ACCHS Biology & Physics 2017

The concept of deep ecology, though pre-dating our understanding of "carbon footprint," has not fully sunk in as an essential movement to the survival of our planet.  Since our linear scope of sustainability does not span far past our own lifespan, it tends to limits our ability to fully embrace ecosystem preservation. Eight Points Deep-Ecology Platform  The Eight-Point Deep Ecology platform developed by Arne Naess and George Sessions provides groundwork for the necessary shifts that the Deep Ecology Movement would entail. Point number one places equal importance on both human and non-human life.  The majority of modern day humans have been programed for several generations to prioritize their own species above others.  This prioritization creates an imbalance in the ecosystem as many species are removed from their natural habitats, pushed aside, and deprived of resources for the purpose of human needs.  This raises point number 3: reducing the consumption ...

"Happy are those familiar with the tones of our planet.  Happy are those who let these tones resound within, attuning themselves to the basic motion and rhythm of our earth." - Hans Cousto The iconic "positive vibrations" message of Bob Marley never truly resonated with me on a conscious level until I started to conceptualize the underlying science: environmental information entering our bodies through a series of waves and frequency patterns. Our interpretation of incoming information depends on the ability of our eyes and ears to differentiate between the frequencies of sound and color.  We distinguish red from blue and high pitch vs low pitch sounds based on the varying wavelengths they produce.  Blue waves are longer than red waves and are thus interpreted by our brains differently.  Sounds vibrate the mediums they innervate. They cause walls to shake, Jello to wiggle and water to ripple. Sound waves travels through our ears and cause membranes, tiny bones a...

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The characteristics that distinguish us from non-living things are a series vastly under appreciated organized patterns.  In order to be considered "alive" the general rule of thumb is that we are capable of growing, breathing, moving, metabolizing, and reproducing. My pencil cannot do such things nor can an iPhone (believe it or not). We are continuously engaged in a process of self-organization and the systems in place to keep us classifiably alive cannot be removed. From cells to organ systems, our bodies work day and night to maintain this order. Fluids flush in and out, cells feed, reproduce and die, materials are taken in from the environment and excreted out as waste.  Its a beautiful dance between living things and their environment, each player adjusting and reacting to one another, all the while maintaining an individualized integrity. Every fifteen years most of our cells will have been replaced and yet we are recognizably the same human (give or take a few minor...

Narcissism often impairs our ability to see the human experience holistically. Collin Barras brought this to light when sharing several fossil discoveries and the possibility that our earliest ancestors may have originated in Europe and not Africa.  Despite potential excitement for such findings, I couldn't help but focus on the rigidity of Western Science. Nathen Young of UCSF points out that so much of these published findings reference the hominin evolution only and fail to properly portray the significance of the apes.  Is the human desire to read a scientific article contingent upon its direct impact on our own lives?  I am saddened by this as I learn more about animal intelligence and cognition.  Birds remember 10,000 locations for hidden seeds and dolphins send visual images via sounds waves! Animals are living and thriving in incredible ways and should be honored as justly as humans. We appear desperate in the west for quick answers and recognition, someti...

The use of terms like "force" and "energy" seem just as commonplace in our every day experience as they do etherial.  But there are factors at play with every move we make, seen and unseen, that are vastly under appreciated by the average person. Take energy for instance.  Since it does not generally take a form that we can observe, it can be thought of as abstract. "Can you feel my Energy, man?" However, Einstein brought to light the notion that energy and matter are in fact two sides of the same coin in his formula E=mc2.  Energy can actually be measured by multiplying mass by the speed of light.  This also implies that all objects which have mass, also inherintly have energy. However, Objects at rest have less mass then those with generated energy (moving), which demonstrates that energy is undoubtedly tangible. An egg timer at rest therefor has less total energy then one that is measuring time. Tick! Tick! All objects with mass, are also impacted ...

Phenomena like Synchronicity have the potential to make our evidence-hungry, western heads spin. Coined by Psychologist Carl Jung, Synchronicity implies "meaningful coincidences" that have no causal relationship to one another.  Such strange coincidences as bumping into an old friend the day after their appearance in a prophetic dream could reflect a universal connectivity. But where is the proof? On the quantum level, we see particles becoming "entangled" and remaining so despite large distances and time lapses.  Once bound, these particles seem to react to manipulations made onto their 'other' even after they have been physically separated for extended periods of time.  If this is happening on the quantum level, who is to say that it is not taking place on a larger scale? How can we explain moments when a song brings forth a long forgotten connection. A dormant part of our being suddenly reemerges and perception is altered.  By reconnecting to distant m...

If "99.4% of the most critical DNA sites are identical in human and chimp genes" than why are we so different from these crawling 'cousin' of ours? David Perlman writes about the possibility of a "short-lived mixed lineage" period between hominids and chimps.  The discovery of "Toumani's" fossil made the notion of a clean speciation a bit more complicated. This ancestor with prominent hominin traits predated the presumed chimp split suggesting that there may have been a liminal period of inbreeding amongst the species.  Since the discovery of Toumani was only 5 years ago, there is surely more to the "Family Bush" then current research suggests. Beyond the messiness of the hominid/chimp break up, we remain curious about the dramatic variations between species in light of their genetic similarities. There is no doubt that genetic regulation is coming into place as a result of environmental and subsequent lifestyle changes that have ...