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Follow the Herd

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Kids grow up learning to hate shots. Vaccines can be scary and painful for a young child, making it an experience most would dread. Even as we get older, many people still have a fear of needles. Shots can make a person anxious to see the doctor. However, vaccines provide protection from life threatening conditions. A simple Google search would be enough to see the devastating effects that diseases like Polio could potentially have. Before vaccinations, those who contracted Polio could experience muscle weakness, paralysis, and even death. Some patients would even have to use iron lungs because they were no longer able to breathe on their own. While there can be negatives to vaccinations as they can cause slight discomfort, a quick examination easily demonstrates the positives far outweigh the negatives. Vaccines have a long history dating back to 1796. Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine against smallpox after realizing that milkmaids who had previously ca...
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We are Not All Fish!

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Fish, jelly fish, and star fish are all fish in common language, but should not be classified as so. All are commonly found aquatic organisms, but they are all different types of animals. The three marine groups are very diverse and can be found all over the world in various oceans, and have true tissues. But that’s where the similarities end, as each belong to their own phylum, or group, in the animal kingdom. The first animal, the fish, belongs in the phylum Chordata. Chordates include vertebrates like fish, snakes, birds, and mammals. This means that the fish has vertebrae, bones, and the five other chordate features that unite them as a phylum. Fish also have a well-developed digestive system: prefect for carnivorous fish to eat prey. Jelly fish belong the phylum Cnidarian. Cnidarians include jelly fish, sea anemones, and corals. The group is characterized by their stinging cells, which allow them to protect themselves from predators. They have no eyes, or well-developed di...
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Invisible Illness: What We Don't See Will Hurt Us

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Many foundations are available advocacy, research funding, and disease awareness.  http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org If you are a woman between the ages of 18 and 40, take caution. Invisible illness is on the rise and attacking women at exponential rates. Every year, more people than ever are being diagnosed with autoimmune diseases. Women are at a much higher risk because our immune systems have a higher level of complexity than men. Some examples of these illnesses are, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Hashimoto's, rheumatoid arthritis, and many others. Every single year, the rate of diagnosed women is growing much larger than the year before. Although, any and every autoimmune disease is genetically influenced and there is no way of preventing or curing. The good news is that there are environmental factors that we can improve to lower our risk of enhancing the symptoms and potentially lowering the possibility of more than one illness at a time, ...
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Can You Tell The Difference? Asian Lady Beetle American Ladybug Many invasive species are disguised to look like a common organism that doesn’t seem harmful. Take a look at the Asian Lady Beetle ( Harmonia axyridis ) which is commonly confused as the American Ladybug. They began their spread in the U.S. back in 1988 and have been taking over the natural habitats of the American Ladybug ever since. They destroy the plant life that the Ladybug populations use for food. This causes the native bugs to leave and the Asian Lady Beetle to run ramped. This is a common thing happens with invasive species.  An invasive species by definition is an organism that is not native to an area that can spread and reproduce quickly and cause devastating effects. Many invasive species are spread by humans unknowingly, especially if they travel overseas. For plants they normally spread through plants brought over from abroad which then their seeds travel by the wind or water a...
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