Exoneration: The Fight for Freedom

       Behind the steel bars of the US justice system, many may never live to see the light of day again. Some live in fear that their so-claimed "wrongs" may never be made right and their faultless crimes will never be resolved. There are many, although not well known, that are the victims of wrongful conviction and are wasting away inside prison doors as the result of inadequate measures within the US justice system. Exoneration due to DNA testing has been crucial in the aid of those in which have been wrongfully convicted, and leading this fight for freedom is none other than the adequately named 'Innocence Project.'

       The Innocence Project is a foundation that aims to exonerate prisoners who can be proven innocent through the methods of DNA testing. In the past years, DNA testing has been crucial in deciphering between criminals and the wrongfully convicted, and has taken bounds and leaps in the direction of creating a more 'just' justice system. More reliable than eye-witness accounts and interrogation methods, DNA testing utilizes pieces of DNA discovered at a crime scene to provide evidence determining guilty/non-guilty suspects. One case, in which four teenage boys were convicted of raping and killing Lori Roscetti in Chicago (1986), shows how DNA testing can be the tool of freedom for those who were wrongfully convicted. The four teenage boys, natives of Chicago, were wrongfully convicted of a crime they did not commit, and due to pressure from the public and fraudulent test results, were sentenced to time in prison. Thanks to DNA collected from the Roscetti scene and the intervention of the Innocence Project, the boys were able to walk free, while the real convicted felons responsible for the murder were sentenced to life in prison. This is just one of the many ways DNA has helped freed prisoners that are falsely at blame.

       When we were first asked to respond to the exoneration stories we listened to in class and the idea of the Innocence Project, I was slightly taken back by what I had heard. I had never given much thought to the happenings of the US justice system, but after listening to these stories my perception was greatly altered. Although these stories did not impact me to the point where I was genuinely angry and upset with law and court officials, I began to see how there are small holes in our society's justice system that can have huge impacts on the lives of others. Hearing about the four teenage boys that had 15 years of their life taken away from them and seeing how tactics used by officers can impact the thought process of suspects showed me that there are still areas within our system that greatly need improvement, but I could see how we are already making progress. With DNA testing and foundations like the Innocence project, I can already tell that citizens have taken action, and although some men may forever stay behind bars, we can work our hardest and try our best to make sure that we can free those that are wrongfully convicted.

     

Laughter: The Best Medicine

       With the compounded stress of our daily lives, we often forget the importance of laughter, and how sharing a laugh with a friend or family member can help relieve stress and improve our general health.

       The final article of a four-part series written by Mary Payne Bennett and Cecile Lengacher sheds light on the possible benefits of humor in various health outcomes, and gives information on research related to the new field of "laughter medicine." Upon studying Cardiovascular patients in Japan, an author stated the following: "A positive correlation was noted between NK cell activity and scores on both the extraversion scale and a sense of humor scale [...] the results indicate an association between general positive feelings and higher levels of NK cell activity." This information shows that, when exposed to humorous or positive activities, there is a chance that the patient's NK cell activity will increase, which will have a positive impact on immune systems and have benefits including prevention of the spread of cancer and destruction of cancerous cells. This information, although in very early stages, can show us how laughter may have a positive effect on our immune systems, and can benefit us in our day to day lives.

       When I read this article my first thought was this: this is a long paper with a lot of complicated terms. But as I started to dig into the paper, I realized that aside from terms like SIgA, NK, and Cytotoxicity, the core of this paper was very informational. When I began thinking about the ideas and research expressed in this article, it made me begin to wonder how this information could affect my life and the life of those around me. As I stated in the beginning of this entry, many people (myself included), take laughing for granted. But after reading this article, I saw that there are many benefits of laughter that I'm sure most of us aren't aware of. So although I still have no idea what SIgA is, and I would have to dive deep into the depths of a dictionary to define Cytotoxicity, laughter is something we can all share, and whether we know the health benefits of humor or not, spreading positivity and joy is something that makes everyone feel better.

Monkey See Monkey Do       

       There are some similarities in nature, although rarely discovered, that leave even the most prestigious scientists in awe. The story of Lucy, a chimpanzee adopted by the Temerlins as a study focusing on the behavior of chimpanzees and the similarities in their development to humans, was one of these scientific breakthroughs. 

       The Temerlins adopted Lucy from a chimpanzee belonging to a circus, and took her home in hopes of raising her as they would a child. The Temerlins taught Lucy how to behave like a human, showing her how to use silverware, flip through magazines, and use American sign language. The most amazing fact of this was that Lucy did, in fact, accomplish all of these completely human tasks and several more. At one point, Lucy even felt comfortable grabbing Gin from the cabinet and pleasuring herself while flipping through the pages of a Playgirl. 

       Years passed, and the Temerlins were amazed at the progress Lucy had made. But Lucy was almost twelve, and well past the age most owners kept a chimpanzee. This troubled the Temerlins, but they desperately tried to hold on to their adopted child for as long as they could. Eventually, at the height of Lucy's discontent and at the end of their rope, the Temerlins traveled with the chimpanzee to a rehabilitation center in Gambia, where Lucy would spend the rest of her days. 

       Accompanied by Janis Carter, the Temerlins felt comfortable leaving the chimpanzee in the caring hands of their at-the-time housekeeper. Carter expected to stay with Lucy for a few weeks, but it seems that would not be the case. After almost three years, and a long time of living in a remote island in a cage, Carter was released from the experience of turning a now "human" chimpanzee back into a wild being. The effects of the Temerlins' time with Lucy showed in her inability to successfully return to nature. After Lucy finally adjusted to her native environment, Carter would come to visit the island Lucy and other human-raised chimpanzees lived on. Sadly, on one of these trips, Lucy was found dead just a small bit away from the camp she and Carter shared for the many years, seeming to have been killed by poachers. It seemed that in the end, Lucy's openness towards humans would be her first and final downfall.

      Lucy shared an immense amount of knowledge with us on the subject of relativity between humans and chimpanzees, and paved the road to understanding development and adaptability to natural circumstances. Without Lucy, we would have never achieved such beneficial results, and would have been without a heart-touching story that tells the story of unique bonds between humans and animals.

      "Monkey see, monkey do." Something we can learn about human nature from the Lucy story is that human nature seems so complex, but in reality can be adopted by the simple repetition and copying of simple actions. We often take the gift of our reality for granted, but after seeing the story of Lucy I'm reminded how the path to human-ness isn't always a straight-forward one, and some things we adopt in our lifetime couldn't be dropped from our nature in a thousand years.  

       After this story, I have a different view on chimpanzees, for I see that they are incredibly intelligent beings that can adopt human nature and live to the majority of the extent that most modern humans do. The Temerlin's experiment was worthwhile, for it gave us an insight into the nature of chimpanzees and connected a long lost bridge between humans and animals. The end Lucy's story is not justified and leaves the reader wondering why Lucy would approach the poachers, but it goes a long way to show how too much exposure to a human lifestyle can be harmful to an animal, and should be taken into account in any further animal experiments.

So for some reason this guy came up under the Google search "Lucy Chimpanzee," so I thought I'd just leave him here. Thank you.

       

Thinking Like a Mountain

       A single wolf's cry echoes through the crisp mountain air. The world tenses. The still night air is on edge, every breathing thing's mind running a million miles per second. This is because, when hearing this simple cry to the moon and beyond, the world feels fear. Half wants to run, half wants to kill. A mixture of anxiety, anger, and excitement rushes through the essence of every human, and every mind is centered on one thought: kill the beast. Although in days of old predators were thought of as harmful and were therefore removed (mostly killed), Aldo Leopold explains in his essay Thinking Like a Mountain that the mass removal of a predator species can be harmful to an ecosystem, and warns of dangers that are associated with killing the killers.

       In the essay Thinking Like a Mountain, Aldo Leopold highlights the dangers of removing predatory species entirely from ecosystems using the metaphor of a mountain's thoughts. In the first paragraph of the essay, Leopold states: "Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf." To me this shows how intricate the balance of nature is, and how all of the factors live so perfectly in co-existence with each other. The earth is renewed by vegetation, the vegetation is controlled by deer, and deer are controlled by wolves. It's all a naturally measured cycle, renewed by life and death. Leopold goes on to make a statement about this idea in the sixth paragraph of the essay: "I have watched the face of many newly wolfless mountains, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, then to death." This statement clearly summarized the idea of the balance of nature, and how removing an element can so drastically affect an ecosystem. 

       When I read this essay for the first time, I was in awe at the character's writing style. The language he used to enlighten readers was awe inspiring. One passage I feel showed this writing style was in paragraph five, in which Leopold claimed: "We reached the old wolf in time to watch the fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes - something known only to her and the mountains." I loved this passage, because in one moment the character came to the realization that the wolf and the mountains shared; a complicated myth that humans have created, a myth that has been misinterpreted by so many, a myth that mistakes fear for anger and creates a sharp bending in the balance of nature. 

       In conclusion, this essay made me more aware of the balance of ecosystems through Leopold's unique writing style. Coming away from this essay I feel enlightened to the intricacies of nature, and I feel that Leopold's goal of creating awareness was achieved through his story. As my last thought on this essay, I'd like to end with a quote from the last paragraph, which reads: "In wildness is the salvation of the world."

Here's a crunk picture of a wolf being majestic. 

       

Life Is Water

       Life is water. Many humans enjoy recreational water activities each day, but how many of us really know what's going on beneath the surface? As it is, the ocean seems to be a vast place with unlimited resources. But is it? With such a high demand for resources coming from the sea, it seems that humans are taking faster than the ocean can give. In her TED Talk, Sylvia Earle discusses and warns about the impending dangers of drawing too many resources form the sea's preserves. In earlier days of ocean exploration, many thought of the ocean as the "Sea of Eden", but at the current rate, it seems that soon we may be facing a lost paradise.

       Although the ocean covers a large area of the earth, many people have very little knowledge as to how the vast seas affect our day to day lives. Oceans hold thousands of different varieties of life, but these numbers are becoming smaller and smaller day by day due to human interruption of the natural cycle. Sylvia Earle explains that for every 1 pound of fish that goes to market, more than 10 to 100 pounds of fish is thrown back as by-catch. This gives you a glimpse into the industrial culture and how wasteful methods of production are disrupting oceanic ecosystems and biodiversities in the sea.

       Humans are having a great affect on plant life in oceanic ecosystems as well.  Excess carbon dioxide is changing ocean chemistry, making the ocean more acidic, and destroying coral reefs and oxygen producing plankton. Not only is this a bad sign for the ocean, but also for the planet and for us.

       Even endangered species are not safe from human disruption. Blue Fin Tuna, an endangered saltwater species, is still being captured and eaten, despite it's unstable condition. Sure the ocean is vast, but it has limits. Humans can't keep drawing from the seas and expect for some endangered species to jump back from extinction, it just doesn't add up.
   
       So how do humans gain a better understanding of the sea? After all, not every person and their cousin owns a fashionable deep-sea suit like the JIM model Sylvia Earle used on her expeditions. Without the proper knowledge, humans may never know how much the sea means to the balance of the earth. Without the elements we get from the sea, about 90% percent of life on earth would be in great danger. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that without our oceans the surface of earth would look very much like that of our neighboring planet, Mars. Life is water, but it seems that without the spread of information water's biggest form is on a rapid decline.

Here's a picture of a happy dolphin. 

    

Yo! My name is Lyle, and I'm a 10th grader at Animas High School in Durango, CO. Things I'm looking to get out of this Biology class is a better understanding of how living systems work, exploring human anatomy as well as that of animals, and diving into the complexity of the living and non-living things that make up this beautiful thing we call Earth. This blog will keep you up to date on what I'm learning through blog posts relating to videos, articles, or lessons I find interesting and/or feel intrigued to write about. I hope you enjoy my blog, and may you have a nice day!