More Depressed Women?

 Many brain abnormalities, such as Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's Disease, Autism, and other all have the common link, Glutamate. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is located in the brain. Females that have depression, have been discovered to have a higher rate with the Glutamate receptors, than males with depression. This study that was published by Molecular Psychiatry, observed males and females with depression and thoughts of suicide. In this study, it was shown that females with depression would have the "biological markers" that could easily distinguish them being high risk for suicide. "More than 41,000 people die by suicide each year in the United States...It's the second leading cause of death in people aged 15-34. Suicide claims a life every 14 minutes in the U.S. ... Over 90 percent of the people who take their lives suffer from mental illness, predominantly depression"

Depression is a very strong concept people seem to misunderstand. People feel sad and claim to be depressed. Now knowing that its something the brain has to deal with and "fix it" within itself. I find it very interesting how people can misunderstand something so internal and personal. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150730172348.htm

The Importance of the Polar Bear's Y Chromosome

The well-known polar bear is one species that is particularly difficult to study it's evolution. This is due to the environment they live in and how it is hard to find their remains. Because of this, scientists have been studying their genes to fully understand their development. The Y chromosome has been studied extensively because of its ability to provide insights of genetic history. Using the Y chromosome gives access to unique information because it is only passed on to males. Their research concluded that there are two different male polar bear lineages across the world. This suggests that polar bears have roamed for many years and distributed their genetic information along the way. I found this article interesting because of how scientists found information on a species, despite the level of difficulty. Also, from this finding, the area of further investigation of polar bear development is endless.

The polar bear's genetic information is being used to study the development of the species.

Ecomorphs of Anoles

Anoles have been residents of the island of Hispaniola for millions of years as proven by several being trapped in tree sap from 15-20 million years ago. Jonathan Losos, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard, Emma Sherratt, and other colleagues set out to discover how long these anoles species have been around. These species that reside on several different islands manage to share similar body type characteristics that were shaped by their niches.

The Island of Hispaniola is known for insects and creatures being fossilized in tree resin and this is where these researchers collected 38 anoles of known species except for one all atleast 15 million years old.

To begin they created micro CT scans of 20 of the most efficient anoles. The results of their observation of the specimens showed the body forms were extremely similar to ones found today. These findings help advance the idea that ecological communities can stay livable for long periods of time. Dr. Losos stated in his study “our study does show that the same set of types of species can remain very static for long periods of time.” (NY Times, Gorman)

I think this type of experiment should be conducted for many other types of species of creatures. It would be able to help us understand what types of ecosystems can stay in tact and may even help us keep endangered creatures alive in the future.

Melting glaciers have a large effect on sea level rise!

Alaska is known for having the most beautiful, yet icy scenery. When my family and I went skiing in Alaska, we were given the opportunity to take a helicopter ride to the glaciers high up in the mountains. It was a spectacular view and an amazing experience of walking in an ice cave that naturally built itself for over seven years. While staying there, many Alaskans were not fazed by the fact that global warming could happen and that with losing 75 billion tons of ice per year from the melting glaciers has a large impact on sea level rise. This article shows that we are on the brink of devastation that can effect everyone. About 94% of the loss comes from glaciers that are located on land or by lakes where the heat beats down on them. One of the most viewed glacier in Alaska is the Columbia glacier in Prince William Sound, which is a large shedder of ice, having an annual loss of mass at more than 3 billion tons a year. This glacier has retreated more than 12 miles since 1980. According to Shad O'Neel, a USGS research geophysicist, "the glaciers are on the border of all the climate divides. Climate zones are separated by mountains, so the fates of glaciers at the tops of those peaks are dependent in part on slope location."

I took this photo from the helicopter!

I took this photo from inside the ice cave!

Green Tea Good for Memory?

Although many people enjoy the taste of green tea, what they don't know is that they could be improving their memory and other brain functions as well. The study composed by Professor Christoph Beglinger from the University Hospital of Basel and Professor Stefan Borgwardt from the Psychiatric University Clinic. Both professors ran MRI tests on healthy male participants to analyze the brain activity. The MRI showed there was an increased activity between the frontal and the parietal cortex of the brain. Professor Borgwardt came to the conclusion that the, "Findings suggest that green tea might increase the short-term synaptic plasticity of the brain" There is no actual knowledge to see how green tea and the frontal and parietal cortex work together.

The study will continue its research and it will increase the help in other mental problems such as dementia and and any other cognitive impairment. 

Even if green tea shows it helps in memory and other cognitive impairments, it only showed this study in healthy males. I'm very curious if this study could, or would apply to women as well. Personally I would need this because Short term memory runs in my family and to my own benefit, be ahead of the game. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140407101545.htm

The Art of a Clean Ant

Insect’s ecosystems may lead us to believe they are constantly covered in filth, however this is not the case. Walter Federle, hisadvisors and other colleagues from Cambridge along with the medical school of University of Warwick are well aware of the importance of cleanliness of ant’s antennas for survival to find scents, navigate, and communicate. To survey how ants stay clean they took video recordings ad used electron microscopes for looking at the cleaning ability of carpenter ants located on a joint in their front legs.

The ant is able to remove dirt particles by bending its leg to form a clamp for the antenna to come through and push off pollen and dirt. The antenna does so with its bristles that can remove the larger dirt pieces, and than a comb comes through and finally a brush to get rid of any debris left. There is one more process the ant goes through to reach total cleanliness, which is cleaning the antenna with its own mouth. This overall process has been perfected to the point that the comb and brush do not damage the valuable antenna by accommodating for the right amount of pressure and size.

The ant’s ability to clean itself is astonishing for such a small creature that is constantly living in an environment filled with dirt. This shows that that an ant understands how important its antennas are for survival and has evolved to be able to keep them in the best shape possible.

Jellyfish aren't what they seem!

As the oceans get warmer, jellyfish are on prowl to attack. They have been shutting down power plants from Sweden to the U.S. while killing thousands of farmed fish. GPS devices, normally used for house cats, were attached to jellyfish off the coast of northern France. One reason that more congregating in blooms may be from climate change. From this, researchers are seeking to develop a system to help forecast their movement and stop fish deaths. According to Graeme Hays, the leader of the group from Deakin University in Australia and Swansea University in the U.K., "jellyfish blooms may be increasing as a result of climate change and overfishing. They have a lot of negative impacts - clogging power station intakes, stinging people and killing fish in farms."The climate change has brought warmer waters, about 85 degrees Celsius more since 1900, which is a dream come true for the jellyfish. According to Lisa-Ann Gershwim, a marine scientist who researched jellyfish for about 25 years, the warmer water "amps up their metabolism so they grow faster, eat more, breed more and live longer."One bloom of jellyfish that is known to cause a problem is the Moon Jelly. In 2013, the creatures shut down Sweden's biggest nuclear reactor for two days because they blocked the cooling water inlet. In the U.S., Japan, and Scotland, similar occurrences also happened. To prevent these creatures from shutting down any more power plants, the Diablo Canyon was created. It is a nuclear station on the California coast that has automated screens to get rid of the animals at the intake and can deploy an air bubble curtain system to scatter and divert the blooms. With the advantage of the warmer waters, jellyfish have been causing a problem for the fish farms. Once they have come in contact with the net of a fish farm, it becomes a big problem. Depending on the size, jellyfish can either clog or sting the gills of a fish or restrict the flow of water, depriving the fish oxygen. Jellyfish are still a big problem for the ocean today. I found this article very interesting and informative. When you think of jellyfish, the things that come to mind are the ones you see on the beach, which are like jello. In fact, no one realizes how much of a destroyer they are to the oceans. I liked how this article gave you another side to the fun and jello-like creatures.  

Dogs love us as much as we love them!

According to today's surveys, dogs are a large part of about 50% of American households. From the way they wag there tails, lick us and cuddle with us, can we be sure that they really love us back? The answer is yes, thanks to the recent growth in brain imaging technology, which gives us a look inside the brain of a dog. According to a study, "not only do dogs seem to love us back, they actually see us as their family. It turns out that dogs rely on humans more than they do their own kind of affection, protections and everything in between." The most recent evidence pertaining to the dog brain is that scientists found that dog owners' aroma sparked activation in the "reward center" of the brain, which is called the caudate nucleus. This evidence comes from scientists at Emory University who trained dogs to lie on an MRI machine and used functional MRI to measure the neural responses when smelling both people and dogs. Along with this evidence, researchers in Budapest at Eotvos Lorand University studied canine brain activity in response to both human and dog sounds. This study revealed that there are similarities in the way dog and human brains process emotional vocal sounds. "In short: Dogs don't just seem to pick up on our subtle mood changes - they are actually physically wired to pick up on them." We now most definitely know that our pets love us as much as we hoped, even maybe more. I found this article very exciting because it clarifies that my dog loves me as much as I love her. When she barks and wags her tail when I walk through the door, I now know that she is really happy to see me. I don't know what I would do without her.

Death of local animals point to estuary in danger

In Melbourne, Florida, sudden deaths of three manatees in the Banana River have caused some suspicion of what is really going on in the water. Even more manatees, along with other animals such as pelicans and bottlenose dolphins, have been dying in the same stretch of water. Troy Rice, who directs the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, fears that an ecosystem that supports more than 4,000 species is collapsing under the large amount of pollution over the past few decades. In 2011 and 2012, unknown blooms of algae coated the estuary, killing many fields of underwater sea grass, blocking many necessities for both fish and manatees. Along with the blooms of algae, off Brevard County, the estuary is swamped with nitrogen, which is mostly found in fertilizers, organic matter and waste. There have been limits to dump nitrogen-rich matter, but non-point sources of pollution, like lawn fertilizer and septic tanks, have been harder to control. According to surveys in 2011 and 2012, the waters off Brevard have 45% more nitrogen than expected. There have been indications that the fertilizer runoffs are a major contributions of the growing algae blooms. Although the manatees were in good health when they died, looking inside, there intestines were severely irritated and shocked. Also, there was macroalgae that was in the three stomachs. According to Martine de Wit, a research scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, "We hypothesize that whatever caused these manatees to die was either ingested or gotten through drinking; its logical to think it's the macroalgae that they ingested." There are still some skeptics of whether they are jumping to conclusion or not. If these unexpected deaths continue, the implications are unknown. I found this article interesting because we don't know that dumping waste and nitrogen-rich products into the water is killing animals that are beloved by all. Also, I really like these animals and don't want to see them die without explanation. The ocean and the animals that live in it are very important to us. We have to take care of it.

Coral Reef Bleaching

Coral bleaching has become an evident and problematic phenomenon among various species of coral in our oceans. The relationship between coral and bacteria can be compared to that of a married couple. They thrive off of each other, creating a life-long lasting relationship. When the coral is subjected to climate change and human pollution, the bacteria growing in the tissues of the coral begins to withdraw, taking the bright colors and vital nutrients along with it. The coral becomes a bleached white color and is susceptible to deadly diseases. Certainly, a coral can survive a bleaching, but its life expectancy drops substantially. Efforts have been conducted to figure out how to reverse the effects of a bleached coral and ultimately bringing them back from certain death, however, research has been inconclusive at this time due to the increasing effects of pollution. This comes at a important time with human pollution and global warming in the spot light. Many scientists believe that if pollutants are decreased, corals around the world can be saved. I agree that if pollutants are somehow decreased, the global ecosystem will improve.

Coral bleaching over a span of 20 years.

A Look At Biodiversity Through The Eyes of DNA

DNA has the ability to introduce facts about a species way of life with one simple strand. Hanna Landenmark who is obtaining a doctorate in astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh is looking into global biodiversity by the means of DNA. By examining the number of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and even viruses, Landenmark and her colleagues formatted the biomass of each of the size of the organisms and the amount currently living. Their next step was figuring out how many cells were in these entities and multiplying that number by the count of DNA in the cell. The results from the researchers (Landenmark, Forgan, Cockell) stated in PLOSBiology journal “Earth contains around 50 trillion trillion trillion DNA base pairs — the building blocks of DNA’s double helix — plus or minus 3.6 x 10³⁷ base pairs.” That amount of DNA weighs up to 50 billion tons all together.

Earth’s DNA transcription rate was calculated also by the researchers, resulting in the ability to process DNA by 10²⁴ subunits each second. The information obtained by the researchers is simply an introductory data for calculations that could give more definite numbers by knowing the complete amount of animals in certain ecosystems and the size and amount of copies in genomes of species. These statistics have yet to become available.

DNA has been a prominent aspect for the scientific community for understanding our past, present, and future. The idea of determining how much DNA is truly on this planet I think will help discovering species that have not yet been classified. The start of this research has opened up a huge field of opportunities for the future of DNA research.

New Dinosaur Found in China

While learning about fossils and dinosaurs in lecture, scientists in China have stumbled upon a new dinosaur fossil known as the Zhenyuanlong Suni. This newly discovered species is thought to be a relative of the infamous Velociraptor. Paleontologists refer to the two species as close cousins, as fossils show similar feathery layers and bird-like features. Their dense feathers and short wings are evidence that the species probably evolved from aviator ancestors. Although, scientists believe that their wings were vestigial and were used for display and intimidation. This is an interesting topic because it shines yet another light on the Summer blockbuster, Jurassic World. Both critics and scientists agree that the movie was wrong in the way they depicted the well-known creatures. Many believe that they chose to ignore the scientific facts in order to please the movie goers seeking a thrilling film. I agree that the movies had it wrong in the way they depicted the dinosaurs. Scientific evidence shows that many, if not most, dinosaurs had feathers and other different details that were not shown in the movies. 

This is what paleontologists believe the Zhenyuanlong Suni looked like.

Polar Bears Sunbathing All Summer Long

It has been a known fact that bears take to their caves with full bellies when the cold winter months come for a long sleep. However, what about those bears who thrive in the winter months living in a snowy environment? Polar bears were thought to enter a “walking hibernation” during the warm summer months to conserve energy and keep their body temperature at normal rates. Since food supply for these bears is much harder to come by when on land compared to seal hunting on the ice a form of “walking hibernation” seems to be an effective method. A biologist at the University of Wyoming, Dr. John P. Whiteman has been researching these creatures by inserting devices in a total of 10 polar bears found in the wild. These devices and collars were used to track the bear’s body temperature, the location, and the physical activity of the bears all during the summer months. The scientist has many more years of work ahead but his results so far show that polar bears are not taking any measures to reduce energy output or body temperature, which is what commonly happens when bears on the land hibernate. These polar bears in the summer months have been found to reuse chemicals within their bodies that is usually released as waste in order to help their bodies stay healthy during their fasting months. Also, the bears use the cold waters in order to cool their large bodies that are used to cold temperature.

The idea of a type of bear not hibernating is a strange thing to take it but many do not consider the fact that polar bears find the winter months to be ideal conditions. Polar bears are very different than other bears from their diet, environment, and colors making it understandable that they do not follow the same hibernation pattern or any pattern at all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/science/polar-bears-dont-go-into-hibernation-like-state-in-summer-researchers-say.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0