Femur

at 7 weeks, my little man beat the odds to hang on (until) 36 weeks gestation to be born. After 7 weeks of bedrest and an emergency c-section, he was here. He spent 2 weeks in the NICU, where he was diagnosed with several heart defects and a broken femur that happened during his delivery – C.A.F. I was at work on break when C called me with the news. I wasn’t having a particularly good day because my manager, a woman who took pleasure making me feel like a stepped-on ant was continuing her…

• Procoptodon Goliah (picture 1) – The Procoptodon Goliah was a part of the Sthenurines (short faced Kangaroo) This animal had a very short, deep ‘brachycephalic’ skull and a low jaw. The large Kangaroo stood at around 2 metres tall with a mass of around 200 kg. Tim Flannery an Australian mammologist, palaeontologist, and environmentalist proposed that its closest extant relative is the tiny banded hare wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus) this small animal only weighs 2kg in weight and is about 15…

Since the uncovering of this historical site by Manolis Andronikos in 1977, the tombs at Vergina have been the source of much debate within the archaeological community. Tomb III has been successfully identified as the final resting place of Alexander IV. However, the occupants of Tomb I and II still generate confusion with different archaeologists discovering differing pieces of evidence. As the larnaxes of this tomb display the Macedonian starburst, it is undeniable that the occupants of these…

1. The hypothalamus is the processing centre that controls the body temperature in the brain, through temperature receptors the skin is able to realize changes to external temperatures which send the information to the brain (hypothalamus). There are also temperature receptors that identify the temperature changes in the blood. The Processing centre triggers for the effectors (these are the sweat glands and muscles) to adapt in order the make sure our body temperature stays at 37°C. If we…

The practice of human sacrifice was a very prevalent in the ancient cultures of the Mesoamerican region. While practiced by smaller civilizations, the Aztec empire’s aggressive use of sacrifice was romanticized in movies, books, and other mediums. Before the Aztec empire’s height in 1427, historians speculate that the natives practiced sacrifice only in small quantities. The Aztecs dominated the Mexican region in culture for the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. After the arrival of the Spanish…

The search for the origins of humankind and the earliest human ancestor has intrigued anthropologists for generations. New evidence, while often scarce, is a vital aspect to the understanding and development of the field of paleoanthropology. Current research aids in the modification of the human ancestral tree and the analysis of various sites. One of the newest sites dealing with human evolution is the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, where a new species of human ancestors, Homo naledi…

I was doing good in all of my classes, even math, but I was trying very hard to do good in all of them, plus the workload was very high and hard. And then David, who is one of my best friends, broke his femur. That was such a hard thing for my friend group, since we didn’t know exactly what happened or what would happen, but it was nothing compared to what we would go through when he was in the hospital with sepsis, but we’ll get to that later. In December…

Although Down syndrome is used as a general term, several forms of this syndrome exist. Trisomy 21 is considered one of the most common genetic chromosomal disorders in the world. This year alone, approximately 6000 children within the United States will be born with this genetic disorder. Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome is defined as a set of physical and mental traits caused by an abnormal gene mutation that happens before birth. This genetic disorder varies in severity, causes…

Every year there are thousands of children that become victims of crimes. Majority of the crimes that are committed are physical and emotional abuse, neglect, pornography, rape, and sex trafficking of minors. In most cases the crimes are being committed by parents, relatives, caretakers, and other people that give care and guidance to the children. Currently in the United States, child neglect has the highest rate for abuse at 78.3% of the crimes that are committed against children. Child abuse…

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with forensic science and I distinctly remember my brother and I running home from the bus stop every day, when we were in middle school, just so we would not miss the introductory scene of the new Criminal Minds episode. The show always began right at 3 and our bus got to the stop roughly around 2:55; just enough time to run home and turn it to the right channel. And as any fan of Criminal Minds knows, the beginning is the most captivating…