THIS IS GOING TO BE INFORMATIVE, QUICK, DRY, AND TO THE POINT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SCORE THE FINEST BABE AT THE PARTY WITH ALL THIS SCIENCE-GAME YOU'LL SPIT; AND YOU GIRLS CAN MAKE GUYS FEEL DUMB WHEN THEY'RE SPITTING GAME ON YOU!
WHY DID MOM ALWAYS SAY YOU'LL BECOME A 4-EYED FREAK IF YOU DON'T EAT UR CARROTS?
STORY TIME: WWII PILOTS USED TO HAVE PROBLEMS SEEING AT NIGHT, AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT GIVING THEM CARROTS REALLY HELPED THEIR LIGHT SENSITIVITY. THIS LED AMERICA TO BE THE MOST BADASS CUNTRY IN THE WORLD BY KICKING NAZI AND KAMIKAZI ASS.
CARROTS, AND OTHER YELLOW/ORANGE/RED PIGMENTED FRUITS/VEGGIES CONTAIN CHEMICALS CALLED ALPHA/BETA-CAROTENES. THESE ARE JUST SOME FORMS OF WHAT WE CALLED "VITAMIN A". IN ANIMALS, THE "ACTIVE" VITAMIN A COMPOUND IS CALLED RETINOL. THEREFORE WE MUST TURN THESE CAROTENES INTO RETINOL, BECAUSE WE CAN'T USE THEM OTHERWISE.
VITAMIN A IS A FAT SOLUBLE COMPOUND. OUR BODIES CAN'T TAKE UP FAT SOLUBLE COMPOUNDS (WHEN THEY'RE IN SUCH TINY AMOUNTS), WITHOUT BIG GOBLETS OF FAT FLOATING AROUND IN THE GUT. THE SMALL VITAMINS WILL FREELOAD A RIDE INTO OUR BODIES WITH THE BIG FAT GLOBLETS, OTHERWISE THEY WILL SIMPLY FOLLOW THE ONE WAY ROUTE TO THE BATHROOM. SO EATING A BUNCH OF CARROTS ALONE WON'T GIVE YOU ALL THAT MUCH VIT A, YOU NEED TO HAVE HAD SOME REASONABLE AMOUNT OF FAT SOME TIME BEFORE OR AFTER.
SO, WE ATE OUR CARROTS, ALONG WITH A SPOONFUL OF BUTTER (OR RANCH IF UR NOT INSANE). REMEMBER, CARROTS DON'T HAVE THE RETINOL WE NEED, IT'S IN THE FORM OF CAROTENES. THESE CAROTENES HITCH A RIDE WITH THE GIANT PIECES OF FAT IN THE RANCH WE ATE. THEY HITCH A RIDE TOGETHER THROUGH THE INTESTINAL WALL, TO THE BLOOD STREAM, AND TO THE LIVER.
THE LIVER IS WHERE WE STORE AND PROCESS OUR VITAMIN A. HERE, THE CAROTENES ARE TURNED INTO RETINOL. SO WE FINALLY HAVE THIS RETINOL, BUT WHY IS IT A BIG DEAL FOR OUR EYES? GLAD U-ASK!
RETINOL GOES THRU BLOOD TO YOUR RETINA (IN UR EYE). I'M GONNA SPIT SOME MAD SCI ON U NOW THAT UR BRAIN PROBABLY WON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT I TRY EXPLAIN...
ONCE IN THE EYE, RETINOL IS TURNED INTO SOMETHING CALLED RETINALDEHYDE (ITS A SIMPLE CHEM REACTION, DON'T LET WORDS THROW U OFF). STAY WITH ME... THIS RETINALDEHYDE IS INITIALLY IN A CONDITION CALLED CIS-RETINALDEHYDE. MOLECULES CAN TWIST AND CURVE AROUND CERTAIN PARTS, THIS "CIS" STATE IS SIMPLY AN ORIENTATION OF RETINALDEHYDE. IT CAN SWITCH BETWEEN "CIS" AND "TRANS". THEY ARE THE SAME MOLECULE, BUT IN DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS. ANALOGY: YOU PUT UR ARMS STRAIGHT OUT WHILE STANDING UP, U R IN CIS. YOU PUT UR ARMS STRAIGHT DOWN WHILE STANDING UP, U R IN TRANS.. SO, NOW WE HAVE CIS-RETINALDEHYDE IN THE EYE. THIS COMBINES WITH A PROTEIN CALLED OPSIN, TO MAKE A COMPLEX CALLED RHODOPSIN (RETINALDEHYDE+OPSIN). RHODOPSIN IS PRETTY MUCH RESPONSIBLE FOR CATCHING THE LIGHT THAT HITS UR EYEBALL AND RESPONDING APPROPRIATELY. IT IS WHAT RESULTS IN DIFFERENT COLORS AND DIFFERENT COLOR INTENSITIES.
LIGHT PHOTONS HIT RHODOPSIN, AND HOW DOES RHODOPSIN RESPOND? IT CHANGES THE CIS-RETINALDEHYDE TO TRANS-RETINALDEHYDE (PUTS UR ARM DOWN). THIS FREES IT FROM THAT OPSIN GUY THAT WAS HOLDING ON TO IT. NOW TRANS-RETINALDEHYDE GOES THROUGH BADASS CHEMICAL REACTIONS TO CLOSE SODIUM CHANNELS, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN THE VISION YOU EXPERIENCE.
RAD! IF YOU DON'T EAT ENUFF OF VIT A, U'LL HAVE FREE AND LONELY OPSINS LYING AROUND, AND UR VISION WILL BE SUFFERING.
SO WHAT'S UP DOC?
NM, I'M EATING CARROTS.
-PROFESSOR LYHD
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