Science is the building block of all life. When you think about it everything that is in existence breaks up into smaller bits. Within these smaller bits is an entire world too small for our naked eye to see and too invisible for us to notice. Lets take a look at our body. Our body is made up of cells. Cells that when you study them are a world on their own. In these cells there are atoms and further more until you reach Quantum Physics and a world within our world. Fantasy tells us that a world within a world is not real but science proves this all wrong. There is an entire universe within your body and not to mention within every living thing that exists in this planet and beyond. All we know is that we know nothing of the vastness of life and the infinite mystery within it. I am a deep lover of science because I am a dreamer. You may say well that doesn't make much sense does it...well it does. Science teaches us about the worlds within plants, animals, the Earth and sky and so much more.
Today we will focus on the little but big things that directly affect our life as we know it. It is not a coincidence that we are living a pandemic due to such a small little bug such as a virus. A virus is a tiny, infectious particle that lives inside of living organisms. The particle is too small to be seen with our eyes. It's made of DNA which is a spiral of instructions that tell the body how to look and what to do.The fact that this tiny non-living thing can restructure such an important thing as your DNA is fascinating. A virus can only survive if it is inside of a living thing, called a host, and the only job of the virus is to make copies of itself. To sum it up in a fun and easy way, a virus is like vampire that needs to live off its victim and changes its victim with its information. Now, don't be afraid because doctors are like vampire hunters and they have ways to kill or control these tiny vampires through vaccines and medication. We will soon have a real solution to this tiny little vampire called Covid 19 and it will be contained soon enough. Now my purpose is not to talk about the virus as I'm sure you have more than enough information on this pesky little critter. I want to talk about how tiny things make big impacts in the world.
If it weren't for a microscope we would never have discovered this mesmerizing world within our world. Thanks to a very curious man a long time ago we were able to discover a world so small yet so big.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek was born October 24th 1692 in Delft, Dutch Republic. He was a regular businessman that at the time was a draper. A draper is a person who sells fabric and also designs clothing. In his job, it was important to inspect the strings in cloths and fabric to determine if it was of good quality. So in this job of inspecting threads he started to think of ways to be able to see more closely. He wanted only the best for his shop so he needed to find the way to examine better his fabric threads. His family had been known to have the skill of glass blowing. If you haven't seen glass blowing I highly reccomend you take a look at the link below. Glass blowing is the art of making glassware by blowing molten glass through a tube. Molten glass believe it or not is sand that has been melted in a very hot temperature. So if you didn't know...glass is really just melted sand. Interesting isn't it!
A fascinating video about Glassblowing
Well...back to Antonie well his family knew how to glass blow so he thought to himself that perhaps he could make a sort of lens that would help him see his fabric strings better. At the time, magnifying glasses were not enough for him. So he decided to make his very own tuned up magnifying glass and in this very small idea came his very big discovery of the microscopic lens! Believe it or not he was not a doctor or a specialist of any kind, yet he discovered the most important tool that changed our entire lives as we know it! He saw in his lens that tiny animalcules existed in water and blood and various other things. He discovered a world within our world. The world of Microbiology. He is what we call the "Father of Microbiology" because of his discovery. It comes to show you that you don't need to be a big shot or academic to change the world. A curious mind and a curious heart can discover more than ever imaginable.
So that being said I bet you are wondering how many orginal microscopes from that period exist today. Well as far as we know only ten are still in existence today and guess what, the only one recognized by the Royal Society as being the original is here in Galicia!
The owner of this relic in history is called Dr. Tomás Camacho from Vigo and he is also a fascinating person and doctor that lives just a stone´s throw away. He has been asked to sell it but he has refused to sell it and is planning on donating it to a musuem dedicated to science in La Coruña. This microscope is worth millions but it's not about the money as he says. He could easily sell it and become rich but not everything has a monetary value and I'm so glad he hasn't sold it off. It comes to show you how surprising one little discovery from a not so little person can change the world. Thanks to Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, we are fighting disease and saving lives.
Dr. Tomás Camacho García
I´d like to add that Dr. Tomás Camacho not only actively investigates with NASA but is one of our true heros in combating with the Coronavirus in our local hospital in Vigo.
We don't have to go outside our country or even our region to find fascinating and interesting people. Here are a few links on our local hero Dr. Camacho which I'd like you all to take a look at.
Assignment to all my readers. I would like you all to be active investigators this week. Start by looking around your house at all the tiny things on the floor or tables. I´d like you to draw and take notes on where it could have come from, what it is you found, and actively investigate your surroundings. We don't have to be out and about to discover a new world right in our very own house. I hope you all get inspired and discover something new and don't forget to share your findings with me at thebrilliantlightbulb@gmail.com
HELLO MARILYN, THIS IS SABELA FROM CHANCELAS. ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VISITS TO "FAIRS" (FERIAS TRADICIONALES DE GALICIA) WAS A CAMPSITE WE WENT TO AT NORTH GALICIA. IT WAS AOUTSIDE IN A FIELD WHERE THEIR WOOD ALL KINDS OF INCREDIBLE WORKSHOPS. WITH TRADITIONAL MATERIALS LIKE WOOD, SHELLS, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, ARTS AND CRAFTS, WOOL WEAVERS AND THE MOST EXOTIC OF ALL: THE GLASS BLOWING SHOP. BEAUTIFUL LITTLE SHINNY PERFECT DISGNED FIGURES AND SHAPES. WE LOVED VISITING THAT FAIR. HOPING WE WILL COME BACK THIS YEAR.
ReplyDeleteOhhh that´s great Sabela!! The Glassblowing shops are always the coolest. If you ever get to see them live doing it, it´s even better. I sure hope you get to go again too and I miss you very much my dear!
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