Corey+Deighan

=//Genetics //= Post: #1 - Dec 18th, 2012

= = This is a great picture to introduce genetics, This is exactly how it works too, right? The offspring is always just a mix of the parents. lolz, wrong. Have you ever wondered why you look like your siblings, or your parents even? Have you ever compared features that both of your parents possess and then observed your own? For example, The ability to roll your tongue into a hot dog. If you are able to do so, this would be a dominant trait and if you are not able to, it would be recessive trait. Now what the heck are dominant and what is recessive traits? How do these apply to genetics? Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, coined these terms perfectly in his generation of pea plants:




 * With the first plants that were bred (P Generation), 1 of them was tall, and the other was short.


 * ====These two plants produced 2 tall plants plants (F1 Generation). Mendel was extremely surprised. ====


 * ====He then bred the two tall plants and discovered something HUGE. The two tall plants produce 3 tall and 1 short (F2 Generation). Mendel was very confused in this discovery. ====


 * ====//This represents dominant and recessive traits because a dominant trait will always exhibit that form. But, on the other hand, a recessive trait will exhibit that form // **only** //when the dominant trait is not present. In this case, the dominant trait is tallness and the recessive trait is shortness. //====

// Are you getting it yet? // Here is a short video to sum up Mendel and his discovery, by Mary Poffenroth who is a professor in Biology:

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// Autism... Which disorder is that again? // In a nutshell, Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Today, Autism is a very common disorder. Other than genetic complications, some causes that are believed to be a contributing factor to Autism may include heavy metals, pesticides, certain foods, infectious diseases, heavy metals, solvents, diesel exhaust, prenatal stress, smoking, alcohol, flame retardants, childhood vaccines and many more.



Autism is not one of those disorders identifiable by others, this child above does have autism but does not appear to show any obvious signs of any kind of disorder. Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether it is explained more by rare mutations with major effects, or by rare multigene interactions of common genetic variants.  The large number of autistic individuals with unaffected family members may result from mutation variations—spontaneous deletions or duplications in genetic code during meiosis.

Check out this video! It demonstrates the story of 7 year old Jason, who is autistic.

media type="youtube" key="TL5GHMEjzt8" height="315" width="560"

//Want to learn more? // Okay, now check out these sick websites to find out more on genetics! for the first site, You'll find a riviting explanation on the genetics of tongue rolling, hairlines and more! //(References are also included within these websites)//

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rolling tongue!

=//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 190%;">Evolution //= Post: #2 - Dec 28th, 2012

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">The picture on the right may be slightly innappropriate, but it's 100% true. Times have changed dramatically since the 70's and teenagers have become very nasty creatures. Seriously though, This is an example of a more modern type of evolution. Evolution is the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms. Have you ever asked yourself, "How did we get to look how we do today? why are different societies around the globe so different looking?" Well, the answer to this question would be evolution. Humans have evolved tremendously over the past millions of years and we are still evolving!!! Animals are even evolving too, check out this super cool article on these King Crabs evolving into this new environment:

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">“When these come in they're going to wipe out a whole bunch of endemic species.” // //- Craig Smith,// a marine ecologist from the University of Hawaii at Manoa

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Cold temperatures have kept crabs out of Antarctic seas for 30 million years. But warm water from the ocean depths is now intruding onto the continental shelf, and seems to be changing the delicate ecological balance. An analysis by Smith and his colleagues suggests that 1.5 million crabs already inhabit Palmer Deep, the sea-floor valley that the ROV was exploring that night. And native organisms have few ways of defending themselves. “There are no hard-shell-crushing predators in Antarctica,” says Smith. “When these come in they're going to wipe out a whole bunch of endemic species.”

Because of the change in temperature in water, these crabs have invaded a new land. “They're natural invaders,” says Smith. Researchers are worried that rising crab populations and other effects of the warming waters could irrevocably change a sea-floor ecosystem that resembles no other on Earth. Scientists are racing to document these effects, even as they continue to explore this little-understood region. “This could have a really major reorganizing impact on these unique and endemic marine communities,” says Richard Aronson, a marine biologist at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, who was part of a team that found crabs on another part of Antarctica's continental shelf in December 2010. “It's a fascinating thing,” he says. “A little scary, because it's a very obvious footprint of climate change.”

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 190%;">Who is the "Father" of evolution? // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">The person who really delved into the mystery of evolution back in the 1800's is Charles Darwin. You've probably heard this name before but Darwin has really shaped the way we look at our past today. Check out this video to learn more about Darwin:

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Okay, now since you watched the video above, you **//MUST//** check out the video below. Mary Poffenroth will explain the theory that Darwin presented:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">media type="youtube" key="kjgNT0rBy_8" height="315" width="560"

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Here is a funny caricature of the famous evolution picture. Usually, the picture would consist of humans developing from primates. But here, we see humans developing from a primate and into a hunched guy on a computer. This picture really does emulate humans behaviour within the last decade.

// Want to learn more? // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">If you want to learn more about evolution and how it works, check out these links below (References Included):

[] [] [|http://www.scientificamerican.com/kingcrabs] [] [|http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/naturalselectiondarwin]

= //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 190%;">Endocrine System // = Post: #3 - Jan 2nd, 2012

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 115%;">If you do not know what the endocrine system is, This picture may not be that funny. But, Because I want you to have a good laugh, The endocrine system is the system of glands, each of which secretes different types of hormones directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body. So, the reason why this picture is funny is because there isn't really a specific organ to the endocrine system. It's just little secreting glands (So you can't rip it out). hehe. Now I know what your thinking, what the hell is a gland? A gland is an organ in a being's body that synthesizes a substance for release of substances such as hormones or breast milk In the endocrine system, these glands secrete this substance specifically into the bloodstream

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">This picture clearly shows all parts of the endocrine system. Beginning with the top right, there are two glands located in the brain, pituitary and pineal. Moving down to the neck, there are also two glands, the thyroid and the parathyroid. The next set of glands sit exactly above our kidneys, they're called the adrenal glands. Next is the pancreas, then the ovaries, and last but certainly not least, the testicles. All of these organs contain glands that ALL secrete a specific substance into our bloodstream for our benefit, to help us grow and develop :-)

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 190%;">Are you Gettin' it? // Here is a short video giving a summary of what I explained above. Now, the womans voice is extremely boring, but the video is very informative, so watch it!

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<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 190%; text-align: left;">//What's Addison's Disease?// <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Addison's disease is an illness that occurs when the adrenal glands (Refer to diagram above) stop producing certain hormones. This can result in symptoms such as chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, and loss of appetite. The most common cause of this condition is an autoimmune disease; other causes include tuberculosis and chronic infection. Although the disease in incurable, it is a condition that can be treated and controlled with medication. // Okay... So what is it? // <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">Addison's disease is a medical condition in which the adrenal glands stop making hormones important for certain bodily functions. Addison's disease is characterized by weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin in both exposed and non-exposed parts of the body.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Addison's disease can have the following symptoms:
 * Changes in blood pressure or heart rate[[image:smithlhhsb122/addisons-disease6.jpg align="right"]]
 * Chronic diarrhea
 * Darkening of the skin
 * Unnaturally dark color in some places
 * Paleness
 * Extreme weakness
 * Fatigue
 * Loss of appetite
 * Mouth lesions on the inside of a cheek
 * Nausea and vomiting
 * Salt craving
 * Slow, sluggish movement
 * Unintentional weight loss
 * Patchy skin colour

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: right;">This picture demonstrates a darkening of skin; a symptom of the disease. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 190%;">Want to learn more? // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Check out these websites for more information on the endocrine system, as well as Addison's disease! //(References included as usual)//

[|http://endocrine-system.emedtv.com/addison's-disease/] [] [] [] **<==** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">EXTREMELY informative [|http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/]



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Do you get this one? Instead of "... I'm a doctor" he's a 'Endocrinologist' It's funny !

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