Ecstasy, and the affects of using it

In class, we recently studied the affects of drugs on the brain, and how they affect your mind and body in the long run. One of the drugs we studied is Ecstasy, or MDMA. Ecstasy is a drug taken at parties or raves that pretty much makes everything feel soft and makes you want to dance your pants off. In reality, MDMA enters the brain cells, and cuts off some cells, letting seratonin flow freely throughout the cell receptors, causing a feeling of euphoria. In the article I read, I learned that ecstasy potentially causes more brain damage then previously thought. This is impressive, because Ecstasy already causes a lot of brain damage. The article stated that research on monkeys indicates that MDMA is a destroyer of dopamine neurons. In fact, after one single multi dose regimen, the MDMA was shown to kill between 60 to 80 percent of the the dopaminergic nerve endings. After 90 percent of the dopamine in a human is lost, Parkinson’s disease occurs.
I found this information very disturbing. that is 80 percent of your ability to feel happiness. This also explained to me why people that use ecstasy describe it as being happier than they ever will be. It absolutely amazes me that someone would willingly take a pill that is proven to destroy large amounts of dopamine, even the first time. I would like to know more about exactly how the drug affects human cells in comparison to monkey cells, and I also really hate that they gave the chimps a drug that destroyed their brain just to test the effects. It reminds me of the blog we did a while ago on ape testing, and how cruel it can be.

Human Exoskeletons; More than a Money Maker.

After recently watching a Ted Talks demonstration on human exoskeletons, I was amazed to find how unbelievably far our technology has progressed in the past few years. The inventor of the exoskeleton, Eythor Bender, has created a suit that combines body motion-sensitive computer programming, well structured metal crafting, and lightweight batteries and motors to create a suit that enables paralyzed humans to do the impossible. Walk.
In addition to the suit’s use with paraplegic citizens, the powerful construction of the suit can also assist those carrying heavy loads, those with back or leg problems, and anyone that requires enhanced bodily strength.
Overall, I am very impressed by this invention. With modern society so focused on making money with their creations, it is refreshing to see someone who has combined a money making business idea with giving people something that they are desperately wishing for (instead of Snuggies or Silly Bands). My hope is that the machine will soon be powerful enough to give all paralyzed citizens the power to walk, run, and interact normally. I also think that Eythor is very smart in using it to make a profit, that will hopefully give him the money to take a more in depth approach to the philanthropic gains of his invention. Overall, I think that the Human Exoskeleton is a brilliant invention, that will hold it’s place in history by making a change for those who desperately need it.

Human ancestors' advice key to our happiness

I recently watched Isabelle Behncke’s Ted Talk on evolution, and how our closest relatives in the animal kingdom can help teach us how to live. The video addressed different species of primates, and how they interact differently amongst one another. One species in particular that can help show humans how to live was the Bonobo Ape. This species of primate were similar to humans in multiple ways, including sensual play and casual sexual interaction. They are also often bisexually active, and use sex between either gender to solve issues and put problems past them. However, one of the most riveting habits that Isabelle Behncke introduced was the Bonobo’s ability to come together through casual play. She spoke of how the primates used Play between one another as a form of introduction to new families, a stress reliever between groups, and a way to simply interact as a form of communication. Isabelle Behncke made a great point, that “Fun is serious business to these apes, and can be a way for humans to turn their way of life around.”

Overall, I thought that the article was both very insightful into human lives, and a lighthearted way to introduce a way of life that can benefit anyone who chooses to pursue it. In my opinion, play, in many sorts of ways, can help us to relax and retreat back to a more simple state of human happiness. Unfortunately, I also think that we have begun to lose the ability to play amongst one another as we have evolved. However, there are plenty of ways to play now, if people just accept that they are doing those things for the purpose of play and pleasant interaction. Music, art, and sports are some great examples, and those who actively participate will tell you the same. For example, when I am skiing, everything seems to be very simple, and the only thing that matters is the fluctuating endorphin rushes that keep me going. I believe that if everyone was to take more time to waste time, we would have fewer problems in our modern day societies.

Fat chickens and clone peas.

How big is your KFC?
Big enough to have heart disease?
How about big enough to be unable to walk?
  As it turns out, people in England breed chickens up to 3kg, enough to make the chickens unable to walk and move from place to place. Personally, I believe that this practice is not as big of an issue as people make it out to be. In my opinion, the chickens are probably going to be eaten soon, so why shouldn't they eat a lot before that? And how do people even know whether or not the chickens are in pain.

1. Selective breeding is choosing who animals will mate with in order to better next generations. Genetic modification is combining or altering the genes of an animal to make it change then, and not have to wait until a later line of family.

2. Some beneficial applications of selective breeding are ability to make an animal more aesthetic, produce more food, or increase an athletic ability.

3. Some of the beneficial applications of GMO's are increased ability to do something quicker, or just weird people that want to make bunnies green.

4. Some of the concerns of selective breeding are creating pain for the animal, or being cruel to the animals by giving them a lack of freedom of bodily condition.

5. Some of the concerns of GMO's are killing the animals, or creating mutations that are painful for the animal.

6. I think that people should be more worried about selective breeding, because there is a greater chance that the results will multiply and create more and more mutated animals.

7. I believe that he would be excited, yet tell us to be cautious, because working with living animals can cause pain that isn't present in plants.

Skeeters.

Raise your hand if you love mesquitoes. Anyone? personally, I can't wait until monsoon season, just so I can feel that sting of the straw, and those lovely itchy bumps on my arms and neck. lovely. But seriously, I believe that Mosquitoes do provide a sufficient amount of help to our own human preferences, as well as those of many other animals.

    Mosquitoes help pollinate a huge variety of plants, some necessary to preserving habitats and even entire biospheres. They also provide food to many animals, including a huge number of migratory birds in alaska. Why would you wipe out any species? If any species causes enough harm to be exterminated, It's us. Oh, and although it is slightly morbid, Mosquitoes are playing a role in keeping the entire planet alive, by keeping our population down with their many viruses. Overall consensus? Mosquitoes stay.

Ecosystem services...or else.

Ecosystem Services. That's a weird term. What services are we talking here? environmental help, recreation? Truth is, the divisions of Ecosystem Services are something that we all think about, and we all want. A cash trade. But of all the different trades for money, Ecosystem Services may provide one of the best, or worst, income reasoning. The ecosystem does many things for us. Providing oxygen, water, and endless recourses, among many other things, are needed for human existence. So say you spend your time helping other people get what they want. Don't you want compensation that benefits you? This is how Ecosystem services work. The idea is that if citizens were to contribute tax money or other funds, then divisions of Ecosystem Services could generate that money back into preserving the environment. All in all, I think it's a pretty good deal. Plus, all that green paper came from nature, so we might as well start to pay it back.