Fats are one of America’s most wanted criminals,making daily headlines and responsible for an entire movement of food chemistry research. Coveted food products on the market are adorned with appealing “low fat” or “fat free” labels. The American mind is straitjacketed into believing that the words “fats” and “oils” are expletives, while nutritionists struggle to explain the differences between saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats.
It is the nature of the human mind to thirst for knowledge, to understand how events in this universe occur. I do not know why humans behave so irrationally. After all, Mother Nature is a fickle lover, unwilling to throw herself at the casual curious spirit. She must be courted lovingly, given body and soul for years before doing the same. And even then she does so sparingly. Too much work for too little a prize, if you ask me. Yet mankind pursues her to the ends of the earth, hanging on her every word in hopes that one day her lips might slip, revealing all to those worshiping her.
What shall I write for my essay (or science journal article, may it be)? I look at my blank word document and begin to type. I have my subject! My word document! No, it is the written language, which can capture ideas and thoughts. And my computer, which stores my writing and allows me to edit. More broadly, my subject is innovation, the creation of a new idea or method. The written language, weapons, mathematics, and printing are among the greatest innovations of all time. They have stood through periods of war and of peace and prevailed timelessly as inevitable components of society.
Every earthly organism has its good and bad points. Even bacteria, which are the infamous source of countless fatal illnesses, contain valuable traits that have the potential to avail mankind. The idea of harvesting only the benefits of these organisms has given rise to a new field of science involving genetically modified organisms. GMOs, as they are called, allow scientists to build the “perfect microbial machine,” which combines the best capabilities of each organism into one super organism.
As the bell sounds, signaling the commencement of the few treasured minutes of lunch, students flock to lunch lines and emerge with steaming cups of Ramen noodles. Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain molecule is interacting with their taste buds as they are gulping down the savory, warm soup. This notorious substance is monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG. The MSG in the students’ scrumptious and inexpensive cup of noodles produces a delectable flavor, but also acts as a poison.
An exquisite violin is easily identified by the trained ear. In fact, even untrained ears can spot a good violin upon a mere glance at the price tag: the greatest instruments of seventeenth century Italian luthiers are priced in the millions, while a cheap but playable violin can be bought for less than a hundred dollars. The difference in quality is undeniable, for the perfection behind the making of a Stradivarius – deemed the greatest of all violins – is not easily attained.
