The laughs hyena's convey social status and a hyena's age. The pitch goes down as it gets older and gives the identity of each individual animal. Hyena's also giggle when they are in trouble or when they are tussling for a carcass between other hyena's.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/31/giggles_clues_to_hyenas_social_status.html
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Are You Cannabis Deficient?
Scientists have known that the active psychoactive compound in marijuana is THC, which is short for tetrahydrocannabinol. In August 1990, researchers reported in the journal Nature the discovery of receptors in the brain that specifically accommodate the cannabinoids in pot. Cannabinoids bind to particular neurological sites in the brain, as though the brain was specifically designed to utilize this plant. Is cannabis a divine elixir of sacred communion for which we are ideally suited? Actually, when there are receptors in the brain for a particular type of compound, that compound is made in the brain. This is true of many important agents that work to transmit brain messages of all types.
In 1992 researchers in Israel isolated the compounded that the brain makes called cannabinoid anandamide. This agent, anandamide, is the compound that attaches to the built-in cannabinoid receptors in our brains. The name anandamide is based on the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss. Anandamide is a bliss molcule, enhancing greater well being and emotional satisfaction.
Ever since the pioneering work of Dr. William O’Shaughnessy on cannabis and pain compiled in the 1840’s a growing body of science has shown that cannabis offers relief for various types of pain. In the brain, the endogenous agent anandamide also plays a role in mitigating inflammation and pain. More recent studies show pain relief among sufferers of multiple sclerosis when cannabis is consumed. Anandamide also plays a role in proper appetite, feelings of pleasure and well-being, and memory. Interestingly, cannabis also affects these same functions. Cannabis has been used successfully to treat migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and glaucoma. At least one author, medical doctor Ethan Russo, believes in the possibility of endocanabinoid deficiency, and suggests that such a deficiency might actually be a significant cause of the types of health problems listed above. The idea of clinical cannabinoid deficiency opens the door to cannabis consumption as an effective medical approach to relief of various types of pain, restoration of appetite in cases in which appetite is compromised, improved visual health in cases of glaucoma, and improved sense of well being among patients suffering from a broad variety of mood disorders. As state and local laws mutate and change in favor of greater tolerance, perhaps cannabis will find it’s proper place in the home medicine chest. This is what we should be discussing when is comes to health care reform!
Learn more here!
In 1992 researchers in Israel isolated the compounded that the brain makes called cannabinoid anandamide. This agent, anandamide, is the compound that attaches to the built-in cannabinoid receptors in our brains. The name anandamide is based on the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss. Anandamide is a bliss molcule, enhancing greater well being and emotional satisfaction.
Ever since the pioneering work of Dr. William O’Shaughnessy on cannabis and pain compiled in the 1840’s a growing body of science has shown that cannabis offers relief for various types of pain. In the brain, the endogenous agent anandamide also plays a role in mitigating inflammation and pain. More recent studies show pain relief among sufferers of multiple sclerosis when cannabis is consumed. Anandamide also plays a role in proper appetite, feelings of pleasure and well-being, and memory. Interestingly, cannabis also affects these same functions. Cannabis has been used successfully to treat migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and glaucoma. At least one author, medical doctor Ethan Russo, believes in the possibility of endocanabinoid deficiency, and suggests that such a deficiency might actually be a significant cause of the types of health problems listed above. The idea of clinical cannabinoid deficiency opens the door to cannabis consumption as an effective medical approach to relief of various types of pain, restoration of appetite in cases in which appetite is compromised, improved visual health in cases of glaucoma, and improved sense of well being among patients suffering from a broad variety of mood disorders. As state and local laws mutate and change in favor of greater tolerance, perhaps cannabis will find it’s proper place in the home medicine chest. This is what we should be discussing when is comes to health care reform!
Learn more here!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Warmer summers could create challenges for nesting Arctic seabirds
Warmer, wetter weather in the Canadian Arctic could create problems for nesting seabirds, say a team of Canadian scientists who, between them, have spent over 7,000 days observing birds in the North.
Arctic birds are uniquely adapted to survive in the cold, dry summers that mark the high Arctic. However, warmer temperatures are bringing more storm events, including incidents of heavy fog, rain, freezing rain, wet snow and stronger winds.
Mortality studies in seabirds typically focus on birds in tropical or temperate regions where 'normal' causes of death include population declines due to fishery collapse, ecto-parasites like ticks, introduced predators such as rats, and storms at sea.
Mallory and two other Canadian scientists decided to combine 33 years of observation into a paper that was released in Arctic, the journal of the Arctic Institute of North America. In it, the trio track the unusual ways Arctic seabirds die and they predict that a warming climate could have serious consequences for these birds. The study is based on observations of six species of birds on 11 different seabird colonies in the eastern Arctic ranging from northern Hudson Bay to Devon Island.
Typical causes of death include crashing into each other or cliffs during heavy fog, being slammed into the ocean by Katabatic winds or, perhaps most grizzly of all, dying from a combination of heat stress and blood loss due to mosquito attacks.
Few birds winter in the Arctic because of the harsh climate conditions. But in the spring, there is a veritable explosion as millions of birds return to nest. Seabirds in Mallory's study area tend to spend the winter months floating in the North Atlantic ocean. When they return in the spring, conditions are often still very harsh. Mallory has seen fulmars and thick-billed murres incubate eggs with only their heads visible above the snow.
The preferred nesting sites of many seabirds are cliffs, which often prove to be very dangerous. Falling rocks and chunks of ice, as well as slides kill great numbers of birds. In fact, the authors cite one incident in which over 800 murres and kittiwakes died almost instantly when the ledges on which they were nesting collapsed. Mallory suspects cliffs could become unstable as temperatures rise, with more freeze-thaw action of ice.
And not all cliffs provide a safe haven from predators. Cliff-dwelling birds are, of course, easily accessible by other predatory birds. But Arctic foxes and even polar bears have been observed on cliff sides eating eggs, chicks or adult nesting birds.
The Arctic has been getting warmer and increased temperatures create stronger storm fronts and bring more precipitation to what is essentially a desert region. For birds adapted to a cold, dry climate, these changes could be very challenging.
Arctic seabirds don't do well in really heavy, wet snowfall. Chicks hatch in early August and they expect it to be dry and cool. They can't handle soaking wet for very long, even if it is warmer.
These birds have adapted to past climate shifts, but the changes occurred over long periods of time. It might be difficult for them to adjust to the rapid changes now underway.
Arctic birds are uniquely adapted to survive in the cold, dry summers that mark the high Arctic. However, warmer temperatures are bringing more storm events, including incidents of heavy fog, rain, freezing rain, wet snow and stronger winds.
Mortality studies in seabirds typically focus on birds in tropical or temperate regions where 'normal' causes of death include population declines due to fishery collapse, ecto-parasites like ticks, introduced predators such as rats, and storms at sea.
Mallory and two other Canadian scientists decided to combine 33 years of observation into a paper that was released in Arctic, the journal of the Arctic Institute of North America. In it, the trio track the unusual ways Arctic seabirds die and they predict that a warming climate could have serious consequences for these birds. The study is based on observations of six species of birds on 11 different seabird colonies in the eastern Arctic ranging from northern Hudson Bay to Devon Island.
Typical causes of death include crashing into each other or cliffs during heavy fog, being slammed into the ocean by Katabatic winds or, perhaps most grizzly of all, dying from a combination of heat stress and blood loss due to mosquito attacks.
Few birds winter in the Arctic because of the harsh climate conditions. But in the spring, there is a veritable explosion as millions of birds return to nest. Seabirds in Mallory's study area tend to spend the winter months floating in the North Atlantic ocean. When they return in the spring, conditions are often still very harsh. Mallory has seen fulmars and thick-billed murres incubate eggs with only their heads visible above the snow.
The preferred nesting sites of many seabirds are cliffs, which often prove to be very dangerous. Falling rocks and chunks of ice, as well as slides kill great numbers of birds. In fact, the authors cite one incident in which over 800 murres and kittiwakes died almost instantly when the ledges on which they were nesting collapsed. Mallory suspects cliffs could become unstable as temperatures rise, with more freeze-thaw action of ice.
And not all cliffs provide a safe haven from predators. Cliff-dwelling birds are, of course, easily accessible by other predatory birds. But Arctic foxes and even polar bears have been observed on cliff sides eating eggs, chicks or adult nesting birds.
The Arctic has been getting warmer and increased temperatures create stronger storm fronts and bring more precipitation to what is essentially a desert region. For birds adapted to a cold, dry climate, these changes could be very challenging.
Arctic seabirds don't do well in really heavy, wet snowfall. Chicks hatch in early August and they expect it to be dry and cool. They can't handle soaking wet for very long, even if it is warmer.
These birds have adapted to past climate shifts, but the changes occurred over long periods of time. It might be difficult for them to adjust to the rapid changes now underway.
Exotic plant takes over dunes of Southern Spain
Introduced more than 40 years ago, Galenia pubescens, is an exotic plant from South Africa. This plant is found in great numbers in altered coastal environments in the southern part of Spain. Since its impacts on the ecosystem are unknown, a Spanish research team has studied its invasive capacity. The conclusions of this study show that, although populations of this plant are still at incipient levels, effective control is needed to prevent this "potentially" invasive plant from having more serious impacts.
In order to be able to predict the invasive success of this plant and identify coastal areas at greatest risk, the scientists evaluated its capacity to invade the coasts of Andalusia, in southern Spain. The results were clear: "Galenia pubescens is a potentially invasive plant and should be included in the national catalogues of invasive plants", Juan García-de-Lomas, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Biology Department at the University of Cadiz, tells SINC.
The research team, which has published its conclusions in Acta Oecologica, also points out that dunes are more vulnerable than marsh areas, since the plant produces more seeds in grows better on dunes.
"The impacts of this plant show a clear decline in the wealth and diversity of other plants in the invaded sites compared with control sites (not invaded), as well as a change in functional types (increase in wasteland plants, which develop and live in areas of human habitation or along communication lines) and a loss of perennial plant types", says García-de-Lomas. The scientist says these impacts will mean "a longer recovery period for ecosystems once this plant has been eliminated".
The researchers also found that the dense carpets of Galenia generate "very significant shade covering". This limits the ability of native seeds and young plants to germinate and develop, and causes changes in the features of the soil, for example acting as a brake on the movement of sand, and increasing moisture.
This exotic plant was accidentally introduced into various places around the world (Australia, Israel and Chile), but populations of Galenia pubescens in Europe are concentrated in the south of Spain.
Plant invasions pose major threats to biodiversity. Many places around the world have been isolated for thousands or millions of years by biogeographical frontiers, resulting in the generation of great biodiversity as a result of isolation, speciation processes, natural selection and co-evolution.
However, transport and trade "upset the relationships between species in an accidental or intentional way, giving rise to the introduction of species beyond their natural areas of distribution (thereby making them into exotic species)", the researcher says. Some of these species reproduce in an uncontrolled way in these new areas, causing serious damage to the environment.
In order to be able to predict the invasive success of this plant and identify coastal areas at greatest risk, the scientists evaluated its capacity to invade the coasts of Andalusia, in southern Spain. The results were clear: "Galenia pubescens is a potentially invasive plant and should be included in the national catalogues of invasive plants", Juan García-de-Lomas, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Biology Department at the University of Cadiz, tells SINC.
The research team, which has published its conclusions in Acta Oecologica, also points out that dunes are more vulnerable than marsh areas, since the plant produces more seeds in grows better on dunes.
"The impacts of this plant show a clear decline in the wealth and diversity of other plants in the invaded sites compared with control sites (not invaded), as well as a change in functional types (increase in wasteland plants, which develop and live in areas of human habitation or along communication lines) and a loss of perennial plant types", says García-de-Lomas. The scientist says these impacts will mean "a longer recovery period for ecosystems once this plant has been eliminated".
The researchers also found that the dense carpets of Galenia generate "very significant shade covering". This limits the ability of native seeds and young plants to germinate and develop, and causes changes in the features of the soil, for example acting as a brake on the movement of sand, and increasing moisture.
This exotic plant was accidentally introduced into various places around the world (Australia, Israel and Chile), but populations of Galenia pubescens in Europe are concentrated in the south of Spain.
Plant invasions pose major threats to biodiversity. Many places around the world have been isolated for thousands or millions of years by biogeographical frontiers, resulting in the generation of great biodiversity as a result of isolation, speciation processes, natural selection and co-evolution.
However, transport and trade "upset the relationships between species in an accidental or intentional way, giving rise to the introduction of species beyond their natural areas of distribution (thereby making them into exotic species)", the researcher says. Some of these species reproduce in an uncontrolled way in these new areas, causing serious damage to the environment.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Aye-Aye
This bizarre-looking animal is considered at risk due to a fear of some residents of the African island nation of Madagascar. The local villagers believe that this tiny mammal can creep into their houses and use its long middle finger to lance the hearts of sleeping victims. Although, the animal, the largest nocturnal primate in the world, is now officially protected by law, it does not protect the aye-aye from the residents of Madagascar.
This might be only a myth, but If I was a resident of this island, I would certainly be afraid of such a creepy death!
Friday, March 26, 2010
cells that mend a broken heart!
"Humans have very limited ability to regenerate heart muscle cells, which is a key reason why heart attacks that kill cells and scar heart tissue are so dangerous." -Science Daily. They took a zebrafish to see what they could possibly do about its broken heart."Our hearts don't seem so complex that they shouldn't have the capacity to regenerate," said Kenneth Poss, Ph.D., senior author of the study in Nature and professor of cell biology at Duke. The people at the hospital have said that the cells in the heart are found in the cells that activate the gata 4 gene and this regenerates the inujured heart.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100324142010.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100324142010.htm
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Surgeons Transplant New Trachea Into Child
This is the worlds first trachea transplant. A 10 year old british boy was born with a rare condition called Long Segment Tracheal Stenosis. Which means it is a tiny windpipe that doesn't mature and restricts breathing. Scientists and surgeons at UCL, GOSH, the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, and the Careggi University Hospital, developed a new technique to treat the life-threatening condition.
They stripped cells from a donated trachea, used it to replace the entire length of the damaged airway, and then used the child's own bone marrow stem cells to seal the airway in the body.the operation to repair the damaged aorta and implant the new trachea.
The application of this technology -- which has never been used on a child before -- should reduce greatly the risk of rejection of the new trachea, as the child's stem cells will not generate any immune response.
They stripped cells from a donated trachea, used it to replace the entire length of the damaged airway, and then used the child's own bone marrow stem cells to seal the airway in the body.the operation to repair the damaged aorta and implant the new trachea.
The application of this technology -- which has never been used on a child before -- should reduce greatly the risk of rejection of the new trachea, as the child's stem cells will not generate any immune response.
I find this a great miracle, not only in science but in this young boys" life. When do we ever hear of someone with an organ that isn't properly grown. Its great that they succesfully made up a new trachea for this boy to survive.
New Improved Way to Check for Skin Cancer
Johns Hopkins researchers have invented a infraed system that determines melanoma, a lethal form of cancer. The system works by looking for the tiny temperature difference between healthy tissue and a growing tumor. To advoid deaths, doctors need to identify a mole that may be melanoma at an early, treatable stage. To do this, doctors now look for subjective clues such as the size, shape and coloring of a mole. The system is actually very simple," Herman said. "An infrared image is similar to the images seen through night-vision goggles. In this medical application, the technology itself is noninvasive; the only inconvenience to the patient is the cooling."
I believe this could be a wonderful instrument that can save a lot of lives. With the growing number of melanoma cuses this year, rising up to 68,720. This tool is need much needed in this country.
CO2 is the new gasoline!
Scientists from different universities are working together to absorb CO2 from the air and convert it into chemicals that can be used to create fuel. The whole process is to said to be powered by solar energy. This, in time, would reduce the effects of climate change.
There are already processes in effect that try to do the same thing however they require many separate machines to do this kind of work. The scientists are hoping to create one large effective way to harvesting this CO2. This project also helps to produce electricity.
I think this is a great idea because we need to start reducing the amount of Co2 we put into the air and this allows us to use it in a possitive way. Also, this project seems to be even more of a benefit for all because it uses solar energy. Clearly, we can see that these universities are trying their very best to make the atmosphere as plentiful as possible. If only all universities thought this way.
Stomach’s Sweet Tooth
Yes, our mouths are the first to "taste" foods as they enter our bodies. But what happens afterwards? How does our body know what to do with the foods we eat? The body has many sensory cells that "taste" food as it passes through the gut. The mouth tastes something sweet and the body says "alright here comes some fuel". But those same senses can be triggered by artificial sweeteners. This can be a possible link between diet soda cumsumption and Type II diabetes. When your body senses the sweetener it ramps up the bodys production of insulin. So for that reason, it might be better for your health to drink sugar colas. Drinking them in moderation of course.
The body has many taste genes and proteins throughout itself. It is facinating to find based on the species where these triggers can be found. Certain insects have taste sensors on their limbs and some mice have them in there testes. Don't ask me why that is important or useful. Maybe mice will stop breeding if their mates doesn't taste good. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/57132/title/Stomach’s_Sweet_Tooth
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Studies Reveal Substantial Increases in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers
Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common disease in the United States. The disease affects more individuals than all other cancers combined. It has a death rate that is lower than other cancers but still significant. Non-melanoma skin cancer is not typically reported to cancer registries. Based on the model developed by Robert S. Stern, M.D., of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School to estimate the prevalence of non-melanoma skin cancer, Dr. Stern estimates that approximately 13 million white, non-Hispanic Americans had had at least one non-melanoma skin cancer by 2007. The total number of procedures to treat skin cancer in the Medicare population increased 76.9 percent from an estimated approximately 1.6 million procedures in 1992 to approximately 2 million procedures in 2006. The authors say "To date, educational programs emphasizing sun protection have mainly been disappointing in slowing skin cancer rates. In the face of ongoing increases in skin cancer incidence, continued national research and programs on treatment, education and prevention are critical."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315161726.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315161726.htm
No Shark Protection for the U.N.
Three out of four delegates in the U.N. rejected the proposal to protect sharks. China and Japan, the world's leading shark eater, opposed the proposal that other international countries should regulate the amount of fish. The main proposal was that certain countries would have to strictly regulate trade in several species of scalloped hammerhead, oceanic whitetip and spiny dogfish sharks.
These species are currently becoming endangered because it is considered tasty in China and Japan. "China, by far the world’s largest consumer of the cartilaginous fish, for sharkfin soup, and Japan, which has battled to keep the convention from being extended to any marine species, led the opposition." This is a sad day for those who fight for marine conservation. However, the committee did win the continuous ban on the trade of ivory.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/science/earth/24shark.html?ref=science
Shark Fishing is Ok in N.J.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, shark fishing will not be banned in New Jersey. The law says that if you go shark fishing it must be within three nautical miles of the New Jersey coast and it is prohibited from May 15th to July 15th in order to protect spawning female sharks. Fishers must also comply with certain rules in order to catch the shark humanely. These rules include not removing the tail or head before landing the shark. Filleting sharks at sea is also prohibbited.
http://www.blogs.app.com/enviroguy/2010/03/23/shark-fishing-can-go-on-in-new-jersey
http://www.blogs.app.com/enviroguy/2010/03/23/shark-fishing-can-go-on-in-new-jersey
genetically engineered mosqutioes to cure malaria
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/19/japan.malaria.mosquitoe.vaccine/index.html?iref=allsearch
Scientists are working on a new development which may help stop the disease malaria commonly associated with mosquito bites. Oddly enough this cure would be made by a vaccine within a mosquito itself. Scientists have engineered a super mosquito that may hold that vaccine for malaria.
"Researchers altered the salivary glands of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito, dubbed a "flying vaccinator," so that it carried the Leishmania vaccine within its saliva. " When lab mice were bitten by the new super mosquitoes, antibodies in the mice were raised indicating successful immunization. This could be an amazing breakthrough, because putting a stop to this disease would put an end to the 250 million people annually infected with malaria, in which roughly one million people die, per year.
Scientists are working on a new development which may help stop the disease malaria commonly associated with mosquito bites. Oddly enough this cure would be made by a vaccine within a mosquito itself. Scientists have engineered a super mosquito that may hold that vaccine for malaria.
"Researchers altered the salivary glands of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito, dubbed a "flying vaccinator," so that it carried the Leishmania vaccine within its saliva. " When lab mice were bitten by the new super mosquitoes, antibodies in the mice were raised indicating successful immunization. This could be an amazing breakthrough, because putting a stop to this disease would put an end to the 250 million people annually infected with malaria, in which roughly one million people die, per year.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
HIV Transfer Breastfeeding
One of the highest transmission for HIV in children is mother's transmitting it through breast feeding. The transmission of HIV from mothers to children from breast feeding is one of the highest proportion of HIV infections in children. The transfer requires the virus across mucosal barriers. The DC-SIGN, a DC lectin receptor, interacts with the HIV and is found at high expression level in tonsillar tissues.
The Journal of Clinical Investigation, William Paxton and colleagues from the University of Amsterdam distinguish how human milk affects the HIV interactions with DC-SIGN that occurs during breastfeeding. It is shown that human milk can block the binding of HIV to the DC-SIGN molecule that is expressed on the dendritic cells and potently inhibit the transfer of HIV-1 to CD-4 + T-lymphocytes. The component is present in human milk binds to DC-SIGN. The inhibitory effect can be alleviated with an antibody that recognizes the Lewis X sugar is the inhibitor in this case.
Other major milk proteins do not bind the DC-SIGN nor inhibit the viral transfer. Their study and experimenting proves that the protein involved Lewis X is necessary and sufficent to interact with the DC-SIGN and prevent the interaction of DC-SIGn and HIV. The identification of human milk that can block HIV-1 transmission and the ability of the factor to inhibit the virus from binding DCs, and the potential immunomodulatory implications of such a compound has major implications for the development of agents that can block HIV transmission.
New Species of Raptor Dicovered
When I was a child, there were only two things I wanted to be when I grew up; an astronaut, or a Velociraptor. Turns out I can't handle enclosed spaces and bio-tech gene mutation isn't quite where I'd hoped it would be. Oh well.
This article is about a new species of Raptor (arguably the most hard core of the Cretcious era carnivores) discovered by a team of two PhD students in inner Mongolia. This new species, found in the Gobi Desert, is very similar to the Velociraptor of 'Jurasic Park' fame, though slightly smaller and lighter. Read the full article at http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/20/students_discover_new_species_of_raptor_dinosaur.html
But be warned... something has survived. Wow, did I really just quote a movie tag line from 96'? God, I'm old...
This article is about a new species of Raptor (arguably the most hard core of the Cretcious era carnivores) discovered by a team of two PhD students in inner Mongolia. This new species, found in the Gobi Desert, is very similar to the Velociraptor of 'Jurasic Park' fame, though slightly smaller and lighter. Read the full article at http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/20/students_discover_new_species_of_raptor_dinosaur.html
But be warned... something has survived. Wow, did I really just quote a movie tag line from 96'? God, I'm old...
Acne Drug Prevents HIV Breakout
Here is the Link to the full article.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have found that an antibiotic that has been used since the 70s for acne treatment also targets HIV. This drug, minocycline, is a safe and inexpensive antibiotic that targets infected immune cells in which HIV lies dormant and prevents them from reactivating and replicating. It is believed that minocycline can improve the current treatment of HIV when combined with other drugs such as HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy). According to Janice Clements of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, "The powerful advantage to using minocycline is that the virus appears less able to develop drug resistance because minocycline targets cellular pathways not viral proteins." The drug was first tested in monkeys infected with SIV, the primate version HIV, and then tested in test tubes against HIV. Minocycline reduces the ability of T cells to activate and proliferate, which are two crucial steps to HIV production and progression toward full blown AIDS.
I think this sounds very promising! It's not a cure, but it is certainly one step closer. The more we find out, the closer we get. HIV is such a scary problem and it seems as though help can not come soon enough.
Giant 'Microscope' Will Use Neutrons to Study Glass Transition Mystery in Solid-State Research
The National Science Foundation has awarded $1.65 million to a project led by Washington University in St. Louis physicist Ken Kelton to build an electrostatic levitation chamber that will be installed at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oakridge National Laboratory.
Using neutrons as a probe, the instrument will allow scientists to watch atoms in a suspended drop of liquid as the drop cools and solidifies.
Kelton, PhD, the Arthur Holly Compton Professor in Arts & Sciences and chair of physics at Washington University, has many plans for the new instrument, but is particularly eager to see what it can tell him about a phase transition called the glass transition.
Helium Rain on Jupiter Explains Lack of Neon in Atmosphere
On Earth, helium is a gas used to float balloons, as in the movie "Up." In the interior of Jupiter, however, conditions are so strange that, according to predictions by University of California, Berkeley, scientists, helium condenses into droplets and falls like rain. Helium rain was earlier proposed to explain the excessive brightness of Saturn, a gas giant like Jupiter, but one-third the mass.
On Jupiter, however, UC Berkeley scientists claim that helium rain is the best way to explain the scarcity of neon in the outer layers of the planet, the solar system's largest. Neon dissolves in the helium raindrops and falls towards the deeper interior where it re-dissolves, depleting the upper layers of both elements, consistent with observations.
"Helium condenses initially as a mist in the upper layer, like a cloud, and as the droplets get larger, they fall toward the deeper interior," said UC Berkeley post-doctoral fellow Hugh Wilson, co-author of a report appearing this week in the journal Physical Review Letters. "Neon dissolves in the helium and falls with it. So our study links the observed missing neon in the atmosphere to another proposed process, helium rain."
Militzer and Wilson are among the modelers, using "density functional theory" to predict the properties of Jupiter's interior, specifically what happens to the dominant constituents -- hydrogen and helium -- as temperatures and pressures increase toward the center of the planet. These conditions are yet too extreme to be reproduced in the laboratory. In 2008, Militzer's computer simulations led to the conclusion that Jupiter's rocky core is surrounded by a thick layer of methane, water and ammonia ices that make it twice as large as earlier predictions.
Their simulations showed that the only way neon could be removed from the upper atmosphere is to have it fall out with helium, since neon and helium mix easily, like alcohol and water. Militzer and Wilson's calculations suggest that at about 10,000 to 13,000 kilometers into the planet, where the temperature about 5,000 degrees Celsius and the pressure is 1 to 2 million times the atmospheric pressure on Earth, hydrogen turns into a conductive metal. Helium, not yet a metal, does not mix with metallic hydrogen, so it forms drops, like drops of oil in water.
This provided an explanation for the removal of neon from the upper atmosphere.
"As the helium and neon fall deeper into the planet, the remaining hydrogen-rich envelope is slowly depleted of both neon and helium," Militzer said. "The measured concentrations of both elements agree quantitatively with our calculations."
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Cost of Being on Your Toes
http://www.unews.utah.edu/p/?r=012710-3
An interesting article explaining how it takes 53 percent more energy to walk on the balls of your feet, and 83 percent more energy to walk on your toes, compared to how we walk heel first, then roll to the toe. The rest goes into explaining how humans are excelent walkers, but poor runners when it comes to wasted energy, then alot of speculation arguing both why we have this motion and why it hasn't been adapted by many other species.
I kind of figured i took less energy to walk than run, and now there's an article to put statistics verifying my hypothesis. interesting, none the less...
An interesting article explaining how it takes 53 percent more energy to walk on the balls of your feet, and 83 percent more energy to walk on your toes, compared to how we walk heel first, then roll to the toe. The rest goes into explaining how humans are excelent walkers, but poor runners when it comes to wasted energy, then alot of speculation arguing both why we have this motion and why it hasn't been adapted by many other species.
I kind of figured i took less energy to walk than run, and now there's an article to put statistics verifying my hypothesis. interesting, none the less...
The Moorhen
If you have ever been to Hawaii then you know about the Moorhen. The Moorhen is a dark gray bird with a black head and neck, and it has white feathers on their flanks.They have a red frontal shield, and their bill tip is yellow with a red base. Their legs and feet are greenish and without lobes. They get to be about 33 centimeters. They are thought of to bring fire from the gods to hawaiian people as some hawaiians may think. They can be found in freshwater marshes,irrigation ditches,resevoirs, and wet pastures.
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Biology-blog/March-5-2007.html
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Biology-blog/March-5-2007.html
east african mountains
There has been a new yet old specie added to the wildlife in the east African mountains. The east african mountains have been known as the pockets of Eden. There are about 1000 plants and animals found here. There are 96 animals and 832 plants. Some include butterflies which there are 43, and 71 animals.
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Biology-blog/March-5-2007.html
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Biology-blog/March-5-2007.html
snake venom full of protein
Scientists have noted that the King Cobra has a protein in its venom with the potential for new drug discovery and to advance understanding of disease mechanisms. The protein name is haditoxin."Haditoxin was discovered in Professor Manjunatha Kini's laboratory at the National University of Singapore. This toxin is like a conjoined twin. It is a relatively large complex made up of two identical protein molecules known as three-finger toxins associated withgether" Dr Nirthanan said.
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/biology-blog.html
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/biology-blog.html
human vision anad the phylum cnidaria
when someone studied the hydra a member of an ancient group of sea creatures was still flourishing. Some researchers at UC Santa Barbara made a discovery about the human vision. They found that hydra are simple animals that belong to the phylum cnidaria like jellyfish. Cnidarians were first here 600 million years. They determined the genetic gateway aka ion channel, in the hydra is involved in light sensitivity. said. "This is the same gateway that is used in human vision" Todd H. Oakley replied.
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/biology-blog.html
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/biology-blog.html
birds,birds,birds
There are about 8,600 species of birds alive. They make up the the scientific class the Aves. Of course you know they are warm blooded and lay eggs. Something you probably did not know is that they have scaly legs and no teeth. Their body temperature is always 41 degrees celcius. Did you know that that is 106 degrees farenheit!
http://42explore.com/birds.htm
http://42explore.com/birds.htm
Students discover new species of raptor dinosaur
Linheraptor is the new pqecies of dinosour that sientist have found. They found its skeleton almost completely whole in Gobi desert. It was part of the family of dromaeosauridae and a close relative to the comonly known velociraptor. Pretty intereting that up to this day they are still dicovering new dinosours.
New species of dinosour
New species of dinosour
Friday, March 19, 2010
Women With Swine Flu 13 Times More Likely to Suffer Critical Illness If They Are Pregnant, Study Finds
A study shows that women in Australia and New Zealand who have already contracted swine flu are 13 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital with a critical illness. 11% of mothers and 12% of babies have died after being admitted to the intensive care unit with swine flu. Pregnant women have a higher risk of developing influenza complications.
During the period of study 209 women between the ages 15 to 44 who were child-bearing were admitted to the ICU with confirmed swine flu. Of these women 64% where either pregnant or recently had given birth. The results of the study showed that women who were 20 weeks pregnant were 13 times mote likely to be admitted to an ICU than non-pregnant women who had swine flu. Of these women 44% were put on ventilators to assist with there breathing and 9 of the 44% needed further assistance to help oxygen reach their heart and lungs.
Overall seven of the mothers and seven of the babies have died. Dr Seppelt stated that "although a mortality of 11% seems low when compared to usual outcomes of respiratory failure in intensive care … a maternal morality of 11% is high when compared with any other obstetric condition."
"The authors highlight the fact that none of the women in the study had been immunised against seasonal flu despite recommendations that pregnant women should be immunized."
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Fish Use UV Patterns to Tell Species Apart
People have a difficult time telling some damselfish species apart. But the fish themselves see it differently, according to a study in Current Biology. They can use ultraviolet facial patterns to tell one species from another.
Ulrike E. Siebeck of the University of Queensland in Australia and colleagues studied Pomacentrus amboinensis and P. moluccensis, which are two species of damselfish that are capable of seeing light at the ultraviolet end of the spectrum. They are also highly territorial. P. amboinensis males, for example, will chase off unfamiliar members of their species because they are seen as competitors, but go easier on P. moluccensis intruders.
To people, the two species of reef fish look practically identical. But under UV light they are revealed to have distinctly different patterns in the scales around the eyes
Ulrike E. Siebeck of the University of Queensland in Australia and colleagues studied Pomacentrus amboinensis and P. moluccensis, which are two species of damselfish that are capable of seeing light at the ultraviolet end of the spectrum. They are also highly territorial. P. amboinensis males, for example, will chase off unfamiliar members of their species because they are seen as competitors, but go easier on P. moluccensis intruders.
To people, the two species of reef fish look practically identical. But under UV light they are revealed to have distinctly different patterns in the scales around the eyes
Skin cancer increased
www.abcnews.go.com/Health/SkinCare/skin-care-rates-rise-study-finds/story?id=10126452
This article talks about the rising number in skin cancer cases in the United States, both melanoma related and non-melanona-related. The issue is getting quite serious because more Americans are not paying attention to the damages that both natural sun rays and tanning beds can cause to your skin. Americans would rather look good than be physically healthy, it's all part of our lifestyle.
This article talks about the rising number in skin cancer cases in the United States, both melanoma related and non-melanona-related. The issue is getting quite serious because more Americans are not paying attention to the damages that both natural sun rays and tanning beds can cause to your skin. Americans would rather look good than be physically healthy, it's all part of our lifestyle.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Artic Animals And Time
A new study shows that the internal clock in Artic animals has been turned off. In the artic the sun may shine for months and vice versa. According to recent findings evolution may have found a way to turn off organisms internal cellular clock. It was first seen in reindeer, who are suspected to have the clock regulated genes but they are being expressed differently. It first came as a surprise but now it is being known that more artic animals may express the same thing.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Seeing an 'A' Raises Test Scores
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MDMarch 12, 2010 -- Simply seeing the letter “A” before an exam might help you improve your grade, but spotting an “F” could make you perform poorly.
This finding comes from a study in which researchers set out to test their hypothesis that just seeing the letters A or F could influence performance on a test.
Keith Ciani, PhD, and Ken Sheldon, PhD, of the University of Missouri, say the study shows that the way people approach tasks can be manipulated through “non-conscious motivation.”
A for Achievement
The researchers signed up 131 students for three separate experiments.
In the first, 23 undergraduates were asked to complete a number of analogies in a classroom setting. All the tests were the same, but half were labeled “Test Bank ID: A” and the other half “Test Bank ID: F”.
Before starting the tests, the students were asked to write either the letter A or F in the top right-hand corner of each sheet.
Then each person’s analogy tests were scored and compared between the groups. The researchers say a significant difference was noticed, with the A group doing much better than those who’d written an F on their papers. Those in the A group scored an average of 11.08 correct out of 12, compared to only 9.42 for those jotting down Fs.
http://children.webmd.com/news/20100312/seeing-a-raises-test-scores
this article shows that positive rienforcemant and thinking can improve preformance. in reality this is not a new finding. many studys show that those with more confidence preform better in all aspects.
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MDMarch 12, 2010 -- Simply seeing the letter “A” before an exam might help you improve your grade, but spotting an “F” could make you perform poorly.
This finding comes from a study in which researchers set out to test their hypothesis that just seeing the letters A or F could influence performance on a test.
Keith Ciani, PhD, and Ken Sheldon, PhD, of the University of Missouri, say the study shows that the way people approach tasks can be manipulated through “non-conscious motivation.”
A for Achievement
The researchers signed up 131 students for three separate experiments.
In the first, 23 undergraduates were asked to complete a number of analogies in a classroom setting. All the tests were the same, but half were labeled “Test Bank ID: A” and the other half “Test Bank ID: F”.
Before starting the tests, the students were asked to write either the letter A or F in the top right-hand corner of each sheet.
Then each person’s analogy tests were scored and compared between the groups. The researchers say a significant difference was noticed, with the A group doing much better than those who’d written an F on their papers. Those in the A group scored an average of 11.08 correct out of 12, compared to only 9.42 for those jotting down Fs.
http://children.webmd.com/news/20100312/seeing-a-raises-test-scores
this article shows that positive rienforcemant and thinking can improve preformance. in reality this is not a new finding. many studys show that those with more confidence preform better in all aspects.
Carnegie Mellon researchers seek to control blood loss
This post is about how Carnegie Mellon University's Matt Oberdier is in the process of developing a new hydrosurgery system to help physicians better manage the amounts of excessive bleeding during surgery. A Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon said his device will be designed to help surgeons readily clear excess blood and control bleeding during critical stages involving operations of the brain. "We are creating a device that will house a clear, hermetically sealed dome through which instruments may be passed, and a special pump to apply fluid pressure and monitor the flow to the surgical area,'' said Oberdier, the Ph.D candidate. The future of biomedical engineering relies on the creation of cutting-edge tools for physicians and hospitals. This was stated by Antaki, who is part of an interdisciplinary team that developed a blood pump that provides up to six months of extended circulatory support for children and infants recovering from heart surgery or awaiting a heart transplant.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/12/carnegie_mellon_researchers_seek_to_control_blood_loss.html
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/12/carnegie_mellon_researchers_seek_to_control_blood_loss.html
Why surprises temporarily blind us
New research from Vanderbilt University is showing that our brains coordinate 2 types of attention and causes us to become temporarily blinded by surprises. This new research was published in Nature Neuroscience on March 7, 2010. It is quoted by Rene Marois, associate professor of psychology and co-author of the new study, that "The simple example of having your reading interrupted by a fire alarm illustrates a fundamental aspect of attention: what ultimately reaches our awareness and guides our behavior depends on the interaction between goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention. For coherent behavior to emerge, you need these two forms of attention to be coordinated. We found a brain area, the inferior frontal junction, that may play a primary role in coordinating these two forms of attention." Their research is also based on the interest of finding out what happens to us when our attention is captured by something unexpected. The research team asked individuals to detect the letter " in a stream of letters appearing on a screen, while their brain activity was being watched using functional magnetic resonance imaging. From time to time, an image of a face would interrupt the stream out of nowhere. The surprise caused the subject to completely miss the x the first couple of times. They were eventually able to identify it as successfully as when there was no surprise.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/11/why_surprises_temporarily_blind_us.html
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/11/why_surprises_temporarily_blind_us.html
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Sea Turtle Hatchlings Pack A Big Lunch
Sea turtles are very fascinating in the way that they have to fight for survival from the day they are born. They not only have to fight against the other predators, but also against the exhausting travel to the open deep sea. As many as 30 percent of the babies will die just on their journey to the sea. To understand exactly how much oxygen they use up during the travel to the sea the University of Queensland snatched up some eggs that were laid by the mother turtles. They than took these eggs and hatched them in a tank of their own where they monitored their activity as if they were swimming off to the deep sea. After 18 hours of their swimming the scientist came up with a very good estimate of exactly how much oxygen they used. "At first they swam relentlessly. But as time went on, they gradually slowed, until after about 12 hours they took an occasional break." After all this was done the scientists came up with the fact that the turtles do not have to have a meal for 2 weeks of being born.
Arctic Seed Vault becomes world's most diverse collection of crop diversity
Days after celebrating its second anniversary, the Svalbard "Doomsday" Global Seed Vault is receiving this week thousands of new seeds that will push its collection to more than half a million unique samples, making it the most diverse assemblage of crop diversity ever amassed anywhere in the world.
I found this article to be very interesting and thoroughly troubling. Essentially, this building/structure/whatever is a kind of botanical 'Noah's Arc'. Amid the growing fears of mutual destruction and the escalation of the Cold War arms race, this organization was charged with ensuring the continuance of Earth's many and varied Fauna. A noble aim, to be sure, but an aim that is none the less prompted by our own specie's amazing capacity to destroy our own planet. Esentialy this 'Noah's Arc' is a safe guard against our own destructive nature. It's kind of like buying two kittes because you know you'll end up stepping on one of them.
Read the full article here
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/10/arctic_seed_vault_becomes_worlds_most_diverse_collection_of_crop_diversity.html
I found this article to be very interesting and thoroughly troubling. Essentially, this building/structure/whatever is a kind of botanical 'Noah's Arc'. Amid the growing fears of mutual destruction and the escalation of the Cold War arms race, this organization was charged with ensuring the continuance of Earth's many and varied Fauna. A noble aim, to be sure, but an aim that is none the less prompted by our own specie's amazing capacity to destroy our own planet. Esentialy this 'Noah's Arc' is a safe guard against our own destructive nature. It's kind of like buying two kittes because you know you'll end up stepping on one of them.
Read the full article here
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/03/10/arctic_seed_vault_becomes_worlds_most_diverse_collection_of_crop_diversity.html
Bet you never heard of gynandromorphous!
About one in every 10,000 chickens is gynandromorphous. This means that they are half female and half male. Unlike humans, chickens don't have hormones that develop and tell them what to be. They are predetermined the whole way.
This also means that a "half and half" chicken will have totally different plumage, body shape, and muscle structure on the two halves of its body.
If they can understand what the differences between the male and female identities are, then they can imagine making female birds with the same growth characteristics as males. This would increase productivity.
I thought this was interesting to learn about because I figured they wouldn't have their bodied divided and have all the same parts as what the sex is supposed to.
Japan in Protest
Recently, the European Union has placed a ban on bluefin tuna because it is considered an endangered species.
Japan has a very large fish market and it would impact them greatly so there was recently a protest over this situation.
There was an 80% decrease in the amount of tuna over the past 40 years. The ban is only set in place until the amount starts to recover and they feel that they have an abundence of fish again.
I found this to be quite interesting because Japan does not usually allow too much freedom of speech in their country and for them to organize a protest is very risky. Also, this sounds like a great idea for the fish and Japan because they are trying to make sure that tuna do not disappear altogether from Japan. Too bad they are in a bad situation to make this decision.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ozone Stunting Tree Growth
Tree growth is about seven percent less now than in the 1800s, and will decrease by another ten percent by the end of the century. The ground level ozone pollution is decreasing the growth of trees in the temperate mid-latitudes.
Ozone pollution is greater now than before the Industrial Revolution. If this dependence on fossil fuels keeps going at the rate it is now then future ozone concentrations will be at least double current levels by the end of this century which could decrease the growth of trees even more.
The study is the first shown summary of experiments and measurement that show how ozone will damage the growth of trees.
Ozone is one of the strongest greenhouse gas, which gives to global warming, and pollutes the air which is one of the most damaging to plants. But it has the potential to leave more carbon dioxide, which is the strongest greenhouse gas of all, in the atmosphere by decreasing carbon assimilation in trees. Ozone pollution happens when nitrogen oxides have a photochemical reaction with volatile organic compounds.
Lizard Moms Choose the Right Genes for the Right Gender Offspring
The male of this species can be two to three times the mass of the female, but the females seem to be in control of the genetic destiny. (Credit: Photo by Joseph Mehling '69)
Two scientists from Dartmouth studied the brown anole lizards. Brown anole lizards choose different size males for breeding. They produce more sons with the sperm of larger lizards. For daughters they use the sperm of smaller male lizards. This is believed to be done to ensure that the sons inherit the larger size gene which is a great key in survival.
Two scientists from Dartmouth studied the brown anole lizards. Brown anole lizards choose different size males for breeding. They produce more sons with the sperm of larger lizards. For daughters they use the sperm of smaller male lizards. This is believed to be done to ensure that the sons inherit the larger size gene which is a great key in survival.
Bob Cox the lead author on the paper and a post doctoral researcher at Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H."This species has figured out a clever way to pass on genes with gender-specific effects on fitness, usually, when natural selection pulls genes in different directions for each gender, the species faces an evolutionary dilemma. But these lizards have solved this puzzle, they've figured out how to get the right genes into the right gender."
When the choose of small males is greater than the choose large males females grow more numerous than males. The mother can manipulate the gender of their offspring. Over an eight month period studied showed that males with the genes from the father survived when compared to those with genes from small fathers. For the females this study showed no difference. The larger genes are most important for the survival rate of males. Females prefer to mate with larger males than small males.
The next big question is how does the female lizards control the gender of their offspring. More studies will be conducted to study this and to see what "mechanisms involved in this most fundamental of all evolutionary processes, the struggle to pass on advantages genetic material."
Killer Whales are Litterally Killers
On February 24th, Dawn Brancheau, an Orca trainer at Sea World in Orlando, was dragged into the whale pool during a show by her braid by a killer whale named, Tilikum. Brancheau is the third trainer this whale has killed, and people are begining to wonder if the whale had intended to kill her, and his two other trainers, because it does not want to be kept in captivity.
Tilikum swam up to his trainer and bit down on her braided hair and pulled her underneath the water and swam around with her aggressively, making it impossible for other trainers to come in and help her. The whale was originally from a Sea World park in Canada and was transferred to Orlando only temporarily to recieve medical treatment that was unavailable in Canada. The medical condition Tilikum was in need of treatment for remains unknown.
According to Billy Hurley, cheif of animals at the world's largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, if a killer whale wants your attention it will try to get it by any means neccessary, and this is why he believes he dragged Brancheau into the tank. His theory is that she was not looking or focusing directly on him, but rather on the audience, and when he wanted her attention he dragged her in.
Unfortunatly we may never know if this Orca is really capable of premeditated murder; however, I don't believe it was a coincidence that he's already killed twice before.
Scientific breakthrough in genetic studies of animal domestication
The domestication of animals and plants is the most important technological innovation during human history. This genetic transformation of wild species has occurred as humans have used individuals carrying a favorable gene that varies for breeding purposes. In the current issue of Nature, an international team led by researchers at Uppsala University (Sweden) has revealed some of the secrets underlying the remarkable development of the domestic chicken. The Low growth and High growth lines are two of the populations included in the study. These lines were developed by Paul Siegel at Virginia Tech from a common ancestral population. They show an almost a huge difference in body weight at eight weeks of age after 40 generations of selections for low or high growth.
Cholesterol Gets a "Thumbs Up" In development
Scientists have recently discovered that cholesterol may help digital development in mice. Usually people believe that Cholesterol is "bad" and causes clogged arteries. A recent study that was published last week researchers believe that the attachment of cholesterol to an important protein controls the development of fingers and toes in mice. Without the cholesterol attaching to the protein mice would develop extra fingers or toes and in the wrong places.
Researchers have named the protein at work is "sonic hedgehog" (yes named after Sonic the Hedgehog video game character). The protein was discovered in 1990 and has proved to have an important role in pattering the development in embryo, including proper digital patterning. An early study showed that mice that do not carry the "sonic hedgehog" only develop a single thumb on the front of the paw or a big toe on the back paw.
The sonic hedgehog protein is produced by a specialized group of cells that are located at the posterior part of the developing limb bud, which in the end develops into a pinkie finger or toe. At the site of development sonic hedgehog concentrations are high. It then diffuses out to the developing limb bud, and the declining concentrations of the protein dictates the identity of the other digits.
The one big mystery scientists are and have been trying to understand is what regulates the sonic hedgehog gradient? The scientists believe it has something to do with that the sonic hedgehog protein has to have cholesterol molecule attached to work properly. The sonic protein is the only protein known to be modified by cholesterol.
Cholesterol is usually found in cell membranes and is believed to "tether" proteins to cells, scientists believe that cholesterol might inhibit the movement of sonic hedgehog throughout the developing tissue. They believe that this might be the reason for the concentrations of proteins were high at the site of the production and then tapered off with distance from the synthesis site.
The researchers are doing extensive experimentation on the mice trying to find out exactly how the sonic hedgehog travels throughout the mice to the synthesis site. They are doing research on mice that would only have half of their sonic hedgehog protein could attach to cholesterol these mice have developed normal digits 2 through 5, but did have duplication of these digits anteriorly. The findings suggested that Sonic hedgehog without cholesterol traveled further than normal, triggering the anomalous digit duplications.
Keep reading: full article here "click"
Researchers have named the protein at work is "sonic hedgehog" (yes named after Sonic the Hedgehog video game character). The protein was discovered in 1990 and has proved to have an important role in pattering the development in embryo, including proper digital patterning. An early study showed that mice that do not carry the "sonic hedgehog" only develop a single thumb on the front of the paw or a big toe on the back paw.
The sonic hedgehog protein is produced by a specialized group of cells that are located at the posterior part of the developing limb bud, which in the end develops into a pinkie finger or toe. At the site of development sonic hedgehog concentrations are high. It then diffuses out to the developing limb bud, and the declining concentrations of the protein dictates the identity of the other digits.
The one big mystery scientists are and have been trying to understand is what regulates the sonic hedgehog gradient? The scientists believe it has something to do with that the sonic hedgehog protein has to have cholesterol molecule attached to work properly. The sonic protein is the only protein known to be modified by cholesterol.
Cholesterol is usually found in cell membranes and is believed to "tether" proteins to cells, scientists believe that cholesterol might inhibit the movement of sonic hedgehog throughout the developing tissue. They believe that this might be the reason for the concentrations of proteins were high at the site of the production and then tapered off with distance from the synthesis site.
The researchers are doing extensive experimentation on the mice trying to find out exactly how the sonic hedgehog travels throughout the mice to the synthesis site. They are doing research on mice that would only have half of their sonic hedgehog protein could attach to cholesterol these mice have developed normal digits 2 through 5, but did have duplication of these digits anteriorly. The findings suggested that Sonic hedgehog without cholesterol traveled further than normal, triggering the anomalous digit duplications.
“We found that, without cholesterol, Sonic hedgehog moves more readily, far from its site of synthesis, all the way to the anterior part of the limb bud where it is normally never detected,” Chiang explained.
When Sonic hedgehog travels to tissue where it normally would be absent and missing the cholesterol, extra digits may form, which is a condition known as polydactyly. Although, the causes of polydactyly in humans are not completely understood, mutations in some part of the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway are on the list of suspects.
Keep reading: full article here "click"
New Species On Ocean Floor
Grania the globetrotter
Grania is a worm around two centimetres in length and mostly white, which is encountered in marine sand throughout the world, from the tidal zone to deep down in the ocean. The researcher Pierre De Wit, at the Department of Zoology of the University of Gothenburg, is analysing exactly how many species of Grania there are and how they are related to other organisms.
Four new species
De Wit has conducted studies at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where he and his colleagues have found four entirely new species of the Grania worm. One of them is the beautifully green-coloured Grania colorata.
"These worms are usually colourless or white, and we have not been able to work out why this particular species is green," says De Wit.
Grania is a worm around two centimetres in length and mostly white, which is encountered in marine sand throughout the world, from the tidal zone to deep down in the ocean. The researcher Pierre De Wit, at the Department of Zoology of the University of Gothenburg, is analysing exactly how many species of Grania there are and how they are related to other organisms.
Four new species
De Wit has conducted studies at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where he and his colleagues have found four entirely new species of the Grania worm. One of them is the beautifully green-coloured Grania colorata.
"These worms are usually colourless or white, and we have not been able to work out why this particular species is green," says De Wit.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Water Striders - New Study Says It Pays to be Polite
Here is the Link to the full article!
Omar Tonsi Eldakar of the University of Arizona has recently led a study and concluded that less aggressive male water striders participate in more mating than do the more aggressive male striders. His study reveals that females often rejected the more aggressive mates and accepted the calm, easy-going mates. He performed his study by collecting wild water striders during their mating season and observing the aggressiveness of all the males. He used painted color spots to distinguish the aggressive males from the non-aggressive males. When he introduced the male and female, striders, the females fled the areas with the more aggressive striders and congregated by the easy-going guys.
I think this is a pretty interesting article because it shows that personality matters to even the smallest of animals. It's Mother Nature's way of telling people no to be too pushy. It's a cool experiment and makes me wonder why it was even performed!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Artificial Bee Silk a Big Step Closer to Reality
CSIRO scientist Dr Tara Sutherland and her team have achieved another important milestone in the international quest to artificially produce insect silk.
They have hand-drawn fine threads of honeybee silk from a 'soup' of silk proteins that they had produced transgenically.
These threads were as strong as threads drawn from the honeybee silk gland, a significant step towards development of coiled coil silk biomaterials.
"It means that we can now seriously consider the uses to which these biomimetic materials can be put," Dr Sutherland said.
"We used recombinant cells of bacterium E. coli to produce the silk proteins which, under the right conditions, self-assembled into similar structures to those in honeybee silk.
Article can be found here - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100303092409.htm
Lizard Moms Choose the Right Genes for the Right Gender Offspring
Two Dartmouth biologists, Cox and Calsbeek, have come to terms that a specific lizard known as the Brown Anole are apart of the deciding process with choosing which males father their offspring. In fact, the females produce more sons when mating with larger males and more daughters with smaller males. These two biologists believe that the lizards do this to ensure the genes from the larger males are passed on to the sons, who naturally benefit from inheriting the genes for larger size. The species has figured out how to pass down the genes with specific effects on fitness and how to get these right genes within the right gender. When the female lizards mate with males of different sizes, it is proved that their choice of preference is larger males. However, when their choice of partners were limited to smaller males, they minimized the production of sons. In order to demonstrate this to be true, Cox and Calsbeek measured the survival rates of the sons and daughters in their natural habitat in the Bahamas. They happened to find that the survival of the male offspring increased if they had large fathers; although, there was no influence from the larger fathers passed down to the daughters, proving that only the survival of the male offspring only increased if they had they larger fathers. Although these studies are legit, there is no true answer to how these female lizards control the gender of their offspring.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Male Frogs are being 'Castrated' by this Everyday Weed Killer
Weed killers seem to do more harm than good at this point in time. A new study proved that male frogs were chemically "castrated" from the popular weed killer, atrazine. It also turned 10% of male frogs exposed into females! The other male frogs exposed had decreased amounts of sperm and fertility. This accounts for the decline of amphibians in the midwestern United States and even around the world. This pesticide fools with the frog's hormones and brings in estrogen rather than testosterone.
In 2004, European Union banned the use of atrazine because it consistently showed up in the people's drinking water. The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, just launched a new study to see if there is a relationship between the pesticide and cancer. Despite all the proof that atrazine is unhealthy to the frogs, farmers in the United States still continue to use it. So, what happens when there are no more frogs to keep the bug population down? Probably more pesticides.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/03/01/pesticide.study.frogs/index.html?hpt=Sbin
RISE OF FEMALE WEAPONRY DRIVEN BY POOP FIGHTS
That's right I said,"Poop" Females of the species Onthophagus sagittarius who had heftier horns won control of more available dung and thus laid more eggs. Researchers have often wondered the origins of females and horns in animals. Males have horns to compete for females. But females have remained a mystery in some species. Many females, especially in bovines have small horns to ward off enemies. While others have been speculated to be a genetic spill over from the males. But in case of this dung beetle, the horns are different then the males in placement and size. That's because they are for a different purpose. In lab tests, female beetles with larger horn were able to wrangle larger plots of "poop" to lay eggs. So from a evolution standpoint, the smaller horned beetles cannot produce as many eggs and in turn have less of a chance for survival.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56846/title/Rise_of_female_weaponry_driven_by_poop_fights
fish recognizing faces through UV
Fish can tell the difference between different species. What's ironic about this is that fish are colorblind. They have UV vision this could be a good thing but scientists are saying that this can be a bad thing because scientists feel that the reason fish can see is because of the bright backrounds.
Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
Scientists have known for a while that some animals have UV visions. But, not scientists are taking this known fact one step further and are saying that some fish have UV vision which allows them to tell different species apart. Almost as if they can see the other "faces" swimming by them. UV vision is normally used to detect any bright lights around an animal.
Researches did an experiment with two different aggressive fish, they allowed them to have UV vision, but at other times they took the UV vision away. The two fish always attacked the same fish when they have their UV vision enabled. But, when researches took the fishes' UV vision away, they attacked the other fish equally, they did not keep attacking the same fish as before.
UV vision is needed for fish in order for them to tell all the different species apart.
Researches did an experiment with two different aggressive fish, they allowed them to have UV vision, but at other times they took the UV vision away. The two fish always attacked the same fish when they have their UV vision enabled. But, when researches took the fishes' UV vision away, they attacked the other fish equally, they did not keep attacking the same fish as before.
UV vision is needed for fish in order for them to tell all the different species apart.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Move Your Body, Power Your Cellphone
A new form of sustainable energy has been harvested. Michael C. McAlpine of Princeton and colleagues have developed a promising approach for converting body movements into electricity. Certain crystals called, Piezoelectric crystals produce an electric current and when bent and have many uses. The crystals are first made in a series of narrow ribbons, on a rigid substrate of magnesium oxide. Then, after the substrate is etched away from the crystals, they are transfer-printed on a flexible biocompatible polymer, called PDMS. Dr. McAlpine said his team had started building prototypes, in which tiny wires are deposited on the crystals so that the electricity can be harvested. The crystals are also covered with another layer of PDMS to protect them, and to safeguard the body since the crystals contain lead. When put next to the body, these little gadgets can power electrical devises such as cell phones or a music player. The eventual goal would be to make a flexible power generator that could be implanted in the chest or elsewhere.
I think that this is a little bit creepy. Is it really necessary to be plugged in to an electrical outlet everywhere we go? Are we really that culturally attached to machines that we need to make them physically attached to our bodies? Link
Redwoods Threatened by Climate Change
No other tree is as revered and iconic as the monumental redwood. They are nature's cathedrals, towering around 300 feet tall, adorned in rust-colored bark and bearing the majesty of 2,500 years. Loss of fog may be causing the harm to the Redwood forest, According to a study by James A. Johnstone and Todd E. Dawson of the University of California at Berkley. Frequent summer fog along the coast from Monterey to the Oregon border helps nurture the coast. The redwoods' ability to draw water from fog is crucial in maintaining the wet climate that they and so many other species, some endangered, thrive in.To obtain a historical record of coastal fog, the researchers looked at data on ceiling heights recorded hourly at several airports from 1951 to 2008 and found that fog frequency in summers has declined by about one-third. Due to a lot of loss of water through transpiration, Red woods rely on the high humidity in fog to slow, stop or even reverse the process and to conserve water during the drier summer months. This is just another example of the devastating losses caused by climate change. We need to appreciate and conserve our countries natural beauty and grandeur while we still have it.
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