sharrath's blog

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a disease that nearly resembles polio in which the disease includes cold like symptoms followed by loss of muscle control and paralysis of arms or legs. Approximately sixty-two cases have been reported around the States in about twenty-two states. Scientists have slowly, but surely narrowed down suspects in which this disease could be caused by. The enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was narrowed down to be a possible suspect. Although the evidence doesn’t completely make this assumption conclusive EV-D68 is suspected by many scientists. This enterovirus spreads through saliva and mucus and causes similar cold like symptoms and sudden loss of muscle control. Kenneth Tyler of the University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine in Aurora reported that several strains of EV-D68 could cause paralysis in mice. EV-D68 seemed to attack nerve cells directly causing this loss of control. If the enterovirus is indeed causing the paralysis, scientists are still unsure exactly of why it is only doing so in few cases. Although there is no vaccine against EV-D68, a possible vaccine developed in China had shown positive results in mice. 

With the plethora of vegetables that are available to us in the produce department, I've done lots of research when it comes to picking out the right types of  vegetables based on their nutrient values. Both broccoli and cauliflower are two similar vegetables that come from the variations of a wild mustard plant. Through selective breeding the wild mustard plant was domesticated to create these variations of the plant. As they are both cultivated from the same plant, both these vegetables are low in carbohydrates and calories and high in fiber. Both contain many minerals, amino acids, folate and seem to be optimal for those aiming for weight loss. Although all vegetables are good for you, broccoli contains more vitamins than the cauliflower. When looking at both vegetables the first thing you can notice is the difference in color between the two, and although both of them have similar shapes and florets, the broccoli florets are more wide spread throughout the stem. 

Ecology being a branch of biology that deals with relations between different organisms and their physical surroundings, I believe relates to healthcare. The way that organisms around us behave essentially affects the way that us(humans) live and vise versa. Our interactions on a day to day basis is not only affecting organisms, but it is affecting ourselves as well. Environmental conditions are a major factor in determining our lifestyle including; the amount of pollution which is eventually leading to global warming and affecting air circulation and atmospheric convection cells. Global warming soon then leads to extinction of animals which then will affect other organisms food chain/living habits. As global warming increases, peoples health conditions begin to decrease and that’s where healthcare comes in.

Throwing the nutrient cycle of soil out of balance will only begin to hurt us rather than benefit us in the future. One way in which ecology can play a role in helping with this issue of soil fertility would be water filtration and oxidation reduction. However, although ecology can play a role in protecting our world’s soil fertility, humans themselves play a more important role. Humans have the ability of reducing global pollution which can then help with weather change in respect to soil fertility. Humans also have the ability of changing the way in which they practice farming which has substantially affected soil fertility at most. Nutrients that are stored in soil are needed for everyday life as well as the soil organisms that help with the decomposition of these nutrients.

A subject that most interests me would definitely have to be healthcare. The improvement of health through science, diagnosis, prevention and the treatment of disease is fascinating and will always be changing. Not only is healthcare always changing, but there are so many careers within this industry including; dentistry, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, psychology, etc. I personally want to get into medicine and hopefully attend med school. Healthcare has a variety of aspects including both the physical practice itself and its policies. Healthcare policies are vastly dependent on the country itself and the community influence within its people. The fact that healthcare is such a wide field and always developing will continue to keep me interested in the field.

I believe that the most important aspect of the biological world to conserve would be soil fertility. The fertility of the world’s soil is an essential component of the biological world for both humans and other mammalian species. Soil itself is where carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and many other nutrients are stored, transformed and cycled. All these nutrients are necessary for life on earth.  Soil erosion and degradation has been one of the most pressing issues facing human security in the 21st century. As the global population continues to increase our long term viability of farm land slowly begins to decline. Farming practices being shifted through the years has caused an accelerated loss of soil and this serious decline of fertile soil is threatening food supplies.

• small creature; about 3 cm long
• slow movement with limited motility
• moving around the perimeter of the container
• rod-shaped body with segements
• no legs that are visible
• posterier has 2 dark brown circular spots
• cone shaped head

I observe a small creature, living that is; circuling the perimeter of the container in which it is held captive. The creature is a light brown color in the shape of a rod that is about 3 centimeters long. I can assume that the creature is a larvae and is quite confused being in such an environment. If I shake the larvae into the middle of the container; it slowly makes its way to the edge of the container once more.

My first glance I noticed a minuscule living creature, circling the perimeter of the container in which it was held captive in. The creature had shades of light/dark brown along its segmented rod-shaped body. As it had little motility, I noted the way that the creature moved; in such movement similar to a slinky. At its assumed posterier, I observed two circular dark brown dots, which helped with the organisms movement and sensation to the environment. In comparison to its posterior, the head was much darker in color and took on a more cone shape.

After noting some of the creatures characteristics, I can now predict that this creature is in fact a larvae. Larvae tend to have very limited motility and take on a rod shaped segmented figure. I then began to observe some of the larvaes behavior as it was contained in this environment. As mentioned above, the larvae would circle around the perimeter walls of the container; that is when I decided to move the larvae into the center of the container and realized that it quckly found its way to the edge once more.

What might this prenounced larvae turn into? I had no idea. However, I'm sure that in a couple of weeks that the organism it might evolve into will be something along the lines of a caterpiller or even a moth. I was soon pleased to discover by my professor that this was indeed a "wax worm". A wax worm is simply a caterpiller larvae of a moth. Who knew that after looking at an organism for about thirty minutes we'd be able to specifiy its species.