(Source: eatmorebikes)
"Justin Sonnenburg, a microbiologist at Stanford, suggests that we would do well to begin regarding the human body as “an elaborate vessel optimized for the growth and spread of our microbial inhabitants.” This humbling new way of thinking about the self has large implications for human and microbial health, which turn out to be inextricably linked. Disorders in our internal ecosystem — a loss of diversity, say, or a proliferation of the “wrong” kind of microbes — may predispose us to obesity and a whole range of chronic diseases, as well as some infections."
— Michael Pollan in Some of My Best Friends Are Germs
L. salivarius is a #probiotic species of #bacteria with lots of therapeutic promise. When grown in MRS media it gives off a lovely odor reminiscent of yogurt and sweet malt. / on Instagram http://bit.ly/1849aRF
American Flamingo - Phoenicopterus ruber
Flamingos aren’t naturally pink! They get their coloration from beta carotene found in the blue-green algae they consume. The flamingos that consume blue-green algae directly are much pinker than flamingos that primarily consume the blue-green algae secondhand (via zooplankton/brine shrimp).
Flamingos are also unique in their method of eating - their bills are designed to scoop the bottom sediment and then filter out the mud and silt, leaving only the blue-green algae or the brine shrimp in their mouth. They shake their head back and forth under the water after scooping up the sediment. The big, fleshy tongue of the flamingo pushes water back and forth in the mouth and facilitates the filtering of all that mud. They also swallow their food while their head is upside-down! The meaty tongue used to be considered a delicacy among the Roman elite.
Images:
Nature Neighbors: Embracing Birds, Plants, and Minerals. Nathanial Moore Banta for the American Audubon Association, 1914.Osteologia Avium; or, A sketch of the osteology of birds. T.C. Eyton, 1867.
Just look at that tiny tiny little body. Oh, Flamingo. How do you hold your heavy head up on that skinny little neck? You look so unfeasible and I love you.
Love,
Emily
I could spend hours watching the flamingoes at the national zoo.
"My generation doesn’t treat consent as a lodestar merely because consent permits pleasurable sexual activity that more traditional sexual codes would prohibit. The ethos of consent is regarded as a lodestar because its embrace is widely seen as an incredible improvement over much of human history; and because instances when the culture of consent is rejected are superlatively horrific. The average 30-something San Franciscan has had multiple friends confide to them about being raped, and multiple friends confide about participating in consensual BDSM. Only the former routinely plays out as extreme trauma that devastates the teller for decades. Little wonder that consent is treated as the preeminent ethos even by many who suspect that transgressive sex like what Witt describes is ultimately unwise or even immoral."
I made meth tonight… is something you shouldn’t say on the Internet. #breakingbad / on Instagram http://bit.ly/18aUvS6
Caring for Brianna
For my med school app:
Description
I adopted my dog Brianna from the Washington Humane Society in September 2012. Bri immediately caught my eye because of her beautiful brindle coat and the impartial love she bestowed upon anyone within licking range. In March of 2013, I started to notice that Bri was lying down with uncharacteristic frequency during our walks. On a hunch I took her to the vet and after a few consultations we determined that Bri had completely torn both her anterior cruciate ligaments. On May 1st, 2013 she had tibial tuberosity surgery to restructure her knees.
Summary
The relationship I have with my dog is necessarily different from the kind I would have with a patient. However, I believe that whether I am caring for a canine or a fellow human being, the most effective partnerships in health are founded on love and mutual trust. Having weathered surgical treatment and recovery for my dog, I know that I am better qualified to give myself in a deeper fashion to humans in the future. Physical care can be messy. I have cleaned my dog off after she soiled herself because the painkillers made her lose control of her body. I have tried to entice medication into her mouth only to be repaid with spit all over my hands and the carpet. Many a stranger has asked me what I did to my dog for her to be lying motionless in the middle of the sidewalk, only for me to explain that she had surgery a couple weeks ago and doesn’t feel up to walking around at the moment. A few leg stretches later and we are walking further down the pavement again. Faced with such situations, I have been forced to either give up or to further humble myself on behalf of the love I have for my dog. Seeing her slowly start to walk around and make use of her new knees has made it worth it. The rewards for caring for another are not always explicit, but I have learned to acknowledge the little things.
It’s kind of frustrating how wasteful #lab work can be at times. / on Instagram http://bit.ly/17HgMcE
