Cancer Risk From Cellphone Radiation Is Small, Studies Show

Timothy Cushman

Mr. Ippolito

Ap Biology - Current Events Review

5 February 2018

Current Events #15

Grady, Denise. “Cancer Risk From Cellphone Radiation Is Small, Studies Show.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/health/cell-phones-cancer.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront.

As we continue to increase the use of our cellphones, many worry about the effect they have on our health. The concern is that the radiation cellphones emit may result in cancers. A recent study done by John Bucher, a senior scientist at the National Toxicology Program, found that in male rats only, they found a link between the radiation the rats were exposed to and tumors in the heart. In the study, however, when multiple types of rodents were exposed to nine hours of radiation each day for a period of two years. They found that only the male rats, mentioned above, showed tumors. Additionally, Bucher stated that the amount of radiation the rodents received was much greater than even a heavy cellphone user would get and the results should not be directly applied to humans. With The Food and Drug Administration stating that they respect the results of the most recent study done by the toxicology program and have reviewed many other studies that have not shown cellphone use to cause cancer, and they believe there is not sufficient evidence to believe cellphones cause health problems, humans should not be worried. However, for those who still worry about lasting effects to health, California and Dr. Bucher alike recommend lowering exposure to cellphone by “texting instead of talking, keeping the phone away from the head and body while streaming, downloading, or sending large files; carrying the phone in a backpack, briefcase, or purse… and not sleeping with your phone close to your head.” Although there have been no significant findings to lead people to think cellphones cause health problems, taking precautions to limit one’s use of cellphones and expose to radio-frequency radiation only helps.

This article is very important to everyone because the majority of humans are now walking around with cellphones. They should know how uncertain scientists really are about the potential dangers of cellphone use. People should also learn from the advice given because it may make the difference over a long period of time. This article also creates opportunities for further research by showing what we know and what we do not know.

The article, written by Denise Grady, was well written. She wrote clearly and was able to explain these complicated studies in a way that allowed for the greatest understanding. Her use of quotes from Dr. Bucher helped the reader’s understanding and gave her article credibility by showing her claims were backed up with data.  Despite being an overall well done article, there was room for improvement. Firstly, she mentions the almost 20 other studies that were done on the topic. However, she does not go into detail about any of them. The reader is left wondering how they all were similar and different. It would have also been nice to see a contrast on how the large study, by the toxicology program, conducted their research as compared to any of the other studies. Secondly, the reader is left wondering what further research, if any, is being done on the topic. The reader is left wondering if other animals that share large amounts of DNA with humans have the same results as the rats. These two additions would allow the reader to gain a better understanding along with answering questions that were left unanswered.

“The Next Big Volcano Could Briefly Cool Earth. NASA Wants to Be Ready.”

Clio Dakolias

AP Bio

Mr. Ippolito

February 5, 2017

CE 15

Fountain, Henry. “The Next Big Volcano Could Briefly Cool Earth. NASA Wants to Be Ready.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/climate/volcano-geoengineering.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/science&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.

For Current Event 15, I chose to review an article from The New York Times titled “The Next Big Volcano Could Briefly Cool Earth. NASA Wants to Be Ready,” by Henry Fountain. Volcanic eruptions are responsible for releasing molten rock, or lava, from deep within the Earth, forming new rock on Earth’s surface. But eruptions also have an impact on Earth’s atmosphere. The gases and dust particles thrown into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions have influences on the climate. Most of the particles- typically droplets of sulfuric acid -spewed from volcanoes cool the planet by shading incoming radiation. The tiny particles are so light that they can stay in the stratosphere for months, blocking sunlight and causing cooling over large areas of the Earth. This temporary cooling effect can last for months or years, depending on the characteristics of the eruption. In 1991, a volcano in the Philippines- Pinatubo -spewed a cubic mile of rock, ash, and sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere. The gas spread around the world, and formed aerosols by combining with water vapor. The consequential result was a drop in average global temperatures by about one degree Fahrenheit for a period of several years. Such eruptions are one of the biggest natural influences on the climate, and eruptions such as Pinatubo are a natural analog of geoengineering, the intervening in the atmosphere to deliberately cool the planet. Scientists, including some from NASA, are planning to study the next big volcanic eruption in order to learn how techniques could be utilized and carried out. Alan Robock, a Rutgers University researcher, stated the following: “‘...even if there were no such thing as geoengineering, it’s still important to understand how volcanoes affect climate.’” While the plan to study the next big volcanic eruption has been in discussion for years, it has gained some momentum, as well as urgency in recent weeks. “Mount Agung, a volcano in Bali, began erupting at the end of November. Agung’s last major eruption occurred in 1963, and should it fully blow with similar fury it could pump enough sulfur dioxide gas high enough into the atmosphere to have a measurable cooling effect.” Many large volcanic eruptions which rank high on an “explosivity index,” or a scale from 0 to 8 depending largely on the volume of ejected as and gas, are not necessarily helpful to study. This is because the index does not necessarily correlate to impact on climate, as the ash and gas has to be expelled upward rather than laterally to have a measurable cooling effect. NASA researchers are in the process of mapping out a plan to monitor the next large eruption, whether it be Agung or another volcano. Even if learning more about major eruptions’ does not lead to progress in geoengineering, it is still imperative to learn more about volcanoes’ impact on the climate, in both positive and negative lights.  

Geoengineering offers the hope of temporarily reversing some aspects of global warming and allowing the natural climate to be substantially preserved whilst greenhouse gas emissions are brought under control and removed from the atmosphere by natural or artificial processes. Studying volcanoes can help to further these plans, which could have a large impact on Earth. 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 way, and extreme weather is becoming much more deadly and dangerous. As climate change and greenhouse gases begin to take a larger toll on the future of our planet, measures to slow down the rate of warming are becoming more desperate and risky. Many argue that the risks of geoengineering, such as the possibility of the proposed techniques falling short of predictions, outweigh the possible benefits, but we are at a pivotal time, where something must be done before it is too late to save our planet, and that time is racing closer and closer. Some argue about the ethics of geoengineering, such as the question as to if humans have the right to change the climate deliberately. This argument has little substance, as humans are arguably solely responsible for climate change, and it is therefore our duty to do all we can to attempt to save the planet.

Fountain, the author, did a great job on this article, including quotations from different studies and researchers, and discussing the effect of major eruptions on the atmosphere as well as the technique of geoengineering. The overall article was very well written, but the author 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.

Ava Austi

AP Biology

Current Event #15

February 5, 2018

“Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is ‘Really Strange’”

Chang, Kenneth. “Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is 'Really Strange'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Feb. 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/science/superionic-water-neptune-uranus.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

In the article, “Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is ‘Really Strange’” by Kenneth Chang from The New York Times, it discusses how scientists have confirmed a form of water that is simultaneously solid and liquid. It is the latest advance in the study of water, a seemingly simple substance that can shift between many different configurations. This new form, called superionic water, consists of a rigid lattice of oxygen atoms through which positively charged hydrogen nuclei move. It is not known to exist naturally anywhere on Earth, but it may be bountiful farther out in the solar system, including in the mantles of Uranus and Neptune. Theorists first suggested 30 years ago that superionic water might exist under extremely high pressures and hot temperatures. The heat melts the chemical bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The high pressure keeps the larger and heavier oxygen atoms stacked in a fixed crystal alignment — a solid — while the hydrogen nuclei, or ions, flow through — a liquid. Raymond Jeanloz, a professor of earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, and an author of the Nature Physics paper, says “It’s as though the water ice is partially molten.” In the new experiment, scientists at Lawrence Livermore first squeezed water between two pieces of diamond with a pressure of 360,000 pounds per square inch. That is about 25,000 times greater than the air pressing against you here on the surface of Earth, and the water is squeezed into a type of ice known as ice VII, which is about 60 percent denser than usual water, and solid at room temperature. Each diamond cell contained about one-seven-millionth of an ounce of water. The researchers then took the compressed ice, packed in carry-on luggage, to the University of Rochester where it was blasted by a pulse of laser light. That caused shock waves through the ice that lasted 10 to 20 billionths of a second, heating it to thousands of degrees and exerting a pressure more than a million times that of Earth’s atmosphere. Those conditions exist inside Uranus and Neptune and undoubtedly within numerous ice giants around other stars. Dr. Jeanloz said the agreement between experiment and prediction offered promise that scientists are beginning to understand the basic physics of how molecules in general behave under changing temperatures and pressures well enough for practical use.

This newly discovered form of water ice can help improve many scientists’ research societies and ours in the future . The superionic ice could help explain the lopsided, off-center magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune, the solar system’s seventh and eighth planets that are known as ice giants and were visited briefly by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft in the 1980s. Instead of Earth’s magnetic field generated at the core of the planet, the fields of those icy bodies may originate, in part, within shells of superionic ice inside their mantles. There is also hope for a large impact in the future. Dr. Jeanloz expressed that as one starts validating these kinds of predictions, it may give hope that one could start thinking about engineering new materials. The new superionic ice continues to impact research and scientists hope that it impacts our societies more in the future.

I thought this article was very interesting but at the same time, very straightforward. I found it very intriguing how a form of water, a huge component of everyone’s life, was confirmed to be simultaneously solid and liquid. I was able to understand the main idea of the article due to the strengths of the author. Kenneth Chang did a great job of providing the reader with the perfect amount of detail. Because of this, I was able to grasp the perfect idea of this new finding. There was never a point where I was confused with the steps of the experiments. I wish the author included more quotes from researchers that were apart of the experiments because this would have allowed me to get an idea of what other researchers opinions were on this new finding. Overall, I believe the author did a excellent job of addressing the new discovery of water ice.

Dolphins Show Self-Recognition Earlier Than Children

Isabel Sondey

Ap Biology

Mr. Ippolito

January 19, 2018

Gorman, James. “Dolphins Show Self-Recognition Earlier Than Children.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/science/dolphins-self-recognition.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/science&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront.

There are only a few animals who can recognize themselves in a mirror, including humans, chimpanzees, elephants, and magpies. Mirror self-recognition is often taken as a measure of a kind of intelligence and self-awareness, as the ability to recognize oneself as an individual takes a large amount of self awareness and identification. Many of the lower animals, such as many species of birds, perceive the image in mirrors as that of another animal. Some will even try to attack the mirror, as they view it ask a threat. Research conducted by Diana Reiss, a psychologist at Hunter College, and graduate student Rachel Morrison indicates that dolphins are able to recognize themselves in a mirror as early as at the age of seven months, which most humans cannot do until the age of 12 months of so and most chimpanzees cannot do until the age of two years. Dr. Reiss noted that the timing of this sort of self-awareness is of great relevance, as it is linked to many later life milestones. Dr. Reiss said dolphins “may put their eye right up against the mirror and look in silence. They may look at the insides of their mouths and wiggle their tongues.”

This study is particularly relevant to us as it provides us with some insight into how intelligent the species around us truly are. As humans, we perceive ourselves to be “supreme beings” of sorts, often overlooking the intelligence of other species. It is intriguing to think that other animals such as dolphins could actually possess a greater self-awareness than us humans. Additionally, this research provides us with critical insights into the “development of self-awareness” milestone. As explained by Emory University’s Frans de Waals, the student holds a great significance, as science needs to go beyond asking whether species display mirror self-recognition (MSR) to ask whether the emergence of MSR correlates, as it does in humans, with other milestones of development. Connecting the ability to the rest of development can help researchers begin to answer the question of what MSR means.” Further research may help us understand what this development of self-awareness really means in the case of animals, and whether it is related to other milestone developments as it is in humans.

Overall, the article was a particularly interesting one. The author broke down the research in a very clear, concise, and comprehensible manner. He also cited a professor at Emory University, Frans de Waals, saying that the study was a great one. This served to validate the research, as it showed that a respected professor and well-verse scientist gave his approval. However, there were a few aspects of the research that were left a little unclear. To begin with, the author did not thoroughly explain how many dolphins were tested or where they were tested. He writes, “Dr. Reiss first reported self-recognition in dolphins in 2001 with Lori Marino” and then goes on to explain the behavior of dolphins when they come in contact with mirrors, yet he fails to address any specifics of the data collection process. Inclusion of this information would greatly enhance the reader’s understanding of the research and it was certainly a huge mistake to exclude this. I’d recommend that the author include some more specifics of the research, including when it began, where it was conducted, how dolphins were selected for testing, and exactly how they were tested.

Brain Circuit That Drives Sleep-Wake States, Sleep-Preparation Behavior Is Identified

Julia Pabafikos

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology Current Event

January 18, 2018

“Brain Circuit That Drives Sleep-Wake States, Sleep-Preparation Behavior Is Identified.” Stanford University Medical Center, 5 Sept. 2016, www.biologynews.net/archives/2016/09/05/brain_circuit_that_drives_sleepwake_states_sleeppreparation_behavior_is_identified.html.

A topic that seems to interest many researchers, parents and students worldwide is whether or not we are receiving the proper amount of sleep each night. Therefore, the article I decided to read was Brain Circuit That Drives Sleep-Wake States, Sleep-Preparation Behavior Is Identified studied in Stanford University. A reward system that is similar in all vertebrates and ultimately is able to connect most life on Earth is sleep,  controlled by a chemical called dopamine which plays a crucial role in firing up this circuitry. Neuroscientists know that a particular brain structure known as the ventral tegmental area which is the origin of numerous dopamine-secreting nerve fibers which run in discrete tracts to many different parts of the brain. In order to further this research, scientists decided to introduce a study where the investigators used male laboratory mice bioengineered in several respects to enable the use of advanced technologies which remotely excite, suppress and monitor activity in the dopamine-secreting nerve cells from the mice's VTA. The researchers also measured the mice's overall brain activity and muscle tone to determine the mice's relative stages of sleep or arousal.  Overall, activity in the dopamine-secreting nerve cells emanating from the VTA rose on waking and stayed elevated when mice were awake. However, this activity decreased when mice transitioned into sleep, remaining low throughout their sleep. Activating this nerve-cell population was enough to wake up the animals from a sound sleep and keep them awake for long periods. When instead the scientists suppressed activity in the same nerve-cell population during the typically active period of the mice's 24-hour cycle, the mice were put to sleep and remained asleep even through the presence of arousal triggers such as delicious high-fat chow or a female.

Although we are often exhausted it is challenging to finally find the ability to let ourselves fall asleep.  Some 25 to 30 percent of American adults are affected by sleep disturbances of one type or another, according to the National Institutes of Health. Insomnia has become a multibillion-dollar market for pharmaceutical companies due to its treatment with drugs such as benzodiazepines that nonspecifically shut down the entire brain. This research strives to find the possibility of developing therapies that, by narrowly targeting this newly identified circuit, could induce higher-quality sleep. Another part of the experiment was putting the mice in an unfamiliar cage and recorded that they ordinarily explored their new surroundings energetically. "But the new study shows that at least one complex behavior is induced not by stimulating, but by inhibiting. Interestingly, this behavior -- nest building -- is essential to a mouse's preparation for sleep.” said De Lecea, the senior author or the study. Humans have a similar stimulation, for example, if we're disrupting this preparation by texting or playing video games it charges up our emotions and gets our VTA dopaminergic circuitry going therefore making it harder to fall asleep.

This article was both very informative and easy to understand due to its relevance did an amazing job stating the background information in order to attract his reader. The research team was able gave great examples that connected their research to people worldwide and ultimately proposed an alternative cure to insomnia. However, I believe that the research team should include even more specifics about their research and experiments in order for the audience to further understand how tedious and how crucial this research is to society. Additionally, I would recommend that they use more quotes from scientists/researchers working on this experiment in order to give a preview of what they plan to do in the future. I think that by adding quotes the article would be able to not only add some length but also further the point of this innovative research.

Light Pollution May Promote the Spread of West Nile Virus

Robby Schetlick

Ippolito

AP Biology CE 14

January 18 2018

Citation:  Elizabeth Pennisi Jan. 9, 2018, 4:55 PM, et al. “Light Pollution May Promote the Spread of West Nile Virus.” Science | AAAS, Sciencemag.org, 9 Jan. 2018, www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/light-pollution-may-promote-spread-west-nile-virus.

In this article by Sciencemag.org, Elizabeth Pennisi discusses new biology research into the effects of light pollution on surrounding ecosystems. Specifically, new research into how light pollution is likely affecting the spread of the West Nile Virus. Meredith Kernbach, an eco immunologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa, performed an experiment with 50 birds to measure the effects of the light pollution claiming that“ ...birds play such a key role in West Nile epidemiology…” because they indirectly spread the disease when mosquitoes drink their blood. Half of the birds were kept in dim lit cages, while the others were in total darkness. All birds were infected with the disease. While both groups had nearly half of the sparrows die and become infectious after 2 days, the birds exposed to light did not show any worse symptoms. However, they did remain infectious for 4 days, twice as long as the dark group! This is dangerous because it could result. Kernbach concludes that as a result “we expect to have greater [disease] transmission in urban areas.” Initial testing revealed that the exact cause of the effects of light was not linked to stress hormones, but instead to melatonin which can have an effect on immune responses.

The article is important to our society because it is an example of how advancements in human technology can directly affect and cause large changes to our environment. This is especially dangerous if we are not careful as Clinton Francis, an ecologist at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, claims. “The ways that we influence sensory environments”—whether it’s with sound or light”—can have all sorts of unintended consequences…” If an important invention like artificial lighting can indirectly increase the risk of disease in urban areas, it opens up limitless possibilities of how every little change to human lifestyle could affect our world for better or worse. It will be our responsibility from this point onwards to make sure we fully research and understand the environmental impacts of changes in our lifestyles so that we don’t accidentally harm or ruin our environment.

The article is of a high quality because it is compact, efficient, and an interesting read. It makes up for its length with photos and effective information transmission of the reader. The article could be improved by tightening it up through eliminating irrelevant parts. For example, in the beginning of the article, scientists involved with the study are quoted on their opinions about the research study. Although this may be helpful to improve the credibility of the study, given that they are uninvolved with the study whatsoever it feels out of place for the article. Adding more detail about the research into the exact effects of the light pollution on melatonin would also improve the reading experience.

In the Arctic, More Rain May Mean Fewer Musk Oxen.”

Luke Redman

Mr.Ippolito

AP Biology

Current Event #14

Zimmer, Carl. “In the Arctic, More Rain May Mean Fewer Musk Oxen.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/science/musk-oxen-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.

This week, I read Carl Simmer’s article for the New York Times, “In the Arctic, More Rain May Mean Fewer Musk Oxen.” The article is about the recent findings on musk ox, which is described to be a “a buffalo decked out in a hairy fur coat.” While not much research on musk oxen has been published, a new study came to disturbing results. Joel Berger, a wildlife biologist at Colorado State University and a senior scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, came to the worrying conclusion that musk oxen are very susceptible to rapid climate change in the Arctic. Berger explains in his research that due to climate change, the rainfall in the Arctic has increased over the past few years, and are negatively affecting the oxen. “In a warming landscape, pregnant female musk oxen may struggle to find enough food for their unborn calves, the researchers found. Their undersized offspring may die young or fail to produce many calves of their own. In places, musk oxen may disappear altogether.” This is the first study to say that increasing rainfalls are leading to the decreasing health of land mammals in the Arctic, and shows no signs of slowing down. This study, however, is one of many to show the growing effects of climate change on the ecosystems of the world, with the ice caps melting and completely destroying habitats of endangered animals. This article helps the public realize that our actions are leading to dire consequences in the world around us, and that change is needed in order to keep our planet the same.

The article itself was very interesting to read and furthers my knowledge of the effects of climate change on the world. Berger does a great job of including his sources, transitioning from mentioning the paper to explaining the effects of climate change in other areas, and providing accurate information. However, I would have liked to see more of his own opinion in the paper, which would make for a more interesting read. Overall, the article was extremely well-written and I learned something new about climate change and musk ox.