Disease vs. Humans: The Evolutionary Race :: Journalistic Essays

Disease vs. Humans: The Evolutionary Race Dramatic changes in living conditions and population structure are usually associated with the changes caused by the Industrial Revolution. Massive migration to cities and the development of urban centers which followed increased the likelihood of disease spread and evolution, and has also increased disease persistence. Diseases use cities (places where hundreds, thousands and millions of people are in very close quarters with each other) as a super highway; cities provide the perfect infrastructure for disease travel. As they travel and harm, diseases are in a constant race with their hosts towards evolutionary perfection. As their hosts evolve to kill the microbes, the microbes evolve to either keep the host alive for longer, or travel more quickly between hosts. One way that disease has utilized the growth of cities in order to evolve and thus travel better is its transformation from an exclusive disease for animals to an exclusive disease for humans. For example, typhus was originally transmitted between rats by fleas until typhus microbes realized that human body lice was a much more efficient method of traveling, now that humans are no longer host to lice typhus has changed to infect eastern North American flying squirrels and then transferring to people who live in close proximity to the squirrels (Diamond 209). Diseases are, in short, constantly changing in order to propagate more efficiently and more quickly. Our intimacy with animals has provided a quick and easy method of disease transformation and therefore better propagation. Pathogens that were formerly secluded to animals evolve to the point where they are directly transmitted between people. When these people are parts of large communities (a contingency that diseases thrive on) epidemics result, especially if the sanitation is as bad as in the first cities. In fact, up until the 20th century, Europe’s urban population was not self sustaining, so many died of crowd diseases that they had to be constantly replaced by rural immigrants (Diamond 205). Many of our epidemics could not have existed without the cities and the easy transportation they allow. Diseases, like all organisms, are constantly evolving in order to pass on the most genes. The best strategy for doing so is to replicate rapidly. If more rapid replication of a microbe inside a person leads to greater passing on of the genes that code for that rapid replication, then replication rate will increase even if it causes the person to be severely ill or leads to an overall decrease of the number of people it can effect, or even if it hastens the eventual extinction of the microbe (Ewald).

A Reflection Paper of Mumbaki film Essay

The film Mumbaki is about the conflict of modern and folk beliefs being faced by an Igorot named Joseph (played by Reymart Santiago). He was given the opportunity to study Medicine in Manila. The problem here is caused by the different socialization or culture that occurs in the Philippines. There came the time that the lead character has to choose between his dream to work in other country together with his girlfriend, Nancy (played by Rachel Alejandro), or fulfill his duties as a member of his tribe. It is clearly seen in the film, the opposite socialization that occurs in the Philippines. The simplest manifestation of this is the type of clothing worn by characters in the film: the city has grown to wear jeans, polo, t-shirt, etc. while in the mountains, they wear the traditional â€Å"bahag† or barely bold. Also the difference between the alcohol from the city and the once that came from the mountain is shown in the film. Furthermore, the use of modern and indigenous methods of treatment is also shown in the film. The methods of treatment studied in the city are using antibiotics to stop the spread of epidemic illness in the Igorots while the indigenous method is praying to their gods/baki or to their so called ‘mumbaki’. The last is, what is ought to be followed by the main character: the vengeance for his tribe or to use his knowledge in medicine. I agree on the decision that the main character applied to his problem. As one of the member of his tribe, he chose to fulfill his responsibilities to his tribe to take revenge to the opposing tribe yet he made it to sustain his profession by putting up a health center up the mountain to support the medical needs of the tribal people. Joining two different cultures is a big deal and it is hard for them to do that, yet the group still managed to help each other to resolve their problem and create a new different culture out of it†¦.

Evolution Of The Brazilian Attitude Towards Homosexuality...

O Jeitinho Brasileiro: The Evolution of the Brazilian Attitude Towards Homosexuality In the latter half of the twentieth century, the United States witnessed a struggle for gay and sexual liberation that bore the brunt of government persecution, an AIDs epidemic, and overt resistance from the religious right. Brazil dealt with many similar issues, from anti-gay policing and bar raids targeting queer individuals to an AIDs crisis devastating the country to the conservative right gaining more sway. However, these were complicated by historical troubles. Political upheaval brought on by an ideological schism between communism and democracy made it tougher for gay recognition to become an eminent concern. Yet, even with the exacerbated political problems the country faced, it was clear from interviewing my grandmother, Mary, and my mother, Simone, that Brazil followed a path reminiscent to that of the United States: silence surrounding and unawareness of homosexuality turned into widespread fear, that would later progressively shift towards acceptance. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the United States’ oversaw the persecution of gays and lesbians politically, professionally, and socially. During the Lavender Scare, McCarthy â€Å"fabricated connections between homosexuality and communism,† deeming homosexuality a security risk that required the government’s attention and prevention (Johnson 31). His rhetoric led to a crackdown on homosexuals in government, particularly in theShow MoreRelatedAn Introduction to Intercultural Communication29172 Words   |  117 Pagescharacteristics, values, beliefs and behaviours. Cross Cultural Awareness develops from cross cultural knowledge as the learner understands and appreciates a culture internally. This may also be accompanied by changes within the learners behaviour and attitudes such as a greater flexibility and openness. Cross Cultural Sensitivity is a natural by-product of awareness and refers to an ability to read into situations, contexts and behaviours that are culturally rooted and be able to react to them appropriatelyRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesThe New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., AgriculturalRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pageswho is a scientist, explains that the apple fell because the force of gravity pulling down on the apple caused tension in the apple stem and eventually broke it once the stem had dried out and got brittle; gravity then was able to pull the apple toward the center of the Earth until the resistance of the ground stopped the fall. His explanation is not an argument that the apple fell. It is taken for granted that the apple fell; whats in doubt is why this occurred. When Edward appeals to the existence