Black Plague Essay Research Paper Much of free essay sample

Black Plague Essay, Research Paper Much of history is a record of the catastrophes work forces bring upon themselves. But some of the worst bad lucks of world # 8211 ; inundations, temblors, dearths, and pestilences # 8211 ; look to be built-in in the natural strategy of things or Acts of the Apostless of God. The most awful of these of which we have knowledge of was the Black Plague, which ravaged Europe in the 14th century ( Cohen 106 ) .The Bubonic Plague, which is a disease that has troubled the universe for many old ages, is thought of by many every bit merely an event that happened for merely a few old ages, a long clip ago. It is besides thought that this disease, while lifelessly, did non take a really large toll on the people and communities of Europe. This is non the instance. The Bubonic Plague was, and still is a really lifelessly and lay waste toing disease that had a immense consequence on Europe from 1346 to about 1700. We will write a custom essay sample on Black Plague Essay Research Paper Much of or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What is the Bubonic Plague? There are many names for it. It has been called the Black Plague, Black Death, the Pest Plague, and the Oriental Plague. There are three different types of the Bubonic Plague, all holding different scientific names. First there is Pastuerella plague, so Bacillus plague, and in conclusion Versinius plague ( Black Death ) . Even though these are all a small different from each other, they still have many similar features, and can attest themselves in two different ways- In the blood stream, or in the lungs, the latter being much deadlier ( Harrison 2 ) . When the blood stream is infected from the bite of a flea, the lymph nodes in the organic structure crestless wave to the size of an apple or golf ball, and ooze blood and Pus ( Harrison 2 ) . Since the flea normally bites on the legs, the sores will most likely appear in the groin country and axillas, doing it painful to even walk ( Rice 1 ) . Besides, black splodges appear on the tegument from internal hem orrhage, and there is a white coat on the lingua ( Harrison 2 ) . When the lungs are infected, other symptoms include heavy perspiration, intolerance to visible radiation, ptyalizing of blood and uninterrupted febrility until decease, which is in merely one to three yearss ( Harrison 2 ) . All of these symptoms are really painful, and after a couple yearss of holding this disease, decease is a welcome alleviation. Black Death spreads in two ways. First, it starts in insanitary conditions where it can be spread by fleas, who are bearers of the disease. It starts when they bite an septic rat. The bacterium so blocks their digestive system, doing them regurgitate the septic blood into a human when they bite ( Black Death ) . Second, in crowded, insanitary urban countries where the disease is widespread, it can be passed from adult male to adult male through microscopic beads of spit when a individual coughs or sneezes. This leads to the before mentioned lung infection ( Black Death ) . When people think of the Bubonic Plague, they normally think of the pestilence which devastated Europe in the mid 1300 s, but the history of the pestilence goes much further back than that. There were histories of the pestilence in the Old Testament, and so once more in Athens in 430B.C. ( Plague ) . The pestilence was hibernating for many old ages, but so reappeared in China in the 1330 s ( Plague ) . It eventually hit Europe in 1347 when Genose trading ships whose crewmans were infected, landed in, and infected, about every major port in Europe ( Cohen 2 ) . It stayed in Europe and swept through for many old ages until it eventually reached England in 1664 and caused what is known as the Great Plague of London ( Plague ) . Europe had heard of the pestilence, but didn Ts cognize how bad it truly was until it got at that place, and when it did, it had immense effects on the economic system and the communities of Europe. The effects that the Bubonic Plague had on the economic system are these. Since there was a greater figure of deceases in the metropolis than in the state because of the crowded conditions, there was a labour deficit, and many people moved into the metropolis to happen work ( Harrison 2 ) . However, the figure of workers were limited to assist drive up wages, and this made a huge figure of the people who came into the metropolis unemployed ( Harrison 2 ) . Guilds had regulated ranks, and one time a individual was in a club, he found it really hard to travel up because the clubs were really protective of their members ( Harrison 2 ) . In the state, nevertheless there was a really little husbandman population because of the pestilence, which drove the grain monetary values up and lessened competition ( Harrison 2 ) . This made for a really good grains market ( Harrison 3 ) . What this meant was that if a provincial wanted to travel into the agriculture concern for himself by engaging other workers, he found that he could do a really profitable l ife ( Harrison 3 ) . Overall, nevertheless, the pestilence brought in its aftermath a recession from which Europe did non retrieve until the 15th century ( Harrison 3 ) . The consequence of the pestilence on communities was lay waste toing. Families and friends were set against each other # 8211 ; the well rejecting the sick ( Rice 1 ) . Some people withdrew from all contact with others, trusting T O avoid acquiring the awful disease ( Chilton 24 ) . As the disease became more and more widespread, many people wanted to hold a concluding confession or compose up their last will and testament, but the priests and attorneies would non even acquire near adequate for them to make it ( Chilton 24 ) . The decease of many Judgess and decision makers from the pestilence made it so that jurisprudence and order barely even existed in some countries. The ground was that there merely were non adequate people to catch violators. If one was caught, nevertheless, there was small opportunity of him traveling to test, because there were no Judgess to supervise the instance, and no attorneies, either to prosecute, or to support. ( Rice 1 ) . Besides, there were instances of the ill breakage into houses and endangering to pollute the people within unless they were paid a payoff to go forth ( Rice 1 ) . It was the terminal of the universe ( Chilton 25 ) . Peoples were rolling about, about zombie-li ke from fear and hopelessness ( Chilton 25 ) . They abandoned their places and left their occupations ( Chilton 25 ) . The pestilence besides had an consequence on the hygiene of communities. The dead were piled in shallow mass Gravess, or they were merely dumped into the street ( Rice 1 ) . This evidently did non assist to squelch the spread of the disease. In the old ages that the pestilence was most active, it had taken its toll in about every major metropolis in Europe. In the East, it killed over 20 three million people ( Harrison 2 ) . In Paris, over one half of the people died ( Harrison 2 ) . Bremen and Hamburg fared even worse, with over one half of their populations being wiped out, and eventually, in Florence, three fourths of the people lay dead. It killed 70,000 out of the 460,000 people populating in England, and this figure is likely underestimated, since it is likely that many of the 6432 deceases attributed to spotted febrility were truly caused by the pestilence ( Black Death ) . When the decease counts were eventually totaled, over 20 five million people had been slain in Europe by the Bubonic Plague ( Black Death ) . This comes out to be approximately on tierce of the entire population. Where were the physicians, and what were they making to seek to control the pestilence? During this clip, the physicians were deceasi ng merely like anybody else, and most of the healthy physicians did non make bold visit the sick for fright of catching the disease themselves ( Cohen 108 ) . The few physicians who were brave or brave plenty to venture into a ill individual s house used many different, but uneffective remedies, one of the most popular being a bath in piss. Other remedies included the combustion of aromatic forests and herbs, particular diets to hunger the pestilence out, classs of shed blooding to seek to acquire rid of the septic blood, and new, different positions for kiping ( Rice 1 ) . For the rich, there were potions made from liquefied gold or from powdered pearls and gems ( Rice 1 ) . Although the physicians in the Middle Ages were non really successful in their efforts to mend the sick, there are ways to halt the disease from distributing and infecting people. First of all, healthful steps should be taken against plagues to do certain that there are no rats or fleas in the life quarters. If this is done the disease would be nipped in the bud because there would be no bearers to distribute it to worlds ( Black Death ) . If the rats do go on to infect some persons, those people should be quarantined to do certain that they do non distribute the disease to others ( Black Death ) . Besides, there was an highly helpful vaccinum developed in the 19 mid-fortiess to assist the victim regain wellness ( Black Death ) . Use of this along with antibiotics can normally assist the single recover from the disease. Although the Bubonic pestilence was a awful clip for world, we can be certain that a immense graduated table eruption, like the one in Europe, will neer go on once more due to the medical and technological progresss we have made. One can merely inquire what would hold happened if the people of Europe had entree to the vaccinums and antibiotics we have now. Possibly the pestilence happened for the best, decelerating the growing of population so that the universe would non g o excessively overcrowded. Even in visible radiation of this, the Bubonic Plague was still a awful and deathly clip for Europe and the remainder of the universe. Bibliography Black Death, Colliers Encyclopedia, 1990.Chilton, David. Power in the Blood ( Brentwood: Wolgemuth A ; Hyatt Publishers, 1987 ) .Cohen, Daniel. The Black Death ( New York: Franklin Watts Inc. , 1974 ) .Harrison, James. Papal Schism, 100 Years War and the Black Plague. [ Online ] Available hypertext transfer protocol: //www.li.suu.edu/library/courses /hum101/ papal.html. February 11, 1998. Plague, International Family Health Encyclopedia, 1971.Rice, Aaron. The Black Death: Bubonic Plague. [ Online ] Available hypertext transfer protocol: //mse.byu.edu /mse/InSci/286/MiddleAges/LifeTimes/ Plague.html. February 11, 1998.Rice, Aaron. Black Death Spreads. [ Online ] Available hypertext transfer protocol: //mse.byu.edu /mse/InSci/286/MiddleAges/LifeTimes/ Blackdeath1.html. February 11, 1998.

New Worlds For All essays

New Worlds For All essays New Worlds for All, Europeans, and the Remaking of Early America. By Colin G. Calloway. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1997. Colin G. Calloway effectively states to his readers that the Indians of the North America were not just pushed aside by the Europeans who had begun exploring and immigrating in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Europeans had influenced them, but they also influenced the Europeans. The Indians and the Europeans each shaped the so-called New World into what it is today known as America. Neither one of them could have predicted that they would have created such a powerful country. This short book explores the new worlds that Indians and Europeans created together in early America and considers how conquest changed conquered people and conquerors alike. Throughout this short book, Calloway retells the stories and the culture they both made to create early America (178, xiii-xiv). Calloway states how Europeans did not come to America to create America or to mold themselves into something other than Indians. They came over here to make a New World like the home they had left and make it better. Neither the Europeans nor the Indians were looking for change, nor did they want to abandon their heritage and become like a person that is so different from their own. The two cultures were forced to interact because they shared the same land. Neither side would get anywhere if they were constantly fighting with each other all the time; therefore they had to find means of getting along. Out of necessity the adapted to their changing environment by exchanging ideas and establishing relationships that allowed them to interact. Later on down the road the colonists would see the unavoidable changes that had taken place within themselves and use them to proclaim their sense of independence from Great Britain and announce themselves as Americans (4, 6, 196-197). ...

How could culture affect international business Essay

How could culture affect international business - Essay Example usinesses across the business world, there are tiny variations in the way that each of these businesses are affected as per the exact mode of operation and specific cultural orientations of a given group of people (Becker 2013, p. 97). Therefore, this also takes note of the fact that different cultures have different impacts on the businesses. In light of this, an evaluation of the effect of culture on international business can shed more light on the issue with particular reference to German and Indian cultures. For effective intercultural business relations to take place, a business entity must understand the core beliefs that a culture strives to abide by. Due to this, international business with India requires a much more careful approach than with Germany due to the various cultural beliefs that Indians always abide by. In India, culture plays a very critical role in every situation down to the very basic forms of interaction that clients have to hold with customers. Greetings, gestures, body language and the basics of non-verbal communication all mean a lot when in the Indian context. This means that almost all the forms of communication that involve various forms of body movement have to be re-evaluated while in the context of Indian culture, or else the whole business interaction will be jeopardized, and this could hinder the proper delivery of a business concept or sealing of a business deal. Therefore, this highlights how the concept of business communication is greatly jeopardized as a result of cultural considerations. On the other hand, German culture is generally formal and is not heavily laden with various complex cultural connotations. This makes it a fairly easy and friendly community for business activities. Communication, which formed the major part of the issues that hinder effective business operations with Indian culture are well defined in the German culture. The communication systems are generally relatable and form the core of their way

Methods for accident investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Methods for accident investigation - Essay Example Causal factors can be broken down into three types. The first of these is direct cause, which describes the immediate aspect that caused the event. The second is a contributing cause, which acts with other events to increase how likely the accident was to occur. The final type of cause is a root factor, which would prevent the accident from reoccurring if it is corrected. These aspects can be determined through the use of different analytical approaches. The deductive approach makes use of a reasoning approach, which moves from a general perspective to a specific one, based on the postulation of the failure of a specific system or process. The second approach is inductive, which postulates that a particular event of fault has initiated the process. This is an overview approach. Finally, the morphological approach makes use of the way that the system that is being studied is structured. This considers what aspects have the most significant effects on safety. A five-step model was developed by SINTEF for investigating accidents. The first step is identifying the sequence of events the occurred prior to the accident, the second is determining failures and deviations that influenced the events. The third step involves working out the problems with the systems of management. The fourth step involves the identification of weaknesses in top management. Finally, the fifth step involves finding the weaknesses in the public safety framework. When investigating an accident, one of the main objectives is reporting and the provision of recommendations, which have the potential to prevent similar accidence from occurring in the future. The TRIPOD concept examines the organizational failures that are crucial to accident prevention, based on the arguments that substandard aspects occur as the result of mechanisms within organization. These often occur due to decisions in the organization, and the underlying mechanisms are

Organic food Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organic food - Research Proposal Example â€Å"Do you know why that apple is so shiny in the store shelf? Yes, you guessed it, full of pesticides. Yes, full of poisons and chemicals. Why spend time scrubbing your fruit when you should be enjoying it. Pesticides will prolong shelf life, but at the same time, are more damaging to your body† (All About Organic Foods). The organic food contains only organic ingredients and the processing also will be done mostly using natural means. The packing materials also will be biodegradable whenever possible. The advantages of organic system of farming are; it is environment friendly; it sustains diversification in ecosystems and it uses less energy and produces less waste. Organically managed soil will never lose its quality and it has higher water retention ability. Even in drought years the yield will not be decreased because of this property. Organic food and fruits taste better than conventional food. Foods, that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible is called whole foods. It will not contain any ingredients such as salt, sugar, fats etc. All whole foods need not be organic though both of them have some similarities. The life of whole foods may be less because of the lack of basic processing methods. Colorado Denver is one of the main centers of America’s organic food growers. The city is blessed with so many restaurants, hotels and markets which supplies only the organic foods. Grower’s Organic, Door to Door Organics, The Forte, Chinese Bean Sprout, Whole Foods Market, Denver Distribution center,‎ Sazza‎, Winter Park Market, Alberts Organic Inc, Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocer, Humm Foods Incorporated, Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers, Vegetarian Society of Colorado, Gnc are some of the main organic food suppliers and markets available in Colorado Denver â€Å"In the rush to produce more and more crops to satisfy growing demand producers have had to

Advantages Of Semisynthetic Penicillins Biology Essay

Advantages Of Semisynthetic Penicillins Biology Essay Introduction Amoxycillin is a semisynthetic ÃŽ ²-lactam antibiotic derived from a common chemical nucleus of naturally occurring Penicillin G, 6-aminopenicillanic acid. Vital to Amoxycillins biological effects is the ÃŽ ²-lactam ring contained within this nucleus. Amoxicillin is bacteriolytic and bacteriocidal to susceptible gram positive and gram negative microbacteria. Today, amoxicillin is the 9th most prescribed drug in the world. Penicillin discovery Up until the early 1900s, the only treatment for bacterial infection was antiseptic which was only useful for surface wounds. In 1928, Alexander Fleming made a momentous albeit accidental discovery in St Marys Hospital in London. He noticed that a Staphylococci plate being grown in culture had been contaminated with mould of the species Penicillium notatum and that this had resulted in the inhibition of bacterial growth in the vicinity of the mould. Fleming subsequently isolated the mould and formulated an antibacterial mould broth. In 1938 at Oxford, Howard Florey and his biochemist Ernst Chain extracted penicillin from the mould and established that it was nontoxic and had chemotherapeutic effects. In 1941 an injectable form of penicillin became available for therapeutic use Advantageous of Semisynthetic Penicillins Penicillin G (naturally occurring) is poorly stable in gastric acid and broken down rapidly as it passes through the stomach. Therefore, Penicillin G must be given intramuscularly which limits its usefulness. Semisynthetic penicillins such as Amoxycillin with increased oral bioavailability were a major advancement in therapeutic antibiotics. Furthermore, while aminopenicillins and natural penicillins have similar efficacy against gram positive bacteria, semisynthetic aminopenicillins (such as Amoxycillin) are more active against certain strains of gram negative rods. Amoxycillin Discovery In Beecham Laboratories in 1957, 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) was isolate from penicillin. Through chemical modification of the ÃŽ ²-lactam thiazolidine ring side chains semisynthetic penicillins were developed. In 1961, Ampicillin was created which was quickly followed in 1964 by the introduction of a Ï -hydroxyl group in Ampicillins side chain creating amoxycillin. Amoxycillin was found to have improved absorption following oral administration and 2-2.5 times greater plasma concentrations compared to an equivalent dose of Ampicillin. In 1967 Beecham laboratories discovered that the susceptibility of Amoxycillin to ÃŽ ²-lactamase could be overcome with co-administration of clavulanic acid (a ÃŽ ²-lactamase inhibitor isolated from Streptomyces olivaceus). Chemistry Amoxycillin is a white crystalline powder that is somewhat soluble in alcohol and water. Amoxycillins chemical name is (2S,5R,6R)-6-[(R)-2amino-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamido]-3,3-dimethy;-7-oxo-4-thia-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptanes-2-carboxylic acid. It has a molecular weight of 419.4. Figure 1: Chemical Structure of Amoxycillin Pharmacodynamics Amoxycillin functions by inhibiting the biosynthesis of cell wall mucopeptides of susceptible gram positive and negative microorganisms actively synthesizing peptidoglycan and undergoing multiplication. The molecular target of Amoxycillin and other ÃŽ ²-lactam antibiotics are the Penicillin Binding Proteins. Upon drug-target interaction transpeptidation is blocked and thus inhibiting the synthesis of peptidoglycan, a vital cell wall component. Subsequently, the inhibitor of autolytic enzymes in the cell wall, is removed resulting in active autolytic enzymes and bacteriolysis. Pharmacokinetics Amoxycillin complies with the two compartment model with elimination occurring from the central compartment. Figure 2 demonstrates Amoxycillins biexponential decline of serum concentration with time. Table 1 and 2 document the pharmacokinetic parameters of Amoxycillin. Figure 2: Average serum concentration versus time after 500mg IV dose of Amoxycillin. Table 1: Pharmacokinetic parameter and absolute bioavailability of a 500mg oral dose of Amoxycillin. Table 2: Pharmacokinetic parameter of a 500mg IV dose of Amoxycillin. Administration Amoxycillin is usually administered orally. The relationship between dose and extent of absorption is not linear with a plateau at higher oral concentrations. Dose adjustments need to be made in patients with renal dysfunction. Bioavailability Drug bioavailability is the proportion of drug that passes into systemic circulation after oral administration. It is dependent upon absorption across the gastrointestinal tract and first pass clearance by the liver. After oral administration of a dose of 250mg and 500mg of Amoxycillin the average peak serum concentrations (observed between 1-2 hours after administration) were 5.0mg/mL and 6.0 10.8 mg/mL respectively. The variation of plasma concentration with time is demonstrated in Figure 3. The oral bioavailability of Amoxycillin is 77.4% Amoxycillin is stable in gastric acid and is rapidly absorbed after oral administration regardless of absence or presence of food products and thus a high proportion of administered dose reaches the systemic circulation.. Figure 3: Mean serum levels following oral administration of 125mg and 250mg of Amoxycillin to 11 normal volunteers. (95% confidence). Volume of Distribution Volume of distribution is defined as the volume of fluid in which the amount of drug in the body would need to be uniformly distributed to produce observed plasma concentrations. Amoxycillin distributes widely and rapidly into most body tissues and fluid. Despite this, Amoxycillin remains extracellular due to lipid insolubility and thus does not cross the blood brain barrier unless the meninges are inflamed. Volume of distribution of Amoxycillin is 20.2L (0.3 L/kg). Clearance Clearance is defined as the volume of blood cleared of drug per unit time. It is dependent on renal excretion hepatic elimination. The clearance of Amoxycillin is 221mL/min. Renal Excretion Amoxycillin is excreted predominantly via the urine in biologically active form or as penicilloic acid. 75% of a 1 gram dose is excreted in the urine within 6 hrs (60% biologically active form, 15% is in the form of penicilloic acid). Biological Half life Elimination half life is defined by the time taken for the plasma concentration of drug to reach half the steady state concentration. The biological half life is 61.3 minutes with normal renal function. Half life increases with renal dysfunction. Clinical Uses Amoxycillin is a broad spectrum ÃŽ ²-lactam antibiotic with effectiveness against many pathogenic microorganisms. It is commonly used to treat bacterial infections such as otitis media, tonsillitis, throat infections, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, gonorrhoea and skin infections. Indications for use Location of infection Microorganism Skin and skin structure E coli, Staphylococcus, nonpenicillinase producing streptococcis Respiratory (Acute and chronic) nonpenicillinase producing E coli, Streptococcus, Strep. Pneumonia, H.influenzae, staphylococcus Genitourinary tract (Complicate and uncomplicated, acute and chronic) E.Coli, P.mirabilis and Strep. Faecalis Gonorrhoea N. Gonorrhoea (nonpenicillinase producing) Prophylaxis of endocarditis Used in people at particular risk (e.g. individuals who have previously had endocarditis or with a prosthetic heart valve) Table 3: Indications for use of Amoxycillin Precautions Drug interactions Amoxycillin is rarely associated with adverse drug interactions however the following reactions have been demonstrated in some cases. Drug Interaction Oral anticoagulants (e.g. Warfarin and Acenocoumarol) Results in abnormal prolongation of prothrombin time (or international normalised ratio.) Allopurinol Results in increased rate of rash reactions. It is unknown whether this is due to Amoxycillin reacting with the allopurinol itself or the hyperuricaemia that it is treating. Combined Oral Contraceptives Like all penicillin, Amoxycillin can affect the commensal gut flora which results in decreased oestrogen absorption. This has been associated with decreased efficacy of combined oral contraceptives. Tetracyclines or other bacteriostatic drugs Bacteriostatic drugs have been known to interference with the bactericidal effects of Amoxycillin Clavulanic acid Amoxycillin therapeutic effects are inactivated by penicillinase (ÃŽ ²-lactam) producing organisms. It is possible to co-administer Amoxycillin with clavulanic acid (ÃŽ ²-lactamase inhibitor) to broaden the spectrum of susceptible bacteria (e.g.. co-amoxiclav). Probenecid Renal excretion can be delayed by administration of Probenecid as demonstrated by Figure 4. When used in conjunction there is an increased plasma concentration of Amoxycillin reached and longer duration of effect. This is a beneficial interaction. Table 4: Some common drug interactions when co-administered with Amoxycillin Figure 4: Mean serum levels following oral administration of 1 gram of Amoxycillin with and without probenicid. Pregnancy and Lactation While penicillin can cross the placenta, no teratogenic effects have been uncovered through animal studies. Similarly, Amoxycillin can be excreted in breast milk resulting in potential side effects for the nursing infant including diarrhoea or allergic response. However, Amoxycillin is generally considered safe for use in pregnant women and nursing mothers. Adverse reactions Side effects are uncommon however potentially include insomnia, diarrhoea, dizziness, confusion, heartburn, easy bruising, itching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bleeding, rash and allergic reactions. The most common adverse reaction is hypersensitivity reactions in patients with allergies to ÃŽ ² lactam antibiotics, penicillin or cephalosporins. Anaphylaxis can be fatal and occurs more frequently following parenteral administration. All penicillins have been associated with seizures when administered in excessive doses or administered intrathecally. Conclusion The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Flemming lead to the subsequent generation of the semisynthetic aminopenicillin, Amoxycillin. This ÃŽ ²-lactam antibiotic has a broad spectrum of therapeutic use, high oral bioavailability and lack of toxic effects.

Expansion and the Evolutionary Lottery :: Evolution Essays

Expansion and the Evolutionary Lottery For a young scholar learning the basic concepts of science and biology, evolution was this grand theory of past life becoming more like present life over time via the utilization of such complicated and foreboding means as "natural selection" and "survival of the fittest." I came to understand that there was endless diversity of life, and variation was a result of the interactions of organisms with their environments. Natural selection placed pressure on the organisms forcing adaptations to be made, hence new species to arise over time. The oversimplified image of evolution that began to form in my head involved one single organism adapting to its environment and undergoing change in its own life span, therefore that one organism experiences evolution in action. I didn't think evolution was a process of becoming more "perfect" necessarily, but "better suited for more diverse situations," which boiled down to being better. Obviously this picture I was conjuring up was far from the mos t scientifically logical, and I was surprised and impressed to hear a better explanation. Evolution is depicted as an inconceivably time- consuming and expansion-driven process; it is not about "survival of the fittest" or being perfect, rather the most able to produce genetically variable offspring (less likely to be eliminated by natural selection). The major discrepancy between the two (oversimplified and clarified) formulations of evolution is the importance of random innate expansion, which arguably is a quality assigned not only to energy and matter on Earth, but also to evolution and as the entire universe. One of the simpler discrepancies in my illogical view of evolution merely involved timescale and the mechanism of change. A single organism cannot evolve within its own life span because of environmental pressure. The very first of Mayr's seventeen principles of inheritance states, "genetic material is constant ('hard'); it cannot be changed by the environment or by use and disuse of the phenotype... Genes cannot be modified by the environment... There is no inheritance of acquired characters" (Mayr, 2001, p. 91). Therefore, one organism cannot possibly experience evolution in action as a result of environmental interactions. The term adaptation creates some confusion here because it is so often coupled with evolutionary change and expresses a change suited for certain environmental conditions. The fact of the matter is evolution, as well as adaptation, occur over many generations and changes are not directly related to the conditions of the environment.