Survival of the Sickest Chapter Summaries Essay - 1288 Words

Chapter 1 Summary In chapter one it talks about how hemachromatosis is a hereditary disease and it’s the most common genetic disease for people of European descent, in which the body cant register that it has enough iron. So it keeps absorbing as much of it as possible, and this can have very, serious side effects (including death). Iron is very important for bacteria, cancer, and other things to grow. The way this disease is most easily treated is blood letting. Looks like all those crazy blood-letting, leech-sticking doctors werent mistreating everyone. What is the authors argument for why this disease stuck around? To really simplify things: during the black plague in Europe, people with more iron in their system were more likely†¦show more content†¦Many Europeans died out. How does this relate to diabetes? Well, one thing that sugar does is lower the freezing temperature of water. Pure water freezes at 32 degrees, but water with other substances in it, like sugar, freeze at much colder temperatures. Our blood, being largely composed of water, then, would also freeze at a lower temperature if it had higher levels of sugar. Brown fat is a type of fat that the body produces in extremely cold temperatures that quickly burns sugar into heat. Also a lot of greasy foods and fats also can cause diabetes. Consuming to much of it can cause you to have a stroke or heart attack. So a diabetic in Northern Europe during the Younger Dryas would have lived because their higher levels of blood sugar would have kept their blood liquid and let their brown fat burn that sugar into heat. Chapter 3 Summary In chapter 3 Dr. Moalem talks about how cholesterol rises too. Like when you consume alcohol, your body detoxifies it and then extracts calories from it. Its a difficult process that involves many different enzymes and a lot of organs, although most of the process takes place in the liver. First, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase converts the alcohol into another chemical called acetaldehyde; another enzyme—cleverly called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase—converts the acetaldehyde into acetate. And a third enzyme convertsShow MoreRelatedThe Black Death Era Essay1792 Words   |  8 Pagescontains no antigens, the immune system can automatically recognize there is something amiss once the bacterium begins producing waste. Because of this the immune system will be quicker and more resilient against the virus, leading to a higher chance of survival. Today, the highest percentage of blood type in the world is blood type O, and the lowest is AB, quickly foll owed by B. CONCLUSION While it’s impossible know exactly what factors contributed to Poland’s avoidance of the brutality of the Black DeathRead MoreEssay about The Chinese Invasion and the Rape of Tibet5037 Words   |  21 Pagesbe his only wishes for the people of Tibet, what should be referred to as their basic human right. Over one million Tibetans have died since 1959; the deaths are a direct result of the Chinese occupation, either through harsh prison conditions, summary executions or starvation.[1] In the years since the Chinese government has taken over Tibet, Tibetans still in the country and those living in exile in Darsalma, India, have depended on the assistance of others for basic needs such as healthRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 PagesContinental Airlines CASE STUDY II-3 Norfolk Southern Railway: The Business Intelligence Journey CASE STUDY II-4 Mining Data to Increase State Tax Revenues in California CASE STUDY II-5 The Cliptomaniaâ„ ¢ Web Store: An E-Tailing Start-up Survival Story CASE STUDY II-6 Rock Island Chocolate Company, Inc.: Building a Social Networking Strategy CASE STUDY III-1 Managing a Systems Development Project at Consumer and Industrial Products, Inc. CASE STUDY III-2 A Make-or-BuyRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagespersonalities. TEACHING AIDS As in previous editions, you will find a plethora of teaching aids and discussion material within and at the end of each chapter. Some of these will be common to several cases, and illustrate that certain successful and unsuccessful practices are not unique. Information Boxes and Issue Boxes are included in each chapter to highlight relevant concepts and issues, or related information, and we are even testing Profile Boxes. Learning insights help students see how certain