Kayla

media type="custom" key="18459910" align="center" media type="youtube" key="t4eh-Cn3Pzk" height="315" width="560" As this week I was not very "inspired" by the identification of macroinvertebrates, I decided to look around for a new sort of topic. I found it when my dad showed me this article and video that he had discovered on the Internet. It might not be directly linked to biotechnology, but it has some connections. This is a new technology called Tactus Technology, that allows a touchscreen user to have the best of both worlds: a touchscreen and a raised keyboard. The catch? It's all on the same screen. How? Well, the technology uses a light biofilm that is laid over a microfluid. The microfluid becomes raised when pressure is applied, allowing it to raise in specific areas to create a keyboard. (Watch the video if you are confused; the demonstration shows it better than I can explain) The CEO of the company was inspired by the fact that he loved his iPhone but really missed the feeling of his BlackBerry keys. So, he combined the both in what may become one of the biggest breakthroughs in keyboard technology since, well, the touchscreen! I personally found this fascinating and cannot wait to see this in action when it's released in 2013. If you also are intrigued, you can also read an article on it, found [|here!] As we all know, on Thursday both classes traveled to Robbins Park to conduct water tests on the interconnected network of streams and ponds that run through the Park. After carrying out these tests, I was left with some unanswered questions: What does all this data mean? How can I use this to see the overall fitness of the water? What can this tell me about the surrounding environment? So, I decided to research what our tests measured and what it means for the water. As I was browsing, I found this website. From this, I learned a lot about what we were measuring and what the numbers mean for the stream. A pH between 6 and 7 is ideal for the water: the water needs to be a little alkaline so that it is buffered from sudden changes in pH. The main sources of alkalinity in streams are rocks, which contain carbonates. Another chemical we tested for is nitrates. Nitrates are present in agricultural run-off and can stimulate the growth of plankton and algae in the water. In excess, nitrates can lead to algal blooms. We also tested for phosphates, which are like nitrates in that they are present in run-off from other areas and can lead to algal blooms and decreased DO when present in excess. Another indicator we tested of the water was its DO (dissolved oxygen concentration). DO is the measure of how much oxygen is present in the water (4-5 ppm is considered the minimum for "good" water). After finding out what everything meant, I researched what the acceptable levels are for each test. I found these [|here.] If compared to this site, our tests would indicate what is in excess or in deficiency and then we could analyze what causes this and perhaps fix it. In all, I found this to be fascinating: it is a perfect example of how science can be used to better the world around us. (A map of Robbins Park can be found [|here!]) media type="custom" key="18678044" align="center"

After watching two of Hans Rosling's videos in class this week, I decided to look further into more of his videos. In this video, he discusses the correlation between a woman's religion and the number of children she has. In 1960, it seemed clear that the religion with the least amount of babies per woman was Christianity. However, with a surprising twist, it is soon clear that now, in 2012, there really is no correlation between the amount of children per woman and the woman's religion. Rosling points out in his video that now almost 80% of the world has around two children per woman, showing that religion really plays no role in this statistic. Rosling notes in this video, using Qatar as an example, that the amount of children per woman decreases as: 1. The infant mortality rate decreases 2. The need for many child laborers decreases 3. The number of women who are educated and/or are working increases 4. The access to family planning is increased After I finished the video, I went onto Rosling's site and found a [|graph] that demonstrated the correlation between a country's GDP and the amount of children per woman. This may worry some people, who might wonder what will happen to the population when "third-world" countries become more developed. As Rosling explains, people in those countries will begin to live longer, but as they have increased access to birth control, these people will stop having so many children. As Rosling predicts, the population will top off at around 10 million, with the amount of children in the world remaining a steady 2 billion.

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In the presentation given on Wednesday by the graduate students, one of the students began to talk about pharmocogenomics, which really interested me. By doing more research on it, I came across this TED talk, which mentions pharmocogenomics and also the other applications of biology that will be used in the future that will completely alter our lives. The scientist giving the talk, Gregory Stock, begins by talking about pharmocogenomics but then goes into even more imaginative uses of our current biology knowledge. Stock talks about using genetic knowledge to do things such as reverse the process of aging or create medicines that will truly control and change one's emotions. He also discusses the controversial topic of "designer babies," or children that are chosen for their genes by their parents. Stock has also written a book on the topics he discusses in the talk; he is one of the foremost defenders of using our technology to better our lives and biological makeup. To him, upgrading ourselves using our knowledge is a sort of new evolution, with us ourselves providing the natural selection processes to make ourselves evolve. I agree with most of Stock's opinions; I think that the biological knowledge that is being discovered should be used to benefit and enrich our lives. However, the idea of being discriminated against because of one's predisposition toward certain genetic diseases is a danger that I foresee and will be a major problem in the future that must be solved.