Scientists Identify Hidden Genetic Variation that Helps Drive Evolution

Mairead Cain

Mr. Ippolito

A.P. Biology

2 January 2017

University of California - Irvine. "Scientists identify hidden genetic variation that helps drive
evolution." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 December 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171223134740.htm>.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171223134740.htm

For my current event report, I decided to read and analyze the article, “Scientists Identify
Hidden Genetic Variation that Helps Drive Evolution,” from the online news source
Science Daily.  The article discusses a team of researchers from the Ayala School
of Biological Sciences intent on identifying complex mutations.J.J. Emerson,
assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the school, led the study
on mutations. The study mainly focused on identifying a genetic variation in the
fruit fly genome. Mahul Chakraborty, the first author on the study, described
the study. "We uncovered a vast amount of hidden genetic variation during our
analyses, much of which affects important traits within the common fruit fly,
D. melanogaster." The team used extensive and complicated molecule
sequencing to discover the changes that alter the structure of the genome.
“With this unique resource in hand, we have already characterized several
candidate structural variation which show evidence for phenotypic adaptation,
which can function to drive species evolution," said J.J. Emerson. Researchers
involved in the investigation believe that the variation found in the fruit
flies indicate that our own genomes may have hidden variation as well.

Considering the fact that this article describes the complex discovery of a
newfound variation within fruit fly genomes, it is evident that the research
will have a profound effect on the future of the study of evolution. The article
discusses the study’s importance to the future of studying evolution and disease.
“Their [the researchers involved] results will help push researchers closer
to understanding how complex mutations in genomes drive disease and
evolution.” Future studies involving genomes, possibly that of humans,
could help scientists further understand evolution and how it affects disease.
J.J. Emerson, the lead scientist on the project, also discussed its importance
to the research of evolution. "This study is the first of its kind in complex
organisms like the fruit fly.” If scientists find a way to investigate other
genomes and their specific variations, then they can likely make large strides
down the path of further understanding evolution.

Overall, I believe the article “Scientists Identify Hidden Genetic Variation
that Helps Drive Evolution,” was very well written and equally informative.
The authors easily simplify the advanced science behind the data to allow
all readers to be able to interpret the information given. Many of the terms used are
also defined and described. The authors go into amazing description when
discussing what the discovered variations in the genome of fruit flies means.
In an effort to improve the article, the authors should have discussed how,
exactly, the researchers involved in the project were able to identify the
variation. It would have also been beneficial to ask the researchers
responsible for the crucial discovery about how they plan on educating
the world on the new on their new advancements.

Bacteria acquire resistance from competitors

Cindy Kwok

Dec 30, 2017

Current Events #12: Bacteria Acquire Resistance from Competitors

“Bacteria Acquire Resistance from Competitors.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 27 Dec. 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171227100042.htm.

I read the article called “Bacteria Acquire Resistance from Competitors” from the University of Basel. It is about how scientists have discovered that bacteria are able to acquire immunity to certain antibiotics through other bacteria. Bacteria have always been known to be develop resistance to antibiotics through overuse by patients for simple things such as small fevers. Hospitals are hotspots for activity such as this. However, the resistance can also be attributed to another cause. Some bacteria have been found with the ability to inject their competitors (other bacteria) with a series of toxic proteins known as “effectors” using the type VI secretion system (T6SS), a poison syringe. After fighting their competitors and winning, the bacteria are able to intake the genetic material of the other bacteria. This could potentially include some form of resistance to antibiotics that the bacteria did not originally have. At the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Professor Marek Basler and his team used the organism Acinetobacter baylyi, a distant relative of the Iraq bug and found that “Some of these toxic proteins kill the bacterial competition very effectively, but do not destroy the cells. Others severely damage the cell envelope, which leads to lysis of the attacked bacterium and hence the release of its genetic material.” Many different types of effectors are made to ensure winning over the competition.

This article is especially relevant considering is is mostly due to our generation's overuse of antibiotics that many bacteria have developed resistance to many of the drugs that have been created to defeat the bacteria. Now, not only do antibiotics not have much effect but bacteria have been found to be able to absorb genetic material/information from other bacteria to gain even more resistance. With the rising fear of superbugs who have resistance to all of the antibiotics that have been created, this discovery is important for our understanding of how bacterias work. With knowledge of this information, perhaps scientists can start researching ways to prevent effectors from taking place. This would at least prevent one that bacteria get their resistance from.

The article had both some cons and pros to it. The article could work on including more information on the experiment itself. The article mainly took information stemming from the experiment but did not include details such as if there were multiple types of bacteria tested (or just the Acinetobacter baylyi) or how many times the tests have been performed. The article did good on showing how this information would be useful to know as well as describing how bacteria could kill an extract the genetic information from its competitors.

Synthetic protein packages its own genetic material and evolves: Computationally designed protein assemblies are advancing research in synthetic life and in targeted drug delivery.

Robby Schetlick

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology

12/15/17

University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine. "Synthetic protein packages its own genetic material and evolves: Computationally designed protein assemblies are advancing research in synthetic life and in targeted drug delivery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 December 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214092311.htm>.

Researchers at the University of Washington recently succeeded in making a synthetic protein “package,” the first ever, found only in their laboratories. As one researcher named Lajoie described it, “‘ We designed synthetic nucleocapsids from scratch based on two completely unrelated proteins...without having to use existing cells as a template.” These “Nucleocapsids” are a reference to viruses with enclosed nucleic acids, traditionally used for medical purposes to inject things into cells using a virus as a transport vessel. Their breakthrough is a superior product however, because specific regions of the capsid were redesigned using computation design programs to have the interior “electrostatically capture RNA.” They simulated evolving the capsule to optimize it for their purposes, and in a way created a form of artificial life, even though it cannot reproduce on its own. The scientists hope to continue their research in the form of testing on animal cells and eventually life animals for delivery of cargo, likely medicine, directly into cells.

This scientific accomplishment has the potential to have a large impact on society. This breakthrough satisfies a need in the current medicine techniques to safely deliver medicine into cells without the risks of being infected with a virus. This technology could be improved upon and eventually used for many other medicinal applications. Maybe nanotechnology to deliver medicine, for example. Additionally, the evolution simulation could also have an interesting impact on society, as it has proven to be successful in assisting the construction of new life. Using the technology, we could simulate the evolution and development of new lifeforms and then build them, which has unlimited potential to create lifeforms of all sizes. This is a large step in the direction of humanity one day becoming masters of our own evolution.

The article by sciencedaily is a very well written and strong article. Even though it is a lengthy article compared to many others on the site, the authors did provide a compact summary which is effective at covering the main points of the article. Another strength were the photos implemented smoothly into the article, when enhance the reading experience and lighten the strain of only reading blocks of text. Quotes are used sparingly in the article, and have a clear purpose. The one improvement I would suggest to the author of the article would be to reorganize the article be to in a more chronological order. The article starts in medias res, (the middle of the story) and then backtracks to the beginning to explain the purpose of their findings. It is not an organizational strategy that works in a scientific report because it can confuse the reader, in my opinion.

In the Face of a Threat, Narwhals Respond in Just about the Worst Possible Way

Timothy Cushman

Mr. Ippolito

Ap Biology - Current Events Review

15 December 2017

Current Events #11

Khan, Amina. “In the Face of a Threat, Narwhals Respond in Just about the Worst Possible Way.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2017, www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-narwhal-freeze-flee-20171208-story.html

When faced with danger, animals have two normal responses. They can fight and try to flee, increasing their heartbeats and metabolisms helping them move faster. Animals may also choose to “freeze”, slowing their heartbeats and metabolisms. The narwhal, however, has a unique response unlike other animals. When faced with danger, the narwhal generally “slowly sink into the depths beneath cover of ice or move into the shallows.” They slow their heart beat allowing them to stay underwater for longer periods of time. However, when Terrie Williams studied their response, to being captured in a net, with an electrocardiograph, an accelerometer, and a depth monitor, she was able to see how they responded in both ways, first freezing and then speeding away. The narwhals responded in an unusual way in that when they started to flee, their heart rates never increase. Using the data she gathered, Williams was able to see that the narwhals that were fleeing swam twice as fast as normal, but their heart rate was staying at three to four beats per minute, almost twenty times slower than normal. When most mammals that have slowed their heartbeats starts moving again, their heart beat increases accordingly. The narwhals, not increasing its heartbeat put a large their hearts. As seen in a 2011 study of rats, the rats that responded to danger with both a dive, slowing the heart rate, and a fear, increasing the heart rate, repose were likely to die.

The topic of animals’ response to fear is very important as humans continue to explore the world. Seeing that narwhals respond to being in fisherman’s nets with an unusual response that harms them and that “we just don’t know what the responses of these [other] animals are” (Williams), we need to take extra caution when exploring to ensure we are not harming animals unnecessarily. This article gives important information to fishermen and boaters while raising awareness for how our actions may have unintended effects on animals.

Amina Khan’s article was well written. She wrote in a clear and logical way that was easy to follow. Kahn included many quotes from Terrie Williams, who conducted the research, which helped further the reader’s understanding while adding credibility to the article by showing it was backed up with data. Despite being an overall great article, there was room for improvement. Firstly, Kahn’s article lacked data. She mentioned numbers about heart rates and stroke rates, but did not include any specific numbers. If she had included the heartbeats of the five narwhals during their capture and then after they were swimming away, the reader would be able to gain an even better understanding of how the narwhal's bodies were responding.  Secondly, the reader is left wondering if further research is being done or is planned to be done. The reader is wondering why the narwhals have this double response to being captured, and would like to know if further research is going to be done on this topic. These two additions would allow for a better overall understanding of the topic along with answering questions that were left unanswered.

“How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Weather Events”

Clio Dakolias

AP Bio

Mr. Ippolito

December 14, 2017

Plumer, Brad, and Nadja Popovich. “How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Weather Events.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/climate/climate-extreme-weather-attribution.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/climate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.

2016 was the hottest year for the plant in recorded history, and now, at the end of 2017, scientists are beginning to analyze and name global warming and climate change as key drivers behind many devastating events. The article “How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Weather Events” by Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich discusses some of these events and how they were made more likely by global warming. In a new collection of papers published on Wednesday by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, researchers around the world analyzed 27 extreme weather events from 2016 and found that human-caused climate change was a “significant driver” for 21 of them. The effort is part of the growing field of climate change attribution, which explores connections between warming and weather events that have already happened. 2016 was the hottest year on record, beating previous warm temperature records set in 2014 and 2015, clearly proving that the Earth is getting hotter every year. A study led by Thomas Knutson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded that the record warmth worldwide “was only possible due to substantial centennial-scale human-caused warming.” Temperatures were especially high in Asia and in the Arctic. Another extreme weather event was the coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, located in Australia. The unusually warm waters of the Pacific have caused the coral to bleach, and if the warm water temperatures persist, many corals will die off, which will have dire consequences for the marine ecosystems that depend on them. These events represent a few of many dire consequences climate change is having on the environment.

By the end of my life, the world is going to be completely different than it is right now if humans continue to destroy the environment. The impacts of global warming are being felt across the globe. Extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths around the world in recent years. And in an alarming sign of events to come, Antarctica has been losing about 134 billion metric tons of ice per year since 2002. This rate could speed up if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, some experts say, causing sea levels to rise several meters over the next 50 to 150 years. The US can be doing so much more to prevent/slow down global warming, yet we are doing next to nothing. We only represent 4% of the world’s population, but are responsible for 16% of all global CO2 emissions, and are by far number 1 for the most cumulative emissions over the past 150 years. Climate change is important because it is happening, and it might not be visible to some, but the Earth is rapidly changing in a completely irreversible, and extreme weather is becoming much more deadly and dangerous.

The authors did a great job on this article, including quotations from different studies and discussing the extreme weather events that have been caused by global warming. The overall article was very well written, but the authors should have included more about the importance of stopping climate change before it is too late. There was no sense of urgency about the article, which was definitely something they could have done better, as climate change is a very real and current problem that affects the future of our planet.

AP Biology

Olivia Scotti

Mr. Ippolito

14 December, 2017

“Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers”

By Jan Hoffman

Hoffman, Jan. “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among

Teenagers.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/health/teen-drug-smoking.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.

The article I read was written by Jan Hoffman and discussed how research has found that over the last few years the number of students who smoke cigarettes has dropped and many students instead smoke marijuana and use vaping devices. In a study done at the University of Michigan researchers found that “ 22.9 percent of high school seniors said they had used marijuana within the previous 30 days and 16.6 percent had used a vaping device. Only 9.7 percent had smoked cigarettes.” Although students are still useing smoking devices this is a step in the right direction because the number of students who smoke cigarettes has declined. Also the article discussed that with the decline in cigarettes use more students in the last decade are smoking marijuana and useing vaping devices. The article said how they have not found any links yet to the effects of useing vaping devices but, Dr. Compton said, “The concern is that it may represent a new route for exposure to nicotine and marijuana.”Despite this the article suggests how students have become more aware of the effects of these devices.  Also Thomas J. Glynn, a former director of cancer science at the American Cancer Society believes the drop in use of cigarettes was a “  astounding accomplishment in public health” but with the rise in use of vaping devices he added, “I think we have to have alarms out.” through this we understand how society has evolved to move away from harmful use of substances like tobacco but also how they are always new trends arriving that students will partake in that could affect their health. Also the article discussed that students have become more cautious about posting photos on social media of them partaking in these illegal activities which is good because they are more aware of the risks of the activities they participate in. Finally, the article discusses how schools have still tried to tell students how smoking marijuana can “... impact on their developing brain and the risk of learning to smoke marijuana as a coping mechanism.” However, students still will do these activities and the number of students who do smoke marijuana has risen in the years leading a concern for the future of these students.

Although most students already know that cigarettes, vaping and marijuana are bad they will never stop participating in these activities so it is valuable for news sites to add articles about the effects of these and how they have evolved in the modern time. I felt this article was of value to read because at our school students participated in these illegal activities and even would bring them to class to charge in their computers. Definitely seeing this occur at our school made me realize how students have evolved from smoking cigarettes to useing vaping devices. Although both harm the body the fact that the number of students who smoke cigarettes everywhere even at our school has decreased shows how society is evolving in the right way and how students are more cautious on what they put in their bodies. This shows how society will be better off for the future through the limit on students smoking.

Overall, I thought this article was written clearly and precisely. Also through useing many quotes from professors who  had done research on these topics the point of the article was understood. Another part of the article which was done well was their ability to add data and statistics into the article. Although the article was written well there were some weaknesses of the article. For instance, I felt they formatted the article powderly and were unable to transition well from paragraph. They could improve this by making sure they talk about one topic in a paragraph then move to the next topic. Another part of the article that could be improved was adding more details about the results on society that this research will lead too. They could improve this by looking more into the topic at hand. Although there were areas of improvement, overall this article was well written and helped the reader understand a general idea of the information being discussed.

Olivia Doyle

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology

14 December 2017

Page, Thomas. “DNA Discovery Unlocks Secrets of Ancient Egyptians.” CNN, Cable

News Network, 23 June 2017,

www.cnn.com/2017/06/22/health/ancient-egypt-mummy-dna-genome-heritage/index.html.

This week, I read a CNN article that talked about a study done on ancient Egyptians revealing new details on their genetic history. The study was conducted by Researchers from the University of Tuebingen and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, and is seen as the “first reliable data set obtained from ancient Egyptians”. The study concluded that ancient Egyptians closest genetic relatives were of Neolithic and Bronze Age populations from the Near East. This has revolutionized the field of egyptology, as Professor Johannes Krause describes: “people expected through time, Egypt would become more European, but we see the exact opposite”. The article describes how contamination has been a problem in examining DNA from bones, to the extent that “When you touch a bone, you probably leave more DNA on the bone than is inside [it]” (Krause). Only in the past few years have scientists had the technology to make the distinction between ancient DNA and that of modern organisms. Researchers analyzed samples that were obtained from Middle Egypt, and found that the “sample set showed a strong connection with a cluster of ancient non-African populations based east of the Mediterranean Sea.” They then compared these origins with those of modern day Egyptians and found that modern Egyptians “inherited 8% more ancestry from African ancestors”. This is thought to be due to increased long-distance commerce along the Nile as well as the era of the trans-Saharan slave trade.

The findings from this study are thought to be breakthroughs for the study of egyptology and human genomes as a whole. Professor Krause says that he “expects there will be a ton of ancient Egyptian mummy genomes (mapped) in the next couple of years”. These findings are essential to our understanding of the ancestry of ancient Egyptians, who are the most investigated peoples of antiquity. Aside from this breakthrough, though, the study also unlocked new tools for scientists working in the field, such as new techniques for DNA analysis that preserves the bones. With this new technology, we can investigate the genetic origins of hundreds of different cultures and thus gain a new understanding of where we came from.

Overall, I think the author, Thomas Page, did a good job of outlining the results of the study and how it was done. He did a good job of presenting the preconceived facts on the genetic history of ancient Egyptians, and how this new discovery has changed those ideas and served as a breakthrough to the study of egyptology. He included quotes from researchers, which validated his argument and made it more interesting to readers. However, although his article was very informative, there were some areas for improvement. I think he should have gone into more depth on the findings from the study, and why they were so revolutionary. He could have included more information on what researchers previously thought about ancient Egyptians’ genetic history. Overall, though, I found the article to be very informative, and I am interested to see what other discoveries researchers make on ancient Egyptian’s genomes.

Six Ways We Can Adapt to Climate Change

Jack Kochansky

AP Biology EF Even

Mr. Ippolito

6 December 2017

“Six Ways We Can Adapt to Climate Change.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5

Dec. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/opinion/adapt-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fse

ctioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&mod

ule=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.

In this great article on climate change, the authors of the New York Times Turning Points series describe six important ways in which scientists are already working to adapt to global warming and changing conditions.  First, they describe the work of Nikita and Sergei Zimov, two Russian scientists working at the Northeast Science Station in Russia, who are studying the impacts of a warming planet on the Siberian tundra.  As it is, they realize that the melting of the Russian permafrost could have serious effects on the global climate.  They know that if the icy terrain thaws, “the microbes in the soil will start producing high levels of greenhouse gases,” which dramatically compound the effects of rising planetary temperatures.  They therefore propose making a national park in the area because the animals there will help to compact the tundra and limit the danger of thawing.  Meanwhile, in the Himalayas, Suryanarayanan Balasubramanian is leading a project to help farmers in drier regions of India to have the access to glacial meltwater, something they have had for centuries but are now struggling with because the glaciers melt so much earlier in the season.  The team decided to make an artificial glacier that uses pipes to pump water up from lower altitudes to higher ones, shooting it into the freezing air to form a massive conical glacier structure to support communities.  Meanwhile in Australia, scientists have measured that the Great Barrier Reef is suffering considerably as a result of rising temperatures and ocean acidification.  In fact, “. . . the reef experienced mass bleaching in both 2016 and 2017 — the first time the devastating ecological event was recorded in consecutive years.”  Understanding that we cannot return ocean conditions to what they were before in the short term, scientists like Ken Anthony of the Australian Institute of Marine Science explains to the New York Times some of their other promising solutions.  For example, researchers are looking at assisted evolution for coral varieties and their wildlife and moving coral offspring to more Southern, cooler waters.  Takamitso Ito, a researcher at Georgia Tech, has seen concerning trends with warming seas --  they are not able to hold as much oxygen.  He has also discovered that chemical fertilizers have deoxygenated the ocean, further damaging wildlife.  The United Arab Emirates is considering drastic solutions for their dry conditions there: weather modification.  They get little rainfall, so Professor Linda Zou helped the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science to develop a new way of “cloud-seeding,” a method of pumping particulate nuclei into the air which can be the centers of raindrops, encouraging cloud and rain formation.  Finally, Ethan Brown of the California-based company Beyond Meat has worked to invent food that resembles meat exactly, but without the arguably inhumane and environmentally detrimental effects of livestock.  He has worked to use amino acids, aromatic molecules and other techniques to recreate meats to a startling extent.  Each of these programs is working on something different, but they are all part of a growing global effort to respond to climate change and help our world to adapt to changing times.

Climate change is one of the issues that should be most concerning and pressing for society today.  We are already seeing its effects in severe weather events like Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and sea levels are slowly rising, endangering cities like Venice and Miami.  And while it is great that a growing percentage (68%) of Americans now believe that humans are primarily responsible for rising global temperatures, simply to accept the facts is not enough.  Every effort to adapt to climate change is therefore a vital part of the movement that needs to begin, and some of these developments could impact our daily lives.  For example, if Brown’s synthetic meat turns out to be a success, it could dramatically shrink the livestock industry in the United States, cutting a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions each year.  And the UAE’s plan for weather modification has the potential to completely reshape the way that we think about weather worldwide.  If we have the ability to change the weather and get rain when we want it, it would symbolize an unprecedented amount of influence we have over the environment.  It also poses certain risks and ethical questions that we have never before needed to consider.  As we have responded to climate change, the technologies that we possess to fundamentally change the environment or even create things always thought to be biologically too complicated are completely reshaping our world.  In the next few years, it will be more important than ever to protect our environments and ecosystems amid a changing climate.

This article was very strong, especially in its brevity and use of specific examples.  The truth is that most people do not have time to read long, scientific analyses, so the choice by the authors to limit each example to a few sentences very likely captivated a larger audience than otherwise.  Also, the inclusion of photos and a diverse array of examples helped to make the article very interesting and intriguing.  I had never know about almost all of the efforts explained, so the brief description of each sparked my interest.  However, there were also a few things that the authors could have done better.  For example, although the article’s short length made it easier to read, it also meant that important details were left out.  The article really only gave a quick overview of each of the six measures being taken, so we were not able to gain an in-depth understanding of any.  I also felt that the images used in the article could have been a little more specific to the action being taken -- if, for example, a picture was included of the artificial conical glaciers being developed in the Himalayas, the readers would have a better understanding of how it works.  The same sort of idea holds true for weather modification in the UAE and the piece about ocean deoxygenation.  However, the article as a whole was very strong and really intrigued me to learn more about new ways that people are adapting to a changing climate and preparing for the future.  Sometime soon, one of these innovations could become the norm.

Birth Control Pills Still Linked to Breast Cancer, Study Finds

Nina Veru

AP-Bio, C-Odd

Current Event 10

12/6/17

Rabin, Roni Caryn. “Birth Control Pills Still Linked to Breast Cancer, Study Finds.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/health/birth-control-breast-cancer-hormones.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.

In her article, Roni Caryn Rabin addresses the increased chance of developing breast cancer in women using hormonal contraceptives.  Rabin discusses a Danish study of about 1.8 million women.  The study found that out of 100,000 women on birth control, there were 68 breast cancer patients compared to 55 cases of breast cancer out of 100,000 non-users.  In older methods of birth control, the hormone estrogen was used and shown to have associated risks.  Now the hormone progestin is commonly used in modern birth control methods.  Although this hormone is safer, scientists are beginning to wonder if it is leading to breast cancer.  

Dr. Marisa Weiss is an oncologist, who founded breastcancer.org.  Throughout her career, she has been studying hormones effects on cancer.  While comparing older birth control to younger ones, Weiss claims, “Gynecologists just assumed a lower dose of hormone meant a lower risk of cancer.  But the same elevated risk is there.  It’s small but it’s measurable, and if you add up the millions of women taking the pill, it is a significant public health concern.”  

Due to the large amount of women that use oral contraceptives, this study shows great importance, and further study is needed.  This recent study was limited because the authors were unable to take in account alcohol consumption, breast feeding, and physical activity.  It is also interesting to note that hormonal birth control reduces the risks of ovarian, colorectal, and endometrial cancers later in life.  

The study also mentioned how as you age, the risk for cancer increases.  Therefore older women who use hormonal contraceptives are at a much elevated risk for breast cancer opposed to those who are not.   In addition, the longer one uses hormonal birth control leads to an increased risk of breast cancer.  Due to these facts, Dr. Weiss suggests switching to hormonal free contraceptives; she claims, “It's not like you don’t have a choice.”

I chose to review this article because it is related to the reproduction unit that we are doing in class.  In addition, I believe this is a very important issue due to the fact that 1.5 million American women rely on birth control contraceptive and noncontraceptive uses.  I enjoyed how the author compared old and new methods of contraceptives.  In addition, I liked how the author mentioned how the current study could have been improved by adding additional environmental factors.  However, I would have liked if the author explained some concepts better, for I found myself to be lost at times.     

ew Jersey Seeks Stricter Limit of Chemicals in Drink Water

Abbey Thomas

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology

7 December 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/nyregion/new-jersey-pfc-water-limits.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront

For this week’s current event, I decided to review John Hurdle’s article entitled “New Jersey Seeks Stricter Limit of Chemicals in Drink Water”, I chose this article because toxic chemicals are a highly debated topic for policy makers and scientists, and understanding what is in water is also important since it can be very harmful. New Jersey’s Drinking Water Quality Institution is proposing to lower the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which is a type of perfluorinated chemical that has previously been banned from being used to make cookware and mattresses. New Jersey is looking to lower the maximum contamination limit from 70 parts per trillion to 13 trillion parts per trillion, and all water systems operators would have to adhere to the new regulations. The motivation behind the lowering of the contamination limit is because studies have found that New Jersey has the highest concentration of PFOS, 3.4%, in the drinking water, which is twice the national average, 1.9%. Dr. David Andrews, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group said that “These chemicals are extremely persistent, they’ve become global contaminants, and they can seriously impact human health at extremely low concentrations”. The impact of human health that Dr. Andrews is referring to that the increased concentration of these chemicals puts New Jersey residents at a high risk of low birth weight in infants, kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, and impaired immune system function.

The relevance of containment drinking water is very clear, as seen in New Jersey and in Flint, Michigan, these chemicals cause serious health risks, and the EPA is not doing enough studies or making the correct regulations to lower the risks. The evidence for this is clear, as the use of PFOS in mattress and cookware was phased out 20 years ago due to health concerns, but there are still high levels of these chemicals allowed in the water supply. One of the issues that has stopped proper regulations is organizations such as the Chemistry Council of New Jersey, a trade group for chemical manufacturers that produce their own studies. Even though studies for the businesses normally have a too small test population, their results are accepted by the EPA, until health risks occur.

There were many strengths in Holden’s writing in this article. For example, Holden included a counter argument to lowering the levels of PFOS in water, and then used scientific data to disprove the argument. This tactic helped prove the main point of the organizations that are proposing a lower contamination level and made a strong argument. One thing that Holden should have added is the economic ramification of the lower level, since the economy is big factor in regulations. Overall, Holdren wrote a strong article that displayed the importance of lowering PFOS in drinking water.