Exposed: The Shocking Truth about Air Fresheners Before you spray Febreze or plug in a Glade Plug-In, light a scented candle, or use some so-called air freshening wick, mist, aerosol, or other car or room deodorizer, think twice. You’ll be shocked to learn their ingredients and the harmful effects they can cause. That “Cleansing Rain,” “Summer Breeze,” “Fresh Country,” “Cool Morning Air” or “Berry Burst” might be having disastrous effects on your health or the health of your family, including children and unborn fetuses. Hormone-Disrupting Phthalates: The Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC)—an international environmental organization—conducted a study called, “Clearing the Air: Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners” in which they found 86% of air fresheners tested contained dangerous phthalates. Phthalates are used as plastic softeners, anti-foaming agents in aerosols, in vinyl found in children’s toys, automobiles, paints, pesticides, and in cosmetics and fragrances. Research by the U.S. No, that’s not a typo. Love This?
Why do blood types matter? - Natalie S. Hodge As with most topics in human genetics, blood type is more complicated than it appears on the surface. There are other human blood groups that are less common than the ABO blood group. For example, the Bombay Phenotype is a recessive condition in which the precursor of the A or B antigen, the H antigen, is not made. It occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people in India and 1 in million people in Europe. Even though someone inherits the alleles for an A or a B antigen, they can’t make these antigens if they don’t have the instructions on HOW to make them. For more info on the Bombay phenotype, visit this site. There have been other stories of people with extremely rare blood. Interested in learning more about blood?
Respiratory system diseases | Des Moines University Pneumoconiosis – literally, “an abnormal condition of dust in the lungs.” A generic name for conditions where toxic particles become trapped in the lungs and cause symptoms and disability such a “black lung” or “miner’s lung” disease. Terms specific to the particulate matter may be given such as asbestosis. Epistaxis – want a fancier name for a “nosebleed?” You got it! Cystic fibrosis – an inheritable disease that affects not only the lungs but other systems producing mucous such as the digestive system. Emphysema (COPD) – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, of which emphysema is one of, results in progressive destruction of the air sacs in the lungs and loss of respiratory membrane for oxygen exchange. Atelectasis – a collapsed lung.
Sepsis Risk For Newborns Reduced By Probiotic Bacteria : Goats and Soda If you're in desperate need for some good news, look no further. Scientists in the U.S. and India have found an inexpensive treatment that could possibly save hundreds of thousands of newborns each year. And it turns out, the secret weapon was sitting in Asian kitchens all along: probiotic bacteria that are common in kimchi, pickles and other fermented vegetables. Feeding babies the microbes dramatically reduces the risk newborns will develop sepsis, scientists report Wednesday in the journal Nature. Sepsis is a top killer of newborns worldwide. Each year more than 600,000 babies die of the blood infections, which can strike very quickly. "All the sudden the baby stops being active. "By the time the mother has a chance to bring the baby to the hospital, the baby dies," he says. For the past 20 years, Panigrahi has been working on a way to prevent sepsis. The tricky part, Panigrahi says, was figuring out the best strain of bacteria to protect against sepsis. But that's not all.
Clearing a Path to the Heart - Activity Summary Following the steps of the engineering design process and acting as biomedical engineers, student teams use everyday materials to design and develop devices and approaches to unclog blood vessels. Through this open-ended design project, they learn about the circulatory system, biomedical engineering, and conditions that lead to heart attacks and strokes. This engineering curriculum meets Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Engineering Connection Engineers of all types—biomedical, mechanical, chemical, electrical, materials, computer—work together with medical professionals to apply basic biological and medical science to solving real-world problems. Learning Objectives After this activity, students should be able to: Describe what happens when a blood vessel is blocked.Describe how bioengineering techniques can be used to "open up" a blocked blood vessel.Apply the engineering design process to create solutions to a problem. Educational Standards Common Core State Standards - Math
NASA Astronaut: Space Lessons of Scott Kelly's Year in Orbit By Scott Kelly A year ago, astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after the longest time spent in orbit by an American. On his trip, with Russian cosmonaut Misha Kornienko, he executed experiments designed to examine mysteries of the human body and mind. I think sometimes people want to hear there was one profound scientific discovery from the 340 days I spent circling the planet — something that struck me or the scientists on the ground like a cosmic ray through the skull at some climactic moment during my mission. The mission that I prepared for was, for the most part, the mission I flew. Results and scientific papers will continue to emerge over decades based on all 400 experiments we worked on. Personally, I’ve learned that nothing feels as amazing as water. I’ve learned that I can be really calm in bad situations. I’ve learned that showing up early, whether it’s to a job interview or a spacewalk, is the only way to stay ahead of the game and be successful. Scott Kelly—NASA
Hashem Al-Ghaili - How Eyesight Helps You See The World 16 Muscle Diseases and Disorders You Need to Know Muscular system diseases affect one of the most important structures in the human body: muscle. Our muscles produce the force necessary to help us move and function in the world. Without it, we would be bound to a single spot for the rest of our lives. Diseases of the muscular system can affect various aspects of this type of soft tissue, which there are many different types of. Each is separate and distinct, all controlled by our central nervous symptom in some capacity. Muscular system anatomy Walking, talking, sitting, and standing are all controlled by muscles. There are three recognized types of muscles within our body. Skeletal muscle: A form of striated muscle tissue that is the only type of muscle in the body under voluntary control. Causes and symptoms of muscle disorders The causes of muscle disorders can be quite expansive, as their function relies on other processes in the body to be working optimally as well. 16 muscular system diseases Muscular dystrophy Cerebral palsy Myotonia
Your Childhood Experiences Can Permanently Change Your DNA A version of this article was originally published on Univision. Read the original in Spanish here. DNA is the genetic material that makes us who we are, determining our physical characteristics and even helping to shape our personality. But we’re finding out that our DNA isn’t always set in stone. Their investigation followed more than 500 children in the Philippines and found that certain childhood situations can create modifications in genes associated with inflammation, which affects how prone we are to suffer from certain illnesses. But what exactly do the findings mean? DNA is, in essence, a really long text made up of a 4-letter alphabet that our cells use as an instruction manual for making proteins. If genes are sentences within the DNA text, epigenetic marks are like differently colored highlighters that indicate which genes a cell should express (importantly, they do not change the sequence of the DNA). How environment impacts health