biology week 8 assignment

Each day you will be required to “loaf around without feeling guilty”.

 I really wish I could complete this assignment. However, at present it is unbearably challenging to loaf around and not feel like I ought to be working on something. It is extraordinarily difficult for me to take a break from studying for my classes. My to-do list is always calling and the pressure to keep up with my classes keeps me on my toes. Additionally since I am not one for cramming, it is necessary for me to study at least a little bit every day. However, this 'assignment' does remind me of the importance of loafing- of feeling comfortable with just being. 

biology week 7 assignments

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?

It seems as though we have a very limited understanding of cancer. However, I am sure my opinion would be different if I worked in the field of cancer research and had a better understanding of the strides that have been made.  It seems like what we know about cancer has centered on an approach to treatment that is centered around intervention rather than prevention. Obviously, there are the exceptions like tobacco which have become well known carcinogens because of public education and public heath campaigns.

How does TCM approach cancer different?

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) focuses on the interaction between mind, body and the environment, to prevent and heal from illness. In the United States it is illegal for practicioner of TCM to treat patients for cancer. However, in other countires TCM has been acknowledged as a viable treatement for healing from and treating the associated symptoms of many types of cancer.

Because on my limited knowledge regarding TCM approaches to cancer, I do not know the details in the approaches to treatment. However, research from Australia's University of Western Sydney and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine has found that Chinese herbal medicine offers significant treatment. The researchers analyzed and reviewed 2,964 human clinical studies that involved 253,434 cancer patients. They found that in a full 1,015 studies or 85% of those that reported on symptoms, TCM treatment resulted in improvement of cancer symptoms with many of those reporting reduced pain. Another 883 studies – 70% – showed increased survival rates. Another 38% showed reduced tumor size, and 28% showed increased quality of life. Another 19% showed lower relapse rates and another 7% showed reduced complications.

biology week 6 assignments

How would you distinguish between living and non-living systems?

Instead of examining phenomena by attempting to break things down into singular organisms, a general living systems theory examines phenomena in terms of the patterns of the relationships of organisms within their environment.

Living systems are open self-organizing systems that have the special characteristics of life and interact with their environment.  A non-living thing or system is one that lacks or has ceased displaying the characteristics of life- the capability for growth, reproduction, respiration, metabolism, and movement. Additionally, living systems are dynamic and are capable of of responding to stimuli or evolve and adapt to their environment. Examples of non-living things are rock, water, and sun.

"DNA doesn't determine race. Society does" Would you agree?

Race is not biological, race is a social construct. Race is ontologically subjective, but epistemologically objective. It is ontologically subjective in that the construction and continued existence of ‘race’ is contingent on society and the collective agreement, imposition, and acceptance of the construction of the concept itself. However, race is very real in society and has different meaning that shifts through history, geography and culture. In the United States the dominant group in society (Whites) has imposed the boundaries of group membership by falsely defining race in terms of biology. If you are a person of color, then you are biologically inferior to a white person.

Individuals do not perpetuate racism or the concepts of race independently. Structures, Institutions and social systems including our medical system, legal system, prison system, educational system, etc. perpetuate the logic of race and racism.

After our disscusion in class i thought it was also important to post the links below. 

http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/02/10/7-things-color-blind-racist-friend-might-say-respond/

http://amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html

http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/

http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm

biology week 5 assignments

The Complexity of Life

How do you now suppose new species emerge?

There are four current theories regarding geographic Speciation- allopatric, Peripatric, Parapatric, and Sympatic 

During allopatric speciation, a population splits into two geographically isolated populations due to geographical change. The isolated populations then undergo genotypic and/or phenotypic divergence because they are living under different conditions. Peripatric speciation is actually a type of allopatric speciation that results from isolation. This isolation may be the result of geographic isolation or a single ecological event that terminates most of the population. With such a small gene pool, rare genes are passed down more often, which causes changes in the pre-existing species. During Parapatric Speciation species are not isolated by a physical barrier and instead co-exist yet do not mate across the entire population. The causation factors that contribute to individuals within the population to selectively breed remains unknown Sympatic Speciation sympatic speciation is another type of reproductive isolation. Reproductive isolation may be due to individuals coming into their mating seasons at different times or preference of where to find a mate.

Speciation also occurs through human cultivation and manipulation of the environment.

A rad article

http://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20140604-evolving-with-a-little-help-from-our-friends/

Do you vote for the chicken or the egg?

I think it makes the most sense that the “chicken” egg came first, but that it was a result of speciation from another similar species. I also just like imagining ostriches giving birth to chickens and being totally confused.

biology week 4 assignments

Post your thoughts on how we view animal intelligence?

The belief that humans (or as I like to call us, manimals) are the most significant species on the planet is amazingly human centric. Unfortunately, this as the dominant perception for the last several centuries in the western world has left our imagination and perception stunted by shallow anthropocentrism. This is not to say that when I watch the newest you tube video of cats taking care of human babies that I don't get all weepy eyed! It is exciting to learn how we are similar- biologically and socially to other species. I love learning that we have memories like elephants and enjoy physical humor like orangutans.

Below is a funny little graphic I came across (of course, we occupy the center of the graphic).

Post a comment to a classmate's blog

@ Jessie

I just want to know why we don’t "need”  wings. Even if all we go were a cute little pair of fruit fly wings- i bet my standing asanas would be so much easier if I had the assistance of wings to hold me up.

biology week 3 assignments

·      “99.4% of the most critical DNA sites are identical in human and chimp genes”
What do you make of this?

In 2003, researchers found that 99.5% of the “most critical DNA sites” are identical in human and chimp genes. This information has prompted many researchers to argue that chimps and humans should be brought together under the same umbrella genus.

The argument goes that in terms of life on Earth, humans and chimps are not that different and has prompted researchers to reconsider whether the ancestor of humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos evolved differently since our common ancestry split between 4 million and 7 million years ago. I am interested in the extension of this logic- to consider how genetic similarity confirms common ancestry for humans and different life forms. For example how much DNA do humans share with rats or mangos?   Also, what constitutes “critical DNA” and how does our human-centric perception shape what we consider is critical?

·      Check out the Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, & Viruses Tutorial
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/tutorials/pev/page2.html


The tutorial was incredibly accessible. After reading the material I took the quiz, and received 5 out of 6. I did not know that viruses were not considered “living.”

Granted I am without a super special microscope that verifies that

viruses are merely genetic information surrounded by a protein coat. I am not sure that that ability to reproduce ought to be a determinate in identifying “life.”

·      Post a comment on one of this morning's discussions

I don't think that I understand autopoiesis- something that is capable of reproducing and maintaining itself, particularly when applied to systems. It seems to have a self- reinforcing logic that ignores external reference. Using the example of a eukaryotic cell and its various biochemical components further confuses me because we know that the cell interacts with the environment. How does autopoiesis consider changes to the cell brought on by the environment?  

·      Post a response to a classmate's blog

@hillary:

Gene expression related to embryonic development blows my mind!!! Seriously, with the rise in so many diseases and disorders we really do not put enough research into the environmental factors that are influencing expression! It dramatically changes the way we approach prenatal health, esp. in communities of color!

Biology week 2 assignments

* Post your thoughts on Evo-Devo

Evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo devo,” is a field of biology that combines the evolutionary and developmental processes of different organisms to determine the ancestral relationship between them. What is interesting about the field is that it addresses both embryonic development and evolution, focusing on how change of and between species develops. What is unique about the knowledge that has been produced from this field is the concept that evolution alters developmental processes to create new structures from already existing gene networks.

For example “evo devo” research led to the discovery that the genes that are involved in making fruit flies and humans are fundamentally the same. Crazy to the western mind! What has come out of this knowledge is a better understanding that the same genes are used over and over again, just in different combinations and contexts to produce incredible diversity.

*How does Darwinism matter to you?

Evolution by natural selection was the central concept Charles Darwin's work. Natural selection is considered by some evolutionists to be the biggest factor to influence the diversity of species and their genomes. However, neo-Darwinists argue that natural selection does not offer a satisfactory explanation for the source of new genetic information from which natural selection could select. Epigenetics offer additional explanations of evolution, focusing on research that demonstrates that what happens during the course of a life span can affect how genes express themselves in future generations. There is growing evidence of genes being transferred not just vertically, from grandparents to parents to offspring, but also horizontally, between organisms. Evidence of horizontal transfer throws a wrench in Darwins theory and muddels are current definitions of species.