# 10

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/apr/25/stem-cell-breakthrough-leftover-veins
Maybe stem cell research is closer to a solution than critics may think. I read an article about stem cells in the science section of The Guardian. The idea is to take stem cells from a patient's veins. Research was conducted on the veins of a patient after heart surgery. In heart bypass surgery, a portion of a patient's vein is removed from their leg and transplanted where it is needed to re-route blood to and from the heart. The surgeons that remove the vein from the leg always remove more than is necessary for the procedure. The left over vein is called a dead vein. The dead, leftover vein is usually done away with by disposal. The study was published by a professor from Bristol University. The professor’s name is Paolo Madeddu. He said that they used the leftover vein to collect stem cells. The vein only contained several thousand stem cells, which is not enough to use for recovery and repair. He and his colleagues place the stem cells in special plates and grew the cells. The cells multiplied into millions. The ideal amount is fifty to sixty million stem cells. The professor was able to reach that amount and conduct an experiment for his study. He used mice his experiment. The research provided that the stem cells actually "stimulated new blood vessel growth." This study is a great advancement for stem cell research. The research on stem cells also influences medicine as the article states. If this procedure can be carried out and approved for practice, surgery for the heart may be less risky and recovery may be quicker. Maybe the study can extend past the heart. Maybe the results from this study will provoke new research for other vital organs. The experiment offers hope. It also helps establish a better argument for stem cell researchers in proving the healing abilities of stem cells.

What If #9

What if you found an insect in your packaged food? What if you found pieces of rodents in your food? What would you do? Most people would probably panic and stop eating their food. I think even throwing the food away is a decent assumption. An even more unsettling idea would be to find feces in your food. I think that most would be completely dissatisfied and disgusted. As a culture, we would be completely grossed out by the thought of someone eating parts of an insect, insect excretions, or rodent filth. However, according to the Food and Drug Administration all of these things are acceptable in the food that we consume. The FDA regulates all foods and drugs in the United States. They ensure food safety and consumption safety. If their task is to protect people from harmful agents or things that do not belong in our food, then why do they consider certain proportions of these filths to be permissible? There are many things that can still be packaged with our food. Some of these "things" are insect filth, rodent filth, excreta, animal hairs, rot, mold, and parasitic cysts just to name a few. Each defect, as the FDA calls it, is able to be processed with food if the defect is less than the established proportion. They call the proportion the action level meaning if the amount of contamination from the defect is larger than the proportion, then the product is considered ruined. The FDA's website has a list of all the defects that can affect a product. There are many defects listed. The website displays a list of foods in alphabetical order with the possible defects for each food. When I read the list, it made me feel sick. I understand that every contamination cannot be completely eliminated, but the thought still makes a person squirm in their seat. I thought about the list, and it made me connect the Japanese puffer fish to it. The fish is considered a delicacy, but it is extremely poisonous. The way it is served and ate is raw, but the chefs have to cut all around the stomach, which is the part being eaten. There is no way to get rid of all the poison, so the person consuming the fish will experience a tingling sensation on the tongue. However, if there is too much remaining poison, it can kill the person.

Blog #8

What if there were no bugs in the world? Yesterday, I went hiking at Shelby Forest. I began walking up the trail and through the wooded land, when I noticed that I was walking in mosquito heaven. It was the ultimate breading ground for these evil creatures. It was moist in places and there were rivers and streams across the land. It was very beautiful, but the wonderful scenes of nature were interrupted by the bugs. They were all over the place. I saw centipedes and bright green beetles. I saw some spiders, nats, bees, and other unidentified flying bugs. I complained the whole time. I kept hearing them fly by my ear. I kept feeling them on my body. I kept getting the chills as they met with me. I walked through swarms of flying insects, and I was greatly freaked out by this experience. I felt each and every bite. The mosquitoes definitely ate well yesterday. This experience made me wonder, though. I hate insects. I just wish that there was not any on this planet. What if there was none? What would this do for people? If there were no insects in this world, a lot of the diseases that are a result of these pests, would be eliminated. I didn't say that all the diseases of this world would be eliminated just the diseases that are the cause of these small, annoying carriers. The outside activities and recreation that people enjoy would not have to be disturbed by these insects that crawl and fly around us. I kept thinking about my experience. I just cannot stand being insect food, but despite my hate towards them, I realized I like the way I live. Without insects, things would be entirely different. Insects pollinate flowers, insects are used for medicine, and certain animals could not survive without them for their diet just to name a few of their many uses. The benefits of the use of insects definitely out weigh my disgust.