#73 - Historic Day in Science and Medicine - Patent a gene? yes or no?

DNA Helix Glass Pendant Necklace by BigHelmetHead on Etsy, $26

Today while chatting with my awesome boss, I learned that today is a historic day in science and medicine! Why??

Today the Supreme court will hear a case to determine whether or not a person or company can patent a gene.

Myriad Genetics is seeking patent for two genes related to hereditary breast cancer - BCRA1 and BCRS2.

My personal view is that this should not happen because there is a law in place that you cannot patent "products of nature". My genes (and your genes) are products of nature...so get off Myriad Genetics.

I worry that if we allow companies to patent genes then treatments that would be fairly inexpensive will soon become expensive. Also, where's the limit...if you can patent my genes can you patent other things that are technically MINE?

For more on the topic, click here.

What do you think? Sound off! :)

#72 - Lake Hillier, Australia

Today I learned there is a lake in Australia that is naturally bubble gum pink! How neat is that! The lake is thought to get its pink color either from the mix of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sea salt or from bacteria present in the lake. Though the pink color is somewhat freaky, there water is not toxic to humans.

Would you swim in a pink lake? I would love to see it but I'm not so sure I'd get in it! ;)

#69 - 10 Fun Facts About The Smurfs

80's flashback! Who else grew up with the Smurfs?

Smurf Birthday Party Invitations by RepondezSilVousPlait on Esy, $20

10 Fun Facts about The Smurfs:

1. The word “smurf” was created when the creator, Pierre Culliford (Peyo), couldn’t remember the word for salt. Instead of asking 'Passez-moi le sel', he asked 'Passez-moi le schtroumpf', and the name was born!Schtroumpf became "smurf" in English.
2. The Smurfs are Belgian. They became very popular worldwide after Hanna-Barbera featured them in the 1980s but they did not originate in the United States. 

   

   Smurfs La Schtroumpfette  French Comic from RubyLaneVintage on Etsy, $19.99

   
   
3. There are 105 different smurfs. 

   

   Vintage Lot of '80s Smurfs, Houses &Accessories from PerfectlyPoshVintage on Etsy, $150

4. Smurfette was created by Gargamel to stir up trouble in the smurf village.In the original series, Smurfette left the village to create peace but the American version has Smurfette staying and becoming a permanent character.

   

   Vintage Gargamel Figure from CeeGeesAttic on Etsy,  $6

5. The smurf cartoons have been translated into 30 different languages!

   

   Spanish Smurfs

    
6. The smurfs are “three apples tall”. 

   

   Smurf Macbook Decal from Ralleyfun on Etsy, $8.80

7.  The white hats the smurfs wear are called Phrygian hats which are worn as a symbol of liberty. 

   

   Fleece Smurf Hat by MysticMoor on Etsy, $18

8. There’s a red Phrygian hat on the seal of the United States Senate. 
   
9. When Sony Pictures filmed a Smurf movie in the village of Juzcar in Andalucia, Spain, they used around 1,000 gallons of paint to turn all the houses blue. The promised that at the end of filming, they would repaint all the houses back to their original white, but the townsfolk, in a referendum in 2011, voted to keep them blue as they had boosted tourism to the village from 300 a year to about 80,000.

   

   Juzcar in Adalucia, Spain

10. In a UNICEF anti-war advertisement, the smurf village was bombed to extinction with the message "“Don’t let war affect the lives of children.”
    
    
    

#66 - Rattenberg Austria Uses Mirrors for Winter Sunlight

I'm way behind on my blogging due to my night class. But it ends in two weeks...so there's going to be some doubled up days coming your way. :) I will get all 365 posts for the year! Anyhoo, today I learned about an Austrian town that gets no/very little sunlight during the winter months because of the surrounding mountains. This town, Rattenberg, Austria, was settled in the 1300s when being secure was more important that sunlight year round.

Rattenberg, Austria

The cool thing that I learned today is that the town has placed large mirrors on the surrounding mountains to direct sunrays into “hot spots” in their town so the residents can have sunlight. 

Sunlight Mirrors in Rattenberg, Austria

 

As I mentioned before in my vitamin d post, sunlight is important for humans. We need sunlight to make vitamin D. Sunlight also puts us in a better mood due to the release of a neurochemical called serotonin. Sunlight helps us get our daily dose of vitamin D and serotonin. :) 

Serotonin Tank FittdBrandClothing by on Etsy, $24

 

Most humans today do not get enough sunlight. Our ancestors spent many hours a day outside while we spent most of our lives inside. So kudos to Rattenberg for directing sunlight into their town!

#65 - Michael Jackson and Naloxone (Narcan)

Last week in my nursing assistant class, I learned why the doctor that was caring for Michael Jackson was convicted of manslaughter. To be honest, I didn't really follow the stuff about Michael Jackson. I'm not really into celebrities and all the drama around them. But this little info shared by our nursing assistant course teacher was interesting.

Michael Jackson Watercolor Print by christydekoning on Etsy, $20

I didn't realize Michael Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, was convicted of manslaughter not because he doped up the star with pain medicine that killed him but because he didn't have the drug that will reverse depressed breathing caused by drug overdose. Naloxone could have reversed the depressed breathing within 2-5 minutes! If the doctor had given Narcan (naloxone) to Michael Jackson he very well may have survived. However, the doctor did not carry the drug and instead Micahel Jackson basically suffocated because the pain medicines depressed his breathing so much that he didn't breathe at all.  What a tragedy that Michael Jackson might still be singing if Dr. Murray had only carried naloxone in his supplies. As the Boy Scouts always say "Be Prepared".

For more information on how naloxone prevents overdose, click here.