Survival of the sickest chapter 4

Today, we went over the concepts found in chapter four of survival of the sickest. The overall focus of the chapter was the Fava bean. If eaten, the bean can cause hemolytic anemia. Hemolytic means that it is breaking down the cells hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is in charge of carrying the oxygen around the body. Additionally, oxygen is needed for cell respiration that leads to ATP. The Koreans used this as a poison furring the Korean War.

The enzyme that can break the sugars  in the Fava bean down is called G6PD. This enzyme stops the process of hemolytic anemia. G6PD - deficiency, which seems like a bad trait to have, actually  lowers ones chances of getting malaria because it the hemolytic anemia makes it less likely for the parasite to enter the blood cells. 

This is just one example of how a plant has developed a defense mechanism. Other examples are:

- European clover: causes reproductive system to stop working 

- nightshades: capsaicin which attacks ones pain nerves (spicy) 

- Jimsonweed: causes one to hallucinate 

- Cassava root: if not cooked, acts like cyanide 

We then chose our partners and our type of animal for the paleo project. Then we started to research.