Down With Darwinism?

Charles Darwin 

If Charles Darwin, back in 1859, could have seen 160 years into the future, he would be a very confused man. It was in 1859 that Darwin released his book, On The Origin of Species, which detailed his theory of evolution by natural selection. However, as the years have progressed, humans have consistently improved medication and technology to a point where many diseases or ailments that would have killed off our jungle dwelling ancestors can no longer affect us. Drugs like insulin, antibiotics, and similar compounds are able to prevent many diseases thus allowing those who are not necessarily fit for an environment to survive. Modern day humans have survived eating laundry detergent, blowing off limbs with fireworks, and various firearm mishaps, all of which would have eliminated our ancestors. Because of such advancements, many scientists have begun to question if the human species (Homo Sapiens for my fancy lads) is still evolving?

 As we have seen with developing technologies such as CRISPR, Humans have the ability to not only maintain life despite damaging diseases but actually have the ability to eliminate and alter certain traits prior to leaving the womb. This may lead one to say that it is competitive with the idea of Natural Selection as it inhibiting genotypic variation. Right?

The pesky lactose molecule which demonstrates modern evolution

This isn’t necessarily the case, in fact, some scientists propose that rather than evolution slowing down, the process is speeding up significantly. Nonetheless, of what scientists may speculate, the data shows that evolution is still occurring throughout our populations. These changes can be seen through dietary traits and phenotypic variations. In the case of dietary traits, lactose intolerance is put in the spotlight. Lactose intolerance is the inability of an organism (in this case humans) to break down the lactose molecule (a sugar). This trait in itself expresses the continuation of the evolutionary process as certain populations became more reliant on the ability to digest lactose and, therefore, in such populations (even today) individuals that reside in these areas tend to carry a genomic variation that allows for the digestion of lactose. As well, phenotypic variations like hair color, eye color, and height are all very prominent examples of how evolution is still occurring. The case of hair and skin color, these traits are selected for based on location. In environments in which there is a high exposure (eg. Africa, the Middle East), darker skin is selected for whereas environments further from the equator select for lighter skin as not as much melanin is needed to block UV rays. You can learn more about this here

     Although humans are still seen to undergo evolution by natural selection, who knows. Maybe by the year 2050, we will be birthing super babies capable of grand things.

FYI: If you have some time check out the Darwin Awards, you won't regret it :)

Below are some top natural selection memes to brighten your day:

Playing God with Genes

One day in freshman bio, my class was learning about selective breeding and artificial selection to produce bigger crops and animals. A girl raised her hand and asked if that same idea could be applied to people. Unwittingly, she had just stumbled onto a policy from 100 years ago.

Have you ever had an idea that you were so sure was right, only to find out it wasn't? Probably. Has that idea ever led to the suffering of millions? Probably not. While you may not be able to claim this dubious distinction, Francis Galton can. A cousin of Charles Darwin, he took his famous relative's theory and extended it much farther than intended. He created the field of eugenics, a pseudoscience (meaning it had no real basis). It was a form of race science, which in general was very popular in the late 19th century/early 20th century (for anyone taking APUSH, see Social Darwinism).

     Finalists for a eugenics contest at a state fair (creepy, right?)

                                   
                                 

Eugenics essentially said that the human race could be "improved" by selecting for desired traits; essentially selective breeding, but for humans. This may sound crazy now, but back then it was considered a totally legit science: classes on the subject were taught at universities and the first International Eugenics Conference took place in 1912. Much more dangerous was the legislation passed in the US, which took the lead in ensuring the fitness of its population. 32 states passed laws from 1907-37 allowing for forced sterilization of those deemed unfit to reproduce.

The Nazis based their policies off of these US laws, culminating in genocide. After WWII, when the public saw what these ideas led to, eugenics was discredited. But recently there have been fears of a revival of eugenics. These fears stem from CRISPR, a tool for genomic editing.

Bacteria have long stretches of DNA (called CRISPR, or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) in them that are actually copies of viruses, allowing the bacteria to recognize when the virus has invaded; think of it like a mug shot letting you identify a past criminal. Once the virus has been recognized, bacteria send the Cas9 enzyme to chop up the virus. Taking advantage of this, scientists created guide RNA, which can cut the bacteria's DNA at any point. The bacteria then deploys Cas9 to fix this cut, using a DNA template that scientists have provided to make new DNA. Essentially, the bacteria is "tricked" into creating genes that humans want.

The basics of CRISPR

                                                         

This technique has been used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice, create malaria-resistant mosquitoes, and make pig organs that can be transplanted into people. Last year, a Chinese scientist created the first CRISPR-edited babies, having deleted a gene in the embryos, thus making the offspring resistant to HIV and other diseases. This led to an international outcry, not so much for what was done, but for what can of worms this could open. There are fears of a world of "designer babies," where parents who can afford to will choose what they want their kids to be like; the movie Gattaca showed what this future could be like.

So much drama over a little protein

In the wake of the outcry, the heads of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences have called for the international scientific community to agree upon standards for the legitimate use of CRISPR; this is to ensure the technology does not go towards nefarious ends. While we are a long way off from creating designer babies, there are still legitimate concerns about the use of CRISPR and its regulation. That does not mean the technology should be banned, as much good can come from this tool. As humans get closer and closer to being able to play God, we must be careful with how we use these new powers and ensure that we do not return to the dark days of eugenics.

Nothing Breaks Like a Heart

Loss is a painful part of life that we must endure. Whether it’s the passing of a loved one, the end of a relationship, rejection, or betrayal, it’s common we feel “heartbroken” after permanent distance is put between us and people or things we were dedicated to. Or as Miley Cyrus wisely put it: “This world can hurt you/ It cuts you deep and leaves a scar /Things fall apart, but nothing breaks like a heart…”

An inaccurate depiction of a heart when it breaks

                                                                   
For most people, being heartbroken is just in our head; but in some rare cases, the extreme stress that results from loss can actually cause the heart to weaken and bulge. This reaction is most commonly referred to as broken heart syndrome, but can also be called stress-induced/takotsubo cardiomyopathy. (Fun fact: a takotsubo is a Japanese octopus trap that has a similar look to the shape of the heart when it “breaks.”)

Before we get into what actually happens to the heart by those affected with the syndrome, I’d like to give a warning to all of the ladies reading this blog post. According to the Harvard Health Publishing, about 90% of the cases of broken heart syndrome are found in women in the age range of 58-75. More importantly, about 5% of women who are told they had a heart attack actually have broken heart syndrome. Why does this misdiagnosis occur, you ask? Oh, because the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and broken heart syndrome are identical.

I think if I were reading this blog post out loud to a large group of people a hush would’ve fallen over the room. Or maybe someone would dramatically gasp and faint into the arms of a stranger. Either way, it may sound crazy that they are nearly indistinguishable but it makes sense that they are, as both heart attacks and broken heart syndrome are commonly linked with pain in the chest and difficulty breathing as a result of extreme stress.

Stress is the biggest cause of broken heart syndrome

Let’s quickly review some of these signs and symptoms, just in case. Both a heart attack and broken heart syndrome can be caused by a decrease in blood pressure, violence, asthma, unexpected events, arguments, loss, surprises, pain, illness, procedures, or even public speaking. All of these are linked by an increased level of stress.

Broken heart syndrome causes the left ventricle of the heart, which pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, to get weaker due to stress hormones that create changes in blood vessels and/or muscle cells, which in turn inhibit effective contraction. The most common hormone is adrenaline, which can disrupt the normal beat of the heart, by "stunning" it. According to Mayo Clinic, drugs can increase the chance of broken heart syndrome as well, because they can increase the level of stress hormones in the bloodstream.

In order to properly diagnose broken heart syndrome instead of a heart attack, doctors must determine that the arteries were not blocked and that the left ventricle balloons. In a heart attack, a blood clot blocks the artery while in broken heart syndrome the blood flow just experiences a reduction. This ballooning is caused by the apex of the left ventricle bulging outwards while the other portions of the chamber continue to pump blood at normal levels. This process is the connection between the shape of the heart and the Japanese octopus trap pictured below.

Left: Ballooning of the left ventricle; Right: Takotsubo octopus trap

                                                 
The good thing about apical ballooning is that much like the balloons at your eighth birthday party, over time they deflate. Doctors usually prescribe regular heart failure medications and aspirin. In order to make a full recovery, the stress that caused the broken heart cannot continue to be part of the patient’s life. With the right treatment, people affected can be back to normal in about 2 months. In some rare cases, broken heart syndrome can be fatal, or it can lead to hypotension, irregular heart beat, or fluid in the lungs. That's why it is important to go to the doctor if you experience shortness of breath or pain in the chest after any of the symptoms stated before.

Mr. Lake Erie

Lake Erie Algae Bloom

In February of 2019 Lake Erie’s ecosystem was given legal rights. This means that citizens surrounding Lake Erie who can sue government bodies or corporations if they have evidence that someone is harming the lake. To understand why this unprecedented decision was made you have to go back all the way back to the beginning of the 19th century.

In the summer of 2014 Lake Erie experienced a monstrous algae bloom, this harmful phytoplankton can cause vomiting and liver damage. Though algae blooms are a common occurrence in lake Erie the one in 2014 was significant not only for its sheer size but the impact it had on humans. The algae bloom contaminated the drinking water of the surrounding areas, and though the water was deemed safe to drink again the algae blooms did not stop. They kept on returning contaminating the drinking water and hurting Lake Erie's ecosystem.


Lake Erie 2014 Bloom

It's important to look back and figure out what is causing these severe blooms, the short answer is cattle and farming.

The land west of Lake Erie now is mostly corn and soybean fields, but prior to the 20th century it was called The Great Black Swamp. It was a giant swamp that was left untouched by Native Americans until European Settlers arrived. They wanted to drain the swamp.


The Clearing of the Great Black Swamp

They did this by digging trenches around the field to siphon of the water and they put underground tubes in to move the water from the swampy soil to its final destination Lake Erie. For organic crop farming this wouldn't have been a problem for Lake Erie but today this area is home to 146 Centralized Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). CAFOs are small areas of land in which cows, chicken, and pigs are raised. It is a cost effective cruel way to raise cattle fast. CAFOs created a problem, because there are so many animals in a modest amount of land there is an enormous amount of waste (manure) and nowhere for it to go. This resulted in the creation of manure lagoons (manure and water).


Manure Lagoon

When these lagoons fill up the manure is loaded up and sprayed across corn and soybean fields to fertilize the land. The liquid mixture not only fertilizes the soil but leaks into the underground tubes and eventually makes its way to Lake Erie. Phosphorus from the manure and warm water from the lake bond to create orthophosphate. Orthophosphate is what stimulates Lake Erie’s toxic algae bloom, and if manure keeps on entering the lake Orthophosphate levels will continue to rise and the algae blooms will become more frequent and more severe.

This is why Toledo, Ohio’s citizens fought for Lake Erie to have legal rights. In February 2019 they prevailed, which means any citizen of Toledo that has evidence that a corporation or government body is harming the lake can file a lawsuit on behalf to Lake Erie. This is a new movement that wants to give rights to parks, rivers, mountains, and forests to protect them from humans. On the surface the Lake Erie Bill of Rights seems like a great bill that protect Lake Erie, but if you think long term this law could set a dangerous precedence.

The new wave of environmental conservatism that gives inanimate objects and land rights has quite a few unintended consequences. To begin there is no guarantee that the Supreme Court will uphold this law, and if it does get stuck down this bars all future bills from being passed. In addition to this, the Lake Erie Bill of Rights can be abused by companies and people who want to further their own agenda, this could be done by companies who falsify evidence that their competitors are harming the lakes ecosystem.

While something needs to be done to protect Lake Erie and those who rely on it, giving a lake legal rights may not be the best way to go.


Toledans protesting for Lake Erie Bill of Rights

Good Grief! Not the Coral Reef!

Tropical Coral Reef 

The tropical coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems on the planet due to the vast amount of animals that live in the coral and are protected by them. Unfortunately, the coral reefs are dying at an unsettling rate, and this is because of the stresses that the corals face because of the water that surrounds them.

The Affect of Coral Bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef 

Coral bleaching is a process that corals go through when they are stressed by a significant environmental change, like the change in sea temperature. What happens to the coral is the symbiotic algae that live in the tissue of the coral is expelled, causing the coral to turn white. The algae and the coral have a mutualistic relationship with each other. The coral provides a protected environment and components for the algae, to undergo photosynthesis, while the algae provides the nutrients that the coral needs to stay alive. When the coral does not have the algae in its tissue, it lacks the nutrients that it needs, and cannot survive.

Climate change is one of the leading factors that contribute to the death of coral reefs. Two reasons why climate change is killing the coral are the effect of changing sea temperatures and ocean acidification. Ocean acidification occurs when excess CO2 in the atmosphere dissolves into the oceans, which makes the water more acidic. Where does this excess CO2 in the atmosphere come from? Humans, of course! By burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased over time and has vastly affected our ecosystems. When bleaching occurs, it can happen on an enormous scale. In 2016, there was a "mass bleaching event" in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia because of climate change.

 The effect of the death of corals reefs do not only affect the lives of species in the ocean, but they also affect the economies of the places around them. The coral reefs are home to about 9,000 species of marine life, which means that the food webs in the ocean are profoundly affected. The ripple effects from the smallest plankton to the most massive whale shark. In Australia, the death of the coral reef is detrimental to their economy. Because the reef supports the fisheries, which contributes 6.4 billion to the Australian economy and also employs more than 64,000 people. If the coral reefs die, then the animals will die. Fewer animals mean that there will be less money going to the Australian economy, causing people to lose their jobs. Developing countries are also negatively affected by the death of the reefs. Not only are they affected by the lack of fish close to the reefs, but they are also affected by the lack of tourists. Because the beautiful reefs attract tourists to these countries, they are losing money because nobody wants to see dead coral reefs.

Now, you may be asking, What can I do to protect coral? Well, you can start by recycling and disposing of your trash correctly, especially on the beach. Another way that you can protect our coral is to reduce your use of fertilizers in your gardens because when it rains the fertilizers run into the waterways that end up in the ocean, polluting the water and harming the coral reefs. If you decide to take a trip and visit the coral, please avoid touching the reefs, because any contact with the coral reef could damage the corals and the animals that live within them. 

A scuba diver at the coral reef in the Caribbean 

All of these atrocities are due to climate change and how humans are hurting our environment because of the hurtful fossil fuels that we are putting into our atmosphere. Not only does the death of coral affect the lives of species in the ocean, but it also affects the lives of humans and countries that depend on the coral for the stability of their economies. So the next time you take a look at the beautiful corals, think about what you can do to help preserve not only their beauty but the lives that they impact. 

Dream On...

If you could control your dreams, what would you do? Fly with wings, meet your favorite celebrity, quit school and travel the world, become the most rich and famous person ever to exist? Unfortunately, that might not all be possible, but with lucid dreaming, there is a way to achieve the control to make these things happen in your sleep.

Dreaming on a Cloud

Usually when dreaming one is not aware of the fact that they are dreaming, but during lucid dreams, one becomes aware of this fact while continuing to sleep and is able to have control over the decisions they make. In short, lucid dreaming is a state where the conscious part of the brain is awake while the body is sleeping. Like most dreams, lucid dreaming occurs in the REM - rapid eye movement - sleep. During this stage, dreams are the most vivid, respirations are irregular and shallow, and irregularities in heart rate and body temperature may occur; the brain waves of this stage are most similar to those when awake.

Brain Waves during Sleep

Although it is not absolute, the frontal lobe of the brain is said to be responsible for lucid dreams occurring as they become more active in lucid stages than normal REM stages, but not as active as when you are fully awake; which is why some might say that lucid dreaming is a hybrid stage of wakefulness and REM. The frontal lobe of the brain is the part that controls cognitive skills and helps us make decisions which is why it is not too far fetched of a hypothesis to say this part plays a role in lucid dreaming.

Frontal Lobe

The big idea of lucid dreaming is control. If you really wanted to, you could consciously make the decision to quit school and travel the world. Because of this aspect, lucid dreaming can even be seen as a treatment for those that suffer from nightmares by them making conscious decisions in their sleep and being able to get rest.

Lucid dreaming is a safe and innate way to have control over your mind while sleeping. Practicing methods like reminding yourself as you are falling asleep that you want to realize you are dreaming tonight, recalling dreams, reminding yourself throughout the day that you are conscious, or recognizing dreamsigns can help you achieve a lucid dream because of an increase in your grasp of reality. From lucid dreaming you are able to do literally anything you can dream of without actually doing anything, how fun!

How Animals Might Be Our Weakness

Are Your Pets Emotionally Manipulating You?

Have you ever wondered why, when a puppy is seen in public, most people in the vicinity immediately begin cooing and smiling at it? I mean, it's just an animal. Why are people so excited? Then you look, you really look, and all of a sudden you're also smiling at the tiny thing? Or when you're eating and your dog looks up at you with its big eyes and you know you have to just give him a little bit of food? As it turns out, there is actually an evolutionary reason for this phenomenon!

Small Pup Playing in the Water

Especially in baby animals- like puppies or kittens- the large eyes and small facial features are thought to be an evolutionary tactic used to elicit a chemical response called the baby schema effect. This leads to a release of oxytocin in the brain, resulting in feelings of happiness, love, affection, and attachment. Features like large eyes, small noses, small chins, and pudgy bodies cause a response in the regions of the hypothalamus similar to those activated by human babies. When people see babies with their innocent and vulnerable features, an emotional response occurs that releases chemicals to cause feelings of affection and protectiveness to ensure the survival of the baby until he or she can fend for him or herself. These evolutionary facial features seen in babies have been naturally selected for in animals, increasing the survival rate of young organisms in the wild and the emotional response humans have towards them. 

A Good Wholesome Dog With His Human Parasite

Now, although baby animals with their big eyes are almost impossible to not give in to, its also just as likely that humans would have the same emotional response to bugs. At first, that seems completely unlikely. Who could find a giant centipede cute? However, it might be possible! Some speculate that humans have evolved to produce oxytocin through what is called a “learning module”, a form of imprinting. The theory is that humans might have genes code for proteins that cause a positive response in the brain towards whatever features that appear in our own offspring. Because of these genes, it can be presumed that if human babies had jagged and rough features instead of the small and soft ones, humans would favor those characteristics instead. So, do you like bunnies over centipedes because they are, in fact, cuter? Or are you just biased towards those features?

The Cutest Bunny in the World

Overall, natural selection and evolution have led to cute and furry animals being on similar levels as our own human offspring. Is this a completely manipulative deed done by nature? Yes. Is it incredibly smart and effective? Yes. Even with this knowledge, are we all still going to give in to our pets when they beg for things? Wholeheartedly. But for now, go snuggle your pets or look up cute cat videos. Despite the biological manipulation, it will boost your mood and make you smile!

Some Cute Animals Manipulating Your Feelings

Zombie Deer Disease and Why We Should Fear it

This is the Zombie Apocalypse we should really be fearing because it is right at our doorstep. Now of course "Zombie Deer Disease" does not actually bring any deer back from the dead, they may just look like extras from The Walking Dead - Deer Edition. 

The proper name for this disease is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and it is a progressive fatal degenerative neurological disease. Yeah, I know that all those words together are pretty freaking scary, however, you are in luck because so far it has only affected cervid populations. Cervids are the deer family, so moose, elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, reindeer, etc. and are found in all continents except Australia and Antarctica. CWD has been found in cervid populations in Canada, the United States, Norway, and South Korea (through imported deer). CWD is also a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy or TSE, other TSEs are Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad Cow disease, Scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and Fatal Familial Insomnia. TSEs are caused by abnormal proteins called prions.

A Healthy Stag (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer#/media/File:Family_Cervidae_five_species.jpg)

Effects:
The effects of CWD are pretty scary they include holes eaten into the brain, drastic weight loss, lack of coordination and lack of fear of people (https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/cwd-animals.html). Other than the obvious eating holes in the brain of the deer part there are also other reasons that this can wreak havoc on the populations. Discoordinated deer cannot protect themselves against predators like other deer can and they also do not realize that they should see humans as a threat. Also, deer with CWD by some reports die at a rate 3 times that of unaffected deer yearly. There are a few major problems that are hindering efforts to prevent CWD, first it has a really long incubation period of somewhere between 18 to 24 months and physiological symptoms do not show up until the very end. Also, it is really contagious among cervid populations and no one knows how to stop it yet. The main reason for the lack of prevention is it is not known how it is transmitted and even by depopulating any area it doesn't stop it from coming back in a totally new population later put in the area. Another reason that there is a problem is that not much can be done with the populations because no one knows how to stop it.

Deer suffering from CWD (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-finds-no-chronic-wasting-disease-transmissibility-macaques)

Research:

Luckily research has started to do with a few different aspects of CWD. At the University of Minnesota, they got $1.5 M to fund research into improving testing for CWD (https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/departments/veterinary-and-biomedical-sciences/spotlight/drs-pam-skinner-and-peter-larsen-aim-18m-funding-speed-chronic-wasting-disease-testing). Research was also done by the University of Wyoming to test the effects of CWD on cattle and it was found that cattle resist exposure to CWD which is good because it means that right now at least it will probably not transfer to cattle populations (http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2018/05/long-term-research-shows-domestic-cattle-resist-oral-exposure-to-chronic-wasting-disease.html). The NIH also did a study to see if there was transmissibility of CWD to the primate Cynomolgus Macaque or Crab-eating Macaque for which they found no transmissibility which for humans is a good sign (https://jvi.asm.org/content/92/14/e00550-18).

Cynomolgus Macaque (https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/macaques/macaques/behaviour-and-communication/)

The Spread:
The best piece of news for humanity is actually that there is no piece of evidence for human risk yet. It has even been determined by some that most of the time a human can even eat deer meat infected with CWD. However, the threat of CWD is becoming more prevalently all the time with it now being in 21 states in the US.

Distribution of CWD in North America (https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/distribution-chronic-wasting-disease-north-america-0)

If you are interested, more information about CWD can be found at the CDC page of CWD (https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/index.html) and at the CWD website (http://cwd-info.org/faq/).

Circadian Rhythms and How to Mess Them Up

24 Hour Circadian Rhythm Diagram

Hey Readers!

So, circadian rhythms are this extremely weird concept that I'm fascinated with. Within a 24 hour period, there are certain things more likely to happen at certain times, some that you are aware of, but most that you are not. Some more common terms for your circadian rhythms are your "inner" or "biological" clock, which are actually not accurate labels for your circadian rhythms. Believe it or not, this mysterious regulatory system controls more about you than you realize. 

Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, emotional and even behavioral changes that follow a 24 hour, or daily cycle. Similarly to the technique of photoperiodism in plants, they respond to the level of light and darkness in the environment. Often confused with biological clocks, the two are closely intertwined, as your biological clock signals and often regulates the production of circadian rhythms. A common disruption of circadian rhythms are the symptoms known as jet lag when the shift in time zones and therefore in the timing of light levels shifts drastically.

Light's Impact on Rhythms

The "master clock" or main circadian rhythm controller is known as the SCN, or suprachiasmatic nucleus, and is located in the hypothalamus. The cells in this location are packed with genes that carry out the functions necessary for maintaining circadian rhythms, though they are also located elsewhere in the body, such as the kidneys, liver, etc. This master system regulates all other circadian rhythms and provides important information, such as when the body should increase and/or decrease melatonin and other hormone levels, shifts in temperature and blood pressure, and other impacts yet to be discovered.

So.... how exactly does one mess up this "clock"? Shouldn't it just reset and force your body back into this "optimal" schedule for your health? 

For some cycles, like the sleep cycle, this can be very true. The circadian rhythm for sleep is controlled by the hypothalamus, a small portion of your brain that is responsible for the rhythm and so much more. But still... there are ways to get around them. 

For me, this means that my sleep/wake cycle is what most would call unhealthy. Staying up until the wee hours of the morning doesn't sound like a good time to most, but hey, I probably get just as many hours as those who go to bed at 10:00 pm. This is because my circadian rhythm has shifted to accommodate my odd schedule. Instead of living a 24 hour day, like most, I tend to live two 12 hour days within a 24 hour period, by sleeping for periods of 3 & 1/2 to four hours at the same times during the am and pm, generally around 3:30-7.

Circadian Rhythm for Temperature

Despite the fact that the sleep/wake cycle is the most commonly known of the circadian rhythms, it is certainly not the only one in existence. Research has been done on circadian rhythms to discover when the best times to take medications are, when higher risks for heart attacks and other detrimental illnesses occur, and so much more. The power of circadian rhythms seems endless, and it's entirely likely that we've only scratched the surface of their capabilities. 

The field of research on circadian rhythms is constantly growing, with advancements in chemotherapy and the idea being applied to more and more concepts as more research is done. The history of circadian rhythm research is equally as interesting, with discoveries in plants and smaller animals such as flies and mice over 200 years ago. The study of circadian rhythms is known as chronobiology. Medial professionals reported in 2000 that knowledge of circadian rhythms can be applied to over 35 diseases, and the number has only grown since. For an idea so commonplace, it's interesting to see how little people really know about it. 

Positive Change in Population Control

I am sure all of you have had that experience of wandering the neighborhood, or driving down the street, and you spot a cat. It was most likely alone, minding its own business, looking for its next meal, or just simply strolling through the town it calls its home. Have you imagined that cat yet? Now, let me ask you a question about your experience: did you notice if its ear was tipped? 

If you're someone who's never looked for a cat with a tipped ear, you're not alone! It's not something most people think about when they first see a cat, but the reason for that is because people don't know the meaning behind it. I myself never looked for that noticeable mark until the summer of 2018. This was when I started volunteering for CPAW NJ. CPAW NJ is a nonprofit organization based in Montclair. The organization's sole purpose is Trap Neuter Vaccinate and Release, or TNVR (more about this later), in the cat communities in our area. 

CPAW NJ logo from http://cpawnj.org/

Karen Shinevar, the president of this charity, gave me the opportunity to help socialize a couple kittens and adult cats that they had rescued from the street. In this adventure, I was able to interact with cats who changed my opinion of feral cats and their impact on our community. Karen was honest to me in revealing that their plan was no longer to try to get cats adopted, but rather facilitate TNVR anywhere they could spread it. 

Jack and Turner photographed by me :)
both have been luckily adopted 

 All the cats I met while working this program were absolutely delightful. I worked with Jack and Turner, two siblings who both sustained injuries to their eyes pictured above, and with Oreo, he was abused when he was younger due to him being the only black kitten to come out of his mom's litter. Since then, Oreo has been rescued by Karen and is still looking for a home (if you are please send an email here)! I'm sure all of you want to keep hearing about my adventures with the cats I worked with, but I want to highlight the true purrrpose of CPAW NJ. After all, it wasn't the experiences with the kittens that I value most from CPAW. 

Picture of Oreo photographed by Alina (another volunteer)

Overpopulation can easily occur in cat communities due to the sexual behavior of female cats.  Cats reach sexual maturity at around 4 months old, so they have kittens much faster than a lot of animals. Cats, like rabbits, have heat cycles which occur every 12-22 days causing a release of hormones and a change in behavior that attracts new mates. In their period of heat, which can last from 2 days to 2 weeks, many male cats will mate with the female causing a large mix of genes. Once the cat gives birth, they can be fertilized again in as little as 2 days. This means that the cat population can get out of hand quickly. This cycle can also have effects on the mother because she can over exert herself when having litters so often. Cats can give birth to new litters 5 and a half times a year. This quick birth rate is all supposed to give cats a higher chance to pass on their genes, thus having high fitness. Currently, there are 500,000 cats on the streets of NYC, imagine in the entire US! Of course, governments have taken measures to try to regulate this cat population.

Cat population statistics brought to us by the CPAW NJ Facebook page

Traditionally, it is common for governments to utilize the option of trap and kill to handle their overpopulation of community cats. Trap and kill is when the government orders their animal control officers to lower the population of cats through the mass murdering of the population. However, this has shown to be ineffective due to the scientific phenomenon known as the vacuum effect. The vacuum effect is a description of what happens when a large piece of a population is removed: in some time, the population will bounce back because the resources in the community are now available. Immigration occurs as more animals try to take advantage of open shelters and plentiful food. Some people may be then drawn to the idea of adoption for these cats, however, this solution is also problematic. 

Yes, we always love to see a rescue mission that involves finding an animal a home. But sometimes, that is not always possible. There are strays on the street who would do much better in a home, these cats are usually banged up and ill prepared for defending themselves on the streets. Feral cats, however, have been raised in the wild. They are usually unfit for adoption because they have not been socialized. Cats need proper socialization with humans as kittens in order to become pets. If a cat is not properly socialized at the beginning of its life, it is likely that cat can never be a house pet. Without socialization, a feral cat will become stressed around humans and display aggressive behavior like hissing, spitting, and running away. Cats like Jack and Turner were lucky to be socialized as kittens because they can be adopted. However, if a cat shows any sign of being feral, they are usually euthanized in shelters for being wild. Statistics show that over 70% of cats are euthanized in shelters. 

This image shows a pyramid of actions to best reduce the cat population
https://www.communitycatspodcast.com/introducing-the-community-cat-pyramid/

This is why Karen started to spread the message of TNVR. This practice provides a humane way to handle outdoor cats while also fixing the communities' overpopulation issue. Instead of killing the cats caught by animal control officers, the goal is for cats to be neutered/spayed, vaccinated, allowed to heal, and then released back to where they were found. There are many benefits of TNVR for the cats's health and human life. For one, studies have shown that TNVR instead of trap and kill improves morale and happiness in animal control employees. The amount of euthanasias in shelters decreases significantly after a TNVR practice goes into effect. Not only that, but community cats play an important role in our environment's ecosystem. They fill in a specific niche that we should all be grateful for: small animal control. They hunt rats and mice so that the rodents cannot enter our houses. If not for community cats, our town could end up like Chicago did when it had a 3 month wait list for community cats due to a lack of rodent control. In that same matter, TNVR also prevents overconsumption of small birds and other wildlife by keeping a limited number of predators. TNVR also promotes cheap spay and neutering for pet owners. This means that humans can have easily accessible surgery that benefits the lives of their pets. In Montclair, CPAW NJ runs a monthly spay/neuter van in their campaign called Beat the Heat.

 As for the cats, the vaccinations allow the cats to become resistant to rabies, which also benefits us. The trap, neuter, and release practice allows for behavioral changes like reduced territorial fighting. The cats live a safer life with less injuries and resistance to diseases that would normally spread quickly in communities. When the cars are sterilized, they usually stop their sexual behavior. This prevents vocalized mating, a common behavior that many people are irritated by. In addition, cats can no longer have kittens in the cold outdoors where most of them usually die. To ensure they don't mistakenly attempt a second sterilization on the same cat, TNVR organizations tip one ear of the cats who have already been neutered. This is why it is important to look for that tip! Not only does TNVR result in a cheaper and practical solution to overpopulation, it also has countless studies that support that TNVR is beneficial for all parties. 

community cat inside a trap about to be checked up. The cover allows
for the cat to calm down. Photo from the CPAWNJ facebook.

With all these benefits for TNVR, it's crazy that it hasn't been implemented widely. Sadly, the true issue that prevents TNVR from spreading is the lack of knowledge. Many officials in government often say that spay/neutering will not solve the problem. This is why CPAW NJ tries to spread this awareness in communities. It solves the long term problem of overpopulation while giving cats the best chance of surviving in the outdoors. TNVR organizations also face additional challenges. Traps require food for the cat to eat as bait. Without it, no cat would enter the trap and no neutering would happen. Karen told me recently that many towns will tell her they believe in TNVR, but will not legalize feeding feral cats. Notably, another issue is that many governments mandate TNR registration. People who run TNVR efforts are forced to share their personal information. The government also considers the cats that are recovering in the operator's care as the operator's personal property. This in turn makes them violate maximum cat allowance ordinances.  

tipped ear cat from CPAW NJ website.

If you have been particularly inspired to help with this message, please check out the CPAW NJ get involved page! The people here are kind, considerate, and willing to teach you. CPAW not only handles spay/neuter and TNR, they also handle surrender prevention by providing behavior advice, cat care for beginners, and even lost cat aid. CPAW NJ has taught me how important a cat can be to our human-made ecosystem. That, and gave me the important job of teaching about the tipped ear. 

Brown Speckles Taking Over Your Body????

For almost the entirety of my life my face and body have been covered in freckles. Up until now I failed to understand what they were and why they were there. I wear SPF 50 on my face and whenever I go outside I still seem to gain more freckles. As someone who has had and will have freckles my entire life I decided it was time to finally understand what they are and why some people get them while others don't.

Woman with Freckles

What are Freckles?
Freckles, the small brown speckles on people's skin, form due to production of high amounts of melanin. Melanin is the pigment that gives human skin, eyes, and hair its color. Melanin is made by skin cells called melanocytes and it protects our DNA from harmful UV rays given off by the sun. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, the melanocytes will begin to make melanin which causes the freckles to appear or become darker. In some people, these melanocytes are distributed evenly and when exposed to the sun they tan. However, people with freckles have melanocytes that are clumped together and thus only clumps of skin appear darker.

UV rays interacting with Melanocytes

What Causes Freckles?
Genetics of course! Freckles are primarily controlled by the MC1R gene. The MC1R gene controls how much of which kind of melanin you produce. There are two main types of melanin: darker brown eumelanin and reddish yellow pheomelanin. If someone contains an active MC1R gene your body produces more eumelanin which results in darker hair and skin. If your MC1R gene is inactive you produce more pheomelanin and have a susceptibility to freckles. Individuals whose skin produce more pheomelanin are not protected from the sun and tend to have red or blonde hair and light skin. While people who produce eumelanin are more protected from UV damage and have brown or black hair, darker skin, and tan skin. Along with the MC1R gene scientists believe that there are many genes responsible for freckling.

MC1R Gene

Research suggest that freckles are a heritable trait that show a dominant inheritance pattern. Thus, parents with freckles tend to have children with freckles. This makes sense considering my entire family is covered with them.

Women with freckles

Common Misconceptions
Many people confuse freckles with age or sun spots. However, there is a big difference between freckles and age spots (sun spots). Dr. Kally Papantoniou, an expert in the field of cosmetic dermatology, states that "True freckles, the kind that appear on skin in childhood are cause by increased levels of melanin in melanocytes," while, "'age spots', or 'lentigos', are dark spots that appear later life and are due to increased amounts of melanocytes in the skin from UVA/B damage."

Whats the deal with melanin?
When skin is exposed to UV rays from the sun for long periods of time, the UV light damages the DNA within our cells and skin starts to burn. Severe DNA damage can lead to melanoma, a deadly cancer that forms in the skin's melanocytes. What stands between us and that threat is the melanin in our skin. It protects skin cell DNA by forming what is called supranuclear caps around the nucleus of skin cells and absorbing UV. This stops UV from penetrating the nucleus and attacking the DNA.

To conclude freckles are harmless and are not a sign of a health problem. They act like little drops of sunscreen that protect people like me from UV damaging rays that can cause skin cancer. People need to appreciate freckles more as they are a sign of our body trying to keep us healthy.

-Charlotte Adams