Restricted use of chimps in government research

Cnn news post a recent article about the Institute of Medicine committee, stating that chimps should be limited to be used in research studies. Chimps genetics are closer to humans then any other species, and thats why chimps are so valuable to our research. The research is done by scientists, doctors, veterinarians and other experts to come up with the best results and to make sure the chimps are not beeing harmed. IOM recommends that chimps should only be used if a human can not fullfill the needs for the research. Since technology has changed so much, chimps should no longer be needed to conduct the research. IOM is not saying chimps shouldnt be used at all because the hepatitis C vaccines are tested with chimps. About 3.2 americans are infected with hepatitis, and every year 17,000 new infections occur. These statistics can be lower with the help of chimps. Its just a question weather chimps should still be used for futer medical discoveries, or is their a better way.

Lower Antioxidant Level Might Explain Higher Skin Cancer Rate in Males

A new study shows part of the reason why men are three times more likely than momen to get skin cancer. Although medical science does not know why, researchers at Ohio State University might have the answer. They found that male mice have lower levels of an important skin antioxidant than female mice. They also have higher levels of cancer-linked inflammatory cells. This skin antioxidant is called catalase. It inhabits skin cancer by cleaning up hydrogen peroxide and other DNA-damaging reactive-oxygen compounds that are formed during exposure to UVB. UVB, or ultra violet B light, is a common source of sunburn and cancer-causing skin damage. Studies show links of low catalase activity to skin cancer. Researchers say women have more natural antioxidant skin protection than men do, which is why men may be more susceptible to oxidative stress in the skin. This then raises the risk of skin cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174231.htm

Lab Creates Cells Used by Brain to Control Muscle Cells

For the first time, the University of Central Florida researchers used stem cells to grow neuromuscular junctions between human muscle cells and human spinal cord cells. These are the key connectors used by the brain for communication and muscle control.
This discovery is a huge step in developing "human-on-a-chip" systems. These systems are models that can recreate how organs and series of organ functions in the body. This could possibly accelerate drug testing, medical research, and life-saving breakthroughs.
A UCF bioengineer, James Hickman, said that these types of systems need to be developed if you ever want to recreate human function. He is the one who led this breakthrough. Hickman is eager about this breakthrough because some federal agencies have granted at least $140 million to grant funding to jump start "human-on-a-chip" research. Right now, scientists rely on animal systems for medical research, but this allows for a pure human system.
http://www.biologynews.net/

New Flu Test From UGA

Scientists from the University of Georgia developed a new flu test that is fast an accurate. The test first coats gold nanoparticles with antibodies. These bind to certain strains of the flu virus. Then, it measures how the nanoparticles scatter laser light. This allows the test to find influenza quickly.
The scientists came up with this test by knowing that antibodies can capture viruses and that nanoparticles have different traits based on their size. They combined these two to make a test that is sensitive and fast. An engineer in the UGA Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center linked antibodies and immune system proteins with gold nano particles. These bond with any flu virus by measuring the intensity with which light is scattered by the solutio.
This is an inexpensive teset because the amount of gold used per test is just 100th of a cent. These scientists are also working on ways poultry producers can use this type of test to detect salmonella. They don't wanna stop just at influenza because the test offers great advantages.
http://athens.patch.com/articles/new-flu-test-from-uga

Dolphins Quick Healing

From Science Daily, an article from Georgetown University Medical Center explains the research referring to dolphins and their ability to heal quickly. The article proposed different reasons for such an ability and how they are able to keep their shape after healing from a large gash, such as a shark bite.

They release a compound that helps fight infections. When cut, their blood is not near the surface therefore, they do not loose as much blood and are able to survive and heal quickly. The healing ability is "less like human healing and more like regeneration." Scientists are interested in finding out if the unique dolphin abilities can assist human injuries.

Summer Seaweed: A Possible New Biofuel

According to an article from Biology News.Net, researchers at Aberystwyth University claim the use of kelp (Laminaria digitata) could prove to be a vital alternative to terrestrial grown biofuels; but the suitability of its chemical composition varies on a seasonal basis. They say harvesting the kelp in July when carbohydrate levels are at their highest would ensure optimal sugar release for biofuel production. "Seaweed biofuel could be very important in future energy production," says Dr. Adams. "What biofuels provide that other renewables such as wind power cannot is a storable energy source that we can use when the wind drops."

This discovery could jump start a fast and efficient new way of producing fuel. With this new research put into effect, we would no longer have to rely on fossil fuel. Research in biofuel has been mainly focused on terrestrial plants, but there is a conflict on using land to grow food or fuel. Since Marine ecosystems account for more than half of global biomass and are relatively unused, this could be a remarkable solution. Hopefully we see more research put into this discovery and have seaweed fuel put to use in the near future.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/07/05/biofuels_from_the_sea.html

http://www.seaweed.ie/descriptions/laminaria_digitata.html

Selaginella genome adds piece to plant evolutionary puzzle

A Purdue University-led sequencing of the Selaginella moellendorffii(spikemoss) genome - the first for a non-seed vascular plant - is expected to give scientists a better understanding of how plants of all kinds evolved over the past 500 million years and could open new doors for the identification of new pharmaceuticals.

A team of 100 from 11 different countries was to sequence the genome of Selaginella, a lycophyte. Lycophytes are the oldest living vascular plants, which shed pores to reproduce and have a singular vascular vein through their leaves.

Scientists also discovered that the Selaginella is the only plant that has not experienced a polyploidy event, which means it does not create one or more sets of extra chromosomes. It also is missing genes that most flowers have such as controlling flowering and the stages of changing from a juvenile phase to adult. They are unsure as to how it does what other plants can do with its missing genes.

The genome of the Selaginella would help scientists understand how its genes give the plants its unique characteristics and how other plants are evolutionarily connected to it. There research is to help them understand how plants evolved as well.

This article was interesting to read. I really was never aware of how much we still have to learn about almost everything. Scientists are researching so many things and we discover/learning so many important things that will help us later in life.

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?

Water on the Moon!

here is an interesting article from the NYTimes, describing the discovery of water on the moon. while not directly about biology (noone has found signs of life on the moon), as we discussed in class, water is the most important molecule in the life sciences!

the article is also an interesting example of the scientific process and the culture of science. notably, there is an interview with a nasa scientist who had analyzed moon rocks brought to earth ca. 40 years ago during the Apollo missions. at that time, he dismissed the idea of water being on the moon. presented with the new data and now convinced that there is water on the moon, he said, “I’ve eaten my shorts.”

i'll post the original research paper as soon as it is published!