Ashley's Evolution Blog

 Dementia and Alzheimer's are diseases that are very important to me. I work as a CNA so I have to deal with people with both dementia and Alzheimer's in a senior living facility. It can be very difficult to communicate with them, as well as see firsthand how it affects their families. Alzheimer's is known to be genetic, and I have seen this in my family with my grandpa, my great uncle (his twin), and my great grandma all getting this disease. In addition to genetics/family history and age, there are other factors that have been linked to this disease. Head injury is one factor that has been linked to this disease. This can be anything from playing sports to hitting your head in a car accident. Trauma to the brain is not good in any situation, but it has been connected to an increased risk in developing Alzheimer's. This really stuck out to me because I played soccer for 14 years growing up. I used my head (on purpose and accident) many times while playing. Side note - ...

  This past year I have grown more than I ever have. When we got the second week of spring break I only felt excited to get a longer time to relax. However, once the stay at home orders took place everything started to feel more real. Instead of hanging out with friends and going on vacation this summer, I started working as a CNA. I was able to take three summer classes, work full time, and worked on myself to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I found a love for health care while working at a senior living facility and decided that I wanted to go to medical school to continue to help others. I had a lot of time to explore this decision and gain hundreds of contact hours since all I did was go to work and do school. I spent a lot of time alone, which is something I never really experienced before. I learned to have fun without needing to be with other people, and I also spent countless hours on TikTok. I have changed and matured a lot and learned to do more things on my ...

 I assume something like this mating pattern seen in Microphis deocata evolved due to advantages that gives offspring when females are the ones courting the males. This is a pretty abnormal scenario in a natural population, as it is usually the males courting the females. In this species of pipefish, the males are the ones who carry the fertilized eggs, which the male will fertilize in the females belly. The female then deposits them into the male's pouch, who will then carry them until they hatch. Since the males who are the ones carrying the eggs, it makes sense that the females would be the ones courting them. This is the same pattern we see when it is the females who bear the children or carry the eggs.