Cell Phones may Affect Brain Metabolism

An article was published February 22nd, 2011 by Laura Sanders about how a 50 minute call may boost brain activity in regions where the phone is located. Researchers did a study, that shows that after just a few minutes of a call a PET scan revealed that brain regions next to the phone caused higher levels of glucose metabolism. "The human brain is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from cell phones" says coauthor Nora Volkow of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Brain regions affected change depending on the phone design and how people hold it. Researchers dont know yet if radiation from a phone stimulating the brain is dangerous but this is a significant finding. The reason i found this article interesting was because it shows how cell phones can be affective of the brain and hopefully in the future cell phones will be created that do not stimulate the brain and is safer to talk for long periods of time. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/70134/title/Cell_phones_may_affect_brain_metabolism

New Genetic Test Leads to Exposure of Incest

An article was published in the journal Lancet on February 11, 2011 about the exposure of incest cases from genetic tests. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have been studying child birth defects and developmental delays, and have been performing a new type of genetic test, called single nucleotide polymorphism-based arrays, to plot out a person's genetic makeup. The tests enable them to locate missing or duplicated genes by mapping out a child's genetic code. Often, the inconsistencies found in these tests can explain the child's disability. In several cases, however, scientists found large, duplicate pieces of DNA believed to be inherited from an inappropraite relationship between two relatives. The main concern that stems from this discovery is the possibility of evidence of child sexual abuse, most often girls between ages twelve and sixteen. Doctors now have routine tests to check if a child's disability is caused by incest. If a case does involve incest, doctors are obligated to tell authorities about cases of suspected child abuse.

This discovery of incest cases from new genetic tests has left teams of researchers with an abundance of legal and ethical questions. Dr. Arthur Beaudet, chairman of molecular and human genetics at Baylor, says, "The concern mainly stems from the possibility of children being sexually abused in the home." I think this discovery could turn out to be extremely helpful in court cases of child sexual abuse where no other evidence is available. It may expose some dark family secrets, but it may also provide closure for the victims of this type of abuse. What do you think?