Posts tagged Science
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.
Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. However, at puberty, female sex hormones, mainly estrogen, promote breast development, which does not occur in men, due to the higher amount of testosterone. As a result, women’s breasts become far more prominent than those of men.
Image Credit: Rodrigoorato
![History of astrology
Astrological beliefs in correspondences between celestial observations and terrestrial events have influenced various aspects of human history, including world-views, language and many elements of social culture. Among Indo-European peoples, astrology has been dated to the third millennium BC, with roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Until the 17th century, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition, and it helped drive the development of astronomy.
It was commonly accepted in political and cultural circles, and some of its concepts were used in other traditional studies, such as alchemy, meteorology and medicine. By the end of the 17th century, emerging scientific concepts in astronomy, such as heliocentrism, were irrevocably undermining the theoretical basis of astrology, which subsequently lost its academic standing. In the 20th century astrology gained broader consumer popularity through the influence of regular mass media products, such as newspaper horoscopes.Early origins Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. It has been argued that astrology began as a study as soon as human beings made conscious attempts to measure, record, and predict seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles.
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Early evidence of such practices appears as markings on bones and cave walls, which show that lunar cycles were being noted as early as 25,000 years ago; the first step towards recording the Moon’s influence upon tides and rivers, and towards organizing a communal calendar. Agricultural needs were also met by increasing knowledge of constellations, whose appearances in the night-time sky change with the seasons, allowing the rising of particular star-groups to herald annual floods or seasonal activities. By the third millennium BC, widespread civilizations had developed sophisticated awareness of celestial cycles, and are believed to have consciously oriented their temples to create alignment with the heliacal risings of the stars.
There is scattered evidence to suggest that the oldest known astrological references are copies of texts made during this period. Two, from the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa (compiled in Babylon round 1700 BC) are reported to have been made during the reign of king Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BC). Another, showing an early use of electional astrology, is ascribed to the reign of the Sumerian ruler Gudea of Lagash (ca. 2144-2124 BC). This describes how the gods revealed to him in a dream the constellations that would be most favourable for the planned construction of a temple. However, controversy attends the question of whether they were genuinely recorded at the time or merely ascribed to ancient rulers by posterity.
The oldest undisputed evidence of the use of astrology as an integrated system of knowledge is therefore attributed to the records that emerge from the Neo-Sumerian period (1950-1651 BC).](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mccespFN4G1r948h3o1_400.jpg)
History of astrology
Astrological beliefs in correspondences between celestial observations and terrestrial events have influenced various aspects of human history, including world-views, language and many elements of social culture. Among Indo-European peoples, astrology has been dated to the third millennium BC, with roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Until the 17th century, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition, and it helped drive the development of astronomy.
It was commonly accepted in political and cultural circles, and some of its concepts were used in other traditional studies, such as alchemy, meteorology and medicine. By the end of the 17th century, emerging scientific concepts in astronomy, such as heliocentrism, were irrevocably undermining the theoretical basis of astrology, which subsequently lost its academic standing. In the 20th century astrology gained broader consumer popularity through the influence of regular mass media products, such as newspaper horoscopes.Early origins Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. It has been argued that astrology began as a study as soon as human beings made conscious attempts to measure, record, and predict seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles.
Belief and Medicine
When people fall ill they inevitably ask: ‘Why am I ill?’ and ‘How do I get better?’ Throughout history, the answers have been sought and provided through a mixture of natural, spiritual and moral meanings. People have rarely understood illness through just one of these components.
Using the Spirits to cure disease
In many ancient societies the spirits and gods were believed to make their presence known through disease. Treatment involved attempts to satisfy them with ritual chanting or sacrifice, though this was often combined with direct treatment of the sick person. In Egypt astrological explanations and advice sat alongside prescription of herbal medicines, or advice on diet and rest. In China a combination of drugs known as fang was prescribed to combat disease thought to be caused by angered spirits.
![Magic Bullet !
In the 1800s medical scientists discovered micro-organisms, such as staphylococci and streptococci, were causes of disease, and began to investigate them with microscopes. The physician Paul Ehrlich, who worked in Robert Koch’s bacteriology lab, searched for chemicals that would stain specific germs to make them more visible under the microscope. He reasoned that he could not only stain but also attack these germs if he could find a chemical that would both attach itself to the germ and kill it. He called these chemicals ‘magic bullets’. (According to an old superstition, bullets could be charmed to make sure that they would hit a particular person.)
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Ehrlich intended that his modern, chemical version of ‘magic bullets’ would hit the specific germ, but not damage anything else in the patient’s body. Ehrlich and his co-workers tried hundreds of chemicals on the microbes that caused syphilis. In 1909, Ehrlich’s new colleague Sahachiro Hata (1873-1938) brought with him a method of producing syphilis infections in laboratory rabbits, and discovered that drug no. 606 worked. The first ‘magic bullet’ had been found, and was marketed under the name Salvarsan. Encouraged by this success, Ehrlich and other scientists, such as the German physiologist Emil von Behring, proposed that researchers should develop specific drugs to target specific germs, attacking the cause of the disease directly, rather than treating the symptoms.
© 2012 ToTo Antonio](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcbuq2n1oD1r948h3o1_400.png)
Magic Bullet !
In the 1800s medical scientists discovered micro-organisms, such as staphylococci and streptococci, were causes of disease, and began to investigate them with microscopes. The physician Paul Ehrlich, who worked in Robert Koch’s bacteriology lab, searched for chemicals that would stain specific germs to make them more visible under the microscope. He reasoned that he could not only stain but also attack these germs if he could find a chemical that would both attach itself to the germ and kill it. He called these chemicals ‘magic bullets’. (According to an old superstition, bullets could be charmed to make sure that they would hit a particular person.)
