Angela+D.

Post #3 Jan 23, 2014

=**Zombie Virus**=

Since we just finished briefly discussing in class what each part of the brain does, and how it works, and being such a huge fan of The Walking Dead, I thought it would be interesting to hypothesize how a zombie virus would actually affect the brain. As it turns out, many neurologists have looked into this area of hypothetical study, and have come up with a few plausible scientific theories on how a zombie virus could actually work. It could be transmitted like any other virus (through contact with infected bacteria or bodily fluids, or be air born), and would affect many important parts of the brain. Initially the virus would be fatal, but some brain activity would still remain. The cerebellum (responsible for basic motor controls) would be active, but not to it's full potential, causing the classic zombie shuffle/lurch and lack of co-ordination. We also expect zombies to be very dumb, yet very driven to get their food; this would suggest activity in the frontal lobe (which is responsible for reasoning and impulsivity). And if you wonder why zombies never seem to get full, this would lead to the conclusion that the ventromedial hypothalamus (which is responsible for telling you that your hunger has been satisfied) had been compromised as well. The reason we don't hear zombies make more than unintelligible grunts and moans is because the left side of the brain (which is dominantly responsible for language and communication skills) would be damaged by the virus. And finally, to explain why you could cause severe trauma to the body of a zombie without it stopping to think twice, would suggest damage to the parietal lobe (which manages how you react to physical pain). Even though this is all purely hypothetical, its interesting to see a scientific twist on our favourite movie genre.









media type="custom" key="24933740"

Further Reading:
http://cognitiveaxon.blogspot.ca/2011/10/zombie-brain-conclusions.html http://mentalfloss.com/article/53422/real-life-neuroscience-behind-zombies http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/1001027-rabies-influenza-zombie-virus-science/ http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/10/the_walking_dead_virus_the_epidemiology_and_science_of_zombies.html

Sources:
www.livescience.com/38753-dr-zombie-science-behind-the-undead-apocalypse.html http://neurology.about.com/od/NeuroMedia/a/The-Zombie-Brain.htm

Post #2 November 26th, 2013

__**Evolution Of Dinosaurs Into Birds**__
Many people believe that dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago. This is in fact not entirely true. Every bird we see today whether it be a blue jay or an eagle, is actually a descendant of dinosaurs. This was first discovered in a swamp in Germany in the 1860's when the 150-million year old fossilized remains of //Archaeopteryx// was unearthed. Scientists concluded that it was the oldest-known relative of birds. How did the gigantic terrifying scaly reptiles we are used to picturing become the common musical and majestic flying birds we see today? Well actually, scientists believe that birds evolved mainly from small carniverous dinosaurs such as the Velociraptor. These kinds of dinosaurs developed short plumage to protect from the cold, and then they grew into longer feathers to protect and insulate their eggs, much like we see modern birds doing. They only developed the power of flight however, after a very long time in which their legs grew shorter, arms longer, bones hollower, chest plates fusing together, the loss of 4th and 5th digits on their hands, wrist joints curving around and fusing to increase thrusting power, loss of a long tail which was replaced by a stump covered in long feathers, and eventual loss of teeth. They didn't just decide to leap from a tree and take flight however, scientists speculate that after repeated instances of running (perhaps after prey or away from predators) and leaping over obstacles, with these newly developed traits, they realized that they could become airborne. Millions of years later, we have full fledged birds soaring far above the ground.









media type="custom" key="24549008"

**A site giving further details on birds' evolution**
[]

**An interactive site on birds' evolution**
[]

**Article on the similar foot structure of dinosaurs and birds**
[]

**Controversial discovery on whether //Archaeopteryx// lost its ability to fly**
[]

__**Sources**__
[] [] [] [] []

Post #1 Oct 1st, 2013

**__Conjoined Twins__**
Conjoined twins is an unfortunate but scientifically intriguing condition seen in rare situations throughout the world. When we say “conjoined twins” we usually picture two conjoined human infants, however this condition has also been found in other mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The problem occurs either when the fertilized egg does not fully separate into two different cells, or when the egg divides, but then reattaches again for some yet unknown reason. The first pair of conjoined twins was reported in 1698 in Basel, Switzerland. Separating the twins can be incredibly difficult because they are often sharing internal organs, or if they are joined at the head, sharing a brain. Separating them in these situations would most likely kill them.


 * Roughly 75% of conjoined twins are female.
 * Occurs in 1 of every 87 live births
 * Account for 1% of monyzygotic twin births
 * Unfortunately the stillbirth rate for this condition is 40% - 60%
 * Thoracoomphalopagus (joined at the chest, abdomen, or both) - 74%
 * Thoracopagus or xiphopagus (joined at the chest) - 40%
 * Omphalopagus (joined at the abdomen) - 34%
 * Pygopagus (joined at the buttocks) - 18%
 * Ischiopagus (joined at the pelvis) - 6%
 * Craniopagus (joined at the head) - 2%







__**Video**__ media type="custom" key="24058230" align="center"

__**Further reading**__ **Conjoined twins successfully separated in Dallas, USA.** []

**Overview of conjoined twins condition - Phillidalphia children's hospital**
[]

**"Joined for life" partial BBC documentary**
[]

**APSA Overview of conjoined twins**
[]

__**Sources:**__ [] [] [] [] []  [] []