Dolphins Have Super Sense Powers

The article I chose to read described a recently discovered special power that dolphins possess- the ability to sense electrical signals from other animals. These electrical signals can come from the animals contracting muscles, heartbeat, or pumping gills. Dolphins use this special sense power to locate and capture prey in the ocean.

Scientists claim that dolphins are the only mammal to possess this power, however, it has been mentioned that sharks, amphibians, and some fish also can sense electical currents from their prey.

Biologists have discovered that the ability to sense these signals comes from special organs on the dolphins' snout, called crypts. These organs contain a rich blood supply, so researchers knew they had an important function. Sometimes, too, dolphins filter feed off the bottom of the ocean floor, thus having limited visibility. This gave scientists another clue that dolphins would need another method for sensing the location of their prey. Biologists have claimed that this is a major breakthrough in research projects-- they have finally discovered that dolphins use electroreception to detect their prey.

Image- www.horiwood.com

Misty reservoir would fill 140 trillion Earth oceans, scientists say.

Black hole hosts Universe's most massive water cloud. In a galaxy 12 million light-years away resides the most distant and most massive cloud of water yet seen in the universe, astronomers say. "Weighing in at 40 billion times the mass of Earth, the giant cloud of mist sweddles a type of actively feeding supermassive black hole known as a quasar..."

Among the brightest and most energetic objects in the universe, quasars are black holes at the centers of galaxies that are grabitationally consuming surounding disks of material while burping back our powerful energy jets, and the vapor around this particular quasar represents enough water "to fill all the oceans on the earth over 140 trillion times--that is a lot of water."

It was found that the wet black hole using a spectrograph attached to the ten-meter Caltech Submillimeter Observatory on the summit of Manuna Kea in Hawaii. "As this disk of material is consumed by the central black hole, it releases energy in the form of x-ray and infrared radiation, which in turn can heat the surrounding material, resulting in the pbserved water vapor," said study co-author Eric Murphy, an astronomer with the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California. In fact, there's enough gas and dust present that the black hole could grow to be 6 times its current size--or more than 120 billion times the mass of our sun, Murphy said. Astronomers are hoping to use the find to study how large quantities of water in the young universe may have acted as efficient collants of the interstellar medium--the thin gas and dust that exists between stars--possibly affecting star formation and the evolution of galaxies such as our Milky Way.

7 Billion in 2011

Science Daily.com reports that soon this year we will reach 7 billion people in the entire world population. In 1999 there was 6 billion, this means that in 12 years we gained an extra 1 billion people.

The United Nations, expects around 10.1 billion people by 2100. At least these projected people will be occupying most of today's areas that are not as populated and Africa.

Still this insane amount of people that have not even been born yet are already causing problems for those of us who are already here. We now have to think about food supply, water supply, housing, and energy. This also means that with less space, everyone will be in closer distances of each other. This means that disease can go through populations a lot quicker. Health will be another top priority to worry about. David Bloom from the Harvard School of Public Health said "Those challenges are not insurmountable, but we cannot deal with them by sticking our heads in the sand. We have to tackle some tough issues ranging from the unmet need for contraception among hundreds of millions of women and the huge knowledge-action gaps we see in the area of child survival, to the reform of retirement policy and the development of global immigration policy. It's just plain irresponsible to sit by idly while humankind experiences full force the perils of demographic change."

Original Article from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728144933.htm

Picture from: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Population&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=Scqn_74BBFFVZM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tradenewswire.net/2011/the-worlds-population-may-hit-10-billion-by-the-end-of-this-century/&docid=fFC1KZCS7-G3CM&w=420&h=272&ei=xEI0TuBAiOHRAZWs9N8L&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=714&vpy=337&dur=4592&hovh=181&hovw=279&tx=222&ty=109&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=189&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0&biw=1034&bih=630

Fat Substitutes Linked to Weight Gain

ScienceDaily (June 20, 2011) — Synthetic fat substitutes used in low-calorie potato chips and other foods could backfire and contribute to weight gain and obesity, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

The study, by researchers at Purdue University, challenges the conventional wisdom that foods made with fat substitutes help with weight loss. "Our research showed that fat substitutes can interfere with the body's ability to regulate food intake, which can lead to inefficient use of calories and weight gain," said Susan E. Swithers, PhD, the lead researcher and a Purdue psychology professor. The study was published online in the APA journal Behavioral Neuroscience.

The study used laboratory rats that were fed either a high-fat or low-fat diet of chow. Half of the rats in each group also were fed potato chips that are high in fat and calories. The remaining rats in each group were fed high-calorie chips on some days and low-calorie chips on other days. The low-calorie chips are made with olestra, a synthetic fat substitute that has zero calories and passes through the body undigested.

For rats on the high-fat diet, the group that ate both types of potato chips consumed more food, gained more weight and developed more fatty tissue than the rats that ate only the high-calorie chips. The fat rats also didn't lose the extra weight even after the potato chips were removed from their diet. "Based on this data, a diet that is low in fat and calories might be a better strategy for weight loss than using fat substitutes," Swithers said. 

My personal opinion is that if your goal is to lose weight don't eat potato chips! I never bought into any of those low fat snacks. I eat whatever I want but I do it in moderation. When I want to lose a few pounds I just limit or cut out junk food for a while. I feel like a lot of people eat low fat snacks and expect magical changes but it just isn't that easy.

Cancer Risk Increases With Height

The taller a woman is, at a greaterrisk for cancer, a large study has found.

Researchers at the University of Oxford in England analyzed data on more than 1.2 million British women followed for an average of 9.4 years. There were more than 97,000 cases of cancer among the women. The researchers found that for each four-inch increase in height over 5 feet 1 inch, the risk that a woman would develop cancer increased by about 16 percent. The analysis covered 17 types of cancer, but the relative risk increase was statistically significant for just 10 of them. The authors suggest that levels of growth hormone might be involved in the genesis of cancer, or that taller people are at greater risk for mutations simply because their bodies comprise more cells.

Taller women had a higher risk of several kinds of cancer, including bowel cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the ovaries, cancer of the womb lining, cancer of the kidneys, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), and cancers affecting the nervous system. Although the study looked only at middle-aged women, previous research has found similar results for men.

Although the researchers found a link between height and cancer, it’s hard to say what the cause might be. There are several theories. Your height is determined partly by your genes, and some cancers have a genetic cause. So, it might be that some people have a genetic type that makes them taller and more likely to develop cancer. Aspects of someone’s life such as the food they eat, how well-nourished they were as a child, and their social group may affect both height and cancer risk.

I find this interesting because many people in my family have developed cancer, and are of many different body shapes and sizes. It leads me to wondering if the theory behind body size is true, or if it is just genetics that causes cancer.

Studying Brain Activity From Decapitations

An article on MSNBC suggests that the brain may live on after being decapitated for a period of time. A study done at Raboud University Nijmegan in the Netherlands explored the ethics of killing lab rats through decapitation. The EEG ( a measure of electrical brain activity), ended 17 seconds after decapitation. About a minute after, a large wave went through the brain. Dubbed the "wave of death", the researchers thought this was the final blow. Neurologist Michel van Putten and his colleagues at the University of Twente have suggested that the brain cells could be revived if fed oxygen and glucose. Granted, this is not a "living" brain, but is a very interesting fact about brain cells.
This article was interesting because of the strange nature of the study. Decapitation is a gruesome way to obtain information about brain activity, but nonetheless has given some interesting data on brain cells. This type of research could be very useful if it further gives information on the revival of brain cells. The medical field especially could benefit.

Photo: http://www.binauralbeatsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Brain-Waves.jpg

Can Science Improve Man's Best Friend?

According to an article in Science Daily, "Science and breeding can be used to produce dogs that have characteristics desired by the average dog owner and are well suited to the domestic environment." Essentially, this is stating that desirable behavioral traits in dogs can be heritably bred to produce dogs as good companions. Dr. Pauleen Bennett, a researcher from Monash University in Australia, supports this by stating, "Successfully matching the dog, its requirements and behavioral traits with the understanding and desires of the owner should mean the animals are more likely to enjoy good welfare throughout long, healthy and happy lives."

But what are these "desirable" traits that humans want in dogs? A survey for Australian pet owners found that the traits they want in their dogs include, "being friendly, obedient, affectionate and healthy", while the "undesirable" traits include, "nervousness, destructiveness, and excitability."

The article continues to say that traits can determine a pet's fate, and "make the difference between a dog becoming a much loved and pampered family member, or a mistreated or neglected unwanted animal." I personally agree with this. There are so many unwanted dogs and cats living in animal shelters, looking for love and affection. If breeding had been better controlled and only those dogs with superior genes (both physical and mental traits) were bred, then there would be a lot less unwanted animals in the world. People should only breed exceptional dogs with amazing conformations and personalities, and only if they are certain the dogs will have forever homes. Otherwise, there is an overload of animals who usually have temperament issues and those "undesirable" traits.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

"The Disease of Kings"

The disease gout also known as the “disease of kings” is on the rise as more and more Americans gain weight. It’s called the disease of kings because it was once thought to be only associated with the privileged few who had the means necessary to over indulge in food. The prevalence of gout has more than doubled in the past 50 years. Gout can be correlated to obesity and hypertension.

Gout is a build up of uric acid, because of diet, lifestyle, disease or medication, which causes small crystals to form in a joint, leading to inflammation and intense pain. Despite the increasing cases of gout in America it is one of the most, if not the most preventable and treatable forms of arthritis.

Obesity has been increasing dramatically in our county over the past half century. Even children are affected by obesity. As children and adults gain more weight, the risk factors for cardiovascular problems and diabetes goes through the roof. Its one thing that you can’t change your genetics, but you can change your diet. Gout can be easily prevented with a good diet and exercise. I think that if you find you self incapable of keeping/making a diet or starting a good exercise routine, its time to see a professional such as a nutritionist, personal trainer, or even some sort of therapist so later down the road you don’t not have medical problems to deal with. Because life is filled with so many ups and downs, I think obesity and all the problems associated is one of the last thing’s I would want to be concerned with.

Gulf Oil Effect Bird Eggs

In Daily Science, it described Texas Tech University's experiment and research taken place regarding the effect that the weathered oil would have on unhatched eggs.

In their experiment, only 39 percent of the eggs hatched while the other 61 percent died. The weathered oil had a better outcome than the non-weathered oil. The birds whose mating seasons were interrupted due to the Gulf Spill were definitely negatively affected, but there's a chance some eggs, hopefully at least 39 percent will hatch in the wild.

There is still a chance that the covered eggs that survive may obtain developmental problems. Hopefully, the bird population will survive throughout the years.

When the Brain Remembers but the Patient Doesn’t

This article from Science Daily discusses how the unconscious brain is able to function without the availability of the conscious brain. In one case, a patient survived an accident with brain damage and face blindness. To test her unconscious brain, doctors showed her images of familiar faces, unknown faces, and celebrity faces. They included new celebrities, as well as those who were famous before the patient’s accident.

The patient was not able to recognize the famous faces, however, her brain responded to the celebrities from before her accident. Professor Pegna concludes, “implicit processing might continue to occur despite the presence of an apparent impairment in conscious processing.” As long as a person’s cerebral structures are in a certain order (regarding time), then he will be able to respond to visual stimuli.

I think it is amazing how a person’s memory—from the time of the accident and beyond—may be damaged, but the memories that were established prior to the accident are still in tact. We can see here that just because a person with brain damage may not outwardly communicate visual awareness to doctors does not mean the brain is unresponsive. Ultimately, we can learn how important physiological testing is to learning about the condition of the brain.

Photograph: http://www.molwick.com/en/brain/025-human-brain-structure.html

A Cougar's 1,500 Mile Journey

In Greenwich, Connecticut sightings of a cougar were confirmed in early June by paw prints, animal droppings, photographs, and then by the body of a 140-pound male creature that was killed by an Sport Utility Vehicle. This was a startling discovery because, before this the last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Connecticut was in the late 1800's. The mountain lion's origins were determined by the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory in Missoula, Montana. DNA testing from the tissue of the animal killed in Connecticut matched DNA samples found in Black Hills region of South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Biologists determined this animals journey to be a 1,500 mile trek. "The travels of a young lion is a familiar pattern called dispersal, in which young males search for mates." Officials say they rarely travel more than 100 miles, it seems to have been a long and serious search for lion love.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/nyregion/wild-cougar-traveled-east-1500-miles-tests-find.html?_r=1&ref=science

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/us-connecticut-mountain-lion-cougar-incredible-journey-hit-by-car

Cancer Development

Contrary to previous belief, scientists are now discovering that cancers may be classified as a different parasitic species living in an organism. They are comparable to a bacterial level organism. Essentially, they grow when, where, and how they want instead of following the host organisms orders. That would qualify them as a different species. However, they are slightly different because their genome, unlike most other organisms, is constantly changing, so a new species is made with every individual cancer patient. Also, scientists previously believed that cancer was caused by random gene mutations. Now, however, many molecular biologists believe that cancer is caused by multiple chromosomal disorders.

This is an important step in cancer research. Cancer is a very successful parasite because of its resiliency. It can change the amount of chromosomes it has many times, but can still live as long as genes responsible for asexual reproduction are still in place. They are primitive, which works to their advantage, as imperfect mitosis allows them to constantly evolve. This makes finding a universal cancer drug that does not also kill the host almost impossible.

1. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726163519.htm

Bigger Brains for Those Closer to Arctic

A new Oxford study has revealed that humans living closer to the Artic grow larger brains than those closer to the equator. The study was conducted with the research of fifty five different skulls gathered from all different cultures and latitudes on Earth. After researching each skull the scientists determined that the skulls were some what larger than others from southern latitudes. They also noticed that the northern skulls had larger eye sockets as well. Research from the skulls indicate that the reason for a larger brain and eye socket results simply from an evolutionary adaptation to better process light. According to Oxford scientists " As you move away from the equator, there's less and less light available, so humans have had to evolve bigger and bigger eyes." The scientists also claimed the brains had to be larger to assist the visual input of the person.Larger eye socket volume can also be linked to extreme temperatures. These eye sockets were larger because they were filled with fatty tissues to better help insulate the eye ball in the human.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/07/28/people-in-arctic-grow-big-brains-study-finds/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic

Nerve Cells in Dolphins Form New Ways of Living

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/04/17/dolphin11a.jpg

An article in Science News talks about a new way that guiana dolphins can sense when and where there are prey. In a dolphins snout there are sensory nerves that can detect electrical currents pulsing in the water. These pulses can be formed from a racing heart beat, moving muscles, and gills. Scientists wanted to examine these nerves more so they took a cross section of the dolphins snout and saw that the nerves resembled the same sensory nerves as whiskers do. Many studies were tested to see the dolphins responses to activating these nerves. It was seen that whenever there was an electric current it would move but if the snout was to be covered to hinder the ability of the nerves, the dolphin would not be able to pick up the current, and the dolphin would stay in one spot. This is a very important evolutionary process to help a species stay on the map and not become extinct.

Many animals find new ways to adapt to their environment. This is an important way to find ways to out smart other animals. This is an interesting discovery because these nerves are similar to whiskers however are inside of the snout and evolved to help dolphins. It is always new discoveries that allow, not only animals but humans, to help see new ways to live within our environment.

Grasping for Any Way to Prevent Alzheimer’s

While reading this article about Alzheimer’s disease that was published in the New York Times I became mad and decided that this article should have never been published in the first place. Alzheimer’s is a mysterious and sad disease to get and even more so to watch a loved one die from. The article talked about a new study, by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, estimated how many Alzheimer’s cases might be attributable to certain behaviors or conditions: physical inactivity, smoking, depression, low education, hypertension, obesity and diabetes.
The part in this article that pissed me off the most was where they said… “The operative word was “could.” As the researchers pointed out, there is not yet scientific proof that any of these risk factors in fact cause Alzheimer’s. Only if they are shown to do so could the new analysis be considered a practical recipe for preventing the disease.”… also ““These things are not definitive,” said one author, Dr. Kristine Yaffe, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology. “We’re assuming that these are sort of causally related to the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s, but unless you have a great trial, you just don’t know.” … but the best part of this article is when they talk about the trial studies and they say “Evidence for or against any other causal factor was poor, often because studies were small, used vague or changing definitions, or did not rigorously monitor what subjects were doing.” Really?? Your not even watching the patients…why bother having a study?
Nobody knows how or why this disease happens but for my Nanny’s sake who died from Alzheimer’s in 2008 and had none of these “factors”, I hope the research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s is better than what this article is portraying. Especially since it is on the rise and I hope many families don’t have to go threw what I did…until then my family will keep donating and I hope researchers find a cure soon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/health/26alzheimer.html?ref=science
http://www.alzfdn.org/?gclid=COrlyYDJpKoCFeVx5Qodd2uOYw