Going Green and Staying BIG

Article Summary: Weighing in at an unbelievable three hundred pounds of pure veggies, David Carter is far from unhealthy. After struggling with tendonitis and fatigue, Carter, offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, decided to go 100% green. Carter claimed after initially losing 40 pounds, he is now back to his weight goal, and feels better than ever. His daily diet consists of over 10,000 calories, and 1.2 pounds of protein exclusively from beans, beats, rice, and grain. He has come a long way seeing that just 2 years ago, he had just signed with the Oakland Raiders weighing a mere 285 pounds. He was adding milkshakes and entire gallons of milk to his diet in hopes of gaining. Yet, his pain was unbearable as his shoulders hurt, his tendonitis was flaring, and three of his fingers had gone totally numb. He relates his turning point to a night when his pain was so severe that he could not even get out of the bath tub. He said, " “I realized I was making everything worse,” he says. “I was feeding the tendonitis, the muscle fatigue, everything. So the next day I went vegan. The first thing I ate was a bean burger and haven’t eaten meat since.” After getting back up to 300 lbs, he was able to lift more, run faster, and felt better than he ever had.
       Yet, the real difficulties come in the amount of food he is forced to eat a day. Between 5 meals, smoothies in between each, and forcing down sauerkraut as a snack throughout the day, 10,000 calories worth of extra effort to eat is a tough job. The article explains saying, "while other athletes crave a cheat meal, Carter just wishes to skip a meal. His favorite food is cashew cheese from nutritional yeast, and he's making the most of this life by proving that vegans aren't always necessarily puny and weak. 

Correlation: It seems as though new research regarding vegan-ism is coming out daily proving the positive influence going vegan has on one's health and the environment. Seeing this hypothesis played out the football field, in front of the eyes of America is really motivating. I believe that many other players will follow in Carter's footsteps, not only because of the nutritional benefit, but because of the impact it has on the environment and the quality of life of individuals. I have read numerous articles regarding vegan diets as means of medicating the sick, healing diseases, and saving the planet. Therefore it correlates with Biology in the News because the study of life is directly connected with this idea of ensuring that life survives in the future, and survives to the fullest. 

Personal Reflection: I will admit that vegan-ism is no walk in the park, and as a vegan failure, I can vouch for this. I have tried multiple times to go animal-free, but each time I cave for some delicious bread, or ice cream. I do, however, believe in the importance of a vegan diet. I love seeing a well-known athlete like Carter prove that a vegan lifestyle is possible for anyone if it is for a huge athlete like himself. I find that extremely motivating myself. My boyfriend plays football for a Division I school, and he uses football as an excuse constantly for his incredibly awful diet. He eats honey buns and cookies constantly using the excuse of him needing to gain weight. I think this is great for him, and athletes like him who struggle with muscle pain and fatigue. There is hope for all of them, and it may be found in plants!

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/chicago-bears-david-carter-vegan-diet

Stephen Wiltshire: The Camera Man

Article Summary: Stephen Wiltshire's first words were pen and paper. His teachers claim that though he was a late bloomer when it came to talking (saying his first words at the age of five), he had been scribbling on paper since he could get his hands on them, literally. Stephen has autism, and where autism characteristically affect personal interaction, speech, among other things, it usually does not give someone a picture perfect memory. But, in Stephen's case, it did just that. Stephen can fly over NYC, London, and even Rome for 45 minutes or less, and then go and recreate all the structures and architecture in distinct details with a pen and paper. He has been called the artistic genius of his time, but it is arguably his handicap that results in an obsession with architect. As Wisconsin Medical Society explains, "Like other savant artists, Stephen’s work depicts exactly what he sees without embellishment, stylization, or interpretation. He makes no notes; impressions are indelibly and faithfully inscribed from a single exposure for later recall and he draws swiftly, beginning anywhere on the page. Thus, like Alonzo Clemons and Richard Wawro, his remarkable artistic ability is linked to an equally remarkable memory." This remarkable memory is a result of Savants Syndrome, which is  when a person with serious mental disorders, possibly including Autism, have some 'island of genius that is affected by their overall handicap. The article claims that there are as many as 10 autistic people with these remarkable abilities, although the syndrome could develop from central nervous system injuries, developmental disabilities, or even disease. Rain Man made the syndrome a household term. There has to this day, not been an overarching theory to explain the syndrome, new evidence and knowledge has come to be known in the past 15 years than in the past 100.

 

Correlation: Though not a lot of scientific reasoning has developed regarding the syndrome, lots of research is being done in the field. Recent studies have found that the left hemisphere of those afflicted with Savants Syndrome have an increasingly implicate dysfunction, " with their right hemisphere compensatory processes as an important causal component." This is especially found in autistic. Another current hypothesis has been raised regarding the fact that if someone can be diagnosed with Savants Syndrome resulting from a central nervous system injury, does that mean that there is genius within all of us, waiting to be unleashed?

 

Personal Reflection: Following my last article about the forever running man, I found this really interesting. To think that these extraordinary men and women are everywhere in our world is mind blowing. I also watched a youtube video about Stephen's amazing ability where he flew over Rome for 45 and then transcribed every intricate detail onto a panorama style piece that took him 3 days. Everything from unnamed streets and buildings, to world renowned sculptures and architecture was exactly right. It is insane that he can completely remember it all through memory. But, even more intriguing is his inhuman ability to reach perfection in the details, perspective, and scale. 

https://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/professional/savant-syndrome/profiles-and-videos/profiles/stephen-wiltshire-prodigious-drawing-and/

Dean Karnazes: The Forever Runner

Article Summary: Dean Karnazes can run three days and three nights. He claims that at times, he has even sleep run. He has run marathons in the South Pole,  50 marathons in 50 days, and the Marathon Des Sables. Where other people reach a level where they're muscles burn and cramp, Karnazes has never felt these symptoms. In fact, he claims that at times, he feels like he could run forever. While preparing for the 50 marathons in 50 days, he was sent to a testing center in Colorado. There they tested his cardiovascular system and his lactate threshold. They found that his cardiovascular system was comparable to other ultra-runners. However, his lactate threshold was unlike any they had ever seen. While the test usually lasts only fifteen minutes, they ended his test after an hour. The article explains, "when running, you break down glucose for energy, producing lactate as a byproduct and an additional source of fuel that can be converted back into energy. However, when you exceed your lactate threshold, your body is no longer able to convert the lactate as rapidly as it is being produced, leading to a buildup of acidity in the muscles." When other people reach this level, it is away of their body telling them to stop, but Dean Karnazes never receives this signal. Therefore he is capable of running 100 miles without his muscles seizing up. While cardiovascular improvements can come from training, the lactate threshold is largely due to genetics. The article explains, " your body clears lactate from the blood via a series of chemical reactions driven by the mitochondria in your muscle cells. These reactions transform lactate back to glucose again and they are enhanced by specific enzymes. The clearance process also works more efficiently if your mitochondria have a larger capacity, increasing their ability to use lactate as a fuel.

Correlation: This relates to our class because it is his biology that causes him to be able to seemingly run forever. He has attracted fame and attention due to his ability. Therefore the article is news worthy and science centered. The article clearly illustrates that genetics play a huge role in his forever runs.

Personal Reflection: As I wrote earlier, I am an avid runner, definitely not a 100 mile runner, but a runner nonetheless. The concept of someone running over 100 miles blows my mind. I cannot imagine running so easily and for so long, that I fall asleep while doing so. I wish that I had a mitochondria that was as capable as Dean Karnazes'. The article poses a question at the end about Karnazes' brother. It asks if his brother is as athletic and has a similar endurance. Karnazes states that his brother does play volleyball but he is not a runner, so there is no way of knowing. However, I would be interested to see if his brother attained similar results on the test that Karnazes took in Colorado. Overall this article was incredibly interesting, and makes me want to do more research to see if other people around the world have this same ability due to their genetics.



http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/aug/30/dean-karnazes-man-run-forever

You Lazy Rat

You Lazy Rat

Article Summary:  Researchers at the University of Missouri have found new evidence that may lead to a possibility of alcoholics or drug addicts able to receive a "high" without partaking in the substances. The study was conducted by artificially injecting rats with dopamine, the chemical released during a "runner's high." Half of the rats injected were extremely active, while the other half were extremely lazy. The active rats became lazy while the lazy rats remained unchanged. This led the scientist to believe that the active rats voluntarily run mainly because of their addiction to the dopamine.

Correlation: This article is very important in understanding how exercise works, and how we might be able to cure substance additions. Several recovery programs already involve excessive amounts of exercise. However, be able to artificially inject the chemical might make it easier for the addicted to recover. It also explains why people become addicted to exercising. They may be doing it for the dopamine, rather than completely for the health. Therefore, an addiction to the chemical can lead to unhealthy exercise addictions.

Personal Reflection: This article is intriguing because I love to run and so understanding why I crave a good run occasionally is important. This is especially interesting because it could be underlying proof of an addictive personality. I claim that I love to run but it could actually just be that I love that feel good feeling I get from a successful run. This is also particularly intriguing because alcohol addictions run in my family. Evidence of a potential cure is very encouraging for the future!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151006192048.htm

Chaser the Einstein Dog

Chaser the Einstein Dog 

Article Summary: Chaser, a border collie raised and trained by Wofford professor John Pilley, is the smartest dog in the world. He now knows over 1,000 words including 800 animals, 116 balls, and 26 frisbees that he can identify specifically. With this impressive vocabulary, Chaser has the largest vocabulary of any known animal except humans. She understands common nouns and can pick an unknown toy out of a bin based on familiar objects around it. She also understands verbs adverbs and prepositions. Pilley has now started to incorporate her vocabulary to commands with 3 grammar elements like, "take ball to frisbee." Welcoming Chaser to the family as just a pet, and a means to fill Pilley's excess post-retirement time, Pilley has used "play" as a tool to train Chaser. He explains that understanding the Border-Collie breed was important. He knew that the breed was bred for farmers to herd cattle. If a dog would not follow commands, farmers would not breed them. Therefore, he knew that the breed was bred to follow commands and therefore made Chaser a prime candidate for his study.

Correlation: This article is particularly interesting to me because I own a dog who lives here at Clemson with me. I feel like he is incredibly intelligent, but I never realized he could be capable of this level of knowledge. Also, this study is the first that gives evidence that dogs are the most intelligent animals, other than humans. Other studies relate to dolphins, chimpanzees, ravens, rats, and sometimes even cows. Yet, little research has been done to better understand the brain of a canine. With Dr. Pilley's study being the first of its kind, it has influenced many other scientist to look into the possibilities. For example, Dr. Brian Hare, of Duke University, has created a website called Dognition, which allows you to measure the intelligence of your dog. The article quotes Dr. Hare saying, "Nobody expected that of all the species out there, it would be dogs that have shown the ability to learn labels for objects like we do." This has huge implications for the Theory of Evolution and for the way we study our ancestry.

Personal Reflection: As I wrote earlier, I have a dog who lives with me. Because I read this article, I am going to spend more time each day trying to better understand his brain and capability. Obviously, he is not "Einstein of dogs," like Chaser, but I know he is capable of more than I have taught him. He can sit, shake, and lay down. I cannot wait to see what else he can learn!




http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/24/smart-dog-border-collie-learns-language-grammar/3691967/