Our first presenter up was Christine, she was born with a condition called Nystagmus. It is the involunteery movement of the eyes and it somehow seems to be related to the environment shes in. Sometimes the eyes will moves around under stress but several things have helped her. Christine says that when her head is tilted at a certain angle, that it helps her focus and see better. This condition reduces her vision slightly but it's not like shes blind. Glasses has also helped made her eyes better. Another thing she tried to make better of the condition was to use acupuncture. This is done but putting tiny needles in her eye brow area. This condition is said to be perminat and is common in people who are albinos. Nystagmus happens in 1/several thaosand children.
The second presenter which I found to be pretty entertaining was Ed. He was born with mild autism syndrom. 1/166 people are born with it but back when Ed was born, it was estimated that 1/2000 children are born with autism. Autism is a condition where your brain is 8% bigger. The conditions that go with autism might be having a slow response towards things and limited speech. However I was amazed when Ed said he read the last Harry Potter book in about 9 hours, that had to do with his faster processing of information. Autism comes with weak social skills but in a mild case like Ed's, he can do pretty well. One incident he told us about was when he was hiding under the bus in Kindergarden because some kid bullied him. He also said that kids with autism are often more affected by negattive remarks and is damaged by it.
The last presenter was a girl who was born with Congenital Heart Disease. Her name was Jenna. She says that 1% or 8/1000 has her type of heart disease at birth. She was born in September 19th of 1984 and just 2 days later, she had her first heart surgery. Jenna called herself a blue baby and even showed us a picture of it. Technically she was that color because not enough oxygen was allowed in her body, therefore turning purple/blue. He oxygen level was 39 when the norm should have been near 100. Her heart was missing critical vessels that allowed blood to correctly transfer to the heart and some heart tissue was simply not present. The doctors had to use the veins in her arm to repair the heart. Several procedures was done including the recent one of replacing a calciumated tissue of the heart. She is due for another surgery soon. Dispite her condition, she is very happy about being able to still do the things she does, she still parties and eats anything she wants. She looks really healthy for someone with these problems and I wish her the best of luck with her health.
Showing posts with label bio 101. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bio 101. Show all posts
Monday, January 08, 2007
BIO101 Extra Credit Gatacca Review
Gattaca Movie Review
This wasn’t the first time I have seen the movie but the last time I’ve seen it was a while ago. I managed to find things I have not picked up the first time I watched it so YES, I did learn a few things. I felt like after our biology lectures, I understood the film more clearly. There was one thing that isn’t relevant now but it was before. In the beginning of the film, Vincent-Anton mentioned that the apple was the ninth planet Pluto. This is no longer true, scientists have ruled out Pluto as a true planet this year. Enough about I understood the film and how relevant to me it was, let me give the synopsis of the movie.
This film takes place some time in the near future, where we have genetic doctors who artificially conceive a baby with absolutely the best genes of both parents. Vincent-Anton was conceived naturally the traditional way by sex. However, he was born with a high probability of problems, heart diseases, mental retardness, etc. Society at that time ran a space program that sent “elites” to space and to distant planets. Elites were those with the best combination of genes. Elites were those who were almost physically perfect. Although Vincent-Anton was no where near elite, he had a dream and a vision, to one day be abroad a ship and travel to space. To accomplish his dream, he would have to train physically and push himself to become as strong as an “elite”. In the movie, the future is portrayed as this place where everyone only cares about your genetic make up and that a sample of blood was good enough for a resume. Your genetics had to be good enough to join the force of elites. Of course, Vincent-Anton’s genes were not close to perfect so he makes a deal with Jerome. Jerome has the best of the best genes but he was involved in an accident and decides to help Vincent accomplish his goal of going up to space. Everyday, Jerome prepares blood samples and urine samples and for Vincent to use so he can enter Gattaca as an elite using Jerome’s blood for validation.
This wasn’t the first time I have seen the movie but the last time I’ve seen it was a while ago. I managed to find things I have not picked up the first time I watched it so YES, I did learn a few things. I felt like after our biology lectures, I understood the film more clearly. There was one thing that isn’t relevant now but it was before. In the beginning of the film, Vincent-Anton mentioned that the apple was the ninth planet Pluto. This is no longer true, scientists have ruled out Pluto as a true planet this year. Enough about I understood the film and how relevant to me it was, let me give the synopsis of the movie.
This film takes place some time in the near future, where we have genetic doctors who artificially conceive a baby with absolutely the best genes of both parents. Vincent-Anton was conceived naturally the traditional way by sex. However, he was born with a high probability of problems, heart diseases, mental retardness, etc. Society at that time ran a space program that sent “elites” to space and to distant planets. Elites were those with the best combination of genes. Elites were those who were almost physically perfect. Although Vincent-Anton was no where near elite, he had a dream and a vision, to one day be abroad a ship and travel to space. To accomplish his dream, he would have to train physically and push himself to become as strong as an “elite”. In the movie, the future is portrayed as this place where everyone only cares about your genetic make up and that a sample of blood was good enough for a resume. Your genetics had to be good enough to join the force of elites. Of course, Vincent-Anton’s genes were not close to perfect so he makes a deal with Jerome. Jerome has the best of the best genes but he was involved in an accident and decides to help Vincent accomplish his goal of going up to space. Everyday, Jerome prepares blood samples and urine samples and for Vincent to use so he can enter Gattaca as an elite using Jerome’s blood for validation.
BIO 101 Extra Credit - Harry
BIO101
Gattaca
In the near future, discrimination is based on genetics, not race or class. Parents at the time went to see their geneticist to filter out undesirable traits in their future child. Vincent's parents decided to go trust mother nature and conceive naturally. Vincent was born as an unhealthy baby. Vincent is seen as genetically inferior and had a 99% chance of heart disease. His parents wanted to have a second child and chose to consult a geneticist. Anton, their second child had the best of both parents’ genes. Vincent is treated as if he's fragile and will die any moment. No childcare center would provide him service because of the possible risk of premature death. However all that changed when he one day beat his brother in the game of chicken where both of them would swim out to the sea as far as they could knowing “each stroke was another [they’d] have to take back”.
Vincent dreams of going into space but he is seen as unfit. He was known as an invalid in his society, those who are unfit. He uses Jerome’s “valid” genetics to deceive Gattaca to let him train to go to space. Jerome was known as an elite. He decides to use one of the genetically elites identities to get into the space program. It's a complex procedure, in which he uses the donor’s body fluids to fool gene testing machines.
He completes his training successfully regardless of what the science told him. The science at birth told him that he would have a 99% chance of heart disease and that he would never be qualified for space. But despite that, science was wrong about him or maybe luck was on his side. He beats the odds and finally is launched to the planet Titan.
Gattaca
In the near future, discrimination is based on genetics, not race or class. Parents at the time went to see their geneticist to filter out undesirable traits in their future child. Vincent's parents decided to go trust mother nature and conceive naturally. Vincent was born as an unhealthy baby. Vincent is seen as genetically inferior and had a 99% chance of heart disease. His parents wanted to have a second child and chose to consult a geneticist. Anton, their second child had the best of both parents’ genes. Vincent is treated as if he's fragile and will die any moment. No childcare center would provide him service because of the possible risk of premature death. However all that changed when he one day beat his brother in the game of chicken where both of them would swim out to the sea as far as they could knowing “each stroke was another [they’d] have to take back”.
Vincent dreams of going into space but he is seen as unfit. He was known as an invalid in his society, those who are unfit. He uses Jerome’s “valid” genetics to deceive Gattaca to let him train to go to space. Jerome was known as an elite. He decides to use one of the genetically elites identities to get into the space program. It's a complex procedure, in which he uses the donor’s body fluids to fool gene testing machines.
He completes his training successfully regardless of what the science told him. The science at birth told him that he would have a 99% chance of heart disease and that he would never be qualified for space. But despite that, science was wrong about him or maybe luck was on his side. He beats the odds and finally is launched to the planet Titan.
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