More Information on Ash Fungus Genetic Data in the UK

Since February 2012, many Ash trees in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have suffered fatal blows by a mysterious fungus known as Chalara fraxinea. The fungus is a new form of ash dieback, and originated in Poland 1992. The fungus infects Ash trees and causes their cells to die, and has been affecting a large population of ash trees in the UK.

Recently, scientific experts have sequenced part of the RNA of the fungus. Researchers at the Sainsbury Laboratory and the John Innes Center have made a first step in discovering the spreading methods of this ash dieback fungus. By extracting a sample of the fungus from the twig of a deceased ash tree in Norfolk, experts could sequence the RNA of the fungus which was mixed up with the genetic information of the plant. The plant health expert Michael Shaw (who did not participate in the experiment), noted this process as the first step to discovering why some strains of the fungus cause disease while other strains are benign. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the fungus, as pointed out by Shaw, is that only certain strains of this fungus are different from the fungus that lives in ash trees naturally, meaning that they are closely related. This creates an even bigger mystery surrounding the fungus, as there must be some key genetic difference between the two strains.

After scientists had accomplished this 'first step' to "decoding" the mysterious fungus, they perpetuated their progress by publishing their results on the internet, leaving it open for analysis by other scientists. A similar strategy was taken in Germany with the 2011 E. Coli outbreak, which had tremendously successful results in enabling the scientists to track the source and spread of the infection.

I felt that this article was interesting and insightful. I really enjoyed that the author cited specific scientists and included them in the article, as it gave me a sense of where the research was stemming from, and how it affected broader regions of science. One thing I disliked about the article was the lack of specificity in regards to the steps of 'solving' the mystery of the fungus. I would have liked to have learned more about, specifically, how they were able to decode the RNA, and what, specifically, their future steps and plans were to identify the properties of the fungus.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20719507

'Marine' Fossils May Instead Represent Early Land Dwellers

According to some scientist, fossils of early organisms, such as the Dickinsonia, may really have been land dwellers rather than marine organisms. Previously it was almost unquestionable that these early fossils proved marine life began to blossom about 635 million years ago. However, the notion that these fossils belonged to land dwelling creatures would push the emergence of marine life back 100 million years.

The leading scientist in this argument is Gregory Retallack from the University of Oregon. He argues that the fossilized rocks were formed by paleosols, an ancient soil. This would make the rocks terrestrial instead of marine. His argument is supported by the texture of the rocks, arrangement of interlocking grains (showing the rock is windblown), and distinct color patterns. Also immediately beneath the rocks are fossils containing tubular structures that resemble early forms of clinging moss.

Not all scientists agree with Retallack’s theory, but they are eager to investigate and are not completely saying it’s out of the question. If Retallack is correct, scientists would have more evidence that during the Ediacaran period (time period these fossils are from), there was more life on land than expected. It also would create new conversation on when earths first soils were created and how to ID them

I thought this was an interesting article. It opens your eyes up to the fact that science is not fact, and new discoveries and arguments can be made each day that can counter previously accepted ideas. The only problem I had with this article was that the author didn’t specify which ancient organisms they were debating about, you could only deduce it was a Dickinsonia from the caption of an image.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/12/marine-fossils-may-instead-repre.html?ref=hp





"'Marine' Fossils May Instead Represent Early Land Dwellers." - ScienceNOW. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

Scientists Offer New Insights Into Early Universe

          As humans it is apparent that we naturally seek to learn more about the universe surrounding us. At Penn State University scientists have been studying the earliest era of the universe. From their data they were able to make a model which shows that the large objects that are observed in the universe actually from fundamental fluctuations in the essential quantum nature of “space-time.” The scientists were able to make this model due to their analyses of quantum physics. Their analysis of quantum physics goes the farthest back in time, to date. This model actually disproves Einstein’s general theory of relativity because it shows that the universe was once so compressed that the densities were unimaginable and did not work the same way that Einstein had believed. Instead, the early universe was ruled by a fundamental theory that had strange dynamics of quantum mechanics. No scientist has yet been able to detect the early eras of the universe; however cosmic radiation discovered an era in the universe when it was three hundred and eight thousand years old. Although the Universe was quickly super-compressed after that time period. Observations from the cosmic radiation also tell the scientists that the universe was uniform in its consistency after its inflation. The inflammatory model that the scientist created shows that the early universe and space time are on a smooth continuum. Ivan Agullo, who worked on the research, states that this model is insufficient, “The inflationary paradigm enjoys remarkable success in explaining the observed features of the cosmic background radiation. Yet this model is incomplete. It retains the idea that the universe burst forth from nothing in a Big Bang, which naturally results from the inability of the paradigm’s general-relativity physics to describe extreme quantum-mechanical situations.” To make this model successful the scientists believe that a quantum theory of gravity is needed so that the physics close to the origin of the universe is found. This group of scientists also proposed an updated theory of the Big Bang called the Big Bounce. The Big Bounce is the theory that the universe evolved from nothing but a super- compressed mass of matter. In reference to this model, Abhay Ashtekar, the senior author of the paper, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, stated, “In human terms, it is like taking a snapshot of a baby right at birth and then being able to project from it an accurate profile of how that person will be at age 100.” These two theories make for a very exciting future because they will be tested against one another in the future discoveries. I found this article to be interesting however quite confusing. I am not a renowned scholar on quantum physics or physics in general, so trying to understand all of these discoveries was quite confusing. This article shows how amazing science is. Due to science we are very close to discovering the beginning of the universe. It is simply mind boggling.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112739083/early-universe-new-insights-112912/

posted for C. Weiss

Pushing Science’s Limits in Sign Language Lexicon

This article that I read is about how deaf people who use sign language are not excelling in science nor pursuing careers in it, because teachers and students must improvise on what they know already. Words like “photosynthesis” and “organism” do not have signs, which makes it even harder for the people to learn biology or other sciences. If there were not a pre-existing terms for signs, teachers would “come up with a sign that was agreeable with both parties” Because the Internet has become so resourceful, students are able to watch videos and do research on scientific signs and share them with others. In 2012, the British sign Language glossary project added 116 new signs for physics and engineering terms. A team of researchers in Scotland and a University developed these signs. The standardization of signs will make it much easier for deaf students to understand the lessons being taught. I found this article to be very interesting and believe that what these scientists are doing is great. It is unfair to those who cannot hear or speak and are unable to understand the lessons being taught. Although it must be difficult to come up with new signs for every scientific word, it is important to always have that option pursing something you love. Posed for J. Sears

Ancient red dye powers new 'green' battery: Chemists use plant extract in eco-friendly, sustainable lithium-ion battery

This article is about chemists who found a new “green” battery, which is more environmentally friendly. Researchers from The city University of New York and Rice University worked together on this new project. They found that a plant once used in the old world has ingredients, purpurin, which were extracted from the roots of the matter of the plant. This was used in Asia and the Middle East over 3,500 years ago as a pink red and orange dye, which worked on fabrics and tiles. The batteries made from this substance work as any other battery would. Currently, batteries are made of cobalt, which is very expensive to  mine, so this plant alternative is a much better resource.

            The batteries made from this plant are more tedious to make, but they are much better for the environment. The batteries would soak up carbon dioxide  and eliminate the disposal problems that come along with normal batteries. Since the resources used to make these new batteries are from the environment, they are not as harsh and in the long run won’t have as many problems as normal batteries. This innovation will come in a few years and will be better for everyone, especially the earth.

            I thought the author did a very good job in writing this article. He was very clear as to what the batteries are made up of now and how they will be made in the future. Using this compare and contrast made it easier for the reader to follow along with the technical terms. I wish the author had made it clearer as to how this would impact our future as battery customers.

City College of New York. "Ancient red dye powers new 'green' battery: Chemists use plant extract in eco-friendly, sustainable lithium-ion battery." ScienceDaily, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

Re-welcoming back Global warming issues

         

              In this article that I’ve read, I’ve learned that global warming is at its highest peak and still growing larger. Global warming had been a major issue in our lives but it seems that not many people care about our ozone. As we know it, we even created a treaty that is called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but not many people care about it. Not until now. A couple days ago delegates from nearly over 200 nations met at Doha, Qatar where they discuss the future of global warming and what the aftermath is. But they realized that even with global negotiations weren’t enough to stop global warming. A larger, much larger attention was needed. They proclaimed that in order to decrease global warming, we need a global effort to stop it, meaning everyone needs to participate in this “stop global warming” campaign. Numerous people did participate in this effort to stop global warming, and casually decrease the emission of carbon dioxide. Because of this, many countries such as, England, France, U.S, etc decreased the emission of carbon dioxide throughout the world. However, this is not enough as Josep G. Canadell said. As we know it, coal became the main factor of natural gas supply other than fossil fuel, and as the usage of coal increases, the world is likely to lose its ozone in the near future. “If we’re going to run the world on coal, we’re in deep trouble,” said Gregg H. Marland, a scientist at Appalachian State University who has tracked emission for decade. If we do not switch to a cleaner and environmentally usage of fuel, then maybe our ozone won’t last much longer.

                I generally think this article intrigued me when I first read it. I’d like to mention that it brought back up the issue of Global Warming which had disappeared on the media for quite some time now. I think this article was well written, however, could use some more proof and evidence on how the research is carried out and where is our ozone at, at the current moment. This can spark future environmentally movements that can stop the emission of carbon dioxide and turn to clean energy such as electricity. Overall, outstanding article. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/world/emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-hit-record-in-2011-researchers-say.html?ref=science

harder than diamonds?

Harder Than Diamonds?

By Sid Perkins

            This article that I read is all about how scientists may have found created a material harder than diamonds.  Previously it is though that if you scrape diamond on any surface, it will make a scratch.  But because of Li Wang that ma not be the case.  To make this new super-hard substance, he took carbon molecules called fullerenes and added a carbon rich liquid called xylene.  These two molecules weakly link so they stay far apart.  They finally put the mixture in a diamond anvil cell which squeezes it into extremely high pressures,  about the weight of 300 elephants.  The fullerene than broke apart and created a new hard and dense structure.   When researched looked at the diamond anvil cell, some of the diamond cracked!

            This discovery can be extremely useful to mankind in many ways.  For one, it can make super strong tools to increase efficiency in saw blades or sandpaper.  It can also be put into bullet-proof vests.  The uses in the industrial world are endless.  This material may have even greater uses that we don’t know about yet because as Li Wang said they are unsure of the materials properties.

            I thought this article was very well written.  For one, the process of explaining the procedure in making the material is very complex, but the writer made it clear to me.  Also, I liked how he explained that although this is an amazing discovery, the samples they made were very small and further research is needed before anything is done with it.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/10/harder-than-diamonds/

Filthy Water in California Farmworker Communities

Brown, Patricia Leigh."Filthy Water in California Farmworker Communities." The NewYork Times. The New York Times, 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/us/tainted-water-in-california-farmworker-communities.html?ref=science>.

            This article describes the problem of water contamination in Seville, California, and the obstacles that people face due to the unsafe water. The town is very poor, and paying for clean water can take up to 10% of a person’s income. The area is predominantly agricultural; the mean salary amounts to $14,000 a year, and the land is ridden with pesticide and over irrigation. The tap water is so dirty that the residents cannot use it for anything. The parents live in fear of the children drinking water while cooling off with a hose or accidentally coming in contact with the contaminated liquid. The non-bottled water could cause thyroid disease and “blue baby syndrome,” which lowers the body’s blood capacity to carry oxygen.
            This article is very alarming as water is a necessity and there are clearly gaps in our infrastructure that need to be addressed. These already poor residents must pay extra for water because there is no other source of clean, safe drinking water. It also highlights how quickly our resources are draining. The amount of fresh water is decreasing and it is becoming contaminated. The article also sheds light on how important it is to ensure that everyone is getting safe, clean drinking water that doesn’t cost exorbitant amount of money. Here we take the substance for granted, but just across the country there are people going thirsty. Something should be done about this issue, as is dangerous to the community and children.

            I believe that the author did a very could job explaining the situation and how the absence of fresh water is detrimental to the community as a whole. I feel as if the author could have expanded more on the diseases that could be contracted from drinking the water, as they were mentioned only in one sentence. It left me wondering if people in the town have gotten the diseases and if the government has done anything about this. I also feel as if thee author should have written about what we could do to help those in this situation (or if there is anything we could do at all). Other than that, it was a very informative, well-written article. 

Shinya Yamanaka Wins 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine

      I read the article Shinya Yamanaka Wins 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine. This article was a bout how biologist Shinya Yamanaka received the Nobel Prize for his strides in stem cell research. Yamanaka discovered that you could change adult skin cells into cells that behave like embryonic stem cells.  Yamanaka‘s research showed that by adding four genes into adult skin cells in mice, he could induce the cells to become like embryonic stem cells. Later, Yamanaka found that he could successfully modify human cells into embryonic ones. These cells are now known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells.

            This is an amazing breakthrough for the scientific community as well as the world. Embryonic stem cell research has been a controversial topic for years. However this discovery is a win for both sides since it enables doctors and scientist to find new ways in helping patients without harming human embryos. The author states, “Tremendous promise for regenerative medicine, in which damaged organs and tissues can be replaced or repaired. Many in the science community consider the use of stem cells to be key to the future treatment and eradication of a number of diseases, such as diabetes, blindness and Parkinson's disease.” The discover has already lead to creation of a human model of Huntington's disease from the skin cells of patients with the disease and the use of a single genetic factor to transform skin cells into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells. Both announcements offer new hope in the fight against neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington’s disease.

            Over all I thought this article was well written and was easy to understand. The author did a nice job presenting all the benefits to society this find will make. The article was very clear and straightforward. I think the article was very interesting and gives us a glimpse into what medicine will be like in the future

A Chemist Comes Very Close to a MIdas Touch

In this article, by Hillary Rosner, a chemist from Princeton University has made a discovery in the science of alchemy. He may not have been able to turn iron into gold, but he had his own version of modern day alchemy. Paul Chirik, the chemist, managed to make iron function like platinum, which is crucial to the developing world. To create this, he dissolved catalysts, which are mixed into the end product; the molecules are then dissipated during the reaction.  Also, cobalt is being used to create a cheaper type of plastic. The only downside with iron is rusting can occur which might impact the metal.

            This is important to society because many of the elements used in everyday products are starting to become less abundant, so a discovery that makes an abundant metal have the properties of a less abundant metal will have a huge impact on saving the precious metals. Also, the products that harm the environment can start to be eliminated if we find ways to do this with other products. “If you can transition to a completely earth-abundant world,” he said, “you can have a huge impact.”

            I really liked this article because it was a very complex topic that was put into ordinary words that still allowed the impact of that topic to shine through. I also thought the way the author related this new discovery to things in our society and how this discovery can help our environment was very useful in understanding the article. 

Redefining Medicine With Apps and iPads

     I saw this article in the science section of the New York Times that seemed very interesting to me. Particularly that it covers all generations, new and old. The article is about a young Dr, Dr. Rajkamor who grew up in India but got all his training in the US and from age 12 he knew a lot about computer technology and felt very comfortable with it. Dr. Heineken, an older doctor who grew up and studied in the US. Dr. Heineken has a traditional training in medicine and interacts with the patients physiologically and physically in old traditional way. He likes to physically examine the patients, look in their eyes and talk to them and record his results on hospital pads. He also teaches the style of medicine to all of the young residents in the hospital and encourages them to use human judgment and intuitions to connect with the patients and their diseases. In one instance, when he was teaching a team of residents were working with a sick man with a heart problem, and asked them to tap the patients heart with their fingers and to understand and to feel his enlarged heart, rather than looking at a X-ray of the heart that would have obviously shown his enlarged heart.

            On the contrary, Dr. Rajkamor prefers his Ipad or iPhone to share information from medical sources for recording data or requiring pharmaceutical information. For instance, when he had to administer saline solution to a patient who’s salt concentration was low and was crucial to give the right amount in a short period of time he used his Ipad for an immediate answer for the right dosage. Because of his experience with technology at a very young age, he feels very much at ease to use the computer in most aspects of his practice of medicine. Even though computers can facilitate the process of gaining and transferring information at a faster pace and sometimes a more correct way it might cause shortage of relationship between a doctor and patients.

            The goal Dr. Heineken is to get these young residents more involved with the human aspects of the Dr. and patients relationship while he respects the affect of the computers in the medical world. Although he uses his cell phone and most definitely computer machineries in all aspects of his personal and medical life, he likes to weigh his work heavily on his knowledge of medicine in a more organic way. It seems form the article that the patients enjoy having a doctor like him. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/science/redefining-medicine-with-apps-and-ipads-the-digital-doctor.html?pagewanted=all

Posted for J. Sears

Nausea may help create new leads to cancer treatment

'Disgusted' Rats Teaching Scientists About Nausea, Work May Lead to New Cancer Treatments

In the article I’ve read about rats, I’ve found something particularly interesting about them. Not because they come in just two colors but they give us information about how nausea is caused. Generally speaking, all this time numerous people throughout the world don’t exactly know why nausea is caused. Apparently rats have a similar sign of nausea but it’s not clearly seeing the rat in a nausea state. When they’re in a nausea state they tend to make a disgusted reaction called “gaping” when re-exposed to a taste that made them nauseous, as Guelph PhD student Katharine Tuerke stated. The article also states that rats and humans have similar models to understand the brain mechanism that produces nausea. Using this model, Guelph scientist, have discovered that serotonin, the central nervous system, released in the visceral insular cortex may be the cause of nausea. What the insular cortex is is a site of taste and illness input in the brain. Knowing this, scientist examined the effects of delivering drugs that either activates serotonin-3 receptor or block serotonin-2 receptors to specific regions of the insular cortex. The serotonin-3 receptor are a class of medications that act receptor antagonist, a drug that doesn’t provoke a biological response itself upon binding the receptor which are large protein molecules that can be activated by the binding of a ligand (hormone). They discovered that the insular cortex activates the serotonin that causes nausea and blocking the serotonin that reduces serotonin. Given this information, both PhD students may be able to use this valuable process to, maybe, lead a better understanding of basic neural processes that may help control nausea or vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy.

                I, honesty, believe that this article is important. This is because cancer chemotherapy is extremely toxic can kills many people throughout the world. I mean, come on, the word cancer explains it all. Any type of cancer is really toxic to the body. If we can at least try to cure on, then maybe we can have a better understanding how other parts of cancer really works. I’ve learn a lot of interesting details in this article overall and I think the author did a fantastic job introducing and ending the article itself. Nothing should be changed because even a student like me could understand it. Not to mention, all the facts are concrete materials and no assumptions added. Articles like this can inspire many people throughout the world to help solve cancer. Future research depends on these kinds of articles.

Kenny Xue

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121005123858.htm 

High Stress Can Make Insulin Cells Regress

       

High Stress Can Make Insulin Cells Regress

     This article describes the recent advances in research regarding diabetes and insulin production. Scientists formerly thought that people with diabetes became resistant to insulin, which would in turn cause their insulin-producing beta cells to overwork and die out. Now researchers are hypothesizing that the reduction of insulin in the body is actually due to a change in the beta cells’ form, not their death. They believe that the beta cells revert to a “progenitor” state in which they are unable to produce insulin, and reversing this process could help cure diabetes. New research also shows that a protein called FOXO1, which disappears as beta cells stop producing insulin, is vital to keeping the production of insulin in beta cells running. Researchers found that mice that were subject to stress and lacked the protein ended up developing signs of Type 2 diabetes. Some of their beta cells were found to have reverted to the progenitor state, similar to the findings of the earlier study.

            These findings are important because they show that physiological stresses cause an increase in the demand on beta cells for insulin, in turn causing the progression of diabetes. Currently, treatments for diabetes are pushing the production of insulin, which could actually be speeding up the transformation of beta cells to progenitor cells. We could use this information to try to change our methods of treating diabetes and create more efficient and successful drugs.

            I believe that the author could have done a better job explaining the transition between beta cells and progenitor cells. She also doesn’t explain the idea about stress to well; it seems more like an assumption of her own than an idea based on concrete evidence. Other than this, I think she did well summarizing the results of the experiments and describing the future plans on the continuation of this research. 

Schaffer, Amanda. "IN THEORY; Under Stress, Insulin-Making Cells Revert to Nascent State." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/health/under-stress-insulin-making-cells-revert-to-nascent-state.html?ref=science>.