Known Planets Almost Doubled

On Wednesday NASA confirmed 715 new planets outside of our solar system. The know planets list now comes to about 1,700, whereas twenty years ago scientists knew of no other sun orbiting planets besides ours.

Contained in the newly discover planets are four planets located in the habitable zone, a major step kepler's ultimate goal to find an "Earth 2.0" not for us to live on but to find other life. The four planets are all double the size of Earth, making them more likely to be gas planets. The scientists are looking at the last two years of data from the four years of data from the kepler space telescope and expect more habitable planets to be found.


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/26/we-almost-doubled-just-today-the-number-of-planets-known-to-humanity/

NOS.

Role of Motivation and Curiosity: Without the motivation to find other life we would not have found all of these planets.

Females...The Stronger Sex

 link: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-men-the-weaker-sex/


For years some humans have believed that males are the better, strong sex. Now, studies have shown that women are stronger than men. Boys are more vulnerable than girls to pollutants like insecticide, lead, and plasticizers. From the beginning Mother Nature has shown us that males are fragile by supplying more of them, about 106 males are born to every 100 females. Boy are over two-thirds more likely to be born prematurely, and have a 30% higher chance of death by the age of one. If boys make it past this stage then they are more prone to neurological disorders.

So why is it that males are more vulnerable that females? It all starts in the Womb. Females are the default gender, this is the reason males have nipples. Males have a more complex cellular makeup than females. With more cell division happening there is more room for mistakes to happen. Also the male XY chromosome is at a greater risk than the female XX chromosome. In some disorders one X carries the genetic defect, in this case the females second X can take over. Males have no backup plan. The X chromosome is larger and contains more genetic information than the Y chromosome. This fragility will not end the human race, but it may cause some problems in the future.

NOS Themes
Science is based on evidence- this data can be backed up through many different tests.
Importance of repeatability- the XX chromosome is always found in the girls and XY in boys.
Role of chance- boys have a greater chance being born with a disability.

Those Born First have a Higher Risk of getting Diabetes and/or Heart Disease

Link to article: http://www.livescience.com/43156-firstborns-higher-bmi-diabetes-risks.html

According to the article linked above, scientific findings show that people who were the firstborn in their family have a higher risk of getting heart disease or diabetes than that of their younger siblings.  In the article, it is mentioned that these findings were found by New Zealand researchers who tested the body mass index (BMI) and insulin sensitivity of overweight men ages 40 to 50 that are first born and second born in their family.  The results showed that the firstborn's BMI is 29 and the second born's BMI is 27.5.  The higher the BMI, the higher the risk is for get heart disease.  The other results are that the firstborns were, on average, 15 pounds heavier than the second born.  And, that the insulin sensitivity levels for the firstborn was 33% lower than the sensitivity of the second born.  The lower the insulin sensitivity, the higher the risk for Type 2 Diabetes.   Other research that is mentioned in the article is that second borns weigh more than the first borns when they are born, but the first borns grow faster than the second borns.  Also, the first borns have higher daytime blood pressure, higher cholesterol as they age, and low insulin sensitivity.

NOS Themes:

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

Scientists identify the switch that says it's time to sleep.

This article talks about how scientists at Oxford University's Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior have discovered the switch in the brain that puts us to sleep. This was found through a study with fruit flies. The switch works by regulating the activity of nerve cells in our brains. The neurons fire when we need sleep and fire back down when we're fully rested.

Although the study was done on fruit flies, Dr Jeffrey
Donlea explains that a similar group of neurons can be
 found in a region of the human brain. These neurons
are also targets of general anesthetics, which put us to sleep. Researchers say that this new discovery may lead to help identify new drugs that can improve treatments for sleep disorders.

The big question now is to find out what signals this "sleep switch". Another pro of this study is that it can help to answer the mystery of why all animals need sleep to regain energy. The work in the fruit flies allowed the critical part of the sleep switch to be discovered. The flies stop moving when they go to sleep, require more disturbance to be woken up, and sleep-deprived flies are prone to nodding off; much like sleep loss in humans. This study will help show key components of mechanisms in the human body that go with our sleeping patterns and further the understanding of sleep and its importance.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/19/scientists_identify_the_switch_that_says_its_time_to_sleep.html

NOS Themes:

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

Be Smart: Stop Smoking!

Be Smart: Stop Smoking!

Becky Copper

http://www.livescience.com/43383-quitting-smoking-mental-health-benefits.html

         The only motivation to quit smoking most of us have known or heard of, consists of the physical consequences it brings. Smoking is damaging and dangerous to your health; if you smoke, you're more likely to acquire lung cancer, heart disease, etc. Although these dire warnings are somewhat effective in urging people to quit smoking habits, a new study uncovers the mental advantages of people who stop smoking. Instead of listing the grave repercussions of smoking, why not list the benefits of abandoning the hazardous habit?

        Smokers claim that they feel more relaxed and less stressed when smoking, but in reality, according to this study, researchers realized that those who quit smoking experienced decreasing feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. Their quality of life improved, and with it, their mood. Physical conditions most likely strengthened as well. Researchers also noticed that the same results occurred with people with mental health disorders. This just reinforces the significance of quitting smoking, not just for the betterment of physical but also for mental health.

NOS Themes:

• Science is based on evidence; other studies performed and looked over to support this one
• Science is subject to debate and tentative; contradictory beliefs of good/bad feelings when smoking
• Person's view and experience can influence data; some smokers may find the habit good for their mental health while others may experience worse mental health when smoking
• Role of skepticism; difficult to determine mental health and feelings, like when it's improving or not
• Importance of repeatability; researchers reviewed information from 26 previous studies to base this study off of
• Role of chance; the people they “tested” may all have differing or similar physical/mental capacities that could have interfered with the results of this study, leading to mixed or specific conclusions
• Role of motivation and curiosity; learning about smoking habits and reasons to quit them are intriguing and helpful to those who cope with the habit

To read more on the mental aspect of smoking:

• http://www.livescience.com/19452-women-harder-quit-smoking.html

(why women find smoking harder to quit than men)

• http://www.livescience.com/43293-quit-smoking-tips.html

(scientifically proven tips on how to quit smoking)

From Skin, Comes a Beating Heart

For as long as anyone can remember, heart disease has been one of the leading causes of death. What if doctors told you that they could create the same cells your heart is made of, by using your skin cells? In recent research studies and tests, scientists have found that they can create a beating heart cell from something they call a four-molecular "cocktail." This "cocktail" contains the molecules and data that scientists need to create the cells. After multiple failed tests, Drs. Ding and Wang decided to add something called Oct4. This gave the cells the ability to start contracting in only 20 days.

I think heart disease is an important subject to study and for scientists to keep researching about. Your heart is the main organ keeping you alive and unfortunately many people's stop working. In many cases,  doctors don't know why someone's heart fails because patients don't show signs of heart failure, or they don't recognize it. With this new advance in medicine, there is the potential to save so many people from heart attacks or the after affects of a heart attack. Knowing someone who has had many heart issues, it seems amazing that there could soon be the ability to not only stich up a hear or to stop it from bleeding out, but that they could create a permanent solution that could make your heart work to its full ability again.

NOS Themes:

• Living Things Grow and Develop: This article shows that living things grow and develop because the human heart is what makes a person live and this research that scientists and doctors are doing shows how they are developing a new what to fix a heart and how they can grow new beating heart cells.
• Role of motivation and curiosity: Scientists have been researching in order to see how they can form new cells and to find a new cure for heart attacks and heart disease

Link to Article: 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220132202.htm

Happiness Comes With Age

YOLO, a term that has become popular recently, can very accurately describe what the youth of today thinks it takes to make them happy. In the article, “YOLO: Aging and the pursuit of happiness,” the Journal Of Consumer Research conducted a study with over 200 participants ranging in age 18-79. The participants were asked to recall recent experiences that had made them happy. They sorted those responses into 12 general categories including extraordinary experiences and experiences of the common variety.

The study showed that older people found happiness in more ordinary, everyday activites versus the younger people who primarily found happiness in extraordinary events. They concluded that as people age they find more happiness in ordinary activities. Older people appreciate the more ordinary things in life because they’ve accepted their mortality and because they have a better established self-image than the younger generations. The youth feel they need to experience YOLO moments to define themselves and ultimately, to be happy. To them, ordinary and common events loose importance and this thus restricts them from acheiving happiness from those events.

Hearing these results made me experience a variety of emotions. I was happy knowing that older people were enjoying the little, ordinary things in life. I was also angered that the youth are not appreciating the little things in life. One major problem we have in society today is self-image. People care so much about defining themselves to other people and think they can only be happy from that. We, as the youth, need to stop thinking we need to prove ourselves to our peers by doing crazy things. We can be happy without doing that. As we get older, we are happier because we learn who we are and do things that make us happy because they make us happy, not because we are seeking self-definition.

I know that it takes time to figure out who we are, but imagine if we stopped worrying so much about what people think and do things that make us genuinely happy today! We could be so much happier and not waste any time! You don’t have to skydive or throw a huge party to be happy. I believe we should all accept, without being distraught, that our lives are going to end someday and we should appreciate life has to offer us now - the ordinary things and the YOLO moments. You Only Live Once, so be happy!

NOS Themes: 
Living Things Grow and Develop: This study shows that as we get older we grow and develop to appreciate the smaller things in life and be happier.
Inductive vs. Deductive: This study was an example of Inductive Reasoning because it asked the specific question of what things made the participants happy recently and then they got general dividing the responses into categories and then having a general conclusion.

Comment Prompts:

Do you notice this trend of YOLO moments leaving ordinary/common events in it's shadow?

Are you pro-YOLO or are you anti-YOLO?

Do you agree that all things, big and small, in life should produce happiness?

How are you going to live your life? Appreciately even the non-YOLO events?

Tell me what you think in the comments below!

Article:

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/11/yolo_aging_and_the_pursuit_of_happiness.html
Links to articles on same concept:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heidi-grant-halvorson-phd/how-to-age-gracefully-_b_3796343.html

http://www.livescience.com/38645-happiness-increase-get-older.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/study-ordinary-experiences-make-us-happier-as-we-get-older/283763/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/research/01happy.html?_r=0

Dispersal Patterns Key to Invasive Species' Success

Scientists at Duke University have recently done extensive research on the Allee effect and how it can be applied to bacteria in the human body. The Allee effect is the effect that a larger/more dense population of a species will help it establish itself in a new environment easier. The concept of the Allee effect was first brought to the scientist's attention back in mid-1800s to the mid-1900s when a farmer released 24 grey rabbits in his community in Australia. By 1950 there were 600 million rabbits in Australia. Scientists explain this phenomenon with the Allee effect. When the rabbits were released, they were released together as a dense group. Since the rabbits were in a dense group, the Allee effect helped them establish them in their environment and their population grew rapidly. Scientists have now used this theory and tested it with E. coli. Researchers at Duke discovered that when a more dense population of E.Coli were exposed to a harmful toxin, the more the bacteria produced an anti-toxin which saved their population. This relates to humans and bacteria growth in the human body. A large problem today has been the overuse of antibiotics, which destroys the body's natural defense to harmful bacteria. When the defense is destroyed, so is the Allee effect and when the Allee effect is destroyed then the bacteria may reproduce at a very rapid rate.

Themes of Natural Science:

1. Science is Credible: The scientists as Duke have provided credible and reasonable evidence for their findings.
2. Science is based on evidence: The scientists have provided collective evidence from research projects.
3. Role of motivation and curiosity: The research was done off curiosity from a previous phenomenon of the Allee effect back in the 1900s.

Link to Article: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/01/20/dispersal_patterns_key_to_invasive_species_success.html

Two new weapons in the battle against bacteria

This article describes scientists trying to find new ways to treat diseases. They are doing this because most bacteria are starting to be come immune to most antibiotics. Multiple researchers  have come up with two new techniques. One is to give medication that affects the formation of amino acids in the cells, the other is used to target the ative sights in the enzymes to render it useless. Both of these are not permanent solutions but they could buy some time for the bodies defenses to get rid of the toxin.

NOS themes 

collaboration

link to article  

<a href="http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/13/two_new_weapons_in_the_battle_against_bacteria.html">Two new weapons in the battle against bacteria</a>

New found tactic in fighting off Hepatitis C

The article I read on Biologynews.net was about why HCV (Hepatitis C) affect some people more than others. Hepatitis infects around 150 million people globally, it is also infamous for being able to avoid the bodies immune system and being able to infect individuals for long periods of time. Currently, we are able to treat this disease with around a 70% success rate. The problem is, is that new strains are popping up that are more resistant to our current methods. It was eventually discovered that some patients were reacting to the treatment much better than others. It was found that the patients that did better had a different DNA code on chromosome 19. There are two variants to this code, the T and the G variants. People who had G variant responded much better to the treatment because they were able to release an interferon called Lambda-3, something people with the T variant were not able to do.

The article aims to explain why some patients were reacting favorably to the treatment while others weren't. It also explains on how the patients with the G variant were able to have their immunsystem be more effective in fighting the virus.

I chose this topic because medical science interests me. I like to learn about diseases and what can be done to counteract them. I guess I like this is because it is almost like fighting a microscopic army that is unrelenting and we are just constantly finding new ways to fight it off.

I liked this post in particular because HCV is one of the most widespread diseases in the word. It is also one of the hardest to treat because of it being so evasive and with new strains popping up. The post shows that we are still making progress against disease despite all of this though. So going back to why I like medical science, this seemed like an obvious choice for me.

Links: Hepatitis C http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/c/cfaq.htm
Article http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/10/newly_found_tactics_in_offensedefense_struggle_with_hepatitis_c_virus.html

By Alex Fox

Weakness exposed in most common cancer gene

Weakness exposed in most common cancer gene

Researchers at the NYU medical center have discovered a weakness in the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer. The weakness is known as mutant K-Ras, and it is said that this weakness can be exploited with drug chemotherapy to prevent the tumor from growing. It was suspected that mutant K-Ras was the main cause behind about a third of all cancers. The lab preformed experiments and in the experiments  it showed that in cancer cells that K-Ras tumor growth was reliant on the cells' need to check and mend to their DNA. Researches discovered that a commonly used chemotherapy drug maybe more effective in killing K-Ras cancer cells by blocking their ability to check their DNA for any damage.

Link: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/10/weakness_exposed_in_most_common_cancer_gene.html

NOS Themes:

• Science is credible
• Science is based on data and evidence
• Science is collaborative 

Chinese researchers from Nanjing Medical University and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research created genetically modified monkeys. Genetic modification can be used to accomplish all sorts of changes in creatures, such as determining their gender or strengthening their immune systems. Scientists and researchers have looked into genetic modification in the past, especially in humans and trying to change their hair or eye colors. In this case, researchers attempted to change the monkeys' metabolism, improve their immune systems, and predetermine their genders. Because this happened very recently, the monkeys are too young to determine if the modifications have any effect on their mental or physical health. Success in genetically modifying monkeys points to possible success in modifying humans. Genetic modification of humans is a highly controversial issue because some people believe that it can eradicate diseases while others claim that it is imoral. We are a long ways away from genetically modifying humans due to a large amount of safety concerns, but it is definitely possible in the future. 

NOS
It is a collaboration between Nanjing Medical University and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research.

It is repeated with different traits being modified.

There is skepticism of moving on to human trials.


The article can be found here

The Path to Reading a Newborn's DNA Map

According to the Article, "The Path to Reading Newborn's DNA Map," scientists will someday be able run accurate DNA tests on infants that show future medical issues. Many of the babies born this year will be able to be screened in conventional ways for several severe, but treatable, conditions. In the next few years, though, technology might be able to arrange and examine the whole genome of a child. It would likely identify a range of genetic conditions at birth. It is the same kind of test that can tell adults if they are at risk at getting a certain type of cancer. The National Institute of Health has awarded $5 million to the research program. Jaime King, a professor at the University of California  Hasting College of the Law, is trying to create screening guidelines to propose which genetic conditions might be essential for testing with results and which will be optional and left up to the parents. One of the cons of DNA tests for infants, as well as adults, is that they display many mutations that don't present problems for the people who have the tests done for themselves. Dr. Jeffrey Botkin, a professor of pediatrics and a chief of medical ethics at the University of Utah, said it is much too soon to explore the genome sequencing as a necessary screening mechanism for newborns. Genomics has already become a multi-billion dollar industry, and genomics companies that make DNA analysis and testing tools could benefit from screening of newborns. It seems to many that comprehensive genetic screenings of newborns could soon be available to parents everywhere. 

Nature of Science Themes:
~ Conflicts within the scientific community. Many scientists agree and disagree whether or not there is value in sequencing the genomes of newborns.
~ Role of motivation and curiosity. Scientists have been studying the sequencing of genomes for decades. The first human genome was only translated a decade ago, and their motivation and curiosity has driven them deeper into the study since then.

Article Link here

Citation: Eisenberg, Anne. "The Path to Reading a Newborn's DNA Map." New York Times. New York Times, 8 February 2014. Web. 13 February 2014.

Evidence Nazis explored use of mosquitos as biological weapons

During WW2 the germans had many well respected Entomological Institutes, so why did the germans want to study these pesky creatures? It may have started out as a push to find a cure for diseases like Typhoid, but it turned into much more. "After combing the archives, Dr Reinhardt came to the conclusion that, although the institutes were intended to combat insect-borne diseases such as typhoid, it also carried out research into whether mosquitoes – which host malaria – could be used in biological warfare"(Univeritat Tubingen). One of these institutes is Waffen-SS Entomological Institute, an extra part of Dachau concentration camp. For many years it has been debated among the Biological community wether or not the Germans were making biological weapons, despite Hitler's ban on them. This evidence will most likely supply interesting conversations amongst biologists."Dr Reinhardt says that in 1944, the SS Entomological Institute was also tasked with testing various species of mosquito for their ability to survive without food or water – and thus, their suitability to be infected with malaria and air-dropped into enemy territory"(Univeritat Tubingen).Dr. Reinhart did extensive research on notes written by the institutes director, Eduard May. His notes include multiple notes of with anopheles mosquitoes, which can host malaria during part of its development. 

Themes of Nature Science:
Science is Credible: Dr. Reinhart has provided credible and understandable reasons for his findings.
Role of Motivation and Curiosity: Dr. Reinhart carefully and thoroughly examined the notes of many Biologists in the Institute to come up with his findings. Without being curious he never would have worked hard to reach his conclusion.


Article: http://phys.org/news/2014-02-evidence-nazis-explored-mosquitos-biological.html#jCp

Two new weapons in the battle against bacteria

Proteins consists of one or more chains of amino acids and essential for cell processes. Proteases, an important type of protein, cut other proteins to perform cell functions. It cuts the chain and breaks the protein apart to decompose or switch signal sequences that transport proteins in a cell. Antibiotics cannot fight them and this might lead to tuberculosis. Scientists are exploring new ways to disarm the proteases. They block the active centers of the ClpP, so-called protease, to deactivate this protease. This process works temporarily only for a couple of hours. So, they must attack all active centers of the protein. Professor Michael Groll has found two new methods to deactivate these proteases. The first mechanism changes the arrangement of amino acids, which is responsible for the cohesion of the subunits of the bacterial protease ClpP. The protease gets  broken into two parts and cannot function anymore. The second operation converts the "splitting" amino acid into another kind of amino acid. This approach can be applied to other proteases as well. These findings disrupts the metabolism of the bacterium, giving more time for the immune system to react while the formation of new resistance is decreased. These findings are promising for development in new forms of medication. 

Small molecules can destruct the arrangement of the amino acids of the bacterial protease ClpP. As a result the development of new resistances can be avoided.

Themes of nature science:
1. Science is collaborative: Many researchers have worked on this project together.
2. Science is based on evidence: The scientists have collected evidence to support their new mechanisms. 
3. Science is Credible: The researchers have provided credible and understandable reasons for their findings.

For more information, visit 
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/13/two_new_weapons_in_the_battle_against_bacteria.html

-Ashikah Mohamed

YOLO

I'm sure every person reading this has heard of the term YOLO.  Scientists did a study on aging and how it affects the pursuit of happiness.  The pursuit of happiness can be exotic travel, spending time with your family, and everything in between.  "We examine how age—and the perceived amount of time left in life—impacts the happiness people enjoy from both extraordinary and ordinary life experiences," write authors Amit Bhattacharjee (Dartmouth College) and Cassie Mogilner (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania).  The authors asked subjects to recall or imagine a happy experience, and hopefully be able to draw a line between ordinary and extraordinary.  In one study, with 200 participants ranging from 18 to 78, there was a strong correlation with the fact that the older the person was, the more likely that their happy experience was an ordinary event.  "Young people actively seeking to define themselves find it particularly rewarding to accumulate extraordinary experiences that mark their progression through life milestones. On the other hand, once people are older and have established a better sense of who they are, the experiences they view as self-defining are just as likely to include the routine daily events that reveal how they like to spend their time," the authors state, in conclusion.

Nature of Science Theme:  Role of motivation and curiosity.  These authors were curious about the younger generation and how they felt about pursuit of happiness.  That curiosity led them to do this experiment.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/02/11/yolo_aging_and_the_pursuit_of_happiness.html

Fish Are Beginning to Feel the Heat

Chromis swimming near coral in the Indo-Pacific

In their studies, researchers are beginning to discover survival threats of fish species near the equator. Coral reef scientists find species of fish that cannot and will not survive in water temperature changes of as little as three degrees celsius below it's current temperature. After the researchers study common fish species near the equator, they state that the fish here are adapted to a very small range of water temperatures and are most likely to perform best in those temperatures. The continually warming oceans are posing threats for the fish and putting many marine species at risk. 

As the team continues their research, they measure the rates that fish use oxygen at different temperatures while the fish are resting and while they are at their maximum performance. The researchers find that at higher temperatures, the fish lose ability to perform tasks like "evading predators, finding food, and generating sufficient energy to breed" (ARC Center of Excellence). With the increasing temperatures, scientists predict that the fish will not be able to adapt at the pace of their changing environment. Because of this, the researchers predict the fish population near the equator will drop and greatly effect human life near the equator. Since there are developing countries lying in the equatorial line that depend on the fish populations, the predicted decrease of fish poses a severe threat for the humans' food security.

NOS Themes:
-Science is collaborative
-Science is based on evidence
-Role of chance


Article Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140211094304.htm

Citation:
ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies. "Fish living near the equator will not thrive in the warmer oceans of the future." ScienceDaily. 11 Feb. 2014.

Cities support more biodiversity than previously thought

A new study involving 147 cities worldwide is showing that these urban metropolises are more diverse than previously thought. The study found that even though there were a few species that were shared between multiple cities, the unique geographical and biological heritage of the cities was still reflected in the species present. The study highlighted the value of green space in cities, which have become very important for both native and migratory species. Findings show that many plant and animal species thrive in urban developments, even though many others decline or disappear completely. Conserving the greener areas, restoring native plant life, and adding more biodiverse urban habitats could help to support more bird and plant species. Even though cities have a tendency to cause biodiversity to fall drastically, this study shows that it is still possible for an urban setting to retain a connection to the organic world.

Science is collaborative: The study involved 147 cities worldwide.

Science is subject to debate: It was commonly assumed that cities simply destroyed biodiversity in it's entirety.

Link to the full article here.

Biological Immortality?

Biological Immortality?

By: Ben Johnson

Original Article: Here

The topic of this article is a tiny marine organism known as Hydra magnipapillata. This miraculous little creature was found to be one of the longest living organisms known to man, with a constantly low mortality rate. Unlike humans, whose mortality rate increases as the body ages, this hydra is suspected to be able to regrow any faulty or degraded cells, effectively eliminating aging as we know it. Scientists involved with this experiment concluded that if the hydra would be left in laboratory conditions, 5% of the population would still be alive in 1,400 years.

The original article is pretty short, so here are a few more that go a bit more in depth on this topic:

dailymail

geochembio

I am really excited to hear about this discovery and what it could mean for the future of humans. I am huge fan of using scientific discoveries for the betterment of humanity. I think this is very relatable to the stem cell debate, as they both focus on potentially mutating our cells or adding outside cells to rebuild or create new cells, tissue, organs, or even limbs. What side do you take on this debate and why?

The NOS themes I found in these three articles were:

Science is based on evidence - Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Edward Jones used over 40 control organisms to ensure accurate results

Science cannot provide complete answers to all questions - Dr. Jones, as well as other distinguished biologist working on the hydra experiments, are still not able to explain the exact process for this kind of cell regrowth

3-D Printing and Tissue Engineering

New Advance in  3-D Printing and Tissue Engineering Technology

Researchers have come up with a new micro-robotic technique for creating tissue foundation with 3D printers. This new technology is able to engineer individual cell blocks to make tissues. It could engineer organs using someone's own cells, which could help avoid issues involving organ transplants. This could also help in studying and testing cells with new medicines. This type of technology is new, yet growing very fast and has a lot of potential.

NOS themes:

• Role of chance
• Role of motivation and curiosity

Article Link

Cancer for seals

Cancer for seals

While this may sound alarming at first, there may be a ray of light. As temperatures warm and the poles get significantly farther away from freezing, bad things happen. In this cases diseases happen. But animals can evolve. 

This is a gray seal and as the arctic ice melts, so does their breeding ground.  To compensate, the seals must travel farther north to locate a new breeding ground. While the seals migration north may allow us more and more sightings of the seals, it also allows new opportunities for viruses and other ailments to develop. In the seals' case, their migration south to warmer waters allows them to become hosts for S. pinnipedi, a parasite that acts like cancer. This parasite is supposed to replicate in the liver until a switch is flipped. When the switch is flipped, the parasite will form cysts to infect another host.  Sadly, however, this is not the case for Gray seals. For Gray seals, the parasite just keeps going. The switch never flips and the seals' liver is eventually destroyed.

Now Gray seals are only one species of animal and saving them is only one more reason to stop global warming. But as global warming continues more and more species become infected. Beluga whales are another species battling new types of sickness. Belugas are getting bacteria commonly found in cat feces. If global warming continues there may be new meaning to "dead on the water" for most marine species.

            While this information is all sad and deadly, the grain of salt is that a different kind of seals, ringed seals, live with these bacteria.  The bacteria are still in their livers. So maybe living with disease is the new normal for marine animals. Maybe we can’t do anything to stop the growing problem of illness in these animals or reverse it.

Nos themes

-Science is subject to debate and tentative

-Science is based on evidence

-Science is collaborative

Do you think we can do anything to stop the infection?

If we can do something to stop the infection should we?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140214-seals-beluga-whale-arctic-disease-health-science/