Post 10: Blogging Experience

Hi everyone! This is my last post. The experience of being a blogger was fun! I developed my writing skills and learned some vocabulary. Maybe, the principal warring was the word extension, but most cases I was developing an idea and surprise! The limit has been over. I expect this post will not be an exception.

The post’s themes was great, except for the one that I have to write about a scientist or a paper. I did not understand it! My favourite post was about a TED talk, because I have to listen first, and then try to summarize all the ideas.

For the next instance, I would like to write about something real, telling a story, or even, write a paper about my thesis (with the real data, I hope). Another theme that can be very interesting is “facing the real English” like the first web test. Day a day, I must to search papers and information, but if someday I have to live in an English country, I would like to be prepared on the real life.

I will miss my blog (only a little). For now, I cannot say, “oh God, I have to write about my life on the internet! My blog!”

Post 9: A country I'd like to visit

Hi everyone! I have to write about a country I’d like to visit. It’s hard to choose one country, I prefer to write about a continent! I’ve always been attracted to Africa, because it’s a place where you can do anything you want.

Africa is well known about its nature; many people go into a safari and meet a wild experience. I’d like to meet a lion or an elephant, but I concern about the impact of a safari on a natural park. Indeed, Africa is a fragile ecosystem, where a minimal injury can cause an unrepairable damage.

The social issues is another characteristic that I’d like to experience in Africa.  This is the poorest continent, and a great part of the children is undernourished. My profession is related to feeding people, so I want to contribute to eradicate hungry of this continent.  

You can notice that Africa get two opposite sides: nature and poor. Someday, I want to travel to Africa and enjoy its wonderful natural marvels. At the same time, I’d like to meet the Africans,  and build a better place to live. 

Post 8: a career-related article

Hi everyone! I have to write about an article related to my specialism. Physiology is a specific knowledge! My research deal with plant stress, so I will try to explain an article that describe plant mechanisms to avoid the stress. 

“Photoprotection in plants: a new light on photosystem II damage” is a review article, written in 2011 by Shunichi Takahashi and Murray R. Badger, both from the Australian National University. 

Under certain circumstances, the leaves receive a lot of radiation, and they can be expose to photoinhibition. This problem leads to a minor photosynthetic capacity, thereafter, it will reduce yield (the principal variable on plants). 

Takahashi and Badger explains different mechanisms to avoid photoinhibition: the photoprotection. The most important mechanisms are:

- Paraheliotropism (Fig 1a): some plant species can move their leaves, to intercept less radiation. If the leaves are vertical, the radiation exposition will be minor. 

- Epidermis pigments (Fig 1c): some pigments in the leaf epidermis can serve as screen, so the chloroplasts will be expose to a minor radiation.

- ROS scavening (Fig 1d): This is a detoxification mechanism, because it works when the photoinhibition just begins. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are molecules that are produce by photoinhibition.  Ascorbate can eliminate these molecules, and avoid more damage.

As I said, this article is important because summarize all known plant mechanisms about photoinhibition. You can find this on http://libgen.org/scimag4/10.1016/j.tplants.2010.10.001.pdf 

Figure 1. Photoprotection mechanisms. Takahashi and Badger, 2011.

Post 7 : Your favourite film

Hi everyone! I’d like to write about films. I prefer movies which are a challenge to understand (like “Memento”), also that films which tell a true story (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and the most important, films that make me laugh.

I don’t have any favourite director or actor, although I admire Quentin Tarantino as a director, and Clint Eastwood as a director and as an actor too.

My favourite film by a long time has been “Finding Nemo”. I know, it’s a little embarrassing, because I’m a young woman talking about an animated movie. But Nemo has all! There’s action (a hard travel trough the ocean), good persons (or fishes in this case), great characters (I really love Dory) and a happy ending (I don’t tell you a spoiler).

I expect to second part. It’s named “Finding Dory” and will be release at 2016. I can’t imagine what will occur! Dory is my favourite character all over the films. She is a Royal Blue Tang fish and she forgets all new memories (a kind of amnesia). She sings all the time and keep in a good mood,  even when she was the lunch of a whale. Here are the best scenes of Dory! Prepare yourselves to a lot of laugh!

(and here is in Spanish)

Post 6: If people really wanted ethically produced products, they would already be buying them.

First, I need to clarify the concept “ethically produced”.  I understand that it contains two principal aspects: (1) environmental sustainability, like fewer agrochemicals products; (2) social sustainability, such as fairtrade products. Then, an ethically production could contribute to build a better society.

Why wouldn’t a person want to buy a better product? There’s several answers. Generally, these products are more expensive than common food. Indeed, upper class families consume organic products, because they have money to buy it.

Another reason is low availability of natural food on markets. Nowadays, if you do not put a product on the people’s nose, they will not see it. Overall, habit lead the preferences of a consumer. Although, I think the habit can be change. For example, there’s an ecological conscience, and it is growing around the entire world. The Climate Change contributes to a more sustainable life, because people understand how we can damage the planet.

Therefore, ethically produced products is a way to save the planet. Now these products are a little contribution, compared to traditional food. However, I think it will grow, joined to an ecological conscience. 

Post 5: My favourite photograph

Hello everyone! This week, I have to write about my favorite photograph. I was looking through my photos on Facebook, and I found this. It was taken at Cajón del Maipo, during the celebration of my birthday, this year.

My best friends and I went camping to Cajón del Maipo, and stay all the weekend. They never went camping before, so I was afraid about what could happen. The first activity was to assemble a really big tent. All our engineering skills joined and we successful! Then, I was the Fire Goddess, and I set fire a huge bonfire, to cook and to stay warm. Late, we started to drink and to eat. At night, some neighbours called our help, to fix the battery of their car. At the same time, two of my friends went to the bathroom. For this reason, the beef at the bonfire was alone, and a dog stole it. We were very angry and a little drunk, so we laughed a lot. At the end, the friendship prevailed, and we cooked a soup.

Now, we promised to come back, or go camping somewhere else. 

Post 4: Your favorite piece of technology

Ok, this post is related to technology. Sometimes, I feel inundated by all the piece of technology that are surrounding us. What happen when the electricity is shut off? Many objects can’t work. That’s why I prefer the power-independent objects, such as pieces with a battery, or a dynamo.

For example, I can’t ride my bicycle at night without my light; it works with the friction of my wheels, by a dynamo. So, my light doesn’t need a power supply. I really love it, is a creative and useful mechanism.

Another issue with technology is the lot of wires. But in these days, some things are wireless. The only wireless-thing I have is my mouse. It simplifies my life, but I’m left-handed, and it designed for right-handed. Then, it’s a little bit akward, but useful. Yeah, I hate you, right-handers of the world!