"'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests. 12 Feb. 2016. Web. <http://phys.org/news/2016-02-jaws-humans-teeth-shark.html>.
The article, “Jaws’ May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests,” tells of a research performed by Dr. Gareth Fraser of University of Sheffield’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences which may bring new hope to humans with tooth loss. For a long time, sharks and rays have been known to develop and replace rows of teeth in a similar fashion to a conveyer belt when needed. Apparently, this is due to the network of genes in a special set of epithelial cells, called the dental lamina, which account for the lifelong continuation of tooth development and regeneration in sharks. All animals have these specialized cells, but humans only form two sets - the baby and adult teeth - before they are destroyed. The research team concluded that over 450 million years, this tooth-making gene, which made the first vertebrate teeth ever, has evolved in sharks while it has reduced in other mammals. According to Dr. Gareth Fraser: "We know that sharks are fearsome predators, and one of the main reasons they are so successful at hunting prey is because of their rows of backward pointing, razor-sharp teeth that regenerate rapidly throughout their lifetime, and so are replaced before decay.” The team’s research, which include examining the teeth of catshark embryos, show that these genes are important both during the development of the shark’s first teeth and during the regeneration of further teeth.
The new treatment, which could possibly be created with knowledge of how sharks are able to continuously generate their teeth, would have an immense impact on our society. This problem of tooth loss affects every human especially during their elderly years since their teeth might not be strong enough to bite harder food and receive proper nutrients. The ability to regenerate teeth and to make them as strong as they were during a human’s adolescent age would be astounding. It also goes to show how evolution really is a central theme in biology, and how scientists are using this new-found knowledge to better the lives of humans.
I thought Amy’s review on the article “Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." was very interesting and well written. I thought she did a great job with structuring the review so that it was organized and flowed well. She began by setting up a foundation and by explaining why this discovery is so important to biology and explaining each detail very clearly. Secondly, she did a good job of explaining each point, especially the beginning of the review when she explained how the specific DNA for the regeneration of teeth diminished in humans, while it continued on in sharks, resulting in their ability to do so today. She was able to form a strong base which helped me understand the rest of the review and why it is so important to biology. Lastly, she also did a nice job of including quotes, which really added to the piece. She integrated it well and showed the opinion of the scientists working on this study, which really helped clarify and connect the review.
ReplyDeleteOverall, she did a great job explaining and shortening the article so that we could comprehend what was happening. However, I think she could have explained the research from a more scientific standpoint. For example she should have added more statistics and information regarding how tests were conducting and the overall feature. I also think she could have broken down the significance and shown more about how it relates to us as humans. She didn’t really explain h, rather than its impact on scientific research. She does a good job explaining how research will change in terms of the basic ideas, but she didn’t explain why this was so important for science. She did describe it a little, but adding a sentence or two, would have made it less vague and more understandable.
This article was very interesting, and I think it's amazing that we can extract the dna of this sharks, understand how they work, and compare it to other who lived so long ago. This study opens up a lot more questions about the way our genes evolved in comparison to other animals, how different environments might have affected our DNA make up, and how we can use our understanding of other animamls to our advantage.
ReplyDelete"'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests. 12 Feb. 2016. Web. .
Nice choice Amy, 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests was an interesting piece to read. You not only did a good job organizing the information in a manner that allows the audience to easily understand it, but keeping your review concise made the information easier to digest as well. Not only do we learn that sharks have the capability to regenerate their teeth but this property may be possible for humans after scientists undergo extensive research. Also adding a quote from Dr. Gareth Fraser gave your piece a sense of authority and bolstered your information.
However the only two areas of improvement I can recommend is something I feel is out of your control. In fact, it is something that you yourself found lacking in the article you researched. So although your summary would have been better with perhaps another quote and explaining exactly the experimentation that the scientists would undergo in response to this newfound knowledge, I understand it isn’t really something you could improve. Afterall how can you include something that isn’t available in your article in the first place?
Personally, I was drawn to this article because it shed light on a different topic rather than the Zika virus. I was also slightly intrigued on what correlation would the movie Jaws have with regeneration of human teeth. It was certainly interesting that due to evolution most animals have lost this property yet sharks retained it. It raises questions like why and how can we activate our dental lamina? This discovery enhances my outlook that through research, the sky presents no limits on scientists and certainly makes me curious why mainly sharks possess this trait.
"'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests. 12 Feb. 2016. Web. .
ReplyDeleteAmy chose a topic that most may overlook when searching for articles; tooth loss treatment at a glance does not come across as a major breakthrough like a genetic discovery would. However, bringing this subject matter to our attention only broadens our knowledge to possibly apply the learned techniques from the experiment in other areas. (Not to mention it was very well explained.) It is important to be open to all fields and types of knowledge in order for science to progress. Her use of positive connotation and diction in her relevance paragraph emphasized the urgency of the research as well. I also liked how she strengthened one of her examples in her second paragraph by going further into how the treatment impacts the ability to “receive proper nutrients” rather than just stating how it facilitates mastication for the elderly.
Although she summarized the prevalence of the gene very well, she could have talked about how the treatment worked specifically--the transition from the first to second paragraph was a bit abrupt as it went right into the impacts of the treatment after not talking about it. She also could have proofread as there were a few grammatical errors, but its consequence was minor as the content was easily understood.
Amy provided us with an excellent example of evolution through natural selection. She taught us why sharks continue to regenerate teeth throughout their lifetime; it is due to the evolution of certain genes in their dental lamina. While other animals possess this “specialized group of epithelial cells,” their evolution has been reduced. Because the primary reason for success in the way sharks hunt their prey is their “razor-sharp teeth,” natural selection explains the evolution of the teeth-making gene in sharks; this trait best suits their environment for survival. It’s cool to recognize a real-life example of what we’re currently studying so that we can apply our knowledge to think more like scientists.
"'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests. 12 Feb. 2016. Web. .
ReplyDeleteAmy's review of "Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth," was an interesting read with many strong aspects- especially the topic. As a person who personally struggles with dental issues, the introduction immediately grabbed my attention and inspired me to learn more about the subject at hand. As I continued to read the article, I took note of the fact that her review was very focused and clear, as opposed to consisting of too many big words and grandiose quotes. Lastly, her personal critique was well written and pointed out some important aspects of the article, such as the lack of quotes and supporting information. Overall, I found it to be very well written and easy to comprehend.
If Amy were to improve upon her critique, very little effort would be necessary. As it is, the analysis itself is very strong, but would be more concise if it were to explain how the knowledge of shark teeth and their evolutionary patterns would have a direct impact on human tooth replacement in more depth. I also think the incorporation of one more direct quote would make the Amy’s review more credible as a whole, However, Amy did point out that the article itself lacked this type of information,which not only limits her ability to make these improvements, but reflects more on the article itself as opposed to Amy’s writing skills.
Personally speaking, Amy’s article taught me about the impact that viewing other species can have on humans outside of research for medicine and products. By delving into the biology and genealogy of sharks and their eating habits, scientists have opened a door to many possibilities for humans, including the eventual development of natural tooth replication.
I think that Amy did a great job reviewing the article, “Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." I really liked how she explained the process of evolution and its importance pertaining to this situation; it was very clear and the reader could visualize the periodic timeline of the events concerning teeth. I liked how she included a quote from one of the doctors who is performing the research -- it made her review more authentic and intelligent. I also thought she did a good job explaining how this research is helpful to humans, because determining what creates the new teeth could help elderly people as well as those people who lose their adult teeth.
ReplyDeleteAlthough her review had many positive aspects, there is room for improvement. I think that it would have been more beneficial for Amy to have gone into more detail about the research itself and its findings. She mentioned briefly what the research entailed but it would have been good to incorporate what the researchers were looking for in the teeth and how they grew. What specific enzymes, etc. I also think that Amy should have gone into detail about the results in humans and how the research on that front is progressing because it is so relatable.
I always knew that sharks could regenerate their teeth and grow them back whenever they are lost, but I never thought that it could be traced back to humans and be beneficial to us. It would be nice to see how this research progresses because it would be nice to be able to genetically grow new teeth instead of paying loads of money at the dentist for fake new ones.
"'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests. 12 Feb. 2016. Web. .
Nick Saluti
ReplyDelete2/22/16
You did a good job describing the evolutionary relationship of the tooth making gene, especially its connection from sharks and humans. This is a prime example of how evolution can change a gene over time in two different environments. You did a good job connecting the findings of the study to a possible application and treatment. The possibilities that arise from these findings are exciting. You did a good job criticizing the article. Recognizing the need for direct quotations was an intelligent move. One thing that I wish you did was go into more detail as to how teeth are actually formed. What process actually allows sharks to generate teeth so rapidly? Going into more detail in the treatment would also have provided a better understanding of the topic. I am surprised that the push for a treatment is coming so rapidly. Given the complications that people already have with dental issues, it seems that growing another pair of teeth may prove extraordinarily painful and dangerous.
William Tague
ReplyDeleteMon, Feb
"'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests." 'Jaws' May Help Humans Grow New Teeth, Shark Study Suggests. 12 Feb. 2016. Web.
Amy’s article is really really interesting it touches on a lot of different things and analyzes each point using language that is well structured. She even adds her own voice in the use of words like “apparently” to show that she is talking with the reader. I also appreciate the quote from Dr. Gareth Fraser which gives you not only credibility but a good way of explaining things. Finally I think that she did a good job with tying her info to different fields of study. While talking about teeth research she ponders how it could affect humans. However with that point I think she may have been able to go deeper but maybe theorize the debate about genetically engineering humans to be able to have these regrowable shark teeth. I also think that Amy could have been more in depth with her article. How they were going about the research was kind of left out and I would be curious to learn more. Overall I really enjoyed the article. It was another feat of science that is out of the box and hard to wrap your head around what could come of it. I think the whole thought of genetic engineering is really cool and hope to be able to learn more, and find the possibilities. Amy’s article has opened the doors even further for me.