Friday, August 27, 2010

Natural Cure to Cncer found

http://www.macroevolution.net/natural-cure-for-cancer.html

A natural cure for cancer has been found by sweedish in the university of gothenburg and Lund university. Its called HAMLET and is commonly found in breast milk. HAMLET binds and kills cancer cells. HAMLET stands For Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumor cells. HAMLET was discovered 2 years ago but was recently approved to be tested. It was given to patients with bladder cancer, and scientist would analyze their urine and find dead cancer cells. Scientist now have hope that it can be turned into medication for cancer patients. Scientists discovered HAMLET while studying the Anti-bacterial action of breast milk. HAMLET is made of protein and fatty acid found naturally in breast milk. HAMLET also is amazing because it only kills Cancer cells not healthy cells. It has also been proven to cure 40 different types of cancer. Scientist now are testing its effects on cancer.

Measuring Real-time Gene Expression -- Kilby Young

http://www.macroevolution.net/real-time-gene-expression.html

Summary - A study was done at the University of South Carolina to experiement on how genes affect animals. The "guinea pigs" were typical fruit flies. The experimentors of this inserted a harmless chemical called Green Fluoresent Protein (GFP). When this gene was being used by the fly, it would give of a fluoresent glow. The studying few were really interested in what genes were activated while the fly was dying. The genes the scientists were studying were know to be active during oxidative stress, which is what the fly goes through when it is dying.

Opinion - I thought this was interesting because not many people are into the genes of flies. I also liked that the people studying the flies used the Green Fluoresent Protein. It is a very smart idea and completely harmless to the fly itself. It was also cool finding out what oxidative stress was and that that's how flies generally die. Another pretty interesting idea from this artical is that GFP could be inserted into any gene and you would be able to track it at any time.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/08/24/true_causes_for_extinction_of_cave_bear_revealed.html

The decline of the cave bear started about 50,000 years ago. The Cave Bear became extinct about 24,000 years ago. The cause has never been known till now as doctors have realize it is not because of climate change but instead its because of human expansion. This new information is now known since they found 17 new fossils. Which told scientists that where they lived climate did not change very much but it was in the middle of human expansion.

I think that the Cave Bears were declining because of humans. Cave Bears are like many animals and are going extinct because of human expansion around the world. I also think it took to long with all the technology to get to no that Cave Bears declined because of humans. I also think it is the way of life for animals but it happened to quickly. Cave Bears are nice animals and deserve to live with out the threat of being killed or dieing.

Fish Oil and Fish Extinction- Hannah Moerk

http://www.macroevolution.net/fish-oil-health-benefits.html

Summary:
The fish population is at risk, and becoming more and more endangered. Doctors are recommending fish oil for health benefits, but are the health benefits really that significant? Is it worth endangering the fish, and where are all these fish coming from? On the countering side, in some countries fish is a major part of a healthy diet. What is the solution to the decreasing fish population and this controversial issue?

Opinion:
Through research, it has been proven that there are major health benefits of fish oil for humans. Therefore I believe that it is worth sacrificing some of the fish population for these benefits. If they do help prevent the risks of heart diseases among other things, then I think it is important to use fish for these benefits. I do however understand that if we do keep killing a plentiful amount of fish, then they won't be around for us to use later. So my solution would be to continue to sell fish oil, but at the same time continue research by scientists to study and pinpoint the groups of people and diseases that can be positively affected by the use of fish oil. With more proven research this would also, limit the mass consumption of fish oil by the general public, of whom there are really no proven health benefits.

Why Fish Don't Freeze in the Arctic Ocean

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/08/25/why_fish_dont_freeze_in_the_arctic_ocean.html


Researchers have been interested in why fish don't freeze in the arctic ocean for a long time. The temperature of the arctic waters is about -1.8 degrees C which is -.9 degrees colder than a fish's freezing point. Scientists were able to find anti-freeze proteins in the blood of the fish which allowed the fish to stay alive in the freezing temperatures. Although they are still not completely sure how the protein works, they have figured out that it creates bonds with the water molecules. These bonds don't just connect with one water molecule from one protein, the proteins affects a large range of water molecules to form a "hydration shell".
This article was interesting to me because I think it is amazing that fish can withstand freezing temperatures. Everyday science is advancing to give us access to tools that are used to study the wonders of the world around us. There is so much to explore and so many things that we don't know, it is always fascinating to see what mysteries scientists are solving. I also chose this article because I think it is interesting to learn about what goes on in the aminals that we, as humans, share the Earth with. You can always look at the appearance of an animal on the outside, but you don't always have a chance to observe what is inside.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Whale sharks may produce many litters from 1 mating

http://Whale sharks may produce many litters from 1 mating, paternity test shows



How do female whale sharks reproduce? little is known about mating habits of these gentle giants. A newly published article by Jennifer Schmidt reveals new details about the mating habits of the elusive difficult to study fish.



In my opinion as the whale shark becomes less in number due to their docile nature and hunting in Asiatic areas, they have to find a natural way to grow in numbers. And by mating once and not having a to stay in a single area they can grow in number due to the strange reproductive system. Scientist think that one of the reasons this happens is the animals spend to much energy in the process of mating. I think this isn't the reason at all, i think these gentle giants are developing their own way of fighting back by this strange but very efficient system.

US judge bars growing of genetically modified beets

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A US judge has ordered a ban on growing genetically modified beets in the United States until the Department of Agriculture fully investigates their environmental impact.

Judge Jeffrey White of the federal court in San Francisco, California, made the ruling on Friday. It bars new cultivation of the genetically modified beets, which represent 90 percent of the US crop.

Beets are the source of half of US sugar production; the rest is from sugar cane.

Experts think the evaluation that was requested will take more than two years. Some fear that could lead to shortages, and growers warn there may not be enough of the traditional unmodified seed.

The judge ruled at the request of activists, including the Center for Food Safety, and the Sierra Club, which oppose genetically modified crops.

The US sugar beet crop was worth 1.33 billion dollars in 2007-2008.

Summary: Judge Jeffery White of the federal court has ruled against the making of genetically modified beets. He wants the Department of Agriculture to fully investigates the beets environmental impact. Experts think because of this delay the request will take up to two years. The farms warn that there may be not enough of the normal beets and fear there may be a shortage in beets.

I think that the judge ruled unfairly to the scientist who made the beets, in ruling to the activist. The beets should be tested to see there impact but they should be given to farms in controlled environments and tested.
Chelsea Hinesley
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100815/sc_afp/healthsciencefoodbiotechgmo

Shelby G. Current Event

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,600151,00.htm


A man had two badly burned hands and was going to have to live without both of them, but science has improved to the point where doctors were able to get two hand to be transplanted. The hands were donated by the same person which helped a lot. The patient had to under go and 7 and a half hour surgery. A doctor outside the operating room tweeted updates through out the surgery. Since the man still had his burned hands attached to his body the doctors were able to connect some of his exciting nerves into the transplant hands.

My option:
I think this is great, these doctors were able to give this man a second chance to a some what normal life. It is amazing how much science and medicine has evolved over the years it was stated that this is the same hospital that preformed the first successful hand transplant in 1999 and now they are transplanting 2! This type of story really makes me think if I want to be an organ donor when I die. This mans life was drastically changed just by another mans decision and that to me is amazing. If I had the chance to do something like this I would seriously think about it because what if it was me waiting for a donor I would want someone to do something like this for me.

Torrie Johnson 1-2 period

My current event for today is "HIV virus hides in the brain". This is because the anti- HIV medicine that the doctor are giving their patients helps prevent AIDS and the spreading of the virus itself. There is only problem with, studies show that out of 70 patients 10% have signs of having a virus in their spinal fluid. Since the HIV virus is very contagious it can do really bad damage to the brain so it is important that it is removed or taken care of. That procedure sounds a lot easier than it really it because the brain have a barriers that can prevent the medicine from doing what it is suppose to do. My opinion is that in order to prevent from getting the HIV virus is using a condom or not having sex at all. Now I know that you can get HIV from other ways, but it is still a sexually transmitted disease. Also I think pharmacist should try to find another drug that will not have all these side effects. I also think that it is really scary yo have a virus in your and do have a virus in the brain and let get that far without noticing. This is my topic and for this week but i will back.

Weird Alien Life on Earth - And Earth Microbes on Alien Planets

Scientist from Prinston University wanted to know if terrestrial life would live on Mars. They exposed some microbes to conditions similar to those on Mars and they couldn't survive in those conditions. Other scientist say that fs the microbes are buired in at least 2in of dust they have a better chance of surviving. Bacteria DNA and protiens were more resistant to the dustruction than the bacteria themselves. Astrobiologists recognizethat potential life froms may be very different from the one we are used to seeing.
In my opinion they should use planets that are more like ours. They should use microbs that can take harsh weather. They should also use the things that are on Mars like the dust and stuff like that. Maybe they could do the weather in Jupiter or something. It would be very intresting to see what would happen.


http://www.macroevolution.net/weird-alien-life.html

Super Bacteria

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-08/new-bacteria-mutation-makes-common-bacteria-resistant-almost-every-antibiotoc


A new super bacteria that is immune to most antibiotics as been discovered and is spreading fast. This bacteria is called NDM-1( New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase). NDM-1 is a bacteria that arms common harmful bacteria such as E coli and has such a great resistance that its not effected by carbapenems, which is drug used when all other antibiotics fail. The "Superbug" as its called was first discovered in India and is now spread to the UK and the United States. So far there has been no breakthrough for a antibiotic for this "Superbug".

After reading this artical, i'm not surprised to hear of this new bacteria. Through the years there has been many viral and bacterial outbreaks, such as MRSA and H1N1, that have,at first discover, seemed like they could bring the downfall of our world. After those outbreaks have taken their course we stand to find that it was'nt as major of an issue as we predicted. I predict that this bacteria will take course and possibly shake our nation. If researchers continue to study this NDM-1, I bielieve that they will find a cure or some sort of resistence against this bacteria.

JoAnne J

Freeze or Run?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825131548.htm

Scientists have recently begun to perform something called "fear circuitry," basically controlling the way fear is activated in different parts of the brain, on lab mice. The scientists have genetically engineered the mouses' cells to where they contain a chemical receptor that reacts with a certain drug. When the drug is injected, certain receptors block electrical activity on the cells, which allows scientists to see which cells are involved with controlling fear. They did this in an area in the brain called the amygdala, and they shut off all the type I cells. They thought that since they shut off those cells in the amygdala, an area known to have functions to fear, they would be able to see what controlled fear and measure the amount of fear that the mice had when they heard a certain noise that scared them. They weren't surprised to see the mice freeze, but they were very surprised to see the mice do other actions instead, such as behaving in very risky manors and rearing. Instead of completely blocking fear, the scientists were instead changing the fear responses from passive to active, which was not what the amygdala was thought to do. So, the scientists scanned the brains of the mice to find out what they did wrong and they found that they had activated parts of the cortex of the brain. With that, the scientists may be able to go back to having the mice with freezing when scared, and start over with their tests to block fear.

I thought this article was pretty interesting, as I tend to like to be calm, rather than scared or in fear. I also think that having a team of fear-circuiting scientists is pretty neat, because they can conduct experiments as to how to control fear, which may lead to further strategies of stress-relief and ways to calm someone down if he/she may be scared. And also with the research, we might get some more medicine as stress-reducers, and medicine that will calm the nerves if someone is very scared of something. I'm very excited to see what kinds of strategies and medicines will benefit from this research. I think that we could really use the medicines.

Ancient Manuscripts, Origins Revealed by DNA

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

Many documents from midieval times were made on parchment paper and still exist today. Timothy Stinson, a profesor at NC State University is taking DNA samples off the animal skin to run test and analyze the skin. He starts by taking a document with a know date then comparing it to an document with an unknown origin. His long term goal is to be able to have a data base that he will us to find out when a certain document was written and even where it was written. Stinson says that other ways of determining the age of documents is not always accurate and that his waky will help to resove that problem. He says that because a parachment book can contain around one hundred pages the books can provide even more information to his data base.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/08/25/why_fish_dont_freeze_in_the_arctic_ocean.html

5 Sentence Summary

The article is about how scientists decided to study how fish in the Arctic Ocean could survive in the cold temperatures of the ocean. The fish have a special chemical in their blood to keep them from freezing. Scientists say that this chemical actually works better than anti-freeze. Temperatures of 1.8 c according to the article says that that temp. should be enough to freeze a fish's blood. The actual freezing point of fish blood is -.9 c. These fish being able to survive in these temperatures have interested scientists for over 50 years.


5 Sentence Opinion

In my opinion this article was very interesting. I think this research is very important and the article is very descriptive and thorough. I think that it is pretty interesting that these fish above all others have been able to adapt to their environment. I also think that if there was a way for us to replicate those chemicals, we would be better off and more advanced because apparently it is better than our anti-freeze. In my opinion the article was very intriguing and informative.

UCI-Scripps Study Links Cellular Motors to Memory

Neuroscientists from UC Irvine and the Florida campus of The Scripps Research have discovered motor proteins play a major role in long-term memories. Two men from UCI found that special proteins are needed to maintain healthy brain functions and learning. Along with brain functions, these proteins produce the structure of spines. Myosin II motors are an important protein complex that control forces within cells. Both schools believe they are closer to a breakthrough dealing with aging and other mental issues.

In my opinion, I think they can find the solution to these issues in a time we need it most. Soon, scientists will find cures to other life-threating dieseases. The article had scientific terms I didn't understand, but I managed to comprehend the main idea of it. I really hope they find the cure to this illness because brain loss is close to life loss. All the scientists need to do is keep studying!
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/08/25/uciscripps_study_links_cellular_motors_to_memory.html

New Study Finds New Connection Between Yoga and Mood

Researchers have found that yoga may be a better form of exercise & have a positive effect on your mood. They contrasted the brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels between those who do yoga & those that walk. Over time those who practiced yoga have a greater decrease in anxiety & more improvements in mood than those who walked. The GABA levels increased with all the other positive changes. This study was done to promote yoga instead of other exercises as therapy for those who have mental disorders.

I think yoga is a better way to relax & you are getting some exercise. Anytime you exercise it will help release all your anxiety. Yoga is such a simple way to exercise and I am surprised it has so much effect on your body. Doing yoga will help you get into exercising & eating healthier. This may be something I will try in the future.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100819112124.htm

Seeing the World with New Eyes

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/08/25/seeing_the_world_with_new_eyes_biosynthetic_corneas_restore_vision_in_humans.html

Researchers in Canada and Sweden have made bio-synthetic corneas that can repair and help regenerate damaged eye tissue. This can improve impaired vision in the human eye. The trial tested 10 patients with advanced corneal scarring. Two years later the researchers checked back up on their patients, and none of them experienced any kind of side effects from the transplant. The bio-synthetic corneas were a huge success, and vision improved in 6 out of the 10 patients.

I believe this is a wonderful idea for those who have impaired vision. People who have been having endless problems with their sight finally now have a solution. I hope that these bio-synthetic cornea lenses soon become available to the public for everyone with vision troubles. Ophthalmologists should be informed of this so they also can help their patients. If my vision would ever become impaired, I would definitely consider this!

Breathing Bacteria?

http://www.physorg.com/news201098632.html

Bacteria are well known to cause repulsive smells, but scientists discovered that bacteria don't just smell bad, the bacteria have their own "molecular" nose that is able to detect airbourne, smell-producing chemicals like ammonia. While researching, the marine biologists at Newcastle University noticed that bacteria are capable of olfaction(sensing volatile chemical in the air). Bacteria responds to this smell by producing biofilm(or slim). This causes the bacteria to colonize together and cause infections in the heart valves, artificial hips and even breast implants. The most latest discovery is that bacteria have four out of five senses; sight, touch, taste, and smell.
Opinion
This is amazing that scientists were able to find out that bacteria have a sense of smell, along with touch, taste and sight. I wonder had bacteria causes biofilm when they smell airbourne chemicals. I think it's interesting that the bacteria causes disgusting smells for us, but they can smell things we can't smell. Do they have sensitive smells than an average human does? When will the scientists find the nose?