Category Archives: Biology

Closeup of a HIV virus (NewScientist)

February 20, 2011 – 6:36 pm

HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the pathogen responsible for causing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Upon contraction, the virus will immediately attacks the CD4 helper T-cells in the body. Unfortunately, these cells are needed in order to activate the CD8 Cytotoxic T-cells which attack viri. Consequently, a low CD4 count is commonly used to diagnose a HIV infection. When the CD4 count drops below 400, the body is unable to protect itself from even minor illnesses (opportunistic infections such as pneumocystic carnii pneumonia) and the individual is said to have AIDS. The video attached below is an example of what the HIV virus looks like in extreme detail.

Tags AIDS, CGI, Deadly, Health, HIV, Immune System, Medicine, Virus | Comment (0)

Biology Medicine Science

Myopia: The Preventable Pandemic

December 7, 2010 – 2:30 pm

Twenty to thirty percent of people have nearsightedness, officially called myopia, which is a condition in which the eye cannot resolve distant objects clearly. The light rays entering the eye are supposed to converge in a focal point directly on the retina in a normal eye, but find themselves converging a varying distance in front of it, leading to blurriness. This is caused by a physical lengthening of the eye, such that the myopic eye is no longer round but oval-shaped. Before we delve into any of the science, let’s take a look at some good old-fashioned statistics.

Tags Nearsightedness myopia pandemic cure prevention glasses reading interesting cool amazing | Comment (0)

Biology Medicine Science

Stress: Why it’s bad, and how can we minimize it?

December 3, 2010 – 4:25 am

The first order of business is defining stress; it’s one of those overused words whose meaning has become rather ambiguous. But before we get into that, we need to dive into a subconsciously controlled system which underlies most of your bodily processes: the autonomic nervous system.