If you are listening carefully, everyone has something to say about the future. Climate scientists say if we do not take drastic action in the next 12 years, the effects of climate change will become irreversible and even more catastrophic and we jeopardize the life of the only planet we've ever known. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-only-have-12-years-to-stop-climate-change/2019/01/14/42704374-15d1-11e9-ab79-30cd4f7926f2_story.html?utm_term=.120019000544). Some people deny such claims though, saying that 12 years is an extremely grim approach and based on questionable analysis (https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelmarshalleurope/2018/10/08/why-its-misleading-to-say-we-only-have-12-years-to-avert-dangerous-climate-change/#7763e817806c). Other people not only push the date back, but they deny that climate change is happening all together. My thoughts on this will probably be expressed later, but for now visit my videos page to watch some fun clips about climate change.
The point is: who is right about our future? Will we soon have flying cars and hover-boards? Will we be wiped out of existence by a giant asteroid? Will the rapture occur? It is difficult to say. One thing that I do know is that there are things here on this earth determined to stay alive, no matter what happens.
I am a college student studying microbiology. My plan is to do research in the field of health and wellness and how bacteria affect those things. I go to class everyday and learn about the amazing things bacteria can do, and the horrible ways they cause disease. Any analysis of the battle against bacterial pathogens will show you that we are barely holding on. Every day we learn more about how bacteria are becoming more resilient to our strongest attacks. This is terrifying because we are drastically behind the game. When Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin it was groundbreaking and microbiologist thought that we would never have to worry about bacterial disease again. But by the time penicillin was available for doctor's to use, many strains had already found ways to stop its effects. We spent many years developing cocktails of numerous antibiotics to target all the different parts of a bacteria, and then we thought we were done. We moved on to more pressing concerns. We started researching cancer, AIDS, and other chronic diseases. But the bacteria learned, and some of them overcame our greatest defenses. Antibiotic development is not a primary concern to pharmaceutical companies because it is expensive and difficult. We are running out of chemicals to use. This is where we have to pause and change how we are approaching the problem.
The development of this earth and its ability to sustain life is due in most part to bacteria and archea and their incredible metabolic diversity, according to many scientists (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth#Oxygen_revolution). Bacteria were here long before us, and if we aren't careful, they'll be here after us. If we want to stay ahead in the battle against bacterial disease, we need to understand how bacteria became so capable. I do research as an undergraduate here at BYU, and in that research I am studying a specific set of bacterial proteins that make it possible for them to survive in humans and animals. I am seeking a greater understanding in order to harness these protein's capabilities and use them against the bacteria. By understanding why they evolved, and how they came to be so ubiquitous among bacteria, I am better able to understand how they can be used to improve the lives of the people on this earth. Harnessing this evolved trait is less likely to cause resistance to treatment because the bacteria need these proteins to survive. If they become resistant against them, they cannot live inside their host. I'm not in any stipulating that this approach will forever solve human suffering, but it could help.
Evolution is the key. Thanks for reading.
"Within one linear centimeter of your lower colon there lives and works more bacteria than all humans who have ever been born. Yet many people continue to assert that it is we who are in charge of the world." -Neil deGrasse Tyson.