Reefer Madness-Not!-Studies says pot won't drive you nuts

Recent studies have shown that although there has been controversy over the "Reefer Madness Hypothesis", there is no sufficient link between smoking marijuana and schizophrenia. In fact, you would have to stop thousands of marijuana smokers to prevent one case of schizophrenia, showing the ratio of people that smoke pot to the ones who develop schizophrenia. Last year, the UK government changed marijuana from a class C drug to a class B drug, due to the concerns that the drug may cause cases of schizophrenia. However, the relationship between marijuana and schizophrenia are very unclear. In the new study, scientists have taken the number of marijuana smokers, developing cases of schizophrenia, and the risk that smoking marijuana use causes schizophrenia, in order to find the relationship between how many marijuana smokers would need to be stopped in order to prevent one case of schizophrenia. The studies show that you would have to stop 2,800 male heavy marijuana users and over 5,000 women heavy marijuana users to prevent one case of schizophrenia. On the contrary, you would have to stop 10,000 male light marijuana users and almost 30,000 women light marijuana users in order to stop one case of schizophrenia. In conclusion, there would have to be a immense amount of marijuana smokers that stopped the drug in order for it to have an impact on the number of people who develop schizophrenia.

BadA$$ Animals

http://listverse.com/2009/08/10/top-10-badass-living-creatures/

This website is a very non-scientific list of the planets top ten most bad-a$$ animals. In this case, bad-a$$ is defined as unique and scary as hell. Included on this list are centipedes that spit cyanide, birds that could kill you with a roundhouse kick (Chuck Norris style), and snakes that friggin' fly. I'm gonna repeat that because it bears repeating; FLYING SNAKES. Just what my worst nightmares were missing, flying cobras. Thank you internet for giving me weirder and weirder stuff to be afraid of.

Most interesting though, and surely most relevant to our material, is a jellyfish called the Immortal Jellyfish which is, you guessed it, immortal. This Cnidaria is capable of reversing it's developmental process and returning to the polyp stage, there-by side stepping death. Add your own Highlander joke here.

A magnetometer in the upper beak of birds?

Iron containing short nerve branches in the upper beak of birds may serve as a magnetometer to measure the vector of the Earth magnetic field (intensity and inclination) and not only as a magnetic compass, which shows the direction of the magnetic field lines.

It's cool to see physics and biology in the same article. Not only can birds tell the direction of the magnetic north pole, they can determine how far or close they are by how intense the signal is from their current position. Having a tool like this built into your genes must be such a helpful trait to have.

Octopuses are smart

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/15/octopus.study/index.html?iref=allsearch


It has been found in a recent study that octopuses tip toe around the ocean floor colecting shells, which they later stack up to use as a fort to protect themselves from predators. "Using tools, something we think is very special about humans, exists in other animal groups we've never considered before," said Norman in an interview with Australian television. "A low-life form, a relative of a snail, these octopuses, they're not simple animals." Octopuses started out using smaller clam shells, but then moved up using larger shells and cocunut shells. According to science magazine cephalopods have the most complex brain of any invertebrate. It is very interesting to see how they are putting it to use.

Whale, the killer

I am sure you all heard a disturbing story of a seaworld trainer beiing killed by a whale during a seaworld show. Now, there is a controversial debate whether these wild animals should be kept in a small area like pools or aquariums or rather be freed into their natural environment. I think that after all, whales are wild animals and should be kept in the ocean. Every now and then there is news about a pet-snake or monkey that attacks their owner, even though they were said to never have done such a thing before. These stories make me question whether wild animals should be around people so close enough that they can possibly attack them some day. What do you think?

Link:http:/www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-seaworld-death-sparks-orca-sized-debate/19374072

DNA Sheds Light on King Tut's Life, Death

A new genetic study of 11 Egyptian mummies suggested that King Tutankhamun was frail-his left foot was clubbed and his right one was useless-and may have died from malaria. A team of reserchers from Egypt, Germany and Italy also developed a definitive family tree for King Tut which only shows that his family was largely the product of inbreeding. The reason, why the team connects his death to malaria is becouse they suspect that King Tut sustained a fall- which explains the head trauma and broken leg discovered in a 1968 X-ray-and can lead to a serious malarial infection. Tut and four other mummies tested positive for malaria tropica, the most severe form of the illness. I think that the power of DNA testing is just amaizing. From tiny little DNA we can find useful information about what happened a few thousands years ago!

Link:http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/dna-detective-work-sheds-light-on-king-tuts-life-lineage-death

Darwin.

Darwin's theory of 'survival of the fittest' is bent a little in this article with 'survival of the cutest.'

Basically, dogs back in the day appeared and functioned for survival and shelter. Now dogs get cuter and cuter to be sold for appearance not really for any real function. They can get away with all the variations that affects their functions like breathing and chewing that back in the day would have lead to their extinction. Biologist Dr. Klignenberg says "natural selection has been relaxed and replaced with artificial selection for various shapes that breeders favor." Sometimes evolution takes years to happen; other like this, not very long at all.

No Sex Needed.

The whiptail lizards are found in Southwestern parts of the United States and Mexico. The female lizards need no male to reproduce.

Hammerhead sharks and Komodo dragons can reproduce asexually if necessary but small lizards like the checkered whiptails (in picture) dont really have a choice. The downside is the loss of genetic exchange, it is a major disadvantage to them in a changing environment. The offspring will be totally identical to the parent, no change in DNA, same weakness in genetics, same susceptibility to disease, and no improvements.

There is extreme benefit to asexual reproduction though. If there is no need for male aid, females can reproduce often and increase the population.

A Genetic Link Between Misery & Death

In continuing studies to identify how specific genes interact with one's social environment to impact human health, researchers of UCLA have discovered a biochemical link between death and misery. More so, they have found a specific genetic variation in certain individuals that appears to render them more biologically resilient in the face of adversity.
Research leader Steve Cole and his colleagues looked at transcription factors, which are specific groups of proteins that regulate gene activity. They found that these sequences may affect a gene's sensitivity to environmental activation.

Saturn Moon Could Be Hospitable to life, New images suggest

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56573/title/Saturn_moon_could_be_hospitable_to_life%2C_new_images_suggest

New images of Saturn suggest that life could exsist on Saturns moon because they have discovered 30 small water jets on its moon.

Stem Cell Experiment Reverses Aging In Rare Disease

Researchers working with an engineered type of stem cell said they reversed the aging process in a rare genetic disease. The team at Children's Hospital in Boston and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute were working with a new type of cell that was called induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells, which closely resemble embryonic stem cells, but are made from ordinary skin cells.
In this case, they wanted to study a rare, inherited premature aging disorder called dyskeratosis congenita. The blood marrow disorder resembles the better-known aging disease progeria and causes premature graying, warped fingernails and other symptoms as well as a high risk of cancer. It is very rare and normally diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 30. About half of patients have bone marrow failure, which means their bone marrow stops making blood and immune cells properly. One of the benefits of stem cells and iPS cells is that researchers can make them from a person with a disease and study that disease in the lab. Harvard's Dr. George Daley and colleagues were making iPS cells from dyskeratosis congenita patients to do this.

Caribou link to a volcanic eruption

In British Columbia, Canada there was DNA that was recovered from ancient caribou bones reveals a possible link between several small unique caribou herds and a massive volcanic eruption that blanketed much of the Alaskan Yukon territory in a thick layer of ash 1,000 years ago. The eruption has already been linked to major changes in the cultures of the First Nations, aboriginal peoples from the region, marking the transition between the atl-atl (throwing dart) hunting technology and newer and more effective bow and arrow technology.

new dinosaur discovered

a new type of dinosaur called the Abydosaurus, which belongs to the group of gigantic, long-necked, long-tailed, four-legged, plant-eating dinosaurs such as Brachiosaurus. They recovered four heads and two were still fully intact from a quarry in Dinosaur National Monument in eastern Utah. Complete skulls have been recovered for only eight of more than 120 known varieties of sauropod. Analysis of the bones indicated that the closest relative of the Abydosaurus is Brachiosaurus, which lived about 45 million years earlier. The four Abydosaurus specimens were all juveniles.

Elephant Communication

Researchers have attached microphones and GPS devices to elephants in a local zoo to help understand how they communicate. They discovered that along with the high pitches noises we hear, elephants also speak in a very low tone that the human ears cannot pick up.

They used this information to monitor the noises along with the motions the animal was making to help understand what it all means. They learned that pregnant elephants use these tones to let the herd know when they are about to give birth. This helps the herd to look out for preditors.

I found article to be rather interesting because I had no idea how elephants spoke to one another. I think it is very cool that they have their own little language that only they can understand.

An emotion detector for babies

This article is about Japanese engineers that are working on building future baby monitors that can tell you why your baby is crying. It will tell you whether your baby is hungry, needs to be change, is tired, etc. The engineers use an approach that "uses statistical analysis of the frequency of the cries and the power function of the audio spectrum to classify different types of crying." They use recordings of cries from babies with genetic disorders to differentiate between pained cries and normal cries. So far they've received 100% success in that. In the future they plan to incorporate their technique into portable devices.

Protein Study Shows Evolutionary Link Between Plants and Humans

A Purdue University study has shown that by inserting a human protein important in cancer development can revive dying plants, showing an evolutionary link between plants and humans and possibly making it easier to study the protein's function in cancer development. The aminopeptidase M1 protein, or APM1, is critical for root development in plants. Arabidopsis plants lacking the protein will die, but can be rescued if the protein is restored. During experiments, Wendy Peer, a research assistant professor of horticulture, found that inserting a similar protein found in humans, called insulin responsive aminopeptidase, or IRAP, also rescued the plants. "APM1 and IRAP are in the same group," said Peer, whose results were published in the early online version of the journal Plant Physiology. "M1 aminopeptidase activity is such a fundamental process that it's been conserved evolutionarily. This protein has changed very little over time." "There are more tools available in Arabidopsis to study this class of proteins than are available in animals," Peer said. "This research could be translational and helpful in the animal field or with human health. If humans have changes in these peptidases, they're very sick. Understanding how these proteins work in plants will help us understand how they work in humans." APM1's function isn't entirely understood in plants. M1 aminopeptidases are thought to remove amino acids from proteins, thereby either activating or deactivating those proteins. M1 aminopeptidases also break down accumulations of proteins related to Alzheimer's disease. "APM1 can alter the function of other proteins with its activity," Peer said. Peer wants to understand which proteins APM1 targets and how it changes those proteins, thereby affecting changes in a plant's development. She is working to discover which amino acids in APM1 are necessary for it to function.

Science Daily

Gastric Bypass Effects on Diabetes

Recently, I saw an episode of 60 minuets on the show they were talking about the obesity epidemic. Doctors have been doing weight lose surgery since the 1950's. Doctors have been doing Gastric bypass surgery, which is one of the most successful treatment in obesity. Recently, doctors have been researching the positive effects of Gastric bypass surgery, not only does it help an obese person lose weight it is now clear that there are other positive effects of having gastric bypass surgery done, it is known to force type 2 diabetes into remission and it appears to also lower the risk of cancer. The new generation of gastric bypass surgery is now done laparoscopically, where doctors use tiny surgical tools and video cameras, instead of how it used to be performed with deep incisions. At first many people were hesitant in having the surgery done because there was a high risk of death. Now it is less risky because of the new techniques done.

Dr. Hutcher who has performed many gastric bypass surgeries on obese patients who all had type 2 diabetes, post-surgery none have diabetes. He feels that he has found a "cure" for diabetes. All of his patients who had diabetes left the office without taking any medication, he has monitored them for many years and there is no sign of diabetes reoccurring. Obesity is known as being the leading cause of type 2 diabetes. Studies have proved that 80 percent of patients that have had the surgery go into complete remission following the operation. The study also showed that diabetes goes away way before you loose the weight. One patient Travis, he lost 260 in seven months, but it only took about a "week and a half" before he was rid of his diabetes and off all his medication.

Doctors were becoming very curious about why gastric bypass surgery is forcing diabetes into remission. One doctor in particular wanted to find out why? Francis Rubino, an Italian doctor, now at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. He wanted to know why and believes it has something to do with the small bowel. He has started a study doing the bypass surgery on diabetic rats. When he disconnects the top of the small intestine, called the duodenum,the diabetes disappeared but, when he reversed the operation the diabetes returned. This was a very important discovery now he knows that by stopping the food from traveling through the duodenum, this sent diabetes into remission. This discovery now have doctors believing they can end diabetes with a scalpel and that this surgery can be done humans.

Now what happens if you are diabetic but, not obese? Can the bypass surgery help end diabetes for them also. Clinical trials have begun on to find out if the "bypass" surgery is safe and effective. National Institutes of Health stated in 1991 only severely or morbidly obese are eligible for the gastric bypass surgery if you are considered mildly obese or just diabetic you are not eligible. Doctors are hoping with their new discoveries that hopefully the National Institutes of Health will rewrite the guidelines.

The article goes on to discuss the negative effects of one having the surgery and such, please take a look and read the article or watch the episode.
"60 minuets Gastric Bypass surgery"

new dinosaur

A team of paleontologists has discovered a new dinosaur species they're calling Abydosaurus, which belongs to the group of gigantic, long-necked, long-tailed, four-legged, plant-eating dinosaurs such as Brachiosaurus.

In a rare twist, they recovered four heads – two still fully intact – from a quarry in Dinosaur National Monument in eastern Utah. Complete skulls have been recovered for only eight of more than 120 known varieties of sauropod.

The specific name mcintoshi honors the American paleontologist Jack McIntosh for his contributions to the study of sauropod dinosaurs. In 1975 McIntosh debunked the myth of Brontosaurus, exposing it as a mixed-up skeleton with an Apatosaurus body and a Camarasaurus skull.

Source : Brigham Young University

Virus Hybrids Could Cause Pandemic Flu

Basically, this article is about how genetic interaction between avian flu and seasonal human flu could lead to another viral outbreak on the scale of the H1N1 pandemic only, you know, wayyyy worse. The full article is at http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/22/virus_hybridization_could_create_pandemic_bird_flu.html

It's full of big words and omens of doom and is, as a whole, kinda unsettling. I can't belive dateline hasen't done a feature on this. They LOVE scaring the crap out of people. Seems like just their cup'o'tea.

Ancient DNA reveals caribou history linked to volcanic eruption

DNA recovered from ancient caribou bones reveals a possible link between several small unique caribou herds and a massive volcanic eruption that blanketed much of the Alaskan Yukon territory in a thick layer of ash 1,000 years ago. It shows a link between the changes in local wildlife and the volcanic eruption also around the time aboriginal peoples switched from throwing spears to bow & arrows.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/22/ancient_dna_reveals_caribou_history_linked_to_volcanic_eruption.html

Animals Linked to Human Chlamydia Pneumoniae

First thing i thought when i saw this was now animals are getting chlamydia too, but as i read it turns outthat there is another thing called Chlamydia pneumoniae. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a major bacterial germ that causes widespread respiratory disease in humans. Koalas were the ones to help prove the link between Chlamydia pneumoniae in animals and humans. Researchers studied the genome of the animal then found a direct link to the humans.

Animals Linked to Human Chlamydia Pneumoniae

Cutting Salt as Good as Quitting Smoking?

Half a Teaspoon Less Salt a Day Would Prevent 92,000 Deaths, 99,000 Heart Attacks, 66,000 Strokes
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDJan. 22, 2010 -- Cutting U.S. salt intake by just half a teaspoon a day would prevent up to 92,000 deaths, 99,000 heart attacks, and 66,000 strokes -- a benefit as big as smoking cessation.

That's the prediction from computer models that used real clinical data to predict the effects of small reductions in salt intake.

"The [ heart] benefits of reduced salt intake are on par with the benefits of population-wide reductions in tobacco use, obesity, and cholesterol levels," says Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD

Amazing that cutting salt intake could help as much as cutting smoking. I would speculate that this has to do with the rise in obesity as well because people's bloodpressure/ cholesterol levels are already high, so the high salt intake furthers the severity of these conditions. As a society, we need to better our diets overall and these problems would subside. Then we wouldn't have to look out for particular ingredients, vitamins etc. If we could learn to eat and prepare food healthily these problems would be in our past.

article by: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20100122/cutting-salt-as-good-as-quitting-smoking

Dolphins Ideal Model To Study Cervical Cancer

Dolphins are the only other mammal besides humans who have papillomavirus infections which eventually lead to cervical cancer. Although there is no evidence that dolphins get the cancer itself, it is still an important discovery in understanding the HPV virus. About 8 HPV types show up in humans out of about a hundred and the same for dolphins. But what is more surprising is that this specific virus group has the ability to cross from sea to land and vice versa.

Over a four year period, researchers collected samples from about 1500 dolphins that will be studied in the future. Also, along with HPV samples, researchers discovered about 40 other viruses that dolphins have that may be helpful to their survival. If scientists can find a cure to the HPV virus in dolphins, then it wouldn't be hard to link it to humans as well, considering dolphins are the closest-related marine mammal. No dolphins were injured in the course of this study, though some died in the wild from the virus.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218173114.htm

Dolphins and diabetes

New research is showing that dolphins have the ability to turn on and off diabetes. They are finding that during times of little food dolphins have the ability to induce type II diabetes and then turn it off when food again becomes available. This could help with finding a cure or better treatment in humans. This article can be found here. 

New Material Mimics Bone For Biomedical Implants

A new "metal foam" that has similar elasticity and strength to real bone has been introduces as the new generation of biomedical implants. The issue with current implants is the body rejecting the implant such as titanium. If the implant is stronger or less elastic then the surrounding bone the bone could reject it or die. When a bone or dental implant is place in the body it needs to behave in the same manner as the surrounding bones. If it is too strong the bone it will handle too much of load bearing and the surrounding bone will lose its strength and eventually start to die. This foam has also shown to promote bone growth by having a rough surface the binds with the adjacent bone. This bonds with the hosts bone and increases the strength of the implant.

http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/wmsrabieielasticity/

Pipes and Cigars, Strongly Associated with Decreased Lung Function

Most people believe that smoking cigars or pipes is safer or less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Researchers performed a study to see if the smoke from pipes and cigars was linked to elevated cotinine levels, decreases in lung function, and increased odds of airflow obsturction. There was 3,528 individuals participating, the pipe and cigar smokers were much more likely to have their airflow be obstructed. The cotinine levels of cigar and pipe smokers are lower than the cigarette smokers (which only may be related to the nicotine absorption not necessarily the exposure to harmful products of tobacco smoke.)

R. Graham Barr (MD, Dr.PH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Presbyterian, and lead author in this study) says "our study shows that pipe and cigar smoking is associated with decrements in lung function that are consistent with obstructive lung disease. These findings, together with increased cotinine levels in current pipe and cigar smokers, suggest long term pipe smokers may damage their lungs and contribute to the development of COPD. " I've always heard that cigars were less harmful than cigarettes so when I found this article I was kind of shocked.

New method makes vaccines stable at tropical temperatures

Oxford University has found a way to store vaccines in stable temperatures. There will soon be no more need to store vaccines in fridges or anything else of that matter. Soon they will be stable enough to be stores in tropical temperatures only. The scientists who developed this is hoping it will help those in far away countries that have hundreds of people dying every single week. Since there will be no need to freeze the vaccines or anything, scientists are hoping they will be able to be used in these countries.

The team at Oxford that was working on this project discovered that they could store two different types of virus based vaccines. Vaccines that do not need a fridge has been one of the most major problems there were unsolved. The cost of shipping vaccines should decrease since now no freezers will be needed to be shipped along with the vaccines.

These vaccines getting stored at room temperature are still getting worked on until they are perfect.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/17/new_method_makes_vaccines_stable_at_tropical_temperatures.html

Love is all about Chemicals

People often describe love as a feeling, and it's thought of as mostly a psychological but this is not the case. Love is a biological feeling. Chemicals are released in your body when you see your loved one; and this released adrenaline is the love that we all feel.
According to and article on CNN.com, when your in love this is what your really feeling: your brain sends signals to the adrenal gland, which secretes hormones such as adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine. They flow through the blood and cause the heart to beat faster and stronger.
Being in love does have some health benefits. According to the article being married and in love will add up to seven years to a mans life, and up to two years to a womans. It also has a positive impact on stress level. Those who have recently fallen in love are better able to cope with stress.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/12/love.heart.brain/index.html?iref=allsearch

Fecal bacteria in soda fountains

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/08/soda.fountain.bacteria/index.html?iref=allsearch

In a study done in Roanoke Virginia, nearly half of the 90 drinks from soda fountains tested contained coliform bacteria. This bacteria could indicate the presence of fecal contamination in the soda. E coli was also found in some of the soda, which could cause urinary tract infections and pneumonia. The author states "The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern... and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced"

This is definently a big deal, because if it is happening in one state it could very well be happening in our own. Many peope who goes out to restraunts orders drinks from soda fountains, and the drinks could very well be contaminated. Companies need to start doing rigorous testing of these fountains to keep people safe.

Alligator Mating - For Better or for Worse

Here is a link to the full article!

A study published in Molecular Ecology shows that alligators display the same loyalty to their mates as birds do. The study took about ten years and revealed that approximately seventy percent of female alligators remained with the same mate for many years. Although alligators seem to lack in parental skills, they make faithful life partners for sure. The team of researchers examined the mating system of the alligators living in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, which has an open and dense alligator population, allowing alligators to choose among numerous mates. Despite the large pool of available partners, devoted alligators returned to their chosen mates for mating season.
I think it's pretty interesting that alligators actually mate with the same partner for years. You never really think of animals as being loyal to their partners. It always just seemed as though they just picked a different mate every season. I didn't think it was random, but I certainly didn't think alligators would be so loyal!

Chickens 'One-Up' Humans in Ability to See Color

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis mapped five types of light receptors in the chicken's eye. Scientists discovers the receptors were laid out in interwoven mosaics that maximized the chicken's ability to see many colors in any given part of the retina, the light-sensing structure at the back of the eye

"Based on this analysis, birds have clearly one-upped us in several ways in terms of color vision," says Joseph C. Corbo, M.D., Ph.D. "Color receptor organization in the chicken retina greatly exceeds that seen in most other retinas and certainly that in most mammalian retinas."

Corbo plans follow-up studies of how this organization is established. He says such insights could eventually help scientists seeking to use stem cells and other new techniques to treat the nearly 200 genetic disorders that can cause various forms of blindness.

Birds likely owe their superior color vision to not having spent a period of evolutionary history in the dark, according to Corbo. Birds, reptiles and mammals are all descended from a common ancestor, but during the age of the dinosaurs, most mammals became nocturnal for millions of years.

"The human retina has cones sensitive to red, blue and green wavelengths," Corbo explains. "Avian retinas also have a cone that can detect violet wavelengths, including some ultraviolet, and a specialized receptor called a double cone that we believe helps them detect motion."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216101159.htm

Aspirin May Reduce Breast Cancer Spread

Aspirin has helped with heart health for years, the latest news says it may prevent breast cancer from returning. 4,000 women participated in the Harvard researcher's study (Nurses Health Study), they found women who had stage 1,2 or 3 of breast cancer and took aspirin on a regular basis a year after diagnosis were 50% less likely to die or have the cancer spread than the women who didnt take aspirin. This made many women with the cancer think 'should I start taking aspirin'? The experts say no, "if your already taking aspirin than for other diseases than you can take comfort in knowing you might be preventing the cancer from coming back."

Dogs Give Blood

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/health/2010/02/13/hm.doggie.blood.bank.cnn

I found this video very interesting, since this is the first time I'd ever heard of a dog giving blood. The thought never occured to me that vet's and animal hospitals need blood for the sick pets. This video shows that all of the dogs are screened and tested and they are able to give blood that supplies the animal hospital with blood to use on animals that are sick.

Beer Is a Rich Source of Silicon and May Help Prevent Osteoporosis

Good news for beer drinkers, beer can help prevent osteoporosis. (Osteoporosis is a disease if the skeletal system caracterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue.) Turns out the silicone in the beer was present during the malting proscess and is more present in light colored beers. So if your going to drink beer you can always use the excuse well its for good health.

Beer Is a Rich Source of Silicon and May Help Prevent Osteoporosis

A Link Between Lead and ADHD.

ADHD is a mental disorder that affects individual's behavior and impacts impulse/attention span. ADHD is very common but the cause or root of the problem is not really clear.

Seventy percent of the disorder is due to genetics but thirty percent is not accounted for. Studies have shown, even though lead in fuel and paint have been regulated Americans still come in contact with it. There still are small amounts found in other things like toys, imported candy and soil. Lead is a neurotoxin that may trigger ADHD, according to psycological scientist Joel Nigg (Oregon Health and Science University). Most children with ADHD had higher levels of lead in their blood than children without it. It showed a link between blood lead and hyperactivity/impulsivity systems. The study was independent from maternal smoking during pregnancy, race, family income, or IQ.

Niggs says "lead attaches to sites in the brain's striatum and frontal cortex, where it acts on the genes in these regions- causing them to turn on or remain inactive. Gene activity shapes the development and activity of these brain regions. By disrupting brain activity, the toxins in turn alters psycological processes supported by these neurons, notobly cognitive control. Finally, diminished cognitive control contributes to hyperactivity and lack of vigilance."

Childhood Obesity Rate has gone up in the 2000s

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-16/u-s-child-obesity-rate-doubled-before-easing-off-study-says.html <<-- That's the article

Basically this article talks about how the obesity rate for children has doubled from 1988 - 2006, but also saw a "small" decline from 2006. The obesity rate is still at an abnormal rate from what it was back in the 1990s, 1980s, etc. I believe that a HUGE reason for this is technology. Children these days are spoiled with Nintendo Wiis, XBox's, Nintendo DS's, etc. They don't go outside and stay active, they're all too focused in their virtual worlds. It is a very sad thing.

Harmful Algae Stun Prey

Toxins produced by algal blooms have evolved special toxins that help them capture prey. Knowing how algal blooms use toxins could help scientists who are trying to predict when harmful blooms will strike. Single celled algae called dinoflagellates are the organisms responsible for killing fish and shellfish. Dinoflagellates usually grow twice as fast by preying on other types of algae, and this is thought to be the source of the production of the toxins. Whiles some scientists say there is circumstantial evidence that dinoflagellates use their toxins to capture prey but recently studies show it is very possible. According to marine ecologist Daniel Kamykowski says that "we don't know what triggers the toxin in some strains and not in others, once that's better known-and if there is anything that can be controlled-then it may be possible to diminish the frequency of blooms in the future."

Drinking Milk During Pregnancy May Lower Baby's Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

According to a study presented at the American Academy of Neurology drinking milk during pregnancy may help reduce your baby's chances of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as an adult.

The study was done by surveying 35,794 nurses mothers. They completed they questionnaire in 2001 about their experiences and diet during pregnancy with their nurse-daughter. Of the nurses studied, 199 women developed MS over the 16 years study period.

Researchers found that the risk of MS was lower among women born to mothers with high milk or dietary vitamin D intake in pregnancy.

"The risk of MS among daughters whose mothers consumed four glasses of milk per day was 56 percent lower than daughters whose mothers consumed less than three glasses of milk per month," said Fariba Mirzaei, MD, with the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "We also found the risk of MS among daughters whose mothers were in the top 20 percent of vitamin D intake during pregnancy was 45 percent lower than daughters whose mothers were in the bottom 20 percent for vitamin D intake during pregnancy."

Mirzaei said, "There is growing evidence that that vitamin D has an effect on MS. The results of this study suggest that this effect may begin in the womb."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209182345.htm

Black Wolves Got Their Color From Dogs

For hundreds of years now Wolves came in two primary colors, white and gray due to adaptation and natural selection. These colors enabled the wolves to easily blend into the tundra atmosphere of the snow and rocks. It also allows the wolves to be able to hunt caribou without being noticed But with global warming the Arctic has been warming up and the colors of the environment are changing. Therefore humans came in and changed the genetic diversity, and breed a wild wolf with a domesticated dog. This then lead to the creation of a third color variation of a black wolf. "With tundra habitat expected to decline in coming years due to northern expansion of boreal forests related to global warming, the researchers note that black coloration may also help wolves survive in a changing environment."

Dog & wolf= color changes

Virus Pulls Bait and Switch on Insect Vectors(UNFINISHED)

This is a wingless morph of Myzus persicae aphid on squash plant. (Credit: Photo Credit: Kerry Mauck (courtesy of De Moraes and Mescher labs), Penn State)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171758.htm

It was found that a common plant virus leads aphids to plants that infected. This is done by the plants making them more attractive but when the aphids taste the plant they move onto healthier plants. This rapidly spreads the disease.

This virus improves cues that the insects use to identify food. The virus elevates some aspects of traits that is already present in the plant. For example without changing the oder the virus elevates the oder cue. These type of host alterations has implicated beyond the basic agriculture, if pathogens can now alter their hosts to make transmission more efficient. It is believed they may be doing this through insect-transmitted human diseases such as malaria or dengue fever.

Some virus amongst plants entice the insects to visit there plants and fool them into believing that they are healthy, this them incorporates the virus into the insect's system. When the insects leave and find a new food source they transmit the virus to the new plant. This works only if the insect spends a decent amount of time feeding off of the infected plant. Researchers and looking into the cucumber mosaic virus because it is not persistent and the insects pick it up and transmit it from leaf to leaf by the first bite.

The researchers are looking at the cucumber mosaic virus because it is not a persistent virus. Insects pick up the virus when they take their first taste of leaf. When insects bite into a leaf the virus binds chemically to the mouth parts and releases when the insect feeds on another leaf. In most cases this only occurs to the first plants and not the ones afterwards. This then makes the virus a non-persistent virus.

The finding of this research was found in this week's online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Viruses like these (non-persistent ones) use a different system to ensure transmission," said Kerry E. Mauck, graduate student in entomology. "They have not been examined as closely as persistent systems."

The studies have investigated two species of aphids that transmit cucumber mosaic virus. This virus infects the entire squash family of plants. One of these species prefers squash but will also eats other things the other species prefer turnips but will also eat squash. The researchers developed a special insect arena that was developed to test the aphid’s responses to different plant odors. The studied showed that the insects could not see or alight on the plants so the result was they did not have color or taste cues. The insects could only access chemicals that the plants released into the surrounding air.

"We wanted to see where they aggregated most often," said Mauck. "They tended toward the plants that were infected rather than the healthy leaves."

They then tested the aphids to see which plants allowed them to reproduce the best. The results showed that the aphids reproduced less on the infected plants than they did on the healthier plants. The next step tested the aphids to see how long they would spend feeding on the infected or the healthy plants. The results showed that the insects spent more times on the healthier plants despite the increased odor cues that the infected plants gave out.

"We demonstrated that there were attraction cues combined with a repellant response when the plant was eaten," said Mauck. "We used two species of aphid to ensure that it was not a fluke that one aphid behaved this way."

Time studies where not done to see how many aphids actually visit sick and healthier plants over time. Studies were done and concluded that the infected plants produce more volatile chemicals than the healthier plants but are the same.

"If the viruses caused the sick plants to produce altered volatile cues, then the insects could learn how the sick plants smelled and avoid them," said Mescher. "Because the virus only increases the amount of chemicals, there may be no way for the insects to distinguish between sick and healthy plants until they feed on them."

The team of researchers are still working on similar questions that relate this study to human disease systems.

"We know that malaria-infected people are more attractive to malaria-transmitting mosquitoes," said Mescher. "We do not know if the same principles as in cucumber mosaic virus apply to malaria, but we are working on it."

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture supported this work.”

Mescal Worm Test Shows DNA Leaks Into Preservative Liquids

Just because you do not swallow the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal does not mean you have avoided the essential worminess of the potent Mexican liquor, according to scientists from the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) at the University of Guelph. They have discover the the mescal liquor contains DNA of the famously tasty mescal "worm." Their theory is the the DNA from a preserved specimen can leak into its presevative liquid, which was sampled from a bottle of Monte Ablban brand mescal. The liquor was found to contain this DNA. When they compare this DNA to others they found that the DNA is related to the butterfly.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209152303.htm

Yale researchers reveal secrets of duck sex: It's all screwed up

Female ducks have evolved an intriguing way to avoid becoming impregnated by undesirable but aggressive males endowed with large corkscrew-shaped penises: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely spiraled males.

I love this article because it shows how effective evolution can be. It's interesting that there is a power struggle over which sex controls the mating frequency in ducks, and an evolutionary change like this can give shift the power from male to female. But in general, i love the article because it's an all around interesting topic.

Calorie Counting and Pet Obesity.

"What does the pandemic of cat and dog obesity tell us about the pandemic of human obesity? Animals dont get fat in the wild, only when they live with obese humans and are fed the same junk food. No junk food, no obesity." -Colin Rose (medicalmyths.wordpress.com). Obesity is a huge issue in the United States and according to this article pet owners should watch the calories of the food they feed their pets. Now on the package of dog food or cat treats (or most) it says how much a serving is and the nutritional information. Dr. Susan Nelson (veterinarian) says to go with the guidelines, if the pet is a little overweight feed it for its "ideal" weight not the current weight. The biggest problem is overeating and underexercising (for humans and pets). I did not realize that pet obesity was really an issue but apparently 44% of U.S dogs and 57% of U.S cats are obese.

Biologist Discovers 'Stop' Signal in Honey Bee Communication

The discovery, detailed in a paper in the February 23 issue of the journal Current Biology, which appears online February 11, resulted from a series of experiments on honey bees foraging for food that were attacked by competitors from nearby colonies fighting for food at an experimental feeder. The bees that were attacked then produced a specific signal to stop nest mates who were recruiting others for this dangerous location. Honey bees use a waggle dance to communicate the location of food and other resources. Attacked bees directed "stop" signals at nest mates waggle dancing for the dangerous location.

The stop sign is a brief vibrating signal made by the bee that lasts for about a tenth of a second with the bee vibrating at about 380 times a second. "It is frequently delivered by a sender butting her head into a recipient, although the sender may also climb on top of the receiver," Nieh said.

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An interesting discovery. If biologists could develop a little keychain sized tool people could use stop bees, it could potentially save lives.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211121800.htm

Hippos and whales are cousins.

Scientists for many years have debated the origin of whales and their relationship to land animals. The answer might come as a surprise to many, it is the hippo. Hippopotami, through visual and fossil studies are classified as being ancestors of pigs or horses. That assumption is based largely on the structure of their molars. The discovery of the relationship of whales and hippos was discovered over 30 years ago. But there was a missing link. It seems DNA and molecular facts are not enough for some to tie the hippo to modern cetaceans (dolphins,whales, porpoises). But a recent fossil discovery has finally supported what has been known for many years. Hippos are more closely related to whales then any other land animal. The discovery, a 47 million year old fossil was made by University of Michigan paleontology Professor Philip Gingerich. This discovery will hopefully allow DNA to assist paleontology without the actual physical proof of fossil records. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-09/uom-nfs091401.php

Can sea level rise and fall in lightening speed?

Geologists believe that about 80,000 years ago something very strange happened. Earth's last ice age was starting and sea levels were dropping for thousands of years as more and more water was getting trapped in expanding glaciers and then suddenly rose, according to their study. The researchers have not yet found the cause of this strange theory, but they do believe that the findings will make others rethinking about the mechanisms that are governing Earth's climate.

For the last thousands of years Earth's climate have followed a pretty stable climate pattern, but about every 100,000 years kilometer-thick ice sheets form on top of the northernmost parts of North America, Asia and Europe, and extend into mid-latitudes. These ice sheets tie up seawater that can make the oceans drop over 100 meters. After the drop about 90,000 years later the glaciers will retreat and the land will reappears, until the next ice age. The last ice age happened about 11,000 years ago. The researches are going back a century ago are attempting to find the cause of the ice-age cycle. They have found several reasons including periodic changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun and the shake in the planet's axis rotation, these both seem to be factors in the cycle, but the researchers are not positive in the definite answer.

The researchers have studies coastal caves on the Spanish Island Mallorca in the Mediterranean sea, they studied the stalactites that were encrusted with calcite. The researchers evaluated the measures of the encrustations, which they marked the high and low water levels. they then dated the deposits using a radioactive decay of traces of uranium into thorium isotopes. These calculations found that the sea level 80,000 years ago had rebounded to the point where the level rose 1 meter higher than it is present day, and that it could/can rise quiet quickly as much as 2 meters per century. These stalactites in the caves were discovered in 1970, but the geologists did not have the technology to date the accurately, but with today's technology they were able to use the uranium-thorium ratio for an accurate measurement.

These recent findings show persuasive evidence of a surge in sea level about 80,000 years ago. Other geologists also suggest rising sea levels 80,000 years ago but not as much of a change. The geologists still have more studies to come, this is just the beginning of their research about the sea-level variations, during the ice-ages. Check it out! The picture is of the stalactites found in the cave, that geologists measured and studied.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2010/211/3

3-D structure of bullet-shaped virus with potential to fight cancer, HIV

Vesicular stomatitis virus, or VSV, has long been a model system used for studying and understanding the life cycle of negative-strand RNA viruses. This negative-stand of RNA viruses causes influenza, measles and rabies. But new research is showing that VSV has the potential to be genetically modified. This can serve as an anti-cancer agent, exercising high selectivity in killing cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, and as a potent vaccine against HIV.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/09/researchers_reveal_3d_structure_of_bulletshaped_virus_with_potential_to_fight_cancer_hiv.html

Chocoholic mice fear no pain

Have a craving for chocolate? BMC Neuorscience has shown that chocolate-craving mice will tolerate electric shock to get their fix. Rossella Ventura worked with a team of researchers to study the links between stress and compulsive food-seeking. She said, "We used a new model of compulsive behavior to test whether a previous stressful experience of hunger might override a conditioned response to avoid a certain kind of food-– in this case, chocolate".

Ventura first trained well-fed mice and starved mice to seek chocolate in one chamber rather than going into an empty chamber. Then, added a mild electric shock to the chamber containing the chocolate. Unsurprisingly, the well-fed animals avoided the sweet treat. However, mice that had previously been starved, resisted this conditioning – continuing to seek out chocolate despite the painful consequences. This is an index of compulsive behavior and the researchers claim that this matches compulsive food seeking in the face of negative consequences in humans.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/09/chocoholic_mice_fear_no_pain.html

Seabirds' Movement Patterns Tied to what Fisherman Toss Away

Studies have shown that fishery activities out at sea strongly impact the ecology of seabirds. The large-scale spreading from fisheries and the presence of fisherman's boats discarding fish are directly influencing the patterns and seabirds through the seascape. A team of experts run by Frederic Bartumeus have been tracing the patterns of two Mediterranean seabirds in response to the activities of local fisheries and the fish that people toss away. Bartumeus explains that human activities in the natural environment can ultimately cause change in the patterns of foraging animals by simply altering the predictability and availability of their food resources. In fact, this study may be an important insight for the study of invasive species and a statistical framework for the movement patterns across many ecological scales, which can be applied to other species and certain circumstances.

The researchers found that when the fisheries don't operate, seabirds intertwine local traveling with very far and long distance traveling. Although these movement patterns are generally normal, considering it allows for effective explorations of food, the contrast of the seabirds ecological patterns when the fisheries are operating are extremely different. When the fisherman are discarding the fish, the seabirds tend to navigate local searches around the boats known as an "attracting force". The confined movement of these seabirds will eventually decelerate the spreading of these scavenging seabirds overtime. The overall connection between human local resource utilization and global movement patterns of organisms are extremely prominent.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/01/28/seabirds_movement_patterns_tied_to_what_fishermen_toss_away.html

Predetermined Biological Clock

Scientists in London have discovered a new gene placed in us all will tell how long your body has been aging. This discovering will help to protect certain people from heart diseases as well as other age related diseases.

They also discovered a new gene, TERC, which will allow a person to live for an extra three or four years of biological aging. This all means that their discovery suggests that some people are genetically supposed to age at a faster rate. Although, there are still other aspects that help to age people faster such as smoking, pollution, lack of excerse.

I feel that better understanding of how our genes work can only imporove our medicines as well as technologies. Now we are able to perfect medicines for certain types of people that way every person gets the proper treatment for them rather than the treatment that everyone else is given.

Could We Possibly Fear the "Third-Hand Smoke?"

We all know how the smoking of cigarettes can be dangerous to our health. We even know that there is a fear of "second-hand smoke" and that it can affect our health, especially if we are exposed to it for a long period of time. So what about "third-hand smoke"?

New research indicates that the film left by burning tobacco, when exposed to a chemical often found in the air, forms a brew of potent carcinogens that can coat clothing, dust particles and even human skin. Scientists say when the residue left by tobacco smoke mixes with a chemical often found in the air it can get more dangerous over time, especially for children who breathe in more dust for their body weight than adults.

I think that this makes lots of sense and should make us all cautious, even though it might take a long time to affect someone's health.

Link: http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/scientists-identify-new-dager-from-tobacco-smoke/19349390

Bad news for mosquitoes: Yale study may lead to better traps, repellents

Yale University researchers have found more than two dozen scent receptors in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that detect human sweat. This is a finding that may help scientists to develop new ways to combat a disease that kills 1 million people annually.

These olfactory receptors in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae offer scientists potential new targets for repelling, confusing or attracting into traps the mosquitoes that spread a disease. "Mosquitoes find us through their sense of smell, but we know very little about how they do this," Carlson said. Carlson says that more knowledge about mosquito behavior and odor reception will help develop more effective traps and repellents.

I think this is really interesting because I hate mosquitos and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way I do. They are extremely annoying espescially in the summer during a party and all those traps you spend your money on to make them go away, never work. If one person just came out with an amazing trap that would keep all those bugs away, I think everyone would enjoy their lives a little better.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/03/bad_news_for_mosquitoes_yale_study_may_lead_to_better_traps_repellents.html

Beer is a Rich Source of Silicon and May Help Prevent Osteoporosis

A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon. Silicon is present in beer in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA), which yields 50% bioavailability, making beer a major contributor to silicon intake in the Western diet. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dietary silicon (Si), as soluble OSA, may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue, and beer appears to be a major contributor to silicon intake. Some studies suggest moderate beer consumption may help fight osteoporosis, a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208091922.htm

hiv researchers solve key puzzle after 20 years of trying

HIV is such a deadly virus that doesn't have a cure to stop it. Scientists have been working for years and years to try and find an antidote, but have not been successful. After 20 years now the researchers, from Imperial College London and Harvard University have discover a crystal that may potentially block the process of pasting its genetic information into the persons DNA. These scientists are extremely confident that this crystal will counter act the virus. They are currently still trying to create more amounts of this crystal to be able to test it out. Also they are still testing all different other crystals to see if any other ones will have the same effect.

HIVcure

Cancer in Tasmanian devils

Scientists finally discovered the true identity of contagious cancer that has been rapidly killing the Tasmanian devils. Reported in Science from a group of researchers, the cancer has been discovered to start in the nerve fibers and it affects the face of the devil. Hence came the name, devil facial tumor disease. At first, scientists thought that it was a virus spreading the disease, but now it is known that the cancer itself is actually spreading between Tasmanian devils.

This breakthrough in science allows for scientists to develop a vaccine that would target proteins. It is crucial to develop this vaccine because the devils might reach extinction with this plague. Since the genome of the devils have not been fully recognized, this may serve as a problem to scientists who want to save them. They are currently working very hard to help the Tasmanian devils and develop this vaccine.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/52286/title/Cancer_plaguing_Tasmanian_devils_began_in_one_animals_nerve_cells

Rotting fish

Could scientists be wrong about where some animals fall into the tree of life?  Some researchers in England think it is possible. They theorize that some primitive animals have been miss classified because of the way their fossils have been found. They believe that important information in missing because these animals are believed to only have soft tissue. They argue that that tissue could have decomposed long before a fossil could preserve the information.   To prove their theory they decided to study the decomposition on some fish with similar characteristics. 

No one was there 500 million years ago to say this is what happened, and without actual fossil records it will be difficult to prove. I think this is an interesting way of gathering information that might help to decode the fossils that did survive. 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=early-vertebrate-evolution

New genes for lung disease discovered

Scientists have discovered five genetic variants that are associated with the health of the human lung. The new findings provide hope for better treatment for lung diseases like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma.

The scientists said: "This work is important because until now we have known very little about the genetic factors that determine an individual's lung function. By identifying the genes important in determining lung function, we can start to unravel the underlying mechanisms which control both lung development and lung damage. This will lead to a better understanding of diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Crucially, it could open up new opportunities to manage and treat patients with lung conditions".

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2009/12/14/new_genes_for_lung_disease_discovered.html

Chicken...or Soy?

Soy has become pretty popular over the years. There is basically soy everything anymore. Now there is soy chicken. It looks, tastes and feels just like regular chicken but its not. It low cost and has benefits like lowering cholesterol, preventing certain cancers (like prostate and breast), and strengthening bones. To create soy chicken the scientists start with soy proteins that are extracted from soy flour. Then it goes into the extrusion cooking process. The taste appeal and appearance is that of a regular chicken breast. The FDA says individuals should have 25 grams of soy in their diet, this would be a great way to get the soy and have the benefits of a meat product.

Refining Cancer with Plant Derivatives.

Celastrol (celastracaea) is an element that comes from trees and shrubs, the Medical College of Georgia is studying this anti-inflammatory plant in terms of cancer treatments and inactivating a required protein for cancer growth. It has been used for centuries in China to treat chills, fevers, joint pain, inflammation, and more. Dr. Ahmed Chadli is a biochemist in the MCG Center for Molecular Chaperones/Radiobiology and Cancer Virology, he says "Cancer cells need HSP90 more than normal cells because cancer cells have thousands of mutations. They need chaperones all the time to keep their mutated proteins active. By taking heat shock proteins away from cells, the stabilization is taken away and cell death occurs." Scientists are seeing the potential in regulating HSP90. They are hoping in a therapy type setting it can reduce the probability of cancer resistance.

'Overweight' adults age 70 or older are less likely to die over a 10-year period

In an experiment published by the Journal of The American Geriatrics Society, scientists discovered that overweight elderly people had an increased survival rate. The geriatrics were determined to be "overweight" by the BMI (Body Mass Index) system (a ratio between body weight and height).

"The study began in 1996 and recruited 4,677 men and 4,563 women. The participants were followed for ten years or until their death, whichever was sooner, and factors such as lifestyle, demographics, and health were measured. The research uncovered that mortality risk was lowest for participants with a BMI classified as overweight, with the risk of death reduced by 13% compared with normal weight participants. The benefits were only seen in the overweight category not in those people who are obese."

This could mean that having some extra weight on your frame is actually beneficial, as opposed to the end of human existence. Or it could mean that the BMI is a horrible way to measure if a person is overweight or not.

LINK