Into the Abyss

Next month or so are going to be intense for me, so going to drop off the radar for a while and give it my all. See y'all on the other side!!

Peace!

Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders

I picked up this book from the library today, Hope in Hell by Dan Bortolotti. The book offers an insiders look into the world of doctors without borders, a organization I admire strongly and may one day be a part of. I wanted to share a potion of the back cover of the book.

"Doctors Without Borders sends more than 3,000 volunteers annually to conflict zones, refugee camps and anywhere else in the world where medical care is desperately needed.

Volunteers often work in poor and dangerous places. Some are traumatized, kidnapped, even murdered. many watch their idealism become disillusionment, their friends become strangers. Others feed on the adventure, fall in love, or find the family they never had."

Yikes! This is definitely not an undertaking for the faint of heart. I can't wait to dive into this one and get a better idea of my aspirations for the future. Expect updates and reflection in the coming weeks.

An Appreciation for the Scale of Things

As an aficionado of the sciences, I have grown to appreciate the size of the molecular world and all that's in it. And its amazing to see how different microscopic organisms and molecules relate to each other. However at times that may become difficult when your dealing with units like nanometers. I mean how in the world do you relate to a nanometer! (yes I know its 10^-9 meters), but most of us lack any intuitive sense of what it is.

So ever wonder how the size of an atom compares to say a hemoglobin, or even a chromosome to a blood cell? Egg to a sperm? Well wonder no more.

The Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah put together this amazing model on the relative size and scales of the microscopic world. Cell Size and Scale

Even more so, check out:

Inside a Cell
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/insideacell/

The Sympathetic System (Fight of Flight Response)
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/cellcom/

Cell Communication
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/signals/

Wondering how they look in real life?

Red Blood Cells (above) and Purkinge Neurons (below)- Courtesy of Wellcome Images

Surronded by Books

The only thing better than spending every waking hour surrounded by books, is being able to spend it outside writing your own story.