, meaning that I am capable of maintaining and reproducing myself.  Living systems are organisms made of multi-cellular systems that carry out life out diversified processes within the whole.  Each system is interdependent on one another for integrated function.  I am an open system that is constantly seeking homeostasis within my internal and external environment.  This equilibrium represents an ideal state that my body seeks, even though it is constantly in a state of motion or change.  I also exhibit a living system's tendency to evolve into a higher order through daily decision making. An example of the relationship between acupuncture and biophysics is the nature of the bodily meridians and acupuncture points.  Both exhibit biophysical properties that are can be characterized as electrical, acou
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