Monthly Archives: January 2015
Toucan Play That Game
A New Agricultural Revolution
Today, 40% of the world’s land is used in agriculture. This is done to support our world population of roughly 7 billion. In 2050 our worlds population is expected to reach 9.6 billion. The need for food will soon eclipse … Keep Reading
The Skinny on Obesity
Have you ever heard an overweight person complain of their jeans being too tight? They might think they need a new pair of jeans, but what they really need is a new pair of genes. More than 30% of the … Keep Reading
A Piece of the Puzzle
Picking up on social cues, engaging in activities with large groups, and making friends are actions that come naturally for most, but for people on the Autism Spectrum Disorder these interactions can be extremely stressful. Autism begins in the early … Keep Reading
Debate: Should We Be Able to Select Our Children’s Traits?
With the aid of newer technology and social media, today’s society has been further exposed to the numerous diseases and “imperfections” that can be passed down to future generations. In time, however, this may not be an issue. The increasing … Keep Reading
Why Are You Crying?
Image from Wikimedia Commons Lacrimation, or crying, is as old as human history. Tears that lubricate and protect our eyes are ever-present, but the cause of emotional tears has eluded scientists for many years. Tears, although sometimes unwelcome, serve an … Keep Reading
Viruses vs. Antibiotics: A World Of Possibilities
Image from Wikimedia Commons The battle between viruses and antibiotics has been long fought in the medical field. A virus has been defined as “an ultramicroscopic, metabolically inert, infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly … Keep Reading
False Immunity
Of the 7 billion people in the world, only 2% are immune to HIV. It is a rare genetic mutation that makes them highly resistant to the infection. People with it either got it genetically inherited through their ancestors who … Keep Reading
Is Your Mom a Headache?
As we grow up, it seems everyone comments how we’re so much like our folks. Same nose, same smile, same voice, same “smart-alleck” attitude they had as teens. Drawing parallels between my mother and me, I’ve noticed a lot of … Keep Reading
A Possible Cure for PTSD
About 7.8 percent of Americans will experience Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sometime in their life. Women are twice as likely to develop PTSD than men, and about 5.2 million people experience PTSD each year. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder usually … Keep Reading
Looking Past Oculocutaneous Albinism
Biological phenomena can be seen anywhere in everyday life; some events more noticeable than others. I’ve noticed more and more since I’ve started taking AP Biology. However, there are so many that it’s easy to ignore most of them. It’s … Keep Reading
Transcription Factors in Diabetes
Diabetes affects many people throughout the world. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 9.3% of the population had diabetes in 2012, meaning the human species is heavily affected by diabetes and the symptoms it produces. Diabetes, put simply, describes … Keep Reading
Natural Selection, Morality, and Rosalind Franklin
In this unfair world of natural selection, unfairness is experienced everyday. By nature, natural selection is unfair. Success being predetermined to discriminate countless organisms not for things they have done, but for who they are. Although there is a lot … Keep Reading
Why Humans Are Smarter Than Computers and Lizards
In almost any area of study, it is easy to find a book or website that gives information on an increasingly detailed level. The major exception to this is in the study of the brain. Humans have compiled a study … Keep Reading
The DNA Double Helix Discovery
Lately we’ve been discussing the historical experiments involved in elucidating the structure and function of DNA. Here’s a great video that nicely highlights the discovery of the double helix shape of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick. Enjoy!
