Sheep Eye Dissection Analysis

In class, we dissected a sheep's eye to better understand the structure and physiology of the eye. First we cut all the fatty tissue off of the eye and there was a significant amount of it. This is because it is the cushion for the eye while the extrinsic muscles move the eye. The cornea was the bluish part while the optic nerve was behind that. Then we cut through the sclera which is very tough and makes up the 'whites' of the eye. When we cut it open we saw the retina, vitreous humor and choroid, which was behind the retina. The retina contains the photoreceptors for vision while the vitreous humor is a clear gel-like substance and the choroid which brings blood, nourishment, and oxygen to the eye. The tapetum lucidum is a part of animal eyes that is not a part of human eyes as it helps with night vision as it reflects light. The ciliary bodies surrounding the lens encircle the lens and controls lens shape while the lens focuses light on the retina. One condition of the lens is cataracts which is when the lens becomes cloudy and the amount of light reaching the retina is lessened or prevented. When the lens is removed, it reveals the iris and pupil; between the iris and cornea is aqueous humor which also helps maintain the shape of the eye. A condition of the aqueous humor is glaucoma where fluid pressure becomes too high and it damages the eye. Like with the tapetum lucidum, a sheep's eye is different from a human's also because the pupil of a sheep's eye is more oval-shaped compared to that of a human's. From this lab, I could clearly see the different structures and functions of the eye and how significant the relationship between the two is, such as with the shape of the pupil and retina.

20 Time Blog #4: Presliced Fruits!

So far I have gotten to research a lot about this topic as Cornell has a branch of study regarding food psychology. By doing this instead, there is already completed research and it is up to me to sort and pick out the research that is relevant and more worthwhile. Some things to note were: Don’t force little kids to clean their plates which shows that parenting has a role in obesity/eating behaviours; Putting healthy food such as fruits out on counters instead of unhealthy foods such as chips subconsciously help you eat healthier; children are more likely to eat pre-sliced fruits. I've learned that although research is research, there can be clear bias in the analysis of that research, especially when an outcome is 'predetermined,' so to speak. My next step will be to continue to research and to start a compiled paper on this. This topic is definitely applicable to myself and my community/country as America is becoming increasingly related with obesity.

The 'Clay' Brain

In this 'Clay Brain' lab, my group and I made models of the left hemisphere from the right looking at the sagittal plane and a lateral view of the right cerebral hemisphere with Play-doh. This helped us better be able to recognize and map out different sections of the brain. It also showed us how complex the brain is.

A Woman without a Cerebellum

I just read an article about a woman found to be missing her cerebellum. Surprisingly, this was not discovered until she was 24 years old, already a significant age for a person growing up without a cerebellum. As the cerebellum controls voluntary movements and balance, it is also involved in many other functions such as speech and motor skills. In this case, the woman had problems walking steadily and had difficulties when she was young. However, other parts of the brain took some responsibility for the role of the cerebellum, allowing this woman to grow up fairly normally.
If a person's medulla oblongata was missing or severely damaged, involuntary actions would be severely limited. The medulla oblongata controls autonomic functions, relays nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord, and helps coordinate body movements. It may be possible for a person to survive but their capabilities will be very limited as the medulla oblongata is even involved in heart beat. However, like how other parts of the brain took over some of the cerebellum's roles, the same could happen with the medulla oblongata. Most likely though, the person would not be able to function for very long without medical help.

•