“Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is”

Based off a work published on “Genome Biology,” a BBC news article announces that scientists have developed a way to reveal one’s “biological age,” by testing how quickly the body is ageing. After performing a comparative gene analysis of individuals from ages 25-60, scientists were able to identify the genes that were markers of both healthy and unhealthy aging. From there, a test was created that analysed 150 genes within the DNA of any individual, and used it to identify their “aging signature.” In order to test their new method, researchers collected gene samples from a group of 70 men, and applied those samples to find the biological age of each volunteer. Using this data, the researchers were able to infer who was likely to die within the next few years, and who would stay alive and well. While this technique could lead to a multitude of medical advancements, it also is a source of great controversy. Critics have suggested that the test is inaccurate because it does not factor in other variables such as lifestyle and eating habits. In addition, the test could cause problems for those wishing to receive benefits such as healthcare and organ transplantation.

Despite controversy, the development of the biological age test is important because it can lead to numerous advancements in healthcare, especially in the fields of organ transplantation and diagnostics. Apparently, if proven to be sufficient, the test will allow for a large increase in organ transplants from those who would typically be considered too old to donate organs, but are biologically young. This would ultimately change current protocols for donations and transplants, inevitably leading to a reduction in waiting lists for organs. In addition, the author states that the use of the test would alter cancer screening protocols, requiring those who are aging quickly to be screened more often, along with less mandated screenings for people who are aging well. With progress, the test also shows capability to become a reliable assessment tool for onset predictions of neurodegenerative diseases, such a dementia or alzheimer's. Overall, the test has great potential to change the medical world as we know it.

I personally find this article to be really interesting, because it provides great information without overwhelming or confusing the reader. In addition, I feel that biological age is important subject matter due to it’s potential to change many areas of medicine, including diagnosis and insurance matters. However, I agree with critics of the biological age test, who are skeptical of it’s accuracy due to the test’s failure to factor individual lifestyle into the calculations. Researchers working on this project are clearly off to a good start, but need to continue their studies before any developments can truly be applied to the medical field.

Link:  http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34153135

Ocean acidification weighing heavily upon marine algae

Sam Connors

Ap Bio Current Event

Ocean acidification weighing heavily upon marine algae

           Ocean acidification poses a huge problem for algae and other calcium carbonate marine organisms. Exposure to corrosive waters can reduce their performance and in turn, their impact on marine biodiversity. Even a small loss of skeletal calcification can have a significant impact and leave algae at risk of losing access to light and nutrients. Further discoveries regarding ocean acidification were made by a team of scientists from Plymouth University, the University of Washington, and the University of Palermo during fieldwork at volcanic vents in the Mediterranean and subsequent laboratory testing. They visited three sites with low, medium, and high concentrations of CO2 to survey the appearance and presence of green algae called "mermaid's wineglass." When specimens were scanned under an electron microscope, they found that those from areas of low CO2 had stronger stems due to an intact sheath of aragonite, while those in acidic waters had had theirs eroded and pitted and were up to 32% less calcified. Further tests revealed that the algae in the acidic environments were up to 40% less stiff and 40% droopier. Professor Hall Spencer described the importance of this revelation: "A less rigid stem droops towards the seafloor likely reducing the distance spores can travel away from the cup. The cup is also photosynthetic, so bending may reorient it away from light and increase shading by neighbours, thereby reducing the scope for growth."

          Ocean acidification is not news, nor is its impact on organisms, specifically with calcium carbonate shells. However, this team of scientists looked further than the impact and analyzed the consequences. "Many ocean acidification studies show reduced calcification at high CO2, but do not examine the consequences for organismal performance," said one of the scientists, Professor Laura Newcomb. The information from their research establishes the linkages between calcification and performance, which are vital if organisms are to survive in a high CO2 world. The research which highlights the harm being done to organisms also provides reason for carbon sequestration to no longer be an alternative to climate change. It seems like a viable, even smart, way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, but it clearly has corrosive side effects.

         This article was both fascinating and well-written.  It stated the problems that have arisen with ocean acidification in the beginning, then explored them further after describing the experiments done by the team from Plymouth University, the University of Washington, and the University of Palermo.  This strengthened the points of the article and made it easy to follow.  Another great thing this article included was 2 pictures of algae. The first showed a healthy that inhabited low CO2 concentrations, and the other showed a droopier, more discolored algae in higher CO2 concentrations.

        While it was well-written, I still found some grammar issues.  When the author mentioned their paper, Ocean acidification bends the Mermaid's wineglass, he forgot to italicize it.  This is only a small issue, but it hurts the validity of the article as a whole.  Another thing that annoyed me was the long quotes that seemed a little redundant.  They were certainly necessary to include because they were insightful and relevant, but they were long and included in almost every paragraph.  Otherwise, this article was very insightful and interesting.

"Ocean Acidification Weighing Heavily upon Marine Algae." Ocean Acidification Weighing Heavily upon Marine Algae. Phys.org, 8 Sept. 2015. Web. 23 Sept. 2015. <http://phys.org/news/2015-09-ocean-acidification-heavily-marine-algae.html>.

Bionic Eyes, Stem Cells and Gene Therapy: 3 Cutting Edge Cures for Blindness

Ansley Jones

September 22, 2015

“Bionic Eyes, Stem Cells and Gene Therapy: 3 Cutting Edge Cures for Blindness” by Alexandra Sifferlin

Medical advances in the past few years have been revolutionary and life changing for people affected by various diseases, but not all diseases have made big leaps forward. Ophthalmologists (eye doctors) have known for a long time that eyes pick up light and turn it into electrical signals that are sent to the brain where it is generated into an image. Yet, this process is extremely complicated and many things can go wrong along the way between the eye and the brain. Ophthalmologists know a lot more about vision problems and their causes; however, for those with irreversible blindness, there is has not been much hope until now. Researchers are getting closer to being able to effectively treat blindness. This article discusses three cases where patients were treated with cutting-edge cures for blindness. The first patient, Steve McMillin, was blind due to retinitis pigmentosa. This rare and inherited disease destroys photoreceptors that take in light and transmit signals to the brain. McMillin was treated using the Argus-II, a “bionic eye.” The Argus-II is a retinal implant that is surgically implanted into a patient’s eye. The patient wears a pair of modified sunglasses that have a video camera on the front of them. The camera picks up an image and transmits it to a processing unit on the glasses, which then transmits the impulse to the retinal implant. The implant then sends the signal past the destroyed photoreceptors to healthy retinal cells that send the signal to the brain so it can then see the image. The patient has to undergo training in order for the brain to get used to the Argus-II and to be able to see images better; it does not happen automatically. McMillin was not able to work after his eyesight disappeared. He received the Argus-II treatment and can now see wavy-lines and edges, but not full shapes. With training, he should continue to make progress. The second patient, Michael Ganley, is losing his vision due to Stargardt’s macular degeneration. This disease is the main cause of blindness in elderly people but Stargardt’s disease is the juvenile form. Macular degeneration causes the cells that feed the retina to degrade, causing the retina to die. The eye then cannot take in light and process signals to send to the brain. Michael Ganley was treated using stem cells from extra IVF embryos. These stem cells were treated with compounds to influence them to grow into retinal pigment epithelial cells, the cells that feed the retina. The stem cells were then injected into the eye where they will theoretically grow and replace the damaged feeding cells. Ganley has not noticed if the procedure has made a huge improvement yet, but a couple weeks after his surgery he could see two more lines on the eye chart. The cells take a while to grow and repair the retina, so his condition could continue to get better with time instead of getting worse. The third patient, Dale Turner, has Leber congenital amaurosis, a disease caused by a genetic mutation that inhibits the photoreceptors in the eyes. He received a gene therapy treatment where a harmless virus carrying non-mutated genes producing the right proteins was injected into his retina. This treatment is not always permanent for some patients because their retinas continue to degenerate. Scientists are continuing to modify this procedure to improve results. Turner received this treatment and remembers being shocked by how blue the sky was; he didn’t realize how much he was missing out on because of his condition.

Having good vision is directly correlated to quality of life. Poor vision makes it harder to work, live independently, and enjoy many everyday activities. Each patient struggled to do something important in their lives because of their blindness. Steve McMillin, the first patient, could see his wife’s face and his grandson for the first time in years after his vision loss. Michael Ganley, the second patient, said his poor vision had a direct impact on his fiance, who went through the whole process with him. Dale Turner, the third patient, pointed out that by not being able to see, he missed out on so many things. Turner accurately stated, “It isn’t easy. We live in a society that assumes everybody can hear and everybody can see. So the prospect of being able to see and overcoming something that’s supposed to be incurable is remarkable.” As these technologies improve, they become less expensive and more widely available to other patients. Eventually this can help those who are blind in developing worlds. Cataracts and eye infections plague people in third-world countries. I did a health fellowship in eye care this summer in Ghana, and experienced first hand how people are affected by poor eyesight. They receive little support from local clinics and their eyesight prevents them from being able to work and take care of their families. Some even saw traditional healers who treated their eye problems with urine and dirt. If an adult can’t see then a child in the family is often kept out of school to be their eyes so it impacts the lives of other family members and eventually the whole community. If scientists can develop these treatments at a reasonable cost, we could eliminate most blindness, improving the lives of people around the world.

I found this article to be fascinating. It was very detailed in describing the three patients’ individual cases and ground-breaking treatments. Each case study had the diagnosis, causes, treatment, how the treatment works, and what it has done for the patient. This made the article especially impactful because it was personal as well as scientific. The one thing Sifferlin, the author, could have done better would be to define and explain some of the scientific terms. I learned about eyes in my fellowship so I was familiar with some of the technical terms but someone with no background in the anatomy of eyes and how they work would find the article difficult to read and understand. Other than that, this article was thorough and unbelievably interesting. Imagine the possibilities if blindness could be treated and cured someday?

Sifferlin, Alexandra. "Cutting-Edge Cures for Blindness: Three People's Stories." Time. Time,09Sept. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://time.com/4026658/blindness-cure-treatment/>

When Radiation Isn’t the Real Risk

Johnson, George. "When Radiation Isn’t the Real Risk." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/science/when-radiation-isnt-the-real-risk.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

When Radiation Isn’t the Real Risk

In the article, When Radiation Isn’t the Real Risk, George Johnson claims that the 1,600 deaths following the nuclear accident at Fukushima weren’t caused by radiation, but by injuries from the evacuation itself. This was confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Even in the years to come, the number of workers with cancer is predicted to be very low, almost unnoticeable. Dr. Mohan Doss, a medical physicist, said that “The government basically panicked”.  They demanded all the hospitals and nursing homes be evacuated which ended up killing some because there wasn’t the necessary technology to care for people who were in the ICU. As well as this, there were also suicides because people were scared that the radiation would kill them. Most of the radiation ended up being spread over the sea of diluted over land. Some scientists even think that low doses of radiation are actually beneficial. Most of the population are only exposed to about 2.4 millisieverts a year. A full millisievert would only impose about 5 deadly cancers throughout 100,000 people. As well as this, lab experiments also show that low exposures to radiation activate the immune system and let out protective antioxidants, protecting against all cancers. However, findings are often disputed and other factors like whether people smoke and their age also come into question. These studies are not only important in trying to disprove the past, but also are important to ease the fear of radiation.

This article is very important in terms of affecting society. Many people have a fear of radiation, especially after events like the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This article can open people’s eyes to the benefits of small amounts of radiation and might cause less panic and less death in the future. The fear of radiation also causes people not to get lifesaving diagnostic tests and radiotherapies. As the author said, “Trying to avoid the horror we imagine, we risk creating ones that are real”. These studies and article won’t change some people’s views immediately, but they can get people talking and may spark other experiments or investigations.

I thought this article was very well written. The author presented the situation and different studies in an well, easy to understand manner. He also did a good job of proving his argument, stating that the real fear should not be radiation. In addition, he addressed the counterargument, that there are other factors that come into play with diagnosing the causes of cancer. However, the article could have given more examples as well as more of a background on radiation and what it is. Overall, I thought it was a very well written, insightful article that could change a person’s perspective on radiation, ultimately saving some people’s lives.  

As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West

Beth Finley                                                                                                     September 21, 2015

AP Biology Current Event #2

As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West

            The western region of America has suffered through one of the worst fire seasons this past year, and more than eight hundred million acres have been burned nationwide. The article, As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West, by John Schwartz, explains the deathly consequences of the increasing number of forest fires, especially the issues with the increasing tree deaths, and how fire experts are desperately trying to take action to solve these problems. The author states that climate change has been a major reason for the increasing number of wildfires; along with climate change comes the hotter and longer droughts that the West has continued to experience over the past years. These droughts make the trees and ground drier, so then fires accumulate more quickly by being able to “ladder up” the tree branches and leaves. Schwartz also believes that the “stress” on trees will continue to worsen, as they will essentially have to compete for water. Trees also assist tremendously with climate change because they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis; however, these droughts cause forests to slow their growth and absorb less carbon for four years after each drought. Firefighters are trying to find a solution to this issue as climate is changing; they think that thinning forests would only allow the trees to be scorched rather than completely burned and killed.

            This article directly addresses how humans often overlook the obvious risks of natural disasters, and we prefer to keep things the way they are even as climate is changing. It is obvious that we can make a difference, but we choose not to. Climate change can be partially controlled or even reduced if we save the forests since they absorb so much carbon dioxide. Dr. Paul Hessberg, a research ecologist with the United States Forest Service at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, adds that we have the ability to decide what kind of society we want to live in; whether it be with large doses of fire or small doses is up to us and how we choose to solve the problem. Dr Hessberg believes that the thinning of forests is just the beginning to solving this nationwide concern.

            This article was well written and very detailed. The author includes many direct quotations from scientists and scholars, which supports many points made by Schwartz. Although the article is detailed I believe it was almost too lengthy. Schwartz did make several important points, but I think this article could have been more concise since he restated many ideas throughout the article that seemed repetitive. My only other suggestion would be to include more specific information on the forest fires in specific states in the West other than New Mexico. This would allow the reader to make connections between the different conditions of the fires in each state. Overall, this article was very informative and helped me to understand the seriousness of the effects of wildfires.

           

Schwartz, John. "As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://nyti.ms/1V5dXGB>.

As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West

Liv Cappello

AP Biology Current Event

9/24/2015

As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West

by John Schwartz, September 21, 2015

This article discusses the devastation caused by recent forest fires in the west, and the impact of these fires on the land, surrounding communities, and environment. The author describes the fires as a product of factors including lack of government regulation, firefighting policies, and climate change. The 2015 fire season in the west is considered one of the worst in the nation’s history, with more than eight million acres burned nationwide. Because of the sheer volume of fires recorded in the past months, the national Forest Service is struggling to obtain funds to fight and prevent fires, as responding to these disasters is becoming increasingly more expensive. The article emphasizes the importance of extinguishing and preventing wildfires, as the trees in our environment are invaluable, and a planet with fewer trees is less able to fight climate change.

Though fire has been “an essential and cyclical part of forest life” in that they tend to burn with low intensity and often can be beneficial in spreading seeds and clearing underbrush, these incredibly large and destructive fires have disrupted a natural and healthy pattern. The author suggests that wildfires are only part of the damage brought on by climate change: hotter droughts associated with wildfires are causing an increase in tree mortality. Trees in very dense forests have to compete for water, causing stress and eventually weakness and vulnerability of the trees to predators (such as aggressive bark beetles).

Though the severity of the damages produced by wildfires is discussed, the article fails to present detail in the causes and solutions of this increasingly important problem. To gain a complete sense of the impact of climate change on forests, it would have been helpful to include information as it pertains to wildfires and tree mortality earlier in the article. Without detail describing the link between climate change and these fires, it was difficult to fully understand the current situation in the West. It would have helped to know more about why these fires were caused, and how large of a role climate change plays in causing forest fires, and what we can do to prevent fires and help to repair the damages caused by those in the past months. The article however does provide a clear and concise evaluation of the damages of wildfires in the west, which is necessary for understanding the urgency of these ongoing fires.

Overall, I enjoyed reading and analyzing this article — it was well-written, informative, and helped me to gain an understanding of a topic that I had yet to learn about.

Schwartz, John. "As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West." The New York Times. The

New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/science/as-fires-grow-a-new-landscape-appears-in-the-west.html?action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0>.

More Evidence for Coming Black Hole Collision

Black holes are ultra-dense objects that suck in everything from stars, gases, and even light. Each galaxy has at least one supermassive black hole and when these galaxies coalesce, the black holes are forced to orbit each other. In most cases, the black holes cannot get close enough to merge because the gravity of nearby planets and stars hold them back; however, in a galaxy 3.5 billion light-years from earth, an unusual event has developed. Last year, a team of scientist discovered two massive black holes weighing more than a billion suns combined, set to converge with each other. There are not enough planets or stars nearby to hold them back, and when these two black holes will meet they will release as much energy as 100 million supernova explosions in the form of gravitational waves. For reference, supernova’s have so much energy that for a brief period they outshine the entire galaxy. The evidence for this collision was a flickering coming from the center of that galaxy, specifically from a quasar, a bright mass of light and energy, called PG 1302-102. Recently, new evidence also was discovered to back this prediction. Daniel D’Orazio of Columbia University and his colleagues predicted that light coming from the quasar, is actually coming from a disk of gas surrounding one of the black holes. They predicted that the closer the black holes come together, the more light will be emitted from the disk and accelerated by the Doppler Effect. They also predicted that the variation would be greater in ultraviolet light, which they later confirmed from analyzing their data. The model D’Orazio and his colleagues came up with suggest the black holes are only 200 billion miles away and would collide within the next 100,000 years. But, because the galaxy is so far away from earth, it is possible that the collision has already occurred, and the effects would only reach us in the future.

This article and the research shown in it are important for understanding the characteristics of black holes and collecting more evidence to back the theory of general relativity. Black holes are a mystery to scientists, simply because they can’t be directly seen and there are many theories as to what happens when something approaches a black hole. There are a lot of observations and data explaining some of the behaviours of black holes, but discoveries such as these help reveal more of the mystery. Similarly, general relativity has passed experiments, discoveries, and observations, but “some of its predictions can be tested only in the most extreme gravitational environments, namely black holes.” Essentially, the more data we collect about black holes and the gravity waves they often release, the more we will learn about “the secrets of gravity.”

This article was well-written, but I had a few issues with the way it explained a lot of the evidence. The article assumed that the reader had general knowledge of the different types of stars, which was sometimes annoying because I had to search up a lot of terms. The author was also not clear with explaining what exactly the new data proved and why it was important to confirming the theory of the collision. I had to re-read the part explaining the evidence they discovered because it was confusing and disjointed. Overall though, the author did explain some essential parts of black holes, which was nice since it cleared up a lot of misconceptions, I just wish he had been clearer when explaining the evidence. 

Overbye, Dennis. "More Evidence for Coming Black Hole Collision." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/science/space/more-evidence-for-coming-black-hole-collision.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront

Study Predicts Antarctica Ice Melt if All Fossil Fuels Are Burned

In the article a Study Predicts Antarctica Ice Melt if All Fossil Fuels Are Burned, Justin Gillis uses a study of the human impact on the future rise in sea level to address extreme issues concerning the future of the Earth. The Earth’s global temperature has the potential to rise and melt the entire ice sheet that covers Antarctica. This will happen if all of the world’s deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas are burned. Not only would this affect Antarctica but the ice that melts just from Antarctica would raise the sea level by more than 160 feet affecting the entire globe.

Despite the fact that this will not occur in our lifetime, it is not too far in the future. In as soon as a thousand years half the melting may occur. The ocean will rise ten times the rate it is rising now, becoming a foot per decade. Theoretically in a period of twenty years coastal cities and many islands could be flooded, creating chaos in society. Not only would Antarctica’s ice melt, but the rest of the earth’s land ice would melt so the total rise in sea level would likely surpass 200 feet. Great ice sheets are sensitive to slight variations in the Earth’s average temperature; the Earth’s orbit around the sun does affect the temperature, which is shown through 3 million year old seashells being dug up miles inward from the coast meaning the sea level has changed drastically in that amount of time. However human emissions are speeding up this natural million year old process to only a thousand years, which is confirmed in recent findings about carbon emissions. In a thousand years some of the world’s most famous cities including Paris, New York, New Orleans, Stockholm, London, Venice, Rome, Beijing and many more will be lost underwater. In order to protect these cities it would cost trillions of dollars, which reverses the profit from selling fossil fuels in the first place. The scientists concluded that the Earth’s temperature may increase by 20 degrees Fahrenheit, which would render much of the earth “too hot and humid for human habitation, cause food production to collapse, and drive much of the plant and animal life of the planet to extinction.” Humanity may ruin the only known planet with life on it because of greed.  

The most tragic part about these statistics is that we have the power to change them, but nobody wants to because it would cause nations to lose money. Humanity is driving the climate up, and we aren’t doing it subtly. The more people that read this article, the more likely a change will be made; however, in contrast, governments have recognized the dangers of extracting and using the world’s fossil fuels for years now, and political efforts to reduce the burning have yet to be effective. President Obama has pushed the nations of the world to convene in Paris before the year ends in an attempt to reduce worldwide emissions. The United States has the largest fossil fuel usage per capita, yet its Republican Party opposes the limitation of burning fossil fuels.

I would have liked to know how the amount of time it will take for the ice to melt was found because Gillis says they have a computerized analysis of the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, but that doesn’t mean much to the readers. The article briefly states how scientists use the ice sheet models to predict the potential consequences of burning fossil fuels. Instead they could have had a picture of the model and an explanation as to how it works and how accurate it is. We can correct the world’s mistakes by moving away from fossil fuels to slow the melting of the ice that is left, but that would need to start immediately. I chose this article because I believe this should be taught in school. This generation should be exposed to the frightening possibilities of the future of our world so that someone can be the one to make a difference. The topic of global warming interests me, especially because I know that some people do not believe in global warming. This clearly shows that we have a huge impact on the average temperature of the globe. These facts anger me, but I am not sure how I, as an individual, can make a drastic, good change for the Earth.

Gillis, Justin. "Study Predicts Antarctica Ice Melt If All Fossil Fuels Are Burned." The New York

Times. The New York Times, 11 Sept. 2015. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/12/science/climate-study-predicts-huge-sea-level-rise-if-all-fossil-fuels-are-burned.html

A Surprise Source of Life's Code

Estelle Kelty             9/13/15

AP Biology       Article Review

A Surprise Source of Life’s Code

Ever since scientists discovered genes and DNA, we have thought of them as repeating patterns, copies, only slightly different than their parents. Recently however, scientists have discovered genes that defy these rules, genes that bear no similarity to other genes, or it’s relatives. These “orphan genes,” had puzzled scientists for many years now. Until recently, when it was proposed perhaps these genes are evolving from the, “junk DNA,” that lays between the genes. These genes, named de novo genes, used to be extremely rare and are recently becoming more common. While many doubt this idea, it is easier to believe when we think of the diversity of the organisms we see on Earth. If each of these organisms came all as forms of the first limited genetic building block, this diversity could go only so far. Even if this were true, the probability of random mutation of DNA to create functioning genes is not very high. These genes instead could be created as deformed, and harmful genes, such as those producing toxins, or excess proteins. “In humans, at least one de novo gene is active in the brain, leading some scientists to speculate such genes may have helped drive the brain’s evolution. Others are linked to cancer when mutated, suggesting they have an important function in the cell.” Although DNA sequencing has allowed better technology to identify these de novo genes, it is still very difficult to discover what each of them do. While studying these genes, they have be significantly increasing, some of them even becoming necessary for survival in many organisms. “Evidence suggests that a portion of de novo genes quickly become essential. About 20 percent of new genes in fruit flies appear to be required for survival. And many others show signs of natural selection, evidence that they are doing something useful for the organism.” These genes also produce newly shaped proteins, ones with looser structure, to be able to bind to a larger selection of molecules. These genes have become increasing more important and are being studied more than they had been previously.

This article is very important in terms of affecting society. The majority of humans now contain at least a few of these de novo genes. These genes can be harmful as well as helpful. They can mutate and become toxic, causing protein failure, cancer, or other unwanted diseases. It is important we learn more about these genes to be able to better understand them, how they form, what they do, and how to control them. These genes could become useful as we attempt to cure many diseases that plague our world, these could help us better understand genetics, and how even though we think we understand life, it is endlessly complicated.“The fact that being misregulated can have such devastating consequences implies that the normal function is important or powerful,” said Aoife McLysaght, a geneticist at Trinity College in Dublin who identified the first human de novo genes.” People of society do not understand that while these genes may seem to have no significance, every single discovery, the smallest to the largest affects us. It changes the way we live and the knowledge we have to help people. Science has been used for the worse or for the better, and we strive to learn more, to better understand this, and create more good, in the world, rather than the evil.

I thought the article was very well written. It was written in chronological order of the discoveries of these genes. I thought it did a good job explaining all of the more advanced topics and ideas about the genes, giving examples for each other genes discovered. The article could have introduced a few more human related examples about the genes rather than just mice and flies. One thing I would have changed in this article is the addition of more background on the basics of genes, DNA, and replication of genes, before speaking directly about the newly found genes. Otherwise, an overall good and educational article; keeping me informed with the scientific world.               

Singer, Emily. "A Surprise Source of Life's Code." Scientific American Global RSS. Quanta Magazine, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-surprise-source-of-life-s-code/>.