Blogs by the students of Bio-movies at Habib University

  Scource: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fpt%2Fccoi%2Fcontagion&psig=AOvVaw2DZMKCyAqDhugDTC0rtu7-&ust=1666801770793000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjRxqFwoTCMCL477m-_oCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE Let’s play a little game, I want you to think back on history’s greatest massacres, by death toll (fun, I know). What springs to mind? WW1 where an approximate 16 million people died or perhaps you know WW2 was far deadlier, with the death toll around 40-50 million! What if I now told you these numbers pale in comparison to the amount of death that has been caused by pandemics in our history, the influenza pandemic (Spanish Flu) alone killed between 50-100 million people and it isn’t even the deadliest pandemic in history, no that honor  belongs to something that sounds a little less ominous, the bubonic plague, affectionately known as the Black Death. It killed somewhere between 75 to 200 million people, no event in history, no war, no revolution

By: Muhammad Saad Credits: Muhammad Saad - Imgflip template “The government rushed the trials; the lawyers indemnified the drug companies. Maybe it causes autism, narcolepsy, or cancer 10 years from now. WHO KNOWS?” (Alan, Contagion 2011). Haven’t watched this blockbuster already? Wait till you finish this blog and WATCH IT ASAP! I bet you’ll be surprised how accurately a movie from 2011 portrays the world in a global pandemic. Though the plot revolves around tackling the virus and finding a cure amidst a global health crisis, Contagion also raises some pretty interesting questions. Alan, the main antagonist argues how the big Pharma is deeply anchored to make the best profit out of every opportunity. That they don’t care what side effects the vaccine may have and that the dollars speak more than the health of the general public. But let’s not further spoil the movie and understand what actually is a vaccine. So, what is a vaccine? According to the CDC , Centre for Disease Control a

     A BUSY DAY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNITY Ever wondered why folks around you get sick and you always find yourself enjoying amidst all the chaos? OR why do you end up being among the first people to embrace a disease caused by bacteria or a virus? All of that is because of a system inside your body that is sometimes taken for granted. Yes, you guessed it right. The Immune System.  Let's start with a tribute to our most dedicated friends, the white blood cells.  (Image Source: Makeameme.org) What's In Here For You? According to research, around 38 trillion bacteria and 380 trillion viruses live on and in a human's body.[1] Some of them are harmful while others are essential for your body. But how does a deadly virus like Thrax in the movie  Osmosis Jones  invade our bodies, hijack the immune system, replicate itself, and ultimately make the body seriously ill? Who are the stakeholders? What is the first line of defense? How do white blood cells fight? Who is vulnerable?

Omer Sha ffi  Saleh 30/10/2022

  Self-destruction: When superheroes turn into villains (Osmosis Jones) What comes to your mind when you think of superheroes? Superman? Batman? Spiderman? Well, it would not be surprising if that is what comes to your mind. But do you know who are the real superheroes? Our white blood cells. Part of our immune system, white blood cells are heroes that protect our bodies from infections. They have all sorts of tricks up their selves from producing anti-bodies to engulfing the pathogen. The movie Osmosis Jones provides a brilliant perspective on and illustration of the mind-blowing workings of the immune system.   Credit:  https://moot.us/lounges/10/boards/70/posts/2670421/never-fear-osmosis-jones-is-here You can sleep peacefully every night, knowing that your immune system is working hard to protect you from all the infections and pathogens that can potentially cause harm. But what would happen if the superheroes of our body turn into villains? Yes, you read that right.   C

    SPLICE OF LIFE Is Genetic Splicing Possible? I wouldn't call it a stretch to say that anyone reading this blog has seen the movie Jurassic World. It’s one of the highest-grossing films to ever exist. Now, most people will associate this achievement with the film’s stellar action and amazing computer-generated effects. But that isn’t all that the film had to make it stand out, you see while most people didn’t realize it, this film introduced most of us to the brave and up-incoming world of genetic splicing. But do we still have any idea what gene splicing is and if it is possible in this day and age? The Infamous Genetically Modified Dinosaur Instructions For What? Okay so to fully understand what genetic splicing is we need to first know what genomes are. The cells in our bodies contain our genome, these genes are comprised of many strands of our DNA. Now you might be asking what is DNA, well, DNA is the instructions that our body follows. Still not getting it? That’s okay. We