http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/12/15/polar_bears_on_thin_ice_extinction_can_be_averted_scientists_say.html
Poler bears were added to the threatened species list three years ago. The species look like there never going to come all the way back. researchers say they will continue to decline over the next ears untill there extinct. Scientists say that global warming is the main cause of the decrease. Green house gasses get trapped then cause the weather to be warmer then the ice melts.

Polar bears would be a big loss because we would know that we killed them. Are use of machinary caused them all to die out. Scientists are right in telling us how the Polar bears die. Science never lies.

Nighttime Makes Urban Heat Waves Deadly

Summary- Extreme heat tempertures during the day may be hard to ignore but did you know they are more deadly at night. The rising frecuency of lethal heat waves across the globe is prompting a more detailed look at "urban heat island" effect. This probably goes the some way about 600 people died in sprawling, greener London during the same heat wave that killed 4,867 people in densely populated Paris. Exposure to high temperature during several nights, especially consecutive nights, can double the risk of death for the most vulnerable people-- people over 60 years of age or young infants, and also people with chronic health problems. It's a vicious circle, temperature increases due to air condition will lead to an increasing air cooling demand.
Opinion- I think we should use hand fans and umbrellas like they did a long time ago. I wonder why we stopped using them, the fans. If people are hot then they shoulg go inside a building to cool off. I wonder who would freak out at the sight of a dead body. I think during the summer you should wear sun screen and drink pleanty of water.





http://news.discovery.com/earth/nighttime-makes-urban-heat-waves-deady.html

Least Sea Ice in 800 Years

http://www.macroevolution.net/sea-ice.html

Scientist has found a new study whichs says that there is less ice today in the Fram Strait (between Svalbard Island and Greenland) than at any other time since the 13th century. There are no climate records dating all the way back to the 13th century we all know. But research says nature has its own record of climate change if you know where to look for it. Researchers looked back at ship logs to find out the early climate records. From their information they have come up with how much ice there used to be. During the middle of the 17th century was when a huge decline started happening where there was a lot less ice.

I personally think that this is not something scientists and researchers should worry about. Everyone knows that all around the world there has been a decline in how much ice there still is. (Ex: The Polar Ice Caps are melting). It is not something anyone should worry about because nature will do what it wants. Although there has been a major decline in the Fram Strait, it happened in a long amount of time. Over the next couple centurys there could easily become an incline in ice and the Fram Strait could go back to normal again.

mammogram!

most women have not been using their annual mammogram to their advantage. a lot of women take it for granted and do not visit the doctor every year for a mammogram. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended the age of the mammogram be lifted to 50 years. but once women found that out, they got mad and protested that their annual rights to a mammogram should not be taken away.

my opinion: women need to use the annual mammogram to their advantage! the mammogram helps find breast cancer and any other possible breast diseases. nobody wanted it when they had the chance to get it. now that the scientists/doctors wanted to take it away, they got mad and protested that it isnt fair! doctors should make it mandatory to get one.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/12/10/most_women_do_not_get_recommended_mammograms.html

US scientists create mice from two fathers

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US scientists have used stem cell technology to create mice from two fathers, an advance that they say could help preserve endangered species and even help same-sex couples have their own genetic children one day.

According to the study published Wednesday in the journal Biology of Reproduction, reproductive scientists in Texas were able to manipulate cells from a male (XY) mouse fetus to produce an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line.

These iPS cells are adult cells that have undergone some genetic reprogramming in order to enter an embryonic stem cell-like state.

Some of the cells that were grown from this new line spontaneously lost their Y chromosome, turning them into XO cells.

Those XO cells were injected into embryos from donor female mice and transplanted into surrogate mouse moms who gave birth to babies with one X chromosome from the original male mouse.

Those babies grew and later mated with normal male mice. Their offspring, both male and female, showed genetic contributions from two fathers.

The study was led by Richard R. Berhringer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Researchers said that with a variation of their technique, "it may also be possible to generate sperm from a female donor and produce viable male and female progeny with two mothers."

However, the study cautioned that the ability to replicate the findings in humans was a long way off.

The "generation of human iPS cells still requires significant refinements prior to their use for therapeutic purposes," the study said.

Previous research has found ways to create mice without any fathers at all, as well as ways to create mice with two mothers.

I don't think it's right what does O even stand for? What can this later affect. Now one knows the effects of what we do like science says if there's a cause then there is a effect.

Yale Scientists Find Molecular Glue Needed To Wire the Brain- Hannah Moerk

Summary:

Yale University have found that a single molecule not only connects brain cells, but also changes how we learn. Researchers have discovered ways to improve memory and could lead to new therapies, that could correct disorders. In particularly, neurological disorders could benefit with these new therapies. The piece of research they discovered is about the molecule called Syn CAM1 that goes across the synaptic junctions. They have discovered that this Syn CAM1 is an adhesion molecule that helps hold these junctions together.

Opinion:

When we learn, new synapses can form. However, its strength changes during learning depending on the amount of stimuli received. Supposedly accessing the molecule can be damaging. Hopefully with more research we will be able to understand these parts and functions more clearly. With more knowledge, new therapies can be devolped that can benefit people in numerous ways!

http://opac.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=8076&s=t

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/12/08/plants_remember_winter_to_bloom_in_spring_with_help_of_special_molecule.html
Most plants bloom in the spring right after a cold. They must bloom then for correct pollination. Plants don't no spring from the warm. They have a since of how much cold time there's been. Plants don't literally remember because they don't have brains.

It's important to know when they bloom. So we can grow them. Crops are important to know so we can grow them. Crops are a supstancial amount of our food. It's important for the plants to no when winter is over so they can survive.

UVM students call for boycott of course evaluations

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20101208/NEWS0213/101207023/UVM-students-call-for-boycott-of-course-evaluations

At the University of Vermont, a horde of students boycotted the school because of lack in giving the students course evaluations. Prior to this event, the Student Government Association informed the school to give the students course evaluations by Dec. 1st or there would be a boycott in return. The Faculty Senate, who oversees the evaluation process, didn't support this process. This transaction isn't new either. It dates back to several years. There are people who supported it and those who didn't.

In my opinion, boycotting is a good way to notify the group that you seek for change. These students wanted to see their course evalutions, but the school refused to. Even if the school didn't change the rules, they now know the students care. Hopefully, the students will one day see their course evaluations. You never know unless you try.

Influenza virus strains show increasing drug resistance and ability to spread

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/12/08/influenza_virus_strains_show_increasing_drug_resistance_and_ability_to_spread.html

Summary – This article is about how there have been some studies that showed that some types of influenza are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Some viruses are even becoming resistant to two different antibiotics, which although rare, is on the rise and is causing some to worry about the effectiveness of the antibiotics in the future. They think that new strategies for treatment of the viruses will need to be created in the future because treatment will be limited if the dual resistant virus spreads. In some rare cases in a study, people on oseltamivir therapy have had traces of OR H1N1, which is resistant to oseltamivir but hadn’t been in the past. Scientists say that we will just have to keep a close eye on the changes these viruses show and be creative in the treatments in the future.

Opinion – I think this is actually kind of scary, and it makes me afraid to get sick because I might not be able to recover! Why can’t all those stupid viruses just die instead of becoming resistant to all the medications? I also think this relates a lot to what we are currently learning about in class, with the natural selection and adaptation thing. I also hope that some new medication will be found soon so that the viruses will not be able to adapt and all the scary diseases will be gone for good. Also, I remember that there was some kind of disease that used to be so widespread, but now it is nonexistent except in some place where the government is keeping it just in case the disease breaks out again. If it was possible for that disease to die out, it should be possible for others!

Oldest Skeleton of Human Ancestor Found

Summary- Scientist have announced the discovery of the earliest human ancestor. She walked the Earth millions of years before Lucy. Radiometric dating of two layers of volcanic ash that sandwiched the fossil deposits revealed that Ari lived 4.4 million years ago. Instead of fighting for access to females, a male Ardipithecus would supply a "targeted female" and her offspring with gathered food and gain her sexual loyalty in return. Ardi lived in a moist woodland that is now a desert in Africa.



Opinion- I think its really cool. The only thing I think is nasty is that they used food to have sex. I understand why they did that but it's still nasty. I wonder if they took baths. I wish they were still alive so I could observe them and not have to look it up.








http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091001-oldest-human-skeleton-ardi-missing-link-chimps-ardipithecus-ramidus.html

Living in Arsenic

SUMMERY
In a new study, scientists have found a strain of bacteria that can live in arsenic. Arsenic is just under phosphorus on the periodic table of elements. But, unlike the necessary building block of life element phosphorus is, arsenic is deadly to almost all species on earth. In Eastern California, Mono Lake, is an alkaline and hypersaline lake with a high concentration of dissolved arsenic. In this death pit, scientists have found a strain of bacteria that's not only living in the arsenic rich habitat, but using arsenic as a building block to it's life force in a way similar to phosphorus.
OPINION
I have to wonder now if we're going to be able to find a way to use this bacteria as a weapon. Using it as a bioweapon where we can infect an area with a bacteria that uses arsenic in it's essesence would be not only evil and coruptive, but also tactical. It's interesting that they've evolved to live in this condition, but it's very impressive that they've been able to adapt so well.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/12/02/from_toxicity_to_life_arsenic_proves_to_be_a_building_block.html
BRITTANY BURNS

Whale sharks do the math to avoid that sinking feeling-Hannah Moerk

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/26/whale_sharks_do_the_math_to_avoid_that_sinking_feeling.html

Summary:
Whale sharks are the largest species in the ocean. How do they float so well? In the last four years research has been done looking into their technique into more detail. The conclusion is it's a combination between energy conservation and math. They use their movement both for survival and to find food in the ocean.


Opinion:
Until reading this article, I never thought much about the movements of this giant shark. The research collected has shown that the whale shark has to move its' tail swimming down, but not while swimming up. This is due to the "buoyancy" within the shark. This movement is made up of both energy conservation usage and the appropriate math to keep them suspended. As more research is done on these interesting creatures, I will be fascinated to see how this whale shark's buoyancy compares to other fish.

2 more rare red foxes confirmed in Sierra Nevada

By SCOTT SONNER, Associated Press - 12/3/2010

RENO, Nev. – Federal wildlife biologists have confirmed sightings of two more Sierra Nevada red foxes that once were thought to be extinct.

Scientists believe the foxes are related to another that was photographed this summer near Yosemite National Park. More importantly, they say, DNA samples show enough diversity in the Sierra Nevada red foxes to suggest a "fairly strong population" of the animals may secretly be doing quite well in the rugged mountains about 90 miles south of Reno.

The first confirmed sighting of the subspecies in two decades came in August when a remote camera captured the image of a female fox in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near Sonora Pass.

Forest Service officials confirmed Friday that two more foxes — one male and one female — were photographed in September in the neighboring Stanislaus National Forest, about 4 miles from the original.

That indicates there is the "continued persistence of a genetically unique population of Sierra Nevada red fox in the southern Sierra Nevada, rather than a single individual," the agency said.

The DNA samples were obtained from fox feces, or scat, collected at the sites where the two most recent animals were spotted. They were caught on film by motion-activated cameras triggered when the bait — in this case, a sock full of chicken — was disturbed.

"There's enough diversity in the DNA that we think there is a fairly strong population there after not showing up in this isolated area for years and years," Forest Service wildlife biologist Diane Macfarlane said Friday.

"It shows the male individual has some relationship to that initial female. The data isn't strong enough to say if it was a mother or father or sibling, but it is some level of relationship — aunt, cousin, uncle," she told The Associated Press.

"The good news is we definitely have a male and female. We know there are breeding possibilities and there could be others," said Macfarlane, who leads the agency's regional program on threatened, endangered and sensitive species based in Vallejo, Calif.

"We anticipate getting a lot more information in the future as we begin to focus serious, additional efforts there," she said.

This particular red fox subspecies — or geographically distinct race — is one of the rarest, most elusive and least-known mammals in California and the United States, agency officials said.

Once widespread throughout California's mountains, it has become very rare in recent decades, with only a single known population of fewer than 20 individuals at the north end of the Sierra near Lassen Volcanic National Park about 100 miles northwest of Reno.

The Forest Service has expanded the survey effort in recent months in conjunction with researchers at the National Park Service, California Department of Fish and Game, UC-Davis and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

Adam Rich, a wildlife biologist for the Stanislaus National Forest, worked with a team of high school volunteers to collect scat at the two new photo locations.

Macfarlane said it was a good example of how federal agencies can work in concert with other researchers to find "simple and cost effective ways to manage and monitor rare wildlife."

"We are really ramping up our survey efforts, working with universities and others, to go look for things in places where we haven't looked before," she said. "And we are finding more things as our techniques become more and more sophisticated."

"For wildlife biologists, these types of findings are the highlight of our career," she said. "I get goose bumps just talking about it."

I wounder what other animals can come back from being extinct. Like science says survival of the fittest. If they can be made into this world then they can come back but there most likely not the same as before. Could this be really though or just fox's that resemble them wow really knows. It would be great to have a species come back but how will it effect the environment scene nature got use to having it not there?

Chelsea Hinesley

From toxicity to life: Arsenic proves to be a building block

From toxicity to life: Arsenic proves to be a building block


I think that if scientist were able to find how this organism was to use arsenic to survive it would play a major role in many studies. if arsenic was to be found useful it could maybe replace another major gas and allow organisms to live for extended periods of time. and if plants can use it for resperation possibly scientist could find a way to use it in the betterment of the human race.

Dinosaurs are Even Bigger Than Thought

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

Scientists have found something between the dinosaurs leg and hip bones. They fond dinosaurs with thick layers of cartilage. This has made scientists believe that dinosaurs are even bigger than was once thought. Their study of modern-day limbs has shown that dinosaurs are taller than originally thought. After this scientists starteed comparing the dinosaur to other animals.

I think that this is kind of pointless since dinosaurs are extinct. There is really no need to research dinosaurs anymore. We are in the future now and they are not very useful now. I also do not know what scientists could find out by researching this. Who should care if dinosaurs were taller than once thought!?

Tiny RNA Creates Many Leukemia?

Whitehead Institute researchers have discovered through studies/experiments on mouse models that the over expression of microRNA 125b can create multiple types of leukemia and even accelerates the disease. In 2010, the National Cancer Institute estimates that 43,000 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a form of leukemia and approximately 22,000 will die from the disease. In one type of leukemia, a blood cell divides in an uncontrolled way in the bone marrow, crowding the other blood cells. This caused anemia and organ damage. Leukemia is genetic mutations, as are other cancers.

MicroRNAs are very small pieces of RNA that normal fine tune the target genes. Some of the target genes have already been described, like the P53 pathway. These targets are programmed for cell death, also known as apoptosis.

Mice that were tested with this type of cancer, died due to one of the three types of cancer, myeloproliferative neoplasm, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Couch Potato Effect: Missing Protein Leaves Mice Unable to Exercise

A group of researchers have come up with a new model displaying muscle functions. The mice keep a steady body weight but do not have the energy to exercise. They found that aging, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses can lead to this "couch potato" effect. In humans, the PGC-1 allows us to exercise unless we are obese and these levels are low. In the mice without PGC-1 acted normal but were unable to walk on a treadmill. This study led to the conclusion that if you are deficient of PGC-1 you have dysfunctional mitochondria resulting in diabetes.

I think that this was a good study because they need to figure more out about diabetes. They have found just another source but I think they need to keep researching. I know lots of people who have diabetes and they wished they new more. I am glad I don't have diabetes because I love to exercise. I would hate to sit on the couch all day but if that was all I knew I guess it wouldn't make a difference.

Biology Current event

NASA's Spaceship Cassini got close enough to one of Saturn's moons and got picture of a light streak near the surface. The moon is called Enceladus. It took the picture 48 kilometers or 30 miles away and also took pictures of the frozen rocky terrain, and the Bright lights coming from it.

It was winter in the southern hemisphere when the pictures were taken. The sun lights up the water vapor icy crystals in the sky which causes the bright jets of light. the jets are lined up in rows which causes the curtains of light spray.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202132209.htm

Apes unwilling to gamble when odds are uncertain

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/29/apes_unwilling_to_gamble_when_odds_are_uncertain.html

Summary – This article investigates the similarity between apes and humans in their judgment when gambling. The study tested chimpanzees and bonobos by giving them a choice of two bowls, which could contain peanuts, a banana, or a cucumber slice. The chimpanzees were very hesitant when they were choosing because although they like peanuts and bananas, they dislike cucumbers and did not want to risk getting one. The researchers realized that this study shows that an animal’s foraging decision making skills in the wild are actually quite complex and that the animals have to be smart to make sure that the food they decide to pursue will pay off. This is what the article was about.

Opinion – I thought this article was kind of interesting actually. It shows that animals, especially monkeys, are actually quite smart because they have to go through an impressive decision making process to make sure that what they do is worthwhile. It’s also nice because it proves that monkeys are smart, and a lot of people think that they are stupid and make fun of them. I also think it opens up a lot of possibilities for future studies on what animals think, which is something I used to wonder about. This is my opinion on the article.

current event zach Vaughn

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/26/whale_sharks_do_the_math_to_avoid_that
_sinking_feeling.html

Summary
Scientist are thinking that the whale sharks smooth gliding is do to mathematics and energy conservation. The whale shark is the bigest fish in the ocean. It's just amazing how they don't sink to the botoom like a rock. Scientist say that they use geometry to help with natural bounacy. The key movement for an animal is it's travel speed. That determines how much energy they use.

Opinion
My opinion is that this has nothing to do with math. I think that it is a natural thing that just comes. I think we should worry about humans not whale's floating. We should be studying more about human diseas. That's what I thnk about this topic

Huge Mammals after Dinosaurs' extinction

SUMMERY

In the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, associate professor Dr. Jessica Theodor, is part of a team of researchers studying the impact of the extinction of dinosaurs, 65 millions years ago, on mammal populations. Their article that appears in the journal Science is the first to truly display the signifigant size difference mammals had after the predatory positions dinosaurs filled were left vacant. When there was no competition for vegetation or habitat, mammals had the opportunity to expand, and being large makes an animal a more efficient herbavore. The scientists analyzed the recorded mammal species from every time period and estimated which were largest and heaviest. The rapid evolution they underwent in less than 25 million years took mammals from a maximum of about 10 kilograms to a maximum of 17 tonnes!

OPINION

This article makes sense perfectly. If there's no competition it's obvious that the remaining animals are going to grow larger and stronger. I'm only surprised that it took this long for there to be articles about this topic. It's all a matter of competition. When the dinosaurs were gone, the mammals that were left had to hold their own in the new enviorment and had to evolve or die. There was also the changing weather patterns so they needed to take a form that could keep them warmer and help them find food.

BRITTANY BURNS

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/26/size_of_mammals_exploded_after_dinosaur_extinction.html

Researchers kick-start ancient DNA

Researchers have recently found ancient bacteria embedded in water droplets with salt crystals. Researchers have always looked at these droplets wondering if the organisms cultured from salt crystals were genuinely ancient but no one followed through. Binghampton researchers examined them under microscopes and found bacteria and forms of algae. They sequenced the DNA and cultured the bacteria. They figured they could observe organisms evolve over time reacting to climate changes.

I'm glad someone finally followed through and finding that the droplets were ancient. I think that linking these droplets to DNA was worthwhile. Now that they can see what happened in the past when organisms evolved, they can predict what future organisms will go through. We can try and protect organisms for in the future so they can live longer. This research will lead to more in depth research like figuring out the exact organisms.


http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/22/researchers_kickstart_ancient_dna.html

Exta credit current event

In a finding with the potential to fundamentally change strategies to slow the global HIV epidemic, a new study called iPrEx shows that individuals at high risk for HIV infection who took a single daily tablet containing two widely used HIV medications, emtricitabine and tenofovir (FTC/TDF), experienced an average of 43.8% fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo pill (95% CI 15.4 to 62.6%; P=0.005). The study, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first evidence that this new HIV prevention method, called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, reduces HIV infection risk in people.
A total of 2,499 individuals at high risk of HIV infection participated in the six-country iPrEx study. All study participants received a comprehensive package of prevention services designed to reduce their risk of HIV infection throughout the trial, including HIV testing, intensive safer sex counseling, condoms and treatment and care for sexually transmitted infections. Half of study participants also received the PrEP pill, while the other half received a placebo.
In all, 64 HIV infections were recorded among the 1,248 study participants who received a placebo pill, while 36 HIV infections were recorded among the 1,251 participants who received the study drug. The average reduction in HIV infection risk of 43.8% includes all study participants – even those who did not take the daily pill consistently.
The iPrEx study found that PrEP was more protective among those who reported taking the pill more regularly. Among participants who used the tablet on 50% or more of days, as measured by pill counts, bottle counts and self-reports, risk of HIV infection fell by 50.2% (95% CI 17.9-69.7%; P=0.006); among those who used the pill on 90% or more of days, as determined by the same measures, the PrEP pill reduced infection risk by 72.8% (95% CI 40.7-87.5%; P=0.001).
While pill-taking measures that rely on self-reports are not objective, testing to measure levels of the PrEP drug in the blood of study participants -- a more reliable measure of pill-taking -- also indicated that those participants who were protected against HIV infection were likely taking the study drug more regularly. Among a subset of study participants who received the active drug, detectable levels of the PrEP drug combination were found in the blood of 51% (22 of 43) of a group that remained HIV-negative, but in only 9% (3 of 34) of participants who became HIV infected. Low or absent drug levels underlay all of the infections that occurred among those who received active PrEP, while those who used the drug more regularly had higher levels of protection against HIV infection.
"The iPrEx study proves that PrEP provides important additional protection against HIV when offered with other prevention methods such as HIV testing, counseling, condom use and management of sexually transmitted infections," said iPrEx Protocol Chair Robert Grant, MD, MPH of the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California at San Francisco. "As with other prevention methods, the greatest protection comes with consistent use. I hope this finding inspires a renewed commitment from communities, industry and government to stop the spread of HIV."
"iPrEx is a significant advance in HIV prevention," said Javier R. Lama, MD, MPH, the co-chair of the study protocol who is based in Lima, Peru. "Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our study participants, their families and communities, iPrEx shows that a preventive drug can significantly reduce HIV infection risk. Further research is now needed to optimize the efficacy of oral PrEP based on iPrEx results".

A study called iPrEx was done to see what the risk of people at a high risk of having HIV would be affected by the use of drugs used to treat the virus after it’s caught. 43.8% of people who took the experimental tablet that contained two drugs used to effectively treat HIV had reduced risk and did not end up with HIV virus. This a great deal more compared to the group which received the placebo drug. The study shows that is possible to reduce a persons risk for developing HIV with this drug possible. Though the research is not ready to be put into use by the medical community, it may very well become an option in the near future.


This discovery is very promising from what I’ve read about the study and has great potential in the future. I personally hope to see this put into use in the near future by the medical community. I believe while it isn’t a hundred percent, it is enough to give hope and reduce the statistics by drastic numbers.

Researcher explores whether fish feel pain

Summary:

Do fish feel pain? Recently further research by professors and scientists have looked further into this question. They found that fish have the same kinds of specialized nerve fibers that mammals and birds have. They use these to detect tissue and damage pain. In the experiments, they showed that if we hurt fish, they react. As well, if we give them pain relief, they change their behavior strongly indicating that they feel pain.

Opinion:

So if fish feel pain, then why are humans so cruel when killing fish? I understand that catching fish for food is just part of life. However, I do believe that after reading this article, humans could be in ways more humane when killing the fish. There are so many regulations on killing mammals and birds compared to fish , should thee be more? No matter how you look at it, fish live in the same world as we do, and they are living things as well that should be preserved and treated humanly.

Hannah Moerk

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/17/researcher_explores_whether_fish_feel_pain.html

DNA discovery!

Scientists have discovered a rare bird! They discovered the Western Ground Parrot. This bird has decreased in population rapidly over the last 20 years. There are only about 110 of these birds still surviving in the wild. However, most of them are in national parks. Studies show, scientists are finding things from about 150 years back! These findings demonstrate that museum findings are accurate and provide critical information for understanding.

My opinion: I think it is cool that they are still finding artifacts from ancient times. Their findings help predict the extinctions and decrease in animal populations. Also that they are finding animals that were thought to have been extinct by now. Scientists need to keep observing these animals and fossils. These observations can provide a lot of good information!

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/23/dna_uncovers_1_of_the_worlds_rarest_birds.html

DNA uncovers 1 of the world's rarest birds

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/23/dna_uncovers_1_of_the_worlds_rarest_birds.html

Summary – This article is about how Australian scientists teamed up with DNA experts and discovered that a bird on the Western Coast of Australia is critically endangered. The DNA experts used 160 year old DNA from museum specimens to discover that the Western Ground Parrot is in fact, a completely different species than its relative, the Eastern Ground Parrot. This causes major issues for the conservation of the Western Ground Parrot, about 110 of which still exist in the wild. Also, most of these birds live in a single national park. The article says that a wildfire or the growth of introduced predators could possibly wipe out the whole Western Ground Parrot population. This is what the article was about.

Opinion – I think this is actually pretty useful. It’s nice that these DNA experts decided to do the tests and discovered that the Western Ground Parrot is endangered. Otherwise, a whole species could have been extinct! I do however think it is sad that they are this close to extinction when about 100 years ago they were plentiful. The article doesn’t state the reason as to why they are endangered, but I can’t help but think it is because of human activities. It’s very sad, and it could be happening in other places in the world! I think that humans need to step up and realize that we are sharing this planet with other plants and animals and that we need to create a world in which we can both comfortably live.

DNA uncovers 1 of the worlds rarest birds

A team of Australian researchers from University of Adelaide has found a endangered species of ground parrot in Western Australia. They used DNA from museum exhibit up to 160 years old to admit taht populations of ground parrots are highly definite from each other in Eastern and Western Australia. Dr Murphy says " The Western Ground parrot has declined rapidly in the last 20 years, there are now only about 110birds surviving in the wild and most of these are confined to a single national park. It is now one of the world's rarest birds." Another team member Dr Jeremy Austin said "Our findings demonstrate that museum collections, some going back more than 150 years, continue to be relevant and can provide critical information for understanding and conserving the world's biodiversity into the future". The Director of CSIRO's Australian National Wildlife Collection, Dr Leo Joseph, said: "Even after 200 years of study, we are still recognizing new species of birds in Australia. This finding highlights the need for further research on Australia's unique, and sometimes cryptic, biodiversity."

Sea Turtle Hatchlings

Summary- 30% of turtles meet their doom en route of the saftey of the deep water. David Booth from the University of Queensland wanted to compute how much oxygen they consume. Booth calculated that they consumed a mean 4.79 kilojoules during their 18-hour swim. At first during the experiment they tugged with all their might and main , generating a force of 45 millinewtons. But this soon dropped to 35 millinewtons, and, eventually off at 20 after 12 hours.

Opinion- Did you know that they are supposed to survive 2 weeks without food during this trip?!? I think that is insane but I do see why they aren' t supposed stop swimming yet. I wonder why they have to do it alone. I wonder why the mother doesn't help them. I wonder what would happen if humans interfered.




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

Failure To HIV Protection

Researchers have been stumped for years over the fact that people infected with the AIDS virus do produce antibodies in response to the pathogen, antibodies that turn out to be ineffective in blocking infection. Now, scientists at Duke's Medical Center can explain why some of the earliest antibodies available to fight HIV can't actually "see" the virus until after it's already entered a healthy cell. Previous research had shown that two of the most healthy antibodies against HIV called 2F5 and 4E10 target a specific part of the outer coating of the virus called the MPER region of gp41. The antibodies work in a lock and key relationship that makes them able to latch on to the virus as it shows its vulnerable part of the structure, referred to as an "Achilles heel" of the AIDS virus. Dr.Haynes from Duke says the findings are important because they show what parts of the virus an antibody needs to recognize from the parts that are decoys. She also states that "We are homing in on a better understanding of what the immune system needs to do in order to mount an effective defense against HIV."

T.rex's big tail was its key to speed and hunting prowess

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/15/t_rexs_big_tail_was_its_key_to_speed_and_hunting_prowess

A graduate student from the University of Alberta named Scott Persons has continued the study of the T. Rex and has found that the size of its tail was more than just fat. After studying modern reptiles and comparing them to models of the T. Rex, Persons found that the largest muscles, caudofemoralis muscles, are attached to the upper leg of the animals. The only difference in the T. Rex is that the ribs in their tail are much higher up than that in a modern reptile. This allowed bulkier muscle to build up in the tail, because there was more space for the muscle to build. Persons has estimated that atleast forty-five percent of the T. Rex tail is muscle mass. This muscle allowed the T. Rex to outrun most of the animals in its ecosystem.
I love dinosaurs and one of my favorites is the T. Rex. When I saw this article I knew it was something I wanted to read and learn from. The fact that the T. Rex was a slow animal is a big misconception, when in reality it was as fast as they come. The muscle built up in its "trunk" would be like a modern day body builder. I also find it interesting that the muscles in reptiles today are still similar to the reptiles in the Cretaceous period. I find it amazing what kinds of things we are still finding out with modern science and technology. I can't wait for the day that we can accurately map out every dinosaur species that lived on this earth.

Researcher explores whether fish feel pain

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/17/researcher_explores_whether_fish_feel_pain.html

Summary

In this article, Victoria Braithwaite talks about if fish feel pain. The book she wrote is described, and it has evidence of fish feeling pain. Strangely enough, she's not against sport fishing and only has advice for it. Also, fish farms were brought up and were said to possibly get very big by 2030. Overall, Victoria Braithwaite pretty much proved that fish feel pain.

Opinion

I thought this was an interesting article, because I had never thought about if fish felt pain or not. After reading this however, I am convinced they do. All the evidence supports the facts. I agree with Victoria Braithwaite that sport fishing is alright, but some of the practices should be changed slightly. Since reading this, I most likely won't go fishing because I'll feel bad about hurting the fish.

Transgenetic Spider Silk

SUMMERY
At the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wyoming, and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. scientists are genetically altering silk worms to produce spider silk. Threads from spider-web, are stronger, more durable, and more resiliant than traditional silk. The stronger material could soon be practical for biomedical applications like wound-healing bandages, natural scaffolds for tendon and ligament repair, bulletproff vests, atheletic clothing, and automobile airbags. The material will be easily marketed for its many advantages, but will most likely remain pricely until it becomes easier to mass produce.
OPINION
I've actually given thought to the idea of spider silk. I never heard of it as a reality, but I did wonder if it were possible to string the webs into threads and knit them. I've never felt real silk either, so it would be even cooler to get to touch spider silk. Though i wonder why they couldn't just harvest the webs from the spiders themselves. Maybe the silkworms just produce more silk than the spiders, I don't know. But, I really don't have a problem with genetic altering like this. It's moving the market forward and giving people jobs. We've nothing to complain about.
BRITTANY BURNS
http://www.macroevolution.net/artificial-spider-silk.html

Defeating Crop Blight-Hannah Moerk

Summary:

Researchers funded by the BBSRC Crop Science Initiative have made a discovery that could help build resistance to a late blight. A late blight is a devastating disease of potatoes and tomatoes costing the industry about 5-6 billion a year worldwide. Through their work on the interactions between potato plants, they have come up with a new approach to breeding resistance to late blight in potatoes. In the past they have tried to breed resistance to late blight by identifying plants that survive a period infection and could potentially help provide resistant varieties. However this approach is slow and takes time. With their discovery, they can use genetic analysis to identify plants for breeding that are inherently resistant to infection.

Opinion:

Potatoes and tomatoes are needed all over the world. The blight has became a serious problem, especially, as mentioned, in the UK. If going in genetically, identifying the breed, and discoverying how to inherent resistant helps farmers with the crops, then I think that more research should be done to advance forward. Meanwhile, this could be saving billions of dollars. Now the only question is how should this task be provided to farmers, and how much money is involved in the process?

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/18/bioscience_researchers_defeating_potato_blight.html

Giant Stingray

Summary- The picture was actually genuine but the stingray was never weighed so they couldn't be sure if it actually weighed that much. The stingray was the actually size in the picture. It was caught with a reel and a rod. When it was recaptured it weighed between 550-770 pounds. They added a tracking device and released back into the water.



Opinion- I think it was very intresting. I think it is odd that it is in Thailand where they are finding these giant sea animals. I wonder how much food they have to eat since they are so big. They actually foun a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish. These large stingray have a potential to become the largest freshwater fish.



http://www.macroevolution.net/giant-stingray.html

http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=173996&cid=100227

Seven year old Brady Bly informs a biology class at Mason High school about he diagnosis with PKU Diagnosed at only 6 days old he has lived a life of struggles. The parents even showed a video to the students to show the difference in people who are diagnosed early and those who aren’t. Brady is treated every two month for PKU and can participate in activities like any other kid.

After the topics for class this week and talking about all these syndromes and diseases I think this is a great opportunity. What would be really cool is to see what his parent’s genetics are to see the chance of another kid having PKU. I would love to have a chance to talk to a person who has a genetic disorder. Apparently insurance doesn’t cover them which I think they should and they should be covered. I hope Brady has the chance to talk to more classes

S.Gray

Is Gulf Seafood Good To Eat

http://www.dailyfinance.com/article/experts-disagree-whether-gulf-seafood/1411686/

Experts wonder if it is safe to eat seafood from the Gulf. After the oil spill earlier in the year they are unsure if we should eat the seafood and it be healthy. The government says that it is safe to eat it but others disagree. Right now, experts are doing sniff and taste tests. Although some people are eating Gulf seafood for days straight, some are still questioning.

I do not think that I would eat Gulf seafood. I would definetly hesitate if I were going to try it. It is still questionable in my mind whether it is safe to eat or not. I would probably trust if experts said it was though. After they test, whatever results they come up with I will agree with. But personally it seems unsafe if there is still some oil in the Gulf.

Researcher explores whether fish feel pain

You a lot of people walking around saying I don't eat fish because they deserve to live or because it hurts to kill etc. but do fish actually feel pain? the answer to that is Yes, fish can feel pain. Victoria Braithwaite has spent decades figuring this question out. Victoria did not answer this question for the satisfaction of knowing but because some fish-farmers believed that if you care about animal welfare then you should also care about fish-welfare. knowing now that fish can feel pain she be lives her book will influence people to be more humane when fishing. some examples are to kill fish faster and don't just keep them out of water for long periods of time.

This is a very interesting article. I was not expecting this. I have never before thought if fish could feel pain or not but after reading this article i makes me think" what else can feel feelings? the article was well written and easy to understand. I am actually going to try and look for this book online if i do get it i will bring it in to class. :)

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/15/t_rexs_big_tail_was_its_key_to_speed_and_hunting_prowess.html

5 Sentence Summary

This article is about a University of Alberta Graduate student who discovered the T-Rex's tail muscles made it the fastest predator of its time. The student started by comparing modern day reptiles tails to T-Rex's. The T-Rex had one crucial difference in the tails structure. The tails of modern day reptiles and T-Rex's tails are alike by the fact that their tails are given the shape by the vertebrae. The T-Rex's are much higher than other animals.

5 Sentence Opinion

I think this is really cool because I am pretty interested in dinosaurs. I am thinking about going into paleontology d anything about dinosaurs is interesting to me. I like how I learned something from this article. I always like to learn new things about dinosaurs because they are just so interesting. I really like to read articles like this and I think the research of Paleontology needs to stay along time because it is a very interesting subject.

Cancer Breakthrough

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101117104454.htm

Scientists in different research teams from Germany and the UK have gotten together and found something fascinating. They studied and explained the cell phases of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and what happens during to the spindle fibers and the centromeres. They explained that with a regular cell, the centromeres will split from each other to the two different ends of the cell. However, if the centromeres do not split, for some reason, the cells become considered cancerous. Although, while studying the different phases and seeing why the cells split and why some die, they found a certain protein that controls the centromeres' separation. With that, scientists are excited as they will be able to find ways to target cancerous cells and regulate them to where they will split and form new cells normally.

I thought this article was a little confusing, I didn't think that many things were explained. Though while I was reading it, and how they mentioned the phases of cell division, that helped give me an idea as to what they were talking about. But how the scientists found out about this new protein was incredible; I'm really glad that they had found out about it, because now they can put money into finding ways to help reduce the amount of lives taken from cancer and related things each year by a lot. I never would have given thought to how a certain protein would aid in the way that centromeres would split, I always thought that ever since we learned it it was just the way that the centromeres would function. And when there wasn't a correctly functioning centromere, it formed a cancerous cell. But now that they have found what aids in the splitting of centromeres and how that leads to normal cells, I'm glad that they can see what they can do to prevent the rise of cancer percentages.

T. rex's big tail was its key to speed and hunting prowess

The powerful tail muscles of the T. rex made it one of the fastest moving hunters of its time. The largest tail muscles in animals are attached to upper leg bones, which provide the power stroke allowing fast foward movement. The tails of modern day animals and the T. rex are given their shape and strength by rib bones attached to the back bones. Reserach show that on the T. rex the ribs in the tail are located much higher then on modern day animals. The muscle mass in the dinosaur's tall were underestimated by as much as 45 percent.

In my opinion, this research is very helpful in the study of dinosaurs. It can explain a lot about the way the T. rex hunted and ate. Seeming how the T. rex was extinct long before humans were alive, this can help us in developing an idea of dinosaur's ways. I think researchers should continue studying dinosaurs. I would really like to know more about dinosaurs.

It is common for cancer cells to find some way to disarm p53, also known as "guardian of the genome" due to its action in preventing defective cells from dividing. "The critical importance of the protective function of p53 is underscored by the diversity of molecular strategies employed by cancer cells to subvert p53 activity, such as overexpression of antagonistic proteins like HDM2 and HDMX," explains senior study author Dr. Loren D. Walensky from Harvard Medical School. "Restoration of p53 activity remains an important goal in the quest for more effective cancer therapeutics."
Previous work demonstrated that selective inhibition of HDM2 restored p53 function in cancer cells. However, these results were often compromised by expression of HDMX. In an earlier study, Dr. Walensky and colleagues described the generation of "stapled" peptides designed to resemble the section of p53 that interacts with HDM2. When biochemical and structural studies revealed that HDM2 and HDMX engage the same region of p53, the researchers examined whether the most effective engineered HDM2 inhibitor (SAH-p53-8) could also interfere with HDMX and how this interaction might influence the p53 activity.
The SAH-p53-8 compound was even more effective at targeting HDMX and effectively blocked formation of the inhibitory p53-HDMX complex, thereby restoring the p53 pathway and reducing tumor cell viability. Importantly, when SAH-p53-8 was delivered intravenously to mice with HDMX-expressing cancer, p53 activity was increased and tumor growth was suppressed.
"We found that targeting HDMX overcame HDMX-mediated p53 suppression and resistance to selective HDM2 inhibition, while dual targeting of HDM2 and HDMX maximized therapeutic reactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in cancers that express both protein antagonists and retain functional p53," concludes Dr. Walensky. "Importantly, monitoring cellular levels of p53-HDMX complex may be useful for predicting cancer cell susceptibility to HDMX inhibition and determining the efficacy of HDM2 inhibitor-mediated p53 restoration, which forms the basis for enhancing the therapeutic impact of dual HDM2/HDMX targeting in resistant cancers."


It often occurs that cancer cells will combat the natural protection against it within the body. This protector is called p53, a.k.a. the “guardian of the g-nome.” A new compound called SAH-p53-8 has been used in experimentally combating HDMX protein which plays a role in cancer’s ability to get passed our p53. It’s hopeful that this is the first step to a p53 restoring treatment.
This is an interesting find for the medical community that I would love to here more of. Though it’s far from a cure to cancer, it is a start in the right direction to assisting our bodies in naturally combating the condition more easily. It would very ground breaking if we were only required to go through a bare minimum of cancer treatment because our bodies could do the rest by itself.

Current Event-Ben snider

Two news papers based on NASA's research propose that there may be life on Saturn's largest moon TITAN. While non-biological chemistry offers one possible explanation, some scientists believe these chemical signatures bolster the argument for a primitive, exotic form of life or precursor to life on Titan's surface. One persons theory says it may be "methane-based life."

One finding comes from the journal Icarus that shows hydrogen molecules entering down through Titan's atmosphere and disappearing at the surface. Another paper online now in the Journal of Geophysical Research maps hydrocarbons on the Titan surface and also finds a lack of acetylene.

It would be pretty cool to find life on another planet (or a moon) because that may mean in the far future people may move to that planet/moon.

http://www.macroevolution.net/life-on-titan.html

current event

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/15/t_rexs_big_tail_was_its_key_to_speed_and_hunting_prowess.html

T. rex's tail muscles made it one of the fastest dinosaurs of its time. They thought it was just to balance the weight of its big head. Earlier researchers thought it was a scavenger only able to survive by feeding on animals killed by other predators.They discovered the muscles in its body discovering how it was able to move fast.

I think this is cool because it was always thought as slow dinosaur. But actually it was one of the fastest. also because it was always said to be a scavenger because it was thought as slow and not able to kill prey. i always thought it was the way the older scientists said it was.

Researcher explores wheher fish feel pain

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/17/researcher_explores_whether_fish_feel_pain.html

In a recent research project, biologist Victoria Braithwaite of Penn State University conducted a research project to see if fish feel pain. In her research she found that fish have the same kinds of nerve fibers as other mammals that detect pain. She also found that some species of fish have more sophisticated forms of cognition. In one test it showed that when they hurt the fish the fish reacted. She also thinks that fish should get the same protection as birds do.

In my opinion it think this research is cool because when i go fishing i have wanted to know if the fish feel. I think it is cool that the research is so easy to do. I dont think that fish should be protected like birds because fish have more open space and less of a threat from humans. Its also interesting that fish are more intelligent than we thought.

Researcher explores whether fish feel pain

This researcher has been trying to figure this question out for decades. She recently wrote a book on whether or not humans have anything to do with their pain. She found out that fish have the same kind of nerve fibers that mammals do. She discovered that fish brains are more complex than we used to think. She thinks that finding a more humane way of killing fish.

I am not against sport fishing, but there could be other ways. I would not want to be hurt if I was being caught to eat. I would want to die so it wouldn't hurt at all. I think that finding a more humane way would be good for those who are against sport fishing in the first place. I also think it would be good for vegetarians because they would at least know that they are not being hurt while killed.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/17/researcher_explores_whether_fish_feel_pain.html

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/15/t_rexs_big_tail_was_its_key_to_speed_and_hunting_prowess.html
The Trex's tail muscle made it so athletic. The muscle helps make it one of the fastest of its time. He compared the trex tail to present day reptiles. This showed him just how strong it really is. He also found out that the ribs, which give the power, are much higher on the Trex.

I think this shows us how athletic and fast they really are. this spead causes them to be able to catch its pray. this also means without that species dieing out we would not be alive today. I say we better be glad they died.

Biology comes to life for Mason High School students

http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=173996&cid=100227

This article is about 7-year-old Brady Bly informing a Mason High School (Cincinnati, OH) biology class about his diagnosis with PKU. Brady was diagnosed with PKU as a six-day-old infant. His parents showed the students a video on people who weren't screened and treated for PKU and others who were identified with it and treated since birth. The couple also has another child with PKU. Brady is treated every two months and can participate in activities like everybody else.

In my opinion, this is a wonderful experience for biology students to learn about a child with a genetic disorder. Since our class is also learning about genetic disorders, they seem to be on the same schedule as us. With Brady's disease comes a special diet. His parents spend over $750 between the two kids each month. You can get 2 months worth of groceries with that! The government needs to insure this into their coverage.

Modeling Autism in a Dish

Researchers from Stalk Institute of Biological Sciences and the University of California opportunely used human activated pluripotent stem cells, evolved from patients with Rett Syndrome. So they could reduplicate autism and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease in the lab. Their findings acknowledge disease-specific cellular defects such as scant functional conjunction between Rett neurons and displayed that these symptoms are convertible, saying that maybe one day autism might be a treatable condition. Before, scientists had been constricted to study the brains of people with autistic spectrum disorders via imaging technologies or postmortem brain tissues. The ability to obtain iPS cells from patients skin cells, can be persuaded to develop into the cell type damaged by the disease gives scientists an aberrant view of autism.

Researcher explores whether fish feel pain

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/17/researcher_explores_whether_fish_feel_pain.html

Summary – This article is about Victoria Braithwaite who has recently published a book about whether or not fish feel pain. She talks about how she did numerous experiments to find if fish feel pain, and the results came out positive. When the fish were hurt, they reacted to the pain, and when the fish were given pain relief, their behavior changed, which Braithwaite said indicated that the fish do in fact feel pain. Braithwaite believes that her research will encourage fish farmers to be more humane about the way they kill fish, instead of just leaving them to suffocate. This sums up what the article was discussing.

Opinion – I think her research was kind of pointless because I thought everyone already knew that all animals, fish included, feel pain when you hurt them. Also, in my opinion, this topic does not seem to be very pressing, so I can’t figure out why she would spend decades of her life to find out if fish feel pain, especially since she says she is a big eater of fish. I do think that it is nice that she is thinking of animals, though, and that she cares about how the fish farmers and catchers kill them. However, if she really cares about fish, she should not want to kill them in the first place, and she should have become one of those crazy animal rights people. That is my honest to goodness opinion about the article.

Fish Out Of Water

www.bioliogynews.net/archieves/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_speices_alive_on_land.html

Patricia Wright, biologist from the university of Guelph, Onterio, has discovered a new cell in killifish. Killifish are small fish, native to mangroves of Central and South America and Florida. This fish fish have a special cell that allows them to live above wayer, in a moist atmosphere, for over two months. The cell is called an ionocytes, these cells are mostly found on the gills of other fish. The ionocyts help the fish keep balance of their salt and water intake.

I think if we use this information we can make a whole new species of fish. Reaserchers could work on fixing the DNA so that the fish could, not just stay on land for two months, but live on land as many other orgainisms do. If fish could learn, or be geneticly enhanced, to live without salt, i think it would be very possible for them to live on land. A world where fish could live in dry land with humans, would be truely interesting.

Josh Grix

The I.R.R ( international rice research) sent 42,627 samples of seeds from different types of rice last week to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, called the "Doomsday Vault," to help secure the world's rice diversity. The black boxes containing the rice seeds traveled to the mountains of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, its kind of close to the North Pole. Deep inside Svalbard's icy mountains, the Vault houses all of the world's important crop seeds that may be humanity's ultimate insurance in food security in the event of a major crisis. The rice collection that left IRR is the Institute's second deposit to the Vault. The first deposit of 70,180 rice samples was made during the inauguration of the Vault in February 2008 – the largest shipment for the Vault's opening.

Titanoboa

Summary- Smithsonian researchers have unearthed the first macrofossil evidence of a neotropical rainfroest. Titanoboa, the biggest snake on record, lived in this rainforest 58 million years ago. This huge serpant was 42 feet long with a weight of 2510 pounds. At its greatest width the snake would have probably come up to your waist. the estimates are based on the size and length of the vertibral coloumn.



Opinion- I think its quit fascinating. I am also glad that it's not alive today. I wonder if it would it us if it were alive. I also wonder what it ate. I wonder if it ate goats.




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

Special Skin Keeps Fish Species Alive on Land

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_species_alive_on_land.html

Professor Wright, a biologist, has been studying these special fish, called mangrove killifish, that can survive on land when there is no water. For a long time the ion exchange confused Wright; she didn't understand how the fish exchanged ions when there was no water. Her team of researchers later discovered that there are ionocytes on the skin of these fish instead of on their gills. This allows the fish to balance the number of ions out of water. In normal fish these ionocytes dissapear when they are developing but in the mangrove killifish they stay. The number of ionocytes return to normal when the fish are back in water.
To me, I think these fish are pretty awesome. I always thought that it was impossible for fish to live out of water for an extended period of time. This article makes me wonder how many other surprises there are in nature, and how many discoveries are awaiting humans to find them. I learned in this article what ionocytes are, and that fish cannot survive without an equal exchange and balance of ions. I will now be more open when reading things about nature and I will continue to look for amazing facts like the ones included in this article.

human hair = plant food?

Recent studies have shown that plants use human hair as a fertilizer. If combined with compost, it could be used as a nutrient source for plants. Hair waste, combined with other sources, could be a new source of fertilizer! We could use hair and compost together and plant it in the ground to grow flowers. Scientists are continuing to study this theory.

I think that it is very cool that you could use hair waste as a fertilizer! That also helps save money by using hair instead of buying special fertilizers. It is also way easier. Scientists need to keep studying the theory. If hair can be used, everyone can fertilize easily and help the world! :)

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biology-current-events.html

Genetic diversity of rice now secure in 'Doomsday Vault'

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/genetic_diversity_of_rice_now_secure_in_doomsday_vault.html

In this article, the IRRI and IRG are major parts. The collection of rice is talked about, and how important it is to preserve genetic diversity is. This is important becuase since the environments are slowly changing along with the climate. Since people like to eat rice, the genetic materials need to stay as close to the same as possible or rice might turn into some other plant. All in all, keeping rice the same is very important.

I think this is a very intersting article because I never thought rice was important. Since the whole world eats rice, the whole world needs to be able to get rice. This article makes me want to look at a job at the IRRI. It would help if I liked rice in the first place if I wanted to work with it. All in all, rice is important and needs to stay the same.

new use of telomerase

New 3-D model of RNA \'core domain\' of enzyme telomerase may offer clues to cancer, aging

I think that this current break through could offer new treatments in cancer majorly. if scientist can use telomerase to shorten the life of cancer cell before they divide into a mass it could save lifes. and telomerase could also slow down aging and save girls across the world tons of money.

summary
Mutating a single gene in parenial grass may give it more roots. Grasses like this are important so biofuel crops can be harvested repeatedly. Biofuel crops usually arent able to be harvested until the second or third year but due to the gene mutating it makes it be able to happen much faster. A team of scientist appears to have found a way to do that to the parenial grasses. It's possible that by manipulating a single gene you could get a plant to grow at a much faster pace.

Opinion
I think that growing plants much faster is cool. It could help us grow more biofuels much faster and harvest more crops in their planting season. If there are more scientist willing to do this sort of thing for us are world could be a much more sofisticated place. I think its pretty amazing there is guys dedicationg their whole lives for science to make the world a better place. Thats what I think about plant gene mutation.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/11/gene_discovery_suggests_way_to_engineer_fastgrowing_plants.html

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/11/gene_discovery_suggests_way_to_engineer_fastgrowing_plants.html

5 Sentence Summary

If you change one gene could give certain grasses more robust roots which could help speed up the growing process. These grasses are all importaint bio fuels. Before they grasses can be grown like lawn grass, the root system needs to be established. When the researchers disrupted UPB1 activity in the plant root, it started to grow alot faster than it did. When the UPB1 activity was increased, the root growgth slowed.



5 Sentence Opinion

I think that if we can incorporate this into like exportated crops and crops grown for food, we would probablly not have to worry about running out of food. If the food grows faster, we would have more food to have for us and to export helping the economy. It's also cool that we found out how to do this with biofuel grasses so we can have more fuel and lower the price of gas. I also think it is cool because we are learning new things that are good for us and we are moving forward so quickly. I think they should continue the research in this type of field.

New DNA Repair Pathway

US Davis researchers have found a new pathway to repair DNA that was damaged by oxygen radicals. The bodys immune system composes oxygen radicals, or reactive oxygen species, which kill parasites, tumors and bacteria. The oxygen radicals are associated to cancer and aging they are also formed during metabolism and affixed too exposure to environmental toxins and radiation. The researhcers understanding the damage, could be repaired so they can have a lead on what causes some cancers. These four bases of DNA: A,T,G and C can react with oxygen radicals as well. Beal and David the head researchers came to the conclusion that the whole system works something like this: Inflammation creates oxygen radicals, which damage DNA, which is repaired by NEIL1. Inflammation also generates interferon, which induces ADAR1, which then edits NEIL1 to produce the more active, specific form to cope with more severe types of DNA base damage.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/09/new_dna_repair_pathway.html

Special skin keeps fish species alive on land

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_species_alive_on_land.html



During dry seasons when their pools disappear, mangrove killifish can survive for extended periods of time as long as they stay moist. They can do this by breathing air through their skin. The gills are normally in charge of processes such as maintaning the correct combination of ions and water in the cells of the fish. Research shows that the skin or the mangrove killifish is picking up the slack for the gills. Ionocytes are the cells responsible for maintaining the right balance of water and salt in a fish's cells. Ionocytes are normally found on the gills of fish, but on the mangrove killifish they are found in a cluster on the skin. This gives these special fish the power to live out of water for up to two months.



In my opinion, this research is very helpful to understanding the mangrove killifish. With a further understanding of the fish scientists could maybe eventually find out other things such as: diseases the fish might have and spread, other special things the fish could do, and more. This can also keep up the populations of this specific fish. Scientist could continue researching and examining this fish.

Mary Katherine Parson developed the state's first Marine Biology program

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=127103

This article is about a biology teacher acknowledged for developing a new, state biology program. Mary Katherine Parson, a Little Rock high school teacher, has been teaching for 8 years. Meanwhile, her principal is astonished. Parson even took her students to Florida during spring break last year. However, she wasn't even interested in teaching until she got to graduate school. Her renowned program earned her a Teacher of the Year nomination.

In my opinion, I think this accomplishment is wonderful. Only a teacher with passion would create a program to benefit her students. Another reason I admire her actions is because she took her students to Florida. I wish I was with them. Parsons has my vote for Teacher of the Year in her district.

Artist's awe-inspiring underwater reef complete

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ygreen/20101112/sc_ygreen/artistsaweinspiringunderwaterreefcomplete

Just recently an underwater sculpture museum was built in the waters near Cancun, Mexico. The artist is Jason Taylor and he built 400 sculptures of people that took 120 hours to build and $250000. The exhibit was made so that people could come to this underwater museum to snorkle and look at the fish and take the people away from the natural reefs that are being destroyed by humans. The reefs are being constantly assaulted by pollution such as sewage and run-off.

In my opinion i think this project was good because it is taking the pressure of human impact off of the natural reefs and putting it on the man made ones. The man made reef also profides a new atmosphere to the reef because instead of coral thare are sculptures to look at. it will also provide a new home for fish and other species.

Ben Snider, Current event

A recent study shows how a fish stays alive for up to two months on land. It's all in there skin. Mangrove Killifish are fish that are very small, about 1-2 inches. They live in pools in mangrove forests in central America, south America, and Florida. During dry seasons when their pools disappear, the fish hole up in leaf litter or hollow logs. As long as they stay moist, they can survive for extended periods of time out of water by breathing air through their skin. The fish also need something else to survive. Professor Patricia Wright, from the University of Guelph, Ontario has studied these fish for a few years now and concludes that " All cells in the body need the right combination of ions and water for an animal to stay alive," and she said that "Normally, the gills are responsible for these processes in fish. We knew that in mangrove Killifish the gills are likely useless on land, so how these fish maintain ion balance out of water was a mystery,"

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_species_alive_on_land.html

Special skin keeps fish species alive on land-Hannah Moerk

Summary:

Lately research has shown that this special skin on fish is keeping them alive on land. The mangrove killifish are small fish that live in temporary pools in mangroove forests of Florida and Central/South America . During the dry seasons when their pools disapear, they hole in leaf litter or hollow logs. As long as their skin is moist, they can survive for extended periods of time out of water by breathing through their skin. So what is it that allows these mangroove kilifish to breathe out of water?

Opinion:

Through a series of labratory experiments, scientists have found special cells called ionocytes clustered on the skin of the fish. The ionocytes are responsible for maintaining the right balance of water and salt within its cells. After research, it is evident that these fish are exchanging ions through their skin, allowing them to breathe even outside of the water. It is a special adaptation that these fish have, and they can do it for over 60 days. What a neat process that happens within these fish enableing them to breathe out of water!

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_species_alive_on_land.html

Fighting Against Colds

http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/exercise-appears-to-prevent-the-common-cold/19699315

This article talks about how you can prevent getting sick by exercising. A group of adults were watched, and those who exercised didn't get as sick compared to the ones that didn't exercise. The article also pointed out that those who did exercise, but still got that sick, that the symptoms weren't as bad as those who didn't. When you exercise and stay healthy that makes your immune system stronger, which allows your body to fight off colds and other viruses.

Staying physically fit is very important to me. I think that if all you have to do from getting a cold is to exercise then people should try to stay fit. Also people should always get their flu shots because you still want to take extra steps when dealing with your health.

Special skin keeps fish species alive on land

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_species_alive_on_land.html

Summary – This article is about how Mangrove killifish can survive for two months out of water. At first, this stumped scientists, but now they have figured out that the skin of the killifish contains cells called ionocytes. These are also in the gills of normal fish, and they help regulate the salt to water ratio inside the fish. When the fish are out of water and in a moist place, their bodies can still carry out normal processes because the ionocytes are working hard and exchanging ions with the environment, keeping the fishes’ internal conditions stable. This is what this article was about.

Opinion – I think that this is actually very cool. The fact that these fish can survive on land without their gills working is amazing. It really makes you think because the first species on earth lived in the water and slowly came to land. Maybe these fish are like a descendent of those first animals who came out of the water and adapted to land to create the human species! It really makes you think as well, and what if the opposite could be true and land animals could survive under water for two months! This is my opinion on the article.

Artificial spider silk from trangenic silkworms

http://www.macroevolution.net/artificial-spider-silk.html



Scientists have succeded in producing a trangenic silkworm. This worm has made artificial spider silk. This has been an important goal in material science. Scientists have many biomedical applications that they want to do with this in the future. These silkworms that have been genetically engineered have solved the problem of large scale production of engineered protein fibers.

I think that this is a great accomplishment. I think that scientists should start applying this "invention" to their ideas. This could help a lot of different thinks. I also think that this will improve the environment. It could help with some of the problems our economy is having right now too.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/special_skin_keeps_fish_species_alive_on_land.html
Mangrove fish is only 1-2 inches long and live in small pools. They live in South Africa and Southern Florida. During times of no rain there pools dry up. So they live in hallow logs and under leaves. As long as they stay moist they will live for a long while. There skin makes this posible.

I think this awesome because they can stay alive. without water most fish would die. they have an amazing talent to do this.

Gene therapy could treat depression: US research

Gene therapy could be the new solution to severe depression. Some patients will respond to medication but others need a better solution. A particular protein that is related to pleasure and satisfaction is missing in severe depression. The therapy would insert a virus into your brain to help produce this protein that is missing. When they did this study with mice, it relieved depression symptoms greatly.

I think they should offer this as a new treatment option. Depression can lead to many unpleasant things for good people. If there was someone in my family that needed this treatment, I would make sure they got it. I am all for this new treatment if it will improve depression. I think this can be the new treatment option that everyone will want to have.

Doom'sday Vault

SUMMERY
This year, the world celebrates the International Year of Biodiversity where countries recognize the importance of the range of the world's wildlife. The IRRI, or International Rice Research Institute, has 42,627 samples of different types of rice seeds they'd collected sent to the Svalbard Global seed Vault called the "Doomsday Vault". The black boxes of rices seeds were transported across the Norwegian archipelago 1,200 kilometers from the North Pole. There, the conditions are best for preservation in preparation and insurance in the case of a global catastrophy. The first and largest deposit into the vault was made during it's inauguration in February 2008. 70,180 rice samples were locked in the vault. And, Nearly 110,000 types of rice are kept in long-term storage at the base where they can be stored for hundreds of years. So far, 126 countries are contracted in fair shares of benefits from the resources stored in the vault.
OPINION
I'm glad that countries worldwide are taking steps to preserve global diversity. And, even without the case of a global catastrophe, there's still species that are going extinct. With the help of genetic engineering and the samples we're preserving, we could revive species from the brink of extinction. And, I'm sure this is already taking place in labs where they're creating samples to freeze for genetic material.
BRITTANY BURNS
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/11/08/genetic_diversity_of_rice_now_secure_in_doomsday_vault.html

Scientists find damage to coral near BP well

NEW ORLEANS – For the first time, federal scientists have found damage to deep sea coral and other marine life on the ocean floor several miles from the blown-out BP well — a strong indication that damage from the spill could be significantly greater than officials had previously acknowledged.

Tests are needed to verify that the coral died from oil that spewed into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, but the chief scientist who led the government-funded expedition said Friday he was convinced it was related.

"What we have at this point is the smoking gun," said Charles Fisher, a biologist with Penn State University who led the expedition aboard the Ronald Brown, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel.

"There is an abundance of circumstantial data that suggests that what happened is related to the recent oil spill," Fisher said.

For the government, the findings were a departure from earlier statements. Until now, federal teams have painted relatively rosy pictures about the spill's effect on the sea and its ecosystem, saying they had not found any damage on the ocean floor.

In early August, a federal report said that nearly 70 percent of the 170 million gallons of oil that gushed from the well into the sea had dissolved naturally, or was burned, skimmed, dispersed or captured, with almost nothing left to see — at least on top of the water. The report was blasted by scientists.

Most of the Gulf's bottom is muddy, but coral colonies that pop up every once in a while are vital oases for marine life in the chilly ocean depths.

Coral is essential to the Gulf because it provides a habitat for fish and other organisms such as snails and crabs, making any large-scale death of coral a problem for many species. It might need years, or even decades, to grow back.

"It's cold on the bottom, and things don't grow as quickly," said Paul Montagna, a marine scientist at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. He was not on the expedition.

Montagna said the affected area is so large, and scientists' ability to explore it with underwater robots so limited that "we'll never be able to see everything that happened down there."

Using a robot called Jason II, researchers found the dead coral in an area measuring up to 130 feet by 50 feet, about 4,600 feet under the surface.

"These kinds of coral are normally beautiful, brightly colored," Fisher said. "What you saw was a field of brown corals with exposed skeleton — white, brittle stars tightly wound around the skeleton, not waving their arms like they usually do."

Fisher described the soft and hard coral they found seven miles southwest of the well as an underwater graveyard. He said oil probably passed over the coral and killed it.

The coral has "been dying for months," he said. "What we are looking at is a combination of dead gooey tissues and sediment. Gunk is a good word for what it is."

Eric Cordes, a Temple University marine scientist on the expedition, said his colleagues have identified about 25 other sites in the vicinity of the well where similar damage may have occurred. An expedition is planned for next month to explore those sites.

When coral is threatened, its first reaction is to release large amounts of mucus, "and anything drifting by in the water column would get bound up in this mucus," Cordes said. "And that is what this (brown) substance would be: A variety of things bound up in the mucus."

About 90 percent of the large coral was damaged, Fisher said.

The expedition was funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The mission was part of a four-year study of the Gulf's depths, but it was expanded this year to look at oil spill damage.

In a statement released Thursday night, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said the expedition underscored that the damage to marine life from the oil spill is "not easily seen." She added that more research was needed to gain a "comprehensive understanding of impacts to the Gulf."

"Given the toxic nature of oil, and the unprecedented amount of oil spilled, it would be surprising if we did not find damage," she said.

NOAA did not provide any officials or scientists of its own who went on the expedition. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said its researcher on the expedition was unavailable.

Cordes said that the expedition did not find dramatic visual evidence of coral damage in other sites north of the well. But he said it was premature to say coral elsewhere in the Gulf was not damaged.

The new findings, though, could mean long-term trouble for the coral southwest of the well, where computer models and research cruises mapped much of the deepwater oil.

Referring to one type of coral known as "gorgonians," Cordes said he had never seen them "come back from having lost so much tissue. It would have to be re-colonization from scratch."

The bp oil spill every one knew there would be affects. Like every great scientist if there's a cause there will always be effect. I wounder what other habits the spill has ruined because of the spill many have already started to heal and steal themselves back up. Some will be dead for ever there are bad effects and good ones it's the way of life the corals will just have to come back but what life cycle have the disrupted.