April 20th – Celiac disease is a type of autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system does not function properly and attacks healthy cells. In the case of celiac, the ingestion of gluten causes an immune response that damages the small intestine. It is estimated that 1% of human beings are affected by celiac …
April 19th – Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that includes more than 100 different strains or types. “Low risk” HPV types can cause the common warts which are often found on the fingers and feet. However, like the frog in the fairy tale, “high risk” HPV types can be a lot more than you …
April 18th – Rotavirus (or “wheel” virus in Latin, after its microscopic appearance) is one of the most common viral infections among young children. Indeed, nearly all children are thought to have had the disease at least once by the time they are 5 years old. Its signature symptom is severe diarrhea, often accompanied by …
April 17th – Of all the terrifying creatures in Africa, few are as frightening as the little tsetse fly. (Tsetse means “fly” in Setswana – so a tsetse fly is a fly… fly.) To begin with, the bite of this bumblebee-sized insect really hurts! But far more ominously, tsetse carry the dreaded Trypanosoma brucei parasite …
April 16th – Everybody starts out small – very small! A human egg cell is only about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. But if the egg is fortunate enough to become fertilized, an amazing and magical journey from the microscopic world to the world that we know begins. In …
April 15th – I recently started training for my first ever 5K, and using my heart muscle more intensely then usual got me thinking. The heart is made of muscle cells which pump the body’s blood throughout our lives from dawn to dusk and then from dusk to dawn. They function on their own and …
April 14th – Breast cancer usually begins as a lump that can be seen in a mammogram or felt when the breast is examined. Fortunately, the majority of breast lumps are non-malignant cysts or fibrous tissue. But sometimes lumps are formed when good cells turn bad and start multiplying rapidly to form a tumor. The …
April 13th – Nearly all of the ants in the world are female! What’s more, with over 10,000 species, ants are one of the most successful creatures on the planet. An ant colony begins when a new queen flies from her home, finds a mate, and begins laying eggs. Nearly all of these eggs grow …
April 12th – Each strand of hair is made up of the medulla, cortex, and cuticle. The innermost region, the medulla, is not always present and is an open, unstructured region. The highly structural and organized cortex, or middle layer of the hair, is the primary source of mechanical strength and water uptake. The cortex …
April 11th – Although gangrene may sound like a hazard of jungle exploits and military campaigns, the gruesome decay and death of soft body tissue that characterizes the condition can happen to anyone anywhere. There are two common types of gangrene: dry and wet. Dry gangrene occurs when blood flow is interrupted to part of …
