Fish and Marine Carbon Cycle

Scientists have discovered what source of carbon is used by aquatic plants for photosynthesis; it is dissolved calcium carbonate. It was previously thought that calcium carbonate, which is responsible for balancing seawater acidity, comes from microscopic planktons. In a study, conducted jointly by the scientists of UK, US and Canada, it was found that 3-15 percent of marine calcium carbonate is excreted by fish alone. It is the bony fish that are responsible for calcium carbonate excretion, and not the sharks or other large fish. It is also estimated that in future, with the increase in the sea surface temperatures and rise in the carbon dioxide levels, the amount of calcium carbonate produced by fish will also increase.

This article caught my attention because I found it interesting that there is such a relation between two different species of nature. Considering the bony fish are the ones' responsible for the excretion of calcium carbonate, scientists expect more levels of calcium carbonate in the future because of the increase of sea temperatures and carbon dioxide levels. I will be interested in finding out if there will be an increase in underwater plants, due to the increase in calcium carbonate. This is an excellent example of how "one man's waste is another man's dinner".

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biology-current-events.html

Cure for AIDS

A major challenge for medical science researchers is to find a cure for AIDS. Scientists are trying to replace the normal immune cells of an HIV patient with HIV-resistant ones. Finally, it seems researchers have succeeded in solving the mystery of curing AIDS. Recently, German doctors cured a HIV patient by conducting a bone marrow transplant (natural gene-therapy). Along with AIDS, the patient was suffering from leukemia. For treatment of both the diseases, the doctors used a bone marrow transplant from a healthy person, having natural immunity to HIV. Genetic engineering research, especially on gene therapy is ongoing to find the cure for AIDS.

This is a huge scientific accomplishment, and an extreme draw of my attention. It would truly be great to be able to find a solid cure for such a deadly infection. I am sure there is still a lot more work that must be done to accomplish such an important cure; however, it is great there has been a start!

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biology-current-events.html

Human Hair as Plant Food

We have often heard of leaf litter, farmyard compost and animal waste used as plant food. However, recent research has shown that human hair, combined with compost can be used as a nutrient source for plants. In an experiment conducted with lettuce, yellow poppy, feverfew and wormwood, the crop yield was more in plants treated with hair waste and compost. However, the yield was low in case of plants treated with only hair waste. So, the conclusion of the research is that hair waste is a potential source of nutrients for plants, provided that it is used along with other fertilizers. More research is ongoing to ascertain the health issues associated with the use of hair waste as fertilizer.

I found this article very interesting, considering they are finding new ways to use natural resources, such as human hair as plant fertilizer. I am interested in seeing if this research will be successful in the long run!

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biology-current-events.html

Treat Acne with Coconut Oil

A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk known as, lauric acid, is seen as a new acne treatment with the help of a bioengineering graduate student for the UC of San Diego. The student was capable of delivering "lauric acid-filled nano-scale bombs" directly to skin swelling bacteria, that causes the common acne. In fact, this student, Diassaya "Nu" Pornpattananangkul will present he work on this acne drug-delivery system at Research Expo. Common acne effects more than 85 percent of teenagers, and current treatments have undesirable side effects that include redness and burning. Lauric-acid-based treatments could avoid these side effects researchers say. Interestingly enough, her research involves a natural product produced by coconuts.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/04/15/treat_acne_with_coconut_oil_and_nanobombs.html

Let's Save the WILDLIFE!!!

The Wildlife Conservation Society has announced the results of the large "landscape wide" conservation approach to protect the elephant and great apes populations. The study took place at a wildlife range in the northern Republic of Congo and was found to have core protected areas, as well as strong anti-poaching efforts. These are all important factors to consider in order to maintain the populations of elephants, gorillas, and chimpanzees. One of the best well known regions, known as the Ndoki-Likouala Conservation Landscape, remains important in the preservation of these three species. In fact, the WCS has been working in the landscape from 1991; they have since established the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in 1993 where the protected areas remain a key component for all three species. These species, such as the chimpanzees and elephants, are very sensitive to human disturbance outside of the reserve. Studies have shown that including the protection of key habits and anti-poaching patrols will significantly help support the populations of elephants and gorillas. According to James Deutsch, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Africa programs, his studies show that landscape-wide conservation can work in Central Africa, provided there are enough resources and political will to save wildlife over large areas.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/05/06/study_looks_at_gorillas_elephants_and_logging_in_congo.html

Dinosaurs may son show true colors

A new study has shown the colors of 40 million year old feathers, opening up the posibility of decoding the pigments of dinosaurs. The feather colors are produced by light scattering off of the feather's exterior and a smooth surface of melanin pigment granules within the feather's protein. Following up on the new finding, scientists are are racing to discover what additional coloration features may be found in fossil feathers.


http://www.macroevolution.net/iridescent.html

Abalone

Abalones belong to the large class of gastropods. The family has odd characteristics such as; the shell is rounded to oval, with two to three whorls, and the last one auriform, grown into a large "ear", giving rise to the common name ‘ear-shell’.
The body has a series of holes - four to ten depending on the species, near the anterior margin.Abalone is a species of shellfish (mollusks) from the Haliotidae family (genus Haliotis




http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/abalone.htm

Abalone

Abalones belong to the large class of gastropods. The family has odd characteristics such as; the shell is rounded to oval, with two to three whorls, and the last one auriform, grown into a large "ear", giving rise to the common name ‘ear-shell’.
The body has a series of holes - four to ten depending on the species, near the anterior margin.Abalone is a species of shellfish (mollusks) from the Haliotidae family (genus Haliotis




http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/abalone.htm

As Global Temperatures Rise, World's Lizards Are Disappearing: 20 Percent of All Lizard Species Could Be Extinct by 2080

It is predicted that 20 percent of the world's lizards could be extinct by the year 2080. The temperatures have been changing too much and too dramatically to give lizards time to adpat. Researches say the only way to help prevent this is to slow down global climate warming. By the year 2050, 6 percent of all lizard populations are expected to be extinct.

It's sad to think that so many species of lizards are going to be extinct all because of global warming.

Deadly fish virus now found in all Great Lakes

A fish virus that was found in 2005 in the Northeast has now been found in all the Great Lakes. The virus is called viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus is a fatal virus found in fish, but it does not harm humans. Researchers have tested 874 fish from all of the Great Lakes. The Deptartment of Agriculture sent out a federal order removing all of the infected fish in order to prevent the virus from spreading to even more fish.

I just think it is good that this virus is not harmful to us. So many people from all different places travel to the Great Lakes and it would not be good it people were spreading this virus to one another like the fish are.

Medical costs for one premature baby could cover a dozen healthy births

The March of Dimes reported than the cost of just one baby born premature, could cover the cost of 12 babies born healthy. For the average healthy born baby, it is estimated that the cost from birth until their first birthday is almost $5,000. But, almost $4000 of that is covered by health plans. The cost for a baby being premature from birth until their first birthday is $50,000. Health plans would normally cover $46,000.

The president of March of Dimes is trying to help mothers prevent premature births. By preventing premature birth is a way we can help rebuild health costs. More than $26,000 billion dollars are spent each year on premature births from the health care plans. The March of Dimes is setting up programs to help mothers avoid premature births at all costs.

I thought this article was a little weird. I felt like the March of Dimes was sort of complaining about premature births. It's not the mothers' choice to have their baby born early and I really do not think there is anything anyone can do to avoid this.

Exercise in pregnancy reduces size of offspring

Excersing during pregnancy can help reduce the size of a child. And it will not harm the development in anyway. This can help decrease the amount of obese children that are born. Just by mothers doing daily exercise, their child will be born with a lesser weight than if the mother did not exercise.

Exercising late in a pregnancy will do nothing for the mother, but will still help the offspring. I think this was a pretty neat article. It's interesting to find out so many new things a women can do to make sure their baby is healthy before it's even born!

McMaster researchers discover a new way HIV infects women

Scientists have been stuck on the question of how HIV finds its way to female's reproductive tract. Researchers at the McMaster University thinks they found the answer. They believe that the virus attaches itself to the cells. Reseachers are still looking into this, but by discovering more information about this topic will make vaccines and preventions easier to figure out. It is said that half of the 40 million people with HIV are women. Women are the ones that this virus is growing on. Researchers are continuing this study hoping to find a reason to why more women are becoming affected so much easily than men.

Music Aids Alzheimer's Patients in Remembering New Information

Tests were conducted by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine showing that patients with Alzheimer's were able to remember new verbal information when having it accompanied by music. The patients that participated in this research were given the lyrics visually to 40 songs. 20 were sung and 20 were spoken. the researchers found that "accuracy was greater in the sung condition than in the spoken condition in AD patients..."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100512112314.htm

Response to Vaccines Could Depend on Your Sex, Researchers Find

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a person's sex could predict how they respond to different vaccines. Sabra Klein, assistant professor at the Bloomberg School's W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, says that this is probably because women sometimes do not need as much of a certain vaccine as a man would. Women usually have "stronger immune responses to vaccinations."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100512164337.htm

Stanford Researchers get CIRM Grant to Break Bottleneck in Parkinson’s Disease Research

Two stem cell researchers at Stanford and scientists at the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, CA, have received a large award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop research that may overcome a major bottleneck in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research and drug discovery. These newly created stem cells, which carry the genetic code of known Parkinson’s disease patients, can be grown in such a way that they turn into nerve cells. In some cases, the patients carried genes that cause PD and these cells will likely be affected PD pathology. In other cases, the cause was unknown and the cells will therefore be useful as a model system that allows researchers to study how Parkinson’s disease develops in the first place and to test potential medications for the disorder.“we have put together a team that provides all the necessary elements to use this cutting edge technology in the discovery and application of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. “

Calcium in Early Life May Prevent Obesity Later

Calcium has been known for strong, healthy bones but recent studies show that it may prevent obesity in later adult years. During an 18-day trial involving 24 newborn pigs, the researchers documented markedly lower levels of bone density and strength in 12 piglets fed a calcium-deficient diet compared to 12 piglets that received more calcium. Not only that, but when researchers looked at certain stem cells in bone marrow, they found that many of these cells in the calcium-deficient piglets appeared to have already been programmed to become fat cells instead of bone-forming cells. Because these programmed mesenchymal stem cells replicate to provide all the bone-forming cells for an animal's entire life, very early calcium deficiency may have predisposed the piglets to have bones that contain more fat and less mineral. That could make those pigs more prone to osteoporosis and obesity in later life, said Dr. Chad Stahl, an associate professor of animal science who led the study. The researchers are using pigs as a model for human health because pigs and humans are similar when it comes to bone growth and nutrition. Pigs are one of the few animals known to experience bone breaks related to osteoporosis.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513123833.htm

Extreme makeover: Stanford scientists explore new way to change cell's identity

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have now proven that skin cells can be tricked to behave like muscle cells , the kind of Muscle cells like skin cells — solely by altering who they hang out with, which is the relative levels of the ingredients inside the cell.
The fickleness of the cells,and the ease with which they make the switch give a glimpse into the genetic reprogramming that must occur for a cell to become something it’s not. Harnessing genetic makeovers allows scientists to have a better understanding on how to induce specialized adult cells to revert to a stem-cell-like state in a process called induced pluripotency. “Currently, inducing pluripotency in adult cells is time consuming and inefficient. We’d like to improve on that, or explore ways to skip that step altogether. We’re coming at the problem from all angles.”

http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2009/may/blau.html

Contraceptive Pill Not Associated With Increased Long-Term Risk of Death, Study Finds

Studies have found that women in the UK who have ever used the oral contraceptive pill are less likely to die from any cause, including all cancers and heart disease, compared with never users. The results show a slightly higher risk in women under 45 years old who are current or recent users of the pill. The authors stress that the effects in younger women disappear after about 10 years. "Many women, especially those who used the first generation of oral contraceptives many years ago, are likely to be reassured by our results. However, our findings might not reflect the experience of women using oral contraceptives today, if currently available preparations have a different risk than earlier products," says Professor Hannaford.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311191810.htm

Migraine: Aspirin and an Antiemetic Is a Reasonable Option, Review Finds

Researchers have found that taking a single dose of 900-1000 mg aspirin can substantially reduce migraine headache pain within two hours, for more than half of people who take it. Along with reducing the pain, it is also known to reduces any associated nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound (photophobia or phonophobia). Migraine affects about 18% women and 6% of men in western populations, mostly affecting people 30 to 50 years old. The common symptom, whatever type of migraine someone has, is a severe headache, typically once or twice a month, lasting between four and 72 hours. The headache is often pounding, on one side of the head, frequently with nausea, and sometimes with vomiting. Given the numbers of people affected, and the extent of the pain caused, migraine has considerable social and economic impact.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413202645.htm

Antifungal medicine shown to slow tumor growth in mice study

A common antifungal medication called itraconazole can slow tumor growth in mice, according to scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This medication inhibits a molecular pathway important during both fetal development and cancer progression. Because it works at dose levels already approved for use in humans, clinical trials in patients may not be far off. This was as said by researchers. "There is a fairly broad range of tumors in which this molecular cascade, called the 'Hedgehog' pathway, plays an important role," said developmental stem cell biologist Philip Beachy, PhD. " The thing about screening existing drugs is that you already have all the information about dosage and toxicity and you can move into clinical trials fairly readily.
itraconazole alone doesn't eliminate the tumor. the researchers hope that when they combine the treatment with other therapies that target the same critical pathway may be a valuable option for many patients.

New Species of Tyrannosaur Discovered in Southwestern U.S.

A new species of tyrannosaur discovered in the Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness of New Mexico. Tyrannosaurs include the famous meat-eating dinosaurs like T. rex, with their characteristic body and skull shape and their mouthful of ferocious teeth. The specimen was airlifted from the badlands by a helicopter operated by the Air Wing of the New Mexico Army National Guard.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100131220341.htm

Mechanism That May Stop E. Coli from Developing in Cattle Identified

A recent study performed by microbiologists have identified a potential target in cattle that could be exploited to help prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses caused by a nasty strain of Escherichia coli. Researchers interfered with a genetic sensing mechanism that allows the E. coli strain known as enterohemorrhagic O157:H7, or EHEC, to form colonies within cattle, causing the bacteria to die off before they could reach the animals' recto-anal junction, the primary site of colonization. Most other strains of E coli gather in the colon. "If we can find a way to prevent these bacteria from ever colonizing in cattle, it's possible that we can have a real impact on human disease. "This could be something as simple as including some sort of antagonist in cattle feed, which would result in less shedding of the bacteria in fecal matter with less contamination down the road in food products." EHEC, like other E coli strains, is usually transmitted through contaminated food. Recent outbreaks in the U.S. have been found in ground beef, spinach and raw sprouts. Cattle are the primary source for most E coli infections in the U.S. When cattle waste reaches water sources near food crops, contamination can occur.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100511111931.htm

Rats With Part of Brain Deactivated Move Toward Food But Do Not Eat

Using an animal model of binge eating, University of Missouri researchers discovered that deactivating the basolateral amygdala, a brain region involved in regulating emotion, specifically blocked consumption of a fatty diet. Surprisingly, it had no effect on the rat wanting to look for the food repeatedly. The release of opioids, pleasure chemicals that can lead to euphoria, into the brain produces binge eating in non-hungry rats. Will and his team of researchers determined that deactivating the basolateral amygdala blocked this type of binge eating. “A key to curbing the obesity epidemic in America is controlling the desire to binge eat,” Will said. “Humans have more programming to start and continue eating than to stop eating, especially when they have a bowl of ice cream in front of them. Most of us would finish it even if we weren’t hungry.” In the past when food availability was scarce, humans may have needed this “binge eating” regulation to eat enough food when it was available. Now, when humans have access to foods high in sugar and fat 24 hours a day, this regulation can cause humans to overeat.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908151334.htm

How the Brain Decides What to Eat

Researchers have been performing a study on fruit flies and what they consume. Carlos describes their findings, 'Normally when kept on "complete food" (with sugar and yeast) and given the choice, flies do not eat food with proteins (yeast-enriched). However, after a few days on a protein-poor diet, flies preferred a yeast-rich diet. Female flies switch diets more quickly than males, and mated females quicker than virgin females. The researchers used a simple and clever assay to follow the type of food flies preferred: they added a blue dye to the yeast-enriched food and a red dye to the 'sugar rich food', and then looked at the bellies of the flies, to know which food they had eaten. Research in the fruit fly has helped unravel several mechanisms which proved to be relevant in humans, too. This study appears to be on the same track.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513123827.htm

Scientists design new drug type to kill lymphoma cells

Recipients of a collaborative grant from the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation have developed a new type of drug designed to kill non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumor cells. The breakthrough could lead to potential non-toxic therapies for cancer patients. The researchers, who published their findings in the April issue of Cancer Cell, have identified a drug that targets an oncogene known as BCL6.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/05/11/scientists_design_new_drug_type_to_kill_lymphoma_cells.html

least sea ice in 800 years

A new study says there is less ice today in the Fram Strait between Svalbard Island and Greenland than at any time since the 13th century. This research came about from the Niels Bohr Institute and other organizations. It is also published in the journal Climate Dynamics. "We have combined information about the climate found in ice cores from an ice cap on Svalbard and from the annual growth rings of trees in Finland and this gave us a curve of the past climate" explains Aslak Grinsted, geophysicist with the Centre for Ice and Climate at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Even though the 13th century was a warm period, data shows that there has never been so little ice as in the 20th century. "There was a sharp change in the ice cover at the start of the 20th century," explains Aslak Grinsted. And that change has continued —"We see that the sea ice is shrinking," he says, "to a level which has not been seen in more than 800 years."

http://www.macroevolution.net/sea-ice.html

Feeling stressed? So is the poplar

Trees deal with a lot of stress just like humans do. This comes about from a lack of water, too much water, scarcity of a needed nutrient, pollution, or a changing climate. Helping trees and crops adapt to stress quickly and efficiently is a goal of plant biologists worldwide. Research led by scientists at the Michian Technological University has identified the molecular mechanism that Populus, which is common poplars, cottonwoods, and aspens, uses to adapt to the changing soil conditions. The scientists hope to apply what theyve recently learned to find new ways to use biotechnology or selective breeding to modify trees and make them more stress tolerant

Chromosome glue surprises scientists

Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have discovered that cohesons are needed in different concentrations for their different functions. THis new discovery has helped explain how certaian developmental disorders like Cornelia de Lane and Roberts syndrome come about without affecting the cell division essential to development. This research was made possible by a new innovative technique for eukaryotes. This enables scientists to reduce the concentration of a protein in living cells over time. This enables a better understanding of developmental disorders and to the study of proteins with multiple functions.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/05/06/chromosome_glue_surprises_scientists.html

Traffic density and increased BMI are linked

People living in neighbourhoods where they perceived traffic made it unpleasant to walk were more likely to have a higher BMI than those who didn't. This is according to a new University of Alberta study looking at the relationship between the built environment , socio-economic status , and changes in BMI over a 6 year period. "We found that the more people perceived that traffic was a problem in their neighbourhood, the more likely they were to have a higher BMI. But whether this means that those people were less active, we don't know, but we do know this is something to be followed up on," said Berry, a professor in behavioural medicine and a population health expert in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. This study surveyed 822 edmontonians by phone and included questions about age, gender, education, employment, marital status and household annual income. Participants were also asked whether they had moved since 2002.

Vitamin D and Pregnancy

Vitamin D and pregnancy are a good combination. If you take vitamin D supplements during pregnancy safer for the mother and baby. It can prevent premature labor/births and infections.

Back in the 50s and 60s, people thought that vitamin D could cause birth defects. It now shows that vitamin D is important for maternal and infant health like bone health and immune function.

Recent studies show that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a serious health issue.
Diet does not give enough vitamin D, and we probably do not go in the sun as much as we should.

They did a study of how much vitamin D a woman should take while pregnant without causing harm. The greatest effects were seen among women taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Therefore, the researchers recommend this daily regimen for all pregnant women.

Safer Alternative to Laser Eye Surgery?

This article is about a new procedure for correcting short sightedness. Rather than the more common laser surgery to correct this problem, they have new lenses that are placed in the eye called phakic intraocular lenses. Both of these procedures work to change the path of light and the focus but they do it in different ways. This insertion of the phakic intraocular lenses is said to be safer than the laser surgery. A test showed that a year after the surgery patients with 20/20 vision without glasses was the same with both procedures but patients who underwent the phakic procedure had "clearer spectacle corrected vision and better contrast sensitivity."


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100511192246.htm

Michelle Obama's Plan to End Childhood Obesity Epidemic

Goal: Cut Child Obesity From 20% to 5% by 2030
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MDMay 11, 2010 -- Spearheaded by Michelle Obama, a new presidential initiative would reverse the child obesity epidemic.

The goal, as set out in a report from the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, is to reduce childhood obesity from 20% to 5% by 2030.

To accomplish this, the plan makes 70 recommendations for early childhood, for parents and caregivers, for school meals and nutrition education, for access to healthy food, and for increasing physical activity.

"For the first time, the nation will have goals, benchmarks, and measurable outcomes that will help us tackle the childhood obesity epidemic one child, one family, and one community at a time," Obama says in a news release.

U.S. kids haven't always been obese. Only one in 20 children ages 2 to 19 was obese in the 1970s. But around 1980 child obesity began to rocket to today's stratospheric level: Nearly one in three kids is overweight or obese, and nearly one in five is frankly obese.

Everyone knows obese kids face worse health than their normal-weight peers. What this means is that higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and lung disease may lower children's life expectancy below that of their parents.

Other effects are becoming apparent. The U.S. armed forces now warn that one in four Americans aged 17 to 24 is too heavy for military service.

To reverse these trends, the White House plan seeks to cut child obesity and overweight rates by 2.5% by 2015 and by 5% by 2020. It's not a vague goal. Scorekeeping will be up to the CDC, which reports child obesity rates every two years.

Other measurements:

The number of children eating a healthy diet as measured by the USDA Healthy Eating Index. A score of 80 out of 100 indicates a healthy diet. Today's score: 55.9. The goal is to score 65 by 2015 and 70 by 2020.
The amount of sugar in children's diets.
The amount of fruits and vegetables in children's diets.
The number of children meeting yet-to-be-established physical activity guidelines
http://children.webmd.com/news/20100511/michelle-obama-plan-to-end-child-obesity-epidemic

Should Healthy People Take Statins?

FAQ: Preventing First-Time Heart Disease With Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MDApril 2, 2010 – Should healthy people take a cholesterol-lowering drug to prevent heart disease even if they don't have high cholesterol?

The answer, for some people, is yes. It's a controversial answer that raises a lot of questions. Here are WebMD's answers to those questions.

Who should consider taking statins to prevent heart disease?
Statins are a class of drugs that lower cholesterol. In February 2010, the FDA approved the use of AstraZeneca's statin drug Crestor for preventing first-time heart disease. The approval is for people who meet all of the following conditions:

Age: Men 50 or older or women 60 or older
High blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is an indicator of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a major part of the process leading to heart disease.
At least one other risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, low HDL "good" cholesterol, smoking, or a family history of premature heart disease
Not included on this list is a high level of LDL "bad" cholesterol. Why? LDL cholesterol is a major contributor to heart disease. But half of all heart attacks and strokes happen in apparently healthy people with LDL cholesterol levels below the current level of concern.

Can a statin drug help such patients? One controversial idea was to test a statin -- AstraZeneca's Crestor -- in people with normal cholesterol levels but high levels of CRP. The AstraZeneca-sponsored JUPITER clinical trial enrolled 17,802 such men over age 50 and women over age 60.

An independent review panel stopped the trial after two years when it became apparent that patients receiving a placebo were having more heart attacks, strokes, angina (heart pain), and death from cardiovascular disease than those taking 20 milligrams of Crestor daily.

Even so, the risk wasn't extreme. There were 251 heart disease events in the 8,901 placebo patients and 142 events in those taking Crestor. But the reduction in heart disease risk was about twice as great as seen in most clinical trials of statins that enrolled patients with high LDL cholesterol.

So who should consider taking Crestor or perhaps another statin to prevent heart disease? The answer: men 50 or older and women 60 or older with relatively low cholesterol but with other factors that put them at high risk of heart disease should discuss statin therapy with their doctors, especially if they have high CRP levels.

The results of this discussion will vary. Different people have different constellations of heart disease risk -- and different reasons they should or should not take statin drugs.

Whether to start taking statin drugs is not a simple decision. Once a person starts statin therapy, treatment may continue for life. And while generic drugs cost less, treatment isn't cheap. Crestor, which is not available as a generic drug, costs about $3.45 per day.
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20100402/should-healthy-people-take-statins
I think this is very simillar to how older peple should take a baby asprin each day. I would like to know if it has any long term side effects before i make any opinions

dreams improve memory

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/22/naps.memory.dream.brain/index.html?iref=allsearch

It has been said for years that a good nights sleep will help your memory. This claim is partly true, but a new study shows that it is only true if you dream. An experiment was taken with 99 college students, who were to be put in a virtual 3d maze, and had to navigate to another spot within a maze. After the initial tests were taken, half of the students took a 90 minute nap, and the other half stayed awake and watched videos. After 90 minutes the tests were retaken and the nappers fared better than the students who stayed awake. One student who dreamed of being lost in a bat cave, fared 10 times better than all of the other nappers.
I think that this is an amazing study. It goes to show that relaxing your brain for a little bit is very useful. It is also interesting to read about the correlations dreams have with memory. Maybe this study will help students convince teachers to let them sleep in class !

Male Birth Control Pill Soon A Reality

Here is a link to the article!

Male contraceptives appear to be in reach! Within the near future, a few different formulations of a safe, effective, and reversible hormonal male contraceptives will become commercially available. It may not be just the woman who is responsible for taking her pill. Men may soon have the options of a daily pill, a patch or gel to be applied to the skin, an injection given every three months, or an implant placed under the skin every 12 months. Dr. Andrea Coviello of the University of Washington in Seattle have found that a male contraceptive that releases testosterone over three months is a potentially safe and practical method of contraception. Coviello, and her team of researchers, have also been studying a sustain-released, testosterone micro-capsule, which consists of a thick liquid administered by injection under the skin. "But will men take it? Some say yes, some say only if their partners make them, and other say they would never even consider it."
I think this is great. Having male contraceptives will allow a couple to feel completely safe. The responsibility is now on both people, rather than just on the woman. This could also prevent a woman from tricking a guy into thinking she's taking the pill when she's really not. Each person can be responsible for themselves.

'Mouse Grimace Scale' to Help Identify Pain in Humans and Animals

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100509144655.htm

This new study will help scientists ensure that laboratory animals don’t suffer unnecessarily and could lead to new and better pain-relief drugs for humans. Mice like human express pain through facial expressions. Through this study they have devolved a Mouse Grimace scale that could inform better treatments and improve the conditions for lab animals.

Pain research relies heavily on rodent models, an accurate measurement of pain is paramount in understanding the most pervasive and important symptom of chronic pain, namely spontaneous pain.

"The Mouse Grimace Scale provides a measurement system that will both accelerate the development of new analgesics for humans, but also eliminate unnecessary suffering of laboratory mice in biomedical research," says Mogil. "There are also serious implications for the improvement of veterinary care more generally."

This is the first success scale that can measure spontaneous responses in animals that resemble human responses to those same painful states.With further research the goal is to see if the scale works equally with all the animals used in labs.

Feeling stressed? So is the poplar

We are not the only ones who are feeling stressed nowadays. Believe it or not trees can also be stressed as well! They can get streesed by either having too much water or not enough water. Research done by Michigan University has found out the main reasons why this keeps happening to all trees. People are thinking about selectively breeding trees to help them cope with stress.

I thought this was so weird that trees could get stressed out!

Paternal Mice Bond With Offspring Through Touch

New research from neuroscientist Samuel Weiss, PhD, director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Faculty of Medicine, shows that paternal mice that physically interact with their babies grow new brain cells and form lasting memories of their babies. The study is published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Weiss and his team find that when paternal mice interact with their newborn babies, new brain cells develop in the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain responsible for sense of smell, and in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory. Weeks after the fathers are separated from their babies they still demonstrate that bond and are able to distinguish their offspring from unrelated mice. If fathers are prevented from physical interactions with their babies, no new neurons or memories are formed and they cannot recognize their offspring.
Previous research has shown that adult humans also have the capacity to generate new brain cells in the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus and that human fathers exhibit more affection and attachment and fewer ignoring behaviors toward children whose smell they can identify.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100510092059.htm

Neanderthal genome sequenced

Researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute have now sequenced the 3 billion letter in the Neanderthal genome. The current fossil record suggests that Neanderthals diverged from the primate line that led to preset-day humans over 400,000 years ago in Africa. After comparing the genes from samples of present day humans from China, France, Papua New Guinea, Southern Africa and Western Africa to those found in bones Neanderthals who lived 40,000 years ago, researchers found that they were 99.7% identical to present day human DNA. One thing I found interesting was that no traces of Neanderthal DNA were found in the present day humans from Africa. The article can be found here.

stressed?

 Trees have to deal with stress all the time. Weather it is the lack of water or too much water, pollution or changing environments trees have to learn to deal. Biologist's at Michigan Technological University have identified the molecular mechanism that common cottonwood and aspen trees use to adapt to changing soil conditions. The hormone gibberellins or GA have been found to affect the trees growth both above ground and below. When there is not enough GA the plant develops a large below ground network of roots, but above ground the tree looked dwarfed. When GA was applied to these same dwarfed plants they rapidly grew, but their root system shriveled up. They showed that there is a fine balancing act that goes on when a tree is under stress. The article can be found here.

stem cells

All plants and animals have stem cells or unspecialized cells that have the ability to become any one of specialized types of cells. Adults also have these types of cells, one of which is HSC. HSC's form new blood cells to replace old and damaged white and red blood cells. Scientists at Rice University believe these HSC cells are master regulator cells. This is interesting to them because it can lead information about other master regulator cells like embryonic stem cells. The complete article can be found here.

Air Pollution raises Risk of Heart disease; Deathhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100510/hl_hsn/airpollutionraisesriskofheartdiseasedeath

Air popultion is becoming a growing concern. There is proof that the pollution is causing heart disease and death. Fine parculate matter has been found in air particles, which can get into even the smallest of airways. The highest risk is being found in the ederly folks, due to an increased risk in contracting disease. Additional risk factors also contribute to this growing problem including dibetes and high blood pressure.

chromosome glue

Scientist at the Carnegie Institution have been surprised at the way the protein cohesin react when they are manipulated. It seems that they have found a way to insert a code to tell the gene to stop everything prematurely. In doing this the translation of the DNA is stopped and a fully functioning protein cannot be formed. Usually this would cause the cell to die, but in this study the researchers inserted a mutation called SUP53 which resulted in the occasional production of a full length cohesin protein. The scientists found this interesting because normally chohesin binds throughout the chromosomes, but with the lover amounts it was only found in the center. This explains why some cohesin functions are affected more than others. The full article can be found here.

Blinking Neurons Give Thoughts Away

Electrical currents are invisible to the naked eye -- at least they are when they flow through metal cables. In nerve cells, however, scientists are able to make electrical signals visible. Working with fellow experts from Switzerland and Japan, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg successfully used a specialized fluorescent protein to visualize electrical activity in neurons of living mice. In a milestone study, scientists are able to apply the method to watch activity in nerve cells during animal behaviour.

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Study cautions: Psychotropic medications overprescribed to children

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/04/20/study_cautions_psychotropic_medications_overprescribed_to_children.html

A new study from the Journal of Marital & Family Therapy warns of the dramatic rise in the use of psychotropic medications for children. One in every fifty Americans is now considered permanently disabled by mental illness, and up to eight million children take one or more psychotropic drugs.

Working in a pharmacy, I have seen this be the case all too often. The real shame is that it seems most prominent in poorer homes with those on medicaid. I don't know if it's just that since there's no cost to the parents to get the medication that it becomes easier than actual parenting, but getting kids addicted to methamphetamines so early in life can't possibly be good for anyone.

New Study Ranks Countries on Environmental Impact

In the article posted on sciencedaily.com "New Study Ranks Countries on Environmental Imapct", the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute in Australia ranks countries based on the impact that they have on our environment. The study found that the 10 most environmentally devastating countries are Brazil, USA, China, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, India, Russia, Australia and Peru. Several different methods of environmental deterioration were used to comprise the results of the study. Some of the indicators used were natural forest loss, fishery captures and species threat. This crisis is attributed to the human races overconsumption of natural resources. With continue abuse to our planet, the future quality of the planets ecosystems, dependent upon by the worlds population, are at stake.

Genetic switch makes old mice forgetful

A study, which was published May 7 in Science revealed that aging mice show a loss of memory based on tests done by Andre Fischer, of the European Neuroscience Institute in Gottingen, Germany, and colleagues. The believed to have found a clue to age-related memory loss among the coiled strands of DNA in the brain cells. The researches injected a drug into the brains of the aging mice to replace the acetyl necessary to kick on the memory genes. The tests were successful, and the older mice were able to show the retained memories that had been previously lost.

- click here for the full article -

Taste of power goes to the head, then muscles

Nicholas Gant, coauthor of the study, of the University of Aukland in New Zealand said "What we've uncovered is a way in which we can shortcut our sensory circuitry, and to fool our body, maybe, briefly, into thinking the tank is full." He is referring to a study that suggests that the initial consumption of a carbohydrate rich energy source, prior to nutrient absorption, may be enough to trick our brains into giving our body a temporary energy boost. The studies results held true even when the products were swished and spit back out. Gant and colleagues use the phrase "mouth-to-muslce" to describe the process that leaves the stomachs role out entirely.

- click here for the full article -

Even silent videos excite the listening brain

Have you ever peered through a window at a sight that, from your experiences, holds the expectations of making a certain sound, and causing, within you, a certain reaction for that matter. Kaspar Meyer, of the University of Southern California, and colleagues used a serious of tests to show that the human brain will react in the same way to a sight whether or not the expected sounds accompany it. After observing the brain activity of a few volunteers who looked at a series of video clips, including people playing violins, a dog howling and chainsaws cutting into trees, Meyers and his colleagues were then able to determine which of this clips other volunteers were watching based solely on their brain activity responses. This was possible because the tests showed patterns in brain activity among the test subjects based upon the particular clip in which they were watching.

- click here for the full article -

Iceland has longest-lived men, U.S. scores poorly

AIDS, smoking and obesity are reversing progress made in helping people live longer around the world, with mortality rates worsening over the past 20 years in 37 countries, researchers reported on Thursday. They found Icelandic men have the lowest risk of premature death, while Cypriot women do. Some rich countries such as the United States and Britain scored relatively poorly, the survey found.

In most places, men have twice the relative mortality rate of women, Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington in Seattle and colleagues reported in the Lancet medical journal.

"Worldwide, the 1990s reversal in the trend in adult mortality is probably a result of the HIV pandemic and the sharp rise in adult mortality in countries of the former Soviet Union," the researchers wrote.

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre63s638-us-deaths-world/

In the United States, 60% of adults are overweight or obese. This is a strong contributing factor to the way our mortality rates have worsened and our world rank has gone down. Every year, nearly 24million adults die before their 60th birthday. Obesity, pollution, chemicals, and the luxury of most people having a car contribute to this.

New Genes Involved in Human Eye Color Identified

"Three new genetic loci have been identified with involvement in subtle and quantitative variation of human eye color. Previous studies on the genetics of human eye color used broadly-categorized trait information such as 'blue', 'green', and 'brown'; however, variation in eye color exists in a continuous grading from the lightest blue to the darkest brown."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506172731.htm

Now eye color can be predicted with far higher accuracy and can be more specific about the actual color. This will add more choices to those who wish to pre-determine the color of their child's eyes. It will also greatly advance the forensic field. DNA samples collected at a crime scene will allow use of these new loci to figure out a precise eye color of a suspect.

Hidden Side of Star Birth Revealed

The first scientific results from ESA's Herschel infrared space observatory are revealing previously hidden details of star formation. New images show thousands of distant galaxies furiously building stars and beautiful star-forming clouds draped across the Milky Way. One picture even catches an 'impossible' star in the act of formation.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506112607.htm

An impossible star is a star that exceeds 8 solar masses. They believe it to be impossible because the powerful force from the light would blast away the formation loud before it can grow larger. There are many of these stars in existence, but they did not understand how they formed. Now that they can see it from space, the scientists have observed one of the massive impossible stars form.

Peptides May Hold 'Missing Link' to Life

Emory scientists have discovered that simple peptides can organize into bi-layer membranes. The finding suggests a "missing link" between the pre-biotic Earth's chemical inventory and the organizational scaffolding essential to life.

"We've shown that peptides can form the kind of membranes needed to create long-range order," says chemistry graduate student Seth Childers, lead author of the paper recently published by the German Chemical Society's Angewandte Chemie. "What's also interesting is that these peptide membranes may have the potential to function in a complex way, like a protein."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506121803.htm

When the peptides form this bi-layer, they can repel water. This allows them to form the membranes of nuclei. The new knowledge they now have has taught them much about the origins of life. They are also applying this knowledge to help understand disease like diabetes and Alzheimer's.

Mice Can Synthesize Their Own Morphine

"Traces of morphine in urine samples have been considered a clear proof of drug use or the consumption of food containing poppy in the past. Now a study by a team of scientists from the Institute of Environmental Research at TU Dortmund and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis, Missouri, point to another possible explanation: they managed for the first time to prove that mice -- and probably humans and other mammals as well -- produce their own morphine in their bodies."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506165907.htm

The research showed a similarity between the poppy plant and animals. They go through the same exact 17step process to produce morphine internally. Morphine in the body can be used to help nerve cells, neurons, communicate, or to act as a "homemade" pain killer. It is possible that people who have tested positive for morphine use, may have actually been producing it in their body without knowing it.

NASA catapults new Orion capsule into NM desert

"NASA engineers successfully catapulted the new Orion crew capsule about a mile into the air Thursday morning as part of a test of a launch-abort system.

The launch-abort system hurtled the capsule from a desert launch padat 7 a.m. and reached speeds of about 450 mph in just 2.5 seconds. The capsule landed about a mile north of the launch site as hundreds of onlookers, including NASA engineers and others who helped developed the project, clapped and cheered."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100506/ap_on_sc/us_nasa_orion_test;_ylt=AosZYlwxmkIGKqCv8kLPKOsPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJqaWNtYmQ2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNTA2L3VzX25hc2Ffb3Jpb25fdGVzdARjcG9zAzIEcG9zAzUEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDbmFzYWNhdGFwdWx0

This is great news. Too many lives have been taken in tragic accidents. Although technology has improved and crashes are less frequent, it is great to have an emergency system. If something is wrong during the launch, the emergency system will carry the astronauts away to a safe landing, away from the dangers of the explosive rocket.

You're a Neanderthal!

"We have met Neanderthal and he is us — at least a little. The most detailed look yet at the Neanderthal genome helps answer one of the most debated questions in anthropology: DidNeanderthals and modern humans mate?

The answer is yes, there is at least some cave man biology in most of us. Between 1 percent and 4 percent of genes in people from Europe and Asia trace back to Neanderthals."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100506/ap_on_sc/us_sci_neanderthal_genes;_ylt=Aug6GanzhsUbKNt4jevtJ74PLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJwM3Rscm40BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNTA2L3VzX3NjaV9uZWFuZGVydGhhbF9nZW5lcwRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDeW91cmVhbmVhbmRl

I liked this article, its pretty cool that we are finally starting to be able to trace our roots. We know a lot about the lineage of other species, but not so much the lineage of humanity. I found it interesting they said only people from Europe and Asia, they did not mention the Native Americans or Africans in that statistic.

Parasites

This is another great radio show about parasites. Take some time to listen and you wont regret it! In this show they will explore nature's moochers - the good, the bad, and the hideous. You will listen to three stories of lethargic farmers, zombie cockroaches, and even mind-controlled humans! My favorite part was when they are talking to this guy who went on a trip to Africa in order to CATCH hook worm, because they are known for preventing allergies.

New Normal?

This is a great radio show, and super fun to listen to! In this show they talk about how human nature and our idea of normal can change. They use three real life stories to provoke thought about this topic. In the first story, John Horgan examines how Americans seem to have a completely different attitude toward war than we did thirty years ago. He takes us on a stroll through Hoboken, asking strangers one of the great unanswerable questions: "Will humans ever stop fighting wars?" Strangely, everyone seems to know the answer. Robert Sapolsky brings us farther afield - to eastern Africa, where a population of baboons defies his expectations of violent behavior. Robert is surprised to feel hopeful for a gentler future, but then primatologist Richard Wrangham asserts that their aggressive nature is innate, unchanging, and hanging over them like a guillotine.... Take some time to listen and contemplate how you feel about human nature and our ability to change.

First Animals to Live Without Oxygen Discovered

This article is about a species of Loricifera found deep in the Mediteranian sea that can survive, and ever thrive, in an environment completly devoid of oxygen. Living in the anoxic and highly salanic basin at the bottom of the mediteranean sea, these creatures grom, metabolize, and even reproduce without any use of oxygen. Check out the full article at http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/04/07/first_animals_to_live_without_oxygen_discovered.html

Concerns of the Gulf Coast Oil Spill

It been in the news lately about the Gulf Coast Spill and how they need to clean it pronto so the fishermen can fish their catch because they are "suffering." What about the wildlife that is being harmed? According to the latest report, the spill is just two miles off the Louisiana coast and the Breton National Wildlife Refuge is only eight miles off the coast. This refuge is home to hundreds of nesting birds and other animals. Also, the spill is effecting the lives of 10 species of threatened sharks, 6 species of endangered turtles, manatees, whales and thousands of fish.

It was also determined that some whales have been intoxicated by the fumes and they can drown, if something is not done soon enough. Crabs and shrimp have it the worse, making the prices in the market skyrocket. This is the mating season of many of these animals and the outcome does not look great for the eggs. Already since Sunday, 30 dead turtles have washed up at the Georgia beach from this oil spill. America needs to think fast and start cleaning!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/science/earth/05ecology.html?ref=science

Global Warming: Future Temperatures Could Exceed Livable Limits, Researchers Find

This map shows the maximum wet-bulb temperatures reached in a climate model from a high carbon dioxide emissions future climate scenario with a global-mean temperature 12 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than 2007. The white land areas exceed the wet-bulb limit at which researchers calculated humans would experience a potentially lethal level of heat stress. (Credit: Purdue University graphic/Matthew Huber)

Reasonable worst-case scenarios for global warming could lead to deadly temperatures for humans in coming centuries, according to research findings from Purdue University and the University of New South Wales, Australia.

The researchers calculated that humans and most mammals, which have internal body temperatures near 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, will experience a potentially lethal level of heat stress at wet-bulb temperature above 95 degrees sustained for six hours or more, said Matthew Huber, the Purdue professor of earth and atmospheric sciences who co-authored the paper that will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Although areas of the world regularly see temperatures above 100 degrees, really high wet-bulb temperatures are rare," Huber said. "This is because the hottest areas normally have low humidity, like the 'dry heat' referred to in Arizona. When it is dry, we are able to cool our bodies through perspiration and can remain fairly comfortable. The highest wet-bulb temperatures ever recorded were in places like Saudi Arabia near the coast where winds occasionally bring extremely hot, humid ocean air over hot land leading to unbearably stifling conditions, which fortunately are short-lived today."

The study did not provide new evaluations of the likelihood of future climate scenarios, but explored the impacts of warming. The challenges presented by the future climate scenarios are daunting in their scale and severity, he said.

"Whole countries would intermittently be subject to severe heat stress requiring large-scale adaptation efforts," Huber said. "One can imagine that such efforts, for example the wider adoption of air conditioning, would cause the power requirements to soar, and the affordability of such approaches is in question for much of the Third World that would bear the brunt of these impacts. In addition, the livestock on which we rely would still be exposed, and it would make any form of outside work hazardous."

While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change central estimates of business-as-usual warming by 2100 are seven degrees Fahrenheit, eventual warming of 25 degrees is feasible, he said.

"We found that a warming of 12 degrees Fahrenheit would cause some areas of the world to surpass the wet-bulb temperature limit, and a 21-degree warming would put half of the world's population in an uninhabitable environment," Huber said. "When it comes to evaluating the risk of carbon emissions, such worst-case scenarios need to be taken into account. It's the difference between a game of roulette and playing Russian roulette with a pistol. Sometimes the stakes are too high, even if there is only a small chance of losing."

Steven Sherwood, the professor at the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Australia, who is the paper's lead author, said prolonged wet-bulb temperatures above 95 degrees would be intolerable after a matter of hours.

"The wet-bulb limit is basically the point at which one would overheat even if they were naked in the shade, soaking wet and standing in front of a large fan," Sherwood said. "Although we are very unlikely to reach such temperatures this century, they could happen in the next."

Humans at rest generate about 100 watts of energy from metabolic activity. Wet-bulb temperature estimates provide upper limits on the ability of people to cool themselves by sweating and otherwise dissipating this heat, he said. In order for the heat dissipation process to work, the surrounding air must be cooler than the skin, which must be cooler than the core body temperature. The cooler skin is then able to absorb excess heat from the core and release it into the environment. If the wet-bulb temperature is warmer than the temperature of the skin, metabolic heat cannot be released and potentially dangerous overheating can ensue depending on the magnitude and duration of the heat stress.

The National Science Foundation-funded research investigated the long-term implications of sustained greenhouse gas emissions on climate extremes. The team used climate models to compare the peak wet-bulb temperatures to the global temperatures for various climate simulations and found that the peak wet-bulb temperature rises approximately 1 degree Centigrade for every degree Centigrade increase in tropical mean temperature.

Huber did the climate modeling on supercomputers operated by Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP), Purdue's central information technology organization. Sherwood performed the wet-bulb calculations.

"These temperatures haven't been seen during the existence of hominids, but they did occur about 50 million years ago, and it is a legitimate possibility that the Earth could see such temperatures again," Huber said. "If we consider these worst-case scenarios early enough, perhaps we can do something to address the risk through mitigation or new technological advancements that will allow us to adapt."

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