Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Does "Safe" Tanning Exist?

Summer is the time of year when kids are released from their schools, the pools open, and vacations to warm, sunny spots are planned. When most people think of summer, they think of sun, and warmth. Many of us are excited to rid ourselves of winter paleness, and recieve that perfect, sun-kissed tan. Sadly, sunburn also comes along with the summer sun and fun. Sunburn is known to cause skin cancer, but what most people don't know, is that tanning can also cause cancer and damage cells.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiaton is the source that causes the tanning and burning of our skin. Ultraviolet light is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is the name that scientists gave a group of specific radiaton types. The largest sources of UV radiation include the sun, and the stars. Lucky for us, we are protected from excessive amounts of UV radiation by a chemical called ozone. A layer of ozone in the atmosphere prevents most UV rays from reaching the Earth.
  • There are two types of UV radiation that reach Earth's surface, UV-A and UV-B. UV-A radiates at longer wavelengths (320-400nm*), while UV-B radiates at shorter wavelengths (290-320nm). UV-A helps form nessisary Vitamin D in the skin, but it also can burn skin, and cause cataracts in the eyes. UV-B radiation can cause changes in DNA molecules. These changes often result in enzymes not being able to "read" the DNA code on the molecule, which means that cells can die.

*nm=nanometers, or a billionth of a meter













This picture shows a damaged DNA molecule.



While everyone needs to be exposed to some UV rays in order to recieve the essential Vitamin D, excessive sun exposure can be potentially dangerous, meaning that even tanning isn't safe. Obviously, UV radiation cant be avoided, given that its main source is the sun, but you should definately be aware of the time that you spend in the sun. So next time you take that relaxing trip to the beach, load up on the sunscreen, dig out that ugly sun hat, and don't forget that beach umbrella.



(Courtesy of Google images)
Works Cited
Allen, Jeannie. “Ultraviolet Radiations:How it Affects Life on Earth.” Earth Observatory 6 Sept. 2001: n. pag. Web. 20 Mar. 2010. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/UVB/.

Lujan, Barbara, and Ronald White. “Electormagnetic Spectrum.” NASA. HEASARC, 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. http:http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html.

Sparling, Brien. “Ultraviolet Radiation.” NAS. NASA, 30 May 2001. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/radiation.html.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Insane People are Best

Psychiatry: The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders. (Definition courtesy of dictionary.com)

According to the definition above, psychiatry is a branch of the medical field that specializes in the mind. Psychiatrists diagnose mental and emotional disorders and try to provide a treatment for them. Some mental disorders are depression, mania, schizophrenia, addictions, phobias, eating disorders, and anxiety disorders. These disorders are diagnosed by their symptoms, patterns in mood, ect.

To me, psychiatry is a very interesting field. The many capabilities of the brain are astonishing, and the fact that alteration of chemicals in the brain can have an affect on the well being of humans. It intrigues me that a psychiatrist can effectively treat disorders of the mind without performing some sort of test to prove that you have a certain mental disorder, like other doctors can with lab work. Their techniques and people skills are very developed, and they have to be very calm in stressful situations.

This picture shows the limbic system of the brain. This system is the primary part of the brain that controls emotion.



Amygdala Complex: Processes emotional content of behavior and memory.
Hippocampus: Converts versions of events from short term memory to long term memory.
Hypothalamus: Tells brain what is happening inside of body.


In case you haven’t noticed, I am a people person. I can talk to pretty much anyone about anything. I also enjoy learning new things, as long as they keep me interested, and I am a quick learner at that. Given that information, I would prefer to work in a science field that revolves around the human race, and that requires talking with people. I’m also interested in learning about the brain, and how the mind can easily alter emotions.

I really only have one goal to achieve in the future, which is to be successful. Being successful, to me, includes having enough money to support myself, making a contribution to society, and enjoying my work. Becoming a psychiatrist, I believe, would achieve my goal, because psychiatrists make pretty good money, I would get to help people struggling to live life effectively, and the work would intrigue me. Even though the job would be tough, and would require many years of school and training, it would be worth it. I enjoy a good challenge.

Thinking outside of the box is the type of thinking required to become a psychiatrist. Patients will come along that might be difficult to diagnose, and problem solving skills would be quite useful. I have that type of thinking, and I have a good basis for further development of my problem solving skills. A hard work ethic is also needed, which I have a good grasp on, and I am very determined.

The ultimate goal the world of psychiatry has is to be able to identify and understand all mental disorders of the mind and brain, and also to find the exact cause for them. There is only room for advancement, and any advancement in this field will be for the better. Millions of people with mental or mood disorders will benefit, and the people that they affect will benefit also. So many families have been stuck with loved ones suffering from mental disease, and maybe in my generation, a big discovery will be made, and the suffering will come to an end.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Is the Wall's View From Space that Great?

What is so great about the Great Wall of China? Could it really be the only visible man-made structure from outer space? How is it visible, if it is visible; by camera, or telescope, or the naked eye? From what distance would it be visible from? Is the Great Wall really that great, even from outer space?
In order to bust this myth, a wide range of resources are needed, such as time, money, technology, and astronauts. There could be a wide range of technology used, such as lenses, digital cameras, and an imaging radar. Many obstacles also contribute to the ability to see the Wall, such as the age of the structure, the material it is built out of, and the condition of the atmosphere. Where you are in space also contributes to its visibility. There are so many man-made objects on Earth, so why would people think it was the only visible thing? A possibility could be that the Great Wall is so large, people just figured it was the only visible man-made thing. Is it?







The orange line shows the Great Wall through radar imagery.

The Wall is not the only visible man-made structure from space, although it is visible from space, to an extent. It cannot be seen from the moon, which was a theory that has dated back to 1938, and was disproved when astronauts landed on it. No man-made object is visible from the moon, but plenty are visible from different points in space. The most visible objects from low Earth orbit are cities at night. The Wall can be seen using the Spaceborne Imaging Radar, and a 180mm lens and a digital camera. No one knows for sure if the Wall can be seen with just the naked eye, because a lot of factors play into the visibility, such as the material. The Great Wall of China is built out of earthly materials, making it blend in with the Earth, and hard to spot. So using the right technology, the Wall can be seen from space, but it is not the only thing man-made structure.

These are the pyramids at Giza, and they are man-made structures that are visible from space.

All information and pictures in this post were found at NASA