loving art, science and creative kids
6/24/2017 8:51:07 PM
Dream Summer
Art took over my spirit this week. My paintings are an expression of emotions and I am happy that summer finally arrived. I plan to make the most of my time outdoors but wondered if I will feel the same when the weather is over 100 degrees.
Winter seemed like it would last forever. Rain, snow, and cold did not bother me at first and I even enjoyed the snow that allowed me to sled down the hill near our house. But, as March turned into April and early blooms did not appear when they usually do, I had to fight depression. Once the weather changed though, I wondered how long it would take to start hearing complaints about the heat.
I did not have to wait long, for parts of the country have been buried under sweltering temperatures with Portland expected to have a 101 degree temperature on Sunday. My son and his wife are sharing stories of their visit to Washington, DC with my grandchildren. They write of several weeks of managing to stay cool during the humid heat wave plaguing the East Coast. Complaints started to arrive from everywhere.
My next door neighbors went to Portugal a week ago, thankfully averting the fire that killed so many people. They wrote that they spend more time than usual in their air conditioned car viewing sites rather than walking. I am saddened to hear of Phoenix residents living with temperatures of reached 122 degrees. I can’t imagine what it is like to go out when the weather is that extreme.
These thoughts make me curious about what it takes to adapt to changes in weather. Primitive people did not have furnaces, yet they managed to survive ice ages. Those near the equator were able to take treks through the Sahara Desert. Heat bothers me more than cold for I don’t like touching another person with a sweaty body. If I lived near the equator I probably would never have had five children. I have been assured, however, that I am capable of adapting to extremes in temperature.
As early as 1847, Biologist Carl Bergman noticed that people living in hot climates have less body mass while those in colder regions tend to be bulkier. Their greater density means that there are more cells to produce heat. Further studies that examined the length of appendages note that in the tropics there is an advantage to being slender with long limbs to assist in evaporating body heat for those living in humid conditions have a more difficult time perspiring and are more subject to overheating. This is why those in humid, tropical Africa it is better to have a lot of body surface. Also wide noses which do not warm the air as do thin ones, dark skin to shield solar radiation, and not being prone to body fat have advantages. Though it is still fortunate to be thin, in dryer hot climates being tall is not advantageous, for water loss is a problem not benefited by long limbs. In the Middle East, moderate skin pigmentation provides protection from the sun but also permits sweating.
The opposite is true in cold climates where short massive bodies, short arms and legs, flat faces, fat pads over the sinuses, heavier than average layer of body fat are favored. These adaptations allow for increased metabolic rates, minimum heat loss whichhelps prevent frostbite. Narrow nasal passages protect lungs and the base of the brain. Of course, Arctic residents are helped by a diet rich in fatty foods, warm clothing and remaining active when outdoors. Moderately cold environments call for a slightly different body type for tall, stockily built individuals are favored. A narrow nose is still good to possess.
Acclimatization is a physiological response to the environment that can take place within certain parameters. In cold climates, hypothermia, a drop in core body temperature, is a great danger. Normal temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit but when the body’ s heat falls to 94 degrees the natural temperature regulating system usually fails. In hot climates, it takes only a few days of having a body temperature over 105 degrees to trigger deterioration of internal organs. Though certain bodies favor living in one climate or another, adaptation can be aided by those with the willpower (see last week’s blog) to mentally reset their internal thermostat.
People visiting cold climates are advised to slowly introduce themselves to the cooler environment. For example, polar explorer, “Birdie” Bowers went to the South Pole in 1911 with Robert Scott. He was described as a man able to sleep soundly in freezing conditions that were impossible for his companions. He method for adaptation started as soon as he arrived in the Antarctic by starting a routine of throwing icy buckets of water and slush over his naked body every morning. Though he was the best adapted person in the team, acclimatization did not allow him to survive a November expedition to the South Pole where all members died during a March blizzard when a dog relief team failed to show up.
Early missionaries found natives in Tierra del Fuego in South America unclothed even during frigid cold winters. Their women swam in 48 degree waters when hunting for shell fish, and families often slept in the open, unsheltered and uncovered. Moving about without shoes they occasionally wrapped their naked bodies in an animal skin on bitterly cold days. To provide a barrier against the elements, they smeared themselves with seal oil.
Many studies show that repeated exposure to cold usually results in increased tolerance, a situation which I can anecdotally confirm. When first moving to Lansing, Michigan, I found the cold intolerable. I came from Boston where winters were never as severe. After several years, however, I adjusted and loved going cross country skiing after the children were in bed even though the temperature was well below freezing. One winter, my husband and I went north for a vacation during the coldest week of the year in order to ski on frozen rivers and drink hot chocolate in nearby inns.
I did jump into a snow melt river in Colorado once and was surprised at how my body reacted. It did not take more than five minutes before I had to get out, but once dry, my body felt hot. I tingled all over and was invigorated as we hiked on. It is important to be careful when ice swimming, for there are instances of people jumping into cold water to have a heart attack and die. If you are thinking about entering an ice-pond, consider lowering your body temperature with cold showers and start with short icy immersions. If you plan to do it often, a diet of fatty foods are advisable.
Doug Strain, a man I greatly admired, was a conscientious objector during WWII. He was recruited to participate in a military experiment studying how much food is needed when body temperature is lowered. Each day, subjects entered a meat freezer without jackets. In the evening, they were sent to bed in their barracks but not allowed to use blankets. The subjects of the experiment needed a tremendous amount of food to maintain body weight. Doug mentioned, that though they ate as much as they wanted, everyone lost pounds. He concluded with a smile, “that an entrepreneur could make a lot of money by starting a freezarium for weight loss.”
Now that summer is here, my desire is to adjust to warmth as quickly as possible. The Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut reports that it takes 7-14 days for the body to adapt to heat. Once the body adapts, positive adjustments take place such as a reduced heart rate, changed skin temperature responses, and a different perception of exertion. The Institute stresses the importance of acclimatizing to hot weather slowly, resting between exertions, increasing salt intake, and taking breaks to avoid overheating. They recommend that meals should be small before exercise and that water intake be increased.
Athletes especially need to pay attention to these warnings, but those who do, are likely to find themselves with improved blood pressure and a greater ability to handle heat stress during exercise. Wishing all a happy, healthy and comfortable summer.
References.
Cool Antartica, Cold Acclimation and Acclimatization in Humans- Science of the Cold.
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/cold_acclimation_human.php
Adapting to Climate Extremes, http://anthro.palomar.edu/adap
Heat Acclimatization, Korea Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut, http://ksi.uconn.edu/prevention/heat-acclimatization/
Climatic Adaptation, Physical Anthropology, writtten by editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/climatic-adaptation
Kelly, James, In Search of Paradise Lost in Tierra del Fuego, 2017, Earth island Journal,
http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/in_search_of_paradise_lost_in_tierra_del_fuego/?gclid=CjwKEAjw1a3KBRCY9cfsmdmWgQ0SJAATUZ8bjJ1p4s3GjhZWynM7Qw8RBa7E7KIK6L8tX4uo1bd1YBoCQVbw_wcB
Art is always for sale. Dream Summer is and acrylic painting on deep canvas / 24” by 20” /
$ 450.for sale / contact marilynne@eichingerfineart.com for information.
6/17/2017 8:53:37 PM
The Family in a Turkish Village
is inspired by the work of Greg Hawthorn. It speaks to me of energy it takes to join together physical, mental and spiritual parts of one’s being.
Acrylic on Canvas, 24” by 48”, Gold Frame, $ 690.00.
Bulking the Brain
Body, mind, and spirit are part of a health mantra chanted from coast that says, eat right, stay engaged, lower cholesterol, exercise, be mindful, and nourish your spirit. Be generous to body and find energy to meet daily challenges. Be generous to mind to improve mental and emotional heath, lower stress, and develop calmness. And, be generous to spirit to achieve a well lived life. . . one that has meaning.
This advice makes sense to most people, so why don’t they follow it? It is not difficult to dedicate 20 minutes a day to meditate as does my sister-in law, a most beautiful, composed woman who deals with trauma on a daily basis. Mindfulness enables her to answer a crisis hot line, one of the most stressful volunteer jobs.
Most of my friends exercise regularly, eat well and watch their sugar intake. After all, we live in the land of Nike, were raised with “Just do it,” and can afford to go to health clubs. So it surprised me when I read that Oregonians live in one of the most obese states in the nation. We are at the high end of the national average where 40.2 percent of adults (40-59), 37 percent of those over 60, and 32.2 percent of younger adults are obese. I learned that among white men, those with higher incomes are more likely to be obese while the reverse is true among women. Though education does not seem to affect obesity in men it does in women where the better educated are less likely to be heavy than their less educated sisters.
Telling people to “Just do it” obviously does not work. Look at the map assembled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showing the prevalence of self-reported obesity among adults throughout our country.
After seeing this map I realized that changing health habits requires willpower and I am was not sure where one finds it. I looked for an answer.
There are many studies that show the benefits that come from resisting temptation and having self-control. The first experiment in the U.S. was conducted in 1960 by Walter Mischel who recognized his smoking addiction and wondered what it would take to get over it. He offered four year olds the choice of a marshmallow that they could have immediately, or two if they could wait for 15 minutes. The treats were always visible and the child was told that she or he could ring a bell to call the experimenter back to end the torturous wait. Mischel tracked their performance into adulthood and found that those who could resist temptation had greater academic success, better health, and lower rates of marital separation. Even knowing this outcome, Mischel could not stop smoking. It wasn’t until he saw a man with lung cancer that he realized he was fooling himself. From them on, each time he reached for a cigarette he would create a picture in his mind of the sick man which helped change his craving.
Psychologist Denise Cummins says that willpower is like a muscle that gets stronger when exercised. “Use it or lose it” is her advice. People rarely want to change, yet to have a happy, successful life, willpower and self-control are essential. It is neither fun nor comfortable to change patterns for it necessitates breaking bad habits. It may mean establishing new relationships with friends and family. Beer buddies or coffee klatch friends may be difficult to be around if they don’t share your desire to lose weight and not to drink excessively.
Those who see that love ones to need to change, are almost always ineffective in getting them to do so. To make a lifestyle change, the person has to decide to please him or herself rather than someone else.
Developing willpower is an internal, conscious decision that has to be approached with caution. . . and that means not to overdoing it. When practicing a new life pattern, don’t berate yourself if there are times when you don’t follow through. Willpower grows over time and needs occasional recovery periods in between.
The task, however, is a creative one that takes imagination. There are tricks that can be employed to help. Mindfulness can be useful to help divert craving and constantly thinking about the addiction. Imaging games such as the one used by Mischel to stop smoking are helpful. Imagining what you will eat after watching a movie or cleaning a closet also works. Studies have shown that those who delay gratification are in more control when they finally do eat or drink.
It does take practice to develop visualization and mindfulness skills. Meditation helps calm the brain but turning away from the desired object is faster and also works. It makes sense for an alcoholic to avoid going into a bar or an obese person from visiting an all-you-can-eat restaurant. On a recent cruise to the Carribean, I watched grossly overweight people returning from a buffet with two full plates of food, baskets of bread and piled high desert plates and wondered if they really were prepared to gain 5 or more pounds on their vacation. If not, they might have been better off avoiding temptation by being served from a menu with more limited choices and serving portions.
Stress depletes willpower, while exercise, meditation, and knowledge are power tools to use to gain it. Whenever I interviewed new employees I asked them what they did when they were stressed at work. Everyone had an answer to my query. They knew what helped them get through difficult times and easily shared their stories. What I discovered, was that they often forgot to call on their inner resources when needed. Whether it is visualization, listening to music, or as I do, taking a ride in my car, it is important to take the time to go to your secret place rather than feed your addiction.
Acquiring willpower can actually be fun, though it is easy to wonder how can weight loss or exercise be enjoyable when the thought of it is painful. The practice becomes easier if pre-planning is done. For instance, attending cooking classes where healthy ingredients are used provides an enjoyable, social activity. Establishing a routine with friends to walk, jog, or exercise is a way to make time whizz by. Setting a schedule for meditation, not only builds brain-power, but lowers blood pressure, and improves focus, all outcomes that feel good.. My own experience as a meditator is simply that it makes me feel relaxed and leaves me with renewed energy.
Problems are a never ending part of human existence that brings excitement into life. If there are many, I am busy trying to solve them but when there are few, I get bored and will go out of my way to find a new challenge. How problems are approached and overcome is what makes each life special. Growth occurs to those willing to step on a path that engages them in healthy activities. It is a road that leads to weight reduction, improved stamina, and relaxation. The walk becomes increasingly enjoyable as posture improves, pounds are shed, self-esteem improves, and new clothes are worn with pride. Smiles and sensitivity to others spread as problems are put in their place and dealt with as entertaining challenges.
Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? After gaining weight this winter I think I’ll go after some willpower and self control.
References:
Overweight and Obesity, Center for Disease Control and Prevention,2015, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html
Cummins,Denise, How to Boost Your Willpower, 2013, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/good-thinking/201306/how-boost-your-willpower
Konnikova, Maria, The Struggles of a Psychologist Sudying Self-Control, 2014, The New Yorker, http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/struggles-psychologist-studying-self-control
Haederle, Michael, How Mindfulness Can Build Your Brain, Life Reimagined, https://lifereimagined.aarp.org/stories/29441-How-Mindfulness-Can-Build-Your-Brain
Works of art are always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]. I will be showing six pieces at the Lake Oswego Art Show June 23-25th.
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CELEBRATE! and learn about hands-on learning and the growth of art and science museums by naive but passionate directors from throughout the country. Laugh and cry with them as you read their stories of trying to navigate the quagmire of running a non-profit organization.
Upcoming Book Talks
Lake Oswego Library - June 20, 2017 - 7 PM
High Desert Museum, Bend - October 5, 2017
Available for $19.95 Powells Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Broadway Books, MAC Emporium, Also on Kindle
for signed copy contact the author, [email protected].
6/9/2017 2:56:59 PM
Malheur Sunset
The Swallows resting in the tree are considered genetically distinct. In evolutionalry terms they have evolved slowly over 500,000 to 1 million years. Homo Sapiens leaving Africa 100,000 or so years ago were at the beginning of a genetic journey that continues to this day.
Genetic Advantage
Last week, thousands of people gathered in downtown Portland, Oregon representing both the right and left side of the political divide. In general, tempers were civil, though the crowd was on edge and there were moments of disruption. Several religious groups in the pro-Trump camp had posters with slogans proclaiming their adversity to racial mixing. They carried signs that said, "Diversity is Death for White Race." I decided to do a bit of exploring and find out if there was merit to their claim. I wanted to know if there are there genetic advantages to having a mixed race species and if there was such a thing as a pure race?
According to a UK documentary, the uncontroversial answer is that mixed species are stronger than monocultures. The program claimed that if Hitler had had his way by genetically designing a purebred Aryan race, the results would not have been superior. The reverse would most likely have occurred, with a weaker biological stock emerging.
For more than a century, biologists have known that mixing diverse strains of plant or animal results in more vigorous offspring. An unrelated partner from a different stock or population can produce what scientists call, Hybrid Vigor? Situations have been identified in small communities where interbreeding is common. The offspring of these unions tend to be physically and in some cases mentally unfit with a tendency to die young.
Human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes carrying about 30,000 genes. Every once in a while, a gene may be bad or broken even though it will not cause a problem in the host organism. However, if two broken genes combine during procreation, they create an unhealthy situation for the descendent. Hybrid Vigor, the result of breeding occurring between unrelated people, avoids the problem of having two broken copies of the same gene likely to meet.
It is difficult to measure the effect of interbreeding because environmental effects also play a role in the human condition. Being killed in a car accident or having damaged lungs because of smoking overrides the benefits that may occur from selecting a biologically strong mate. Though not a scientific claim, it is interesting to note that in the United Kingdom, mixed race people make up only 3% of the population, yet make up 30% of soccer players. Brazil, with a very mixed race population, has won the World Cup more than any other country.
In America, laws forbidding marriage between people of different races were common until the middle of the 20th century. Writers like Madison Grant, a leading eugenicist, warned that racial mixing was "a social and racial crime" that would lead toward "racial suicide" and the eventual disappearance of white civilization. He said that the cross between higher (white) racial types with Indians will produce Indians and with Negroes, will produce a Negro child, both unhealthy outcomes.
Grant called for purity of blood inheritance. His writings, among those of others, led to 16 states developing legislation similar to Virginia's Racial Integrity Act. He spurred the growth of Anglo Saxon Clubs for the upper class and the Ku Klux Klan. Virginia's law stated that a person was not white if he or she had 1/64 Native Ancestry. Interestingly, 16 members of the Virginia General Assembly proudly claimed to be descendants of Pocahontas and objected to the law that was eventually passed. It wasn't until 1967 that the Supreme Court struck down the Racial Integrity Act and 15 similar ones in other states.
According to a 2017 Pew Research Center report, 1 out of 10 married people in the U.S. has a spouse of a different race or ethnicity. Part of this accelerating condition is due to mass immigration which has made Americans more tolerant toward interracial marriage. Among women, Asians are the most likely to marry someone of a different race while among men, Hispanic and Black men are the most likely to intermarry.
However, there is a growing group of White Americans opposed to the trend to mix races. Those expressing their resistance to interracial marriage are most strong in rural areas. I was surprised to learn that 51 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of Republicans do not think intermarriage is good.
Despite negative feelings about the issue, the future of society is likely to lead to mixing races as it always has done in the past. In my last blog I mentioned the results of genome testing conducted with millions of people show that most Homo Sapiens have small traces of Neanderthal their DNA. What has changed from those prehistoric days to now is the speed in which racial mixing occurs. The structure of the human gene pool is dynamically affected by globalization and migration. I am reminded of lessons learned from Darwin's Survival of the Species, that natural selection requires diversity and that those best suited to their environment will be the best candidates to pass their genes on to the next generation.
Today many of us live in environments that are not biologically well-suited for natural selection. Heating and cooling systems, contemporary agricultural practices and extensive transportation systems make that possible. Migration by masses of people has the advantage of blending genes, providing an opportunity for good traits to make their way into other populations. For example, in Tibet where high altitude creates low oxygen levels native Tibetans are well adapted to their environment, but the Han Chinese and Serpas who moved to the area when China occupied their country in were not. When the races started to mix, the beneficial genes of the Tibetans helped the next generation of newcomers become better adapted to the thin air.
When examining dogs to identify genetic disorders, purebreds are found more likely to suffer weaknesses than those of a mixed-breed because same-breed mating can cause unhealthy recessive genes to become dominant. The human condition acts similarly. Studies of Middle Eastern and North African marriages among close relatives show that their children are more likely to have birth defects or genetic disorders than those living in racially mixed countries.
Geneticists explain that we are not as diverse as you might think. New York Times reporter, Natalie Angier, wrote, "Scientists say that while it may be easy to tell at a glance whether a person is Asian, African or Caucasian, the differences dissolve when one looks beyond surface features and scans the human genome for DNA hallmarks of race." Race is a social construct, not a biological one and accounts for less than .01 percent of variations in genetic makeup.
It was interesting to read of the recent discovery in Morocco identifying the skeletons of 300,000 year old Homo Sapiens. Hundreds of thousands of years later that our early ancestors left the content to travel north. "All of us evolved over the last 100,000 years from the same small number of tribes that migrated out of Africa and colonized the world," says Dr. Craig Venter, head of Celera Genomics Corporation. He, along with others from the National Institutes of Health declare that there is only one race--the human race. There have only been 7,000 generations since the 10,000 or so people who left Africa started migrating north to mix at times with archaic humans. (such as Neanderthals and Homo Erectus). This is not enough time to produce variations of any significance.
The differences in how we are packaged, the visual cues of color, are minuscule when studying the human genome. There is little scientific evidence to support substantial distinctions between groups. Yes, there are genes that control pigmentation and other physical features but they are mostly "skin deep." Slight variations are caused by the pressure of the environment to carry certain genes to protect skin against the burning sun. Occasionally there are variations in an isolated group with a genetic predisposition that occurred because one ancestor was born with an unusual mutation.
Over time, species either adapt of become extinct. Evolution can not be stopped and as the environment changes so will there be a need for human adaptations. As sea levels rise, populations will be forced to move and will reshape the structure of the gene pool. However, it will take hundreds of thousands of generations living in changed and isolated environments before human beings will divide into genetically different groups. You and I will never live to see these differences so I say, let's stop the racial biases and come together based on our strengths and similarities.
References:
Controversial, but True? mixed Race Humans have a Genetic Advantage, 2010,
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/controversial-but-true-mixed-race-humans-have-a-genetic-advantage.192331120/
Lombardo, Paul, Eugenic Laws Against Race Mixing,University of Virginia, http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/essay7text.html
Rosetti, Chris, National Vanguard, 2017, Pew Study:Vast Majority of Whites are Resisting Racial Mixing, http://nationalvanguard.org/2017/05/pew-study-vast-majority-of-whites-are-resisting-racial-mixing/
Slomon, Scott, from Future Humans: inside the Science of our Continuing Evolution, 2016, https://aeon.co/essays/the-future-is-mixed-race-and-thats-a-good-thing-for-humanity
Angier, Natalie, Do races Differ? Not really, DNA Shows. The New York Times, 2000
https://partners.nytimes.com/library/national/science/082200sci-genetics-race.html
Works of art are always for sale. Please contact me at [email protected]
Malheur Sunset, 23” by 27”, $425, Acrylic on Canvas, Black wood frame
I would love to hear from you. Comment on my blog at eichingerfinearat.com/blog
____________________________________________________________________________
CELEBRATE! and learn about hands-on learning and the growth of art and science museums by naive but passionate directors from throughout the country. Laugh and cry with them as you read their stories of trying to navigate the quagmire of running a non-profit organization.
Upcoming Book Talks
League of Women's Voters, Clackamas County - June 10, 2017 - 11:30 -AM
Red Fox Hills Club House, Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego Library - June 20, 2017 - 7 PM
High Desert Museum, Bend - October 5, 2017
Available for $19.95 Powells Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Broadway Books, MAC Emporium, Also on Kindle
for signed copy contact the author, [email protected].
6/3/2017 9:28:45 PM
Indian Princess
Surrounded by molecules and artifacts that represent her genetic past and complex ancestry, the Indian Princess wears a nurses cape as she brings flowers to her next patient.
Acrylic on Canvas, 19” x 23”, $ 475.
The New Biology
My partner, Ray, was curious about his distant ancestors and decided that the best way to discover his origins was to have his DNA analyzed. We found his results fascinating, telling of leaving Africa over 100,000 years ago with one branch traveling west to spend 5,000 years on the Iberian Peninsula. Another line surprised us more, for those ancients made their way east, through Asia to Oceana, before crossing the Pacific to the new world. Most likely they settled on the west coast of the Americas 13, 000 to 14,000 years ago.
Ray’s discoveries made me curious about my own heritage, so I joined the thousands of people participating in National Geographic’s Genome Study. Unfortunately, at the time I did not think about being a woman with two X chromosomes, and therefore I could only follow the female part of my lineage. My brother, with his X and Y chromosomes should have been tested instead of me. But, what I learned was still interesting and a bit shocking, for when my ancestors exited Jordan they intermingled with Neanderthals. I learned that though Neanderthals disappeared 35,000 and 45,000 years ago, there is a great deal of evidence that they did interbreed with Homo Sapiens before their demise. Scientists now believe that all non-Africans alive today have a genetic trace of Neanderthal ancestry. Perhaps this genetic mixture helped make my bones strong. As DNA researchers learn more, they will be able to provide a more comprehensive story of modern human evolution.
National Geographic results only follow genetic markers up to to about 5000 years ago. By then my ancestors had migrated north towards what is now Germany, but it took contemporary genealogy searches to discover my family moving through England, Austria, and Latvia, eventually to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the early 20th century.
Biology has certainly evolved since I went to school and studied Mendel’s accounting of the genetics of peas. Since the Humane Genome project was declared complete in 2003, not only have we gained knowledge about how we evolved as humans beings, but there has been an explosion of information causing excitement about possibilities for future developments in medicine, agriculture, and beyond. We are discovering how lifestyle can shape our destiny as scientists learn more about the interaction between genetics, the environment and epigenetics. There is even a move beyond DNA, to study other modifying factors involving cell cycles and molecules, which makes researchers optimistic about being able to treat and reverse diseases like cancer and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes. Clinical trials currently using gene therapy to re-engineering the body so it can recognize and attack destructive tissues. As of 2015 more than 1,800 disease genes have been identified with 350 biotechnology-based products released onto the market.
New therapies are not always easily accepted. They have spawned political and moral debates about whether the medical profession has the right to alter the course of natural selection and human evolution by developing cures that increase longevity. Those who welcome genetic science’s forward momentum also have concerns. They worry about administering treatments that have not been thoroughly tested, for there are often side effects. Many patients find that the cure is worse than the disease. Cautious doctors who believe approvals are made much too quickly have to face dying patients who find the vetting process incredibly slow. The FDA has a difficult job of balancing possible benefits of early approvals with harmful effects experienced by many patients.
Another issues of growing societal concern is deciding how personal genetic information will be used in the future with its affect on individual privacy. Fears abound that insurance companies will raise rates and employers will not hire those with a genetic propensity for certain diseases. Many Americans recall Hitler’s dream of creating an race of supermen and find the notion of playing around with human genetics dangerous. They worry that it could lead to eugenics and social inequality.
Because of sperm banks parents already influence the genetic make up of their unborn child by selecting dominant characteristics they like in the donor. They can choose the color of their child’s hair or eyes, decide on sexual characteristics, and can also abort a fetus with an inherited genetic defect. The more religious among us say that we are altering God’s will while humanists believe that we are simply making the human race stronger and more disease resistant. Futurists imagine a world where human beings can live to the ripe age of 150 years and beyond as good.
I have my own concerns, for I wonder how the earth will be able to support a large, expanding aging population before self-destructing? What will we do with more people? The Current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2015 without the longer life cycle. How will so many people spend their days and will there be enough food and water to accommodate everyone’s needs?
There are always those who tell us not to worry, that science and technological innovations will provide an answer for every concern. We already see that gene mapping, used in agriculture to design crops that are insect and drought resistant, is bringing hope that millions of people will be fed who would otherwise go hungry.
Genetically Modified Foods, however, create their own brand of controversy. Some environmentalist fear that GMO’s are still unpredictable, and that monoculture planted crops could be wiped our with a single organism, leaving vast areas of the world without needed nourishment. It is interesting to note that though the public is wary about the safety of modified food, according to Scientific American, most scientists believe that GMOs are indeed safe.
As genetics and computer technologies continue to progress the world will continue to be privy to amazing developments. Already developments in DNA analysis have brought tremendous changes to the criminal justice system. In bygone eras, hundreds of innocent people were convicted of crimes they did not commit. With the advent of DNA mapping, those wrongfully imprisoned are challenging their sentences and proving their innocence through incontrovertible evidence. Of the 350 people who have been exonerated by the Innocence Project over the past 25 years, 20 had spent time on death row, two-thirds were African Americans, and 71% were sent to prison because of eyewitness misidentification. These poor souls spent an average of 14 years in prison, having their lives wrongfully wasted.
Other scenarios likely to be part of our future sound as though they belong in a science-fiction novel. They include carrying identity cards with genome characteristics and treating an unborn child genetic defect while still in utero. Already cloned organs, gene corrections, and obtaining early use of genetic information enables patients to play an active role in their own health care.
With legal and ethical issues abounding as we look to the future, our legislators and courts will be called on to develop protocols and regulation that makes sense. It would be helpful if there was more than one scientist in congress as there is now. Yes, biology has certainly changed since I was in high school with much of our future likely to be influenced by a new breed of biologists and geneticists.
References:
Lovgren, Stefan, National Geographic News, 2003, Who were the First Americans? http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0903_030903_bajaskull.html
Grant, Bob, The Scientist, 2015,Neanderthal-Human Hybrid Unearthed / http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/43354/title/Neanderthal-Human-Hybrid-Unearthed/
Durmaz, Karaca, Demkow, Toruner, Schourmans, Cogulu, Evolution of Genetic Techniques:Past, Present, and Beyond, BioMe Research International, 2015 https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2015/461524/
Freedman, David, Scientific America, 2013, The Truth about Genetically Modified Food, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-genetically-modified-food/
The Forensic Science Technician website, 2017, http://www.forensicsciencetechnician.net/25-wrongly-convicted-felons-exonerated-by-new-forensic-evidence/
The Innocence Project website, 2017, https://www.innocenceproject.org/dna-exonerations-in-the-united-states/
