Unit 11 Bio Blog

Evaluate the importance of various technologies, including Canadian contributions, to our understanding of internal body systems (digestive, circulatory or respiratory)

Introduction

Technological advancement in the world of science has allowed doctors to better understand all internal body systems. One very important invention is the x-ray, which allows doctors to view the inside of your body without surgery. They are able to analyze major organs like the heart, brain, and lungs to every last detail. The x ray also enables physicians to spot a number of deadly diseases such as pneumonia, pleurisy, and tuberculosis. Another huge breakthrough comes from Canadian Fredrick Banting who discovered insulin. Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose levels in the body which is currently being used to treat diabetic patients. Finally, the defibrillator is a type of treatment that releases an electrical shock in order to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. This device is extremely useful if someone is undergoing a cardiac arrest. These technological advancements have further increased our knowledge of how our internal body systems function. Doctors are able to use this information to create solutions for many medical issues.

X Ray

The x ray was first discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895. He learned that electromagnet waves are able to penetrate layers of the body exposing bone, fat, and muscle. The first x ray was used on the hand of Wilhelm’s spouse, revealing all the different bones. With the increased technology of the modern world, doctors are able to use the x ray to scan every single part of the human body. The chest x ray permits physicians to get a detail view of the heart and lungs. This is very useful because doctors are able to view possible problems in these major organs making sure the cardiovascular system is running smoothly. It is useful in diagnosing different pulmonary diseases, cancers, and cardiac diseases which are life threatening without care. The x ray is able to set a universal standard of the function and appearance of all body parts which allows doctors to keep learning. Having the ability to see these major organs at work helps doctors understand and learn each body system without having to resort to surgery. CT scans and MRIs are another form of x ray that produces a cross section of soft tissue organs like the brain and liver. They are very beneficial because it depicts an image that looks at the body part from the inside. This advancement helps spot abnormalities in soft tissue organs and shows us everything that is going on inside the actual organ.

Insulin


Fredrick Banting is credited with the discovery of insulin that is used to treat diabetics. He is a Canadian born man and won a noble peace prize for his findings. He learned that insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose levels in the body and stops fat from being used as energy. Those who have high levels of insulin use fat as a major source of energy. On top of that insulin causes cells in the liver to receive glucose in the blood stream. Those with type one diabetes take insulin shots because their body is unable to produce this hormone naturally. His accidental findings have opened the doors, teaching us why people suffer from high glucose. His discovery of insulin increases our knowledge of the whole digestive system.

Defibrillator

The defibrillator is another technological breakthrough that is currently benefiting the medical world. It is mainly used to return the heart to its regular rhythm following a cardiac arrest or arrhythmia. Cardiac arrhythmias prevent the heart from pumping blood through the body which can cause life lasting problems or fatal death if not treated quickly. This electric shock restores the heart, returning it to its normal pace. The body is only able to last without the heart working for only a couple minutes teaching us the importance of steady blood flow and a healthy heart.

Conclusion

Technology has greatly provided the medical world with essential information in all internal body systems. The breakthrough in the x ray, insulin, and defibrillator are just some of many examples. The defibrillator teaches us that an electrical charge can restore the heart, allowing it’s rhythm to return to normal. Insulin has brought forth information on the ability to break down glucose and reasons why people are diabetic. This led to the discovery of other deficiencies in the digestive system that cause serious disease. Finally, the x ray has enabled doctors and the world to view every body part. Doctors can easily spot out problems in major organs that affect our body systems. Without these technological findings doctors and scientists would not be able to understand our internal body systems the way they do now.

Sources http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/x-ray.htm http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Ce-Fi/Defibrillation.html http://www.brighthub.com/health/technology/articles/7398.aspx http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Ce-Fi/Chest-X-Ray.html http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ct_scan/article_em.htm

Bio Blog Entry Unit 8

Artificial selection has resulted in plants that are more disease-resistant, cows that produce more milk, and racehorses that run faster. One must wonder what will come next. In the blog entry answer the following question- under what circumstances should humans be artificially selecting plants or animals, if any?

Artificial selection is the ability to alter ones characteristics, mainly in plants and animals, by artificial means. If you were looking to breed a fast horse the most logical thing would be to mate a fast male with a fast female. This increases the chances that the offspring may be even faster than both parents. Great lengths have been accomplished through the wonders of science that allow humans to select desirable genes for domestic plants and animals. Artificial selection is so advanced that humans are able to create more disease-resistant plants, cows that produce more milk, and race horses that run faster. This breakthrough in science produces both pros and cons. One can speculate the idea of “playing god”, altering his very creations just to fit human’s personal desires. However, another may see artificial selection as an opportunity to enhance both quality and quantity of various domestic products for the good of society.


Benefits of Artificial Selection

Artificial selection was created for the main purpose of enhancing production speed, quantity of product, and immunity towards disease. Farmers can benefit the most from artificial selection. It has already been used successfully to create disease-resistant plants and cows that produce more milk. The worry for plants to contract a disease is nonexistent. This increase in healthy crops results in more production. They are also able to extract more milk from a cow than usual. Once again production increases. More production means more money. This increase benefits society as a whole. If farmers are able to ship out more commodities to the public, the price at which it is sold will decrease. Many parties benefit from artificial selection, more money is being made by farmers, and consumers are saving money.

Inbreeding Depression

Breeding two species that produce desired qualities in off spring can lead to some serious consequences in the long run. Continuous selective breeding increases the risk of other qualities being lost. This downside to artificial selection is known as inbreeding depression, which is irreversible. Genetic diversity will decrease greatly in the years to come if selective breeding continues. These organisms will all end up having similar genomes due to the constant mating between two similar offspring. Variation in species will be greatly reduced. Less variation, in effect, will increase exposure to disease and the severity of it will also increase substantially. If a new disease were to come along these species who all have similar traits will be hit hard. Inbreeding depression is a huge concern scientists must face when undergoing artificial selection. It is an issue that isn’t being taken lightly and its effects can very much effect the environment in a negative way.

Conclusion

Artificial Selection can greatly benefit society as a whole. We are currently able to provide immunity towards disease for many crops, allow cows to produce more milk and also enable us to produce a wide variety of crops. This in affect significantly benefits the farming industry. They are able to make more money and at the same time sell us a better quality, cheap, product. With resources quickly depleting artificial selection can allows us get more out of everything. We can get more meat from pigs and more milk from cows. The possibilities and benefits are endless, artificial selection is a more natural approach in enhancing the farming world.

Sources

http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1569519/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118084/Gene/Genetic_variation/artificialselection.htm