Monday, March 11, 2013

A Laboratory Grows Young Scientists

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/science/intel-science-talent-contest-nurtures-spirit-of-inquiry.html?hp&_r=0

The article “A Laboratory Grows Young Scientists” is a very interesting article involving high school students just like us. The article is based off of students in nearby Ossining High School, in Ossining, NY. The article is written about a 17 year old senior, Dan McQuaid who is one of the 40 finalists in the nationwide Intel Science Talent Search. Dan is doing research on finding a cure for cancer, but he is one of the first to do so at such a young age. Dan is the first from Ossining to accomplish such a feat, but it doesn’t stop there. Out of the alumni from this nationwide science competition, seven men and women have won Nobel Prizes and 11 have received MacArthur “genius” awards.

This article is significant to not only my personal life, but also to all of my classmates as well. It is significant because it shows how truly powerful cancer is and how it truly does affect people worldwide. Never would I ever have though that such a complex and lethal disease be researched rigorously in order to help find a cure. Also, this article is also significant because not only does Dan live very near by, but he is just an ordinary kid just like you and me. If somebody as simple as a teenager can study such a complex disease, this should motivate other teenagers around the country to help pitch in and become a leader in their schools, no matter what field.

Overall, I think this article was well written. However, I do think that it lacked enough detail to provide the reader with sufficient information on how exactly Dan is looking for the cure, and what exactly he is looking for. It was also a little unclear if Dan is doing this research by himself, or is accompanied by his peers.

“Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content.”

Samantha Past AP Biology

3/11/13 c block, odd days

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/business/grocery-chain-to-require-labels-for-genetically-modified-food.html?ref=science

Strom, Stephanie. “Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

The article “Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content,” written by Stephanie Strom, pertains to Whole Foods Market, the grocery chain, that has recently become the first retailer in the United States to require labeling of all genetically modified foods sold in its stores. Also included in the article is an in depth discussion describing the current issue pertaining to the labeling of Genetically Modified foods in the United States, while Ms. Strom includes both those in favor of labeling, such as A.C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, and those opposed including Coca Cola and PepsiCo. The article offers an in depth background with regards to genetically modified ingredients, therefore allowing the reader to acquire suitable knowledge with regards to the topic discussed. As the article describes, “genetically modified ingredients are deeply embedded in the global food supply, having proliferated since the 1990s. Most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States, for example, have been genetically modified.” While some, including, The Grocery Manufacturers Association, the trade group that represents major food companies and retailers, and Louis Finkel, the organization’s executive director of government affairs, believe genetically modified products to be safe; others believe the opposite and have been working towards a federal requirement to label foods containing genetically modified ingredients, one such person is Gary Hirsberg, chairman of the Just Label It campaign. Despite various opposition Whole Foods announced it will include its labeling requirements in its 339 stores in the United States and Canada. Whole Foods’ shelves carry about 3,300 private-label and branded products that are certified, therefor resulting in the largest selection of any grocery chain in the country.

This is article is perfectly suited to what we have been discussing in class, as recently there has been an emphasis in our studies on genetically modified foods. Whole Foods incorporating labeling requirements is an extremely important step for this debate, as hopefully, many other food stores will follow the lead of such a well-renowned, successful store, as Whole Foods. It is important we know what we are eating, and the only way to do that, or at least to broaden our knowledge, is to label our food.

Overall this was an extremely informative article and I enjoyed reading it. The author included both sides of the food labeling debate, therefore enabling the reader to get the chance to learn about the issue as a whole. The author includes various details, and incorporates numerous significant people and companies opinion in order to further balance the article’s information.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Is This Peptide a Key to Happiness? Findings Suggests Possible New Treatment for Depression, Other Disorders.

Alexis Petnuch

University of California – Los Angeles. "Is This Peptide a Key to Happiness? Findings Suggests Possible New Treatment for Depression, Other Disorders." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130307145720.htm>.

Recently, studies have shown that the release of the peptide called hypocretin, increased when subjects were happy and decreased when they were sad. The study also measured the release of the peptide, melanin concentrating hormone and found that it was released in small amounts upon waking, but increased during sleep. The information collected from the studies explained the sleepiness of narcolepsy, (a sleep disorder causing excessive sleepiness and sudden daytime sleep attacks) and the depression that very often goes along with the disorder. Jerome Siegel, a professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and his team published findings showing that narcoleptics had 95% fewer hypocretin nerve cells in their brains than those who did not have the disorder. Because narcoleptics often experience depression, Siegel’s lab studied the possibility of hypocretin and its link to depression.

In a current study, researches received their data on hypocretin and melanin concentrating hormone from the brains of 8 patients treated at the UCLA Medical Center for intractable epilepsy. The releases of hypocretin and the melanin concentrating hormone were measured during activities like watching television, eating, and talking to doctors. Upon waking every hour, patients’ moods were charted. The study showed that hypocretin levels were highest during positive emotions, anger, social interactions, and awakening and melanin concentrating hormones were highest during sleep onset and minimal during social interactions.

The results of these studies showed that the release of these peptides can increase sleep and happiness in individuals. Several drug companies are now working on using hypocretin for use in sleeping pills. It is believed that the use of hypocretin will elevate mood and alertness in humans.

I think that article was interesting and showed a possible new drug that can be used in treating a disorder that effects many people all over the world, depression. The article gave a lot of information on studies being conducted, but it was a little confusing as to who was conducting the study. The article bounced back and forth between comments from Dr. Siegel and studies conducted on how the peptides may play a role in narcolepsy and depression; it was just a little confusing at some points.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

“Interesting Fact: There’s a Yawning Need for Boring Professors” by Rachel Emma Silverman

<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864304578316162117673132.html?mod=WSJ_NPW_carousel_highlights_3>.

Scientists that study boredom sounds like a made up profession but it turns out that there are researchers who do just that, and they have an actual purpose. While “boredom studies” may seem trivial in comparison to, say, searching for the cure for cancer, they do hold some value as there may be some truth to the common expression “bored to death.” People who are prone to boredom are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease than those who aren’t, not to mention the other detrimental effects of boredom like depression, overeating, and substance abuse. To study boredom, scientists have to first try and bore their subjects, then ask about their reactions and feelings. Some tasks that researchers have test subjects do include doing repetitive tasks (like tracing circles or searching for a letter over and over again in a passage). Some of the most commonly used tools are videos of boring things. One such video described in this article shows a family hanging laundry (because apparently a video of someone mowing the lawn was too amusing for test subjects!). In some recent studies, the effects of boredom and sadness have been compared. Other times, scientists are looking more at how people experience and deal with boredom.

For full time students sitting in school for more than six hours a day can be boring for every student at some point no matter who they are and how much they love the class. This article offered some solutions to remain alert and prevent boredom like focusing on the more meaningful purpose of an activity, taking a break for physical activity, or even fidgeting and doodling.

I thought that this article included some humorous anecdotes (that prevented the reader from being bored) like the Boring Conference in East London. I also thought it was interesting that the author made sure the article was current by incorporating the fact that people nowadays resort to their phones and other electronic devices when they are bored but that these games are equally (if not more) mind-numbing and are perhaps more detrimental because they cut people off from their surroundings.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Same Genetic Basis Found in 5 Types of Mental Disorders

This study focused on 5 different disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, major depression, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Despite the great differences in their symptoms and manifestations, they all have the same genetic basis. The article does not detail what this basis is, but on in the original paper published by the scientists, they describe four different loci to surpass the cutoff for genome-wide significance. The study found that these loci held genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms conferring a small risk of psychiatric disorders. For two of them, it is not clear what genes are involved or what they do, but the other two, though, involve genes that are part of calcium channels, which are used when neurons send signals in the brain. Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, a group of scientists, conducted this research. These findings were all made possible by the increase in availability of genetic information databases. The researchers used genetic data generated by studies in 19 countries and including 33,332 people with psychiatric illnesses and 27,888 people free of the illnesses for comparison. The researchers labored over people’s DNA, looking for variations in a long stretch of genetic material containing three billion DNA bases.

This research can have a huge impact on how we see mental disorders. Two of the aberrations discovered in the new study were in genes used in a major signaling system in the brain, giving clues to processes that might go awry and suggestions of how to treat the diseases. Scientists can now aim to make diagnoses based on the genetic aberrations underlying diseases instead of on the disease symptoms. This is a great leap forward and can have visible, substantial effects in the field of mental health disorders.

I believe that the author did a very good job explaining the treatment and its implications. However, she sometimes explained things to vaguely, leaving several questions unanswered. At times, her progression of ideas was confusing as well. She did do a mediocre job explaining how the treatment works. One positive is that most scientific articles describing treatments are difficult to understand and follow, but her explanation was clear and comprehendible.

Kolata, Gina. "Study Finds Genetic RiskFactors Shared by 5 Psychiatric Disorders." The New York Times.The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/health/study-finds-genetic-risk-factors-shared-by-5-psychiatric-disorders.html?hp>.

Friday, March 1, 2013

"One Rat Thinks, and Another Reacts."

Maddy Foley

Review #2

2.28.13

“One Rat Thinks, and Another Reacts.”

Gorman, James. "New Research Suggests Two Rat Brains Can Be Linked." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

The article, “One Rat Thinks, and Another Reacts,” by James Gorman details a recent experiment conducted at Duke University involving the connection of two rat’s brains. The experiment was created to test the ability of animals to read and translate brain signals. The set-up was this: using water as a reward, one rat was trained to press one of two levers, in response to a light signal over the correct lever. The other also learned to press one of two levers in response to light, but then shifted to respond to brain simulation. The first rat, or “encoder rat” as it was named, responded to the light and the pattern of it’s brain activity in the primary motor cortex was sent to and simplified into another pattern by a computer. This pattern was then transmitted to the second rat, when the light was absent. Seven out of ten times the rat pressed the correct lever. Scientists, like Ron. D. Frostig, note however that this experiment is not intended to prove nor does it prove mind-reading or telepathy. It does prove that brain process signals from one body however, can affect the control the actions of another body. This discovery could prove very influential in the future.

The head scientist of this experiment, Miguel Nicolelis, describes the benefits that could come from the results of this experiment. It is Nicolelis’s hope to work towards creating a full exoskeleton that a paralyzed person could operate with brain signals. The discovery made with the rats displays the advances of brain science and further refines the ability of the brain to read and translate brain signals.

I thought this article was well written and very detailed. My only critques are that I felt the author could have explained the implications of this study a bit more. While he notes the hopes of Mr. Nicolelis, the author did not fully describe the positive and negative effects this discovery could mean for the future of science. I also felt the description of the exact experiment could have been a little more concise in order to make the process more understandable for the reader.

AP Biology Genetic Disease Projects

For their third project the AP Biology students were asked to research a genetic disease. Their project could be be a well-made PowerPoint Presentation, a Web Site presentation, a comic strip, a storyboard, an animation, video or almost anything. The end product should be a Museum Quality Presentation on a Genetic Disorder. The display should incorporate your creative and artistic talents as well as scientific information.

The final presentation must include the following sections/information:

History of the Disease

A description of when the disease was first identified and by whom.

Symptoms of the Disease

A description and discussion of how the disease affects those who have the disease and also how it may affect their families.

Cause of the Disease

A description and discussion of the known/hypothesized etiology of the disease. Be sure to be very specific in this section, if possible describe the exact “mutation” that is thought to produce the ineffective products that are at the root of the disease.

Treatments for the Disease

A description of any procedures that may be used to alleviate/cure the affected individual’s symptoms.

Identification of the Disease

A description of any protocols that may be used to determine carriers and/or individuals who might have the disease and the probabilities of their passing the disease to their offspring.