It's not vision....

...that cognitive psychologists tell us is our "most important" special sense, it is hearing. It is the last one we lose as we die, and probably the first that "awakens" in the womb.
Smell is probably our most primitive sense, tied to very deep areas of the limbic system, our emotional center. The end organs for smell, the olfactory bulbs, are actually direct extensions of the brain itself.
Taste keeps us alive--people who lose their senses of taste may actually starve.
Yet it is vision that's the star. We see, we observe, we lust, we appreciate, we communicate,
and we love with our eyes.
Yet it is still the brain that does it all--we can hear without ears, taste without taste buds, see without eyes, smell in our deepest memory--and love without them all.
The senses serve the brain, the mind, and ultimately are only a part of who we are.
Too cool!

Infection!

Historically, the biggest threat to human life and health has been infectious disease. The tremendous gains in the developed world in the area of life expectancy have been due in large part to advances in public health, traditionally focused on infectious disease prevention. Those advances have yet to be realized in the developing world, where in Zambia, for example, average life expectancy is the same as it was in the U.S. in 1900 (47 years). Unfortunately, public health and disease prevention almost always take a back seat (or the rear bumper) to economic development. This seems perverse in that such development SHOULD be accompanied by quality of life interventions, or what is the money for? Even in the developed world we have seen an erosion in the quality of basic public health as we have relied more on "cures". The best way to deal with an infection is to never get one at all.

Testing, testing, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5....

Each of my classes has an exam (or two) this week of one sort or another. Students are tested relentlessly; I have taken countless exams over the years; testing is ruining public education.
But I believe that assessments can be used as learning tools, and that's what I try to make mine. I minimize Levels I-III issues (using Bloom's Taxonomy) and emphasize higher order thinking skills. As such, I employ essays whenever possible that ask students to think about what they know and always allow open book/open notes, which students come to learn (!) can be actually more difficult than otherwise! But the feedback has always been that they learn more from this method.
I think I have been successful in both reducing the stress associated with them and making exams more useful. And I certainly enjoy the process more.

It looks pretty...

...but it ain't. This is a biopsy of a lung with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a relatively common disorder caused by the inhalation of highly antigenic materials, usually as a result of occupational exposure.
"Hypersensitivity" is a better word for what is commonly called "allergy". The latter word is frequently used inappropriately for conditions such as lactose intolerance (referred to as "milk allergy") and gastrointestinal reactions (such as "codeine allergy"). Hypersensitivity is often caused by acute exposure to a previously unknown antigen. "Peanut allergy" is a common hypersensitivity disorder probably caused by overcautious parents rather than anything genetic or epigenetic.
Hypersensitivity (including penicillin allergy) can be treated by judicious desensitization IF the patient is known to be allergic. Acute exposure can be fatal, however. In the aforementioned case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (examples include barber's lung, caused by hairspray, and millworker's lung, caused by a variety or organic compounds) chronic exposure can lead to severe chronic pulmonary disease and early mortality. Regulations about ventilation in the workplace are not just about comfort and convenience nor harassing employers--they are about life and death.

In the beginning....

And God said, "Let there be light...."
Cosmology has reached into the history of the universe and the farther back we go the closer we get to the singularity--the beginning, when all was pure energy (what we call "light"), within which the entire universe was contained.
There is no "conflict" between faith and science, in my view. The universe is internally consistent with a set of physical laws that apply everywhere (general relativity) and that have led "naturally" to its current state, which includes life. I find that infinitely more awe-inspiring than an erratic and whimsical universe that depends upon the limited mind of man for its wonder.
Behold, we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

The real frontier of neuroscience....

Responsible for emotional integration and maybe obesity, the limbic system of the brain is only recently being explored. Mirror neurons, cannabanoid receptors, the hippocampus...it's a weird and wonderful place. It may be the seat of culture, sex roles, and psychosis.
One thing it isn't is hardy; easily damaged, it's the site of many psychoactive drug actions, including those of marijuana and antidepressants. It has lots of dopamine and serotonin--the mood transmitters. And it is incredibly ancient, binding us to the rest of animal life in a fundamental and unconscious way. Take good care of your limbic system today...relax and enjoy your world.

If only....

This is "neurology month" for me.
Check out my Facebook postings for today...a brain is a terrible thing to waste. Or lose. Or something.
Have a good weekend, midterms notwithstanding!

Your REAL peripheral brain.....

The spinal cord is uniquely adapted to the "fight or flight" environment in which we evolved. Afferent pathways--bringing in sensory information--immediately connect to efferent--sending motor messages out. Long tracks send information to the brain for more complex integration.
Some very successful organisms get along just fine, thanks, without much more than a spinal cord and a brain stem for autonomic functions.
Without your spinal cord, you are just a big brain on a stick! You can think a lot but cannot do anything about those thoughts! So, you can lose your PDA or your mind but you'd better not lose your spinal cord.

A TRUE miracle cure....

When Edward Jenner began vaccinating for smallpox, he was not aware that he was ushering in a true miracle age. Smallpox was a dreaded and horrible disease that killed millions, and now it is gone, thanks to vaccination.
In 1900, the average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47. In 2000, it was 77. Most of this incredible improvement was brought about by the development of childhood vaccines. Measles, whooping cough, and diphtheria all killed hundreds of thousands of children--no more, thanks to vaccines.
Yet scientific illiteracy threatens further progress. Anecdotal reports and misguided fears have lead to a resurgence of some childhood illnesses and many unnecessary deaths.
Stupidity and willful ignorance are not reasonable nor responsible in our day.
And for the developing world, vaccination holds one of its few hopes for a better future.
Thank you, Dr. Jenner, for your bravery and hope.
That is what I believe science is really about.

Ode to Sarah

Oh, cerebellum, thou art lovely,
Nestled in thy cranial cup.
Your networks flow so swiftly,
And help me pick things up.
If thou do be'est faithful,
My food thou helps me sup.
If damaged yet thou be to me,
My gait wouldst breakest up.

The immune system....

...Rocks!
Rolls!
& Defends!

The miracle of life....

Welcome, Aletheia Grace Smith, to this beautiful world!

Be good to your digestion...

...and it will never upset you!

Blood pudding...yum or yuk???

In Europe, especially the UK, blood pudding is considered a fine food. Blood sausage, as well, is a breakfast fave. I have tried both and simply cannot swallow them...they taste awful and I have this "thing" about eating blood that I think is not uncommon. The Jewish dietary laws about consuming blood are right on...blood is not only the stuff of life but it can carry a host of potentially nasty diseases.

So, make sure your blood pudding is fully cooked....

Yes, they are different....

Not only is the male brain different than the female brain, but each person's brain it in itself unique. These differences have much to do with experience, which seems to forge the connections between the neurons through neuroglial growth and development.
In general our neurons do not grow, divide, or regenerate much, if at all, after childhood. While this makes neuronal damage difficult to repair, it is also the basis of our ability to maintain memory and personality over time. And research has shown that functional damage can be "healed" by a rearrangement of the connection through those wonderful neuroglial cells. Be grateful to your brain today!

Talk about amazing!

Perhaps there is no more beautiful feature of our wondrous bodies than the immune system. Precisely calibrated and exquisitely sensitive, it works overtime to protect us from a very hostile environment.

It is a lot sturdier than we give it credit for; our fearful attitude toward "dirt and germs" has created a generation of children with immunity problems they would not have had they been treated as the hardy organisms they really are. Peanuts, gluten, milk, eggs--these have been part of the human diet for millennia and only recently have we seen children crippled by overprotective doctors and parents. The data shows that babies are born with their mother's immune protection and have an organ--the thymus--that is specifically evolved to develop immunity in infancy. Not allowing this organ to do its work damages the human body forever. As we discussed in class, "dirtier" children are healthier children! And a whole lot easier to maintain.

"Fearfully and wonderfully made...."

When a neuron "fires" it is converting chemical energy into electrical energy, just like a battery. The energy ("the ability to do work") provided from these moving electrons is exactly the same as that produced by lightning or a star or a light bulb. Exactly.
In the Romantic era there was a huge controversy over whether or not there was some sort of "vital force" in humans that was different from that of other life forms. It was proposed to be a fluid "like electricity" (which was not well understood itself). Well, it's not "like" electricity--it IS electricity.
And that is "fearful and wonderful" enough!

Were the Egyptians first?

Our nephew Paul recently alerted me to an article that suggested a derivative of streptomycin, an antimicrobial first officially described in the 1940s, has been found in remnants of ancient Egyptian beer. Streptomycin is derived from a bacterium, streptomyces (pictured) that lives in soil. It would be possible that this bacterium got into beer and produced this antimicrobial! I am unable to confirm that the Egyptians used beer as a medicine, but it was so commonly drunk that perhaps it provided a "baseline" level of treatment against some pathogens, especially tuberculosis. It should be noted that derivatives of streptomyces such as tetracycline and erythromycin are still effective against many infectious diseases found in Africa. In my many visits there I have found the latter drug to be indispensable in treating infections. If I were a betting man, which I am not, I would bet that the therapeutic benefits of beer were known to prehistoric H. sapiens, who was as smart and perhaps even more creative and observant than modern man! He did, after all, invent the wheel. And beer itself!

Organs...

...are beautiful!

Does anyone have a tissue?

You bet they do.
The tissues of the human body are remarkable in their ability to work together. Without specialization we may never have gotten beyond the slime mold level of functioning.
Kleenex ain't got nothin' on us!

The cell....

The cell is the basic unit of life--nothing within it is alive, but when these things all come together they, like Frankenstein's monster in the presence of electricity, LIVE! The cell does everything the entire body does, and vice versa--breathe, excrete, secrete, move, work, grow, reproduce. The basic function of the cell is protein synthesis, whereby DNA tells cells what to do. But there is so much more! Biology is basically exploring the universe of the cell....

Unsung hero of the nervous system....

That would be the neuroglial cell,
the "other" type of neural tissue. As we learn more about them, these "insulators" take on a greater and greater importance. They make sure nerve signals go where they need to go. They can repair themselves (which is a mixed blessing since most brain tumors arise from glial cells). They "cushion" the more finicky and delicate neurons. And most intriguing of all, it may be the glial cells, though the manner in which they facilitate nerve conduction velocity and efficiency, that hold the key to memory and intelligence.
Neurons are the stars, but neuroglial cells are the real talent.

Plants and animals complement each other...

...as demonstrated by the beauty of the nitrogen cycle.
Be thankful for your plants today!

Nerves and muscles....

Say what one will about the Governator, he has nerves and guts. Behind that musclebound exterior lurked a man with a plan, and he has succeeded wildly, whether you agree with him or not.
It just shows the advantage to which a human can put BRAINS and MUSCLES if they work together. Anyone want to bet Ah-nold would be in his current position had he not been Mr. Universe?
Not me.

In honor of Labor Day....

Part of a series of People's Histories, this exhaustively documented book debunks the oft-promoted notion of the Great Man of Scientific Genius Laboring Away Alone and Unknown Until His "EUREKA" Moment Changed The World.
For a more extensive review, see The Compleat Science Teacher.
Firstly, the book outlines how men we now lionize as authors of scientific breakthroughs were usually summarizers, or at most synthesizers. Even Newton and Einstein, who came close to living and working the myth (in Newton's case he worked alone because he was so arrogant and obnoxious and weird that no one could work with him anyway), used the work of others. Archimedes, who supposedly uttered the famous oath, had many collaborators...and probably didn't run naked from his bath after solving his problem anyway.
Second, a whole lot of scientists were, and are, women. :-)

Analyze, analyze, dance to the music....

As I was working with my class on Saturday, I realized how little I know about the history of biomedical technology. I know about Roentgen, but that's about it. I am looking forward to learning more!
Pictured (R) is Leonard Skeggs, Ph. D., who invented the autoanalyzer (a modern example pictured L) in 1957. To say that the ability to measure blood chemistries revolutionized the practice of medicine is an understatement. Here's to you, Lenny, and your heirs--my new students!
We couldn't/can't do it without you!

The incredible human body...

...graceful even in death.
The Body World exhibits are phenomenal. I saw them in D.C. and was truly amazed at the artistry. Certainly compared to many of the ways in which I have see the human body, dead and alive, treated this was exceptionally beautiful, and certainly not "gross" at all.
I was also impressed by the respectful "aura" of the exhibit. These people, I felt, would be proud to see how their contribution to science turned out. I would be happy to be "immortalized" this way.
There are rumors that some of the bodies came from prison camps in China. There is absolutely no documentation that this is true and even if it were this would still be a respectful "end." Humans are irrational about their dead. The soul is eternal in its way, the body, by being returned to the Earth, is in another.
I highly recommend the book Stiff, by Mary Roach, a fascinating look at what happens to bodies after death. There is a link to the Body Worlds site posted below.

Welcome, biomedical engineers-to-be!

This is our hero, Dr. Wilhelm Roentgen!
He was the discoverer of and first doctor to use X-rays to make images of the internal structures of the human body. These were originally called "roentgenograms" in his honor.
The human body is a wonderful "machine", but it is so much more than the sum of its parts. I look forward to working with students who want to bring their technical skills and interests to help their fellow humans.

My hero!

Muscles are amazing.
From the tiniest--the ciliary muscles in the eye--to the biggest--the quadriceps femoris--we owe much of our ability to interact with our environment to our muscles. They of course rely on the nervous and endocrine systems (physiology's yin and yang) but without them the former would just sort of lie there. Rather an unsettling image....
SOOO, take care of your muscles and they will never let you down. Ha!

Follow the carbons....

Organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon, the basic atom of life. I am not sure who coined the phrase "carbon-based life form" but in our case it's true of all life on Earth. When dealing with the chemistry of life, the simplest way to not get lost is to follow the carbons.
"O Chem" is also the most infamous pre-med course in history. It is THE "make-or-break class. A "C" completely destroys ones chances of getting in to medical school. In my case I had two quarters of lecture and one of lab; I got an "A" one quarter in lecture and an "A" in lab and a "B" my second quarter of lecture. I vividly remember that the only question I ever got during med school interviews about my grades was about that one "B". Seriously.
BUT organic chemistry can be fun! Really. Just follow the bouncing carbon ball....