Miracles?

There are many colloquial medical and scientific terms with which I take exception.
One of the worst offenders is the term "miracle drug".
In a sense, all drugs and NO drugs are miracles.
On the one hand, the ability to influence the action of a cell so as to improve the health of the organism seems miraculous.
On the other, we are simply using the natural structure of the cell and its components in ways that are already determined by the structure and function in place.
The "miracle", if there is one, is not the drug itself but the thinking that went into it,
i.e. the human mind.
Pharmacology is just another branch of human endeavor, albeit
one that requires use of many sources of information.
And in the end no machine or computer can look at a real patient and
sense if the drug is "working" or not--
that is still a "miracle" of human function.

Biology is beautiful....

I have been reading essays and listening to discussions lately that promote the view that scientific knowledge somehow negates "wonder", "meaning", and "beauty". This is typically characterized by non-scientists in language that employs the epithet "reductionist".
In biology reductionism is in fact passe'. Biologists acknowledge that the whole is a great deal more than the sum of its parts; the "selfish gene" dogma of Dawkins has lost out to a more integrative view of the evolving organism and of evolution itself. And within that framework there is , in fact, a great deal of wonder, meaning, and beauty. It doesn't rely on what someone else tells you it is, but emphasizes the autonomy of the organism and the intricacy of the mind and body in responding uniquely to the environment in ways that produce "real" emotions and sensations. Scientists know we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". Just because we know a lot about how it works doesn't mean it isn't graceful, or elegant, or gorgeous; in fact, as I know more about living things I appreciate all of these attributes, and more. I challenge you to learn more as well.

Don't eat it!

More
evolutionary
beauty!

More artwork...

...from the world of natural selection!

White with black stripes?

Or black with white stripes?

Studies of the various zebra species indicate that the answer is...black with white. Having seen zebra in the wild I can attest that this skin coloration is in fact camouflage.

Biology...endlessly amazing.

Aging...

...can be beautiful.
To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw (who seems to have said most of the things worth saying),
it is certainly better than the alternative.
I can honestly say I am happier at 59 than I was at 49, 39, 29, 19, and especially 9.
I may be a little eccentric (as my middle son says),
but I am enjoying so much the fruits of the labors and loves that have made me who I am.
Age well today....

Endlessly fascinating....

I continue to find the theory that the human brain developed as a result of upright walking convincing.
The "release" of our hands from the need to be involved in basic locomotion allowed--in fact demanded--that we DO something with them! As our dexterity developed, it pushed the language centers and other cognitive functions. Upright walking has its costs--our skeletons are really not "designed" for it and the wear-and-tear is extensive--but it is definitely worth it.

More than just a covering....

<-----Komodo dragon skin
Skin is the largest organ; it is arguably what allows animals to live in any real sense. Five kinds of touch, temperature control, sweat, pheromone secretion, waste elimination, beauty--and it keeps our insides off the floor.

Be good to your skin today.

Need I say more?

Childhood....
think on it today.

Why is cold better than hot? and other things....

Lowering the temperature of an object, which in physical terms means decreasing the velocity of molecular motion, allows substances, to an extent, to "rest". This slows down the inevitable progression of entropy. In other words, lowering the heat energy contained in an object delays deterioration. Cold stops stuff from rotting.
<--Otzi the Iceman
Were it not for the cold, we wouldn't have Otzi, who has taught us so much about our ancestors. He looks like a veteran NFL tackle, yes?
One comment about "cave men": They are usually depicted as scruffy-looking Nerf herders (well, maybe sheep herders); a respected paleontologist pointed out that most mammals are NOT scruffy but very carefully groomed. Otzi was in fact well appointed and maybe his teeth weren't in the best shape but he wasn't vermin-ridden and dirty.
I love it when our modern prejudices are blown away. In many ways our ancestors were better adapted to their environment than we are--we have yet to discover an obese mummy!

First baby picture....

Zygote!

Brainy

The fact is that relative to our body size our brains are huge.
There has never been data to support the concept, however, that WITHIN the human species brain size reflects any aspect of "intelligence"; it just means the owner has a big head.
That being said, the size of our brain has allowed us to extend our functionality, especially in the areas of hand dexterity--think writing, painting, caressing--and speech. But I still think the major adaptation that allowed for all this was walking upright. Perhaps the poetic remark that we stand tall in order to reach the stars isn't too sappy? It may be true. But we couldn't reach the heights if we hadn't stood up in the first place....

Resilient!

The human musculoskeletal system has evolved, according to one theory, such that our first venture into hominidhood was standing upright.
This freed our hands and set up environmental pressures to use them, which in turn pushed the development of our brains (a significant portion of the sensorimotor cortex is dedicated to the hands).

That upright posture has not been without its costs, however--our battles with back pain and knee arthritis testify to the price we pay.
But in my view it's still worth it!
Be good to your bones and joints today and they will carry you far!

Power!

In a very real sense, we ARE our hormones.
These unique messengers give us
strength,
joy,
peace,
satisfaction,
anger,
sadness,
love,
LIFE.
Be grateful for your hormones today!

Still not scary....

Acid-base disorders are common. Because they involve numbers, they can also seem complicated. NOT! Remember, the purpose of all bodily functions is to maintain homeostasis. OXYGEN and NUTRIENTS!
One of the most sensitive indicators of stability is arterial blood acidity, or pH. If the pH is off--greater than 7.45 or less than 7.35, average ("normal") 7.4--SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!!
ACIDOSIS = HYPOPERFUSION; look for the problem with OXYGEN or NUTRIENT delivery. This is the MOST important acid/base disorder no matter what the cause.
ALKALOSIS = VOLUME PROBLEMS; typically due to loss of normal body fluids such as gastrointestinal or urinary. This is usually a COMPENSATORY issue and is less critical than ACIDOSIS.
See? Easy!

Isn't that amazing???

A poisonous green gas and a volatile metal that explodes in water...hardly sound like things we would want.
But combining sodium (the metal) with chlorine (the gas) produces NaCl, sodium chloride, the most important salt in the world, without which life would not exist.

The movement of these ions, dissolved in water (itself made of two gases), through body fluids provides for intravascular and extravascular volume integrity, keeping us intact, upright, thinking, and living. Nice work!