Ecstasy is a drug that is often taken during all night "raves" by young adults. And while this may be a popular drug, the side effects are immense, even when only a few doses are taken.
A study was done by Johns Hopkins University on just how destructive ecstasy can be, even in small quantities. They found that this drug is far more dangerous than thought previously. They studied monkeys and baboons who were given two or three sequential doses of ecstasy - the amount that is typically taken. It was found that ecstasy kills 60 - 80% of dopamine neurons that control movement, emotion, cognition, and pleasure. And that is after only 2-3 doses of the drug. In addition to these effects, a disease called Parkinsonism is commonly developed many years later.
From this evidence, it is clear to me that ecstasy is a drug that has serious consequences both in the short term and the long term. I think that if more research is done about this drug, further proving what it can do to your body, then perhaps the usage of ecstasy will go down, and more people will be saved from a devastating future.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Selective Breeding and Genetically Modified Organisms
Imagine a chicken that weighs 3 kg. Next, imagine plants with pesticides in them, as a part of them. You may think that these are horrendous, and would never happen, but this is the reality.
In Britain they are breeding broiler chickens for size and meat production. This kind of a life is not pleasant for the chicken. They have many health problems, and around 32 million birds die each year from these problems. The plants life may not be affected by the pesticides in them, but we may be, and there are many impacts on the environment. These broiler chickens are the result of selective breeding - where you find a certain trait that you like, find another chicken with the same trait, and continue to breed them bigger and bigger. This can be taken to a more scientific level, by evaluating each cell that would go into the chick, and making sure that it contains the gene for a larger size, or whatever you might be breeding for. In genetic modification however, (what is going on with the plants) you actually take specific genes from different species and implant them in your animal or plant. The result of this is plants with a resistance to certain pesticides, and bunnies that glow in the dark. There are many benefits that are easy to see in these two applications of science. For one, it is easier to protect plants from harmful diseases and pests. As for selective breeding, it is far more convenient to have a chicken that is twice the size of a normal chicken, if it is for eating. You can basically breed any animal to fit your specific needs. At the same time, there are many downfalls to both of them. In GMOs, there are many health and environment issues. One of these is those of us who don't want pesticides in our food. The pollen of the GMO corn can easily transfer to the organic corn, and there is nothing you can do about it. Also, having these GMO plants can make pesticide resistant bugs and diseases. In selective breeding, there are high levels of suffering, and many welfare issues. These birds suffer quite a bit, and many die before they are slaughtered. It makes you question many of your ethics - what would you do for cheap chicken?
Personally, I think that both of these are very important issues, and neither can be ignored. There is a possibility that GMOs are more important, but that is just to me. You see, when I was little, I used to get rashes, and we figured out that they were from strawberries. But then we realized that it was only non-organic strawberries. Strawberries are covered in tarps, and then they are fumigated to get rid of any bugs or pests. This is what was causing my reaction. If these pesticides were to be a part of the plant, it is simply horrible to think of - there is no way that you can stop the transferring of the pollen from one plant to another. I feel like this is a much more immediate issue to be taken care of. Selective breeding has been going on for years, it doesn't have as immediate of consequences. I think that the geneticist Gregor Mendel would be pretty amazed with what we have done with his discoveries. We have come a long way, but we are still only building on what he discovered. At the same time, he might be kind of horrified at what we are using this technology for. He probably meant it to help disorders (which it is), but not so much for just convenience.
In Britain they are breeding broiler chickens for size and meat production. This kind of a life is not pleasant for the chicken. They have many health problems, and around 32 million birds die each year from these problems. The plants life may not be affected by the pesticides in them, but we may be, and there are many impacts on the environment. These broiler chickens are the result of selective breeding - where you find a certain trait that you like, find another chicken with the same trait, and continue to breed them bigger and bigger. This can be taken to a more scientific level, by evaluating each cell that would go into the chick, and making sure that it contains the gene for a larger size, or whatever you might be breeding for. In genetic modification however, (what is going on with the plants) you actually take specific genes from different species and implant them in your animal or plant. The result of this is plants with a resistance to certain pesticides, and bunnies that glow in the dark. There are many benefits that are easy to see in these two applications of science. For one, it is easier to protect plants from harmful diseases and pests. As for selective breeding, it is far more convenient to have a chicken that is twice the size of a normal chicken, if it is for eating. You can basically breed any animal to fit your specific needs. At the same time, there are many downfalls to both of them. In GMOs, there are many health and environment issues. One of these is those of us who don't want pesticides in our food. The pollen of the GMO corn can easily transfer to the organic corn, and there is nothing you can do about it. Also, having these GMO plants can make pesticide resistant bugs and diseases. In selective breeding, there are high levels of suffering, and many welfare issues. These birds suffer quite a bit, and many die before they are slaughtered. It makes you question many of your ethics - what would you do for cheap chicken?
Personally, I think that both of these are very important issues, and neither can be ignored. There is a possibility that GMOs are more important, but that is just to me. You see, when I was little, I used to get rashes, and we figured out that they were from strawberries. But then we realized that it was only non-organic strawberries. Strawberries are covered in tarps, and then they are fumigated to get rid of any bugs or pests. This is what was causing my reaction. If these pesticides were to be a part of the plant, it is simply horrible to think of - there is no way that you can stop the transferring of the pollen from one plant to another. I feel like this is a much more immediate issue to be taken care of. Selective breeding has been going on for years, it doesn't have as immediate of consequences. I think that the geneticist Gregor Mendel would be pretty amazed with what we have done with his discoveries. We have come a long way, but we are still only building on what he discovered. At the same time, he might be kind of horrified at what we are using this technology for. He probably meant it to help disorders (which it is), but not so much for just convenience.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem Services are the things that the natural world provides - such as air, water, storm protection, and pollination.
We wouldn't be able to survive without them, so recently, there have been efforts to put a dollar value on them. They want to do this, because it seems that in order to get any kind of acknowledgement, you need to have a dollar value on it. This is difficult though, because it is hard to put a definite value on something that nature made. At the same time, it might be worse if they just left no value on them.
I think that we don't need a dollar value, we just need to pay more attention to these things. I don't think that it is possible to put a dollar value on them. Although, if someone disrupts one of these (say, clean air), it should be punished.
We wouldn't be able to survive without them, so recently, there have been efforts to put a dollar value on them. They want to do this, because it seems that in order to get any kind of acknowledgement, you need to have a dollar value on it. This is difficult though, because it is hard to put a definite value on something that nature made. At the same time, it might be worse if they just left no value on them.
I think that we don't need a dollar value, we just need to pay more attention to these things. I don't think that it is possible to put a dollar value on them. Although, if someone disrupts one of these (say, clean air), it should be punished.
A World Without Mosquitoes
Would the world be better without the threats that mosquitoes pose to many people? According to the author of 'A World Without Mosquitoes', Janet Fang, the world would have much less diseases, and the world would be a much healthier place overall.
Mosquitoes have always been a nuisance to us - and difficult to get rid of. In addition to this, they transfer tons of diseases. If we were to get rid of them, these diseases would be spread much less easily. But mosquitoes inhabit nearly every corner of the planet - from the freezing tundra to tropical islands. And while it might not seem like they do much for us, they actually do play a big part in many ecosystems. They pollinate many plants, they are food for many fish and birds, their larvae help to produce nitrogen in some plants, and for the caribou in the tundra, they direct where the caribou travel. Without them, many ecosystems may collapse.
I think that before, I didn't really appreciate how big of a part that mosquitoes play in ecosystems around the world. I didn't think past the itchiness of their bites. I realize now that we could never get rid of them - they play far too big a part in the world to extirpate.
Mosquitoes have always been a nuisance to us - and difficult to get rid of. In addition to this, they transfer tons of diseases. If we were to get rid of them, these diseases would be spread much less easily. But mosquitoes inhabit nearly every corner of the planet - from the freezing tundra to tropical islands. And while it might not seem like they do much for us, they actually do play a big part in many ecosystems. They pollinate many plants, they are food for many fish and birds, their larvae help to produce nitrogen in some plants, and for the caribou in the tundra, they direct where the caribou travel. Without them, many ecosystems may collapse.
I think that before, I didn't really appreciate how big of a part that mosquitoes play in ecosystems around the world. I didn't think past the itchiness of their bites. I realize now that we could never get rid of them - they play far too big a part in the world to extirpate.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Transmission of Diseases from Animals
Nathan Wolfe is a scientist who is working on preventing diseases from spreading out of the animal population and into humans. HIV was one of these diseases that came from animals (chimpanzees). The chimpanzees were hunted and caught for bushmeat. Usually, when bushmeat is hunted, the hunter comes into contact with with the animal's blood - and that is how the diseases spread. We never really catch the diseases when they are in that transition stage - before they adapt to humans. This is what Nathan Wolfe is trying to do. So far, he has made different stations throughout south africa to help to moniter the diseases before they spread. He is doing this by giving hunters paper to take samples of the animal's blood, that they will then turn into one of his stations, where they will be tested for diseases.
Personally, I think that this is a great method of disease prevention - stopping the disease before it begins and the way that he is going about doing that. I think that it is pretty amazing that people are still hunting primates (some of our closest relatives) for food. Even more amazing is how much this practice impacts everyone else's lives in the rest of the world. Who would have thought that some guy in africa who hunted a chimp would make so many people eventually accuire HIV and AIDS. I think that trying to tackle this where it starts (in the bush) is the best possible way to stop more of these diseases from becoming worldwide.
Personally, I think that this is a great method of disease prevention - stopping the disease before it begins and the way that he is going about doing that. I think that it is pretty amazing that people are still hunting primates (some of our closest relatives) for food. Even more amazing is how much this practice impacts everyone else's lives in the rest of the world. Who would have thought that some guy in africa who hunted a chimp would make so many people eventually accuire HIV and AIDS. I think that trying to tackle this where it starts (in the bush) is the best possible way to stop more of these diseases from becoming worldwide.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Research Chimpanzees Leaving Retirement
The chimpanzees of the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico are being called back to be used as medical research lab animals after 10 years of retirement. The 186 chimps have already been used as research animals and moving them back to the research facility has sparked many debates. If they were to be moved, they would join about 150 other chimps in an environment that is a lot like where they live now in New Mexico. In the new facility, they would be allowed to socialize and go outdoors, unless it is required to be isolated.
My personal opinion on animal testing in general, is that humans aren't any better than any other animal, so we shouldn't test on other intelligent beings when we really need to test on humans. In addition, when you are testing on a different species that are locked up in isolation, you aren't going to get the same results that you would on a human in normal circumstances. In this case however, it seems as if it might be different. It doesn't seem like they would be keeping them in isolation, and it seems like they would be happy there. On the other hand, you never know what could happen to them there. It isn't guaranteed that they will be treated well. Where they are now, they are safe.
These chimps have been through a lot, and I don't think that they should have to go back to being tested, regardless of the conditions.
My personal opinion on animal testing in general, is that humans aren't any better than any other animal, so we shouldn't test on other intelligent beings when we really need to test on humans. In addition, when you are testing on a different species that are locked up in isolation, you aren't going to get the same results that you would on a human in normal circumstances. In this case however, it seems as if it might be different. It doesn't seem like they would be keeping them in isolation, and it seems like they would be happy there. On the other hand, you never know what could happen to them there. It isn't guaranteed that they will be treated well. Where they are now, they are safe.
These chimps have been through a lot, and I don't think that they should have to go back to being tested, regardless of the conditions.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Did You Know? Drinking Too Much Water Can Kill You!
Contrary to popular belief, drinking large amounts of water isn't good for you. In fact, it can make you very ill, and even kill you!
In the article, 'Strange but True: Drinking too Much Water Can Kill' it tells of studies done that show how drinking too much water can harm you. If you don't drink enough water, then your cells shrivel up. If you drink the right amount of water, then they are perfectly inflated with the water. But if you drink too much water, then your cells expand, and if they expand too much, they explode. Generally, in the rest of the body, it is hard for them to expand to the point that they burst - the muscle tissue around them expands with them. But in your brain, you have your skull all around the cells, so they don't have any room to expand. Therefore they burst, and you get a headache, and then you die (because all of your brain cells are bursting, fun huh?).
When I read this article, I was shocked that you could actually die from too much water intake. I thought it was best to drink as much water as possible. Now I am going to be much more careful about how much water I drink - enough, but not too much.
In the article, 'Strange but True: Drinking too Much Water Can Kill' it tells of studies done that show how drinking too much water can harm you. If you don't drink enough water, then your cells shrivel up. If you drink the right amount of water, then they are perfectly inflated with the water. But if you drink too much water, then your cells expand, and if they expand too much, they explode. Generally, in the rest of the body, it is hard for them to expand to the point that they burst - the muscle tissue around them expands with them. But in your brain, you have your skull all around the cells, so they don't have any room to expand. Therefore they burst, and you get a headache, and then you die (because all of your brain cells are bursting, fun huh?).
When I read this article, I was shocked that you could actually die from too much water intake. I thought it was best to drink as much water as possible. Now I am going to be much more careful about how much water I drink - enough, but not too much.
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