Radioactive Babies Oh No!

Article

I just read something very disturbing in this article. According to recent studies done in Germany, Switzerland and the US, researches have found that radiation has had an effect on the sex of babies born. Ever since the U-bomb there has been some concern. And as it turns out it's not without cause. Studies show that radiation exposure causes men to father more boys.

This honestly scares me. I know that radiation has caused birth defects, but even in these small doses it seems to be causing problems. If this gets too bad there could be a dramatic drop in females born. This is one of the many prices we must pay for our industraial society. I sincerly hope that we try to do something to prevent or help this situation.

- Lauren (Ren) Stogner

Wrote this last week ( 5-27-2011) and couldn't post it.

In a normal mammal, the excess to UV lights could starve them, make
them blind, and make them more vulnerable to other predators.
Reindeer are use the UV rays to their advantage, it helps them find
food. Reindeer have can see more than 400 more wave lengths than us,
humans. They can also see in almost darkness. Reindeer have very keen
eyes.

I find this very interesting. I did not know that eyes were that
different. I knew dogs could only see certain colors and some people
could be colorblind. I think that this is quite cool. I guess it is
all really about natural selections, those with better eyes move on.


2011http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/26/reindeer_see_a_weird_and_wonderful_world_of_ultraviolet_light.html

E. Coli bacteria on Organic Vegetables

In Germany, a reported 16 people have died after being infected by a chain of E.Coli. E. Coli are gut bacteria, but a certain strain called STEC carry genes for a toxin that attacks capillaries in the gut. This causes bloody diarrhoea and starts the clotting system, blocking capillaries and other organs. STEC is carried by cattle who dont get attacked wby the toxin. The most common victims are children who got it from beef or water infected by cattle faeces. The outbreak in Germany is rare, but the European Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control in Stockholm reported an increase in E.Coli infections since 2008. If the strain travels through cattle faeces, researchers weren't surprised because cow manure is used mainly to fertilize organic crops. Many other reports have shown a higher presence of E.coli on organic vegetables.

I think that since E.coli, in this case could lead to other problems that people should somehow try to prevent this. Maybe manure could be tested for E.coli bacteria and if positive be thrown away or treated for it. If possible, organic vegetables could just be washed extra well before distribution. E.coli can probably get nasty and if it has killed people and a spread is going around then, something should be done to stop it if they know the source.

NASA is not a quitter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/science/space/25rover.html?ref=science

NASA reported on Tuesday, May 24th that they were stopping the efforts to reconnect with Spirit. It has been stuck in a sand trap for about two years since last winter. Spirit, one of the two rovers on Mars, had engineers hoping that when spring arrived so would the connection. But when spring came, the connection was still lost. Now NASA is coming to the conclusion that spending more money and time on Spirit is a waste. This thought has came to the ending of signals and communication with Spirit, the last message was sent last Wednesday.

I think NASA should not be called a quitter. I can agree both parts of this story though. I understand that NASA will now be saving money and time, so they can now benefit another study, but I also think NASA should at least explore all their options. If they stop sending signals to Spirit, why not create a new rover and spend the money on that rover? NASA should be open minded and I think they are handling this disappointing operation very smoothly. People should understand that the scientist and engineers worked very hard on Spirit; people need to stop hating, NASA is not a quitter.

-Holley Hurst :)

Brain scans reveal why some people feel your pain

Summary:
Some people can feel your pain but in their bodies. This might not make much sense but according to scientist, who have done brain scans on people who haven't lost any limbs on their body's and then do test on people who have, they found something strange. They found that people that have lost limbs like their arms or legs feel "Synaesthetic pain" which is feeling pain in a limb that is no longer there. This pain is imagined and it happens from seeing or hearing things that could harm someone. When someone observes or imagines pain, it activates parts of the brain which makes you feel like the pain is real.

Example:
"When I hear my husband's power tools, or see a knife, I often get a sharp pain through my phantom leg," says Jane Barrett, who has experienced synaesthetic pain since losing her leg in a motorcycle accident.

Opinion:

I chose to write about this summary because i thought it was unique how disabled people can still feel pain in limbs that they no longer have. I would hate to see a knife and get sharp pains where my limb used to be. This shows that scientist are learning more and more everyday about the human body and soon they will have answers for almost anything about the human body. This could help doctors and any kind of person who has a career that has to do with the body of humans and maybe even animals. I would recommend this article to any person who has lost a limb and gets those sharp pains when they see someone hurt or see something that could hurt someone, so they can learn why it happens.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028144.200-brain-scans-reveal-why-some-people-feel-your-pain.html

-Candace Duvall

http://www.frcblog.com/2011/05/human-neurons-from-skin-cells/

This blog is about scientists growing nerve cells from skin cells in a lab dish. They first tried it with mouse cells and the conversion worked. For the human conversion, you need to add four more genes to the skin cell. This is a major breakthrough for people who have had a stroke.

I never knew that nerve cells could be regenerated. I personally would have not thought about just adding more and more genes to the skin cells to make them into nerve cells. I think this stuff is cool and the fact that we are actually accomplishing these things is even cooler.

Change the tune of song birds

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/26/songbirds_tweak_their_songs_in_in_different_ways_to_cope_with_clamor.html

Birds rely on their songs to communicate and find mates. We made the world today a noisy place with driving and construction. We are drowning out their music making them more prone to attack and preventing them from communicating. Two species of vireo in New Mexico, the grey and plumbeous. To go above the blaring 85-100 decibel world the grey vireo raises the pitch of the highest part of song. On the other case the plumbeous vireo raises the pitch of the lowest part. These may affect however environments with numerous bird species

Some people think that a birds song can't change because thats what they sing constantly. But the birds need to cope with the environment around them in order for them to flourish. Whose to say that there are thousands of birds out there that do this.The more we continue our manifest where we believe were superior the more we will damage the world. If we limit the amount of birds in the world whats next.

Reindeer can see ultraviolet light

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/26/reindeer_see_a_weird_and_wonderful_world_of_ultraviolet_light.html

It has recently been shown that reindeer are able to see ultraviolet light. This is to prevent them from having what is called snow blindness. Snow blindness occurs when our eyes' lenses absorb UV light, which causes a temporary blindness. This was shown not to be a problem with reindeer because they are able to see ultraviolet light, so it isn't absorbed by their lenses. This prevents snow blindness and allows them to see even in the worst of conditions.

This is a very interesting discovery. Ultraviolet light is not within the visible light spectrum, so I assumed that animals in general, not just humans, couldn't see outside of the visible spectrum. I don't know that this discovery will lead to any further knowledge or exploration in vision of other animals, but it was interesting to read about. I am not sure if this test has been performed on other animals that live in the arctic, but it would be good if we did. I am glad I read this article, it was good.

~Will

Reindeer can see in a world of Ultraviolet light

Researchers have discovered that reindeer use ultraviolet light waves to see in the artic. Professor Glen Jeffery said "We discovered that reindeer can not only see ultraviolet light but they can also make sense of the image to find food and stay safe. Humans and almost all other mammals could never do this as our lenses just don't let UV through into the eye." They have also tested the reindeer's vision to see what wavelengths they could see. Results show they can handle wavelenghts down to around 350-320nm. The measurements determine it is ultraviolet, or UV. Reindeers use UV to stay clear of potential harmful predators by seeing urine-a sign of predators which they avoid.


I think reindeer use this or see in ultraviolet due to the fact that they live somewhere when the snow reflects almost 90% of UV rays. Humans don't always live in the Artic so there is no reason for our eyesight to change or adapt. Questions have arised from researchers how reindeer can eyes are not damaged, but our would if we looked at UV rays. I think the answer is because humans simply don't use or need UV to survive. Our eyes could be weaker and less tolerant of the UV rays due to that fact we don't use it everyday, while the reindeer has strentghened its eyes and lived off of this tatic to live.


http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/26/reindeer_see_a_werid_and_wonderful_world_of_ultraviolet_light.html

Substance in Tangerines Fights Obesity and Protects Against Heart Disease, Research Suggests

A new research was discovered from the University of Western Ontario. This research shows that a substance in tangerines helps -prevent obesity, and protects against 2 types of diabetes, also atherosclerosis. These types of diseases are responsible for most heart attacks and strokes. This research study was done by Murray Huff and Erin Mulvihill from the School of Medicine and Dentistry. They studied the effects of a flavonoid in tangerines called Nobiletin. The study conducted two groups of mice. The first group of mice were fed a diet high is fats and simple sugars. This group of mice became obese and showed all these bad symptoms of unhealthyness. Also, it had a high risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The secound group of mice were fed the exact same diet but with Nobiletin added. The mice experienced no unhealthy signs and gained weight normally. So, it turned out that Nobiletin prevents the buildup of fat in the liver by stimulating the genes involved in burning other fats.

This article did not really surprise me that much. I have heard before that if you do eat tangerines it helps you burn more fat then other foods, and it makes to stay healthy. A lot of people that go on diets i would imagine eat a tangerine or and orange. I wonder if oranges do the same thing as a tangerine. They are a like in some ways so I would think they would. I have also heard that if you eat a tangerine they help you not overeat, and you really do not have any cravings for anything. I would like to know more on other fruits that maybe do this same thing. I think its interesting and some people need to start eating tangerines...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110406161030.htm

Memory Wipe

Researchers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress of Louis-H. think they haved found a drug to delete bad memories in the brain .It is a drug that decreases the amount of cortisol . It is a a hormone that has a deal in memory recall . The drug is called mytrphone which was tested on 3 groups of men . The first group recieved 1 dose the second 2 and the third 3 doses . The group with 2 doses had no recall of their bad memories when they were asked about it.

I think this is a good deal for people who has been through tragedies . These people have problems late on in life because of these bad memories . This drug needs to be accepted immediatly . These people can hlive anormal life & dont have to go through anything anymore . Their pain is over .

Increasing Acidity Levels in Oceans Cause Troubles for Marine Life

According to Science Daily on May 26, the northern abalone of British Columbia has an increased chance of being "doomed". It is prized as a gourmet delicacy and thought of highly on the western coasts of North America. Studies have recently been conducted to prove the harsh impact of changing ocean waters. It is believed that climate change and increasing ocean acidity have caused this effect. As well as affecting endangered species, scientists are also concerned this could affect aquaculture and coastal economics.

It's a scenario humans have increasingly encountered through the years: endangered species are being negatively affected by the changing world around us. True, the world is destined to change with time; but humans are certainly not 'innocent' with all of our destructive contributions. Many people don't realize how important other organisms (besides humans) truly are; therefore, it may not be a big deal that the northern abalone "could be doomed". By hearing constantly about creatures becoming endangered or extinct, we sometimes figure it's not in our hands to do anything about it. I mean, we're still here so what's the problem? That statement right there is the problem. It's time to do our part. Even the little things are huge. They all add up to form the ideal result. I think even a creature as the northern abalone shows that just with our manifestation of preserving and conserving we could leave a lasting impact. I chose this article because I find it important to recognize that even these little creatures we may not even ever think about or hear about serve a wonderful purpose in our environment and we should take more efficient action to help them.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110525131716.htm

Drug Combo can cause Diabetes

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20515-common-drug-combo-increases-diabetes-risk.html


A recent finding of a drug combination, one being an antidepressant and the other being one to lower blood cholesterol may cause people to develop diabetes. Different drug combinations can be seriously harmful or even fatal and Nicholas Tatonetti and Russ Altman from Stanford University went to Adverse Event Reporting System(AERS) database to find such combinations. The researchers look for drugs that caused blood sugar to rise, which is a symptom linked to diabetes, but they found nothing. Then they looked for combos that were involved in diabetes, and searched the AERS for side effects linked to these drugs. One combination was bold: paroxetine(antidepressant) and pravastatin(used to lower blood cholesterol). They then got together with researchers from Harvard and Vanderbilt to study medical records of people given these drugs together. The records showed that patients given both had a rise in blood sugar, especially people who were already diabetic.

I think that this finding is huge! I also think that researchers should absolutely look more into this and reveal which drugs can cause more harm than good. If a combination can cause diabetes than they could cause worse things like stroke or heart attack and lead to more serious cases. The point of drugs is to help patients recover and get better, not give them diabetes and heart attacks. So, in my opinion this needs to be researched heavily and prevented.

Elephants

Link: www.macroevolution.net/savanna-elephants.html

Summary: In the last five years 2000 elephants have been killed near Chad's Zakouma National Park. Hunters desperate for the elephants ivory tusks; have killed several park rangers. There has recently been an act to save the elephants; or protect the rest in existance. Their rank on the endangered species list is getting dangerously close to the end. Park rangers are doing the best they can to protect the rest of them. The US is helping fund the rescue missions. 18 million dollars to be exact.

Opinion: I agree that the elephants need to be protected; but the US can't exactly afford to help out with that right now. The government needs to start being smarter with money. I mean, I could understand some helping, but 18 MILLION dollars? Really America. I will admit it is rather strange that hunters are so desperate for the elephants ivory tusks, that they are killing park rangers. But this is crazy!

Bacteria Use Caffeine as Food Source

Kendall Roberson

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/24/bacteria_use_caffeine_as_food_source.html

A new bacteria, found by a doctoral student at the University of Iowa, has been discovered that uses caffeine as a food source. This bacteria, Pseudomonas putida, uses new digestive enzymes to degrade the caffeine and uses the nutrients to live and grow. This bacteria breaks down the caffeine in to carbon dioxide and ammonia. Caffeine is made up of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, which the bacteria needs in order to grow. The caffeine molecule contains three structures, called methyl groups, which are made up of 1 carbon atom and 3 hydrogen atoms. Bacteria can remove these methyl groups and can technically just live on caffeine.


I believe this new discovery is unique, great, and weird all at the same time. I like how no one else has been able to discover this, even though we have had to technology to do it for a while. I think it's great now that we have the knowledge of another way bacteria can grow and live. I believe this discovery is weird because I never thought that bacteria could just live off of caffeine. I thought they had to live off of food and water like us. I am very shocked by this discovery, but I think it is one that will benefit us in the future.

Marine Carbon Cycle: Fish

Agustin Gonzalez

Summary:

This article is about how many marine lifes, such as fish an other marine organisms affect the amoutnof acid inside the water in which they lives in. According to studies done in the UK, US, and Canada, Many marine organisms produce a substance known as Marine Calcium Carbonate. This substance basically helps clear the acidness from the water a little. Studies show that about 3-15% of marine life do this. In the future when the amount of CO2 is greater, then they will produce more marine calcium carbonate.

Opinion:

Well I think that it took scientists way too long to figure out something that was right there and was kind of obvious. I think it was obvious because since there has been a lot of CO2 in the oceans creating unhealthy climates for any marine life. It kind of maked you wonder how they were surviving under harsh conditions. however since they got this far, they should continue to do this research. Maybe one day, this could be our solution to solve the large amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Link:

http://www.macroevolution.net/marine-carbon-cycle.html

Using Micrboes to make electrcity.

Scientists at University of East Anglia has discovered something that could lead to microbes generating electricity. The scientist has found the exact molecule structure of the protein can allows bacteria cells to transfer electricity. With this information, they might be able to use this information to let the bacteria to directly generate electrodes. This new information also could help the development of microbe based agents to clean up oil and pollution. In an earlier research, the same group showed how some bacteria lived in a oxygen free environments by making electric wire into a mineral.

This new information is really amazing. Bacteria that can generate electricity? So many things can happen with ability. It could change how the whole world works and how it gets its energy. The scientist only found some info on maybe how this is possible, but I believe it can be done.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110523152337.htm

Using Microbes to Generate Electricity?

We all have learned that in the cell, or pretty much anywhere, every part is different. That uniqueness can differ in size, shape, DNA, etc. Well, in proteins, it's the same thing. Every different type of protein has a special shape, that when the amino acids join together, that structure helps to better complete it's function. Well, scientist have recently discovered the exact molecular structure of proteins which enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charges.
This means that scientist can now start creating microbial fuel cells, or "bio-batteries". Scientist can also start making microbial agent that could help clean-up oil and uranium pollution.

Opinion

This is a really big breakthrough that these scientist have made. We know that bacteria are organisms that can reproduce very fast, some at a rate of about every 20 minutes! Imagine what could be done with this discovery... making natural and clean energy that could also be applied to clean the waste out of our environment. We have been trying to find clean energy like this for years, and hopefully, now that the doors are open to it, people will be able to find other applications to it. They have now found a new energy source that can benefit us in many ways.

By Daniel Pena

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110523152337.htm

Oceanic Land Crab Extinction Linked to Colonization of Hawaii

A certain crab species has become extinct on the Hawaiian Islands. It has become extinct due to the colonization of humans on the island. Because land crabs play a big role in the ecosystem, this can cause harm. They were helpful with seed distribution and nutrient cycling. This species was unique to the Hawaiian Islands, so when they lost their habitats there, they could not survive.

I think humans should be careful with what they do with nature. We interfere with too many things and ruin other animals' habitats and most of us don't care. The more changes we make in these habitats, the more changes we will see, and we aren't going to like it after a while. Every small change will end up being a big one in the end. We should be more observant of what we are doing to nature and try and preserve it the way it is before we mess everything up.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110516181327.htm

David Watts

Vaccine protects from deadly Hendra virus http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/18/vaccine_protects_from_deadly_hendra_virus.html

Dr. Middleton (and a group of other scientists) may have found a vaccine for the Hendra virus. So far, the clinical trials have only been conducted on horses. The disease is spread from flying foxes then to horses then to humans. There have only been 14 outbreaks since the discovery of the disease in 1994. Only 5 of them were human contracted, and the virus has killed 4 people. This vaccine is important to vets as well as, equine owners.

Personally, I had never heard of the Hendra virus. From what I can tell it has not had that much new coverage. Although, after reading this article, it almost frightens me. I love horses, and I love to ride them! I hope none of the horses I have ever come in contact with have/will contract this virus.

Good News For Parkinson's Disease Testing

Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have recently discovered a potential breakthrough for studies related to Parkinson's Disease. Neurons from the skin of a woman with a genetic form of the disease have produced pleasing results. In a dish, key features have been shown by the neurons's seemingly accurate replication. The scientists hope to use the retrieved knowledge to research various treatments. There are no good animal models for the testing of Parkinson's, so this advancement is crucial for further research.

Before my grandma developed Parkinson's with her Alzheimer's, I had no idea what an impact it can have on people. I think this discovery will be worthwhile for future advancements in the study of the disease. Hopefully proper treatments can be accurately tested with the results of the neurons used. I thought it was interesting to read that there aren't really animals that can be used for tests of Parkinson's, considering there are so many animals used for other studies of various diseases. You don't always hear about Parkinson's disease, but it affects so many people. If this proves to be a positive factor for proper testing, this could lead to a change in medical progress for the disease.

http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2011/march/parkinsons.html

Egyptian princess with coronary artery disease

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/18/egyptian_princess_was_first_person_with_diagnosed_coronary_artery_disease.html The Egyptian Princess Ahmose Meryet Amon was the first person in history to have been diagnosed with CAD. She lived a very healthy lifestyle. During the Horus study scientist found high levels of atherosclerosis in the mummies. Today we are very likely to get CAD because of Americas unhealthy lifestyle, that is why it is important for us to delay it as long as we can.

I studied ancient egypt extensively and never found anytrhing of this. Seeing that she got CAD with the way she lived I'm not suprised if half of our country gets Cad before we die off. I want to go to ICNC although it would be better if it was in NC. I believe that CAD is overlooked and needs more attention. The perspective of Egyptians of the time they would of noticed that she wasn't right and blame the way she ate as a noble

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/18/egyptian_princess_was_first_person_with_diagnosed_coronary_artery_disease.html

Obese Patients and Srugery

Agustin Gonzalez

Summary:

This article is about the risks of performing surgery to obese patients. For example, obese patients are sixty percent more likely to receive dangerous surgical site infections. As a result of these infections, patients are paying more to treat that infection. the average extra treatment cost for patients with surgical site infections are about $17,000 per patient. compared to a regular sized man, the cost to go to a hospital could at least up to twice the cost.

Opinion:

For one, i think this article is a very interesting article and maybe a few people will read this and realize something else negative about obesity. he took over seven thousand patients and examined their records In order to do this task. However, even though some people may look at this and see how much its taking out of their wallet, the majority will not care or want to do something about it but then they don't. I'm not saying that all of them will do anything about it, but most of them will. But overall interesting .

http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110516161831.htm

Don't share that clarinet

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/74546/title/Dont_share_that_clarinet__

Stuart Levy, a microbiologist at Tufts University of Medicine in Boston, teamed with colleague Bonnie Marshall had a hypothesis that musical instruments held bacteria. To test their thoughts they tested twenty played instruments for any bacteria remains in the mouth pieces. They found that musical instruments can be the home to disease causing microbes deposited in silva. They said that the use of instruments in school risks the spreading of infections. In another experiment, Levy and Marshall applied infectious diseases into reeds and other woodwind instruments; the staph and strep bacteria microbes lasted on the reeds for several days. Other microbes lasted one to two days.

I think this is shocking. Of course you know theirs spit involved in band, but speaking from a former school band student you don't necessarily think about infectious bacteria's while playing. Knowing that the bacteria stays on the reeds and instruments for days is gross. It makes me wonder how many times people cleaned their instruments. This news is very insightful and a good reminder to clean up, everything. Especially your band instruments.

-Holley Hurst :)

Nanopatch Created for Heart

A group of scientists at Brown University and the India Institute of Technology have created a "patch" for heart attack victims. When a person has a heart attack, part of the heart dies and cannot be repaired. The scientists created a scaffold out of carbon nanotubes and polymers, which regenerates both natural heart tissue and neurons. The carbon nanotubes are excellent conductors, and make the necessary connections that the heart needs to continue beating. The polymer makes it flexible enough to expand and contract like heart tissue. This technology could save millions of people. The article states that in 2009 785,000 people suffered heart attacks in the United States alone (not surprisingly), and studies show that one in three women and one in five men will suffer a secondary heart attack within 6 years (still not surprising). There will be no shortage of need once this patch is available.

This technology is very interesting to me. My ideal career is an interventional cardiologist, and therefore this might be a technology that I will use routinely in the future. It is exciting to know that hearts damaged from a heart attack can be fixed almost as easily as putting a band-aid on. This will make the threat of secondary heart attacks less severe (as long as the patients stay away from double cheeseburgers), and allow patients to recovery quicker. I'm looking forward to seeing these in widespread distribution.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/19/researchers_create_nanopatch_for_the_heart.html

The Immune System Of The Microscopic

Article

This article was about the new research that has been studying the immune system of bacteria. As you may have heard some strains of bacteria are becoming resistant to certain antibiotics. Well researchers have been studying how bacteria fights off viruses and these antibiotics. The CRISPR is the immune system of bacteria. They believe that the answer may lie in the way RNA splits up. They haven't come up with an exact answer yet but they are getting closer every day.

This is amazing. One of my favorite bacterias to study is NF (Necrotizing Fasciitis) which is the flesh eating virus. It's fatal because it's resistant to all antibiotics. If this research continues then it might be possible to find a way to stop it, along with other resistant bacteria. Being that this is a large concern to public health I strongly hope that they find the answer. This could be a huge step in controlling the future outbreaks.


- Lauren (Ren) Stogner

Snakes!

Link: www.macroevolution.net/titanoboa.html

Summary: The titanaboa is the largest snake currently recorded. Now extinct, it is believed that the snake lived in the neotropical forest over 58 million years ago. This large creature was 42 feet long, and 251O pounds! Recently scientists have "unearthed" the first evidence of this creature living in the neotropical forest! This creature became extinct during a mass extinction. The forest currently contains hardly any plants, which makes scientists wonder if thats why the mass extinction occured.

Opinion: I think it is really cool that scientists can trace life back so far. Technology has really come a long way. Just by todays discoveries they can tell why a mass extinction occured! I wish I could do that. The creature seems massive, and I kinda wonder how it was found in the first place, and why the discoverer, didnt run away.

Genome of Marine Organism Reveals Hidden Secrets

Researchers from UC San Diego have recently checked out the genome of marine organisms called cyanobacteria and found some pleasing results. These organisms are now known to benefit humans by producing substances that can potentially fight diseases. They help to provide natural products with "biomedical promise". Although little is known about the genetics behind it all, researchers are working to fix that. Even though these organisms are also known for bringing somewhat of a threat to humans and animals because of their toxic blooms, scientists are curious to see what else they have to offer.

This could perhaps be a breakthrough in marine biomedicine. I'm interested in finding stories related to marine life because it's all still quite a big mystery to us and this proves to be an article that portrays that. We truly do not comprehend all the things organisms can possess. These organisms are just expected to be harmful, but who knew until the recent research conducted that they could actually lead to help us? I think that happens with a lot of things; we, as humans, underestimate all they have to give to the world. I hope that scientists will further this research so that the results can potentially lead to other positive discoveries.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/10/genome_of_marine_organism_reveals_hidden_secrets.html

A Seal’s Hard-Working Whiskers.

Summary:

In past studies seals have been known for their whiskers to help them move objects. In circus' their whiskers help them keep their ball on their nose. In other ways their whiskers help them in catching fish and other prey. But recent studies from German researchers have shown that a seal can also detect the size and shape of a object using their whiskers. The researchers testes the seals by giving them different shapes and sizes to hold up, and they discovered that the seals have "super whiskers".

Opinion:

I think this study shows us an in site of a seal. We now know that seals do not only know how to hold up a ball, they know how much it weighs and how big it is. Just by the pressure the object puts on their whiskers. I think it shows us the thought process of the seals as the researchers observed the animals as they examined the objects. We now know the mentality of the seal and another meaning and use of there whiskers.

-Holley Hurst

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/science/17obseals.html?ref=science

Male Infertility

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/13/research_breakthrough_on_male_infertility_.html

One out of 20 men are infertile and scientist are trying to find out why. Australian and Swedish scientists have began doing research on male infertility. Causes have linked to mitochondrial mutations and found that it is passed mother to child. In Sweden Uppsala Universitites have proven this in fruit flies The mutation affects about 10 percent of male cells. The error lies exclusively in male reproductive organs giving no affect to females.

This is a great discovery. I find it weird that Australian and Sweden scientists are working on this because of the huge gap. Male fertility lies an issue and needs to be told of early on. This is one of the things that need to be told with genetic testing. Most of the time pregnancies go wrong the female is blamed

Alien Life.

Link: www.macroevolution.net/wierd-alien-life.html

Summary: Scientists from multiple colleges (Princeton University; the Kennedy Space Center; and Michigan State University) have been studying whether or not terrestrial bacteria would be able to survive on Mars. They have taken bacteria from Siberian Permafrost, from Earth, and isolated it under harsh conditions; similar to those on Mars. After the experiment, scientists came to the conclusion that the bacteria could not survive on Mars. Scientists still believe under the surface there may be a possibility that aliens still can exist.

Opinion: Why is anyone so stuck on proving that aliens exist. I think is really stupid that they keep trying to prove something that they have not been able to prove yet. It has been a long time. When are they looking to give up? I really do not think that putting bacteria from Earth under similar conditions to those on Mars will prove anything.

Flat worm Regeneration

Many different types of animals were able to regenerate missing tissues. For example star fishes are able to regenerate them selves if they lost it's part of the body. People always wondered how they regenerate tissue. After a long research on flat worms, they were able to found that they regenerate from a single pluripotent cell type. This cell is thought it able to regenerate the whole body of the animal. This can be compared to stemcells but this is able to regenerate the whole body.

Scientists found out this unique cells that is able to regenerate the whole body. With this information, we might be able to implant this or something like this to humans giving the ability to regenerate. This is still very new and unkown, but this knowledge is one step closer to regeneration. If we Are able to use this knowledge to help humans, it will change the world. Of course, this should be researched a lot more before doing anything big.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110512150727.htm

http://www.macroevolution.net/sea-turtle-hatchlings.html Turtles

As many as 30 % of sea turtles laid on the beaches will make it alive to the deep blue sea. During their long trek to the sea they will need constant energy. They have a yolk sac that contains at least two weeks worth of nutrients and energy. The University of Queensland decided that they would move these hatchlings closer to the shore, for various reasons. Such as; it would decrease the chance of them being eaten, being crushed by another turtle, and possibly make their journey easier.


I find this quite interesting. I did not know that they had a yolk sac that kept them fed for 2 weeks. I guess natural selection is hard at work here! I really hope more than 30 % will make it after the scientists moved the eggs towards the shoreline. I think this will do wonders for the turtle community (not endanger of becoming extinct).

Genome of Marine Organisms Reveals Hidden Secrets

Kendall Roberson

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/10/genome_of_marine_organism_reveals_hidden_secrets.html

A genome of marine organisms has been found to produce substances that can be possibly be useful against human diseases. Cyanobacteria, small photosynthetic microorganisms, are potentially the oldest forms of life on Earth. The Cyanobacteria blooms can cause a threat to humans and animals, but the L. majuscula cyanobacteria has been used to create hundreds of natural medicines. Little is known about the genetics behind the bacteria. The Cyanobacteria play a major role in the global carbon cycle. Cyanobacteria are going to be used to help create medicines to benefit humans on Earth.

I believe the discovery of this genome is one that will benefit us more than the genome. If the Cyanbacteria continues to create natural medicines, we won't have to rely as much on us; we will rely more on nature. Since the Cyanobacteria are potentially the oldest forms of life on Earth, it makes me wonder; why haven't we discovered this great genome earlier in life to help create natural medicines? I believe scientists should have investigated and observed this marine genome a long time ago so we could have this knowledge earlier. The Cyanobacteria will hopefully continue to create natural medicines that will benefit us humans more in the future than in the present.

Zombie Ant

This certain kind of ant is tropical. It lives high up in the canopy of the rainforest. And when infected with a parasitic fungus it becomes twitchy and zombie-like. The experiment is tested on Thailand's carpenter ant. The fungus is actually able to support itself in the end. Freaky huh!


This is really weird!! And first of all they better not ever put this in a person. The first thing wrong and we're looking at a zombie apocalypse. Well maybe they'll keep it to the ants. Thanks for reading :)


http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/09/zombie_ants_have_fungus_on_the_brain.html

Marine Carbon Cycle: Fish Are Major Players

Researchers from the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom have recently concluded that fish produce calcium carbonate at an amount much more than what was previously thought of. According to the studies conducted, 3-15% of calcium carbonate is contributed by them. It is primarily produced by bony fish (sharks and rays are not included.) These types of fish are constantly ingesting saltwater, therefore having a greater intake of the calcium. Scientists even expect with the increase of carbon dioxide and rising sea temperatures that more calcium will be produced in the future.

This is an interesting discovery because it proves how there is so much more to learn about marine life and the involvement to the environment in which they live. Scientists have mentioned how important it is to study the balance of pH in the sea and how it is usually maintained. I agree with them because of all the changes occurring on Earth today. Things need to be kept in balanced so that marine habitats will not be harmed. Even though it will be a natural process, I think it would be important to study so that we can try to provide some positive impact and also just so we can understand chemical balances better within the marine world.

http://www.macroevolution.net/marine-carbon-cycle.html

Vicious Dolphin like thingy in cold

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/05/battle_scars_found_on_an_ancient_sea_monster.html

Upon observations, scars were found on an Ichthyosaur. These were marine reptiles that lived in polar property around Australia when it was still part of Antarctica. They are estimated to have come from the same species(scars) and it remained alive. Because it was the same species it could of happened over food, mate, etc.

It sounds very dangerous with its 100 teeth and swiftness and its southness. Living in freezing cold water it must be able to have intense resistance. Then fighting it can be all like I'm gonna freeze ya you bully. The fact that we have the technology to examine that is rather weird to me for very little reason.

Air Pollution

link: www.macroevolution.net/air-pollution-graphs.html

Summary: Air pollution is getting out of hand. Especially in eastern countries. The pollution is getting so bad, it is starting to be the blame for the multiple deaths that have occured there recently. Air pollution is mostly being blamed because it has been discovered that small particles get past the bodily defenses and into the lungs.

Opinion: This is really dangerous. I am worried that the pollution will get worse just in the next few years, based on how bad it is now. The death rate will increase and the life span for humans will decrease due to the premature deaths.

Newly Discovered Plant Fossil Reveals More Than Age

A fossil from the mesozoic age has been discovered. Only one genus of its group still exists. The plant's beginnings are from 136 million years ago. The fossil was found in near a hot spring which shoes the environment it may have lived in. This gives scientists more insight to how the plant may have survived during its time on Earth, which many fossils do not give.

This discovery can be important in finding out how the ecosystems were along with environments. The more we learn about life back then, the better. We can apply some of the things we learn to our lives to make it better. It can also give us ideas on how to survive and how to get plants to survive more efficiently. Finding fossils of animals near this site could also be a big help in studying this area during the a mesozoic age.

David Watts

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/05/newly_discovered_plant_fossil_reveals_more_than_age_.html

Decoding Cancer

Read Here

For a long time doctors have always known that cancer destroys and changes cells. It's not until now though that they have realized what exactly they do to them. Research has shown that it damages the cells by taking away their ability to form and takes away their "building blocks" as they put it. They are hoping to (with this new information) that they will be able to go in and replace these lost "building blocks" stopping the cancer from being able to destroy the cells.

Out of all the current events I've done, none excite me as much as this one. This could be the CURE for cancer here! If we're able to do this, and I hope that they keep researching it could mean being able to stop cancer before it destroys their lives. It's a far shot, but if we can grow human organs in pigs, then why not be able to do this. Cancer is a horrible and painful thing, being able to stop people from having to experience this would be a wonderful thing. I personally don't know anyone with cancer, but some of my friends do, I think this is far more important then trying to genetically engineered babies for the rich. This could actually save already existing lives! And many more to come.

- Lauren (Ren) Stogner

Why DNA Breaks Down In Cancer Cells

Agustin Gonzalez

Summary:

So this article is about DNA and how cancerous cells damage or destroy the DNA. In the cancer cell doing this, it can cause many major damage like causing it to grow rapidly. So now, the Hebrew researchers at the University of Jerusalem discovered that during the early stage of a cancerous cell, the cell lacks in specific types of builiding blocks to support regular DNA replication. So the question now is if you can supply those essential "building blocks" externaly? If so, how can that even be possible.

Opinion:

I think that in time they will finally realize that it could be possible but not in the near future. At least thats what I think. But if scientists already have the capacity and resources, then I say go for it. If they were to figure out a way to externaly supply those building blocks then they could save many people from recieving cancer due to tcancerous cells. Although some expiriments in future trails may fail, its worth the reward of achieving it.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives.2011/05/03/Hebrew_University_Researchers_demonstrate_why_dna_breaks_down_in_cancer_cells.html

Women With Eating Disorders Draw a Different Picture of Themselves Than Women Without, Study Suggests

Study shows that people who have anorexia or bulimia draw themselves a "now" and "later" picture about how they look now and how they will look later. This Study took place at the University of Haifa, Soroka Universtiy Medical Center and Achva Academic College, Israel. "The results of this study show that women suffering or prone to developing eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, can be diagnosed with a simple and non-intrusive self figure drawing assessment."says Professor Rachel. The study shows that when the women draw these pictures they focus on certain parts of the body. The certain parts of the body are as follows: the neck, the stomach area, the chest, the feet, and thighs, and the mouth. They always draw the "later" picture really really skinny and almost like a stick figure. "Women suffering from eating disorders usually tend to hide their condition, even from their professional therapists. They often find it difficult to talk about their problem, so a non-verbal and non-intrusive tool such as a simple request for a self-figure drawing can become an important tool in creative art therapy." explains Professor Lev-Wiesel.

I'm not that shocked about this article. I have known someone who was anerexic at a time and she did this exact same thing. When people have this disorder they do certain things to show how they look "now" and how they would look after certain days or certain weeks. I have personally see this picture drawn. The picture that the girl drew was a fat girl with fat legs, arms, stomach, neck, feet, everything. Then, the picture of the "later" picture or "after" picture looked like a stick figure girl. The people who have this disorder often do other things like this too. Anorexic people and Bulimia people also add up the calories they have taken in, in a certain period. They also put what there going to eat for the rest of the week, and they work-out plan. These diseases are very dangerous and whoever has this needs to get help right away. It is very very scary when you know someone with this certain disease and they do these things.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110214102124.htm

How the hummingbird's forked tongue traps sweet nectar. http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2011/05/how-the-hummingbirds-forked-tongue-traps-swe

In 1833 they thought that hummingbirds used there tounge in a capillary action. Alejandro Rico- Guevara and Margaret Rubega at the University of Connecticut they toke 30 hummingbirds to see how they really get nectar. They used high speed camera's to see how the hummingbirds eat. They found out that just before the tounge reaches the nectar it is still in one. When it reaches the nectar it seperates into two tounges then it rolls up the nectar into the mouth to to eaten





I chose to do this is because i thought it was interesting to find out what they thought about it then how it really worked. I think it is cool of how they can split there tounge into two and eat like that. I thought it was interesting of how they found out how they eat using a high speed camera. I think it was interesting watching and seeing how it ate and how it splits.

Endogenous Proteins Found in a 70-Million-Year-Old Giant Marine Lizard

Researchers in Lund, Sweden found some kind of endogenous protein from the fossil or about 70 million years old. It was a varanoid lizard then lived in marine enviorments. It is also called mosasaurs and they are extinct lizards that lived 100-65 million years ago. Scientist Anders Engdahl showed that the fossil remains of type I collagen, which is a structual protein. Collagen is also the dominat protein in bones. The scienctist used many different techniques to find this.

I think discovering new things are amazing. New things are always being found and many of them help human kind. I'm not sure on how exactly this can help, but having knowledge of this could be usefull. I also think it is intersting that they used so many differnet ways to find that protein. For example they used some kind of radiation based infrared microspectrosocopy at MAX- lab in Lund, Sweden.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502092255.htm

Tropical Blueberries http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/04/27/tropical_blueberries_are_extreme_super_fruits.html

Blueberries that grow in Southern countries, such as Mexico, and Central/ South America have been found to have more antioxidants than regular blueberries. They are now known as super fruits. Antioxidants are used to gather up free radicals in your body. These fruits are also known as neotropics. Neotropic is an area reaching from the Tropic of Cancer to South America and towards the West Indies.

I wonder why these super fruits are so super. I would like to know what causes them to grow so well. I think that this is wonderful, it can save people from cancers and other diseases. Maybe we can genetically engineer other fruits to have these amazing antioxidants. We could modify them to grow in colder areas. This could help those in colder regions (up north) farm and have fresh fruits during the winter.

Receptor for Ebola Virus Identified

When an infection enters the body, the virus or bacteria heads staight for a receptor protein to mutiply and by doing that, the disease grows and grows until damaging or killing the host. Scientist have identified which the receptor protein that the Ebola and the Marburg viruses go to, and by doing so, they have been able to understand infections better. After arduous research, they have been able to develope an antibody that binds to receptor protein,and block the infection of both viruses. this is really good because the chance of surviving the Ebola virus ranges from 50 to 10 percent. Scientists are now looking for the receptor protein to other viruses to able to prevent those diseases also in time of outbreak.

Opinion

I don't know how much time it took for researchers to make this discovery, but the work is definitly worth. The Ebola and Marburg viruses have killed thousand of people around the world, especially in third world countries. Who ever takes this antibody will be less propence, or can be completly immune to these orrible diseases. I hope that in the near future, they will be able to prevent diseases such as HIV. This will open new door and it will bring hope to whole societiees that fear this disease.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502151349.htm

By: Daniel Pena

Tree Growth Stunted By Ozone

Summary

The concern that a large amount of trees are being cut down is being discussed . As I recently learned that is not the only problem we have with trees and the amount of oxygen produce . The recently measured the tree growth and learned that it is seven percent shorter today than it was in the 1800's . The reason for this is the amount of ozone pollution in the atmosphere . As the amount of pollution increases the height of trees decreases .

Opinion

This is a very serious matter . Just as people are concerned on the amount of trees being cut down they should be concerned about this . This creates many problems for humans . The problem that i am most concerned with is the amount of oxygen that will be available . We humans are only creating problems for ourselves .

Dinosaurs bigger then thought?

Dinosaurs' leg bone is obviously connected to the hip. But in skeletons you can't see the cartilage in-between. Scientists believe that dinosaurs may be substantially taller then previously thought. Including the cartilage would make any dinosaur to be about a foot taller. This may very for different dinosaurs.

This is cool because, well dinosaurs are cool. Besides how cool would it be if you could suddenly be a foot taller. And who knew cartilage between bones could be so....thick. Well this concludes my article. Thanks for reading :)


http://www.macroevolution.net/dinosaurs.html