ACCHS Biology & Physics 2017

What is it that distinguishes humans as living systems? On the most basic level,  we are comprised of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems.  Our cells house an individualized code and allows for potential reproduction.  We engage with and respond to our environment, absorbing gases and nutrients to make energy.  We identify and eliminate non-self invaders and eject waste products.  Our innate understanding of 'self' propels us into a series of negative feedback loops that help us survive.  When the environment shifts and changes, our bodies tap into their resources to maintain homeostasis.  According to Maturana, Varela and Uribe, living things are autopoietic and in a constant state of self-referral so that any environmental adaptation is a relentless effort of remain uniquely ourselves. Despite the determination of the living system's to hold onto it's identity, his or her survival is at the mercy of specific environmental conditions. Water, ...

In my minds eye, I picture radioactive disaster as a cascade of toxic ions spewing into the atmosphere, bleeding into our water systems, maintaining integrity as it spreads. I imagine a pool of water and a droplet of blue food coloring- Initially, it remains concentrated in one area, but eventually there is a touch of blue throughout the pool.  Agitation from wind, rain or swimming bodies will increase the rate of diffusion and allow small amounts of food coloring to escape the pool. If living bodies enter the pool, the blue will enter an orifice and exit the pool with its host.  Extreme heat will cause blue gases to leak into the atmosphere and it is certain that the blue will ceaselessly spread beyond the parameters of the pool. This blue food coloring analogy is how I imagine the aftermath of the Tsunami wreckage of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant in 2011.  It is said that nearly 80 of the Radioactive wreckage has ended up in the pacific, some of which has b...

MY MORNING 7/23/17: WRITTEN IN ENGLISH (E) PRIME I recall opening my eyes and my clock appeared to read 8:30 EST.  I prepared a blend of Reishi Roast and green tea with coconut creamer.  My body felt tired and I sensed a sluggish mind.  I made a decision to do laundry, which seemed to me liked a productive use of time at that moment. Stepping out my door I noticed a blob of human feces on my stairwell. It appeared that someone left the front gate ajar.  I assumed at that moment that the neighbor with the long hair did it while purchasing a Yerba Mate spritzer at the bodega. I made the decision not to clean the feces for several reasons.   Reason number 1 : I imagined being nauseated.   Reason number 2: I felt frustrated by my neighbor for leaving the gate open and thought he should clean it as punishment and as a reminder that the landlord probably installed the gate for the purpose of keeping unwanted folk (and their waste products) out.  I held my...

From my limited vantage point, the HIV epidemic is more of a memory then an everyday struggle.  Growing up in the Boston dance community, the late 1980's and early 1990's were shocking times. Friends were disappearing, bodies were weakening and hearts were breaking.  The fear of infection seemed to be the only deterrent from this deadly virus. This over-exaggerated paranoia seemed to keep us safe. I  recall the distressed moment when my 6th grade friend told me that she shared a razor with her father. Many of us were, for the most part, in the dark. Today 1.1 Million people are living with HIV in the US.  This statistic pales in comparison to the 19 million sufferers in South Eastern Africa.  In 2015, 46% of the total new HIV infections were in this region, 40% of whom are said to be unaware of their condition.  The virus targets lower economic communities who struggle with accession to proper healthcare and education.  Between 2000 and 2015, there ...

Stepping away from my physiology studies yesterday, I began to ponder the systems of the body and how they interact with one another.  As the course is separated into chapters about distinct, seemingly isolated systems, I notice two things: First, the act of breaking a system into parts provides an understanding of the specifics i.e. cells, organs and their functions. Second, to fully grasp how these systems work together, there must be a broadening of scope. As the perceptive lens of knowledge opens and allows us to see the full human, holding a unique set of experiences, we know that whole is much more then the sum of its parts. For seventeenth century mathematician and philosopher Renee Descartes, skepticism about the ability trust any belief system caused him to break things down into parts.  Cartesian Skepticism started with Descartes disbelief in all things for the purpose of identifying "truth" from falsehood. In this sense, since truth only exists in the absence of...

Many years ago, without knowing much about the biology of cancer cells,  I developed the suspicion that an area energetically "cut off" from the rest of the body was vulnerable to cancer; as they are cells operating autonomously and disharmoniously with the rest of the system.  As my understanding develops, my thoughts on the matter continue to align with my instinct. Some cancers seem to follow the linear cause and effect model, i.e. smokers developing lung cancer, irresponsible beach goers acquiring melanomas or alcoholics with liver cancer.  But how do we explain how seemingly healthy individuals who are not overly exposed to carcinogens and have no apparent genetic disposition get cancer?  There must be something else going on in which our definition of a healthy lifestyle omits the presence of energetic, emotional and spiritual factors. Cancer cells are not active members of the physiological community.  They are normal cells with abnormal functioning, o...

"The American Buffalo...has always held great meaning to the American Indian people.  The Indian People, buffalo represent their spirit and remind them of how their lives were once lived, free and in harmony with nature. " - National Bison Cooperative The Bison in Golden Gate park, as they lay massive and docile, seem incredibly out of place in the midst of this ocean kissed landmark.  How easily we forget that long before human domination, millions of these stoic beasts roamed North America, maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the lush vegetation.  As migratory herbivores, bison graze just enough for the grass to regenerate, helping prevent overgrowth and soil crowding.  These creatures appear to have been incredibly beneficial to the ecosystems they inhabited, which generally includes wide open plaines and prairies. Today, approximately 80,000 Bison remain in North America, a dramatic decrease from the millions of later day, but an improvement from t...

Unraveling an artichoke is an adventure, for with each leaf we peel away there is another slightly smaller, slightly softer version of itself underneath.  Ultimately revealing the heart, with its utmost flavor and tenderness.  No artichoke experience is the same.  We come to the table with varying moods, levels of light, different amounts of dust particles obstructing our olfactory receptors and so forth. Let us not forget the influence of the company we hold on the ability to enjoy this luscious treat. How have we prepared it today? blanched, steamed, roasted...and since no two items in nature are identical, we simply cannot predict the degree of variation as we move towards the center.  We can however, rely on the descending size and tenderness of the segments as we move inward.  Eventually, the leaves become so tiny and fragile that we can must alter the way we eat them, or stop eating entirely. Unpredictability is part of the lives we know.  We at...