Information Not on the Label

The FDA currently requires food to be labeled if it contains certain ingredients such as corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial flavoring, but it does not require labeling if it is a G.M.O. product. 93% of respondents to a survey said that they wish that GMO products were identified.
Vermont was the first state to require such labels, but not many other states have followed. Research is being done to determine whether or not GMO products have negative effects on us or the environment. GMO products are classifies as any product that has any organisms that have had there genetic profile changed. It will be interesting to see what researchers determine in this study.

NOS Themes

Science is Collaborative

Science is based on facts

'Free choice' in primates altered through brain stimulation

Scientists have recently done a test to see if they could change a macaque's mind by sending electrical currents to a certain part of their brain.  The ventral tegmental area is located in the midbrain, and helps regulate and reinforcement in the brain's reward system.  It releases dopamine, which creates a positive feeling in the individual, when a reward is received or something is done correctly.  The scientists had the macaques choose which picture they liked more, a star or a ball.  After they recorded this as a control, they once again asked the macaque which picture it liked more.  After it gave its answer, the scientists provided a small electrical current to the ventral tegmental area.  Every time they did this, the macaque would change its mind.  This could be big news for those with Parkinson's or depression.  This type of therapy could be helpful.



Themes of Nature of Science:
-Importance of repeatability- this could have been chance that the monkey changed its mind if they hadn't run many tests
-Role of motivation and curiosity- scientists decided to test this hoping to see results, but they found something that could actually be medically helpful for us

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140529142448.htm

Genetically Modifying Soybeans to Fight Allergies

(Yes, I am aware that this is an old article. However, it fits extremely well with our recent units so I wanted to share.)
Article: http://www.plantphysiology.org/content/132/1/36.full

In 2003, scientists working with the USDA's Plant Genetics Research Unit were researching soybean allergies when they found something. They could remove a certain protein which was responsible for 65% of said allergies, and the newly modified bean was still safe and almost identical to the original.
Below is a diagram of gel electrophoresis results. MAb represents the soybean DNA, 1 being a crossbreed, 2 being a normal bean, and 3 being the GM bean, and IgE is from allergic patients who consumed their bean (numbers matching).

The results show the successful removal of the protein from the bean and that it no longer triggers the reaction in the patients.

NoS Themes
Role of Credibility: Each scientist in the article has some sort of official group, the lead being the USDA, which can (hopefully) be assumed as credible.
Role of Observation: It can be seen that the protein's DNA is missing, thus showing that the process worked.

E-Cigarettes Not a Healthy Alternative to Smoking

E-Cigarettes Not a Healthy Alternative to Smoking

Summary

An article in the June issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), explained why "buyer beware" holds true for E-Cigarettes. They examine one of the "health benefits" of smoking e-cigarettes that claims it helps to cut back on smoking tobacco cigarettes. There is no evidence to support this claim. Another cause for concern is that people are still smoking tobacco cigarettes at home and only using e-cigarettes in public, thus still exposing their children to second-hand smoke and an increased risk of asthma. E-cigarettes could also have long-term effects that we don't know about yet because they are so new. These cigarettes have no evidence supporting that they are a healthy alternative to smoking. Summary

NOS Themes:

1. There has been no evidence, data, or results showing that e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to smoking.
2. It is observable that people smoke e-cigarettes primarily in public because it saves them from ridicule about an unhealthy decision.
3. Like a scientific principle/law it is widely accepted and there has been no serious challenges to validity of the though that e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to smoking.

Picture:

Link to Article: 

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/05/27/ecigarettes_not_a_healthy_alternative_to_smoking.html

Water discovered in Lunar Rocks: What else can be discovered about the Moon?

Scientists at the University of Hawaii recently did an analysis of hundreds of moon rocks, and they found out that the amount of water in the moon's interior varies.  This is an important discovery because it can help answer important questions such as how the moon was formed and it's impact history. The scientists working on this project were not looking for liquid water, but rather they were searching for water trapped in volcanic glasses or inside mineral grains.  It is agreed upon by many scientists that the moon was formed by a massive collision between a planetesimal and proto-Earth.  So, there are two main hypotheses regarding the origin of water on the moon: water came from that impact, or it came from other smaller impacts with asteroids and comets.  The study of water on the moon is quite new, and many scientists from the University of Hawaii and around the world are working together to discover more about the topic.

I am very interested in astronomy, and this article informed me on the many new discoveries that are happening involving the moon.  I was surprised to learn that scientists don't know a lot about Earth's moon because we have had astronauts and probes visit it.  How do you think this discovery will change our perspective on outer space?  How do you think scientists will use this information for more studies?

NOS themes:

Science is collaborative

Science is based on evidence

Role of motivation and curiosity 

Link to article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140528105408.htm

Human Muscles Rebuilt with Pig Bladder Tissue

http://www.livescience.com/45247-human-muscle-rebuilt-pig-bladder.html

It is possible that human muscles can be repaired with the tissue of pig bladder.  In the first trial, five men in their 20s and 30s that had lost significant amounts of muscle from their legs got their remaining scar tissue removed.  They then got it replaced with a pig bladder scaffold.  What happened after that was amazing.  The remaining stem cells in the remaining muscle developed into muscle and rebuilt the leg's muscle.  This is truly incredible because now scientists know that muscles can be rebuilt, which could be very important in the future.

Nature of Science Themes:

• Role of motivation and curiosity
• Importance of repeatability
• Science is collaborative

E-Cigarettes: Not a Healthy Alternative to Smoking

An article in the June issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAI), examined risks of e-cigarettes, including the dependence on nicotine and the combined use of both e-cigarettes and regular ones.

The article examined the possibility that one of the "initial benefits" of e-cigarettes was that it would help those who smoked cigarettes cut back, but the theory hasn't been proven and there is no evidence to support it. Allergist Andrew Nickels, MD, lead author in AAI said, "there is just simply not enough evidence to suggest that consumers should use e-cigarettes for this purpose."

Another concern that e-cigarette users may use them in public, but almost always still smoke regular cigarettes at home. Dual use of both of the cigarettes worsens secondhand smoke exposure, causing respiratory effects on others. It also promotes a dependence on nicotine.

Since e-cigarettes are fairly new, there could be many other long-term health complications that have not yet been discovered. Most consumers don;t even know what's in the e-cigarettes they buy. The US FDA admits that the safety of e-cigarettes hasn't been fully studied.

Organizations all over are trying to higher scrutiny on e-cigarettes, a
nd hopefully in time, people all over will finally get the answers that could save their lives from the harmful (or not harmful) effects of e-cigarettes.

Article URL: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/05/27/ecigarettes_not_a_healthy_alternative_
to_smoking.html

Themes of Nature of Science: 

• Science is subject to debate and tentative
• Role of skepticism
• Importance of repeatability
• Role of motivation and curiosity