Sunday, December 29, 2019

Richard Owen - A Profile of the Famous Paleontologist

Name: Richard Owen Born/Died: 1804-1892 Nationality: British Dinosaurs Named: Cetiosaurus, Massospondylus, Polacanthus, Scelidosaurus, among numerous others About Richard Owen Richard Owen wasnt a fossil hunter, but a comparative anatomist--and he was far from the most likeable person in the history of paleontology. Throughout his long career in 19th-century England, Owen had a tendency to dismiss or ignore the contributions of other scientists, preferring to claim all the credit for himself (and he was, it must be said, a very talented, insightful and accomplished naturalist). This was even the case with his most famous contribution to paleontology, his invention of the word dinosaur (terrible lizard), which was inspired in part by the discovery of Iguanodon by Gideon Mantell (who later said of Owen that it was a pity a man so talented should be so dastardly and envious.) As he became increasingly prominent in paleontological circles, Owens treatment of other professional, especially  Mantell, became even more mean-spirited. He renamed (and took credit for discovering) some of the dinosaur fossils Mantell had unearthed, he prevented many of Mantells posthumous research papers from ever being published, and he was even widely believed to have written a scornful ananomyous obituary of Mantell upon the latters death in 1852. The same pattern repeated itself (with less success on Owens part) with Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution Owen mistrusted and was probably envious of. ​After the publication of Darwins seminal book On the Origin of Species, Owen became involved in an ongoing debate with the evolutionary popularizer and Darwin supporter Thomas Henry Huxley. ​Unable to let go of the idea of animal archetypes ordained by god to vary only within tight constraints, Owen ridiculed Huxley for the idea that humans evolved from apes, while Huxley defended Darwins theory by (for instance) pointing out similar substructures in human and simian brains. Owen even went so far as to imply that the French Revolution was a direct consequence of the theory of evolution, as humans abandoned the natural order of things and embraced anarchy. Darwin, as always, had the last laugh: in 2009, the London Natural History Museum, of which Owen was the first director, retired his statue in the main hall and put up one of Darwin instead! Although Owen is most famous for coining the word dinosaur, these ancient reptiles of the Mesozoic Era account for a relatively small percentage of his career output (which makes sense, since the only known dinosaurs at the time, beside Iguanodon, were Megalosaurus and Hylaeosaurus). Owen was also notable for being the first paleontologist to investigate the strange, mammal-like therapsids of southern Africa (especially the two-dog-toothed Dicynodon), and he wrote a famous paper about the recently discovered Archaeopteryx; he also actively researched more ordinary animals like birds, fish and mammals in a veritable flood of professional publications.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Obesity The Body Mass Index Essay - 1699 Words

Introduction Obesity can be defined as an abnormal increase in the proportion of fat cells, mainly in the viscera and subcutaneous tissues of the body (Mosby, 2010). The official medical measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), an index of an individual’s weight relative to height. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines obesity as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30 (World Health Organisation, 2015). New Zealand (NZ) ranks 3rd highest for obesity rates amongst OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries with 1 in 9 children classified as obese (Statistics New Zealand, 2015). The rate of childhood obesity in NZ has increased from 8% in 2006/7 to 11% in 2014/15 (Ministry of Health, 2015). Obesity is of particular concern amongst children due to the association with a wide range of health conditions and an increased risk of early onset illness. Obese children are more likely to be obese adults and have impaired glucose tolerance and hypertension a t a younger age. Obesity in children is also associated with asthma and musculoskeletal problems as well as mental health problems due to low self-esteem and depression (Ministry of Health, 2015). This essay will discuss the environmental factors that aid the prevalence of this health issue. Also, discussion will be had about the environmental worldview that is reflected by this situation. Lastly, the role of government laws and policies in the management of this issue will be analysed.Show MoreRelatedObesity And The Body Mass Index1404 Words   |  6 PagesToday I am discuss about one of the major health problem obesity. According to Wlardlow (2000), obesity is defined as a condition characterized by excess body fat. Health reduces and it creates some big and little bit small problems related to the body of the certain people who has this kind of problem. 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Poverty is defined â€Å"the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions† (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2014). Since the majority of Austin is poverty stricken,Read MoreChildhood Obesity : A Child s Body Mass Index1701 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood Obesity is usually measure by a child’s body mass index. This tells where a child lands on the health scale. At the same time, a child’s body mass index doesn’t give the final and complete picture about that child. In order to create an effective action plan to combat this public health issue, it is imperative that it is understood that children are very unique. Children are a lot like snowflakes; each one has different and unique characteristics to them. How a child grows is usually differentRead MoreObesity : The Major Health Problems Worldwide1211 Words   |  5 PagesObesity is one of the major health problems worldwide. The World Health Organization estima ted that over 1.4 billion people around the world diagnosed with overweight and obesity in 2008 (Haberka, Stolarz-Skrzpek, Cazrnecka, Gasior, Olszanecka-Glinianowicz. 2014. P,1). At all ages and throughout the world, women are generally found to have higher rate of obesity than men. The method that used to measure the obesity is the body mass index. The body mass index is the weight divided by height squaredRead MoreObesity Epidemic in America1748 Words   |  7 Pagesthe fattest country in the world. Obesity in America has reach epidemic proportions. Obesity and weight gain has become major concern of public health in the United States. In every state, at least twenty percent of adults are obese, and in twelve of these states the obesity rate is above thirty percent. Mississippi currently holds the highest rate of obesity with 34.9 percent of its residents being obese. On the contrary, Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity with 20.7 percent. CNN estimated thatRead MoreChildhood Obesity And Its Effect On Children s Wellbeing And Health999 Words   |  4 PagesChildhood obesity is described as a condition whereby excessive body fat interferes or affects child’s wellbeing and health. The condition is often diagnosed based on the Body Mass Index (BMI) since it is considerably difficult to determine the body fat directly. This condition is now recognized as a serious issue requiring public health concern owing to the increased of its prevalence among the children. To avoid stigmatization, overweight is often used in children rather than obese (Ogden, 2014)

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Change and Joe Davis free essay sample

Joe Davis was not the greatest child growing up, but what ever he did he stuck with it no matter what the consequences. He thought everything he did made him cool. Joe was very committed, committed to smoking, committed to his drugs and even committed to breaking the rules at school, which he had to finally drop out of. Even though his actions were not the best he still showed his commitment to those actions. Joe’s commitment to his wrong doings led him into a downward spiral of loneliness and pain. His actions finally led him to the hospital and a bullet in his back that left him paralyzed. Joe spent the next several months in a hospital trying to rehabilitate but that was not on his mind. Joe was still committed to getting high on drugs. He used his manipulation of others to get drugs and whatever he needed to stay high until he was released from the program. We will write a custom essay sample on Change and Joe Davis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Once he got back to his house he needed someone to take care of him. Joe knew if he wanted drugs he must commit himself to his woman friend and that is what he did. Joe’s drug habit was strong but he could not do what he use to do so he committed himself to selling drugs. Because of his commitment, business was booming and money was easy. Joe’s unhealthiness led him to getting bedsores that got so bad it landed him back in the hospital. Once again he manipulated people to help him stay high, which then only got him kicked out of the hospital. He returned home to find out his house was raided and the drugs, money and guns were gone. Joe’s commitment led him to the lowest that he has ever been. Now that Joe has no drugs or money he felt like he had nothing. All he is now is a junkie in a wheelchair that can not do anything. His commitment now got him kicked out of the house and into his parent’s house. Still committed to his business he began selling drugs again. That did not get him far because he still felt like no one. One day Joe filled a prescription of 300 pills and took all of them. He committed himself to commit suicide but he did fail at his attempt. Finally after he recuperated he realized the he needed a change. Lucky for him he was a very committed person so now all he had to do was commit to that life change. Joe was able to get a job and finally get back into school to get a education and his commitment got him there. Joe Davis was a changed man with a education, a great job, and a wonderful lady friend and all this was due to his great quality of being committed. Everywhere you look things are changing, society is changing, and peoples lives are changing. I am not saying that is a bad thing but in order to keep up you have to be ready to commit to those changes. Being able to commit yourself will carry you a long way through life. This story shows that if you want to change and you stay committed to what tasks are at hand then you can be someone. At some point in life something will happen and you will have to commit to yourself, and commit to a better future for you and your family. Commit to something, because if you do not then your life will continue to go around in non-stop circles. Joe Davis proved that being committed can get you where you want to be.