An Introduction to Life In Antarctica

 Talking about Antarctica

life in Antarctica is not easy if you want to spend a long time in this place you may need to consider taking health precautions such as having your wisdom teeth removed or getting an appendectomy in advance there are absolutely no reptiles or amphibians here and all land mammals are brought exclusively by humans.

Why and when should we remove our wisdom teeth in Antarctica?

Wisdom teeth are removed only when required because of cavities, dental infections can become dangerous quickly, so if someone develops a wisdom tooth infection while in Antarctica they may not be able to reach proper medical care before serious damage occurs and the same reason goes on with the removal of the appendix.

Does Antarctica have rainfall?

There's been no rain here for almost two million years but at the same time, 80 percent of the world's freshwater reserves are stored here in Antarctica.

Life in Antarctica

The concentration of nitrogen and oxygen is 50 times higher than in ordinary freshwater lakes few organisms living on planet Earth can survive in such an adverse environment. Recently, A team of biologist has unexpectedly found rock hugging animals beneath an antarctic ice shelf video footage appears to show 16 sponges accompanied by22 unidentified ones which could include branches it is the first time such immobile life has been found under an antarctic ice sheet suggesting life in Antarctica's harshest environments is more adaptable and more biodiverse than previously.

Interesting facts about Antarctica

If Antarctica's ice sheets melted, the world's oceans would rise by 60-65 meters (210-210flt) everywhere. Do you know that Antarctica is pushed into the earth by the weight of its ice sheet and if these sheets melted down, it would spring back about 500m approx 1625flt, though the process of spring back would be very slow i.e about 10,000 years to do so. Antarctica is also the best place in the world to find meteorites. The Antarctic ice marathon is an annual marathon.

Risks in Antarctica for researchers

One of the biggest dangers to researchers and others living on the continent is actually fire. The dry environment makes it very possible and hard to stop. The continent experiences regular downhill winds, reaching 300km per hour, that blow out of the continental interior.

what are the 10 healthiest vegetables?

what are the 10 healthiest vegetables?

Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients yet low in calorie which is a great combo they are bursting with an assortment of vitamins and minerals phytochemicals and they are high in fiber which means you can eat plenty without worries of weight gain fruits and veggies are sources of many essential nutrients including potassium dietary fiber vitamin C and folate a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower blood pressure reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke prevent some types of cancer lower risk of eye and digestive problems and have a positive effect on blood sugar which can keep appetite in check. plant chemicals that have protective and disease-preventing properties are produced by plants, which not only protect themselves but also turns out that they can also protect humans against disease there are more than a thousand known phytochemicals. 

I have listed the top ten vegetables out of all vegetables as the healthiest vegetables with their amazing facts.

SPINACH

spinach has a flowering plant that belongs to the family Amaranthaceae this plant originates from Persia. Spinach was brought to Europe in the 12th century where it instantly gained popularity due to its origin spinach is known as Persian green in China. spinach is used in the human diet for centuries it has low caloric value and high content of various vitamins and minerals which act beneficially on human health. spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, C, and vitamins of the B group it is also a rich source of manganese magnesium calcium and iron. spinach can be consumed raw in the form of salads or boiled it is used for the preparation of numerous salty meals. Spinach should be consumed while it is still fresh because it easily loses vitamins and minerals and becomes limp after a few days, prolonged cooking also drastically reduces vitamin content.

CARROT

Daucus carota is a root vegetable that is often claimed to be the perfect health food it is crunchy tasty and highly nutritious carrots are a particularly good source of beta-carotene fiber vitamin K potassium and antioxidants carrots have several health benefits they are a weight-loss-friendly food and have been linked to lower cholesterol levels. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene they are also a good source of several B vitamins vitamin K and potassium vitamin A carrots are rich in beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A promotes good vision and is important for growth development and immune function biotin one of the B vitamins. 

BROCCOLI

broccoli a green vegetable that vaguely resembles a miniature tree it's closely related to cabbage Brussel sprouts kale and cauliflower all edible plants collectively referred to as cruciferous vegetables. broccoli is a nutrient powerhouse one of the broccolis biggest advantages is its nutrient content broccoli is packed full of phytochemicals and antioxidants including more vitamin C than an orange and more than 200 milligrams of potassium in just 1/2 cup serving it also has an unusually strong combination of vitamin A and vitamin K and even a decent amount of protein. 

GARLIC

garlic has been used since ancient times to treat a variety of medical conditions and modern science has recently confirmed compounds in garlic can reduce blood pressure cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes. 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Although not quite as popular as other leafy green vegetables such as spinach broccoli and kale Brussels sprouts are growing in popularity due to their many healthy nutrients and health-promoting

abilities they can fit into practically any diet you can cook Brussel sprouts and add them to healthy recipes cook and eat them on their own or simply add them to your favorite smoothie recipes. Brussels sprouts are incredibly nutrient-dense they are loaded with many healthy vitamins minerals and other nutrients that can promote our overall health. more specifically Brussels sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin K vitamin C manganese folate vitamin A and potassium they are also an excellent source of dietary fiber and packed with many different antioxidants while being low in calories not only are Brussels sprouts loaded with the nutrition they are also a rich source of antioxidants these antioxidant compounds can help to boost immunity reduce inflammation and prevent diseases.

KALE 

kale is among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet one a cup of raw kale contains nearly seven times your recommended daily amount of vitamin K twice your RDA of vitamin A and nearly one and a half times your RDA of vitamin C all that with only 33 calories. 

PEAS

A cup of peas has less than 100 calories but lots of protein fiber and micronutrients. Peas are also high in fiber, which helps move food through your gut for easier digestion. The following are nutrients in peas that act as antioxidants- Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Catechin, Epicatechin. Anti-inflammatory nutrients in peas have been associated with lowering the risk of inflammatory conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. The following vitamins and nutrients found in peas help reduce inflammation-Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Coumestrol, Ferulic, Caffeic acid, Catechin, Epicatechin, Pisumsaponins I and II.

SWISS CHARD

Swiss chard contains so many health benefits that it has been selected as one of the first vegetables to be grown in space for astronauts it is full of vitamins minerals antioxidants and offers superior nutrition. It helps to stabilize blood sugar levels blood sugar spikes. It maintains the strength of your bones vitamin k and calcium are essential for maintaining strong bones and swiss chard is a great source for both of them. It boosts brainpower vitamin k potassium and powerful antioxidants assist in optimizing cognitive response which is all found in excellent doses in charred this helps to prevent memory loss. It promotes healthy hair swiss chard contains a powerful compound known as biotin which has been proven to stimulate hair follicles promoting long strong and healthy hair. It is a powerful immune booster swiss chard is a powerful immune booster containing over 50 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin c as well as being a rich source of antibacterial phytonutrients. It is also an excellent source of iron.

 

GINGER

Ginger is a popular spice with some powerful medicinal properties it's become well known for its many health benefits and people around the world consume it. Ginger helps manage blood sugar levels, researchers have found that ginger can help keep blood glucose levels in check this is very important because these levels have a direct impact on weight loss and weight gain as well as how energetic or lethargic.

ASPARAGUS

Asparagus, scientifically known as Asparagus Officinalis, belongs to the family of lilies and is valued for its therapeutic properties. It is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘sprout’ and about 300 different species of this sprout exist all over the world. This giant veggie is one of the most nutritionally well-balanced vegetables -- high in folic acid and a good source of potassium, fiber, thiamin, and vitamin A, B6, and C. A 5-ounce serving provides 60% of the RDA for folic acid and is low in calories.

VACCINATION - CAN THE COVID VACCINE GIVE ME COVID-19?

 VACCINATION

There's a lot of excitement right now around the record speed vaccines for covid- 19  some of which are already starting distribution in parts of the world but given that these aremRNA vaccines a relatively new technology that has not been widely used before we wanted to explain how they work and what happens to your body from the moment that needle touches your skin like the vaccines, we're used to seeing these vaccines will be injected into the upper muscle of your arm but unlike typical vaccines that introduce inactive or weakened forms of a virus will release genetic material called messenger RNA so what exactly does this mean to do well? in a regular cell of your body, you have DNA inside of the nucleus and this DNA stores all the information and instructions important to the functioning of your cells your body and ultimately makes you inside your cell is machinery that reads through your DNA and transcribes it into mRNA which then leaves the nucleus and goes into your cytoplasm and it's here that the ribosomes in your cells read the RNA and depending on the specific code build a series of amino acids that fold in on themselves to make proteins that keep you alive and functioning this process is known as translation in the fact it's this the process that viruses take advantage of in the first place, they insert their own genetic information into you and then your cell machinery unwittingly starts taking that information and building proteins to help create more viruses so back to the needle the mRNA that is being injected into you from the vaccine also carries genetic instructions but in this case, it's only coding for one small part of the virus instead of the whole the thing you've probably seen sars cov2 represented like this with the spikes on it and it's this spike protein which on its own is harmless that the vaccine's mRNA codes for the mRNA makes its way into the cytoplasm of your cells where the ribosomes read the information and start to create the spike proteins once the protein is made it goes to the cell membrane and then your cell breaks down and destroys the injected mRNA instructions so what good does having a tiny fragment of the viral spike in your body does what gives your body and more importantly your immune system a preview of what the virus looks like without causing disease suddenly your antibodies will notice it and go well this doesn't belong here which triggers an immune response to recognize and prepare your body for the real thing without ever having to come in contact with the actual virus itself your immune system essentially gets a head start by creating powerful antibodies that can neutralize and kill the real virus and this antibody memory is stored in your B cells so that if you are ever infected in the future with the tsar cov2 virus, your body now has the upper hand this is known as an adaptive immune response your body has already seen these spike proteins before and therefore it already knows what to do essentially these mRNA vaccines allow your body to protect itself from a future infection without ever having to risk the consequences of getting the disease covid19 so why haven't mRNA vaccines have been used before while they are relatively new researchers have been experimenting with them for decades but in the past, they've been very unstable enzymes in your the body would break down the man quickly so they needed to be packaged well the ones being released now have the mRNA encased in lipid nanoparticles which essentially protect the mRNA from being degraded since they're more unstable than other types of vaccines they have to be kept cold for example the Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at minus 70 degrees celsius and at normal refrigerated temperatures can only last five days, of course, a global pandemic has certainly increased the funding and resources going towards these types of vaccines which have helped to accelerate their development what makes these vaccines so appealing is that unlike other vaccines they can be made in a lab with readily available materials and made much quicker than other types of vaccines instead of fully developing non-infectious viruses and then injecting them these mRNA vaccines can sort of pass many hurdles by using your own body in an ingenious way it's also far more cost-effective to create mRNA molecules rather than the proteins themselves and also a lot more scalable which is helpful when we are in a global pandemic waiting for a vaccine so is it safe and given that it's a relatively new technology should you be concerned at all well that's what these initial trial stages have been for not only to test whether or not they work and cause immunity but to make sure they have minimal side effects as of now around 70000 people have been given these vaccines with no serious concerns a caveat being that the full research hasn't been published yet, but it's important to remember that just because it's safe doesn't mean there won't be any soreness or pain some recipients did report aches and pains and as of now you'll need to receive two shots to ensure efficacy. 

POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF COVID VACCINE

Several coronavirus vaccines have now been approved for use, either by individual countries, or the EU and WHO. There are currently more than 50 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in trials. Currently, two vaccines are authorized and recommended for COVID-19:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

• Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine

As of December 28, 2020, large-scale Phase 3 clinical trials are in progress for three

 COVID-19 vaccines in the United States:

• AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine

• Johnsen’s COVID-19 vaccine

• Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19, without us having to get the illness. Different types of vaccines work in different ways to offer protection, but with all types of vaccines, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes and antibodies that will remember how to fight that virus in the future. It typically takes a few weeks for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes after vaccination. Sometimes after vaccination, the process of building immunity can cause symptoms, such as fever, muscle pain, fatigue, etc. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity. So, it’s very important that you understand the minor side-effects of Covid vaccine and also we will discuss some of the rare but serious complications that can occur. 

The most common side effects that you can experience after COVID-19 Vaccine includes:

• injection site pain 

• tiredness 

• headache

• muscle pain 

• chills, swollen lymph nodes 

• joint pain 

• fever 

• injection site swelling 

• injection site redness and nausea

These are known as minor or expected side effects of a vaccine and they can occur not just after the Covid vaccine but in fact after most of the vaccines that you receive. These side effects occur because your body is adapting to the vaccine. Vaccines work by introducing a small number of bacteria, viruses, or toxins into the body. Because the bacteria, virus, or toxin have been killed or weakened, there's no risk of contracting the disease in question. However, your body responds as if it were under attack, and mounts an immune response. If
in the future, you do encounter that disease, you'll have an army of cells and antibodies ready to fight it. This means that any adverse effects you experience are unlikely to be caused by bacteria, viruses, or toxins. Most of the common side effects such as a sore arm, redness, and fever are caused by the injection, or by your own immune system fighting against the weakened invaders.

What are the chances of serious side effects?

The vaccine can cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:

• Difficulty breathing 

• Swelling of your face and throat

• A fast heartbeat

• A skin rash all over your body 

• Dizziness and weakness

 

CAN THE COVID VACCINE GIVE ME COVID-19?

The simple answer to this question is a “BIG NO”. None of the COVID-19 Vaccines contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus, so it is not possible that you can CONTRACT covid-19 from the covid vaccine.