Child Soldier Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Child Soldier - Research Paper Example They end up being victims of trauma due to exposure to violence; they are deprived of education are at risk of ending up as child soldiers (Ozerdem & Podde, 13). There is a high probability that children who live in conflict areas get deprived of basic needs such as food, shelter and medical attention. To add on to this, the issue of relief for children tends to be given the last priority when in war. This results in insufficient or zero protection for minors. Due to their physical constitution and growth, children are most vulnerable to being deprived of basic needs such as food and medical assistance and this has a severe impact on how they develop. Since 1998, armed conflicts that involve child soldiers have been recorded in at least 36 countries (Child soldiers; global report 2004). The traumatic scars that are left on these children are just one out of many post war problems that face such countries. There are other problems such as food shortages, refugees and mourning for rela tives lost in the war. Former Child Soldiers are in most cases forgotten about and if remembered it will be for the purposes of blaming them for the war. Children who come from families that are poor and disadvantaged and who may be seeking for a sense of belonging, physical support or revenge for losing their families are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in periods of conflict. In some cases, children are kidnapped and forcefully trained to become fighters. Estimates indicate that in the last 15 years the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) alone has kidnapped over 15,000 children from areas around Gulu, northern Uganda (Wessells 35). The targeting of children is deliberate as they are easily manipulated compared to adults and can be made to perform atrocities and crimes without asking questions. The accessibility of light weaponry is also a contributor to child soldiering as it makes it possible for even the very young children to use and bear arms. Efforts made by the Unit ed Nations in naming and shaming governments and rebel groups that do not abide by the international and domestic laws that uphold children’s right have had very limited effect in combating this vice. The annual report by the Secretary General lists dozens of groups and several governments that continue to use or recruit children in their armed forces. Africa has the largest number of child soldiers despite the signing of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 1999 which is the only regional treaty that outlaws child involvement in armed conflicts in the world (Child soldiers; global report 2004). In 2010, the United Nations together with other rights organizations launched the Zero under 18 Campaign which is aimed at attaining universal ratification of the child rights protocol by the year 2012. The ultimate goal is to ending impunity for those who violate children rights and strengthen enforcement of laws against such violations. Graca Machel (UN 1996 ) states that war is a violation of the right of a child to life and the right to have a family that nurtures and respects the child. Process Analysis The main sources of material used in this research were anecdotal reports and academia journals. These reports gave valuable insight and information on the issue of child soldiers. Relevant literature on the topic was obtained

Analyze The Anatomical Structure Of Ten Essay Example for Free

Analyze The Anatomical Structure Of Ten Essay Distinguish among the four tissue types found in the human body. Provide an example of each type with its function and location. Epithelial tissue covers the body surface and forms the lining for most internal cavities. The major function of epithelial tissue includes protection, secretion, absorption, and filtration. The skin is an organ made up of epithelial tissue which protects the body from dirt, dust, bacteria and other microbes that may be harmful. Cells of the epithelial tissue have different shapes as shown on the students worksheet. Cells can be thin, flat to cubic to elongate. Connective tissue is the most abundant and the most widely distributed of the tissues. Connective tissues perform a variety of functions including support and protection. The following tissues are found in the human body, ordinary loose connective tissue, fat tissue, dense fibrous tissue, cartilage, bone, blood, and lymph, which are all considered connective tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. Skeletal muscle is a voluntary type of muscle tissue that is used in the contraction of skeletal parts. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of internal organs and blood vessels. It is an involuntary type. The cardiac muscle is found only in the walls of the heart and is involuntary in nature. Nerve tissue is composed of specialized cells which not only receive stimuli but also conduct impulses to and from all parts of the body. Nerve cells or neurons are long and string-like. Distinguish among five different types of connective tissue with examples of functions and location within the body. Adipose fatty tissue; type of loose connective tissue that stores energy, insulates and cushions the body Fibrous Tissue composed of bundles of collagenous white fibers between which are rows of connective tissue cells. Bone tissue Most rigid connective tissue, internally supports body structures, very active tissue, heals much more rapidly than cartilage cartilage tissue Dense, flexible tissue similar to bone tissue blood tissue Consists of blood cells surrounded by nonliving fluid matrix called plasma.  Funcion: transport vehicle for cardiovascular system, carrying nutrients, wastes, respiratory gases, and many other subs thru body hemopoietic tissue Produces blood cells that are added to the circulating blood, removes worn out blood cells from the blood stream, red bone marrow, lymphatic tissue, yellow bone marrow Analyze five different types of epithelial tissue with examples of functions and location within the body. Simple squamous-single layer of thin, flat, many-sided cells each with a central nucleus. It lines internal cavities, the heart and all the blood vessels. Also lines parts of the urinary, respiratory, and male reproductive tracts. Stratified squamous-consists of many layers of cells. Innermost layer produces cells that are first cuboidal or columnar in shape, but as cells push toward the surface, they become flattened and begin to accumulate a protein called keratin and eventually die. Keratin makes the outer layer of epidermis tough, protective, and able to repel water. The linings of the mouth, throat, anal canal, and vagina are examples of stratified epithelium. The outermost layer of cells surrounding the cavity remains soft, moist, and alive. Simple cuboidal-single layer of cube-shaped cells, each with a central nucleus. Found in tubules of the kidney and in the ducts of many glands, where it has a protective function. It also occurs in the secretory portions of some glands, where the tissue produces and releases secretions. Simple columnar-single layer of tall, cylindrical cells, each with a nucleus near the base. This tissue, which lines the digestive tract from the stomach to the anus, protects, secretes, and allows absorption of nutrients. Pseudo stratified ciliated columnar-appears to be layered, though actually all cells touch the basement membrane. Many cilia are located on the free end of each cell. In the human trachea, the cilia wave back and forth, moving mucus and debris up toward the throat so that it cannot enter the lungs. Smoking destroys these cilia, but they will grow back if smoking is discontinued.

Humans Impact On Biomes Environmental Sciences Essay

Humans Impact On Biomes Environmental Sciences Essay Human beings have continuously continued with interference of different biomes and thus bringing various modifications to these biomes. If efforts are not enhanced in conserving the natural world, we shall continue experiencing deteriorating weather factors like the global warming. Failure to conserve our biosphere will ultimately hurt the human race. This annotated bibliography gives insight on the resources that provide useful information on impact of human beings on different biomes The authors provide a discussion on the loss and degradation of natural habitats that has continued unabated. It recommends on the assessment of the progress that has been achieved for the last ten years since the World Summit on Environment was last held. Various systems are discussed which are important with economic benefits as per the available data on habitat conservation. The reader will have insight on events discussed during the World summit and issues that were recommended. The events are discussed in a systematic manner providing the reader with easier reading. This article is recommendable to any researcher or student in this field. Carpenter, Stephen. Ecosystems and Human Well-being, Volume 2. Washington D.C., DC: Island Press, 2005 In this book, the author implores various scenarios which provide an important tool for the analysis of complex systems. In addition, they give a good understanding of different outcomes which have a chance of occurring. There is a growing demand for ecosystem services and thus this book provides four approaches which are highly sought. The first is Global Orchestration approach which focuses on equity, the growth of the economy and the issue preventing ecosystem problems. The second is the order from strength which lays an emphasis on security and economic growth. The third is mosaic which focuses on management of ecosystems. Finally, is the technogarden which is concerned with green technology as a form of managing ecosystems? This book is important in giving insights to the learner on different biomes and various management approaches Chapin, Francis. Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship: Resilience-based Natural Resource Management in a Changing World. Stockholm: Stockholm University, 2009. The author implores the implementation of a steady-state theory and policies. This tends to invest in controlling a few selected ecosystem processes, at the expense of long-term social-ecological resilience. Loss of resilience makes systems more vulnerable to both expected and unforeseen changes. Achieving desirable outcomes for humanity, such as those of the UN Millennium Development Goals on poverty, food security, and environmental sustainability, will require new integrated and adaptive approaches to social and economic development. This is where the complex interconnectedness between humans and nature, at all scales, is considered and the existence of uncertainty and surprise accepted as the rule. The author provides a new framework for resource management that is based on the necessity of managing resources in a world dominated by uncertainty and change. This book is essential to readers as it links recent advances in the theory of resilience, sustainability, and vulnerability with practical issues of resource management. Chapin, Stuart, et al. Consequences of Changing Biodiversity. Nature 405.2 (2000): 234-242. The authors outline various activities which causes alterations of the global environment. This has caused major extinctions to be exhibited in the history of man. As a result, there has been a marked change in the distribution and occurrence on various organisms. Ecological habitats have changed as organisms try to adapt to the changing ecosystems. The processes that take place in the ecosystem are altered and the resilience to the environmental changes is affected. As a result, various consequences are faced which are often not good. The huge ecological and societal consequences of altered biodiversity ought to be reduced. This will help in preserving available options for future answers to global environmental problems. The authors use simple language which can be easily understood by readers. It is relevant in providing answers to various global environmental problems. Cowling, Ricky, Richardson, David and Pierce, S. Vegetation of Southern Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004 The authors provide comprehensive details about different vegetation types that occupy various parts of southern Africa. Despite the region having a cohesive ecological unit, it has different ecosystems which brings a notable diversity. The author presents this book in three parts which are; part one covers historical perspectives providing an understanding to the different ecosystems, part two provides the reader with the different characteristics and the determining factors for the vegetations, part three gives an insight into particular ecological themes like fire, grazing among others. This book provides its reader with profound knowledge on vegetation and effects of various factors. Dickinson, Gordon, Murphy, Kevin J., and Murphy, Kevin. Ecosystems. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007 The authors give a thought provoking introduction about the ecosystems nature. In addition, various ecosystem types are discussed and their interactions with the actions of human beings are given. In this second edition, an update of recent research on this field of ecology is provided giving major discoveries and their addition to this wide field. The authors are able to incorporate a strong theme about the application of functional ecology in providing an understanding of the working nature of ecosystems. Moreover, this book provides the reader with more insight on how to apply the concepts of the ecosystems in the subject of science and applied science. The book contains various chapters like global environmental change and impacts on the ecosystem which serves in the understanding of the biomes in the earths atmosphere. The language used in this book is simple for the reader and the information given is relevant in the study of impacts of human beings on the biomes. Ellis, Erle and Ramankutty, Navin. Putting People in a Map: Anthropogenic Biomes of the World Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6. 2 (2008): 439-447. The authors discuss how humans have essentially altered global patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. The existing systems for representing these global patterns, including biome classifications, either ignore humans altogether or simplify human influence into, at most, four categories. The authors present the first characterization of terrestrial biomes based on global patterns of sustained, direct human interaction with ecosystems. The authors identify, eighteen anthropogenic biomes through empirical analysis of global population, land use, and land cover. More than 75% of Earths ice-free land showed evidence of alteration as a result of human residence and land use, with less than a quarter remaining as wild lands. This supports just 11% of terrestrial net primary production. Anthropogenic biomes offer a new way forward by acknowledging human influence on global ecosystems and moving us toward models and investigations of the terrestrial biosphere that integrate human a nd ecological systems. The authors present a comprehensive analysis presenting the reader with easier understanding. Goudie, Andrew. The Human Impact on the Natural Environment: Past, Present and Future. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006. The author provides a wide coverage of environmental issues that are being exhibited in the current modern world. The book is a good resource to ecology students as it begins by covering past events on human impacts on earth, presents the current issues and finally gives a projection of the future. It tackles impacts man has on the vegetation, water, landforms, and animals among others. In addition, it provides current statistics about human impacts on the environment. The text is presented in a new design which makes it more presentable and easy to be used by the readers. This book is relevant to the topic of the study by giving important information on the past, present and future impacts of humans on the biome. Nilsson, Christer, Reidy, Catherine, Dynesius, Mats and Revenga, Carmen. Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the Worlds Large River Systems. Science 308. 5720 (2005): 405-408. The authors provide a global overview of dam-based impacts on large river systems which show that over half (172 out of 292) are affected by dams, including the eight most biogeographically diverse. Dam-impacted catchments experience higher irrigation pressure and about 25 times more economic activity per unit of water than do unaffected catchments. In view of projected changes in climate and water resource use, these findings can be used to identify ecological risks associated with further impacts on large river systems. This article is recommended to students learning about different biomes and the impacts of man on them. The discussion is presented in an easily understandable language which students will find useful in their research and readings. Woodruff, David. Declines of Biomes and Biotas and the Future of Evolution PNAS 98. 10 (2007): 5471-5476. The article outlines details of a panel discussing the topic of study. To respond to the declines of biomes and homogenization of biotas, the panelists predicted changes in species geographic ranges, genetic risks of extinction, genetic assimilation, and natural selection and mutation rates. In addition, the shortening of food chains, the increase in nutrient-enriched niches permitting the ascendancy of microbes, and the differential survival of ecological generalists are also discussed. Action taken over the next few decades will determine how impoverished the biosphere will be in 1,000 years when many species will suffer reduced evolvability and require interventionist genetic and ecological management. Whether the biota will continue to provide the dependable ecological services humans take for granted is less clear. The discussants offered recommendations, including two of paramount importance (concerning human populations and education), seven identifying specific scientific act ivities to better equip us for stewardship of the processes of evolution, and one suggesting that such stewardship is now our responsibility. The article is relevant in providing the reader with insights in to the topic on human impacts on biomes.

A Rose for Emily Essay examples -- essays papers

A Rose for Emily In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner’s symbolic use of the â€Å"rose† is essential to the story’s theme of Miss Emily’s self-isolation. The rose is often a symbol of love, and portrays an everlasting beauty. The rose has been used for centuries to illustrate an everlasting type of love and faithfulness. Even when a rose dies, it is still held in high regard. Miss Emily’s â€Å"rose† exists only within the story’s title. Faulkner leaves the reader to interpret the rose’s symbolic meaning. Miss Emily was denied the possibility of falling in love in her youth, so subsequently she isolated herself from the world and denied the existence of change. Miss Emily was denied her â€Å"rose†, first by her father, then by the townspeople, and then Homer Barron. Through the explicit characterization of the title character, Miss Emily, and the use of the â€Å"rose† as a symbol, the reader is able to deciph er that Homer Barron was Miss Emily’s only â€Å"rose.† Miss Emily’s father denied her the ability to establish a â€Å"normal† relationship because of their family’s social position. She lost the will and the desire to do so, even after he died. The reader is aware that Miss Emily’s chances of having a â€Å"normal† relationship are hindered by her father’s obstinace. Miss Emily’s father was a prominent well-respected southern gentleman, and he would not allow his only daughter to be courted by just anyone. â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such. We had long thought of them as a tableau.† As most little girl’s do, Miss Emily idolized her father, and held him in high regard, even though he was a strong and forbidding man, who did not allow her to experience life. Miss Emily’s father â€Å"robbed† her of her ... ...ad ever come to her, including her self-esteem, and the ability to conform to her father’s and society’s wishes. She isolated herself so that she could be who she was. Miss Emily Grierson isolated herself from a society that would not accept her for who she was. She was viewed as someone to be pitied and scorned. Everyone deserves a rose in life, and yet Miss Emily was denied her rose from everyone that ever came into contact with her. Her father, the townspeople, and even Homer Barron denied her love. Miss Emily found her rose and she would not accept the loss of love. She gave up her freedom, and isolated herself so that she could be with the one that she loved, and remember the embrace that they once may have shared. Like a flower between the pages of a bible Miss Emily found that living with memories was better than living in a society that scorned her.

Property law consultant Essay

This is in reference to your query about legal advice with respect to your property which is currently occupied by three tenants apart from you. This letter explains in detail about each tenant rights, terms and conditions which are legally referenced and relevant to your tenants, residing in ground floor, middle floor and top floor. A view on UK property law, rights and obligations of landlord is provided to you for your understanding and also about your convenient decision making in the matters of your property and also how to deal with your tenants in legal framework. There is also a clear analysis about legal relationship that exists between you and your tenants. First of all, it is important to take a clear note on responsibility of landlord over the property. The said property of Georgian Town House has been taken for a lease period of 25 years and only a period of 9 years have been completed and there are still 16 more years for the expiry of lease period. Therefore, this gives out a fact that it is important to maintain the leased premises. It is a also a fact that you travel on a holiday spending most of your time within and outside UK making it necessary that premises have to be absolutely in tact even in your absence for the convenience of tenants as well to keep the premises out of dilapidation. UK property law clearly states that landlord must undertake repairs to the property whenever required in the structure of the property. The connections of gas, hot water, electrical appliances, common areas and furnitures have to be strictly administered by the landlord. This emphasizes that as a landlord, carrying out repairs wherever required is not only required by property law of UK whereas it is also an act of meeting the obligations and requirements of tenants. Three of your tenants stated that central stairwell which is commonly used by all of you is completely dilapidated and the tenants have been complaining demanding repairs, painting and to establish re-connections of lighting. Please understand that you as landlord have to meet and comply with the UK property laws and any violation to the laws would be seriously viewed inviting penalties. Now, moving on from your rights and obligations as landlord, the next would be a detailed discussion about each tenant and legal relationship that exist between you as landlord and your tenants. Groundfloor – Taxi cab A written agreement of â€Å"licence to occupy† which came into effect on 1. 5. 2008 and as per the agreement taxi cab firm must pay ? 10,000. The taxi cab presently pays a sum of ? 2500 for every three months. The legal relationship between taxi cab and you is that of a tenant and a landlord. Tax cab is responsile for paying the stated sum as rent regularly and tenant is also responsible for bills of gas, electricity, telephone as per the written agreement and further taxes must be regularly paid apart from water and sewerage charges. Taxi cab written agreement expires on 30. 4. 2011 as the agreement is for a period of three years. Therefore it is important to abide by the requests of repair or renovation as required by the taxi cab firm with the fact that lease agreement must be fully complied with meeting the all the requirements. Section 27 pf Tenant Act 1954 is not being discussed here for your reference. Taxi cab also requested you to repair the central stairwell and if this request is not approved by you, there is a scope that taxi cab might waive paying rent, or bring such other damage to the premises which would prove more expensive for repairs to be made. Middle floor which is occupied by a jeweller, who is also your cousin has not entered into any written agreement with you and that does not legally bind neither you nor jewellery to comply with any UK property laws. Oral agreement is not a valid option in the matters of disputes and also consider any decision. However as for now, jeweller is paying a rent of ? 400 per month and is carrying on business during week days. It is also a fact that oral agreement also carries certain rights and obligations both for business tenants and for the landlord, although these cannot be enforced in the courts as written agreements are more valid while filing cases of non-compliance of property laws or tenant laws. The nature of legal relationship between you and jeweller is that of a business tenant and a landlord. Further this tenant must maintain a rent book for the monthly rent paid to you and you are required to put your signature in the rent book whenever you receive rent. This tenant apart from being your cousin has every right and responsibility towards the central stairwell to carryout repairs whereas this must be done with a mutual consent from you. Further it is also a fact that this tenant is standing on the collective opinion of other two tenants that central stairwell must be repaired as it is creating problems for all the clients. Therefore, obliging to the request to repair the central stairwell is more advisable as it would invite more obligations both from business tenants and also from UK property law authorities if in case a complaint against you is launched for non-repair of central stairwell. The top floor is occupied by a commercial artist who also does not carry any written agreement of business tenancy. The tenant also facilitates the floor when there are parties arranged by you which means the tenant is absolutely cordial and compatible with you in the capacity of landlord. This tenant is also paying a small amount towards bills. Further this tenant is also of the opinion that central stairwell must be repaired. All of the business tenants are using the premises all through the business days which means central stairwell is a common area for carrying on respective activities. Another fact is only tax cab firm is a legal tenant with a legal relationship whereas other two business tenants viz. jeweller, commercial artist are not legal tenants due to the fact that there is no written agreement. The sum of rent paid by jewellery and commercial artist is very small whereas taxi cab firm is paying rent on lease. The opinion of all the three tenants is that since the central stairwell is used regularly, it is important to maintain the same in order to prevent any unforeseen occurrence of accidents or breakage. This was the main reason that tenants have approached you to repair the central stairwell. Taxi cab firm along with other two tenants in each floor are performing well in carrying on businesses and therefore, there is no problem of business loss or lack of funds. Further tenants have been very cooperative in paying rents regularly and also in meeting the other expenses as and when required. Some of the rights that can be exercised by you in the capacity of a landlord are viz. , increase of rent, conditions on usage of premises or any other matter pertaining to either rent or premises. Tenants complaints for repair of central stairwell would be valid only when there is a written notice to this effect under Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 which states that notice that be given either verbally or in writing in order to provide sufficient time for landlord to carryout the required repairs. When landlord does not wish to carry out repairs, in such case, tenants have to show the proof of written notice to the court in order to receive a remedial claim. The landlord cannot ignore or overlook any legal responsibilities with regard to the repairs as stated in Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. As per the law, landlord is responsible for maintaining the roof, gutter, drains, pipes, walls, windows doors or any structure of the property. Section 11 clearly states that landlord must take the responsibility to maintain the repairs of the structure and also to keep the installations such as baths, sinks, sanitary pipes. Taking this section as a guide, central stairwell is within the premises of the property which is used by tenants regularly for business purpose. Therefore, the responsibility of repair rests with the landlord. Conclusively, keeping all of the above facts in view, there are two options at your end to maintain and repair the central stairwell. First is, to carryout necessary repairs to central stairwell and second is to assign the responsibility to one of the tenants whom you confide in to carryout necessary repairs to central stairwell and submit all the necessary bills of repairs to you. Further these expenses can be deducted from the monthly rent paid by all the three tenants. This would solve the problem and further all the tenants would be satisfied. Sincerely, Sd/- (B) Property law consultant References Housing in England – Tenancy Agreements Accessed 20 March 2009 http://www. adviceguide. org. uk/index/family_parent/housing/tenancy_agreements. htm LandLord and Tenant Act 1954 Accessed 20 March, 2009 http://72. 14. 235. 132/search? q=cache:QpO_V-_S0f8J:www. communities. gov. uk/documents/citiesandregions/pdf/131185. pdf+the+Landlord+and+Tenant+Act+1954. &cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in Landlord and Tenants Rights Accessed 20 March, 2009 http://www. insolvencyhelpline. co. uk/legal_issues_explained/landlords_and_tenants_rights. php Renting a home. The key to a quiet life Accessed 20 March, 2009 http://www. lawsociety. org. uk/choosingandusing/commonlegalproblems/rentingahome. page Section 27 Landlord and Tenant Act 1954: a tactical approach Accessed 20 March, 2009 http://www. practicalconveyancing. co. uk/content/view/7631/1121/ The rights of renters Accessed 20 March, 2009 http://www. consumerrightsexpert. co. uk/TheRightsOfRenters. html Tenancy agreement service Accessed 24 March, 2009 http://www. tenancyagreementservice. co. uk/verbal-tenancy-agreements. htm Landlords’ and Tenants’ repairing obligations Accessed 24 March, 2009 http://www. tenancyagreementservice. co. uk/repairing-obligations. htm#notice-of-repairs

Essay Sample on Sharks and Their Similarity with Humans

Essay Sample on Sharks and Their Similarity with Humans Sharks are well known for their incredible resistance to disease. The exact reason for this resistance has always been a bit of a mystery. While performing research as a graduate student almost thirty years ago, John Marchalonis took several milliliters of blood from the heart of a shark. Marchalonis discovered two proteins, one large and one small, which could link together to form a Y-shaped structure. This Y-shaped structure, which consisted of the two proteins, had the ability to stick tightly to chemicals that did not belong inside the shark. This was an immune system response that would destroy the foreign invaders. This finding showed that sharks have disease-fighting antibodies that are similar to those found in humans. Currently, as the head of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Arizona, Marchalonis is still studying sharks, skates, rays and shark cousins. He is comparing them with humans in the hopes of uncovering some of the early stages in the evolution of the immune system. Even though sharks are vertebrates, our evolutionary paths went their separate ways over 400 million years ago. This may uncover possible answers to questions concerning the evolution of the immune system. The immune response depends on antibodies and three other immune proteins known as T-Cell receptors (TCRs), MHC proteins and RAG proteins. Scientists have been unable to detect the presence of these proteins and antibodies in any group that evolved before sharks. This is one reason that sharks are being studied so heavily but, even with the presence of antibodies and other important proteins, sharks exhibit a rather sub-par immune system. There have been experiments in which sharks were injected with foreign proteins. The sharks did create antibodies to bind to the foreign proteins but the response did not improve upon repeated injections as it does in humans. Even with these findings, sharks are known to be very disease resistant. Contrary to popular belief, sharks do get cancer but it doesn’t happen easily. Scientists must somehow make sense of the shark’s rather substandard immune capacity. One possibility could be that sharks do not require the same immune system fu nctions humans do in order to survive. A human’s acquired immune system is made up of antibodies and T-Cells. The acquired immune system is responsible for recognizing foreign invaders and allows our body to make the distinction between self and non-self. Antibodies recognize antigens and bind to them. As antibodies bind to antigens, they essentially are being singled out for destruction. Humans can produce as many as one hundred million distinct antibodies, which allows for quite a bit of protection against foreign invaders. As our body cuts and rejoins DNA to make up the Y-shaped antibodies (found in sharks as well) many tiny mistakes are made which leads to even more diversity. This diversity, along with DNA cutting, allows humans to fight off many different foreign invaders without requiring one dedicated gene to create each antibody and TCR. Even though a shark can cut DNA in a similar fashion to humans, they also have more light and heavy chain genes. Sharks not only possess a remarkable immune system but also produce a steroid called squalamine. According to Mike Zasloff, President of Research of Magainin Pharmaceuticals, sharks rely less on TCRs and antibodies and more on squalamine. Squalamine, as well as other shark chemicals, are considered potent killers of many bacteria and also seem to ward of viral infections. Magainin Pharmaceuticals is trying to develop squalamine for commercial use in prescriptions like the health food stores which sell shark cartilage since the early 1990’s. Many companies and people have been quick to point out the benefits of shark cartilage even though most of the claims have not been proven by true scientific research. Unfortunately, sharks are being over fished worldwide because of the cartilage craze. The research that John Marchalonis began is really just the beginning of a significant study. As the research has found, sharks are very resistant to infection and sickness. If these abilities can be brought to the human species, then we have a lot to look forward to. Less sickness and better resistance to viral infections are only two possible benefits that could come from Marchalonis’ research. There will always be a debate on ethics when DNA is concerned. Many religious sects do not believe in research involving DNA because they feel it is science’s way of â€Å"playing God†. I feel that if this research can prevent sickness or be able to fight off infections, then science should pursue in the effort to do more research. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Sharks at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.