Splice Variants Reveal Connections Among Autism Genes

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Center for Cancer Systems Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has discovered a new aspect of autism, showing that some proteins involved in the disorder interact with more partners than known. These had not been found before because they involve alternately spliced forms of autism genes found in the brain.

In the study, the scientists isolated hundred of autistic genes from the brain, and screened their protein products against other proteins to identify interacting partners. Proteins produced by alternatively-spliced autism genes formed a network that produced a view of how autism genes are connected.

The total number of interactions doubled, and what was found was that the different variants of the same proteins could alter the wiring of the entire system. This is also the first time for anything like this to happen.

The new network between proteins between proteins also showed how multiple autism genes connect to one another. Scientists found that a class of mutations involved in autistic genes, known as copy number variants, involve genes that are connected closely or indirectly.

Not only did this new discovery illuminate greater knowledge on autism proteins, but the new networks represent a resource for future autism studies and also places where new drug treatments may be experimented.


Themes of Nature of Science:

• Science is collaborative
• Science is based on evidence
• Role of credibility
• Importance of repeatability
• Role of motivation and curiosity

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/04/11/splice_variants_reveal_connections_among_autism_genes.html

Extinct Plants Brought Back to Life

Jeff Benca, a graduate student at UC Berkley, recently submitted a paper about an extinct species of lycopod. Instead of drawing a picture, he created a detailed and incredibly accurate colored reconstruction of the plant based on a 375 million year old fossil. His reconstruction was on the cover of the March issue of the American Journal of Botany.

The centipede clubmoss, or Leclercqia scolopendra is its scientific name, lived during the Devonian Period, or "age of the fishes"and was one of few plants with leaves. Centipede clubmoss shoots were about a quarter inch thick and formed ground covering mats. Its leaves have hooks on the end, their function is unknown. Modern lycopods include club mosses, quillworts, and spikemosses.

Jeff Benca's colorful reconstruction of the Leclercqia scolopendra, featured on the cover of American Journal of Botany

Benca wrote the paper on this plant to describe a new technique that is helping botanists learn about early land plant fossils and be more confident about it. He created the model because there are not many thorough reconstructions of 375 million year old plants. "I wanted to give an impression of what they may have really looked like. There are great color reconstructions of dinosaurs, so why not a plant?" said Benca.

NOS Themes:

• Science is based on evidence
• Person's view and experience can influence data
• Role of motivation and curiosity

My link: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/04/11/berkeley_graduate_student_brings_extinct_plants_to_life.html

Bulletproof Nuclei?

This article talked about nuclei of stem cells, which are the body's master cells. Stem cells are called master cells because they can change into any cell that is needed by the body. These cells have a bizarre known as auxeticity. This is means having applications as wide-ranging as soundproofing, super-absorbent sponges and bulletproof vests. This goes against usual physics saying that if you squish an object it will expand an example of this would be if you squeeze a tennis ball between your hands, the circumference around the ball gets larger, and if you stretch a material it will contract an example is if you pull on an elastic band, the elastic itself will get thinner. Using this material scientists have begun to explore auxeticity, an unusual property which has the opposite effect causing squeezing to contract, and stretching to expand. This means that auxetic materials will act as excellent shock absorbers or sponges, and will be able to have many uses.

Until this point auxeticity has only been demonstrated in manmade materials and a few types of natural sponges. However these cells are far from invincible because these auxetic properties only are found when the stem cell is changing into a tissue specific cell and goes away when this process is over. This was unexpectedly discovered at the University of Cambridge by scientists that noticed the nucleus absorbing the dye when the cell was transitioning from an embryonic cell to a tissue-specific cell. This new discovery is of great interest to material scientists and engineers and may provide clues to different methods of manufacture.

NOS Themes:
Science is based on evidence- there is evidence that the nucleus of stem cells are auxetic.
Roll of chance- It was pure chance that these researchers found this discovery.

Article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140420131808.htm


-Tyler Welder

Predicting the Past to Fix the Future

http://www.livescience.com/44330-jurassic-dinosaur-carbon-dioxide.html

With the help of a new imaging technique, seismic tomography, scientists are able to predict the past of 250 million years ago, when dinosaurs were still alive. Using this technique, researchers such as Douwe van der Meer (at Utrecht University in the Netherlands) analyze earthquake waves moving through the Earth and “scan” the Earth's interior, coming up with images of sunken plate tectonics. The study of the movement of these tectonic plates is important because when one slides under another, it creates volcanic activity at the surface, which in turn melts rocks and gives off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With the information of history's carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes, scientists conclude that the CO₂ levels were 5 times more during the Jurassic era than they are today. Those emissions contributed to the warm and humid climate in that period. We can now use this knowledge to guide us toward a more accurate prediction of how much climate change we may experience in the future.

NOS Themes:

• Science is based on evidence; advanced imaging techniques and equipment is used to generate quite accurate data.
• Role of skepticism; difficult to imagine the reconstruction of the climate about 250 million years ago.
• Role of motivation and curiosity; environmentalists and others are greatly concerned about the impact of global warming on Earth. This research could assist with handling future climate change.

Top Cities in The U.S.A for Well-Being has been Revealed

Link: http://www.livescience.com/44351-top-cities-well-being-gallup.html

According to the 2012-2013 Gallup-Healthways survey, the city of Provo-Orem, Utah is the number one community for well-being.  The worst cities for well-being are the metro area of Huntington-Ashland (which is a metro area that stretches through West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio) and Charleston, WV.  The well-being ranking for each city is based on the score each city gets.  The score is out of 100, and Provo-Orem, UT got a 71.4 out of 100, and Huntington-Ashland got a 59.5 out of 100 (the only metro area with a score below 60 out of 100) (Live Science).  The ranking/score of well-being is determined through six measures of well-being, emotional health, physical health, job environment, access to necessities that are basic, self evaluation on present and future life, and healthy behaviors.  Also, the scores of well-being for the metro areas have mostly lined up with the scores of

well being for the states.  California ranked 17th in well-being in 2013, and has three metro areas that are in the top 10 for well-being (Live Science).  The leadership of the city, which includes leadership of the government and the community, play a role of large importance in how a city forms a culture of well-being and maintains it.





Nature of Science Themes

• Science is based on evidence
• Role of motivation and curiosity
• Role of credibility
• Science is collaborative

Organ-ized Cells

Summary

White blood cell (cell of immune system)

A team of scientists from Washington University School of Medicine has discovered disease-fighting cells that only defend one organ of the body. Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD, led this investigation. So far, they have discovered that the liver, skin, and uterus all have these types of immune cells, which they have dubbed "tissue-resident natural killer cells." It is likely that other organs have such natural killer cells. Notably, the results of this study disproved the previous theory that all immune cells travel throughout the body.

Yokoyama says the findings of this study are significant because, if the right technology was implemented, "these organ specific cells [...] could provide powerful and selective weapons against infections and tumors in the organs where they reside." He also says these natural killer cells may be more effective at fighting diseases and minimizing accidental damage to healthy tissue.

Reflection

Healthy human T-cell
(essential to the immune system)

It fascinates me that scientists are capable of studying cells. Although I am somewhat educated on the function and processes of cells, I always keep in mind that at some point people weren't learning this information; they were studying cells in order to discover what has happening. How exactly they obtained this information beats me, and that's fine—I'm wholly content with being amazed.

The reason this article amazed me was because it reinforced the importance of persistence and research. Now that sufficient information has been gathered, it is possible that scientists will be able to potentially save the lives of people who have certain infections. Yokoyama and his fellow scientists must have known that no matter how difficult their work, their efforts would be worth it in the end.

Here is some more information about cytopathology. Also, if you'd like, this website will inform you of the functions of immune cells.

NOS Themes

Science is subject to debate and is tentative: Prior to this study, immune cells were thought to roam the entire body. The results of this study disproved that.

Science is based on evidence: Due to the reliable research of the Yokoyama and his team of scientists, they were able to conclude that some immune cells only defend specific organs of the body.

Article

"Some immune cells defend only 1 organ"

Ancient Spider Reveals Evolution of Eyes in Arachnids

Ancient Spider Reveals Evolution of Eyes in Arachnids

Article Link:

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/04/10/ancient_spider_images_reveal_eyeopening_secrets.html

Article Summary:

 The primitive fossilised 305-million-year-old arachnid, named Hastocularis argus, was found in eastern France. Unlike modern day spiders who only have one set of median eyes (eyes found on the center of the body), Hastocularis argus two sets of eyes - both median and lateral (eyes of the side of the body). 

   Scientists at the University of Manchester's School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences are the ones who studied this Hastocularis argus found. This team of scientists support their evidence by the examining of an 'eye stalk' gene in living harvestmen and found that in a modern harvestmen embryo. This shows a hint of a now-lost lateral eye. Because of these results, some fundamental questions in the evolutionary history of these organisms remain unsolved.

NOS Themes:

• Observation - The group of scientists observed the 'eye stalk' gene.
• Living Things are Based on a Genetic Code - The 'eye stalk' gene is included in the Hastocularis argus DNA.
• Evolution - This new information about the 'eye stalk' gene will help scientists learn more about the evolutionary history of the Hastocularis argus to modern arachnids. 

                        This is the 305-million-year-old harvestmen fossil.