Taken separately, an unlearned person could reasonably discern that the words biodiversity and pharmacology belong in two completely separate classes. While he may have a point, there is in fact a gray area here, as they actually have a lot to do with each other. In the following informative paper you will learn not only the differences of these two formidable words, but their similarities and inter-relations as well.
Defined by www.dictionary.com, biodiversity means both “The number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region” and “The variability among living organisms on the earth, including the variability within and between species and within and between ecosystems.” Therefore one could reasonable decide that this kind of word would deal with a biology, or environmental science class. This same website also defines pharmacology as both “The science of drugs, including their composition, uses, and effects” and “The characteristics or properties of a drug, especially those that make it medically effective.” Therefore the same logical person could place a definition like this in a medical class. In fact, these words have more to do with each other then would immediately meet the eye. Dating back before medical research was considered a profession; man would wander the earth looking for various plants to cure our ailments; this is when biodiversity kicks in. In regions such as Northern Africa, or the Sahara, or even Siberia where biodiversity is low, pharmacology is especially difficult locally because without at least a good amount of pharmacology you can not find the necessary plants to cure your ailments. While the chance still exists that a certain existing plant may be able to cure your current disease, it is always preferable to remain, move to, or preserve an area of high biodiversity. Not only would being in an area with high biodiversity increase the available food sources, as well as the aesthetic appeal of the environment, it would also increase the chances of successful pharmacology. This is one of the reasons why modern day nations have put such an emphasis on scouring the tropical rain forests for specific organisms in hopes to find cures to such diseases as AIDS, Polio, and Cancer; because with the tropical rain forests huge amount of biodiversity, pharmacology is very successful in such areas. Next you will see two such examples that prove this very point.
Pharmacology is not limited to simply the discovery of new medicines of natural origin, as branches of pharmacology go much more in depth once the new medicines are discovered to determine their effects to human from behavior, to cardiovascular, to anything else that the medicine might affect. While it was developed as a source of medical technology fairly recently (within the past 50 years) many of us don’t realize the potential medical benefits of medicinal marijuana. First used “en masse” during the Vietnam War by American medics in the field to numb the often critically injured soldiers, its uses soon spread back to the main United States where it is now used for extreme surgeries such as back, neck, and eye surgeries. Developed from the Cannabis sativa plant, medicinal marijuana does a very good job at making a patient unaware of the possibly extreme pain that they are in by creating a mental high that renders most of the user’s senses useless or impaired, most importantly the nervous system. The first known uses of cannabis come from interpreted reports from pre-Christ Middle East where they were then introduced to other corners of the world. This plant grows best where there’s a lot of direct, bright, and constant sunlight; along with good amounts of humidity, heat, and precipitation. The cannabis plant is a producer organism, and much of the domesticated kind is grown in American Health labs or northern South America where the majority is sold illegally to consumers around the world. A newer and not yet finished discovery is the plant Lyngbya majuscule. Discovered underwater near coral reefs (another extremely productive region, similar to an undersea tropical rainforest) near Panama by research divers, many hope that the toxins the organism secretes could possibly put an end to cancer. While early tests have proven that the excreted toxins could possibly damage cancer cells, it is not yet known if it could finish the job completely, and whether or not it would be safe to use in humans. While this bacteria is generally a producer in its native environment, and lives generally underwater near coral reefs or other areas of productivity where food is prevalent, researchers hope to be able to combine it with other bacteria and organisms to perhaps increase its cancer killing effect and perhaps make it safe enough to use in humans.
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