seguinn-biologyblog

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Many people become concerned when it comes to our dependance on technology, although I don't think we need to be concerned at all. Look at what technology has done for us! Every day technology is used in hospitals to help doctors diagnose patients, to assist in surgeries, and even to help a patient in the hospital have a comfortable stay while still being a patient. Technology in hospitals has grown so widely known, we often take advantage of the things we have.

Just over the past 50 years, look where we have come! Inventions have grown so widely popular, it feels like there is something new on the market every day! We are able to find sphygmomanometer's in Shoppers Drug Mart's and use them whenever we want, stethoscopes around almost all doctor's necks no matter what hospital you are at, and blood glucose meters in patients with diabetes homes. It is amazing what we can find now that we wouldn't have been able to find 50 years ago.

For personal experience, when my father was born about 50 years ago, there wasn't much that a doctor could help him with. He was sent away from the hospital and my grandmother was told that he wouldn't even survive the drive home. He has an extremely complex heart condition and wasn't able to get the help he needed at the time, but because of technology, my father is still alive. He is able to live a normal active life, while having a pace maker inside of him.

Pacemaker's are one advance in technology that wasn't an option for my father 50 years ago. Pacemaker's have helped doctors learn much more about the cardiovascular system and about abnormal heart rhythms that no one knew 50 years ago. Without the development of pacemaker's there are many people on our earth who wouldn't be able to survive. They are an important piece of technology that has developed over the years. (1)

Not only are pacemaker's such an amazing invention, but they are Canadian! The Canadian inventor John Hopps created the first cardiac pacemaker. John Hopps was trained as an electrical engineer at the University of Manitoba and joined the National Research Council in 1941, where he conducted research on hypothermia. While experimenting with radio frequency heating to restore body temperature, John Hopps made an unexpected discovery: if a heart stopped beating due to cooling, it could be started again by artificial stimulation using mechanical or electric means. This lead to Hopps' invention of the world's first cardiac pacemaker in 1950. Although His device was far too large to be implanted inside of the human body, it still brought us where we are today with pacemaker's and has helped to keep millions of people alive. (3)

Enough about the heart! But what about the Digestive system! Well, in the past learning about the digestive system was a dread, not only to the doctors but to the patient as well. It was an unkind task, that required a lot of time and patience, possibly even pain to the patient. But now, there is such thing as an electronic pill, which is meant to be ingested by a patient; it then gathers information about the digestive system as it travels through it, transmitting the information to a receiver worn by the patient. (2) This is amazing! All it takes is one simple swallow of a pill, and you can learn so much about your digestive system. Advances like these in the medical field have improved our way of living and helped us become the people we are today. They have helped reduce the amount of pain that patient's must go through, but still get the help they need.

Technology has grown so much over the years and has kept thousands of people alive and able to live an active life. It has helped us all overcome problems that we most likely would never have been able to overcome. It has kept families together, and relationships close. It has helped my family get pass the every day frightening scenario, that no one wants to constantly see. It has kept my father alive, and has allowed him and millions of other people around the world be happy and know they are in good hands.

1- "What Is a Pacemaker?" National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pace/pace_whatis.html>.

2- Humphries, Courtney. "Swallowable Sensors - Technology Review." Technology Review: The Authority on the Future of Technology. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/17470/?mod=related&a=f>.

3- Bellis, Mary. "Invention of the Cardiac Pacemaker - Artificial Hearts - Electrocardiography." Inventors. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcardiac.htm>.

Cites Consulted:

"Medical Devices - Key Sectors - NRC-CNRC." National Research Council Canada: From Discovery to Innovation / Conseil National De Recherches Canada : De La Découverte à L'innovation. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/sectors/medical-devices.html>.

"Testing Blood Glucose Levels at Home: Meters, Insulin Pumps, and More." WebMD Diabetes Center: Types, Causes, Symptoms, Tests, and Treatments. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://diabetes.webmd.com/home-blood-glucose-test>.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Comments on Other People's Blogs, for Unit 8

Comment #1 - http://claudia-d-123.blogspot.com

Comment #2- http://ankerlovesbio.blogspot.com/

Feeding a Growing Population vs Conserving Biodiversity

Feeding a growing population is not something easy to accomplish. As the human population increases the ability to supply produce becomes increasingly difficult. Starting with the growing population, there is a clear domino affect. The growing population causes the constant increase in agricultural products, and because of this there has been new advances in the farming areas around world, which in some cases causes the biodiversity to decrease.

Biodiversity is the term used by scientists to capture nature’s richness and diversity, but also its biological interdependence. Biodiversity has been most generally defined as the "full variety of life on Earth" (1). All species on earth may to a greater or lesser extent be dependent on one another; each species that disappears may weaken the survival chances of another. Tropical forests, for example, digest carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen. So without them our future could be seriously jeopardized. And because farming occupies more land than any other human activity in most countries, it is clear that agriculture and biodiversity are interdependent too.

Industrial agriculture would be one new advance in our world. It is a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops.The methods of industrial agriculture are techno scientific, economic, and political. They include innovation in agricultural machinery and farming methods, genetic technology, the creation of new markets for consumption, and global trade. Most of the meat, dairy, eggs, fruits, and vegetables available in supermarkets are produced using these methods of industrial agriculture.

But while using this new form of advance, we are affecting our biodiversity. Over the last fifty to eighty years, most of the world's agriculture has been transformed into an "industrial agriculture." In the 1920s machines began to replace human and animal power for preparing soil, planting, weeding, and harvesting crops. Since the 1930s, newly developed, high- yielding crop varieties have been replacing traditional varieties. Most of these new varieties require inputs such as irrigation, pesticides, and fertilizers.

"Industrial agriculture contaminates our vegetables and fruits with pesticides, slips dangerous bacteria into our lettuce, and puts genetically engineered growth hormones into our milk. It is not surprising that cancer, food-borne illnesses, and obesity are at an all-time high." (4) It is a scary thought when placed infront of you, is it not? Look at the photo to the right, it looks disgusting in the simplest way of saying.

As well, seen in the graph below, since the end of World War II, industrial agriculture has increasingly applied synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to their crops. Insecticides and fungicides do not destroy only pests; they also kill their natural enemies. The natural enemies of insect pests include other insects that are parasites and predators, as well as pathogenic fungi. Pest species evolve resistance to pesticides much faster than their enemies, and thus pest populations quickly recover. Loss of natural enemies also leads to outbreaks of "secondary pests" species that are not a problem until pesticides eliminate their natural enemies. As a result of pest resistance and secondary pest outbreaks, increasing amounts of pesticides must be applied, or more toxic chemicals must be developed.

While Industrial Agriculture is seen as wrong, sustainable agriculture is the complete opposite. Sustainable agriculture seeks to make use of nature’s goods and ecosystem services while producing an optimal yield in an economically, environmentally, and socially rewarding way, preserving resources for future generations. Sustainable agriculture use water, land, nutrients, and other natural resources effectively or at the rate they are replenished so that resources are conserved, for example, using water effectively means taking into consideration other ecosystem services that water provides: flood mitigation, nutrient cycling, drinking water supply, and sanitation. Sustainable agriculture manages biodiversity in such a manner that biological resources are sustained, for example, maintaining wild relatives of crop species within agricultural landscapes sustains biodiversity. Lastly sustainable agriculture minimizes the impact of agriculture on the wider environment in order to sustain the other ecosystem services, such as, minimizing chemical inputs, especially non-renewable sources, so there is minimal damage to the surrounding ecosystem.

In vitro meat, also known as cultured meat, is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete, living animal. Several current research projects are growing in vitro meat experimentally, although no meat has yet been produced for public consumption. The first-generation products will most likely be minced meat, and a long-term goal is to grow fully developed muscle tissue. Potentially, any animal's muscle tissue could be grown through the in vitro process.With the costs of conventional meat farming techniques constantly increasing and the rising world population (reaching 9.2 billion people by the year 2050[2]), in vitro meat may become an unavoidable fact of life for people around the world by the year 2050. (3)

Shown in the picture above is a sea of shoppers and vendors in Lagos, Nigeria. This shows just how large our population is, and represents just how much we have no choice but to increase our food production in order to survive, and keep our planet intact. Our planet is going to experince alot of change over the next few years, and it is important we don't forget that our increase in population will affect the resources available to us.

Sources:

1- http://redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/Qbp/5.Bib&Glos/refs.html#takacs

2- http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpop.php

3- http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/16/artificial-meat-food-royal-society

4- http://ukiahcommunityblog.wordpress.com/category/industrial-agriculture/

Cites Consulted:

5- http://www.cbd.int/ibd/2008/sustainable-agriculture/

6- http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1268946647678&lang=eng

Friday, November 5, 2010

Coments on Other People's Blogs, for Unit 5

Comment 1 - http://claudia-d-123.blogspot.com/

Comment 2 - http://bioblog-erica.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Are We Too Advanced For Our Own Good?

Advanced reproductive technologies allow parents and doctors to screen embryos for genetic disorders and select healthy embryos. ‘Designer babies’ is a term used by journalists to describe the use of genetic technologies to modify embryos and choose desirable or cosmetic characteristics. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique involves the fertilization of the egg by the sperm in test tubes, outside the mother's body. This allows doctors to screen the embryos. Genetic screening has made it possible to eliminate genes associated with several genetic defects and terminal illnesses.

The Oxford English Dictionary has defined designer babies as “a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics."

It is actually quite an interesting topic, and has many controversies whether this form of technology is accepted in today’s society, or not.

Objections to the idea of ‘designer babies’ include the termination of embryos and how many disapprove of methods such as these under moral and religious grounds. For example, a group who believes in pro-life would not approve of the termination of preborn embryos. Also, the social standards go much further. It can be projected that we will breed a race of ‘super humans’ who look down on those humans without genetic enhancements. Assuming genetic enhancement becomes readily available it will presumably be costly. In this instance only the wealthy would be protected from inherited diseases and disabilities, and the discrimination against those with disabilities would greatly rise. Lastly, humans have never experienced the effects of genetic structure alteration. The results could have dire consequences and possibly damage the gene pool.

The clip from the movie shown above is a great example of just how much control we could have when genetic modification is used. The couple is not as interested as the doctor is regarding the protection of their child from just about everything they can. Genetic modification can be used to alter anything from gender to disease, and eventually appearance, personality, and even IQ. The genetic modification of humans can pose an ethical debate about the rights of the baby. One side of this issue is that the fetus should be free to not be genetically modified. Once the genetic modification of the fetus takes place then the baby is changed forever, there is no chance that the genetic modification completed prior to birth could ever be reversed. The opposing view to this is that the parents are the ones with the rights to their unborn child.

It is really amazing what our world has come to, and what we are able to do and what we will be able to do in the near future. Although all of this has also brought upon many ethical and religious concerns for many people, but especially us Catholic’s.

Regarding genetic modification, it has recently become possible to let embryos grow outside of the human body for up to seven days, by which time, only the most vigorous survive. This reduces the number of embryos implanted and increases the number of successful implantations, while also reducing the number of multiple pregnancies. Most embryos, conceived in in-vitro fertilization clinics eventually die. If they are not implanted, they are either "donated" for research, in which case they are killed, or they are kept in cold storage in very low temperatures after which most are disposed of, or eventually die.

Not infrequently, early in pregnancy, some of these embryos are killed by injection of potassium chloride into the embryo's heart. This procedure is called "fetal reduction”. A human being comes into existence at the moment of fertilization of an oocyte (ovum) by a sperm. The Catholic Church teaches that a human being must be respected-as a person-from the very first instant of his existence as a human being, and therefore, from that same moment, his rights as a person must be recognized among which in the first place, is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life. In-vitro fertilization violates the rights of the child: it deprives him of his filial relationship with his parental origins and can hinder the maturing of his personality. The Church teaches that medical research must refrain from operations on live embryos, unless there is moral certainty of not causing harm to the life or integrity of the unborn child and mother, and on condition that the parents have given free and informed consent to the procedure.

There are many negative concerns, although genetic modification in my opinion can be used for a positive effect on our society today. Genetic screening can reduce the baby's chances of being born with several serious diseases like Down syndrome, Famial hypercholesterolemia, and rare blood disorders such as Diamond Blackfan Anaemia.

An example of a positive result from genetic modification is Adam Nash and Charlie Whitaker. Adam Nash was the world's first known designer baby born by the revolutionary pre-implantation process in the year 2000. Scientists genetically selected his embryo so that he would possess the right cells to save his dying sister's life. His sister suffered from Fanconi's anaemia (blood disorder), and mostly the chances of Adam getting that disorder was also very high. An embryo was chosen, which did not have Fanconi's anaemia. Adam became a donor to his sister, which doubled her chances of survival.

Same was the case with Charlie Whitaker, who suffered from Diamond Blackfan Anaemia. His parents wanted to have a designer baby to save Charlie's life. Since they were denied the right in UK, they went to US to have their baby. In 2003, Charlie's baby brother was born and the stem cells from his umbilical cord would be used to treat Charlie.

Although the negative effects of genetic modification, or in specific ‘designer babies’, are available and the technology is easily being taken advantage of. I believe as long as we use our privileges to a positive extent, we should be proud of what we have, and what we can do.