This blog contains student opinions and postings about the concepts discussed during their study of chemistry.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Summer Reading Assignment
Post a brief explanation of the one commentary in Dr. Schwarcz's book, "That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles", that you found most interesting. Explain why this commentary was particularly resonant with you.
"Nervous about Nerve Gas" was really interesting to me. It explained how truly deadly is can be when it falls into the wrong hands. It attacks the acetylcholine neurotransmitter, stopping an enzyme from slowing down impulses, leading to convulsions, paralysis, and breathing problems. It was first created in 1939 and has been developed since then.
I thought that the most interesting commentary was "The Dark Side of Radium's Glow". Radium is a radioactive element that has a blue glow when in the dark because it produces alpha particles. These particles can kill. In the 1920's it was used for glow-in-the-dark things, like watches. It was discovered by Marie Curie and her husband. When radium is ingested, it gets into the bone and destroys the red blood cells in the marrow. It also causes anemia and leukemia. Now radium is not used anymore in glow-in-the-dark objects, promethium is because it produces beta rays which are safer than alpha partials.
" Untangling the web of spider lore" was really interesting for me to read. This was appealing to me because I dislike spiders and Dr. Schwarcz talks about how spiders are very use full to the world. For example, farmers use spiders in order to keep insects from damaging their crops. By using the spiders to protect their crops the amount of pesticide use has decreased. Banana spiders release a sent that acts like roach spray but is much safter. Although, i still don't like spiders Dr. Schwarcz has shared with me how spiders help the world to be safer.
I found ‘Summertime Buccaneers’ interesting because I never knew before that it could be dangerous to eat burnt food. When meat is burned on a grill, a carcinogen called benzopyrene is created. Benzopyrene is so dangerous that it is sometimes used to deliberately give animals cancer in order to test treatments. To avoid high intake of benzopyrene, Schwarcz recommended cooking food in the oven for part of the time instead of barbequing it the entire time, because then there is less chance of it burning.
One of my favorite commentaries by Dr. Schwarcz was “Aspartame: Guilty or Innocent?” This commentary discusses the controversies of aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener and can either be safe, or harmful. Aspartame can cause things such as multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, seizures, lupus, blindness, and even death on high doses. Aspartame contributes about four calories per gram, so very little of it needs to be used. Unfortunately, diet drinks contain a lot of aspartame and few people watch their intake of it. Some good things come from aspartame as well. Aspartame is good for diabetics and in some cases, has helped eliminate depression. I enjoyed this commentary because I have diet soda occasionally and this was a concern for me when I started reading it.
“Man Cannot Live on Corn Alone” stood out to me among the commentaries in Dr. Schwarcz’s book. Schwarcz tells us about pellagra, a mysterious skin disease that took hold of Italian farmers and, eventually, cotton pickers in the American south. In the early 20th century, Dr. Joseph Goldberger began investigating orphans with pellagra and theorized that the disease stemmed from an unhealthy diet of only corn products (he also observed that the skillful older children in the orphanage typically did not contract the disease because they were able to steal more varied food from the kitchen). He further proved his hypothesis with the help of some inmates, and even proved that the disease was not contagious by safely eating the excrement of pellagra victims. This commentary struck me because it was a fascinating, if absolutely filthy, look at the pains scientists took to investigate epidemics in earlier centuries and how unexpected factors (like those skillful orphans) can impact the outcome of a scientific investigation.
I enjoyed reading "Microwaved Socks and Other Tales from the Airwaves" because of its examination of microwave radiation and some of the ridiculous concerns people have about it. As a scientific radio talk show host, Dr. Schwarcz answers occasionally absurd phone calls from people with science-related questions, "'How do you wash the microwaves out of socks?'". In this commentary, he explains that though there are beliefs that 'socklike devices' can be placed over cell phones to "absorb the harmful microwaves", there is such little evidence to support the theory that it is in fact total nonsense. Since many people are alarmed by the word "radiation", it seems that many people have jumped to false conclusions. Microwaves are simply a form of energy that is absorbed by moisture. As they take in this energy, the water molecules become energized and move around more rapidly, thus heating the substance.
One of my favorite commentaries in Dr. Schwarcz's book was "A Mouthful of Mercury" because it addressed the myth about mercury fillings bing hazardous to your health. Schwarcz discussed how he became interested in this debate due to a 60 minutes and Dateline show talking about this issue. He talks about cases in which people were cured of their ailments from removing their amalgam fillings however The New Jersey Dental School conducted an experiment with an artificial mouth and artificial saliva that proved that one must have 135 fillings in order for the mercury to reach toxic levels
"Coenzyme Q10 is Worth Remembering" was interesting to me because there is a drug that works so well but is not marketable. CoQ10 is an important molecule in the body which is a key to help the body produce ATP and supply energy. CoQ10 also protects the cell membrane. It is unbelievable to think of all of the strides that the science world has made but a drug so highly regarded and effective is not being marketed.
To me, the most interesting commentary was "Untangling the Web of Spider Lore". I never before understood the benifets of having spiders around. Spiders annually eat more pounds of insects than the entire human race weighs. Spiders are more effective than insecticides and are not harmful to the environment. The manner of which spiders hunt thier prey is extremely interesting and innovative. Also the effect of drugs on the spiders' ability to spin a web is intriguing.
I found "Don't Sweat It" interesting because it was weird to find out that Sammy Kershaw used his own sweat in his colonge. It was also strange to find out why armpits begin to smell when you sweat. Something i thought id never know, and something I never needed to know, but found it interesting when i read it.
I found "Beer science is still brewing" to be one of the most interesting commentaries. I had no idea that beer could be traced all the way back to what is believed to be the world's first civilization, the Sumerians. Residue was found in a piece of sumerian pottery that turned out to be calcium oxalate, beer brewed from barley. I also thought the explanation of the reason for dark glass bottles was interesting. 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol is behind the gross smell of stale beer. Light is the cause of the change of the flavor of the beer, thats why they tint the bottles to prevent the light from getting it. He also gave some examples of believed benefits of excessive beer drinking, such as reduced risk of heart attacks or reducing the harm caused by heterocyclic aromatic amines (formed from foods cooked at high temperatues) a reason to serve beer at a BBQ.
My favorite commentary was the one called, "For Some, The Diet Goes Against the Grain," which is about Celiac disease, a disease I have had since September 2005. I loved reading this section since it was telling me what was happening in my own body. I learned SO much more about my own disease and how one microscopic, complex substance can destroy my intestinal lining.
Aspartame—guilty or innocent? Dr. Schwarcz reviews the plusses and the minuses of this artificial sweetener. Lots of people seem to benefit from Aspartame, but there have also been many studies questioning its safety. The breakdown products of aspartame are all toxic in high doses. One called Phynylalanine is an essential amino acid, which must be included in the diet for normal growth and tissue maintenance, but sustained high blood levels of the substance can lead to brain damage. And some children (one in 20,000) are born with an inherited condition in which they cannot metablolize Phnylalanine properly. Another study published in 1996, claimed that a ten-percent increase in brain tumors was connected to Aspartame. This study focused on how the product, when broken down in the body combines with other natural elements in the wrong way. Personally, I try to stay away from Aspartame. I don’t really like the taste of it. I think, like the author does that it is useful for people who are diabetics, but that other people should eat well balanced diets. I also liked the author’s comment that “There are no safe substances, only safe doses.”
14 comments:
"Nervous about Nerve Gas" was really interesting to me. It explained how truly deadly is can be when it falls into the wrong hands. It attacks the acetylcholine
neurotransmitter, stopping an enzyme from slowing down impulses, leading to convulsions, paralysis, and breathing problems. It was first created in 1939 and has been developed since then.
I thought that the most interesting commentary was "The Dark Side of Radium's Glow". Radium is a radioactive element that has a blue glow when in the dark because it produces alpha particles. These particles can kill. In the 1920's it was used for glow-in-the-dark things, like watches. It was discovered by Marie Curie and her husband. When radium is ingested, it gets into the bone and destroys the red blood cells in the marrow. It also causes anemia and leukemia. Now radium is not used anymore in glow-in-the-dark objects, promethium is because it produces beta rays which are safer than alpha partials.
" Untangling the web of spider lore" was really interesting for me to read. This was appealing to me because I dislike spiders and Dr. Schwarcz talks about how spiders are very use full to the world. For example, farmers use spiders in order to keep insects from damaging their crops. By using the spiders to protect their crops the amount of pesticide use has decreased. Banana spiders release a sent that acts like roach spray but is much safter. Although, i still don't like spiders Dr. Schwarcz has shared with me how spiders help the world to be safer.
I found ‘Summertime Buccaneers’ interesting because I never knew before that it could be dangerous to eat burnt food. When meat is burned on a grill, a carcinogen called benzopyrene is created. Benzopyrene is so dangerous that it is sometimes used to deliberately give animals cancer in order to test treatments. To avoid high intake of benzopyrene, Schwarcz recommended cooking food in the oven for part of the time instead of barbequing it the entire time, because then there is less chance of it burning.
One of my favorite commentaries by Dr. Schwarcz was “Aspartame: Guilty or Innocent?” This commentary discusses the controversies of aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener and can either be safe, or harmful. Aspartame can cause things such as multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, seizures, lupus, blindness, and even death on high doses. Aspartame contributes about four calories per gram, so very little of it needs to be used. Unfortunately, diet drinks contain a lot of aspartame and few people watch their intake of it. Some good things come from aspartame as well. Aspartame is good for diabetics and in some cases, has helped eliminate depression. I enjoyed this commentary because I have diet soda occasionally and this was a concern for me when I started reading it.
“Man Cannot Live on Corn Alone” stood out to me among the commentaries in Dr. Schwarcz’s book. Schwarcz tells us about pellagra, a mysterious skin disease that took hold of Italian farmers and, eventually, cotton pickers in the American south. In the early 20th century, Dr. Joseph Goldberger began investigating orphans with pellagra and theorized that the disease stemmed from an unhealthy diet of only corn products (he also observed that the skillful older children in the orphanage typically did not contract the disease because they were able to steal more varied food from the kitchen). He further proved his hypothesis with the help of some inmates, and even proved that the disease was not contagious by safely eating the excrement of pellagra victims. This commentary struck me because it was a fascinating, if absolutely filthy, look at the pains scientists took to investigate epidemics in earlier centuries and how unexpected factors (like those skillful orphans) can impact the outcome of a scientific investigation.
I enjoyed reading "Microwaved Socks and Other Tales from the Airwaves" because of its examination of microwave radiation and some of the ridiculous concerns people have about it. As a scientific radio talk show host, Dr. Schwarcz answers occasionally absurd phone calls from people with science-related questions, "'How do you wash the microwaves out of socks?'". In this commentary, he explains that though there are beliefs that 'socklike devices' can be placed over cell phones to "absorb the harmful microwaves", there is such little evidence to support the theory that it is in fact total nonsense. Since many people are alarmed by the word "radiation", it seems that many people have jumped to false conclusions. Microwaves are simply a form of energy that is absorbed by moisture. As they take in this energy, the water molecules become energized and move around more rapidly, thus heating the substance.
One of my favorite commentaries in Dr. Schwarcz's book was "A Mouthful of Mercury" because it addressed the myth about mercury fillings bing hazardous to your health. Schwarcz discussed how he became interested in this debate due to a 60 minutes and Dateline show talking about this issue. He talks about cases in which people were cured of their ailments from removing their amalgam fillings however The New Jersey Dental School conducted an experiment with an artificial mouth and artificial saliva that proved that one must have 135 fillings in order for the mercury to reach toxic levels
"Coenzyme Q10 is Worth Remembering" was interesting to me because there is a drug that works so well but is not marketable. CoQ10 is an important molecule in the body which is a key to help the body produce ATP and supply energy. CoQ10 also protects the cell membrane. It is unbelievable to think of all of the strides that the science world has made but a drug so highly regarded and effective is not being marketed.
To me, the most interesting commentary was "Untangling the Web of Spider Lore". I never before understood the benifets of having spiders around. Spiders annually eat more pounds of insects than the entire human race weighs. Spiders are more effective than insecticides and are not harmful to the environment. The manner of which spiders hunt thier prey is extremely interesting and innovative. Also the effect of drugs on the spiders' ability to spin a web is intriguing.
I found "Don't Sweat It" interesting because it was weird to find out that Sammy Kershaw used his own sweat in his colonge. It was also strange to find out why armpits begin to smell when you sweat. Something i thought id never know, and something I never needed to know, but found it interesting when i read it.
I found "Beer science is still brewing" to be one of the most interesting commentaries. I had no idea that beer could be traced all the way back to what is believed to be the world's first civilization, the Sumerians. Residue was found in a piece of sumerian pottery that turned out to be calcium oxalate, beer brewed from barley. I also thought the explanation of the reason for dark glass bottles was interesting. 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol is behind the gross smell of stale beer. Light is the cause of the change of the flavor of the beer, thats why they tint the bottles to prevent the light from getting it. He also gave some examples of believed benefits of excessive beer drinking, such as reduced risk of heart attacks or reducing the harm caused by heterocyclic aromatic amines (formed from foods cooked at high temperatues) a reason to serve beer at a BBQ.
My favorite commentary was the one called, "For Some, The Diet Goes Against the Grain," which is about Celiac disease, a disease I have had since September 2005. I loved reading this section since it was telling me what was happening in my own body. I learned SO much more about my own disease and how one microscopic, complex substance can destroy my intestinal lining.
Aspartame—guilty or innocent? Dr. Schwarcz reviews the plusses and the
minuses of this artificial sweetener. Lots of people seem to benefit from
Aspartame, but there have also been many studies questioning its safety.
The breakdown products of aspartame are all toxic in high doses. One
called Phynylalanine is an essential amino acid, which must be included in
the diet for normal growth and tissue maintenance, but sustained high blood
levels of the substance can lead to brain damage. And some children (one
in 20,000) are born with an inherited condition in which they cannot
metablolize Phnylalanine properly. Another study published in 1996, claimed
that a ten-percent increase in brain tumors was connected to Aspartame.
This study focused on how the product, when broken down in the body
combines with other natural elements in the wrong way. Personally, I try
to stay away from Aspartame. I don’t really like the taste of it. I think,
like the author does that it is useful for people who are diabetics, but
that other people should eat well balanced diets. I also liked the
author’s comment that “There are no safe substances, only safe doses.”
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