Okay, so for the last year I've kinda been muddling around, trying to figure out how to best acheive my personal & career goals. I've recently committed to some major changes that I beleive will help me get wherever it is that I'm going. Check it out:
*I've been going to the YMCA 2-3 times a week -- whoo hoo!
*Inspired by various people, including J, I joined Jenny Craig 2 weeks ago, and have dropped 7.2 pounds -- don't worry, it's more for health reasons than anything else (no "I want to be an anorexic supermodel" issues here, no sir!)
*I've decided to take a year off from school, get stuff in order, take my GRE, do some volunteering in the labs of some Biology Faculty at Saint Louis University , and apply to their PhD Program for Fall 2006
*Yesterday I got a haircut -- I went in & said "the perm, the color, it was me, it's not me anymore, cut it off!" So my hair is very short -- last time it was this short, I hadn't hit puberty yet & looked kinda like a boy, ask R, he probably remembers -- it's cute, I like it, and have heard nothing but good things about it.
*Planning for grad school means looking for ways to cut costs, so I'm planning on moving this January, someplace less expensive than what I'm paying now, but no leads yet.
The best part is, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I've been pondering all of these things for weeks now, and I finally sat down and made decisions -- and I feel GREAT about all of them!
Stay tuned for updates!
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
So, I totally stole this from J, who stole it from someone else, but:
Go figure. Anybody else see THAT coming?
Go figure. Anybody else see THAT coming?
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Ligers and Tigons and Bears, Oh My!
I was listening to this article on msnbc.com about the increased numbers of hybrid animals being bred for commercial use, either as pets or for the production of goods such as wool or beef. Throughout history, humans have selectively bred animals and plants to achieve desired results -- all you have to do is look at the AKC Breed List to see what I mean. We do the same things with birds, like cockatiels, and fish, like bettas. In these instances, animals of the same species are bred to produce offspring with the desired appearance or temperament. Keeping these good traits within a gene pool; however, is like trying to keep money within a family: the best way (as European Royalty has demonstrated [see paragraph eight here]) is to marry close relatives. Offspring of related animals that carry desired traits are more likely to inherit those traits (Thank you, Darwin!) The problem arises, however, in the fact that inbreeding has a tendency to magnify negative traits, as well. Hemophilia was often called the "royal disease" because of its prevalence in the European royalty. Do a little research on the Hapsburg Dynasty and you can dig up stories of mental instability that many people attribute to inbreeding. Animals that are selectively bred with close relatives can develop a host of problems, too. Some examples: Dalmatians are prone to deafness, English Bulldogs to enlarged hearts, Dachshunds have (obviously) back problems, and German Shepherds often exhibit hip displaysia.
These problems arise when we try to selectively breed members of the same species -- what the heck are we inviting by artificially hybridizing animals? Okay -- the "wholphin" is one thing, because the only human intervention there was to put two closely related species in the same tank. But come on, people -- ligers and tigons? Those are PURELY the result of human intervention, because these two species would almost NEVER encounter each other in the wild. Add to this the fact that, by artificially hybridizing animals, we increase the probability of sterile offspring (look at the mule) or, and this is what worries me, animals born with terminal physical or mental problems.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not trying to be anti-science or anti-research -- I'm just pointing out that, historically, new species tend to arise through LONG periods of slight mutations -- even bacteria take a few generations to evolve. Hybridizing animals because someone wants a "domestic" kitty with cheetah spots, or because we want a source of meat that's leaner than a cow but better tempered than a buffalo seems terribly self-serving to me.
On a lighter note -- I was thinking about this:
if male lion + female tiger = liger
and male tiger + female lion = tigon
and male zebra + female horse = zorse
then, does a male horse + a female zebra = a hebra?
And if so, does it have to wear a yarmulke?
These problems arise when we try to selectively breed members of the same species -- what the heck are we inviting by artificially hybridizing animals? Okay -- the "wholphin" is one thing, because the only human intervention there was to put two closely related species in the same tank. But come on, people -- ligers and tigons? Those are PURELY the result of human intervention, because these two species would almost NEVER encounter each other in the wild. Add to this the fact that, by artificially hybridizing animals, we increase the probability of sterile offspring (look at the mule) or, and this is what worries me, animals born with terminal physical or mental problems.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not trying to be anti-science or anti-research -- I'm just pointing out that, historically, new species tend to arise through LONG periods of slight mutations -- even bacteria take a few generations to evolve. Hybridizing animals because someone wants a "domestic" kitty with cheetah spots, or because we want a source of meat that's leaner than a cow but better tempered than a buffalo seems terribly self-serving to me.
On a lighter note -- I was thinking about this:
if male lion + female tiger = liger
and male tiger + female lion = tigon
and male zebra + female horse = zorse
then, does a male horse + a female zebra = a hebra?
And if so, does it have to wear a yarmulke?
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