Replacing the Body

By Mitchell Austin

Imagine if you were to get into an accident and lose an arm or a leg; it would feel devastating.

For some people this is more than imagination, it is reality. Fortunately, if this were to ever

happen to you then you could get a prosthetic limb. But where did

this idea come from? To answer this question we must go back in

time to ancient Egypt.

In ancient Egypt (roughly 600 BC), the first moving prosthetic

body part was created. The big toe. Two of these were created. Why go through all that trouble

to replace a toe? Well, “The big toe is thought to carry some 40% of the bodyweight and is

responsible for forward propulsion,” said Dr Jacky Finch. Finch, a professor at the university of

Manchester, had two volunteers try a copy of them on. They worked wonders. Before this

prosthetics were little more than peg legs.

The next step was in the dark ages around 1500 when Gotz von Berlichichen lost an arm and

had it replaced by a prosthetic arm. This arm incorporated hinges and was able to hold reins, a

shield and a quill. It was extremely expensive, but every knight was a noble. This was a

momentous achievement in prosthetics. (BBC, 2015)

The largest amount of progress made was in the civil war around 1855, when limbs were being

blown off and amputated. Most men were not able to survive amputation, but when they did

society rebuked them. They were viewed as losing some of their manliness. Thus prosthetic

legs. Prosthetic arms were almost non-existent. They were usually either hooks or empty
sleeves with few expensive exceptions. Legs were covered by pants and boots and this made it

possible for more innovative legs. Legs that were able to be walked on almost completely

normally with practice. Businesses were praised for their ingenuity. (Grabowski, 2021)

Wars are great for medical research

advancements. This is proven true yet

again by the world wars. In the trenches it

was very dirty so if you were wounded

then it would often get infected and

fester. With few alternatives amputation

was common. This was a problem as the

mortality rate was 33%. This was due to

inexperience and horrible conditions. After the war they had more time to work on it and were

able to reduce the mortality rate of amputation to 10%. (Purcell, 2017) The second world war

favored blood transfusions so there were more than half the number of amputations. (BBC,

2015)

In conclusion, prosthetic body parts are amazing and we can learn a lot about what was

important at that time from the parts that can be replaced. Toes are a great invention because at

that time it would have been almost impossible to make a whole leg. In the dark ages it was

important that they were able to continue their fighting career. In the civil war and the world wars

it was important that they are able to return to society. Prosthetic limbs came a long way from

toes.
Water you doing

Water is needed by every living thing, including

bacteria and viruses. This is a problem because

when you encounter a pond and are thirsty and

lost then you might want to drink it. This is a

horrible idea because you will get sick in

multiple ways. Let’s talk about some of them;

(Rodriguez-Zaba, 2020)

Salmonella

Salmonella is what you get when you eat poop and when water is at a standstill the bird poo

doesn’t go away and gets eaten by plankton algae (the poop still gets eaten either way but the

pond is not fast enough). (Cleavland, 2022)

Norwalk virus

The norwalk virus makes you feel generally sick and is spread through contaminated food and

water. The symptoms are not very serious; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. (MD,

2017)

Cryptosporidium

The crypto parasite as it is often called, has a hard shell to protect it from things that can hurt it

and is the cause of diarrhea and can kill people with weak immune systems. Dehydration,

vomiting, stomach cramps are other symptoms. (CDC, 2017)

Conclusion

Stagnant water is dangerous already

without you drinking it. It floats around in

the air and can give you multiple diseases

that can hurt you in many ways. In order

to avoid this try finding a stream to help

you not die or even a lake, if you find a pond that has a stream going to it then it is actually a

lake and thus is safe to drink.

What are you eating?

When you go to the grocery store there is always a fruit and vegetable section and those of you

that grow a garden know that it is easy for the vegetables to get brown and gross. But the

grocery store always seems to have them nice and green. How do they do that? The answer is

preservatives. Not all preservatives are additives and not all additives are preservatives.

Additives are added to make the food taste better, look better or last longer. Preservatives

include Xanthan gum, BHA and BHT. Food

colouring is often made from vegetable sources

and dyes.

Xanthan gum can give a whole slew of problems

including but not limited to bloating and gas, lung

issues, and vomiting.(Admin, 2013) Unfortunately

it is often used when you are replacing eggs in baking and as previously mentioned salad bars.

BHA when given to rats and hamsters causes cancer in their forestomach, but seeing as it does

not cause it in other areas and that people don’t have a forestomach it is FDA approved.

(Yoquinto, 2013) BHT when given to rats causes lung cancer and other areas, but the FDA

deemed them safe because they are rats and they don’t share enough biology.

(The picture is of xanthan gum)

A lot of food colouring in the past has been proven to

be toxic and only a few remain. (Britannica) Now it

often contains propylparaben and

propylene glycol both can cause rashes and

itchiness. (Pioneerthinking, 2021)

(the picture is of powdered food colouring)

GMO: yay or nay

If you have ever been in the forest in the summer then you may have seen blueberries and if

you are like me you may have been disappointed in the size and taste of them, and if you have

seen the ones in the grocery store then you might suddenly wonder how they got to be this size.

This answer my friend, is GMO. But you may already know this so that is why I am giving you

more information.

GMO means genetically modified organisms. And with everything there are advantages and

disadvantages. Some advantages include easier crop planting, and crops being bigger. This is
because you don’t have to till the ground before planting and they can put watermelon genes

into a strawberry and make it much larger. (Raman, 2020)

Some disadvantages are crops having immunity to herbicides and pesticides, and as a result

having more harmful residue from the herbicide and pesticides. If your plants are immune to

herbicides then you are no longer limited by the survivability of the plant, only the survivability of

the consumer, which you can not possibly know. (Raman, 2020)

In addition to the problems with the crops previously mentioned; the soil can’t grow anything

naturally anymore and it doesn't receive nutrients from the plants that would grow and die there

anymore, so they must resort to artificial fertilizer.

In conclusion GMO is a lot more trouble than it’s worth; It may give you an additional size and

planting speed but how many people is it killing slowly.

“Genome”no (geronimo)
The human genome project is the attempt to map all DNA in the human body that started in

1988 and ended 2022, across the world.(Rockefeller, 2022)

Scientists in 2003 had mapped all but 8 percent of the human genome. Because of this

scientists did not understand how some cells work. It took us 20 years to figure out 92% of the

human genome and another 20 years for 8%. Previously thought to be junk, the 8% turned out

to be really important and in light of recent discoveries in science it became much easier then it

would have been in 2003.(Rockefeller, 2022)

A device named Merfin, tests the accuracy of the code of a

created genome, because "If even just one or a few base pairs

are wrong, that can have big consequences for the overall

accuracy of the genomic sequence." Giulio Formenti, a postdoc

in Jarvis' lab who

developed Merfin.

This device has

been extremely

helpful in that it is

adding research in viruses and diseases that affect the cell for

example Cancer.(Rockefeller, 2022)

(These images show what they are doing)

Upun deeper understanding of cells and diseases, they were able to increase the diagnosis’s

ability to report the illness early and save many more lives than before this development. This is

a huge deal and will provide treatment to hundreds that need it before it’s too late (for the

patients). (Rockefeller, 2022)

I agree this is an amazing project. I just hope this doesn’t help only the rich and it helps the rest

of us too.
Covid Update
2020 there was a giant pandemic that forced everyone to stay indoors March 16-20. It created

such an outrage so large that more than 2,000 people gathered in Ottawa to protest it.

In the picture to the left you can see

what people call the freedom convoy,

a giant protest against the mandated

vaccines and masks. Starting January

29, 2022 and stayed there for three

weeks. Near the end of the protest

Justin Trudau decided to invoke the emergency act to combat the protesters (who were having

a peaceful protest).

During the lockdown many employees were laid off due to the lack of people coming into the

stores and when possible they worked from home. Many people were very opposed to having to

work and play in the same place.

I think that the emergency

act was an overreaction that

was meant to fight a war not

protesters. I find it funny that

they have basically changed

the meaning of the

Canadian flag.
Biologist

needed:

Have you ever

wanted to find out
why all the fish are
dying? Then we
have the job for you.
School;
Minimum of
bachelor's degree

Skills and traits;

attention to detail

Communication skills

Problem solving

Persistence
Rockefeller University. (2022, March 31). The human genome is, at long last, complete.

ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 19, 2023 from

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220331151453.htm

Raman, R. (2020, July 2). GMOs: Pros and Cons, backed by evidence. Healthline. Retrieved

January 17, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gmo-pros-and-cons#cons

Microsoft. (2014). The Environmental Impact of GMOs. Bing. Retrieved January 17, 2023,

from https://www.bing.com/search?q=gmo%2Bseeds%2Beffect%2Bon

%2Bsoil&cvid=5be0f7aa14044216a8abb8f9762001eb&aqs=edge..69i57j0l8j69i11004.275

57j0j1&pglt=43&FORM=ANNAB1&DAF0=1&PC=U531

Yoquinto, L. (2013, May 30). The truth about food additive BHA. LiveScience. Retrieved

December 20, 2022, from https://www.livescience.com/36424-food-additive-bha-butylated-

hydroxyanisole.html

Pioneerthinking.com. (2021, February 12). The ingredients of food coloring. Pioneer

Thinking. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://pioneerthinking.com/the-ingredients-

of-food-coloring/
Admin, says:, D. K., Says:, A., says:, G. S., says:, C. L., says:, D. E., says:, R. C., says:,

M., says:, W., says:, W. B., says:, A., says:, J. E., says:, S. Z., says:, D. C., Says:, J. S.,

says:, R. L., says:, K. L., says:, K., says:, M. S. M. L. Q. D. U. L. Y. P. O. F. O. V. P., & *,

N. (2013, August 22). Xanthan gum side effects: Xanthan gum substitute. Xanthan Gum

Substitute | Find The Best Substitute for Xanthan Gum. Retrieved December 20, 2022,

from https://www.xanthangumsubstitute.com/xanthan-gum-side-effects/

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Food colouring. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved

December 20, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/food-coloring

Cleavland. (2022). Salmonella: Outbreaks, causes, symptoms & treatment. Cleveland

Clinic. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15697-salmonella#:~:text=The%20most

%20common%20way%20to%20get%20salmonella%20is,washing%20your%20hands

%20while%20preparing%20food%20and%20eating.

MD, A. G. (2017, January 29). Norwalk virus: Diagnosis, treatment & prevention via

drgreene.com. Norwalk Virus: Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention via DrGreene.com.

Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://www.drgreene.com/articles/norwalk-virus

Rodriguez-Zaba, D. (2020, April 27). Stagnant water: Why it's dangerous and how to get

rid of it. ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from

https://www.servicemasterbyzaba.com/blog/stagnant-water/

CDC. (2019, July 1). Parasites - cryptosporidium (also known as "crypto"). Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/crypto/index.html
Grabowski, A. (2021, June 24). After the amputation. National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Retrieved
October 6, 2022, from https://www.civilwarmed.org/prosthetics/

Purcell, A., & Purcell, A. (2017, September 18). Amputations & prosthetic limbs in the First World War.
Through Veterans Eyes. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from
https://throughveteranseyes.ca/2017/09/18/amputations-prosthetic-limbs-in-the-first-world-war/
#:~:text=Prosthesis%20development%20was%20dominantly%20conducted%20by%20the%20British,all
%20types%20of%20artificial%20limbs%20and%20appliance%E2%80%9D.%20

BBC. (2015). The geniuses who invented prosthetic limbs. BBC Future. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151030-the-geniuses-who-invented-prosthetic-limbs