The FBI’s ability to hack into an iPhone may not last much longer

The FBI’s ability to hack into an iPhone may not last much longer

By Lulu Chang

If you have not been keeping up with the latest Apple news, the multi billion dollar company has been in a tough lawsuit with the United States government. Apple denied the government’s request to unlock an iPhone that belonged to the criminal behind San Bernardino.  However, just recently the US government found their own way into the iPhone, but according to this article, they won’t for much longer. once the security flaw that allowed officials to get inside the mobile device is fixed, the opportunity for police to exploit this weakness will be gone for good. And it looks as though the exposure of that security flaw is inevitable. The FBI said it will reveal how it gained access the iPhone 5C “when the time is right”, but experts note that the government may soon have to reveal its secrets in a court of law.

The reason I picked this article was because it followed a case that tested the privacy laws in the United States. The case proved that Apple would not breach the security of on of its products, regardless of whether the government commands them to. Conversely, it showed that the government would do anything to get the information it needs. The article shed light on the weakness that the government officials exposed, and just how much longer they will be able to do this.

The article did a good job presenting the necessary information in a short but sweet manner. I liked how Chang quoted an Apple engineer to show the progress Apple is making on fixing the security flaw and how confident they seem.  I did not like, however, some of the language the author used. Sometimes I felt she said things that made it hard to understand what her point was, and wish she just simplified her sentences. Maybe she could have included some pictures in her article.

Chang, Lulu. "The FBI’s Ability to Hack into an IPhone May Not Last Much Longer." Digital Trends. N.p., 03 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/fbi-hack-iphone/>.

Mummy genomes reveal just how catastrophic European contact was for New World

Wade, Lizzie. "Mummy Genomes Reveal Just How Catastrophic European Contact Was for New World." Mummy Genomes Reveal Just How Catastrophic European Contact Was for New World. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/mummy-genomes-reveal-just-how-catastrophic-european-contact-was-new-world >.

A new study has come out showing that European contact with indigenous american populations had a major impact on their genome. Using 92 skeletons and mummies, alive from 8600 to 500 years ago, researchers looked at the mitochondrial DNA, which is directly passed from mother to offspring, in order to retrace the population all the way back to Siberia. The data showed that the Native Americans were last in touch with their Siberian ancestors 23,000 years ago. They then began crossing the land bridge, which they were stranded on for 6,000 years, until taking a boat down to the Americas. In total it took them, “1500 years to cover the entire continent.” And then, much to the scientist’s surprise, everyone settled down with no inbreeding between different groups. When the Europeans arrive, 84 or 92 lineages were found untraceable, or in other words, they were completely wiped out.

I thought this article said a lot about the genetic diversity of Native Americans. It is true that there are still many holes in the information, and things that still need to be discovered, but overall it is very significant. For example, it paints a clearer picture of the variety of Native American genes, how their ancestry can be traced back, and the route they took to reach the Americas. Most importantly, however, it showed the genetic impact of the European contact with Native Americans, and how it decimated their family lines.

I thought this article was well written, but it was slightly dry at times. I wish they had focused more on the impact of European contact, than talking about how they didn’t have that much information. I loved reading about the background information however, because I think it was very interesting and involved things that I never learned about. Overall, it was nice to learn something about Native Americans and their genetic diversity, since not a lot is focused on them.

The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality

The bionic pancreas, the biggest invention in type 1 diabetes management ever. It has the possibility to make type 1 diabetes very easy to manage, by automating the process that diabetics used to have to go through. iLet (like the islet cells in the pancreas), the program that was created by BU professor, Ed Damiano, has now been turned into the company Beta Bionics. Beta Bionics just received $5 million from Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that makes the insulin for the artificial pancreas. This has pushed Damiano and his colleagues closer and closer to making their bionic pancreas a reality. The Beta Bionics’ pancreas samples blood sugar levels in the body every five minutes and automatically adjusts for the blood sugar level in the blood. Unlike most other artificial pancreases that are being developed now, the Beta Bionics’ pancreas would not only release insulin, the hormone responsible for lowering blood sugar, but also glucagon, the hormone responsible for raising blood sugar. All of this activity would be monitored on a smartphone, so you could track what the pancreas is doing and to monitor your blood sugar levels.

Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, therefore, it is diagnosed most often in children. Younger children with diabetes have to be constantly monitored, so they cannot always lead regular lives, and neither can their parents. This bionic pancreas, would allow parents to monitor their child’s blood sugar levels on a smart device, while the programming in the artificial pancreas did all the work. This would eliminate the need for juice boxes in backpacks and insulin shots after lunch. This discovery would revolutionize the way we manage type 1 diabetes and would be especially helpful to the thousands of children who are living with this disease.

I enjoyed this article very much. I think it is a really amazing concept and could have an outstanding impact on the diabetes community. I think that the author did a really good job of explaining the concept of the artificial pancreas, but she lacked in explaining the details of how the artificial pancreas would be implanted, the risks that correspond with that, and how the artificial pancreas would actually do the monitoring of the blood sugar and release of hormones. Even though this piece was missing, this article was very informative and interesting.

Citation:

Sifferlin, Alexandra. "The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality." Time. Time Inc., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://time.com/4278068/bionic-pancreas-company/>.

Even in a Warming World, It Will Still Snow Somewhere

Many of us are unaware of the common mistake we make of mixing up climate and weather when discussing climate change. The author even gives an example of a senator who mixed up the difference between climate and weather when trying to undermine climate studies with the flinging of a snowball in the Senate. In 2015, however, when that senator made the common mistake, it was cold in the East, yet the West and the rest of the world were strangely warm. This misconception made by him, and several other people worldwide, was incorrect to judge climate change based on one cold season in one small region of the world. Throughout the article, the author challenges the common question among all people, “If global warming is real, how can it be so cold in my back yard?” Gillis makes it clear that in order to understand climate change, we must look at the look at the long-term averages over large areas, rather than short-term temperature fluctuations. By observing these long-term temperature measurements since the 19^th century, scientists have proven that global warming is a real and serious issue. The author also points out that even though it is projected that the “continued high emissions of greenhouse gases could lead to as much as five or six degrees of additional warming over the course of this century,” scientists still expect there to be cold winters even in warmer climates.

This article clearly draws the line between weather and climate, and how it has been scientifically proven that climate change is a growing problem. Gillis importantly reminds the reader that it is incorrect to assume that climate change is not a problem if it is an extremely cold winter; no matter the temperature measurements on a small scale, climate change is a real issue. Like the confused senator, society frequently tries to undermine climate change studies, often out of fear or disbelief of the more seemingly true consequences of global warming. This article confronts these misconceptions and proves to society that we must accept that climate change is valid.

This article was well written and its concise paragraphs were very easy to follow and understand. The author also seemed very well informed on the topic, but I wish he had included more expert opinions or studies on climate change in order to make his argument even stronger. Also, the author’s use of the story about the senator made his article slightly comical and relatable, and it was an intriguing connection to the scientific facts included in the article. Overall, this article corrected my previously held misconceptions about the difference between climate and weather, and it reinstated my views on the seriousness of climate change.

Citation:

Gillis, Justin. "Even in a Warming World, It Will Still Snow Somewhere." The New York Times.

The New York Times, 02 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/science/even-in-a-warming-world-it-will-still-snow-somewhere.html?action=click&contentCollection=Science&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article>.

A New Approach to Sequence and Assemble Primate Genomes

Natalie Kister  April 3, 2016

Current Event 16           Ippolito

At the University of Washington, a new sequencing technology has become available that holds the ability to sequence the genomes of other animals in much longer and more accurate strands. Prior to this new technology, computers that took care of genome mapping would become confused when it came across repeated patterns of genomes. As a result, long strands of DNA that researchers hoped to code would be broken up into smaller strands. As Evan Eichler explained, “Such assemblies can be like Swiss cheese with a lot of missing biological information in the gaps.” The difference in the old information and new information is significant. As opposed to the old technique of looking at 400,000 fragments of DNA, with the new SMRT sequencing technology, researchers and their computers are only observing 1,800 pieces, each about 800 times larger than before. The gaps that have now been closed helped the scientists come closer to a conclusion that could hold crucial biological information about why gorillas evolved the way they did and the reason that humans diverged from monkeys, chimpanzees and gorillas. By looking at the newly sequenced genomes,  it can be inferred how genes are controlled and how different environmental elements affected the gorillas’ ancestors. All of this newly learned information points to when and why humans developed on their own. Hopefully in the future, explains Eichler, this technology can become more accessible to human everyday use. With the current way of looking at smaller segments, Eichler describes, “...there is a chink in our armor. The work on gorilla and other human genomes clearly demonstrates that large swathes of genetic variation can't be understood with the short sequence-read approaches. Long read sequencing is allowing us to access a new levels of genetic variation that were previously inaccessible.” In the future there is hope that the price of such technology will decrease, thus making is more practical for all people.

This new technology is very exciting to the area of genome mapping. As Eichler stated, the information that was previously missing from any genome maps can hold important clues to evolutionary history. This science can hopefully be applied to family DNA mapping where it can help detect genetic diseases earlier, allowing any possible treatments to begin before symptoms show. At the end of the article, it is explained how the technology usage is extremely expensive, thus not a practical tool for everyday use at the moment. There is hope that in the future, however, it will become more common and the price will drop.

This article was from a website I had not previously used but upon first glance it looked very reputable. The article was error free until the last two paragraphs which concerned me slightly, but the research was all conducted at reputable universities with large research facilities. I chose to read this article because the initial picture on the cover drew my attention. It had a small information blurb at the start to provide some background knowledge and let you become familiar with the topic at hand which I found very helpful. Over all I think it was a very well written article with interesting information. The topic drew my interest and I will be sure to look into more information about DNA sequencing and how it can help humans as it becomes readily available.

University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine. "A new approach to sequence and
assemble primate genomes: Technical advances in reading long DNA sequences have
ramifications in understanding primate evolution and human disease." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 31 March 2016.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160331153942.htm>.

Jeanne Chrisanthopoulos

Science Current Event

Due Monday, April 4th, 2016

Removing worn-out cells makes mice live longer and prosper

In a recent study, by Mayo Clinic researchers, it has been shown that killing worn out cells helps middle aged mice live longer and healthier lives. The worn out cells are called “senescent cells;” they are cells that no longer divide to do their usual jobs, but instead they pump out inflammatory chemicals that can damage surrounding tissues and stimulate aging. Rodents living without these cells has increased the median life span in mice by around 24-27 percent. The researchers found that rodents with removed senescent cells have also displayed improved heart and kidney function. These results are interesting because if humans react in the same way then a completely new way of treating aging could arise. Other prospective anti aging treatments would require people to continuously take drugs, but, instead, zapping the senescent cells could possibly revert the clock in aging people who have poor health. To eliminate these cells a cancer biologist of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota  has suggested “making the cells commit suicide.” This would work by hooking up a gene that kills the cell to a protein p16 that builds up in senescent cells, so that whenever p16 forms the suicide protein would also appear. “The suicide protein needs a partner chemical to actually kill cells, though,” so the researchers injected the chemical in some older mice and a placebo chemical in other old mice. This experiment lead researchers to see that the cells were easier to kill in some organs than others. The colon and liver senescent cells were not killed, but age related issues in the eyes, fat, heart, and kidney were slowed.

I liked this article because aging is a huge issue medically. If there is a way to slow down the effects of aging in muscles and joints, it must be explored. However I found it impractical that injections and shots would need to occur frequently, so it is evident that a drug would need to be created that could kill the senescent cells from humans. Also we do not know the side-effects of killing these cells in humans because in certain cases senescent cells have been shown to be needed for wound healing, so without these cells medical complications could arise in the elderly. According to studies, mice without many senescent cells could not heal quickly or properly, but once the treatment of killing the cells was halted they healed fine. I think these facts are important to consider. The downside to this article was that it was quite repetitive and focused only on senescent cells. It was interesting to see how the the senescent cells play a role in aging, but it was disappointing when I realized they never mentioned anything about other factors that may contribute to aging. I appreciated how the article defined many terms and presented the positive and negative results of the article. It made me ponder the life-changing medical techniques that may be available when I am older. Currently it is unfortunate to see our grandparents struggle to walk and or have mental illnesses like dementia. This is why I chose this article: to see if there is a “cure” for the struggles elderly people face daily.

Saey, Tina Hesman. "Removing Worn-out Cells Makes Mice Live Longer and Prosper." Science

News. N.p., 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/removing-worn-out-cells-makes-mice-live-longer-and-prosper?mode=topic&context=87

F.D.A. Clears Use of New Test to Screen Blood Donations for Zika

Estelle Kelty

AP Biology

Current Event 16

Louis, Catherine Saint. "F.D.A. Clears Use of New Test to Screen Blood Donations for Zika." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

<<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/health/zika-virus-blood-test-puerto-rico.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront>>

In the article, "F.D.A. Clears Use of New Test to Screen Blood Donations for Zika,” the author, Catherine Saint Louis discusses the recent breakthroughs regarding the Zika virus. Announced Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration, experimental tests will be allowed to test blood donations for the Zika virus to allow the donated blood to be put to use. Because the dangerous virus has the potential to be passed through blood, the donations of blood to others had been halted because of the possible spread of this virus. However, this lead to issues because this blood was needed, “Every day, roughly 36,000 units of red blood cells are required for patients with cancer, transplant recipients and accident victims nationwide, according to AABB, the group that represents most blood donation groups stateside,” (Louis). Thankfully a screening test has been passed to verify of the donated blood is contaminated by the Zika virus. This virus, “has been linked to temporary paralysis in adults and brain damage in infants born to infected mothers. The pathogen can also be sexually transmitted,” (Louis). Without this screening blood banks as a whole had to be shut down due to the lack of knowledge if the virus was being transmitted or not. This new breakthrough, which tests blood relatively efficiently, have been creating safer blood banks to prevent the transmission of these or other harmful diseases through blood donations.    

Today one of the most talked about and frightening viruses is the Zika virus. It is relatively new and not much is known about it or how to cure it. Because of this we must take extra precautions to avoid possibly infecting any more people with this kind of virus. People of all kinds of backgrounds, and situations require blood donations and because of this the new technology to make this process safer can help everyone. Without this the blood given to many people would not have been previously checked and could possibly be harmful. Due to it’s relevance to all people, this new scanning technique could help save many from becoming infected.

Although this article was educational and interesting to read it had a few weaknesses. The entire article was based on this new screening technology however, the actual test was never fully explained. In addition, the article did not explain what exactly the Zika virus was or any other background that would have made the article easier to read. However, this article did address the real world problems that this situation could have and made the situation more real. Overall a good article to read and review!