Barbara Venkataraman's Blog: A Trip on the Mobius Strip, page 34
August 14, 2013
If I had to choose...
Deciding which insect I would be is a daunting task, considering there are over 900,000 types of insects in the world, so I have narrowed it down to a few choices. One option is the cicada. Cicadas have been hibernating underground for seventeen years and are about to awaken to swarm by the billions. I would make a great cicada because I love to sleep and I’m very sociable-I would enjoy hanging out with billions of friends-but, then, I decided against it. There’s way too much competition for everything AND, on top of that, cicadas are everyone’s favorite meal.I'd have to spend all my time hiding from squirrels, birds, wasps and people.Besides, if I slept for 17 years, I’d never catch up on my favorite TV shows.
My next choice was an ant. It would be great to be an ant because they can lift 50 times their body weight. That would be like me lifting 7,500 pounds! My friends at the gym would be so impressed (if I actually went to the gym).But if I were an ant, my friends would be ants and they could all lift that much, so what’s the point? Ants are really organized and believe in teamwork, but the life of an ant is just work, work, work, so I think I'll pass.
Bees are great, too--they really enjoy the outdoors and produce honey, one of my favorite things. But they're having a hard time lately with so many dying from "Colony Collapse Disorder,” so I will have to pass again.
Being a butterfly is appealing because they get to live two lives, one as a caterpillar crawling around and then as a beautiful butterfly,but when I learned some butterflies only live a week, I knew it was time to rethink my decision.
When I read that termites have a soldier caste, I thought I’d found my favorite insect, but then I learned that they are usually blind and like to commit suicide, so that was definitely out.
Then I found my favorite insect, the cockroach: it’s nocturnal, like I am; it can live anywhere, but prefers warm temperatures, like I do; it loves sugar, definitely me; and it's really hardy and who doesn’t want to be hardy? I could be the insect everyone loves to hate. Although cockroaches and people have been locked in battle forever, we cockroaches know we're winning!
My next choice was an ant. It would be great to be an ant because they can lift 50 times their body weight. That would be like me lifting 7,500 pounds! My friends at the gym would be so impressed (if I actually went to the gym).But if I were an ant, my friends would be ants and they could all lift that much, so what’s the point? Ants are really organized and believe in teamwork, but the life of an ant is just work, work, work, so I think I'll pass.
Bees are great, too--they really enjoy the outdoors and produce honey, one of my favorite things. But they're having a hard time lately with so many dying from "Colony Collapse Disorder,” so I will have to pass again.
Being a butterfly is appealing because they get to live two lives, one as a caterpillar crawling around and then as a beautiful butterfly,but when I learned some butterflies only live a week, I knew it was time to rethink my decision.
When I read that termites have a soldier caste, I thought I’d found my favorite insect, but then I learned that they are usually blind and like to commit suicide, so that was definitely out.
Then I found my favorite insect, the cockroach: it’s nocturnal, like I am; it can live anywhere, but prefers warm temperatures, like I do; it loves sugar, definitely me; and it's really hardy and who doesn’t want to be hardy? I could be the insect everyone loves to hate. Although cockroaches and people have been locked in battle forever, we cockroaches know we're winning!
August 8, 2013
You Think You Know a Person...
I just read something disturbing but, if I tell you about it, then we'll both be disturbed. Remember--YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Did you know that bacteria living in our bodies outnumber human cells 10 to 1?
10 to 1! That means, for each human cell in your body, there are ten microorganisms, which may include bacteria, fungi and archaea. I don't even know what archaea are--and I've read the definition! The only part I understood was that they produce methane, which stinks, both literally and metaphorically. In fact, the number of different bacteria species living on your skin alone could approach five hundred. And that's not just your skin we're talking about, it's mine too! And fungi! Do we have mushrooms growing out of our ears, or what?
And the news gets worse: each of us hosts thousands of types of bacteria with different body sites that have their own distinctive communities. For example, your belly button (an area I assume you never think about, unless you are one to contemplate your navel) can host any number of 1,400 strains of bacteria that call it home.
So, it turns out you can live in a gated community, but you can't be one. You have no say in the matter: you are a microbiome, an aggregate of microorganisms that live in your skin, your eyes, your mouth, your gut, and other places which I can't talk about in polite society.
Before you completely freak out, let me tell you that some of these organisms are beneficial, like gut bacteria that aid in digestion, and others that help maintain our health in different ways. The most unsettling news is that we have no idea what the majority of them do. But, have no fear, we (well, not me, of course, it's the 200 researchers in the Human Microbiome Project) are studying them in an effort to figure out what the little buggers are up to.
Of course, since they outnumber us 10 to 1, it seems that we ARE the little buggers!
Did you know that bacteria living in our bodies outnumber human cells 10 to 1?
10 to 1! That means, for each human cell in your body, there are ten microorganisms, which may include bacteria, fungi and archaea. I don't even know what archaea are--and I've read the definition! The only part I understood was that they produce methane, which stinks, both literally and metaphorically. In fact, the number of different bacteria species living on your skin alone could approach five hundred. And that's not just your skin we're talking about, it's mine too! And fungi! Do we have mushrooms growing out of our ears, or what?
And the news gets worse: each of us hosts thousands of types of bacteria with different body sites that have their own distinctive communities. For example, your belly button (an area I assume you never think about, unless you are one to contemplate your navel) can host any number of 1,400 strains of bacteria that call it home.
So, it turns out you can live in a gated community, but you can't be one. You have no say in the matter: you are a microbiome, an aggregate of microorganisms that live in your skin, your eyes, your mouth, your gut, and other places which I can't talk about in polite society.
Before you completely freak out, let me tell you that some of these organisms are beneficial, like gut bacteria that aid in digestion, and others that help maintain our health in different ways. The most unsettling news is that we have no idea what the majority of them do. But, have no fear, we (well, not me, of course, it's the 200 researchers in the Human Microbiome Project) are studying them in an effort to figure out what the little buggers are up to.
Of course, since they outnumber us 10 to 1, it seems that we ARE the little buggers!
August 5, 2013
A Case of Age Discrimination
She and I used to be so close, it seemed like we could read each other's thoughts. We knew all the same people, had the same hobbies, and enjoyed the same books--even our politics lined up. But that was before. When I saw her recently, she felt like a stranger. My first thought was, "Oh my God, you look so old!" I didn't say anything, of course, but she knew what I was thinking, it was all over my face. She looked so unhappy, too. I tried to smile and cheer her up, but she wasn't buying it.
Then, I decided to give her a pep talk about the good things in her life that had only come with the passage of time: the long friendships, the deep appreciation for nature, the poignancy of life itself. And how, when she was young, she couldn't understand the connectedness of everything, and how we are here for a higher purpose--to care for each other and lift each other up, to embrace a philosophy of loving kindness and compassion.
I explained that age isn't important at all, it's wisdom, knowledge and experience that matter.
I really thought I was getting through to her, making her see what life was all about, but then she spoke. She looked me right in the eye, those eyes with crow's feet imprinted on them, with an age spot on the left cheek, and said, "If you don't get me some Botox and a laser peel, sister, you'd better just cover all the mirrors in the house."
So I covered all the mirrors.
Then, I decided to give her a pep talk about the good things in her life that had only come with the passage of time: the long friendships, the deep appreciation for nature, the poignancy of life itself. And how, when she was young, she couldn't understand the connectedness of everything, and how we are here for a higher purpose--to care for each other and lift each other up, to embrace a philosophy of loving kindness and compassion.
I explained that age isn't important at all, it's wisdom, knowledge and experience that matter.
I really thought I was getting through to her, making her see what life was all about, but then she spoke. She looked me right in the eye, those eyes with crow's feet imprinted on them, with an age spot on the left cheek, and said, "If you don't get me some Botox and a laser peel, sister, you'd better just cover all the mirrors in the house."
So I covered all the mirrors.
A Trip on the Mobius Strip
Whenever I see something funny or weird that you can relate to, I will share it. Anything that will make you smile, or shake your head, or wiggle your ears. I'd like to see that, by the way...
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