Biosolids, hmm or eww?

As we know, when humans intake any source of food, the food will one day leave the body. Have you ever wondered what happens to the excreted waste? Most people probably just think that it takes a trip down the toilet, into some pipes, into the sewage and into a lake or river. This is true in some ways, but little do people know that some of the waste is actually being treated and recycled as fertilizer! GROSS…may be the first reaction of many. It does indeed sound very “gross”, however putting that aside, there are many benefits to the use of biosolids. Although that may not necessarily mean that there are no negative aspects, the benefits far exceed the negatives.
Cities in Canada used to dump their raw sewage sirectly into the rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. In fact, some cities still do so today. This is very polluting to the waters and is extremely hazardous to the animals that live there. Also, our tap water/drinking water comes from these sources, so this is potentially harmful to humans as well. Canadian cities are now required to treat the wastewater by separating the water and the waste at wastewater treatment plants. Now that the water is safer to release into the waters, what happens to the solids left behind? In 2008, 41% of biosolids in Toronto ended up in landfills (look to the pie chart above). This takes up a lot of disposal space and can even be considered a waste, no pun intended.

In many parts of the world, biosolids are returned back to the environment for agricultural purposes. People of the western world may view this as unsanitary and disgusting, but that’s only judging a book by its cover. Biosolids have been proven to be, for the most part, environmentally safe. They are definitely less pollutant than animal manure and chemical fertilizers and so far have had no significant risks to the environment or human health. What can these biosolids do for our environment other than make more space for other landfills? The answer is ‘plenty’.

Biosolids actually contain rich nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and many other micronutrients like copper, boron, zinc and iron. Due to the fact that our bodies do not absorb all the nutrients that enter, much of it is excreted through the waste. These nutrients are essential for plant growth and helps maintain the soils healthy. The organic material of biosolids serves as a conditioner for the soil, which promotes dense healthy roots and allows the plants to take up nutrients better. They also bind the soil particles so that there is better soil texture (reducing erosion) and better water holding capacity. The nutrients of biosolids are less water-soluble, so they are less likely to filter into underground or be carried away by surface waters. This way, they will stay with the roots and can be used up by the plants.

Although biosolids have been so far been labeled as safe, there are still potential downsides. Due to the fact that biosolids are in fact human waste, there can be, although not so severe, health hazards. If, and I say if, these biosolids do indeed cause harm, their effects would not be reversible because once they are applied to the area, they cannot be taken out. As mentioned before, biosolids contain many metal elements, which cause another concern of these metals accumulating in the long-run. These long-term effects may be a big problem to the land as well as humans and animals who may consume the vegetation grown from biosolids. Lastly, one of the main reasons to why people oppose the use of biosolids is the odour. We all know how horrible human waste can smell, so how can we even imagine using it not as fertilizer for our food? Maybe even the thought of eating food grown from human waste can take away someone’s appetite.

These negative aspects of biosolids are just some major concerns of people. Since biosolids have already been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, they shouldn’t be much of a problem. The pros of biosolids definitely outweigh the cons, so we should just put our negative thinking aside and give them a chance. Think about it, by using biosolids we get nutrient-rich fertilizer for our agricultural purposes, we can reduce landfills and save a whole load of money spent on disposing them in landfills and buying chemical fertilizer which isn’t even good for the environment at all. In the year of 2008, only 11% of Toronto’s biosolids have been returned back to the land (refer to chart above). I think our city can definitely do better than that!

Sources:

Biosolids Benefits

<http://www.biosolids.com/benefits.html>

Biosolids: Fertilizer or Pollution?

<http://www.sencer.net/Outreach/pdfs/DCSymposium08/Posters/LUbiosolids.pdf>

Biosolids Management

<http://www.toronto.ca/water/biosolids/index.htm>

FAQ - Biosolids

<http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp>

Commented on:

Jenny Yeung - Biosolids

Priscilla Chen - I'm all for recycling, but human waste?

Technology Allows Us to See Inside the Human Body

Technology has helped our world in so many ways, including our complex understanding of internal human body systems. In the earlier days, the only way people were able to know about the interior of the human body were through operation and dissection, which is quite a scary concept. However, today we have many different kinds of technology that allow experts to take a look inside our bodies without having to open us up. A few of these various technologies are endoscopes, scanning devices, and electronic pills. Each of these has made their own contributions to the study of internal body organs, and without them, many questions about the human body may have been left unanswered to this day.

An endoscope is a medical instrument used for endoscopy that allows us to peek inside the human body through a long and thin tube that has a light and a video camera. Images from the camera will show up on a screen outside the body to be analyzed. Many interior parts of the body were first viewed through an endoscope. There are many different types of endoscopes such as bronchoscopes, gastroscpoes, colonscopes, etc. They all serve the same function but involve different areas. The bronchoscope is used specifically to view the airway and lungs. The first bronchoscopy ever to be performed was done in Canada at McGill University. The gastroscope is for examining the intestine and stomach, and the colonscope for the colon. Doctors use these endoscopes to check patients for any abnormalities inside their bodies. Not only can an endoscope look into a body, but it can also be used for biopsies or to remove foreign objects. Since an endoscope is quite small, biopsies can be done without major surgeries, which is more effective. Being able to take out samples of areas of abnormality in a human’s body, a diagnosis can be made as to what medical condition the patient has.

Other technologies used to help the understanding of the interior of the human body are different kinds of scanning devices such as CT scans (often known as CAT scan) and MRI scans. These scans are used to produce images of inside the body on a computer screen. A person will be required to lay down on a surface and will be put into a dome where the scanning will happen. CT (computer tomography) scans are very similar to x-rays however more advanced. Instead of producing pictures that are printed out, the images of a CT scan appear on a screen, just like the endoscopes. CT scans also have higher resolution than x-rays which enables doctors to study more intricate areas of patients such as internal organs, tissues and blood vessels as well. Due to this ability, physicians are able to diagnose and treat medical conditions such as tumors that cannot be seen through simple x-rays. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans serve the same purpose as CT scans; but instead of using x-ray technology, MRI scans use magnetic fields and radio waves to capture images. The hydrogen protons in our body are able to react to a large magnet, so when tissues of the body interact with the magnetic pulses, the electromagnetic signals created are converted to images. MRI scans, unlike CT scans, do not have radiation and do not require a dye injection to differ the normal tissues from abnormal tissues. Both the CT scan and MRI scan are so effective that the results they produce are just like opening up a body to look inside without having to do so.

One of the more advanced technologies in viewing the inside of a human is the electronic pill, otherwise known as an endoscopy pill. This invention has allowed physicians to examine the interior of a patient’s body just by getting the patient to eat a pill! The pill travels through a person’s digestive system after being swallowed while transmitting information to a receiver along the way. The pill takes pictures of inside the body along the way and is able to sense the acidity and pressure levels of the stomach. It is also able to time how long it takes for it to be digested and excreted (the pill would be excreted after a day or two). The pill helps avoid endoscope procedures and also allow a visualization of new areas of the body not reached by the endoscope. Although this pill is great for taking a look into the digestive system, doctors have dreamed for many years of having a self-propelling capsule that can travel throughout anywhere of the interior of a person’s body as instructed or programmed to do. This means that not only will the digestive system be explored but all areas of the body including the inside of organs too! Just like the electronic pill, this self-propelling capsule will be transmitting pictures and information along the way and will be excreted from the body one way or another. Although this capsule has not yet been invented, with the rate that our technology is improving now, it’ll be no time before scientists find a way to create it.

The endoscopes, scanning devices and electronic pills are just three of many different inventions that have allowed us to learn so much about the human body. These technologies have really helped doctors and scientists discover new information regarding the interior of our body systems. Being able to look inside a body without opening it up is definitely something amazing and much less dangerous. Now these instruments are able to provide enough information to diagnose diseases which is the beginning to finding a cure. As technology becomes more and more advanced, we can only wait and see what new devices will come our way to deepen our understanding of the human body.

Sources:
"Canada's Greatest Medical Research"
http://www.canadianmedicinenews.com/
"CT Scan"
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/
"Future Endoscopes"
http://www.olympus-global.com/
"Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI Scan)"
http://www.medicinenet.com/
"Swallowable Sensors"
http://www.technologyreview.com/
"What is Endoscopy? What is an Endoscope?"
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

Commented on:
Hazel Modina- Medical Technology Advancement and It's Contributions
Jenny Yeung- Medical Technology

Artificial Selection...Is it really worth it?

“Artificial selection”…these two words are pretty much self-explanatory. It is the process of selecting artificially; but what exactly are we selecting here? The term “artificial selection”, opposite to “natural selection”, revolves around the study of evolution. Instead of letting nature do its job, when things are done artificially, it means that humans have tweaked around with the system and was able to influence its natural course. Artificial selection actually refers to the ability to select genes and characteristics of plants and animals. This is done either through breeding certain parts of the population or through mutation. By inserting, deleting or substituting various DNA molecules, a greater variety of animals and plants can be created. Therefore, the results of artificial selection are said to be man-made.

Wow…being able to select genes…sounds amazing doesn’t it? Imagine being a dog breeder using artificial selection. You’d be making endless types of wonderful dogs either to sell or to put into dog shows. That may seem like a great idea, but most of the time, when humans make decisions; they only look at the good side of it and not the bad. Although having a variety of dogs may be terrific, we need to consider what kind of effects this would have on the animals themselves. Some traits that are favoured by humans may not exactly be beneficial to the animals.


Taking the example of the cavalier spaniel, a very cute little dog, we can see why humans have chosen to continue breeding this type. They are just adorable and have won many dog shows. However, to the benefits of humans winning dog shows, these dogs are often suffering from immense pain due to how they turned out. Many cavalier spaniels are found to have a disease called “syringomyelia”, meaning that their skulls are too small to hold their brains, causing some of the brain’s cerebellum to squeeze out through a hole at the back of the skull. OUCH!...poor dogs. Is it really worth having these animals suffer to accommodate the need of dog breeders to sell more dogs and to win more dog shows?

Not only is artificial selection commonly used amongst dogs, but many other animals as well. However, just like with the dogs, most of the time the traits selected by humans only benefits the humans and not the animals themselves. Artificial selection is also used to create cows with bigger udders to produce more milk. This type of mutation is very uncomfortable for the cows because they are carrying more milk than they should and their udder would be heavier to carry around.

Although I have ranted on quite a bit about how artificial selection is really inhumane to animals,
I must admit that under a few, and I stress the words “a few”, circumstances, artificial selection does provide an advantage. Many of the vegetables we eat today would not have existed if it weren’t for artificial selection. Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale and kohlrabi were all evolved from wild mustard (as shown in the picture). Many of these vegetables are commonly eaten by people today and without the process of artificial selection, they may have never existed.

Overall, I find that there are more disadvantages to artificial selection than advantages. When it comes to using artificial selection with animals, I strongly disapprove, because we could not guarantee that we do not hurt the animals as a result of the selection. However, I’m a bit more flexible with plants. Personally, I love eating cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. Without artificial selection, these vegetables would never be available. The only circumstances where humans should use artificial selection are when it does not harm the products themselves.

Sources:

Artificial Selection

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIE4Evochange.shtml

Basic Genetics: Artificial Selection http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118084/Gene/Genetic_variation/artificialselection.htm

Selective Breeding

http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm

Syringomyelia (SM) and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

http://www.cavalierhealth.org/syringomyelia.htm

What is Artificial Selection?

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-artificial-selection.htm

Commented on:
Hazel Llanes: "Bigger, Fatter, Tastier!"
http://hazelisgreen.blogspot.com/


Marvin Zamora: "ehh, leaving things up to nature is overrated...joke..."
http://marvinsbioblog.blogspot.com/

Blue Eyes or Brown Eyes Would You Like Some With That?

Modern technology has become so advanced throughout the past decades that putting a stop to it seems almost impossible. It has already allowed scientists to screen embryos for a baby’s gender and even for any genetic disorders he/she may have, but it doesn't just stop there. When genetic disorders are detected in the embryo, there’s actually a way to cure the disorder through gene therapy, by removing abnormal genes and replacing them with healthy ones. One of the newest kinds of technology that scientists are working on is “designer babies”, as the media calls them. This will give parents the ability to select which genes they want their children to inherit. I think that designer babies are just crossing the line. Not only will they create social chaos, but there are so many reasons to why the overall idea is just so wrong.

Designer babies are created through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) combined with genetic engineering. IVF allows eggs to be fertilised by sperms outside the mother’s body in “test tubes”. After a few days, a cell will be removed from the embryo and will be genetically tested. Then the parents will decide if they want to keep this embryo by putting it into the womb, or discard it. Discarding an embryo…hmm…doesn't that sound almost exactly like killing a new life? Anyways, before the embryo is placed in the womb, the parents can also have genetic engineers modify the embryo’s DNA to create the “perfect child”. They will be able to choose the gender, eye colour, hair colour, height, intelligence level, etc. Now I find that disgusting. Why is the world so obsessed with perfections?

In a society where there is a wide variety of different people, each person is unique and special in their own way. Designer babies however, will most likely decrease the diversity in our world. For example, many people may choose blue eyes over brown for their child, if they had that choice. People with uncommon traits will no longer be so special anymore. We often hear the phrase, “it’s the inside the counts”, but I don’t think we have grasped that concept yet. Not only will people in the world look more and more similar, but designer babies will be superior to normal babies, since their looks, intelligence, athleticism and more have been modified to make them perfect. Designer babies will make the world lose its humanity; I find it hard to even consider them humans.

There are so many unmoral aspects of designer babies. First of all, as stated in a previous paragraph, when an embryo is discarded, a life is basically discarded. It is completely unfair for a person’s life to be ended before it even began. Would a parent not love their child if he/she did not turn out the way they expected? Love has nothing to do with appearance, or at least it shouldn’t. Being a designer child can definitely affect the child himself or herself. Think about how children will feel when they find out that they have been genetically modified to turn out the way they did. A million questions would be rushing through their minds. They will wonder if their parents would still love them if they did not turn out the way they did and if their parents would not have wanted them if they did not turn out that way. Designer babies would change the definition of love. If parents really loved their children, they wouldn’t care how they looked or how smart they are. Having a child is probably the most exciting thing for a couple. The anticipation of finding out the baby’s gender and its inherited traits are all part of the journey. If a couple really wants to modify their child to make if their “dream baby”, then they might as well buy a robot.

One last thing that I would like to mention is the fact that the cost of designer babies will definitely not be cheap. This probably suggests that only rich people will be able to afford them. Now if the rich can make their children more beautiful and smart, a bigger gap will be created between the rich and the poor. Is that really what we want? Also, with the economic crisis these days, people cannot afford to dig out more money to fund this research?

I really think that designer babies are a waste of time and money. The idea of being able to prevent disease by replacing genes does not sound too bad to me, but I doubt people will be able to control themselves from throwing in some cosmetic genes. Parents may even have fights over choosing the traits of their children and children will actually be able to blame their parents for any problems they may have. All in all, many problems will break out in families over these designer babies. We cannot really say that things are getting out of hand with our research into genetic processes; because we are the ones who have let it all happen.

Sources:

What is a designer baby? - http://www.bionetonline.orb/English/content/db_cont1.htm

Designer Babies - www.time.com/time/magazine/

Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations - http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html

Designer Babies: A Right to Choose? - http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/

Picture 1 - http://www.momlogic.com/images/designer_baby_shopping2_pm-thumb-270x270.jpg

Picture 2 - http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2009/02/in-vitro-fertilization-2.jpg

Picture 3 - http://lifestyle.indiainfo.com/2009/03/03/images/babies_400.jpg

Picture 4 - http://bazanye.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/trimmed_stack_of_100_dollar_bills_21.jpg

Picture 5 - http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/11.09.00/gifs/baby2-0045.jpg

Commented on:

Kayla Villeda - Pimp Your Baby?? - http://kaykay-93.blogspot.com/

Laura Woo - Designing our Future with Babies: It's All About the Control - http://bioblogsbi3u.blogspot.com/2010/01/designing-our-future-with-babies-its.html

Oil Spills...Yucky and Deadly...

Humans have great potential to change the environment in just a short period of time. By changing the environment, we are also greatly impacting the things that live there. As "stewards of the world", we are not doing a very good job of taking care of our planet and maintaining biodiversity in our ecosystems. Sometimes our negative impacts may just be accidents, but most of the time, we are carelessly doing what we do, without considering the consequences of our actions.

One major human intervention that has negatively affected our ecosystems' biodiversity is oil spills. In most cases of oil spills, the oil is either gasoline or crude oil. These spills, coming from ships, land runoffs, waste dumps, and more, have become a major issue in water bodies all around the world. Although they are not intentional (hopefully..), there is not enough action being taken to rid water bodies of this harmful substance. As soon as an oil spill occurs, people should get right on the case to clean it up, so that it doesn't spread and affect the organisms that live in the area. Many oil spills could be prevented if only they are cleaned up fast enough. However, most of the time, these spills are just left in the water, which spreads all over the place and ends up along shores. Here is a video of one of many oil spills that were left unattended, which in turn, became almost impossible to fully clean up.

There are many different organisms affected by oil spills and there are many different ways that these organisms can be affected. All animals living in the area of an oil spill are exposed to the dangers of the harmful substance. Organisms such as filter-feeders can easily get their feeding and breathing mechanisms clogged if they encounter oil. This will result in their death, because obviously, organisms cannot live without eating or breathing. One reason to why killer whales are endangered is oil spills, because when their blowholes are plugged with oil, they cannot breath. Fishes often consume the oil from oil spills and this creates toxins in their body and would eventually kill them. This toxin is passed down the foodchain and ends up killing many other animals along the line. When birds try to take a shower in the water (not knowing that there is oil in there), they end up completely covered in oil. This would result in them trying to clean themselves by licking off the oil, which in the end, kills them, just like the fishes. All marine animals and many kinds of birds are exposed to the danger of consuming the oil from oil spills. This oil can even cause cancer in them! How terrible is that! Many of these animals may become closer to the endangered species list if oil spills keep invading their habitats without being cleaned up.

Animals can suffer and die from oil spills even without consuming it. When birds are covered in thick oil, it would be hard for them to fly due to the heaviness of the oil. Also, animals often become blind when the oil enters their eyes. This makes them more vulnerable to predators, since they cannot see where they're going. When animals, such as sea otters, get covered in oil, their air bubbles will be blocked. This will take away their abilities to stay warm, which means that they can no longer survive in the cold oceans. If one animal becomes extinct due to oil spills, a whole group of animals may be next in line. For example, when hundreds of plankton die because of oil spills, fishes in that area will no longer have food, followed by the killer whales. When oil spills kill one kind of animal, it can damage an entire food chain.

One major oil spill incident occurred in the year of 1989 in Prince William Sound of Alaska. The Exxon Valdez, an oil tank completely loaded with crude oil, hit a reef not far from two different shores. This incident caused 11 million gallons of crude oil to be spilled! There were not enough efforts to clean up this spill, so this incident alone was able to endanger many species in that area. Twenty tons of dead birds and sea animals have been collected along the 550 miles of the beach! If the company hired people right away to clean up the spill, a big majority of these animals would not have died.

It is such a pity to watch so many animals die as an outcome of human carelessness. Although some oil spill cases have been dealt with, there is still a lot more to be done about them. As said before, humans have much potential to change the environment in just a short period of time, so why don't we use this potential to make some positive changes? Humans have become such spoiled creatures thinking that they can live off the planet without contributing to it. Well, little do many of us know how much our ways are wreaking havoc in the environment. If we don't start picking up our pace in undoing all the damage we have already done, the biodiversity of our planet will be in great danger!

Sources:

"Effects on marine life"

http://www.murrenhil.com/index.phy?id=R

"Endangered Species Handbook"

http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/aquatic_oil.php

"Human Impact"

http://www.gma/org/surfing/human/impact.html

"Man and His Environment"

http://www.biol.andrews.edu/everglades/ecosystems/human_impact/human_impact_index.html

"Oil Spills"

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/oil_spills.htm

Commented on:

"Humans: Invasive and Stewards?" by Jenny Yeung.

http://the-nature-of-life.blogspot.com/

"Global Warming and Biodiversity" by Vanessa Valsan.

http://valsanbioblog.blogspot.com/