Presented to the Club by Roger Linscott, about 1981
A century and a half ago, in the year 1831, a young divinity student of 22 set sail from England on a voyage to South America. Twenty-eight years later, after prolonged study and soul-searching, he wrote a book based upon his observations there. The world – certainly the world of science – has never been the same since.
The young man, of course, was Charles Darwin, and the book was The Origin of the Species. When he embarked on his historic voyage, he had already abandoned a proposed career in medicine, after fleeing in horror from a surgical theater in which an operation was being performed on an unanesthetized child, and was a rather reluctant candidate for the clergy, a career deemed suitable for the younger son of an English gentleman. An indifferent student, Darwin was an ardent hunter and horseman, a collector of beetles, mollusks and shells, and an amateur botanist and geologist. When the captain of the surveying ship H.M.S. Beagle, himself only three years older than Darwin, offered passage to any young man who would volunteer to go without pay as a naturalist, Darwin eagerly seized the opportunity to escape from Cambridge. Five years later, he returned to an inherited fortune, an estate in the English countryside, and a lifetime of independent study that radically changed mankind’s view of life and of our place in the living world.
To understand the extraordinary genius of Darwin’s theory of evolution, it is useful to look briefly at the intellectual climate in which it was formulated. Aristotle, the world’s first great biologist, believed that all living things could be arranged in a hierarchy – a ladder of nature in which the simplest creatures had a humble position on the bottommost rung, mankind occupied the top, and all other organisms had their proper places in between. Until the end of the century, most biologists believed in such a natural hierarchy; but whereas Aristotle thought that living organisms had always existed, the later biologists believed, in harmony with the teachings of the Old Testament, that all living things were the product of a divine creation. They believed, moreover, that most were created for the service or pleasure of mankind. Indeed, it was pointed out, even the lengths of day and night were planned to coincide with the human need for sleep.
That each type of living thing came into existence in its present form — specially and specifically created – was a compelling idea. How else could one explain the astonishing extent to which every organism was adapted to its environment and to its role in nature? It was not only the authority of the church but also, so it seemed, the evidence before one’s own eyes, that gave such strength to the concept of special creation.
Actually, it was geologists, more than biologists, who paved the way for overturning this concept. During the latter part of the 18th century, there was a revival of interest in fossils, which previously had been collected only as curiosities, regarded as stones that somehow looked like shells. The English surveyor William Smith, born 50 years before Darwin, was among the first to study the distribution of fossils scientifically. Whenever his work took him down into a mine or along canals, he carefully noted the order of the different layers of rock and collected the fossils from each layer. He eventually established that each stratum, no matter where he came across it in England, contained characteristic kinds of fossils.
Smith did not interpret his findings, but the implication that the present surface of the earth had been formed layer by layer over a very long period of time was unavoidable. This was a brand-new idea. Christian theologians, by counting the successive generations since Adam (as recorded in the Bible) had calculated the maximum age of the earth at about 6,000 years, and no one had ever thought in terms of a longer period. Yet the world described by William Smith was clearly a very ancient one. A revolution in geology was beginning; earth science was becoming the study of time and change, rather than a mere cataloging of types of rocks. As a consequence, the history of the earth became inseparable from the history of living organisms, as revealed in the fossil record.
Although the way to evolutionary theory was being prepared by the revolution in geology, the time was not yet ripe for a parallel revolution in biology. The dominating force in European science in the early 19th century was Baron George Cuvier, a French aristocrat who was the founder of vertebrate paleontology, or the scientific study of the fossil record. An expert in anatomy and zoology, he applied his special knowledge of the way in which animals are constructed to the study of fossil animals, and was able to make brilliant deductions about the form of an entire animal from a few fragments of bone. We think of paleontology and evolution as so closely connected that it is surprising to learn that Cuvier was a staunch and powerful opponent of evolutionary theories. He recognized the fact that many species that once existed no longer did – but he explained their extinction by postulating a series of catastrophes. After each catastrophe, the most recent of which he declared to be Noah’s Flood, new species filled the vacancies. Louis Agassiz, the great Harvard scholar and America’s leading 19th century biologist, was a similarly devout opponent of evolution. He contended that the fossil record revealed 50 to 80 total extinctions of life and an equal number of separate creations.
But the person who most directly influenced Darwin was Charles Lyell, a geologist who was twelve years his senior and whose books Darwin took with him on the Beagle. On the basis of his own observations, Lyell opposed the theory of catastrophes as an explanation for the creation of new species. He believed that the slow, steady and cumulative effect of natural forces had produced continuous change in the course of the earth’s history; and since this process is demonstrably slow, its results being barely visible in a single lifetime, it must have been going on for a very long time. Lyell was not an evolutionist. But what Darwin’s theory needed was the concept of vast amount of time – and it was time that Lyell gave him. The discovery that the earth was very ancient was the snowball that started the whole avalanche.
This, then, was the intellectual climate in which Charles Darwin set sail from England in 1831. As the Beagle moved down the Atlantic coast of South America, through the Straits of Magellan and up the Pacific coast, Darwin traveled the interior. He explored the rich fossil beds of South America, with the theories of Lyell fresh in his mind, and collected specimens of the many new kinds of plant and animal life he encountered. He was impressed most strongly by the constantly changing varieties of organisms he saw. The birds and animals on the west coast were very different from those on the east coast, and even as he moved slowly up the west coast, one species would give way to another.
Most interesting of all to Darwin were the animals and plants that inhabited the small, barren group of islands known as the Galapagos, off the coast of Ecuador. The islands had been named by the Spanish after their most striking inhabitants, the giant tortoises, some of which weight 220 pounds or more. Each of the islands has its own type of tortoise, and sailors who took these tortoises on board and kept them as a convenient source of fresh meat on their sea voyages could readily tell which island any particular tortoise had come from. Then there were groups of finchlike birds, thirteen species in all, that differed from one another in the sizes and shapes of their bodies and beaks, and particularly in the type of food they ate. In fact, though clearly finches, they had many features seen in completely different types of birds on the mainland.
From his knowledge of geology, Darwin knew that these islands, clearly of volcanic origin, were much younger than the mainland. Yet the plants and animals of the islands were different from those of the mainland, and in fact, the plants and animals of different islands of the archipelago differed from one another. Were the living things on each island the product of a separate special creation, Darwin wondered – or was it possible that from an original paucity of birds in the archipelago, one species had been taken and modified for different ends? This problem “continued to haunt him.”
Darwin was a voracious reader. Not long after his return to England, he came across a short but much talked-about sociological treatise by the Reverend Thomas Malthus, which first appeared in 1798. In this book, Malthus warned, as economists have warned frequently since, that the human population was increasing so rapidly that it would soon be impossible to feed all the earth’s inhabitants. Darwin saw that Malthus’s conclusion – that food supply and other factors hold populations in check – is true for all species, not just the human species. For example, Darwin calculated that a single breeding pair of elephants – which are among the slowest breeders of all animals – would, if all their progeny lived and reproduced the normal number of offspring over a normal life pan, produce a standing population of 19 million elephants in 750 years. Yet the average number of elephants remained the same over the years. So, although this single breeding pair could have, in time, produced 19 million elephants, it did, in fact, produce only two. But why these particular two? The process by which the two survivors are, so to speak, “chosen,” Darwin called natural selection.
Natural selection, according to Darwin, was a process analogous to the type of selection exercised by breeders of horses, cattle or dogs. In the case of artificial selection, we humans chose individual specimens of plants of animals for breeding on the basis of characteristics that seem to us desirable. In the case of natural selection, the environment takes the place of human choice. As individuals with certain hereditary characteristics survive and reproduce, and individuals with other hereditary characteristics are eliminated, the population will slowly change. If some horses were faster than others, for example, those would be more likely to survive, and their progeny, in turn, might be faster, and so on.
According to Darwin’s theory, these variations among individuals of a species, which occur in every natural population, are wholly a matter of chance. They are not produced by the environment, not by a creative force, not by the unconscious striving of the organism. In themselves, they have no goal or direction, It is the operation of natural selection over a series of generations that gives direction to evolution. A variation that gives an animal a slight advantage makes that animal more likely to leave surviving offspring. Thus, a giraffe, say, with a slightly longer neck has an advantage in feeding, and so is likely to leave more offspring than a giraffe with a shorter neck. If the longer neck is an inherited trait, some of these offspring will also have long necks, and if the long-necked animals in this generation have an advantage, the next generation will include more long-necked animals – and so on, until, finally the population of short-necked giraffes will have become a population of longer-necked ones, thought there will still be variations.
The extraordinary thing about Darwin’s formulation was not so much his espousal of evolution — which was an idea that had at least crossed other scientific minds before his – but rather, the crucial role he gave to chance variation as the great triggering mechanism of the evolutionary process – the thread that links together all the diverse phenomena of the living world. Species arise, he said, when differences between individuals within a group are gradually converted into differences between groups as the groups become separated in space and time.
It was a truly revolutionary concert that, in one fell swoop, brought biology out of the Middle Ages – out of the realm of theology and into the realm of science.
It also profoundly influenced our way of thinking about ourselves. With the possible exception of the storm that raged about Copernicus and Galileo, no revolution of scientific thought has had as much effect on human thought as this one. The major reason is, of course, that evolution is in flat contradiction to the lateral, fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible. The new astronomy had made it clear that the earth is not the center of the universe or even our own solar system. With Darwin, the new biology required acceptance of the proposition that, like all other organisms, we too are not created for any special purpose or as part of any universal design but instead rose in the course of the earth’s long history from earlier and more primitive forms.
The heretical dimensions of this proposition may explain why almost three decades elapsed between Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle and his publication of the Origin of the Species.
Two years after his return to England, he read the essay by Malthus, and in 1842 he wrote a preliminary sketch of his theory, which he revised in a 230-page manuscript in 1844. There is little doubt that he realized the magnitude of his accomplishment. On completing the revision, he wrote a formal letter to his wife requesting her, in the event of his death, to publish it – but then, with the manuscript and letter in safe-keeping, he turned to other work, including a four-volume treatise on the natural history of barnacles. For more than twenty years after his return from his voyage, Darwin mentioned his ideas on evolution only in his private notebooks and in letters to a few scientific colleagues.
In 1850, urged on by his friends Charles Lyell and botanist Joseph Hooker, Darwin set to work slowly preparing a manuscript for publication. In 1858, some ten chapters later, he received a bombshell in the form of a letter from another English naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, who was working in the Malay Peninsula and had corresponded with Darwin on several previous occasions. Wallace presented a theory of evolution that almost exactly paralleled Darwin’s own. Tossing in bed one night with a fever, Wallace had had a sudden flash of insight. “I saw at once,” he recollected, “that the ever-present variability of all living things would furnish the material from which, by the mere weeding out of those less adapted to the actual conditions, the fittest alone would continue the race.” Within two days, Wallace’s 20-page manuscript was completed and in the mail.
When Darwin received Wallace’s letter, he turned to his friends for advice, and Lyell and Hooker, taking matters into their own hands, presented the theory of Darwin and Wallace at a scientific meeting just one month later. Their presentation received little attention at the time, but for Darwin the floodgates were opened. He finished his long treatise in another few months, and the book was finally published. The first printing of 1,250 copies sold out the same day.
Why Darwin’s long delay? His own writings, voluminous thought they were, shed little light on this question. But perhaps his background does. When Darwin embarked on the Beagle, he was a devout Christian who did not doubt the literal truth of the Bible and did not believe in evolution any more than did the other English scientists he had met and whose books he had read. When he achieved his Malthusian insight a few years later, he was still in his 20s. He held no professional position, but he had acquired the admiration of his colleagues for his work aboard the Beagle. He was not about to compromise a promising career by promulgating a heresy that he might be unable to prove to their satisfaction. Perhaps more important, his wife, to whom he was deeply devoted, was extremely religious. In short, it seems reasonable to suppose that Darwin, as has been the case with others, found the implications of his theory difficult to confront.
Nor it is any wonder that he shrank from those implications for so long. Once the earth and its living inhabitants are seen as products of historical change, the theological philosophy embodied in the great chain of being ceases to make sense; the fullness of the world becomes not an eternal manifestation of God’s bountiful creativity but an illusion. For most of the world’s history, the vast majority of species on earth today did not exist and considerably less than one per cent of those that did exist do so today. If evolution has occurred, and if it has proceeded from the entirely natural causes Darwin envisioned, then the adaptations of organisms to their environment, the intricate construction of the bird’s wing and the orchid’s flower are evidence not of divine design but of the struggle for existence.
Moreover, and this may be the deepest implication of all, Darwin brought to biology, as his predecessors had brought to astronomy and geology, what has been termed the sufficiency of efficient causes. No longer was there any reason to look for final causes and goals. To the questions “What purpose does this species serve? Why did God make tapeworms?” the answer is, “To no purpose.” Tapeworms were not put here to serve a purpose, nor were plants, not plants, nor people. They came into existence not by design but by the action of utterly impersonal natural laws.
This was an exceedingly hard pill for most people to swallow – and it still is. The fact that the earth is not the center of the universe, though once considered heresy, is now accepted by the vast majority of mankind. The fact that man is descended of apes is not. Almost uniquely among the great scientific formulations of history, Darwinian theory remains a subject of bitter controversy more than a century after his death – not among biologists, who accept it with virtual unanimity, but among ordinary people who cannot bring themselves to face the possibility of a world that operates without a grand, divinely guided design.
Indeed, the hullabaloo over Darwinism is currently more intense – at least in the United States – than it has been since the 1920s when Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan battled the issue in Dayton, Tennessee, at the celebrated Scopes trial. Leading the attack today are the so-called Creationists, who are mostly spokesmen for fundamentalist religious groups – but their popular support is wide and deep. In a recent Gallup Poll of cross-section Americans, nearly half of the respondents agreed with the statement: “God created men pretty much in his present form at one time within the past 10,000 years.” Thirty-eight per cent of the respondents agreed with an alternative statement: “Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, including man’s creation.” A mere nine per cent accepted a third choice – that man had developed from less advanced forms of life without diving intervention. Another public poll, published in Christian Century several years ago, similarly reported that approximately half the adults in America continue to believe that “God created Adam and Eve to start the human race.”
Armed with this kind of public support, the Creationists in recent years have been zeroing in on the public school system, particularly in the South and Southwest – not with the demand that the teaching of evolution be banned (which was the issue in the Scopes trial) but with the seemingly less dogmatic demand that Creationist doctrines should be given equal time with Darwinian theory in all science classrooms. They have been remarkably successful in this endeavor. In Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago, not to mention countless smaller cities, school committees have yielded to the equal-time pressure. And perhaps more disturbing, national textbook publishers – whose profits depend on producing books that will be marketable in every part of the nation – have been soft-pedaling Darwinism in their biology texts or specifically including Creationism as an alternative and co-equal doctrine.
“Where will we be,” asks Stephen Jay Gould, the eminent Harvard biologist, “if any pressure group can win, by legislative fiat, the ordered inclusion of its favorite doctrine into school curricula?” It’s a good question. One is reminded of Lyndon Johnson’s story about the earnest young pedagogue who, in the depths of depression, applied for an opening as a science teacher in a backwater town in Texas. Confronting the local school board at his interview, he was asked by the grim-visaged chairman: “Do you teach that the earth is flat or that the earth is round?” The young man looked from face to face without seeing a hint of enlightenment. “Well,” he said, “I can teach it either way.”
The notion that one can teach the great unifying theory of modern biology “either way” is no less absurd.


BETTER SKIN WITHOUT WEARING ANY MAKEUP
Better Skin Naturally!
Here Are 3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Skin Health:
- Eat more anti-inflammatory foods: Acne, psoriasis, and rosacea are all triggered by inflammation. One of the best ways to battle these skin conditions is to reduce hypo allergenic foods (like wheat and dairy) and add in anti inflammatory, healing foods (like bone broth, omega 3s, celery ,blueberries, and my fav, salmon!)
- Hydrate! Our skin is the largest organ in our body and is comprised of protein, fat and water. Make sure to drink at least 2.5 litres of water per day and use a natural moisturizers void of perfumes and harsh chemicals.
- Exercise: Our skin helps regulate temperature and helps us remove toxins from our body through sweating. Hit the gym and sweat it out! Exercise will also help better your sleep, which is another cause of bad skin.
Good skin starts within! Nourishment and a good diet are critical to skin health.Include more of these micronutrients!
- Lutein: Known as the “eye vitamin”, this antioxidant helps protect our skin and eyes. It is found in bright, colourful foods like carrots, sweet potatoes and kale. It also acts as an anti inflammatory.
- Beta Carotene: Also found in colourful foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes! Beta carotene gets converted into Vitamin A. This antioxidant helps out skin better protect itself from sunlight and our environment.
- Vitamin C: A powerful antioxidant that helps produce collagen!
- Monounsaturated fats: are natural moisturizers that also act as anti inflammatories. (as found in olive oil and avocados)
- Phytochemicals: are powerful micronutrients found in plants
- Antioxidants: as found in berries, black currants, dark chocolate and more
- Selenium: as found in Brazilian nuts and tomatoes. Helps fight against cancer and cell damage.
- Vitamin E: as found in nuts and seeds. Vitamin E supports cell growth and repair
- Zinc: Another big one for skin! Zinc helps repair skin damage and is a critical micronutrient for the sebaceous glands in our skin. Zinc is found in fish, poultry, nuts and seeds.
- Omega 3s: Acts as an anti inflammatory and can fight acne and psoriasis. Omega 3 rich foods include free run eggs, avocados, rapeseed oil and olive oil. You could also opt to supplement with an Omega 3 supplement.
Better Skin Naturally: 20 Must Have Foods
Eat more whole foods! I recommend reducing the amount of processed and refined foods and replace them with healthy, whole foods. Here is a list of 20 foods to include in your diet. Many of these foods are antioxidant rich and act as inflammatories.
- Green tea
- Dark chocolate (my fave!)
- Chia Seeds
- Free Run Eggs
- Coffee Extract
- Collard Greens
- Orange peel
- Sweet Potatoes


Kennelvet is a family owned and operated resource for dog and cat owners, breeders, groomers and other pet professionals for over 40 years.
Methigel Urinary Acidifier 4.25 oz
Methigel is a supplemental source of methionine to aid in lowering urine pH. Combined with the proper diet, methigel helps maintain a healthy, natural urinary tract. Used to treat bladder infection. Also aids in the control of urine odors.
The usual dose in cats at least 1 year in age is 1/2 -1 teaspoonful twice a day. The usual dose in dogs is 1 teaspoonful twice a day. To stimulate taste interest, place a small amount of Methigel on the animalís nose or directly into the mouth.
- Size: 4.25 oz paste
-Used to treat bladder infection
-Aid in lowering urine pH
-Maintain a healthy, natural urinary tract
-For use on dogs, cats
For questions about our products, email CustomerService@KennelVet.com


Dr. Melisa Diaz will be talking about how geochemistry intersects with the presence of life forms in the Antarctic. Ice-free areas within the Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica are believed to contain some of the oldest exposed soil environments on Earth. This presentation will discuss how glacier movement has impacted organisms, nutrients, and life itself. This event is a zoom presentation; registered participants will receive a zoom invite by email.
Researchers, historians, and adventurers present this series of talks about the exciting world of Antarctic science and extreme expeditions. Each month features a new topic about life and science at the South Pole.


Belle Vous offers several treatments to manage pigmentation issues, including laser and prescription topical medications.
Pigmentation means coloring. Skin pigmentation disorders affect the color of your skin. Your skin gets its color from a pigment called melanin. Special cells in the skin make melanin. When these cells become damaged or unhealthy, it affects melanin production. Some pigmentation disorders affect just patches of skin. Others affect your entire body.
Whether from birth or acquired, Belle Vous offers several procedures to treat pigmentation concerns. Conditions include birth marks, freckles, melasma, sun damage, age spots, and scarring. Treatment options may include:
Schedule a consult to find out which treatment option is best for you.


The ELL-GRO aeration cooling tower was designed by Des Boxsell to effectively cool the nutrient solution
The ELL-GRO aeration cooling tower was designed by Des Boxsell to effectively cool the nutrient solution that feeds the hydroponic channel. Nutrient solutions with an ambient temperature of 30 degrees C and higher essentially "cook" the roots and drastically reduce the oxygenation process needed for aerobic and probiotic organisms to do their work in controlling root disease. The cooling tower can reduce the nutrient temperature by as much as 6 to 7 degrees C against the ambient air temperature. This can make a huge difference in conditions not otherwise practicable. The cooling tower system is totally sealed, eliminating any evaporation and splash over nutrient loss.Benefits include -Greater oxygen absorption in the nutrient solutionReduction in the use and cost of needed probioticExtraction of heavier than air gases in nutrient solutionsEnhanced action of aerobic and probiotic organisms through effective nutrient solution aerationGrowers can expect to not only save production costs but also generate additional revenue as a result of installing an aeration cooling tower...a worthwhile investment in the ongoing protection of your crop.


Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects millions of people worldwide. One of the key challenges faced by those living with diabetes is managing their blood sugar levels. Traditionally, individuals had to rely on frequent finger pricks to measure their glucose levels. However, thanks to advancements in technology, innovative wearable devices are now revolutionizing diabetes management.
Wearable devices, such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps, have become indispensable tools for many diabetes patients. These devices offer real-time data and personalized insights that enable individuals to better understand and manage their condition. They have the potential to transform the lives of those affected by diabetes by simplifying daily tasks and improving health outcomes.
Continuous glucose monitors have gained popularity in recent years. These small, wearable devices continuously track glucose levels throughout the day, eliminating the need for constant finger pricks. A small sensor placed under the skin measures glucose levels and transmits data to a smartphone or receiver. This allows individuals to monitor their glucose levels in real-time and make informed decisions about their diet, exercise, and insulin management. CGMs also offer alerts for high or low blood sugar levels to help prevent dangerous complications.
Insulin pumps are another game-changing technology transforming diabetes management. These devices deliver insulin continuously through a small tube inserted under the skin. Insulin pumps provide a convenient and accurate way to administer insulin while also allowing for greater flexibility in meal planning and physical activities. Some pumps even have built-in CGMs, further enhancing the user’s ability to control their blood sugar levels.
In addition to these two main wearable devices, there are also other innovative wearables emerging in the market. Smart insulin pens, for example, digitally record insulin doses and transmit the data to a smartphone app. This eliminates the need for manual record-keeping and helps individuals track their insulin usage more accurately. Some companies are also developing wearable patches that can measure glucose levels through sweat or interstitial fluid, providing a more non-invasive alternative to traditional blood glucose monitoring.
The data collected by these wearable devices can be easily shared with healthcare professionals, providing valuable insights for treatment optimization. These technologies not only empower individuals to take control of their diabetes management but also facilitate more collaborative partnerships between patients and healthcare providers.
Moreover, wearable devices have the potential to improve early detection and prevention of diabetes-related complications. By monitoring glucose levels in real-time and providing timely notifications, these devices can help individuals identify patterns and make proactive adjustments to their treatment plans. This can ultimately reduce the risk of long-term complications, such as blindness, kidney disease, or nerve damage.
The rapid pace of technological advancements in the field of diabetes management is truly impressive. Wearable devices are transforming the lives of individuals living with diabetes, making their day-to-day routine easier and more manageable. These devices not only offer convenience and accuracy but also provide a greater sense of security and peace of mind for both patients and their loved ones.
As wearable technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovative solutions for diabetes management in the future. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms into wearable devices holds great promise for personalized and predictive diabetes care. Additionally, the advancements in data analytics and cloud connectivity will further enhance the ability to monitor and manage diabetes remotely.
In conclusion, innovative wearable devices are revolutionizing the way diabetes is managed. These devices provide real-time data, personalized insights, and greater convenience for individuals living with diabetes. From continuous glucose monitors to insulin pumps, these wearables offer a range of features that simplify daily tasks while improving overall health outcomes. As technology continues to advance, the possibilities for transforming diabetes management are limitless.


The lymphatic system plays a vital role in the well-being and health of your body. It transports a clear fluid called lymph that helps to drain all those yucky unwanted toxins from the body. Lymph is similar to blood, but instead of red blood cells, it carries white blood cells that play a huge part in the immune system and keeping your body healthy. While the circulatory system relies on the heart to pump blood throughout the body, the lymphatic system relies on gravity and regular movement to keep it flowing smoothly and efficiently. When your lymphatic system is happy, you will be happy. Here are five ways to keep your lymphatic system flowing happily and freely:
1. Jump on a rebounder or mini trampoline
Since the lymphatic system does not have a pump system of its own, it needs regular exercise to promote energy flow and proper circulation in the body. Jumping on a rebounder or mini trampoline is great for getting the lymphatic system moving and flowing properly. This type of rigorous exercise is reported to increase lymph flow by 15 to 30 times. The up and down vertical movement is much more beneficial for your lymphatic system than horizontal movement as done in running. It is also much easier on your bones and joints.
2. Dry skin brushing
The skin is the largest organ on your body. It plays a very important role in the detoxification of wastes and toxins. Dry brushing your skin daily stimulates the lymphatic system and helps in the process of cleansing and purifying your body. Use a natural soft-bristled brush and use long strokes always working towards the heart. You can also use circular motions. Spend as much time as you would like, anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes. It is best to shower afterwards to wash off the dead skin cells.
3. Clean up your diet
Eat a diet high in green leafy vegetables and herbs. These foods are high in chlorophyl which can cleanse and purify the blood which in turn will cleanse your lymph system. You can also buy liquid chlorophyll that is extracted from alfalfa plants; you can add this to some sparkling water or kombucha and drink daily. Eat healthy fats from nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, and ghee. They will nourish your lymph system. Garlic, ginger, and turmeric are great to supplement into your diet as they promote circulation and reduce inflammation in the body.
One great way to cleanse and alkalize your body is to squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into warm water in the morning and drink 30 minutes before breakfast. This will stimulate your digestion and alkalize your body. The lymphatic system works best in an alkaline environment. If your body is too acidic, then you are more prone to excess weight, chronic pain, and many other health issues. Did you know that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline environment?
In keeping your lymphatic system healthy, there are certain foods that you want to avoid. Stay away from anything with preservatives or additives, especially MSG. These can cause water build-up and excess swelling in the body. Also, staying away from dairy can be very beneficial as it causes the body to produce a lot of phlegm. Avoid unnaturally white foods such as refined sugar and white flour. Instead choose healthy options such as whole grains or seeds (wheat berries, millet, quinoa, & brown/black rice), and natural sweeteners (raw local honey, coconut sugar, & grade B maple syrup).
4. Emotional Release
When we feel emotions that are difficult or make us feel uneasy our bodies tend to find some place in the body to store that emotion so we don't have to feel it. In the moment we can find ease because we do not have to feel the pain, but the problem with this is that the emotional energy is still there and can cause the circulation in our bodies to slow down. It is very good to feel emotions fully when they arise, without any judgment so that they can be released when the body is done with them. Emotions are natural and they will come and go like the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide. The next time you feel a strong emotion, try to quiet your mind, and look within to where you feel it in your physical body. Place your hands over that part of your body and take deep breaths until you feel the tension start to release. Or if movement feels better than stillness, put on your favorite song and dance it out.
In Chinese Medicine the Spleen is closely related to the lymphatic system. In the Western world we do not tend to think much of the Spleen, but in Eastern culture it is of great importance. When we overwork or make bad dietary choices we end up damaging the Spleen and therefore stagnating the proper flow of the lymphatic system. One good way to reverse this or prevent it is to get regular Acupuncture treatments. This strengthens the immune system, and promotes proper circulation of energy in the body. If your lymphatic system is causing symptoms such as fatigue, swollen lymph glands, fibrocystic breasts, catching colds easily, or digestive issues, then getting on a good regular treatment plan with an individualized herbal formula can be very beneficial at restoring balance in the body. If you are feeling healthy and well, a good preventative medicine is to get an Acupuncture treatment at the change of the seasons, as this is when the energy of the atmosphere is changing and we are more prone to getting sick.


Planning a family trip or group outing? This year, don’t forget to look at the Krause Elk Farm as an option. We have hosted various groups which include class field trips, nursing home outings, church groups and boy/girl scouts to name a few.
Here at the farm, we often do tours and informative talks regarding the Elk and their habitat. For instance, did you know that bulls weigh in between 700 to 900 pounds? Or did you know that Elk are actually classified within the deer family? It’s true, along with the Moose, Caribou, Mule deer, and White-tailed deer.
To further demonstrate their size, bull elk can grow to be up to five feet tall at the shoulder and over eight feet long from nose to tail. Now, the cows (female elk), will only grow to weigh in at around 500 pounds. And will measure up at roughly four and-a-half feet tall at the shoulder and six and-a-half feet long from nose to tail. Pictures alone, just simply do not do these magnificent animals justice.
Surely you have noticed the size of an elk’s antlers before. But did you know that they grow a new set every year? In fact, when they are growing, they are covered in a fuzzy skin called Velvet. By late summer, these new antlers harden and the velvet peels away. For a mature bull, these antlers can weight up to forty pounds!
Truly an experience to see! With the high prices of gas and travel, we are conveniently located within an hours drive from many locations within the region. Some including; Downtown St. Louis Missouri, Ste Genevieve MO, Belleville IL, and Pickneyville IL.
Krause Elk Farm
8311 St. Leo's Rd.
Evansville, IL 62242


Each capsule contains 10mg of active full spectrum extract, 100 capsules per box.
Using supercritical Co2 extraction process preserving a high amount of the natural plant’s properties.
The cannabinoids in our full spectrum extracts activate the cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system inside the human body.
High CBD (Cannabidiol) content,each capsule contains approx 4.7%
High in CBDA (Cannabidiolic Acid) each capsule contains approx 6.3%.
CBC (Cannabichromene) each capsule contains approx 0.5%
CBDV (Cannabidivarin) each capsule contains approx 0.2%
- Full spectrum CBD
- Terpene rich
- Co2 extract
- Lab tested
- 100% Cannabis Sativa L
- 100% Natural Ingredients
- Free from heavy metals, Pesticides & micro-organisms
- Contains less than 0.01% THC
Cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes, waxes, triglycerides, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & essential fatty acids.
Analgesic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, anxiolytic, neuroprotective, anti-oxidant, and anti-psychotic activity.


The solution to tackle the hemodialysis site blockage
Chronic kidney disease is a serious and growing health problem affecting millions of patients worldwide.
Today 4.5M patients worldwide suffering of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) require hemodialysis to replace their kidney function.
Hemodialysis is a long and very restrictive life-saving procedure performed 3 times a week.
To connect the patient to the machine, the best and safest approach is to create a vascular access
Vascular access is the connection between an artery and a vein realized by a surgeon as a arteriovenous fistula (AVF). This is the patient’s lifeline
In the first 6 months after surgery, more than 50% of these AVFs will suffer failure resulting in the blockage of the AVF.
At ArtemiX Biotech, we address this treatment gap.
ArtemiX provides a new generation, patented, long-acting gel administered directly on the AVF after the surgery, helping the AVF to mature (heal) and preventing the blockage of blood flow through the vein.
- Unique Mode of Action
Once in place, the gel releases on the long term the active drug, inhibiting all stages of disease.
- Compliance with human biology
- Very Simple to apply
Right after the arterio-venous surgery, the gel is very easily applied around the vessel by the surgeon without any added surgical procedure.
Artemix Biotech is an early clinical stage spin-off company of the University Hospital of Lausanne and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Geneva.
Our products are still under development and not available on the market.


Hematopoietic stem cells are formed in the bone marrow. All blood cells originate from them. Platelets are produced by megakaryocytes entering blood vessels.
Therefore, blood flow is essential for the formation of FUNCTIONAL platelets.
Platelets are key players in hemostasis and thrombosis; bleeding accompanies low numbers of circulating platelets. The first response to an injury of a blood vessel is platelet adhesion to it, followed by platelet activation in response to agents produced at vascular lesions. Then platelets release numerous activators that amplify activation of other platelets and contribute to platelet aggregation and thrombus stability.
Once platelets are isolated from other blood components, they are unstable and lose rapidly their functional properties.


Author: Kayla Phaneuf
While most Americans have cow milk in their fridge, goat milk is actually the most consumed type of milk in the world! (WebMD) Goats are more accessible and easier to manage for people in other countries compared to cows. How do they compare in terms of health benefits? Is cow milk better for you or is goat milk actually healthier?
Goat milk contains more protein, fat, calories, and less cholesterol than cow’s milk. While goat milk could be a better benefit to those with high cholesterol, cow’s milk might be a better option for those looking to reduce their calorie intake. Both types of milk are also heavier in different vitamins; for instance, goat milk has more calcium, while cow’s milk has more B12 (PureWow).
Lactose and Digestibility
Milk alternatives are on the rise and many who have lactose issues are turning to almond, coconut, soy, and oat milk. While they can fill the hole in a diet as a tasty substitute, they do not provide the same nutrients or health benefits as an animal’s milk might. Goat milk could be the solution to those who have some trouble digesting lactose. It contains 12% less lactose per cup than cow’s milk (Healthline).
Which is Better?
In conclusion, neither milk is particularly more healthy than the other, but each provides its own form of nutrition in its own way. Depending on the type of nutrients one is specifically looking for their milk consumption to provide, researching the properties of each milk type could be a great benefit to one’s diet and overall health. Sometimes varying the types of milk used in your meals can be beneficial, and it never hurts to try something new!
Header photo provided by Kaleb Tapp, Unsplash


Zma + Rx 90 caps
- Revange Nutrition Zma + Rx 90 caps
ZMA is a synergistically active system of 3 active ingredients: zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. This is a seemingly very interesting combination that is only apparently a supplement that simply supplements magnesium and zinc in our diet. However, thanks to the use of a patented formula, supplementation with these minerals takes on a whole new dimension. The phenomenon of ZMA is based on the use of the most technologically advanced forms of zinc and magnesium in strictly defined proportions. The original ZMA formula, exactly like REVANGE, is based on the so-called amino acid chelates of zinc and magnesium. Chelated minerals are characterized by extremely high bioavailability and biological activity. The absolute bioavailability was obtained thanks to the protection of amino acid minerals. Thanks to this treatment, zinc and magnesium are based on the adverse effects of the gastrointestinal tract environment, they do not adversely interact with other compounds. They can therefore be absorbed into the bloodstream and then distributed throughout the body in an unchanged form - exerting biological activity in the target tissues.
The role of zinc and magnesium:
ZMA is a formula that, using a wide range of action of magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6, was designed to liberate and intensify all natural processes aimed at improving the regeneration of the body.
Minerals, in particular zinc and magnesium, are extremely important and often ignored as part of the diet of athletes. Hardly anyone realizes that their proper intake in a straight line determines the proper course of metabolic processes. They take part in all processes of tissue growth and regeneration. Without an adequate amount of minerals, the body's balance is strongly disturbed, which is manifested by fatigue, lack of sufficiently high activity and, consequently, the lack of appropriate training effects. Minerals are an indispensable element conditioning proper secretion of many important enzymes and hormones of our body. If there are no minerals in our body, it will probably be reflected in the hormonal and enzymatic imbalance. Homeostasis of the system; physiologically correct state of harmony, faces a strong threat.
Magnesium and zinc are particularly susceptible to leaching in the face of a large load on the body with stress, physical and mental strain. Their deficiency is a very frequent phenomenon, not only in physically active people and athletes. In the face of their deficiencies or imbalances in relation to other compounds, the processes of regeneration, dysregulation of the nervous system, tiredness, weakness of immunity, deterioration of training effects, decrease of physical and mental capacity, disturbance of circadian rhythms, sleep disorders, muscle cramps, inhibition of growth occur. strength and muscle mass, dysregulation of hormonal balance (improper action and secretion of growth factors, enzymes and hormones contributing to the processing of nutrients, which results in a decrease in muscle mass and / or an increase in the amount of adipose tissue).
For the most part, we do not have the ability to "store" the excess mineral. Everything you supply is used for current needs, and excess must be removed from the body. There is not much opportunity to run reserves at the time of deficit. That's why you should know that if you care about health, the proper functioning of the body, then you should take care of the proper consumption of minerals. If you do not want anything to stand in the way of your sporting success, use ZMA regularly from REVANGE Nutrition!
What are the additional benefits of using ZMA +?
The effect on the synthesis and functioning of the endocrine system is this aspect of the action of ZMA, which should be particularly interesting for athletes using doping agents - steroids and pro hormones. The use of ZMA during the cycle allows to some extent to minimize some of the unfavorable aspects of these measures. Due to some antiestrogenic properties, ZMA allows you to maintain proper skin condition, reduces oily skin and tendency to breakouts. A minimal limitation of the subcutaneous water retention may also be noticeable. Strengthening is also the body's resistance, which is particularly weak during the use of steroids. ZMA has permanently entered the repertoire of funds used to help restore the natural hormonal balance after the end of doping. It is one of the measures supporting the standard procedure of "unblocking" - although it can not be replaced in any case - contributes to improving its operation, increasing libido and maintaining the effects of the cycle.
Another very interesting aspect of the operation is control over the proper functioning of the nervous system. ZMA supervises the preservation of the proper circadian rhythm. Use in the evening helps in relaxing, restoring proper muscle tone. The organism is thus much easier to enter into a state of deep and relaxing sleep, during which regeneration and relaxation proceed faster and more efficiently. People using ZMA often report the effect of relaxation and easier waking up even with a relatively short sleep time. The effect of restoring proper muscle tone is also extremely important during training. It allows not only for long and effective work, but also prevents pathological and painful contractions.
2 capsules 30 minutes before bedtime.


Posted on November 16 2015
Composting Episode 3 (Last one. We promise)
by Chad Wade
If you haven’t gathered, we love compost. It’s one of the best, cheapest preps you can have. It costs nothing and it would provide one helluva advantage in a grid-down world.
Yet, compost isn’t equal to perfect fertilizer. When you compost, you unlock the nitrogen in your “brown” (woody compost) and that’s good. But, nitrogen isn’t the only thing your plants crave.
For starters, you should accelerate the process through natural means. “Macro” organisms should be encouraged. We like adding worms to our compost piles to ramp up the breakdown of matter. Red Wigglers work the top layer and Nightcrawlers dig deeper. If your compost is on or in the ground, you probably already have some worms, beetles and flies.
Always add either compost boosters or local topsoil or both. This gets the organic process well-started by introducing enough of the right bacteria.
Next, you should start considering the mineral content of your soil and your compost. Primarily, your plants need nitrogen. But, they need other minerals and elements to unlock their ability to up-take nitrogen. Common deficiencies include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous.
One of the most common deficiencies is calcium. For a plant to fully access nitrogen, it needs calcium. If your leaves are browning around the edges, or if your tomatoes are getting “blossom end rot,” then you probably need more calcium in your soil. Big, heavy-producing plants like pumpkins, zukes, squash or tomatoes hammer the soil, especially if you’re square-foot gardening. They will wipe out the calcium in an area, a lot of times, half-way through the season. Eggshells have tons of calcium, but it takes many years for the eggshell to break down enough to do your plants any good. Rather, add calcium (ground limestone) to your compost in mineral form or apply it directly to your garden in a liquid medium such as Turboganic’s Turbo-cal.
Another common deficiency is iron. If your plants are looking pale except for the veins, or if they have stippled leaves, you could have an iron deficiency that is leading to a nitrogen deficiency. Add iron to your compost as chelated iron powder and just let it become part of your fertilizer, especially if your area is short on iron.
Another soil issue is pH or acidity/alkalinity. If you live on the eastern side of the country or the Northwest, you could well have acidic soil. Desert areas can have alkali soils. Plants are usually OK with a little excessive pH, but if you’re having trouble growing, send some soil into a lab to find out what your soil lacks. Then add that both to your garden and your compost.
By having your soil tested, or by testing it yourself through several years of gardening, you should learn what kind of fertilizer your soil needs and build that into your compost NOW while minerals and additives are available. They’re not expensive, but they would be after the SHTF.
The best way to test is to send a sample of your soil into a soil lab such as the one a University of Connecticut. Another way is to use a home-tester kit. This will give you a pH, though not necessarily an accurate pH. The soil lab test should give you pH plus all other deficiencies.
If you’re going to babysit a compost pile, make it a good one!
Soil Test Lab: http://www.soiltest.uconn.edu/sampling.php


Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix
Search Lesson Plans & Companion Resources
Apple Genetics: A Tasty Phenomena
6 - 8
Using the context of apples, students will apply their knowledge of heredity and genetics to distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction as they explain how new varieties of apples are developed and then propagated to meet consumer demand for a tasty, uniform, consistent product.
- Apple Genetics PowerPoint
- Apple Genetics worksheet, 1 per student
- Per group of students:
- 1 Paper Plate
- 1 Whole Braeburn Apple
- 1 Whole Royal Gala Apple
- 1 Whole Jazz Apple
- 1 Knife (or apple slicer to cut apple)
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)
heredity: the passing of traits from parents to offspring
probability: a number that describes how likely it is that an event will occur
Punnet Square: a diagram used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment
trait: a characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes
phenotype: an organism's physical appearance or visible trait
genotype: an organism's genetic makeup or allele combinations
recessive allele: an allele that is masked when a dominant allele is present (written as lower case letter)
dominant allele: an allele whose trait always shows up in the organism when the allele is present (written as uppercase letter)
allele: a variant of a gene
gene: a section of DNA that codes for a certain trait
heterozygous: having 2 different alleles for a trait.
homozygous: having two identical alleles for a trait.
Did you know? (Ag Facts)
- Apples are a member of the rose family.1
- More than 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States, but only the crabapple is native to North America.1
- The average person eats 65 apples per year.1
- Apples are 25% air, which is why they float in water.1
Background Agricultural Connections
Interest Approach – Engagement
This lesson has been adapted for online instruction and can be found on the 6-8th grade eLearning site.
- Ask students to think about their favorite apple. Ask them why that variety is their favorite. Ask them why they think a green Granny Smith apple is so tart/sour? This should lead to a discussion about various apple traits such as sweetness, tartness, flavors, crunchiness, color, etc.
- Tell students that there are thousands of varieties of apples grown in the United States. Most of the varieties will not be familiar to them because they are only found in orchards grown for research, the development of new apple varieties, or hobby orchards. Challenge students to try to list the top 10 apple varieties in the United States. These varieties are more likely to be familiar to your students in addition to other local varieties.
- Ask students if they know how these different apple varieties became available.
- Ask your students to use their understanding of heredity and genetics to explain how apple varieties could be developed. Use student responses to transition to Activity 1.
This lesson investigates the phenomenon of apple taste along with other observed apple characteristics. Natural phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe that we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict.
Phenomenon-Based Episode: What makes apple varieties different?
Disciplinary Core Ideas: Growth and Development of Organisms
National Agricultural Literacy Outcome Theme: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
|Question||Science and Engineering Practices||Student Engagement in Practices||Explanation|
||Students carry out investigations to compare the Braeburn, Royal Gala, and Jazz apples. Students ask and refine questions that lead to descriptions and explanations about the different traits found in apples such as color, taste, texture, and size.||The traits found in apple varieties are determined by their genetic makeup, or genotype. Heritable traits are passed from parent to offspring.|
||Students use science to ask and refine questions that lead to explanations about the process of selectively breeding apples to produce new apple varieties with desirable traits.||Apple breeders cross pollinate the flowers of specific apple varieties (sexual propagation) and then plant the seeds to obtain a tree and apples genetically different than the parent trees. It takes hundreds or even thousands of crosses, to find the desirable result.|
||Students can use science to explain that forms of asexual propagation produce genetically identical offspring.||In contrast to apple breeders, apple farmers use grafting to produce new apple trees. This form of asexual plant propagation allows the genetics of each variety of apple to be exact clones, therefore producing a consistent crop of apples for consumers.|
Activity 1: Apple Genetics - Making them Different (Episode Questions 1 and 2)
- Give each student one copy of the Apple Genetics worksheet. Divide the class into small groups of students (2-4).
- Give each group of students the following supplies:
- 1 paper plate (this will be the cutting board as well as an area to keep the apples)
- 1 Braeburn Apple
- 1 Royal Gala Apple (Note: DO NOT hand out the Jazz apple yet).
- 1 knife (or pre-slice apples)
- Have students draw a line down the center of their paper plate and label each side with "Gala" or "Braeburn." The apples will look similar, so it will be important to avoid confusing the two apples.
- Have students complete "Part 1" and "Part 2" of the worksheet and then stop.
- Project the Apple Genetics PowerPoint for students to see. Using slide 2, hold a brief class discussion about the traits they have observed in the apples so far. Draw on the student's prior knowledge of heredity and genetics to conclude that each trait is an expression of its genotype.
- Use slide 3 of the PowerPoint to review vocabulary if needed. Make sure students are familiar with the terms.
- Have students complete "Part 3" of the worksheet to review the possible genotypes of the Gala and Braeburn apples. These genotypes can be found on the worksheet and slide 4-5 of the PowerPoint.
- Once students have finished their Punnet squares, give each group of students a Jazz apple. Students will follow the same procedure and complete "Part 4" and "Part 5" of the worksheet.
- Facilitate a class discussion about the 3 varieties of apple (slide 6). Reveal to the students that the Jazz apple is a cross between the Gala and Braeburn apple. Using slide 7, share a few more facts about the Jazz Apple.
- Talk about the concept of crossbreeding and how it is used to produce better quality organisms (slide 8).
- Explain that the Honeycrisp apple (slide 9) was also developed by crossbreeding, and is a competitor of the Jazz apple.
- Summarize with students by connecting what they know about genetics with what they have learned about apples:
- Genes determine genetic traits found in apples such as color, taste, and texture.
- To develop a new, improved variety of apple, apple breeders cross pollinate apple varieties. This form of sexual reproduction results in an offspring (seed) that is genetically different from the parent trees.
- Scientists use a knowledge of genetics and heredity to cross breed apples and produce new varieties of apples. The Jazz and Honeycrisp apples are examples.
Three Dimensional Learning Proficiency: Crosscutting Concepts
Students engage in scientific investigation as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world.
Stability and Change: For both designed and natural systems, conditions that affect stability and factors that control rates of change are critical elements to consider and understand.
Activity 2: Apple Genetics - Keeping Them the Same (Episode Question 3)
- Ask students if they have ever eaten Jelly Belly jelly beans. Have they ever eaten or heard of the Jelly Belly jelly beans that have "bad" flavors like toothpaste, stinkbug, or stinky socks? (Perhaps in the game Beanboozled.) While this may be a fun game or practical joke, have a discussion with your students about what they (as consumers) want in their food. Conclude that every time they purchase milk, meat, bread, vegetables... or an apple, they want it to taste consistently the same without surprises.
- Students have just learned how new varieties of apples are created. Ask, "How do apple farmers all across the nation grow specific varieties of apple that all taste and look the same? For example, how does a Granny Smith always taste like a Granny Smith and a Gala always taste like a Gala?" Does a [Granny Smith] grown in one region of the country taste the same as a [Granny Smith] grown in another region of the country?
- To discover the answer, show Apple - How Does it Grow?
- From the video, students should recognize grafting as the answer to the question. Apple farmers do not grow trees from seed, they use a technique called grafting (slide 10).
- Ask students, "What is the genetic similarity of two trees grafted from the same source?" (They are genetically identical clones. Therefore, every apple tree grafted from the same source will produce apples with the same genetic makeup.)
- Summarize with students by connecting what they know about genetics with what they have just learned about apples:
- Grafting, a form of asexual propagation is used by apple farmers to produce the apples we eat. It produces apples consistent to consumer expectations for each variety of apple by eliminating the genetic variability of sexual propagation methods.
Concept Elaboration and Evaluation:
After completing these activities, have students create a Venn Diagram to list both the similarities and differences found in sexual and asexual propagation methods. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Phenomena Episode Extensions:
Effective phenomena-based instruction continues to evolve as students learn. New questions should arise throughout the learning process. The following questions may arise providing opportunity for other episodes in this storyline:
- Why can other fruits and vegetables be propagated with sexual reproduction (seeds) and produce a consistent crop, but apples cannot?
- What makes an apple (such as the Honeycrisp) crunchy?
- How was the Opal apple selectively bred to not brown after it is cut?
- How was the Arctic® apple genetically engineered to be non-browning?
We welcome your feedback! Please take a minute to tell us how to make this lesson better or to give us a few gold stars!
Show the 4-minute video clip, Have We Engineered The Perfect Apple? to see the science behind the taste of the Honeycrisp apple.
Listen to the NPR podcast "The Miracle Apple."
If cut apples are in the room at the end of the lesson, ask students if they see any browning occurring. Discuss what causes this. Teach students about Arctic apples, a genetically modified apple which does not brown. Compare and contrast to the Opal apple, an apple variety selectively bred to be non-browning.
Suggested Companion Resources
- America's Heartland: Maine-ly Apples (Multimedia)
- Have We Engineered the Perfect Apple? video (Multimedia)
- How CRISPR Lets You Edit DNA (Multimedia)
- How Mendel's Pea Plants Helped Us Understand Genetics (Multimedia)
- Genetic Science Learning Center (Website)
- Phenomenon (Website)
Agricultural Literacy Outcomes
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
- Describe how biological processes influence and are leveraged in agricultural production and processing (e.g., photosynthesis, fermentation, cell division, heredity/genetics, nitrogen fixation) (T4.6-8.b)
- Provide examples of science and technology used in agricultural systems (e.g., GPS, artificial insemination, biotechnology, soil testing, ethanol production, etc.); explain how they meet our basic needs, and detail their social, economic, and environmental impacts (T4.6-8.i)
Education Content Standards
Biotechnology Systems Career Pathway
BS.03.04Apply biotechnology principles, techniques and processes to enhance plant and animal care and production (e.g., selective breeding, pharmaceuticals, biodiversity, etc.).
MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
MS-LS4-4Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
MS-LS4-5Gather and synthesize information about technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
MS-PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
MS-PS1-2Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
Common Core Connections
Reading: Anchor Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
Mathematics: Practice Standards
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2Reason abstractly and quantitatively. Students make sense of quantities and their relationships in problem situations. They bring two complementary abilities to bear on problems involving quantitative relationships: the ability to decontextualize—to abstract a given situation and represent it symbolically and manipulate the representing symbols as if they have a life of their own, without necessarily attending to their referents—and the ability to contextualize, to pause as needed during the manipulation process in order to probe into the referents for the symbols involved. Quantitative reasoning entails habits of creating a coherent representation of the problem at hand; considering the units involved; attending to the meaning of quantities, not just how to compute them; and knowing and flexibly using different properties of operations and objects.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4Model with mathematics. Students can apply the mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace. Students who can apply what they know are comfortable making assumptions and approximations to simplify a complicated situation, realizing that these may need revision later. They are able to identify important quantities in a practical situation and map their relationships using such tools as diagrams, two-way tables, graphs, flowcharts and formulas. They can analyze those relationships mathematically to draw conclusions.


Puppies are born with some immunity from their mothers to common viruses (Distemper, Parvo, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Rabies) that can be deadly. Unfortunately, this borrowed immunity which helps the puppy fight off the viruses, only lasts a few months of their lives. To protect the pups, it is important to administer vaccines so they create their own immunity, preferably before the immunity they acquire from their mothers, through nursing, wears off. Some vaccines require repeated dosing. For puppies, the vaccines are often repeated every three weeks, starting as early as six weeks old and concluding at 16 (or older) weeks of age. The rabies vaccine is the exception and is given only once, often at 16 weeks of age. All vaccines are periodically boosted throughout their lifetime to keep their immunity strong.