From Vacuums to X rays

Did you know that x rays were discovered by accident? German scientist, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen first found them in 1895 when experimenting with vacuum tubes. He named them "X" in order to show that it was an unknown type of radiation and the name stuck. X rays have frequencies ranging from 3*10^16Hz to 3*10^19Hz and wavelengths from 10^-11m to 10^-8m which is smaller than a single atom. The picture to the right is the first x ray ever taken (from NASA.) It is of Mrs. Roentgen's hand, the bulge on her ring finger is that of her wedding ring. Due to the thickness of Earth's atmosphere, we are not able to x ray astronomy from the ground. Because of this we have to place x ray telescopes and detectors on our satellites!

X rays can also affect matter. They possess intrinsic energy that is sometimes transferred to the matter they interact with. This transfer is made either through absorption or scattering.

How do medical x rays work? X rays penetrate more easily through some materials than others. For example, they penetrate easily through skin but not through bone. Therefore, when x rays are taken of us, the skin appears to be transparent leaving the bones behind. These x rays are produced by colliding high-energy electrons into a metal target. Two other sources that can produce x rays are active galactic nuclei (AGN) and x ray binaries. Medical x rays do expose people to radiation although the benefits far outweigh the risks. So next time you get an x ray remember that it was one of the biggest technological advances in the medical community. (The picture on the left is an x ray of the sun taken by NASA.)

Cardiology

Image: National Geographic

Cardiology

If I were a scientist, I would choose to be a cardiologist. My main two reasons are that my dog passed away almost two years ago of congestive heart failure and before he died,my family had to bring him to a canine cardiologist. She allowed me to go behind the scenes and took time to explain to me what exactly was going on with my dog. Also, I find cardiology to be a very interesting subject because I like learning about how the heart works.

This subject meets my goals, because I want to do something in a field with animals in order to help them maintain a good quality of life for as long as possible, since that is what is most interesting to me. If I were to go into cardiology, I would like to enter a more specified branch of cardiology such as canine cardiology or equine cardiology. I would also like to be able to help with veterinary care at places such as the local dog shelter, because I love volunteering there. I discovered first-hand that I am able to handle the sight and smell of blood when I shadowed my vet. He was performing surgery on a dog and the entire room and everyone in it got splattered with blood when part of a machine broke.

Cardiology is the branch of medicine devoted to the study and care of the heart and circulatory system. The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients, gases, hormones, blood cells, etc. to and from cells in the body to help fight diseases and help stabilize body temperature. The main job of a cardiologist is to provide patients with care to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases of the heart and of the circulatory system. Some common heart problems include Coronary Heart Disease, Arrhythmia, Congenital Heart Disease, and Congestive Heart Failure. Common tests and treatments are an Electrocardiogram, a Nuclear Heart Scan, Cardiac Rehabilitation, or a Cardiac Catheterization.

To become a cardiologist, one must have a graduate degree and complete a Doctor of Medicine program of four years from a recognized college or university. Next, a three years residency program in internal medicine and also a two year cardiology fellowship are needed. It is also necessary to obtain a state license and be certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. However to reach my ultimate goal of becoming a canine cardiologist, I would need an additional degree in Veterinary Medicine. While a cardiologist treats the present-day situations, they also participate in the researching and finding of new cures and medicines for heart problems.

How Smart Are We Really?

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? The myth that humans only use 10% of their brains has been used countless times for many years. According to the Cornell Center for Materials Research as well as Scientific American, it doesn't have a clear origin, but it did come from people who believed that all humans have special powers. These people thought that we used 10% of our brains daily and the other 90% was set aside for our psychic powers to develop. This makes the myth very controversial because there are people who believe in psychic powers and people who do not.

The science involved in this thought is in the way the brain is configured. The human brain is divided into several different sections and each of your body's functions is connected to the nerves of a certain section. Because of this, losing a part of your brain or damaging even a small part of it can have serious consequences.

As for evidence, technologies such as PET scans and fMRIs, which are imaging techniques, have shown that the entire brain is active and not just 10%. Additionally, a problem such as having a stroke causes damage to small areas of the brain, areas that are much less than 90%. If we only used 10% of our brains, think of how much more damage something such as a stroke would do. Therefore this myth is indeed false.

How Much of the Brain Do Humans Use? -- powered by eHow.com