Answers to Last Issue's Do You Know?
1. Can plastics really enter our body tissues through what we eat? How do we decrease the amount of plastics in our bodies?
Ans: Yes, microplastics, defined as plastic pieces less than 5 mm in size, have been detected in various human tissues and organs, including blood, lungs, liver, kidneys, placenta, and even the brain, suggesting widespread exposure. A study found microplastics in the blood vessels on either side of the neck of heart disease patients, according to the Environmental Working Group. Researchers have also found microplastics in human brains. Microplastics have been detected in breast milk, placentas, and other human tissues and organs.

Microplastics can enter the body through various routes, including:
Food and Drink: Microplastics have been detected in seafood, tap water, bottled water, and other common beverages.
Air: Microplastics can be airborne and inhaled, potentially reaching deep into the lungs.
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: Some products contain microplastics, which can be absorbed through the skin.
While the long-term health effects of microplastics are still being studied, some potential concerns include:
Oxidative Damage: Microplastics can cause oxidative stress, which can damage cells and tissues.
Inflammation: Microplastics can trigger inflammation in the body.
Changes in Gene Activity: Microplastics can potentially alter gene expression.
Disruption of Hormones: Some chemicals in microplastics, like BPA and phthalates, can disrupt the endocrine system.
Lung and Liver Effects: Microplastics can accumulate in the lungs and liver, potentially causing damage.
Impact on Gut Microbiome: Microplastics can alter the composition and function of the gut microbiome.
Scientists are actively researching the potential health impacts of microplastics and how to reduce exposure.

2. How can our body distinguish good and bad bacteria?
Ans: Our bodies distinguish "good" and "bad" bacteria primarily through the immune system, which learns to recognize and tolerate beneficial gut bacteria while targeting harmful pathogens. The gut, containing a large portion of the body's immune cells, plays a crucial role in this process.
Beneficial microbes in your gut help to train your immune system to tell them apart from the unhelpful, pathogenic types. Your gut is your largest immune system organ, containing up to 80% of your body’s immune cells. These cells help to clear out the many pathogens that pass through it every day.
Helpful gut microbes also compete directly with unhelpful types for real estate and nutrients, preventing them from taking up too much territory.  Some of the chronic bacterial infections that can affect your gastro-intestinal tract, including C. difficile and H. pylori, are directly related to having a diminished gut microbiome.
Short-chain fatty acids, the byproducts of helpful gut bacteria, have important benefits for your immune system. They help maintain your gut barrier, keeping the bacteria and bacterial toxins inside from escaping into your bloodstream. They also have anti-inflammatory properties for your gut. Inflammation is a function of your immune system, but it can malfunction, becoming hyper-reactive. Chronic inflammation is a feature of autoimmune disease and may have a role in many other diseases, including cancer. Short-chain fatty acids appear to suppress these types of inflammatory reactions.
The immune system learns to recognize gut bacteria early in life and establishes surveillance to keep them in check. Specialized immune cells capture pieces of bacteria and carry them to other parts of the body, like the thymus, to further refine the immune system's understanding of these microbes. 
Located in the chest, above the heart, the thymus is a gland responsible for “educating” immune T cells. Delivery of the cargo prompts the thymus to produce T cells that are targeted to the microbiota. Then, the T cells exit the thymus to surveil lymph nodes, the gut and other sites in order to keep the bacteria under control.

The immune system recognizes substances called antigens on the surface of microbes or in the chemicals they produce, which mark the microbe or toxin as foreign. Antibodies then mark these antigens for destruction, helping the body fight off harmful bacteria or toxins. 


3. Fingerprints are used in crime detection. Can the wrong person be sent to jail if their identical twin committed the crime?

Ans: The U.S. National Forensic Science Technology Center states that “no two people have ever been found to have the same fingerprints — including identical twins.” Why so?
There are two types of twins: fraternal and identical. The differences ultimately lie in their genetic makeup, or DNA. Fraternal twins develop from two separate eggs and two different sperm. So they share only 50 percent of the DNA as a result.
Identical twins, on the other hand, form within the same egg that splits into two, which results in the two individuals having similar, though not exactly the same DNA. However, a study of 381 identical twins and 2 sets of identical triplets found that only 38 had identical genes. This is about 10%, not small. What are the chances that they share the same fingerprints?
They share many physical similarities as a result of shared DNA, including hair color, eye color, and skin tone. In fact, it’s said that one in four identical twins mirror each other. Environmental factors can still create slight differences in identical twins’ physical appearances, though, which is how other people can essentially tell them apart. Some underlying differences can include weight and height.
Fingerprints aren’t included in these genetic similarities. That’s because the formation of fingerprints is dependent on both genetic and environmental factors in the womb. A person’s fingerprints are formed in the womb based on a combination of genes and environmental factors. Fingerprint patterns are set between 13 and 19 weeks of fetal development. Fingerprints are partially determined by DNA. This explains why a pair of identical twins might appear to have similar fingerprints at first.
Environmental factors from inside the womb also contribute to fetal fingerprint development, ensuring that identical twins’ fingerprints
aren’t the same. These factors may include: access to nutrition inside
the womb, umbilical cord length, overall blood flow, blood pressure,
position inside the womb,  and the overall rate of finger growth.
As a result, identical twins may have similarities in the ridges, whorls, and loops in their fingerprints. But upon closer examination, you’ll notice differences in some of the smaller details, including spaces between ridges and divisions between branch markings.

4. What is Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia? Do you suffer from it?
Ans: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the ironically named fear
of long words, also known as sesquipedalophobia. Phobia is an extreme or
irrational aversion to something, and "sesquipedal" is a Latin term
meaning "long word". So together it means an aversion to long words.
This may be especially seen as a social phobia (think of when you are
reading a passage in class and cannot pronounce the long word).

5.  Sometimes, you get poor quality signal on your cell phone. Why does that happen?
Ans: Poor cell phone signal quality can stem from several factors, including distance from cell towers, obstructions, building materials, network congestion, and weather conditions.

The further you are from a cell tower, the weaker the signal becomes, leading to dropped calls and slow data speeds. This is because cell towers have a limited range, and signals weaken as they travel further.

Physical barriers like buildings, trees, hills, and even thick walls can block or weaken cell phone signals. Metal objects and certain building materials can also interfere with signal transmission. Even the type of phone case you use can sometimes affect signal reception.

When many users in a specific area are trying to use the same cell tower simultaneously, the network can become congested, leading to slower data speeds and reduced call quality. This is common in urban areas or during peak usage times.

Adverse weather, such as heavy rain, storms, or fog, can disrupt cell phone signals. These conditions can cause signal fluctuations or even temporary outages.

Sometimes, a problem with your phone's antenna or other components can cause poor signal reception. It's possible that your carrier's coverage doesn't extend well into your area, or that they are experiencing a temporary outage.
Devices, like microwaves or cordless phones, can sometimes also interfere with cell phone signals. 

Sources: Many different online sources.