Microwaves...not only in the Kitchen

Heating, Thawing, Defrosting, Cooking.....


All actions associated with the word Microwave. Though these are all accurate applications there are other devices using microwaves. Microwaves can be used to transport signals for mobile phone calls, radios and are used by astronomers for their research. These microwaves are carriers for telegraphs and transmissions from earth to satellites and space probes.

Commonly microwaves are used in kitchen appliances called microwaves. When they heat the waters and fats in the foods, which cooks the rest of the food at the high temperatures. As written by NASA, meteorologists use microwaves to detect incoming weather. Microwaves are used in this occupation because once they are projected into the sky the microwaves then bounce off the weather features and are returned to the satellites to calculate their distance from the satellites.  They can also be used to determine what weather feature is approaching with the help of other instruments.  

Microwaves (the wave, not the appliance) range in wavelength from 1 millimeter to 30 centimeters and have a frequency from 1,000 to 300,000 MHz. According to the Integrated Environment Management, Inc. microwaves can cause body damages such as cataracts in the eyes, burns, low blood flow to skin and can be fatal if exposed for a drastic length of time.

As written by C.R Nave at Georgia State University the microwaves in a kitchen are often caused by magnetrons with magnetic fields that pull electrons around a ring. The currents then cause microwaves to radiate at its resonant frequency, to then be absorbed by any food or drink to cook or heat it. By using this cooking process, food can be cooked from the inside, or where ever there is moisture, instead of from the outside inward like a oven.  Other waves are generated by satellites and received them as well to retrieve information.  Microwaves are able to travel through atmospheres to reach satellites unlike other waves, which are not able to enter Earth's Atmosphere, which enables microwaves to be used in space for further research of other planets.  

Microwaves can be used in many applications and can be generated by several different sources.  Personally, I never knew microwaves were related to any other informational services than cooking and heating food.  These microwaves will become our communication with those in outer space, and hopefully with other forms of life.  


From common house hold uses, such as transferring cell phone calls to helping connect numerous worlds and collecting information, microwaves have recently become tremendously important in our busy lives. 

Works Cited

"Microwave Radiation." Integrated Environmental Management, Inc. Integrated Environmental Management, Inc. , 1999. Web. 1 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.iem-inc.com/prnon1r.html>. Information

Nave, Carl R. "The Magnetron." Hyper Physics. National Science Teachers Association, 2001. Web. 1 Apr. 2010.
<http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html>.  Picture and Information

Netting, Ruth. "Electromagnetic Spectrum." National Aeronautics and Space Administration . NASA, 27 Mar. 2007. Web. 1 Apr. 2010.
<http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/micro.html>.  Picture and Information

Pharmacology: Saved by a Capsule

If I was a scientist I would enjoy being a pharmacist, because I have always wanted to be a doctor but I have an intense hatred for needle, resulting in my choice to become a pharmacist. “[Pharmacists] advise their patients, physicians, and other health practitioners on the selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications, as well as monitor the health and progress of those patients to ensure that they are using their medications safely and effectively,” (Pharmacists). Secondly it is important for pharmacists to monitor the drug consumption for their patients, so ensure they are not taking a lethal combination of drugs.

Pharmacy appeals to me because it is mainly oriented around chemistry and the affect drugs have on humans to cure diseases and other conditions. Pharmacists also work with other scientists for feedback instead of working by myself, which is another reason I chose this profession. As well, pharmacists are continuously in contact with patients, and teaching them how to administer their prescriptions and other medicines. In addition, pharmacy does not require an intense amount of writing to be conducted through out the day, which is very important to me because I do not enjoy writing. Though there is documenting and charts to complete, the writing is not as significant as that of a doctor, or other professions.

I believe I would be a good pharmacist because I think it would be interesting to learn what affect many drugs have on the human body and I like how pharmaceuticals incorporates both math and science, which are my favorite subjects. To be a pharmacist it is necessary to have good record keeping skills, which I have due to my interest in genealogy. Though there may be busy days with a strenuous amount of work that it is necessary to skip lunches and breaks, which is fine for me because as long as the work is finished and the patients are happy with their prescriptions then I believe it is worth it to lose your free time.

One of my life goals is to help people and make a difference in their lives. This can occur whether it is on a local or national level. I believe even helping people care for themselves as a pharmacists is making a big enough difference, because without pharmacists people would not know which drugs to take or the quantity of them. Another goal of mine is to help others and continuously give back to my community, which I can do while being a pharmacist because I can help the rich and the poor maintain their medicines and help their health.

Pharmacy matches my learning styles because I am a scientific learner and I like to get straight to the point. I study with brief notes and I have never enjoyed writing fairy tales and poems because I like the raw data and experiments that come with pharmacy. I like solving problems, whether mathematical or social. I like combining products and mixtures to create new concoctions, which could help with the research aspect of pharmaceuticals. Sometimes they are successful and other times they are not. If they turn bad I go back to the beginning and attempt to find what I did wrong the first time.

During the day, a pharmacist has to continuously fill prescriptions, communicate with sick patients, and deal with insurance powerhouses. Though these may sound difficult I believe they would be easy for me because I believe I have good relations with others and can be consistent and forceful without becoming angry or frustrated. Secondly, for me it would be worth it to be involved in these situations because everyday I would know that I helped someone cure or treat their viruses and diseases.

I believe it is important to have pharmacists, for the future, because I believe without them people would not know about new drugs or how much to consume to become healthier with out over dosing. As pharmacists find new drugs and new processes to cure and treat diseases, they can help surrounding communities and other countries with new developments. Pharmacists also help in the attempt to stop the “dealing” of prescription drugs through their records and communications with other pharmacies.

If I was a scientist, I would want to be a pharmacist because I believe it have the qualities reflect those of a pharmacist. Such as my learning styles, interests, and goals. I believe my qualities intertwine nicely with those necessary to continue through college and get a degree in pharmacology. Lastly, I believe pharmaceuticals are an important part of our societies development in drugs, to help those who have fatal diseases and illnesses.

Photos: Pills (Maryland) Bowl (Pharmacy) Pharmacist (Natural Medicine)

Myth or Reality? Growing After Death!

What would you think if I told you everyone grows forever? This was investigated after graves were opened and hair and nails were found that had appeared to grow while in the casket. One thing many people did not cosider was the possibility that the corpse's head and hands could have shrunk due to dehydration, resulting in the skin to shrink back on the corpse which allows more hair and nails to appear on the outside of the body. The general population was easily persuaded in 1959, when Vincent Price's character's nails and hair continued to grow after he died in The Tingler. Tough the thoughts of dehydration have spread around to many scientists and doctors, who continue to believe it is possible for hair and nails can continue to grow after death.

Among these scientists and doctors are George M. Gould and Walter L Pyle who believe the growth of hair and fingernails can occur even after a person dies! They exclaim there have been records of changed hair color, the length of hair, and the length of the finger nails of the corpse. Gould and Pyle write about a corpse “whose hair protruded at the points where the joints of the coffin had given away. The fair of the head measured 18 inches, that of the beard eight inches” (Postmortem Anomalies). On the other hand, some scientists and doctors, like Alan Gunn, do not believe it is possible for hair and nails to grow after one is dead. Gunn claims, “When someone’s heart stops pumping blood around their body, the tissues and cells are deprived of oxygen and rapidly begin to die,” which would not allow hair and nails to continue to grow (Essential Forensic Biology).

Though many people have believed hair and nails could grow on a corpse, it is not true. Dehydration shrinks the body, not the nails or hair, so it appears as if the hair and nails grow after the person is dead. In Alan Gunn’s book “Essential Forensic Biology”, Gunn explains how the “shrinkage of the skin can make it seem as though [hair and nails grow]” (Essential Forensic Biology). Though some of the population continues to believe nails and hair can grow on a corpse, it is impossible. Though it is portrayed that it could happen, due to the dehydrated body of the corpse.