Humans vs. Chimps:

I find the fact that we are 99.4% genetically identical to chimps to be fascinating.  I think that as humans we like to believe that we are the smartest most advanced beings on the planet.  To find out that we are so similar to chimps is humorous.  

Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, and Viruses:

The prokaryotes, eukaryotes and virus tutorial was very interesting.  I got two questions incorrect:

-Which statement best describes the golgi apparatus?

-The following organelle is found in prokaryotic cells but not eukaryotic cells of animal origin.

I haven't gone over this stuff since high school, so even with the tutorial I'm a little rusty.

Human Genetic Evolution:

I found something very interesting in the articles about Human Genetic evolution.  It said that humans are 70% genetically similar to yeast.  It really shows how much of a difference that remaining .6% makes.

I also liked the part about the Big Bang Theory.  I don't completely understand it, but I find it interesting to think about the fact that the conditions on Earth just happened perfect so that complex life could evolve.  

Evo-Devo

I have always found people's inherent desire to know where we came from fascinating.  I went to a Catholic grade school and high school and was never taught much about evolution.  I am agnostic and always thought it was funny to have adults teaching me that God decided to spend a week creating the earth and we are all descendants of the same two people, one of which was made from the rib of the other.  This all seemed pretty ridiculous to me.  

Darwinism:

The idea of Darwinism makes sense.  I'm not sure exactly what it means for me personally.  I guess if I had a certain gene that prevented me from getting cancer, and I passed it on to my children and so on, it would be Darwinism at work.  

I find it a little strange that we use this idea to our advantage sometimes.  Dog breeders will only breed 2 dogs that have certain desirable characteristics, or scientists will combine plants with certain immunities to bugs or fungus.  I guess my question is just like previous questions I've asked in this blog.  If we are going to play God, how far should we be allowed to take it?

Evolution

While clicking through the links of evolution I found the area about evolution and medicine in the UC Berkeley website.  I find this extremely interesting because in a way we can actually see the effects of evolution first hand.  

People are so quick to go to the doctor every time they get a sniffle and sometimes insist that they get antibiotics regardless of whether they have a bacterial infection, a virus or just allergies.  Very few of them realize that this could actually hurt them in the end by creating antibiotic resistant bacteria.  According to pbs.org, "Experts now estimate that as many as two dozen types of bacteria have evolved resistance to most, if not all, antibiotics available today."  To me, that is a scary thought!

Blue Brain

I honestly have mixed feelings regarding this project.  One part of me thinks that it is amazing.  It gives us an idea of how complex and powerful our brains are and the resources that it would give scientists and doctors are incredible.  The discussion we had in class about how this could be used to simulate a drug's affect on the body was very interesting and almost had me convinced that this is an invaluable tool.  

The other side of me can't get science fiction movies out of my head.  Whenever a machine was made to simulate a human brain, it always ended badly. 

I guess my main question would be how far do we take this?  Would scientists stop at creating a model of a brain or would they eventually want to put that brain into a model of a body?  Would they eventually give this brain memories and emotions?  At what point do we decide that enough is enough?

About me

As you all know, my name is Tina.  I grew up in Phoenix and moved to LA for college.  I graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Studio Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design.  I worked in visual effects until the 20 hour work days pushed me over the edge and I made a career change.  There has not been a single moment where I regretted that decision.

When I'm not going to school or studying I enjoy watching movies, tv, reading or exploring the area.  My roommate and I are currently trying to learn how to cook Chinese and Indian food...I'll let you know how that turns out.