Our bodies are constantly at war, fending off pathogens at the microscopic level. The innate immune system is our body's first line of defense in this never ending battle. It is non-specific and fights anything that tries to invade. Let's dive in deeper!⬇️(1/6)
If a pathogen breaches physical barriers like skin or mucus, our Complement System comes into play. It identifies, tags, and even perforates pathogens! Tagged pathogens attract macrophages to engulf and destroy them. Complement helps distinguish self from non-self.⬇️(2/6) twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Another weapon in our arsenal is defensins, tiny peptides (short strings of amino acids) that imbed themselves in the membranes of bacteria and viruses, causing damage.⬇️(3/6)
Yet another tool are Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) on macrophages. These recognize certain proteins released from bacteria, which begins the body's inflammation response through release of cytokines. This also raises the alarm to recruit help!⬇️(4/6)
Now that the alarm has been raised, more macrophages and neutrophils arrive and get to work, gobbling up the invading pathogens, and exposing them to digestive enzymes. Meanwhile, this induces yet more cytokine release and more inflammation.⬇️(5/6)
Remember, innate immunity is always on duty, providing rapid responses to infections. But it's just part of our immune system. There's also the adaptive immunity, which is more precise and learns from past encounters. That will be covered in another thread though.(6/6)
There is more that wasn't covered, such as natural killer cells and the coagulation system, but I felt like the above grasped the major concepts. Do let me know what you think!
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Why do hurricanes spin the way they do? Why do they spin in opposite directions on opposite sides of the equator? It's all thanks to our Earth's rotation and something called the Coriolis Effect! But how does it work? Let's dive in! ⬇️1/6
The surface of the Earth rotates at different speeds depending on latitude. On the equator you move faster eastward than you do close to the poles! ⬇️2/6
If you were to launch a projectile southward from a high latitude, it retains its slower eastward momentum compared to the ground further south, which moves faster eastward. This causes the projectile to lag behind, curving westward. ⬇️3/6
The blue sky is a beautiful result of physics in action! But why is it blue? Why does the sky appear more orange-red at sunset? Let's dive in!⬇️1/4
Sunlight, though appearing white, is a mix of many colors. Each color has its wavelength, with blue and violet being the shortest and red the longest. Our atmosphere is mainly tiny molecules of nitrogen and oxygen...⬇️2/4
When sunlight passes through, it interacts with these molecules. The shorter wavelengths (like blue & violet) scatter more efficiently in all directions by these molecules. This is called Rayleigh scattering. The scattered light then reaches your eyes from all directions!⬇️3/4
Ever wondered why soap bubbles, peacock feathers, and oil slicks display a mesmerizing array of colors? It's all thanks to a phenomenon called iridescence. How does it work? Let's dive in! ⬇️1/5
Soap bubbles consist of two layers of soap molecules with water sandwiched in between. Light reflecting off these layers interferes, either amplifying or canceling out certain colors. ⬇️2/5
The bubble's varying thickness causes the swirl of colors. When light waves align, they boost each other, creating brighter colors (Constructive Interference). When misaligned, they negate each other, leading to darker shades (Destructive Interference). ⬇️3/5
A simple homopolar motor that you can make at home to demonstrate Lorentz force, electromagnetism, and electric motors! How does it work?⬇️1/4
When the wire touches both the battery and the magnet, it completes an electrical circuit. Current flows (I) from the positive terminal of the battery, through the wire, and into the magnet, finally returning to the negative terminal of the battery.⬇️2/4
The neodymium magnet has a strong magnetic field around it. When a current-carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a force known as the Lorentz force. This force is perpendicular to both the direction of the current and the direction of the magnetic field.⬇️/3
Contrary to popular belief, the majority of the Earth's oxygen isn't produced by trees but by tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton. These microscopic heroes contribute between 50 to 80% of the oxygen in our atmosphere!⬇️1/4
Beyond oxygen production, phytoplankton also play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. They absorb large quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere, mitigating some of the impacts of climate change. When phytoplankton die or are eaten, they can sink to deeper ocean layers.⬇️2/4
In this way, the carbon they've absorbed from the atmosphere is transferred to the deep ocean, effectively sequestering it for long periods. An example is how the shell of coccolithophores locks up carbon in the form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).⬇️ 3/4
Honey never spoils! Archaeologists have even found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible. Why is this the case? Here is a break down⬇️
1) Low Water Content: Most water in honey is bound with sugar, leaving little free water for microbes to thrive. This lack of available water makes it hard for bacteria to grow.
2) High Acidity: With a pH between 3.2 and 4.5, honey's acidic nature isn't a friendly environment for most bacteria and molds. Think of it as nature's preservative!