TED Tuesday: Animated cell

Medical animator David Bolinsky presents 3 minutes of stunning animation that show the bustling life inside a cell.

Organ Donor Awareness Week 2009

This is one of those occurrences where for no apparent reason I think about something and then bam!, there it is. I had no idea that this (8 - 14 Aug, 2009) is the Organ Donor Awareness Week 2009. I have decided to myself for a few months now that the next time I go for a visit home, I will be registering myself for organ donation. And today on a spur of the moment I happened to search the web for "organ donation India". The above link and the knowledge that this is the awareness week is the result of this search. So I thought I'd quickly share this link and fact with my readers and encourage them to do their part in "recycling" of human organs. I usually post about "green" and "eco" recycling but today this is a call for different kind of recycling. I hope at least some of you will be inspired to register yourself for organ donation after reading the article.

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TED Tuesday: Spirituality made easy

As I was watching this fascinating and inspiring video by Jill Bolte Taylor, I couldn't help but think of what I read in Eckhart Tolle's book, Power of Now. The functioning of the two halves of the brain that Jill describes in this talk fits very accurately to the concepts of "mind" (left half) and "spirit" (right half) as described by Tolle (which are based on Hindu and Buddhist philosophy). The left half does the logical thinking and dominates our everyday routine. The right half connects us to the world, literally, but is almost always running in the background of sorts. So then, I thought, is spirituality, enlightenment, feeling one with the world mean the moment when our right brain dominates over the left? It sure looks like that to me after listening to Jill. May be this is already well-known in the world of neuroscience and psychology. But it is a new thought for me personally. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

From “xocolatl” to chocolate

So yesterday it was Valentine’s Day (and it still is in some parts of the world depending on time zones) and I thought I should write something which is in line with the spirit of this celebration of love and loved ones. Two items that are most strongly associated with Valentine’s Day or love in general are roses and chocolates. So I am taking this opportunity to write about my favourite of the two, CHOCOLATE! (Not that I do not like roses.) So here’s my nerdy take on one of the most celebrated edible, and celebrated for a very long time for that matter.

The introduction of Wikipedia entry on Chocolate tells us “Chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavours in the world. It is a common ingredient in many snacks and desserts, including but not limited to cookies, cake, ice cream, pudding, pie and candy. Gifts of chocolate moulded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: Easter, Hanukkah, Christmas, Valentine's Day etc. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, including chocolate milk and hot chocolate.”

The word ‘chocolate’ comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl which is a combination of the words, xocolli, meaning "bitter", and atl, which is "water". The Aztecs were one of the first people who cultivated cacao at least three millennia ago in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The Spanish conquest of the “new world” in the 16th century brought this popular Mesoamerican drink to Europe, which was completely unaware of it till then. And not until the industrial revolution in 1700s was the chocolate made into its durable, solid form we enjoy today.

The fats in cocoa butter (oil extracted from cacao tree) can crystallize in six different forms (polymorphous crystallization). Making chocolate considered "good" is about forming as many type 5 crystals (melting point 34°C) as possible. This produces a glossy and firm chocolate that melts near body temperature (37 °C). The three types of chocolate can be differentiated by the ingredients in them,
Dark chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and (sometimes) vanilla
Milk chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, milk or milk powder, and vanilla
White chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder, and vanilla
Therefore, dark chocolate benefits the circulatory system. Other beneficial effects suggested include anticancer, brain stimulator, cough preventer and anti-diarrhoeal effects. After reading this, whatever little qualms I had about eating dark chocolate regularly like an addict have flown away!

There are various websites dedicated to “everything chocolate” which tell you about types of chocolate, how it is made, what different flavours and forms it is enjoyed in, etc. I obviously didn’t want to delve into each one of them as it would be impossible for me to stop reading about one of my most favourite “treats”. So with great difficulty I have narrowed down to two websites to share with you that I found most comprehensive about chocolate. The first one is xocoatl.org that, as its name suggests, concentrates on extensive history of chocolate. It also has sections on the various flavours, cacao harvesting and even offers a course on chocolate tasting!

The other interesting website I found was about the Field museum in Chicago that has an entire exhibition dedicated to everything chocolate! At least for me, this is a first. The website, along with the must-have sections about history and manufacture, has list resources like books, films etc. about chocolate. It even has a ‘chocolate challenge’ for those who really think they’re experts on this sweet treat. The health facts section has some interesting information on possible therapeutic uses of chocolate. Some of these are also mentioned in the Wikipedia entry to which I have given the link above.

So I believe I have, at least with some success, made you feel “not gill-cup” (this joke is only for avid fans of Monty Python’s Flying Circus) ..... err, not guilty about indulging in a chocolaty treat on the Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart or even otherwise.

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Medicine in ancient world

I came across an article about medicines and medicinal practices in ancient world that was a bit unexpected in Biblical Archaeology review (BAR). It is a good review article, short but informative, written by BAR Managing Web Editor Sarah Yeomans, who is also an archaeologist and historian. She starts with the Greek beliefs in gods of medicine and their use of secluded but beautiful sanctuaries called Asklepions. Various medicinal and surgical techniques used by the Greeks and Romans as well as their use of different natural substances for treatment have been summarised. Works of Arabic scholars and physicians also finds mention. The author then goes on to write about how archaeology has helped shed some light on the elaborate surgical practices, such as brain surgery, of ancient civilisations which were not believed to have reached such a level of sophistication. The funerary monuments and/or graves of ancient physicians and surgeons seem to yield lot more information, in form of the instruments used, about their expertise than any other source.

However, I was really surprised by the lack of any mention of two of the most prominent ancient medicinal personalities from India, Sushruta and Charak. Sushruta was a well-known and well-respected surgeon and teacher of Ayurveda from the Indian city of Kashi around the 6th century BC. He compiled the medical treatise Sushruta Samhita which contains multiple detailed references to diseases and medical procedures. Charaka, born c. 300 BC, was a physician and one of the principal contributors to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, a system of medicine and lifestyle thought to be developed about 5000 years ago in Ancient India. He is said to be the first physician to present the concept of digestion, metabolism and immunity.

Besides this one (glaring) omission, the article by Sarah Yeomans is a very informative read for someone interested in knowing about the medicinal knowledge of the ancients. It also provides the references to the information given in it for those who are keen on pursuing the “knowledge hunt” further.

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