Sunday, June 6, 2010

Talk about Change!

Assess how societal needs (i.e. the need for healthy foods; active lifestyles) lead to scientific and technological developments related to internal systems.


Have you noticed that the more we age the more we need to be healthy? I mean, your biggest issue at this moment might be that 'ready-to-burst' pimple, but the growing issue that our society faces is the need to be healthier. Everywhere you go there are advertisements such ads in bus vehicles or in magazines about being healthy. If you think about it, who wouldn’t want to be healthy-especially if you live in a world of full of global warming and carbon dioxide! So you're probably wondering what my point is, well, I did a lot of soul searching (okay, who am I kidding?), this blog explores how society’s need for such things lead both the scientific and technology field to meet the needs of society.

With the scientific and technological boom that our society is experiencing, it was only fitting to create and design such devices that meet the new needs of our society. If you observe, there have been many appliances and tools that serve the purpose of meeting the goals of our healthy conscious society.

I think that of all our needs, the need to live a more active lifestyle is on top of the list. Only now have come to the understanding that our generation has been going downhill when it comes to our overall health status. However, there have been technological modifications that have been to guide a person to be a more active and healthier individual.

There are now electronic balances that are designed to count calories for the calorie-conscious person. Appliances such as this make it convenient for a person to find out just how much calories they are consuming.



You’ve all seen those late night infomercials that offer that stomach you’ve always wanted. The image below is a device that is used to enhance weight loss through vibration



Of all technological advances, I must say that the one that impressed me the most was the Wii. They broke the boundaries by introducing healthy activities within its system- people are able to stay active while indoors and have fun at the same time!

If you look around, there are different devices that were specifically made to help us in our sudden quest to be healthy and fit. Just think of it, about twenty years ago did our parents and their generation really need all of this stuff? No. With the evolution that our generation is experiencing; the need to look younger, look fit, be healthier as well the environmental risks we are exposed to- our society is doing a great deal of preventing or improving the state of our health.

The scientific field has also done their part in providing society with the answers to their needs. An example would be the study of nutrigenomics in which scientist study the effect that food has on a person's overall health. With the help of nutrigenomics, scientists are able to find the different ways in which food is beneficial and harmful to our health.

Overall, I think is pandemic movement is positive for our society. There were technological advances that damaged us in the first place- those video games that succumbed youth to stay indoors and become overweight. Now, the same technology that damaged us is doing their part in helping us in our goal to redeem ourselves. The same goes for the food caused our high cholesterol and diabetes, now we can trace our steps and be mindful of the food we eat. Not bad!


References:
http://www.genomicseducation.ca/informationArticles/health/nutrigenomics.asp
http://hobby.vocaboly.com/241/vibration-exercise-equipment-%E2%80%93-is-it-a-scam/
http://www.americanweigh.com/images/scoutproLG.jpg


Commented on:
Clodia Kassis and Ana Abad

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Say what now ?!?!

In other parts of the world, bio solids (human waste) from sewage treatment plants are treated and used as sustainable agricultural fertilizer. Research the pros and cons of this method and take a stand whether this can be a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices. Who are the potential stakeholders in this issue? Are we influenced by the western view of human waste as an unsanitary and disgusting nuisance?

As children growing up in the western society, we’ve all be desensitized into believing that bio solids are disgusting and unsanitary. In many cases, it is because …you know why! The true question now is can our society accept a method far from what we are used? In this blog, we will be exploring the different pros and cons that come with using bio solids as sustainable agricultural fertilizer.
Before we do that, let’s observe the present method in which we fertilize:
There are many different types of agricultural fertilizers but some commonly used fertilizers are organic fertilizers, in organic fertilizers as well as micro and macronutrient fertilizers.
As to using ‘organic’ fertilizers, why not use bio solids? I mean, it is organic! Now let’s find some pros and cons in using such a unique material as a fertilizer
According to http://www.biosolids.com/benefits.html , it states that bio solids have many benefits; the following are some advantages of using bio solids:

• Improve crop production
• Reduce soil erosion and protect water quality
• Provide topsoil for recreational uses
• Reclaim strip-mined lands
• Enrich forestland
• Conserve landfill space
• Provide economic incentives

Since the use of bio solids have not been completely accepted within our society, there must be reasons why. Well, according to http://www.aces.edu/crd/publications/ANR-721.html there some disadvantages that come along with the usage of bio solids as a fertilizers

• The potential for applying too much or too little of each nutrient
• The presence of toxic constituents
• The possible detrimental effects on water quality from leaching, erosion, or runoff losses

If you observe the pros and cons, you’ll be able to see that it can improve the production of crop. In addition, it can also. Most of all, the greatest advantage in using it as a fertilizer is the help it gives us by conserving landfill space. It’s like basically recycling our ‘poop’ into something that is beneficial to our environment.

In the case of bio solids being introduced as another form of fertilizer, there are many people held responsible for accepting it or not. There is a whole process in which it has to be approved of in the first place, it may go under the approval of the government, bio waste, agricultural, healthcare industry as well as the acceptance from the people of society.



I think that after viewing the different advantages and disadvantages that come along with the use of bio solids as agricultural fertilizers, I have came to the understanding that I could accept it as alternate fertilizer. Even though there are some disadvantages in using it, I believe that it helps both the society and the environment in the long run. I think that after we get over the whole ‘poop’ thing, we will be able to realize that our ‘poop’ is actually doing us good.

In conclusion, I think that sooner or later the use of bio solids as fertilizers will be widely accepted in our society. As I said before, one we get over the ‘poop’ factor, we’ll also learn that it actually helps the environment and society by saving our time and money.

Reference
http://www.agriculturalproductsindia.com/fertilizers/fertilizers-agricultural-fertilizer.html
http://www.biosolids.com/benefits.html
http://www.aces.edu/crd/publications/ANR-721.html


Commented on:

Ana Abad and Tammy Nguyen

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Talk about change!

Assess how societal needs (i.e. the need for healthy foods; active lifestyles) lead to scientific and technological developments related to internal systems.


Have you noticed that the more we age the more we need to be healthy? I mean, your biggest issue at this moment might be that 'ready-to-burst' pimple, but the growing issue that our society faces is the need to be healthier. Everywhere you go there are advertisements such ads in bus vehicles or in magazines about being healthy. If you think about it, who wouldn’t want to be healthy-especially if you live in a world of full of global warming and carbon dioxide! So you're probably wondering what my point is, well, I did a lot of soul searching (okay, who am I kidding?), this blog explores how society’s need for such things lead both the scientific and technology field to meet the needs of society.

With the scientific and technological boom that our society is experiencing, it was only fitting to create and design such devices that meet the new needs of our society. If you observe, there have been many appliances and tools that serve the purpose of meeting the goals of our healthy conscious society.

I think that of all our needs, the need to live a more active lifestyle is on top of the list. Only now have come to the understanding that our generation has been going downhill when it comes to our overall health status. However, there have been technological modifications that have been to guide a person to be a more active and healthier individual.

There are now electronic balances that are designed to count calories for the calorie-conscious person. Appliances such as this make it convenient for a person to find out just how much calories they are consuming.



You’ve all seen those late night infomercials that offer that stomach you’ve always wanted. The image below is a device that is used to enhance weight loss through vibration



Of all technological advances, I must say that the one that impressed me the most was the Wii. They broke the boundaries by introducing healthy activities within its system- people are able to stay active while indoors and have fun at the same time!

If you look around, there are different devices that were specifically made to help us in our sudden quest to be healthy and fit. Just think of it, about twenty years ago did our parents and their generation really need all of this stuff? No. With the evolution that our generation is experiencing; the need to look younger, look fit, be healthier as well the environmental risks we are exposed to- our society is doing a great deal of preventing or improving the state of our health.

The scientific field has also done their part in providing society with the answers to their needs. An example would be the study of nutrigenomics in which scientist study the effect that food has on a person's overall health. With the help of nutrigenomics, scientists are able to find the different ways in which food is beneficial and harmful to our health.

Overall, I think is pandemic movement is positive for our society. There were technological advances that damaged us in the first place- those video games that succumbed youth to stay indoors and become overweight. Now, the same technology that damaged us is doing their part in helping us in our goal to redeem ourselves. The same goes for the food caused our high cholesterol and diabetes, now we can trace our steps and be mindful of the food we eat. Not bad!


References:

http://www.genomicseducation.ca/informationArticles/health/nutrigenomics.asp
http://hobby.vocaboly.com/241/vibration-exercise-equipment-%E2%80%93-is-it-a-scam/
http://www.americanweigh.com/images/scoutproLG.jpg


Commented on:

Clodia Kassis and Ana Abad

Friday, January 22, 2010

HOLY COW !

If we look back and examine how technology has effected us, we'll notice that most of it was for our own well being. Now, how would classify such a topic as Artificial Selection, I mean, where do we start? Should we even be practicing this type of method in the first place?

Well, before we jump to conclusions and judgments, we should first study and understand the term Artificial Selection. It is the Human intervention in animal or plant reproduction to ensure that certain desirable traits are represented in successive also known as Selective breeding.


So, the issue here is do humans have the right to do this in the first place? Let's observe, take in our ever growing hunger for meat products. For farmers, in order for them to make some income, they need to satisfy their consumer's demand for such products, and in this case, meat. But how are they to do so when in some cases, these chickens don't produce as much as we'd like them to? That's when artificial selection comes in! This specif process is used to help sustain the overall existence of animals to make them stronger as well cause them to produce the needed products that society demands.

A great example is the selective breeding of cows, the cow above has gone through selective breeding and as a result has more muscle than a regular cow, and for us- more lean meat!


There's one thing about satisfying consumer demands, but there's another pushing the limits. There have been recent reports of the inhumane ways of artificial selection. For example, because meat is such a great demand they have enhanced chickens to be more convenient by adding more meat and no feathers. This change in features of the chicken can result to more harm than good for the animal because they are prone to more diseases and parasites without their feathers as well as mate unsuccessfully because of the disabled wing.


If we take both factors in consideration, we can conclude that artificial selection is a process that can really affect the breeder and the organism being bred. I think that artificial selection has done us all good, but the food and farming industries should be more wary about the treatment of the animals and plants under this process. If used with consideration, I think that this process is a win-win situation for both humans and the species involved. It satisfies the need of society of and at the end of the day, it positively effects both the peoples and the animals involved in the process- when used moderately. Though we may have the power to do this, I still believe that we shouldn't take advantage of it by completely disregarding the well-being of the animals and plants that undergo the process.

References:
http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Selective_breeding
http://scienceray.com/biology/selective-breeding/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118084/Gene/Genetic_variation/artificialselection.htm

Commented on:
Tammy Nguyen - http://tammy-bioblogtingz.blogspot.com/
Aarany R - http://bio-aarany.blogspot.com/

Monday, November 23, 2009

I'd like to order a Designer Baby please!

Question:
Are things getting out of hand with our research into genetic processes? In this blog investigate social and ethical implications of this research and technologies that have been developed from it.


With technology comes the negative and positive feedback from society. If we look at the big picture, we'll be able to see that technology has done so much for our well-being and that it has saved countless lives over the years. But the question is when is does it go too far?
The question has been raised after the controversy of having designer babies brought much attention from our concerned society.


Before we start creating assumptions and judgments, we must first understand the term 'Designer Babies'. Designer babies is the modern term we use to describe the medical process of 'Genetic Engineering' , which is genetically enhancing or engineering a fetus during fertilization in the result that it will have gain or loose certain characteristics.

We all have our personal opinions on this issue, but has technology really gone too far in a way where it has interfered with nature? In my opinion, yes. Though I may only understand my perspective of the issue, and could never imagine how I might feel if the tables turn, I believe that this issue goes beyond my belief. However, I think it is only fair to explore both sides of this issue.

For some families, it is not about having the 'perfect' baby, but a healthy one. With the help of this procedure, the chances of the offspring being born with a genetic disorder is reduced. This technique may be a blessing for parents who have a tendency of producing offspring with genetic disorders, a procedure such as this can greatly increase the life span of the child and even save it.

In other cases, doctors as well as couples have taken complete advantage of the purpose of the process and used it in a matter where the importance of having a 'perfect' baby is much more important than having a healthy baby. There have been reports where clinics have been offering pre-implantation procedures to couples, in which they are able to screen the embryos for its gender, hair and eye color as well as its complexion. Further more, it allows the parents to have a choice of altering the characteristics of their future children by giving them the chance to choose whatever physical characteristics they want, from the complexion to hair color, for them, the sky is the limit.

So, is this really how superficial we human beings have gone? We can not even have babies of our own without being unhappy with it. Procedures such as this give people the opportunity to 'design' their babies as easy as choosing the color of your nail polish. This procedure pushes the boundaries of beauty, in a way it distorts our perception of beauty. It gives a message to the general public that the only way of having beautiful and perfect babies are through designing them and that we are not good enough to be born without a few alterations to the characteristics that make us unique in the first place.



At this point, my understanding of 'designer babies' is much more clear and that I can really make my opinion about this controversial issue. Though it may have positive results for some participants that need this procedure to better not only their lives but their children as well, this procedure has opened the door for many people who are more interested in having perfect babies. First of all, I just think that people who are able to produce should feel grateful for being blessed with the chance of having children. The bottom line is, 'designing' our own babies instead of leaving the job to nature takes away the surprises and uniqueness that life has to give.

References:
http://www.bionetonline.org/English/content/db_cont1.htm
http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html
http://singularityhub.com/2009/02/25/designer-babies-like-it-or-not-here-they-come/
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-designer-babies.html

Commented on:
Tammy Nguyen - http://tammy-bioblogtingz.blogspot.com/
Priscilla Chen- http://priscillasbioblog.blogspot.com/

Saturday, September 26, 2009

What have we done?

Take a look at this picture. This is a sad reality for most of the species on earth nowadays.



Over the years, humans have slowly impacted our environment and its species
As our world moves forward; creating new and innovative ideas that bring convenience to ourselves we are oblivious to the negative impact it has on biodiversity. Human activities are held largely responsible for our ever changing environment as well as the threatened species in it. From cutting down trees to over fishing, we are only risking the well being of our environment.

Although we've come far to get at this point, we've effected the earth more negatively than we'd have liked. Human activities such as fishing and agriculture have affected the ecosystem through the damage of their habitats. Face it or not- we're all guilty of contributing some kind of harm towards one specie or another. Human activities such as hunting and forestry are only a few factors to the reason why we have a threatened ecosystem.

As you've noticed, there has been a huge growth of human population over some time now.So you're asking yourself, how did this disaster come to be? Well, it started with the increase in the human population. The need for resources such as food and lumber increased in exchange for our survival. However, with the booming businesses of fishing and lumber industries, our biodiversity was left to suffer due to the increasing demand of resources from humans.

Along the way, habitats have been destroyed because of our invasive ways. Species such as deers have been forced to adapt to different habitats because of the on going transformation of their surroundings. Without their proper habitats, maintaining a healthy environment for them to produce actively decreases along with the resources available for them to sustain life. The lack of these essential eventually lead to the extinction of a variety of species. According to the World Conservation Monitoring center, the highest cause of animal extinction is due to Habitat Destruction



Aside from human population and habitat destruction being factors to our threatened biodiversity, activities such as hunting have caused a disruption to our ecosystem. The disturbing part of this is the fact that the majority of hunting is done illegally, also known as poaching. Over hunting has led to the extinction of many species, these vast majority of extinct species then create the domino effect, which occurs when the food chain is derailed and all of its involved organism are affected.


By now i think that most organism on this earth look to us as their mortal enemy, the people who bring darkness and despair to their lives- if we were stewards of the world I doubt we would even be in this mess!

The whole ecosystem is affected by one another, when human population increases, the need for resources also increases to suit our needs. When there are more of us, the more accommodation is needed for us to sustain our survival on earth, but we are oblivious to the harm we bring to the rest of the species we live with. The majority of the re-occurring issues we face today that involves biodiversity can simply be blamed on humans. We are, in my opinion, the most intellectual beings on this earth, with such power I think that we have the potential to serve it with the dignity it needs.

Sources

http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/conservation/activities.htm
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/forestry/
http://www.fathom.com/course/21701785/session2.html
http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/310http://images.google.ca/images?gbv=2&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&sa=1&q=endangered+polar+bears&btnG=Search+images&aq=5&oq=endangered+&start=0

Blogs I commented on:

Tammy Nguyen: http://tammy-bioblogtingz.blogspot.com/
Priscilla Chen:http://priscillasbioblog.blogspot.com/