HEALTH AND WELLNESS

ONE THEORY ON THE MECHANISM OF DISEASE In recent years scientists have focused their attention on a disease that some attribute to an abnormal form of a protein called a PRION. The theory is that disease results when defective prions bind to normal prion proteins, causing the normal protein to misfold. The result is “a chain reaction that propagates the disease and generates new infectious material” says the journal Scientific American. What may have been an instance of prion-based disease first came to public attention in the 1950’s in Papua New Guinea. Certain isolated tribes engaged in a form of cannibalism for religious reasons, and this led to a disease called KURU, with symptoms similar to those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Once the afflicted tribes gave up this religious ritual, the incidence of KURU rapidly declined, and it is now virtually unknown.                                                          AMAZING DESIGN! Happily, though, proteins are usually folded correctly a

      Genetically modified crops are banned in most European and North America countries and are not grown in these areas. But in Africa the opposite is what is happening, genetically modified crops are found everywhere in Africa. What are the dangers in genetically modified crops? What can be done about it?    Biotechnology has moved at such a dizzying pace that neither the law nor regulating agencies can keep up with it. Research can scarcely begin to prevent unforeseen consequences from arising. A growing chorus of critics warn of unintended results, ranging from severe economic dislocation for the world’s farmers to environmental destruction and threats to human health. Researchers warn that there are no long-term, large-scale tests to prove the safety of genetically modified [GM] food. They point to a number of potential dangers.    If a gene producing a protein that causes allergic responses ended up in corn, for instance, people who suffer from food allergies could be exposed to

Like barnacles, marine mussels attach themselves to rocks, wood, or ship hulls. However, unlike barnacles, which fasten themselves tightly to a surface, marine mussels dangle by a network of thin filaments called BYSSUS THREADS. While this method increases the mussel’s flexibility for feeding and migration, the threads seem too flimsy to withstand the impact of ocean waves. How does the byssus allow the mussel to hang on and not be swept out to sea? Byssus threads are stiff on one end, yet soft and stretchy on the other. Researchers have found that the precise ratio used by mussel- 80 percent stiff material to 20 percent soft –is critical for providing the strongest attachment. Hence, the byssus can handle the force of dramatic pulling and pushing by marine waters. Professor Guy Genin calls the results of this research stunning, adding that the magic of this organism lies in the structurally clever integration of this compliant region. Scientists believe that the design of the byssus t

Bone has been described as an engineering masterpiece of TENSILE, COMPRESSIVE AND ELASTIC strength The human skeleton consists of approximately 206 bones and 68 joints. The largest bone is the femur, or thighbone; the smallest is the stapes, a bone inside your ear. As skilled gymnasts clearly demonstrate, bones, muscles, cartilage, and joints can give a healthy body an astonishing degree of flexibility and range of movement. The thumb alone would convince anyone that the architect of our body [whoever that may be to each one of us]. Bones can also take an incredible pounding. They are constructed in exactly the same way that reinforced concrete is constructed. The steel of reinforced concrete provides the tensile strength, while the cement, sand, and rock provide the compressional strength. However, the compression strength of bone is greater than that of even the best reinforced concrete. We only wish we could mimic it” said Robert o. Ritchie, a professor of materials sci

A newborn baby shrieks in a hospital in Madrid, Spain. A nurse frantically tries to pacify him but to no avail. The baby is suffering the agony of heroin withdrawal. Worse still, he is HIV positive. His mother was hooked on heroin. A Los Angeles mother inadvertently drives her car onto a street controlled by a gang of drug dealer. She is greeted by a barrage of bullets, which kill her infant daughter. Thousands of kilometers away, in Afghanistan, a peasant cultivates a field of poppies. It has been a good year; production is up 25 percent. Opium poppies pay well, and the peasant’s family is struggling to survive. But these pretty poppies will be converted into heroin, and heroin destroys lives. A shy teenage girl in Sydney, Australia, goes to a discotheque every Saturday night. She used to find it hard to mix with the crowd, but recently a pill called ECSTASY has given her new confidence. The pills she takes were smuggled into Australia from the Netherlands, although local laboratories

STEM CELLS: HAS SCIENCE GONE TOO FAR? Advances in stem cell research have led some to predict cures for a host of illnesses. But not everyone shares the excitement. Why is there so much controversy surrounding stem cells? “The stem cell debate has led scientists and nonscientists alike to contemplate profound issues, such as who we are and makes us human beings” MEDICAL MARVEL, ETHICAL MINEFIELD Kris has Type 1 diabetes. Her diseased pancreas no longer produces insulin. Now imagine if Kris could go to a doctor and have new cells, specially cultured in a laboratory, transplanted into her body to replace damaged pancreatic cells. As these new cells became functional, Kris could gradually discontinue insulin therapy and return to normal health. Until recent times potential cures would have sounded like science fiction, but now some researchers believe that they are a possibility. Why so? Because in 1998, scientists found a way to culture large num

When you reflect on the remarkable abilities of various animals, do you sometimes feel a twinge of envy? Perhaps you wish that you could soar like an albatross, swim like a dolphin, see like an eagle, or run like a cheetah. Yes, animals have some amazing abilities. But so do we! Indeed, the human body has been described as the perfect machine. Of course, we are much more than a machine. We have creativity, curiosity, imagination, and ingenuity –qualities that move us to devise machines that enable us to do virtually anything we set our minds to. https://mysticrealityfacts.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-magic-in-your-fingers.html We can fly, even beyond the speed of sound; navigate above or below the surface of vast oceans; gaze some 14 billion light-years into space; peer into the living cell; and design medicines, therapies, and technologies that help us diagnose and treat diseases. Even with little or no external assistance, healthy, well-trained humans are capable of doing astonishing