Monday, November 19, 2012

Disappearing Spoon Chapters 8 and 9:

In chapter 8, it definitely goes along exactly with the chapter name, from Physics to Biology. It began with a description of a Times magazine picture with a mixture of people, and emphasizing the U.S Nobel Prize dominance. Then it talked about a scientists named Segre who is talked about throughout the chapter. It began to focus on the turning to biology and began a story between two scientists trying to figure out DNA. Pauling who was a major scientist who was very focused and worked strongly independent was competing (without his knowledge) against a team of scientists Watson and Crick who strongly worked off of other scientists discoveries. Watson and Crick ended up winning the Nobel Prize for figuring out DNA A,T,C and G relationship and why DNA is packed so tightly together. By being humiliated, Pauling surprisingly took the high road and congratulated them and then he decided to move into different fields. This was not the only disocvery in this chapter, however the most interesting ;) Patterns I noticed in this chapter is that many scientists don't work we'll with other people and think they are right no matter what they are told and that they don't listen well. This especially happened with Segre. This chapter showed the revolutionary turn in the medical world, they discovered that diseases actually occur many times by molecules. This forever changed medicine! In chapter 9, it first starts out with explaining very poisonous elements. Then it goes into a story about a "Itai Itai" which means ouch ouch. It was an unknown disease that was occurring in small villages. People bones were just snapping basically. It talked about this one doctor who was lightly touching her wrist and it snapped! After the war, a doctor finally began investigating this disease, he went public that it was from element Cadmium. Then it talked about this boy who was a Boy Scout and extremely interesting in chemistry and getting people off oil energy. He began experimenting like crazy and he wasn't very good at it at first, having lots of mishaps. But he began to get much better and explore beyond his initial goal. Then, the police finally caught him doing something stupid at night and began to investigate it went on for many years. Then they began to find radioactive elements in his room and shed. However, because of the time they let him go. He then joined the navy hoping to work with elements there, however, he did not get to. After getting out, he went back to his home town and basically did nothing until one night he was caught stealing smoke detectors. With his record, they had to bring him in. And the chemistry that so much enthralled him, destroyed him in the end. This chapter was much more interesting that past chapters! I liked this one because it had more of a story and not just all about chemistry :) happy thanksgiving!

 

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