Beauty and Genetic Enhancement
Nausea. To describe the whole situation in one word I would have to
choose nausea. The Expo center was packed with societies elite, eagerly
waiting the announcement of what the rumor mill had told them to be the most
important invention of the decade. The air was cold and damp, like that of a
hospital. Barley audible was the most annoying Michael Bolton song that I could
imagine. As I got entranced by the dullness of the situation I noticed that the
lights were slowly getting dimmer. As Michael Bolton's voice became silent, Dr.
Zimmerman spherical body came waddling out.
Dr. Zimmerman was a very large, gluttonous man. I had worked with him
many times, and I had lost more than one of my ideas to his fat hands. He was
ruthless, unemotional, and conscienceless; the perfect scientist. He
painstakingly climbed onto the two foot platform in front of the podium, making
a little grunt that accidentally found its way into the microphone. "Hello?
Can you guys hear me in the back?" He gurgled in his natural grotesque voice.
With the acknowledgment of the audience, he sipped the glass of ice water which
stood on the podium and cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here
to inform you of a discovery that my team of genetic scientist and I have
discovered." The more he said the more I wanted to hear. I wanted to shout to
make him blurt it out, but it was impossible to speed him up, attention was the
reason why he became a scientist. He didn't care about the effects of his
discoveries, as long as he packed the expo center the next weekend. "The quest
toward perfection is finally over. Your unborn children now have the
opportunity to be everything you ever wanted them to be!" A large blue vein
slowly became visible through his cherry red forehead. "Birth defects are a
thing of the past." Suddenly the severity of the situation slammed into me like
a subway train. "There will be no such thing as an imperfect child!" The
sound of flapping mucus in his throat was almost unbearable. The applause
began, I knew it wouldn't stop for at least ten minutes because Dr. Zimmerman
wouldn't let it. I ran to the bathroom to think about what had just happened.
Dr. Zimmerman was referring to the G.A.M. project, Genetic Alterations
for Mankind. The team of four was lead by him. The goal was to alter DNA of
freshly fertilized embryos, to control every one of their physical and mental
It helps medics to find a direct genetic cause of the patient’s condition and target it with pharmaceutical or other therapies. The technology is used for the identification of DNA sequences that increase risks of current diseases and disorders; with this information carriers can start to make efforts to prevent them before the development of the problem. The video mentioned 200 actionable genes, structures that have direct links with a specific condition. Knowing about their presence, people have a chance to bring in preventive measures like taking anticoagulants in the case of identification of a thrombogenic gene. The technology led to the significant improvement of diagnostics and personalized treatments. It helped to find a rare, life-threatening mutation in case of Beery twins and assign a drug to a girl (Alexis) that returned her to a normal life. In the case of cancer genome sequencing led to the development of genetic drags, which target essential tumor genes and make malign structures to shrink. The video mentioned a product that works with the BRАF protein that induces cells to uncontrolled division; the drug led to the remission in the patient with metastasizing melanoma. Such treatment was effective in the case of cystic fibrosis. In the case of the breast cancer the technology helps to evaluate the aggressiveness of the condition and make a personalized decision about chemotherapy. The video also mentioned the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis – an early-staged technology that prevents the development of inherited disorders in
My first experience with genetics in a lab setting was in my AP Biology class, where we worked with recombinant plasmids. Because I so thoroughly enjoyed that learning experience, I went online to look at the various applications of genetics, discovering how a world of possibilities still lies in the near future in the field of genetics. DNA is the code for all life as we know it, and now that we have the capability to manipulate it, the applications for genetic biotechnology in tackling genetic diseases and mutations are unbounded. This prospect truly excites me because of its potential to help others. I aspire to be able to help others with the work and research I perform in the field of genetics in the future.
Sigmund Freud believed that he “occupies a special place in the history of psychoanalysis and marks a turning point, it was with it that analysis took the step from being a psychotherapeutic procedure to being in depth-psychology” (Jones). Psychoanalysis is a theory or therapy to decode the puzzle of neurotic disorders like hysteria. During the therapy sessions, the patients would talk about their dreams. Freud would analyze not only the manifest content (what the dreamer remembers) of the dreams, but the disguise that caused the repressions of the idea. During our dreams, the decision making part of personality’s defenses are lowered allowing some of the repressed material to become more aware in a distorted form. He distinguished between
People are always complaining about how they aren’t as pretty as models on billboards, or how they aren’t as thin as that other girl. Why do we do this to ourselves? It’s benefitting absolutely nobody and it just makes us feel bad about ourselves. The answer is because society has engraved in our minds that we need to be someone we’re not in order to look beautiful. Throughout time, society has shaped our attitudes about appearances, making it perfectly normal and even encouraged, to be five feet ten inches and 95 pounds. People have felt trapped by this ideal. Society has made these beauty standards unattainable, therefore making it self defeating. This is evident in A Doll’s House, where the main character, Nora, feels trapped by Torvald and society’s standard of beauty. The ideal appearance that is prevalent in society is also apparent in the novel, The Samurai’s Garden, where Sachi is embarrassed of the condition of her skin due to leprosy and the stigmas associated with the disease. The burden of having to live up to society’s standard of beauty can affect one psychologically and emotionally, as portrayed in A Doll’s House and The Samurai’s Garden.
Norbert Rillieux invented the triple effect vacuum evaporator. The "triple effect" is for the multiple things that the system does all at the same time. The "vacuum" is for the vacuum of air that is used in the system, and the "evaporator" is for the sugarcane liquid syrup that is heated and evaporated into regular sugar. The actual system is somewhat complicated, so please see the picture that is provided.
According to 10 Weird and Wacky Beauty Facts by Andrea Lavinthal, in ancient Greece, the most sought-after hair color was blond. Not many Greeks were naturally blond, so light hair was probably perceived as beautiful because it was so exotic. Women would lighten their hair using plant extracts or arsenic. They also washed their locks with a mixture of ashes, olive oil, and water. She also explained how “it was a shame that extension weren’t available during the Heian period when a Japanese woman’s beauty was judges by the length of her hair, since the ideal was considered almost two feet longer than her waist. We’re assuming that ponytails were a popular hairstyle back then.” There are many other crazy facts about beauty facts like Vaseline makes your eyelashes grow and can take off makeup, or if your finger nails are discolored from using dark polish, use a slice of lemon on them and they will regain their color (The beauty magazine, Roselyn Miller, pg. 67). Going into the field of Cosmetology helps you express yourself and it brings out your inner creativity. That is one of the many reason I love this line of work, because when I do hair it lets me express myself while creating a hairstyle of my own. The first time I started doing hair was when I was about 10 or 11, I was a natural! I want to be able to know my clients and exactly what will look right on my clients and read people, so I would know what they do like just by talking to them. I need to learn to separate family from business. I do know some things about this field I before this assignment that cosmetology is not just about doing hair, it’s also about learning about the Skin; Doing make up, eye lashes, etc. You also learn about nails; doing a...
When we look into the mirror, we are constantly picking at our insecurities; our stomach, thighs, face, and our body figure. Society has hammered into our brains that there is only one right way of looking. Society disregards that there are many different shapes, sizes, and colors. Then society makes us believe that corporations can shove detrimental products to fix our imperfection. As a consequence, we blame media for putting all the negative ideas into women’s brain. It is not wrong to say that they are in part responsible, but we can’t make this issue go away until we talk about patriarchy. In the article Am I Thin Enough Yet? Hesse-Biber argues that women are constantly concerned about their looks and if they are categorized as “beautiful” by society. These ideas are encouraged by corporations that sell things for us to achieve “beautiful” but the idea is a result of patriarchy. Hesse-Biber suggests that if we want to get rid of these ideas we need to tackle patriarchy before placing all the blame on capitalism.
Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth," discusses the impact of our male-dominated society upon women. Wolf argues that women's most significant problems associated with societal pressures are a "fairly recent invention," dating back to the 1970s (6). She explains that women have "breached the power structure" by acquiring rights equal to men in areas such as, education, professional careers, and voting. As a result, Wolf suggests that the "beauty myth" is the "last one remaining of the old feminine ideologies that still has the power to control those women" (3). Considering that the beauty myth is women's last battle, the struggle is increasingly more difficult. Wolf claims that women are currently experiencing "a violent backlash against feminism," noting the recent rise in eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and objectification of women's bodies (3,2). While Wolf accurately defines the beauty myth, she incorrectly states that eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and pornography are recent issues, resulting from an intentional "backlash" against women's rights.
23andMe, a web-based service that helps customer read and understand their DNA, is an extremely determined firm in the genomic industry with its mission, “To help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome.” (Our mission). The culture of 23andMe was built on its six fundamental values and beliefs. First, “Think big” in terms of utilizing genetic data to modernize health, wellness, and scientific study. Second, “We love DNA” as study of DNA uncovers the secret behind the remarkable human diversity globally.
Both believe in the positive or negative effects of karma on past, present or future lives. The way to accumulate “good” karma is through good actions the opposite of which will give you “bad” karma. To get to either moksha or nirvana you have to have a lot of good karma which brings better lives as opposed to bad karma which brings worse lives. Ultimate freedom comes when karma ceases to operate and you are no longer living more lives. Moksha and Nirvana promise to break the cycle of constant rebirth tha...
It is a hot, humid evening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and you find yourself dripping with sweat. The air is still, and you stick to your sheets as you toss and turn and try to sleep in your house that has retained all of the heat from the summer sun’s rays. Uncomfortable and miserable, you think to yourself, “How did people ever live without air conditioning?” yours has been on the fritz, and you cannot imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t have the luxury of an air conditioning unit in your home. If it weren’t for Willis Carrier, and his ground-breaking invention of a mechanical air conditioning unit in 1902, our lives would be drastically different.
Destruction of people can be named murder, genocide, or if you are really screwed up, fun. Murder can be grouped into any killing or just killing people outside of war and battle. Some people think that killing people in war is not murder because the government does not persecute them for it but give them paychecks, promotions, and awards. Webster’s definition of genocide is: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. Adolf Hitler is p...
There are over seven billion people on earth and every single one looks different. No matter how much people say that being different is unique, they are wrong. Society has set a beauty standard, with the help of the media and celebrities, that makes people question their looks. This standard is just a definition of what society considers being “beautiful.” This idea is one that mostly everyone knows about and can relate to. No one on this planet is exactly the same, but people still feel the need to meet this standard. Everyone has two sides to them; there is the one that says “you are perfect just the way you are”, while the other side puts you down and you tell yourself “I have to change, I have to fit in.” There is always going to be that side that cares and the one that doesn’t.
For a lot of people physical appearance is an intricate part of a person’s sense of identity and a connection to their roots or even their personal religion. Appearance can also play a big role in the workplace. We will take a look into how companies can regulate appearance through dress codes, height/weight restrictions, and hair based on what is deemed “appropriate” and can this be successfully done without discriminating.
Internal and external beauty are both very important in our society. To be beautiful internally means to have a kind heart and be understanding. To be beautiful externally means to be beautiful on the outside such as having a nice figure and an attractive smile. Internal beauty is important because beyond looks, it is your personality that is noticed. External beauty is important because it is your attractive figure that brings notice to someone’s great personality or external beauty. To me, internal and external beauty are represented and influenced by family members, friends, and society as a whole.