A true miracle....

...life's beginning!
Have a great new year!

It's all about....

...energy!

Have an energetic holiday and new year!

Proteins run the show

The only thing DNA really does is code for proteins. Everything in our bodies is a result of the action or existence of proteins. Proteins form structures, comprise messengers and messages, start reactions and stop them--everything.
There is no magic effluvium that tells your eyes to be blue--it's a protein. And no ethereal spirit tells your cochlea to signal your temporal lobe that the bells are ringing--it's protein.
Some people think that describing life this way is "dehumanizing". Have you ever examined the simplest of protein reactions? They are amazingly complex yet exquisitely precise--far beyond one of our paltry pieces of machinery in their power and consistency.
We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Elegant in its simplicity....

...the plasma membrane!
Diffusion, osmosis, polarization, depolarization, secretion, excretion, respiration...everything that means life.
Without its exquisite and specialized "semi-permeability" we would never have developed beyond a single cell. But even so, single celled organisms--bacteria, viruses, protists--are the most successful life forms ever, with just one membrane!
Many poisons work by "fooling" the plasma membrane--using an existing membrane function to invade and damage the cell's metabolic processes. So--always know exactly what's in the substances you ingest. Just because something is "natural" DOES NOT mean
it is healthy! Arsenic, radon, cyanide, carbon monoxide--all are " natural" substances that cross the plasma membrane and destroy the cell. And guess what? Destroyed cells-->destroyed organism!
So--be kind to your membranes today!

Love means....

...sacrifice!

Pulmonary function....

...is simple.

The major work of breathing is INSPIRATION.
The way the lungs works on EXPIRATION, though, measures their true health.
Significant decreases in pulmonary capacity occur BEFORE they become symptomatic.
Smokers should get pulmonary function tests (PFTs)--
maybe the results will convince them to STOP NOW!
To borrow a phase, maybe this truth can set them free!
It's never too late to stop killing yourself!

Irrational fears?

To a degree.

As this chart shows, the majority (82%) of our ionizing (and therefore potentially mutagenic) radiation exposure is natural, i.e. unavoidable.
Nuclear reactor "accidents"--there is no such things as accidents, just events that are more or less probable in given circumstances--aren't even on the map.
We are still our own worst enemy; even the danger radon exposure (higher risk of lung cancer) is vastly potentiated by cigarette smoking.
Does this mean we all want a nuclear reactor in our back yards? No, but it does mean we need to focus on the more important risks that we can control--like smoking, drinking, and risky behaviors.
And that warm glow we all have? Natural!

Another bodily function...

...we take for granted--breathing.
Spirometry is s simple way to evaluate a person's lung function.
The biggest enemy, of course, to healthy respiration is smoking.
If in doubt, have it checked out!
It's never too late to quit!

Turkeys...

...have muscles (our first unit in A&P II), too!

Enjoy the holiday!

Ode to Carbon

Oh, Carbon, thou art lovely,
With thy magic valence four.
From that com'st all we are
And will be evermore.

With H and O you marry
To craft the ties that bind,
Thou makest oh so many things
With others of your kind.

Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes,
Benzene rings thou makest, too,
Alcohols and ethers come from thee,
And proteins ne'er a few.

And when I lay me down to rest,
Thy cycle it doth run,
Return to earth my solid parts-
My soul aims for the sun!