Unit Two

 Genetics

Did you have any difficulty making any of the choices? Why or why not?


There were two decisions that I had a hard time making. The first decision was Elizabeth’s choice between having a mastectomy or taking the risk of her breast cancer returning. It was a hard decision to make because eliminating your body parts when you don’t know if the cancer will return can be a difficult choice to make because it affects you both mentally and physically. The other choice that I found difficult was Judith’s decision to take an experimental preventative drug. If I was currently a healthy woman at 41, I would not feel totally comfortable putting an experimental drug in my body in fear that it may have unforeseen side effects.




If you had a history of breast cancer in your family (men are not immune), would you want to have genetic testing done to determine your risk? Why or why not?

I would definitely get tested because the sooner you find out that you may be at risk for cancer, you can catch the cancer at an early stage and have a better chance at overcoming it.



What would you advise your children to do if you had a family history of breast cancer?

I would advise them to be tested because it is important to stay informed of the state of your health.


Would the knowledge that you are carrying the gene(s) for a potential fatal disorder influence your decision to have children? Why or why not?

I think I would chose not to have children because cancer is a very painful experience and I would not want my children to have to suffer.





Biology

Is it true that people only use 10 percent of their total brain capacity? How did this fact (or falsehood) originate?

That is false, we use all of our brain. While it is not clear how this falsehood originated, there are a few theories. It could have originated from a misquote of Albert Einstein or misinterpretation of Pierre Flourens’ work. It is possible that the work of Karl Lashley (he removed large areas of the cerebral cortex in rats and they could still relearn tasks) confused people.




What ever became of Albert Einstein's brain? Did Einstein's brain differ physically from the average human brain?


Dr. Thomas Harvey removed Albert Einstein’s brain while performing an autopsy on him at Princeton Hospital. He cut the brain into 240 pieces and kept them in jars in his house. He later distributed a few pieces to various researchers. In 1996, Harvey brought the remaining pieces of the brain to the chief pathologist at Princeton Hospital. Differences in Einstein’s brain from the average human brain are that it weighed significantly less than a normal male brain but was 15% wider, his cerebral cortex was thinner, and the density of neurons in Einstein’s brain was greater.



Throughout history, people have compared the brain to different inventions, such as the telephone. What is the current metaphor for the brain? In what ways does this metaphor hold up? In what ways does it fail?

The current metaphor for the brain is a computer! They both need energy, use electrical signals to transmit information, both can store memories, ability to monitor surroundings fragile contents protected by hard cover. There are many differences including that a computer can be shut off and a brain is always on, powered by different types of energy, and the biggest difference is consciousness


Unit Wrap Up

The first thing I learned in this unit were the roots of psychology and how it was discovered. Next I learned research strategies to conduct proper case studies and surveys. Without a guideline of how to approach psychology, our experiments could stray from the path of truth. I also learned about the brain and how it enables the mind. The most worthwhile thing that I got out of this chapter was the website that we used for the Biology part of this assignment. I thought that had really interesting facts and pictures, I even have it in my favorites now!