Xan Art Fundamentals Portfolio

Goals:

I’m taking this course because I've grown up with a sister who loves photography, painting, and drawing. She has supplies all over the house that Ive always wanted to use but never knew what I was doing. I thought that maybe after taking this class and learning the “fundamentals” of art. That maybe I will be able to connect with my sister over what she loves to do. I hope to learn the basics of painting and possibly some photography.

Controlled Doodle:

To understand the power of doodling; To explore the qualities of simple lines and color to create intricate drawings.

Textures & Patterns:

To learn how to create lines to make different textures;

To continue to explore creating different values with black pen & ink;

To create a final drawing that demonstrates understanding of value and texture.

Only Drink When Thirsty

"Could you be drinking too much"

In recent study a team of finds that drinking when not thirsty is almost or just as dangerous as being dehydrated. The scientist stated that keeping hydrated is important but drinking too much can be extremely bad for your health. Your doctor may have told you otherwise but drinking when not thirsty can be disastrous. Using your body's inner thirst guid is best your body will tell you when to drink is what was stated by the authors. The authors also stated that in hot summer whether you should drink more the usual. to help keep your body cooler and prevent things like heat stroke; even though they  are not directly related to your hydration

This article is  related to the unit we are about to enter because has a relation to your body's anatomy and cells and your physical health this article is good for society because it will keep everyone healthy. I really felt that this article was important because I'm an athlete and did not know about this and I just drank whenever given the chance before in sports.

Works Cited

McIntosh, James. “Only Drink When Thirsty to Avoid Health Risks.” medical news today. MediLexicon International Ltd, Bexhill-on-Sea, UK, 30 July 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296081.php>.

Can low-calorie drinks be healthier for you?

Can low-calorie drinks be healthier for you?

By Samantha Bailey

By James Gallagher

Health editor, BBC News website

7 January 2016

Nobody will say that a full sugar soda is good for you considering a 500ml bottle of cola equals about 200 calories. However Professor Swithers and Professor Rogers might have a different opinion. Low calorie drinks can be considered unhealthy, because of the sweeteners used. Drinking low-calorie/diet drinks can cause weight gain and increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Their are 3 different types of sweeteners aspartame, saccharin, and stevia. A full sugared drink had a lot more calories than drinking a low-calorie/diet drink and eating more food, although isn't healthier.

Studies say the low-calorie/diet drinks are worse. They have sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and stevia. Aspartame is a white crystalline powder that is a white amino acid. Saccharine is the first artificial sweetener made in, 1879. Stevia is a sweetener made from the South American Stevia plant. All three of these sweeteners have been used in a variety of low-calorie/diet drinks and studies concluded that they are bad for people. Even though low-calorie/diet drinks can have just one calorie, they also contain the three sweeteners.Which can cause weight gain and increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes. “A lot of people assume they must be healthy choices because they are not sugared beverages, but the critical thing for people to understand is we don’t have the evidence,” said Professor Swithers. In the end result they came to a conclusion that people who were consuming the sweeteners did end up eating more than those who just stuck with sugary drinks, they still consume fewer calories. I drink soda sometimes and often it is diet and now I know that diet soda isn’t healthy. A full sugared drink had a lot more calories than drinking a low-calorie/diet drink and eating more food, although isn't healthier.

Works Cited

“Health.” BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34924036>.

When Tarantulas Grow Blue Hair By Mitchell Sommer

When Tarantulas Have Blue Hair

By Susan Milius

Science News Website

January 5, 2016

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/when-tarantulas-grow-blue-hair

Scientists and experts have no idea why so many tarantulas have blue hair, but they do know that a lot of these types of spiders have blue hair. In fact, in one species alone, 40 out of 53 have blue hair. And it turns out they don’t really have blue hair. Their hair looks blue because of the light reflecting through embedded non scale structures, so it's not actually blue. So the question remains, why do these spiders have blue hair? Is it that it can help hide from predators and prey? Is it that the color can make predators pause before attacking, giving the spider a chance to move out of the way? Or is it that it can resemble a petal on a flower? Scientists do not have an answer to this yet, and in my opinion they won't stop until they do.

I chose “When Tarantulas Grow Blue Hair” as my current event because I found it interesting, and I think you will too. What grabbed my attention first was the picture at the beginning of the article. Me, being fascinated by hairy spiders, (unlike Mrs. Smith) instantly saw this picture and clicked on the link. When I started reading the article it grabbed my attention and I had to read the whole thing. What kept me going was that I wanted to know why spiders grow blue hair. When I finished reading it, I knew this would be my first choice for the Current Event Project. I learned so much from that article such as tarantulas are color blind. And that they don’t even have blue hair. The reason why I chose to write about this topic because I thought it was interesting and unique.  

Bubbles may underlie trauma’s brain injury

by Sid Perkins published  DECEMBER 13, 2015

The article I read is about traumatic brain injury caused by impact to the head, specifically in soldiers. Impacts can include explosions, vibrations, or physical impact to the brain. The scientist, Christian Franck, who works at Brown University in Providence, R.I., explored vibrations such as shock waves that caused trauma to the brain. He had a theory that shock waves left bubbles inside the head that caused long term brain damage.

The author used examples of trauma caused to soldiers to provide examples of heavy impacts that are believed to cause shock waves to the brain. The shock waves cause trauma which we refer to as concussions.  He also discussed a theory that shockwaves cause small bubbles inside the head. In the article the author described Franck as a scientist who could “mimic pressure waves of specific intensities,” by using a very strong laser. When he changed the “intensity” of the laser he could make the bubble larger or smaller.

After Franck experimented it led the author to believe that bubbles caused by shockwaves are the cause of TBI. After all of the evidence that Franck and the author have provided, such as the experiment with the laser, it led me to believe that bubbles are the source of TBI. It makes sense to me that shock waves could cause bubbles inside of the head. Also, I agree that if you had bubbles inside your head that it could alter your normal brain function. In addition, I agree with the author’s statement that he thought if there was some sort of body armor to protect from shockwaves that there would be less bubbles in the skull and soldiers would be much safer.

Works Cited

“TBI.” society for science. N.p., 13 Dec. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016. <https://student.societyforscience.org/article/bubbles-may-underlie-trauma%E2%80%99s-brain-injury>.

My current event is on editing genes.

Chinese Scientists Edit Genes of Human Embryos, Raising Concerns

By Gina Kolata

The New York Times

April 23, 2015

Aurora

Throughout 2015 experiments about editing genes have been going on. Though other scientists around the world had talked about doing gene editing experiments, this article is about the Chinese scientists who attempted to edit genes. These experiments will affect many people when there is a definite way to edit genes. Many people have cancerous genes in their DNA and after scientists find a way to edit genes we will have the potential opportunity to take these cancerous genes (and other diseases) out of people’s DNA before they are born. Editing genes could benefit everyone. The recent experiments took place in China. What they were hoping for was all of the cells to be changed so there would be no diseases but the DNA of the embryo would stay unaltered. Out of the 85 embryos they experimented on, none of them turned out the way that they wanted. In the Chinese experiments defective embryos were used so that a baby would never be born. Other scientists helped along the way, but the research was being done primarily by Chinese scientists. In order to edit genes the scientists use the CRISPR method.

“This is an unsafe procedure and should not be practiced at this time, and perhaps never.” - Dr. George Q. Daley

This quote reflects what most scientists feel about editing genes. Not only are people worried about the dangers of this type of experiment, they are worried about the ethics involved with genetic experimentation.

Editing genes is news that is very important. Maybe not to the people in the world who don’t have a disease that is killing them. Peter Warlick, a very close family friend has lou gehrig's disease. His children are four and six. He has two years to live, and in those two years he will get very sick. Imagine what he would do to not have lou gehrig's disease. I know that editing genes was not being experimented on before he was born, but this shows how important editing genes is. So many people watch their friends and families die from diseases. Now, we are on the edge of finding a way to make editing genes possible. I chose this article and topic because sooner or later scientists will find a way to edit genes. Scientists will be able to save many people’s lives before they are even alive.

I believe that editing genes is amazing. Being able to edit a gene that has a disease is remarkable. Other people think that editing genes is dangerous and unethical. Obviously it is dangerous, but that shouldn’t mean that scientists shouldn’t pursue this area of science. What experiment has had no danger in it? When scientists know how to edit genes without harming an embryo, there will be babies who are born with no diseases because the gene that carried a disease will have been taken out of them.

Chinese scientists did an experiment on editing genes. Even though they did not get what they were hoping for, every time scientists do more experiments on editing genes we learn more. Just like Jonas Salk’s experiments with finding a vaccine for polio, many people are fearing the outcomes of editing genes. I think that editing genes will be an amazing scientific discovery.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/health/chinese-scientists-edit-genes-of-human-embryos-raising-concerns.html?_r=2  

Expert panel approves human gene editing                                       

                   BY Max Kempler

                                                                          article BY

       TINA HESMAN SAEY

        4:08PM, DECEMBER 4, 2015

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/expert-panel-approves-human-gene-editing

Recently, scientists have been using chemical “scissors” to edit, or change, the DNA in living organisms.  This is crazy--I can't believe it myself. They can now change DNA. This is by swapping out parts of DNA that could replace faulty genes. In theory, it also might make it possible to create designer babies that are smarter or better-looking than other individuals. But some people have questioned whether such tinkering with human cells would be like playing god.  Imagine that now if someone really cares they could say I need my baby to have blue eyes and they could change their DNA and it would make them naturally have blue eyes. Many people also worry that editing isn’t safe. Those and other concerns have led some people to wonder if gene editing is so unethical that it should be banned. Such gene-editing tools have become so cheap and easy to use that it might be possible to use them soon to cure genetic diseases. But some people think the technology also could be misused, either accidently or on purpose. One notable success: Doctors announced on November 5 that gene editing helped push a 1-year-old girl’s leukemia (a blood cancer) into remission. The baby, named Layla, was treated with edited immune cells. In her case, the editing “scissors” used to slice genes are known as TALENs. They researchers engineer to latch onto DNA at specific sites and then cut it. This marked the first time TALENs have been successfully used to treat a human. And that's what scientists are working for so they can be used to help.

I chose this article mainly because well I wasn't at all expecting to see that gene editing had started. This just really surprised me. I find it really cool that this can be done now, but in my opinion it shouldn't be allowed to just use day to day-- change something quick about you. I think that this can really help people in DOCTORS HANDS. I honestly and truthfully believe that this is the start of Jurassic Park. I learned a lot from this article. I learned a lot because I didn't even know that gene editing was possible so HUMAN gene editing sure took me by shock. I also think that this will greatly affect the future in a good way. Unless Jurassic Park happens. I just think that this gene editing can open up new things that people have never thought of. Right now they can cut and change genes which is amazing but then that can lead up to tons more like creating human cells which could lead to creating a completely non robot actual arm. It’s cool because this can really help people.  Like in one case:  they helped push a 1-year-old girl’s leukemia (a blood cancer) into remission. This baby named Layla never would have had a chance at life. That baby was saved by the editing--it took away her bad genes, the ones that were making her sick. You never know, they may have saved the next president.

                                                  Works Cited

“Expert Panel Approves Human Gene Editing.” STUDENT SCIENCE. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. <https://student.societyforscience.org/article/expert-panel-approves-human-gene-editing>.