Author: Madison

Five Feet Apart

Madison Cunningham

Figure 1. Lionsgate.com, www.lionsgate.com/movies/five-feet-apart.

The movie Five Feet Apart recently came out and it is a movie about kids with Cystic Fibrosis. This movie focuses on three kids who have Cystic Fibrosis. This movies goes through describing the daily things kids who are sick with this disease must do. It also shows some pretty tragic side effects that can come from having Cystic Fibrosis (Five Feet Apart). Some of the information in the movie is accurate but there is also a decent amount that is inaccurate. According to Access Science, Cystic Fibrosis is a “common inherited genetic disorder that severely damages the lungs, pancreas, liver, and digestive system” (Paranjape, Shruti M.). In the movie, they also allowed other sick kids with CF to be around each other which is banned if kids are sick in the hospital. This will be an analysis on the movie Five Feet Apart and the correctness of the science within it.

Overall, Five Feet Apart is about kids that are sick and in the hospital with Cystic Fibrosis. It is mainly about two kids with Cystic Fibrosis fall madly in love with each other. This is not really practical because they are supposed to stay six feet apart from each other at all times. The main character, Stella, is sick and is very much a rule follower. When she falls in love with Will, who was sicker than she was, she lets go of one foot and agrees to being five feet apart from each other. In this movie Stella’s friend with Cystic Fibrosis passes away. The death of her friend made Stella realize it was time for her to start living her life and stop living in fear (Five Feet Apart).

Figure 2. Faigl, Armando. “Cystic Fibrosis.” Cystic Fibrosis | Armando Hasudungan, armandoh.org/disease/cystic-fibrosis/.

This story line directly relates to biology. Cystic Fibrosis is “A hereditary genetic disorder, resulting from mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene, that severely damages the lungs, digestive system, pancreas, and liver” (Paranjape, Shruti M.). This disease tends to shorten the life of the affected people. They tend to get sick easier and the sickness becomes more severe. 

The way that the disease is portrayed in the film is not the way the disease is in real life. When kids with CF are sick, they would not be allowed to see other sick kids with CF. In this movie, they were allowed to see each other as long if they were six feet apart, but in reality when these kids are sick they are not allowed near each other because they don’t want to get each other more sick (Ammer, Christine). 

This story line relates to numerous topics we have discussed in class. Previously, in class we discussed content on genetics. This directly correlated to Five Feet Apart because the movie is about Cystic Fibrosis which is a genetic disorder. For someone to get Cystic Fibrosis, they have to receive the mutation for that gene from each parent. That means that the gene to get Cystic Fibrosis is recessive. Having a recessive gene means that the only way it will be present is if the dominant gene is not involved. A person’s genes are what determine the characteristics that make up a person. A person’s genes are determined by their parents. In this case, the kids in the movie had parents that were either carriers for the Cystic Fibrosis gene or they had Cystic Fibrosis themselves. To be a carrier means that they have the allele for the trait but that they do not exhibit the trait. The mutation for this gene comes out when both parents carry the gene. If both parents are heterozygous then they have one dominant trait and one recessive trait. If they have offspring they have a 50/50 chance of having offspring with the Cystic Fibrosis gene. The mutation is an alteration of the base pair of the individual DNA sequence (Phelan, Jay). This is a sad disease that  most often leads to a shortened and can be hard to watch a loved one go through.

Work Cited

Paranjape, Shruti M. “Cystic Fibrosis.” AccessScience, McGraw-Hill Education, Jan. 2019.

Five Feet Apart. First edition. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2018.

Ammer, Christine. “Cystic Fibrosis.” The Encyclopedia of Women’s Health, Sixth Edition, Facts On File, 2009. Science Online, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=11992&itemid=WE40&articleId=127622. Accessed 17 Nov. 2019.

Phelan, Jay. What Is Life?: a Guide to Biology. W H Freeman, 2015.

 

Jane Goodall

Figure 1. Image of Jane Goodall smiling and holding a chimpanzee.

Morell, Virginia. “For 47 Years, Goodall Has Studied, Communicated with, and Lived with Chimps.” Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2007, discovermagazine.com/2007/mar/the-discover-interview-jane-goodall.

Intro:

According to Access Science, Jane Goodall was born in London on April 3rd in 1934. She is a primatologist who specifically studied the species of chimpanzees. She studied their way of life and began to write books on what she found. While she finished her first book, she continued to study and observe the chimps (“Goodall, Jane”). As stated in A to Z of Biologists, some of her biggest discoveries were finding that chimps not only made tools but were able to use them. Before she made this discovery, many thought humans were the only primates who could make and use tools. Sadly, she also saw the dark and scary side of chimps. Goodall observed that chimpanzees would create warfare against other neighboring groups of chimps. They continuously did this to eliminate the other group for resources. The biggest reason chimps are in danger is because of their lack of resources that are being deprived from them by humans. Goodall’s main fight was to help save this amazing species from becoming extinct (Yount, Lisa). 

Education:

As reported by A to Z of Biologists, Jane Goodall, unfortunately, did not have the money to attend college after high school. She ended up taking a secretarial job instead. In 1957, an old friend of hers invited her to go to Kenya. Goodall excitedly accepted and was ready for the adventure. Little did she know that this trip would be life changing. She was then asked to be Louis S. B. Leaky’s assistant in researching chimpanzees. She excitedly accepted and had a new found love for these creatures. Her time spent assisting Leaky made her realize that she wanted to get her degree in primatology which is “the study of humans, apes, monkeys, and lemurs” (Yount, Lisa). In 1965, she obtained a Ph.D. in primatology from Cambridge University (Yount, Lisa). 

Personal Information:

 As stated in Access Science, Jane Goodall had one sister and was the oldest child in her family. Her parents were Moriemer and Vance Goodall raised their two children in a traditional middle-class home. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a typical housewife who enjoyed writing in her spare time. Sadly, Jane’s parents got a divorce which was one of the main reasons why they did not have the money to send her to college. When Jane was younger, she loved to sketch and watch birds and other wildlife creatures. She was so excited when she had the opportunity to go to Kenya that she saved as much money as she could and completely fell in love there (“Goodall, Jane”). According to A to Z of Biologists, after Jane began studying the chimps, the National Geographic Society sent a photographer to capture her work. Jane and the photographer fell in love and married in 1964. Jane and her husband, Baron Hugo van Lawick, had a baby boy three years later who they named Hugo. They were married for a few more years until they too got a divorce. Shortly after her divorce, Jane married Derek Bryceson who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away a few years later (Yount, Lisa).

Major Contributions:

As reported by A to Z of Biologists, Goodall had many great contributions in the field of  biology. She came up with the idea that chimpanzees can make tools and know how to use them. This was a fact that humans believed they could only do. She was able to inform Americans on the chimpanzees life and helped to protect them and keep them safe. She created a program called “Roots and Shoots” which is a project that has been implemented worldwide to help remind kids how to care for our earth. Jane, at the beginning of her time studying the chimps, found them to run away when she moved or was nearby. After several weeks, the chimps began to be curious and wanted to approach Jane. She was able to create bonds with some of the chimps and also began to give chimps different names. Goodall wrote numerous books for children to help inform them on chimpanzees and the way they act and live their lives (Yount, Lisa). She has written In the Shadow of Man and The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior (Hall, Brook). Goodall has received numerous awards such as the “Gold Medal of Conservation from the San Diego Zoological Society in 1974, the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize in 1984, The Schweitzer Medal of the Animal Welfare Institute in 1987 and the Unicef/Unesco Children’s Book of the Year Award in 1989.” (“Goodall, Jane”). These awards that she received just proved that the work she did was critical to the knowledge we now have about chimpanzees. In Figure 2 there is a picture of Jane Goodall holding a chimpanzee which shows how the chimps evolved to Jane’s present and created a special bond with her.

Figure 2. “All Posts Tagged ‘Chimpanzee.’” PML Daily, www.pmldaily.com/tag/chimpanzee. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019

Effects:

As stated in Encyclopedia of World Biography, the finding that Jane Goodall had are affecting society today. She put in a policy to help educate all students on their impact on the planet and how they will have implications on themselves and other living species and organisms. She was able to teach many about a creature that not many knew much about. It is crazy the similarities found between chimpanzees and humans. She was affected by her knowledge on the warfare that the gorillas had and how harmful that species can truly be. I believe that Goodall’s work will always be beneficial and will hold a great place in biology’s history. One historic event that affected Goodall was when in May of 1975 numerous research assistants were held captive and most of the American and European researchers left. Unlike Goodall who stayed in Gombe and had some locals help her continue with her research (“Jane Goodall.”).

Similarities:

When looking at the similarities between myself and Jane Goodall, I see that we both have passion. Jane’s passion was her research on chimpanzees and my passion would be helping kids. I am going to be an elementary teacher and love working with and helping kids learn new things. I think another similarity would be that we both are determined. Jane was determined to stay in Gombe to continue her research even when others were telling her to leave. I am also very determined. When I set my mind to something, I will do anything and everything in my power to achieve it. I told myself that I would get my first two years of college paid for with a scholarship and I did it! We are both women who are driven and have goals. I hope that I can have a fulfilling life like Jane Goodall had.

Work Cited

Yount, Lisa. “Goodall, Jane.” A To Z of Biologists, Facts On File, 2003. Science Online, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=11992&itemid=WE40&articleId=301395. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

“Goodall, Jane.” AccessScience, www-accessscience-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/content/goodall- jane/m0091275. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

Hall, Brook. “Jane Goodall.” Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 7: 1950 to Present, Gale, 2001, pp. 151-152. Gale Ebooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3408504119/GVRL?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=GVRL&xid=13dbd693. Accessed 6 Oct. 2019.

“Jane Goodall.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2004, pp. 433-434. Gale Ebooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3404702562/GVRL?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=GVRL&xid=eaa47a80. Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.

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