Virus Linked To Cause Of Skin Cancer

Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center are developing studies on a virus that is linked to the second most deadliest form of skin cancer. The researchers looked at tissue from 58 that have "squamous cell carcinoma" which is a form of skin cancer that is expected to hit more than 200,000 Americans in this year.

The virus was found in 15 percent of these tissues tested. Researches believe the virus develops a mutation as it is in the immune system and that causes a strong role in development in cancer. More studies are being preformed everyday in order to get a answer on how to stop this from happening.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2009/07/30/study_links_virus_to_some_cases_of_common_skin_cancer.html

New Cancer Gene Is Discovered

The researches in the Sahlgrenska Academy, which is located in the University of Gothenburg, Sweden have discovered a new cancer gene. This gene forms glandular cancer that occurs in the head and neck in women. "Adenoid cystic carcinom" is the name of the new cancer gland. Researches have discovered that it is a very slow growing gene but it is also very deadly at the same time. A genetic test can be used to correct any diagnosis.

This new cancer gene is known as a "fusion gene." That is when two normal healthy genes connect together as one. Researches are still doing testing on this gene to find out more reasons of what causes this to happen and to study treatments.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2009/10/13/new_cancer_gene_discovered.html

Major Flu Outbreak, Unique Way To Study The Virus Behavior

U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Epidemiology Consult Service care are studying the outbreak of the swine flu. They are studying the patterns of the virus along with the behavior of it. This virus can still exist inside a person's body even when the person feels 100% percent better and continues their daily life activities.

The seasonal flu lasts for normally seven days. However, there is not study that proved that H1N1 will end in seven days such as the normal flu would. College outbreaks of swine flu are expected to continue to occur more throughout the winter. Researches are looking for more preventable things people can due in order to avoid this virus.

I think it is going to take a while for researches to develop a way to avoid someone from getting H1N1. People still are not prevented from getting the seasonal flu and that has been around much longer than swine flu.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2009/10/20/major_swine_flu_outbreak_at_us_air_force_academy_unique_opportunity_to_study_virus_behavior.html

Antioxidents and the H1N1 Influenza...

With H1N1 and other similar flu cases emerging everyday everyone is running to their doctors to get the flu vaccination and children have been giving the vaccination during school hours. The shortage of the vaccine for the H1N1 Influenza got a team of Alabama researchers thinking. The article explains that these researchers believe they have found an "Achilles Heel" for all types of the flu; including H1N1 Influenza. The team of researchers in Alabama believe that ANTIOXIDANTS- a plant-based food, will prevent the H1N1 from weakening our lungs. The H1N1 influenza damages our lungs through its "M2 protein" which, attacks the known as the epithelial cells that line the inner surface of our lungs. The M2 protein disrupts the epithelial cells' from removing liquid from inside our lungs, causing a high risk for pneumonia and other lung problems. These scientists conducted three different types of experiments with the M2 protein and the lung protein they damage.

The first experiment they injected frog eggs with the lung protein to measure its function. Next, they injected the frog eggs with both the M2 protein and the lung protein. Which, resulted in the decrease of the lung protein. Scientists then isolated the segment of the M2 protein that as responsible for the damage to the lung protein. Therefore, the protein can no longer damage the lungs. Since these scientists isolated the damaging segment of the protein they were able to re-inject the other proteins along with drugs that fight off oxidants. This also kept the M2 proteins from causing the lung damage. These scientists then replaced the frog eggs with human lungs and the results were still proving that antioxidants could prevent the M2 proteins from causing lung damage.

I found this article very interesting because my sister was recently infected with the H1N1 or flu virus she has been complaining about her lungs hurting. I explained to her about the M2 proteins attack the lungs and that antioxidants help fight and prevent lung damage.

Scientists Discover Influenza's Achilles Heel: Antioxidants. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 30, 2009 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029125538.htm

Did the Earth once produce natural nuclear reactors?

A group of researchers have come to believe that Earth once produced oxygen that contained tiny nuclear reactors. The scientists came to this assumption because of missing radioactive mineral from geographical records. The radioactive oxygen could possibly have played an important role in the evolution of early life. Scientists have linked that oxygen produced over 2.5 billion years ago was mixed with a photosynthetic bacteria that the gas became a waste product in Earth's seas. Around, the same time uraninite a volcanically produced mineral started to disappear. Scientists believe that the oxygenated water dissolved the uraninite. The researchers developed their hypothesis further believing that when the oxygenated water dissolved the uraninite that grains of radioactive uranium was released and traveled to water banks and shorelines. When enough uranium is accumulated a fission reaction beginnings releasing the neutron radiation. Scientists are comparing this with the only known area in the world where fission naturally has taken place Oklo, showing chemical evidence that concentration of uranium reactors once burned. Scientists are further testing this hypothesis in hopes to prove that natural nuclear reactors were present in ancient Earth. If proven, this will change the way scientist's look at nuclear energy, radioactive waste disposal and health issues with humans coming in contact with the low levels of radiation.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/1029/1

Ocean Acidity and the Decline of Oceanic Ecosystems

Small increases in many of the world's oceans' acidity are occurring because of the enormous amounts of carbon dioxide released by the environment; basically, this may be evidence for the theory of global warming. While this may seem like only a small change in pH, it has a disastrous effect on the development and survival of shellfish like hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern oysters. Researchers at Stony Brook University performed experiments proving that the larval stages of the above shellfish are very sensitive towards larger levels of carbon dioxide in seawater, explaining their developmental decline.
Two instructors from the university performed lab experiments where larvae from three species of ecologically valuable shellfish were raised in containers with different amounts of carbon dioxide (this followed a pattern of what is projected for the future). In the containers with the amount of carbon dioxide expected to equal that of the ocean within the century, the clam and scallop larvae displayed a more than fifty percent decline in survival. The larvae that survived the conditions were smaller than normal and took much longer to develop into their juvenile stages. The survival ratings of oysters did not diminish under these conditions, but they did develop considerably slower; they are expected to experience a decline in survival during the next century's carbon dioxide levels. The university hopes to promote awareness and shellfish restoration projects through these experiments.


Source: Science Daily Magazine

'Death can tell us a lot about living,' mummy expert says

When you hear the word "mummy," you might think of the ancient Egyptians who preserved their rulers by drying out their bodies and wrapping them in bandages treated with special chemicals. They mummified bodies to protect them against decay. And, although we usually think of a mummy as a human being, animals -- and even plants -- can be mummified. Today, many scientists are using these mummies to learn how our bodies work. "You can see anatomy, you can see pathology, you can see if there has been surgery, like a bypass," says Wade

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/26/mummy.specialist/index.html