What could have caused the death of a twenty one years old football player?

A U Penn football player has committed suicide and had left his family and friends in a big confusion. Thomas was known by his friends as a normal and happy person who had lot of great opportunities in the future; yet, he chose to kill himself. Researchers from Boston University said that Thomas had chronic traumatic encephalopathy; it his makes him the first active college football player known to have had this disease. Its effects are basically neurobehavioral which include: poor decision-making, use of drugs and alcohol, depression and suicide, impaired memory, erratic behavior. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) has been identified in the brains of late NFL football players John Grimsley, Mike Webster, Andre Waters, Justin Strzelczyk, Terry Long, Tom McHale and Chris Henry. So, this leads the reader to conclude that no one is exempted from any kind of disease because only boxers get this disease.
This article has to do with science because it is related to the brain. The study of the brain is part of the biology job. This article is related to Biology. Also, this article refers back to research; which means that it involves some mathematical operations, and some physics tools as well as some chemistry knowledge. So, this article encompasses Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics.
This concerns me because it has to do with the brain and I would like to be a brain surgeon and I would like to attend U Penn. So, being aware of the environment where I would spend my college life is a great thing.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/14/thomas.football.brain/index.html

i just learned how to do this :D.

Sebastian Rodriguez

AP Biology

Hot Zone by Richard Preston

A Novel for the Ages

To begin, Hot Zone by Richard Preston was an excellent novel. Extremely descriptive, the novel creates a movie in your head. However, the novel was written like if it was written in a journal. By that I mean, in the story it would switch between first person and third person narrative. So Preston would include all his encounters with any character that had even a little something to do with these virus strains. Therefore, Preston had the ability to make the crisis of these viruses’ epidemics seem like if they were to be happening right now. The novel just seemed so terrifying to the people that it affected, it seemed so real. I don’t want to ruin the affects of the virus on a human but it’s a horrifying scene that Preston tends to constantly repeat. It’s an imagine one can never get out of their head. Even with these images in my head it was a remarkable piece of work.

Now on to the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Preston describes the life of a man he calls Charles Monet. He writes about how Monet lived near Mount Elgon in Kenya. Preston tells a story about how Monet travels to Mount Elgon with one of his women friends and enters into Kitum cave. Doctors have no idea what he touched or what he breathed in. however, when Monet left that cave. He did not come out the same person. At first the Monet begins to get headaches, and then he begins to get headaches all around his head ranging from his eyeballs to his temple. Then backaches, then after a mere couple of days he loses all sight of life, he just sits in bed lifeless. His co-workers troubled about his health they take him to a hospital where they inject him with some antibiotics that have no affect on bettering his health. They send him to Nairobi Hospital, having enough strength to get on a plane he goes off to Nairobi. Imagine, Monet is a ticking time bomb full of a virus that kills 1 in 4 people that are infected and he is going on a pact airplane. While on the plane to Nairobi, Monet begins to get even sicker and begins to go into his final stages of infection. He begins to throw up black blood and his nose begins to bleed and refuses to clot. He soon gets to the hospital where he waits in line to get taken care of in one of those waiting rooms. Where he soon crashes and bleeds out where he is then taken care of by Dr. Musoke. He tried to put him on a gurney but Monet kept throwing up black vomit that got all over Dr Musoke, on his fingers, his mouth, all over him. Monet later died, he died a horrible death that no one in the world should have to go through so much pain, as one would expect, and Dr. Musoke also comes down with this virus, but is treated and to this day is still living.

They soon are able to diagnose the virus as Marburg virus one of the 3 Ebola viruses. People believed yellow fever was deadly that killed 5% of its contaminated. Now Marburg kills 25% of its infected. Imagine compared to 1 in 20 which was yellow fever to now 1 in 4.

They describe a family in the book called the Jaax family. They worked in the military in fort Detrick as pathologist, who worked with viruses. They describe 4 different levels of hot viruses. Marburg would be categorized as level 4 because there is not cure for it and you will die if you come in direct contact with that virus. Preston continues to write about an incident in where while working with Marburg that Nancy Jaax’s spacesuit became contaminated with come blood from a monkey she had to dissect that had “bled out”. Earlier that day she got a huge cut in the same hand that had become contaminated. She runs out to see if it had gone through all the gloves she had on. Luckily the last glove she had one stayed intact and saved her. In the next chapter ‘Ebola River’ we get the first real cases Ebola Zaire that has a death rate of 90% percent. This is a high death rate for a virus. Almost none will survive. The hospital reaches Yambuku Mission hospital where nuns would give injections to clients who come in to try to make them feel better. Soon the whole hospital becomes gravely infected. And Sister M.E. goes to Zaire for treatment where no one can save her and soon she dies. Medical teams and the army go into Yambuku hospital to secure the area and not let anyone in or out. The outbreak soon disappears as soon as it came and samples of Sister M.E.’s blood travels around the world and is identified to be related to Marburg and is named Ebola.

Later the novel changes over to the death of a Dutch boy named Peter Cardinal who died at Nairobi Hospital. Witch similar symptoms to Marburg. It is later found out that he and Monet both had visited Kitum Cave.

A scientist named Johnson travels to Kenya and does experiments on the cave to see if any animals they had live in the cave would come up with signs of Marburg. However in the end, none did. Therefore, Johnson goes back home to USAMRIID, and he ends up keeping his supplies in case they come through some kind of break through.

From there we move to the more important parts of the novel when the virus moves over here to the United States. We come to a monkey lab called Reston in Virginia. The monkeys they get are from Kenya in Africa. These monkeys are extremely violent, and have a leader and this leader will fight to the death if they see a human or another monkey tries to disobey them. Therefore, a lot of monkeys tend to die and bleed all over other monkeys. So one day at the monkey house in Reston monkeys in room F began to die. later in the chapter we find out that all the monkeys in that room die and soon this virus spreads to other rooms which proves its airborne. Dan Dalgard, the doctor for the monkeys thinks it’s a virus that is deadly to monkeys and harmless to humans to he send a spleen sample of a dead monkey to a virologist named Peter Jahrling who though it was SIM (simian hemorrhagic fever).

An intern at USAMRIID named Tom Geisbert goes to check on the test tube with the monkey’s blood and takes a whiff. If a blood sample has bacteria it has an odor and if it doesn’t it’s infected with a virus and apparently it did not have a virus. So they prepare the tubes for later testing and this chapter “exposure” ends with a cliffhanger with the fact that a virus incubates in a human for 3 to 13 days before you begin having headaches. =/.

On thanksgiving, the Jaax family has to drive Nancy’s father to get cancer treatment. And Jerry Jaax is still suffering from depression because his brother was murdered not long ago and he is obsessed over finding the killer.

Now back to the test tube. Tom Geisbert checks the blood under a microscope and his blood skips a beat. He notices the cells have been blown apart. And he remembers that it looks exactly like the blood from the Cardinal case. Terrified hes infected he finishes up the lab. He meets up with the other scientist and they agree to keep it quiet between the others and check their blood continually for viruses so they can avoid getting thrown into a room of quarantine.

Tom Geisbert confirms that the monkeys at Reston have Ebola Zaire, and Jahrling tells Dalgard about how the monkeys are infected with a filovirus but he doesn’t tell him how bad the situation really is. It was Jahrling’s job to find out what kind of virus it was and if it matched another virus under a scope it would glow. And can you imagine that it matched Sister M.E who had Ebola Zaire. Dalgard soon becomes more worries when one of the monkey’s caretakers had died from a heart attack. Therefore, Geisbert lets him have the truth about the virus. The United States ends up finally coming together so deal with this issue and come to a census that while the army handles the outbreak in Reston and the CDS will handle any human outbreaks of Ebola. They all come together at Reston to finally be able to operate on these monkeys and try to find a cure for the virus.

Now more and more people begin to become sick in the USAMRIID. Two people now sick one is sent to a hospital where he should have been sent to quarantine and the news world is there to be infected. Jerry Jaax ends up taking control of the army and takes care of the sick monkeys. He ends up knocking them out and taking blood test before killing them. More and more events happen including a workers suit having a hole in it and her having to be taken away from the building. A scientist named Thomas Ksiazek ends up finding away to find out if someone is contaminated with Ebola and Jahrling continues to be untainted by the virus. Day by day worse things happen in the House and monkey contaminated with Ebola escapes and one monkey attacks the same woman that had trouble with her suit the day before. The monkey that escaped soon enough is put down.

In the end they create experiments with fresh new monkeys with Ebola. This Ebola tends to not kill humans and has more flu like symptoms. They name this type of Ebola, Ebola Reston.

In the end, Preston goes to the monkey house and to Kintum cave and finds potential hosts but never really gets a definite answer on where the virus came from.

Elephant Caves (Hot Zone)

“They had no idea what had killed him. It was an unexplained death…It was as if Monet had become a corpse before his death” (Preston, 21). The powerful language and imagery used in Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone, engages the reader in a true story about an infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest. The Hot Zone is capable of enlightening the common civilian about the Ebola virus.

The book initiates with Charles Monet, a French man, exposing himself to the deadly virus in the jungle of Mount Elgon. Preston’s graphic description of Charles Monet’s death, explains the symptoms of Ebola, red eyes, head and back aches. After taking a small plane to the Nairobi hospital and exposing the virus to the other passengers on the plane, he begins to vomit blood and a black substance. After Monet bleed out in the waiting room, Dr. Musoke was able to assist Monet. The Ebola virus was unknown at that time and without knowing it, Dr. Musoke was exposed to this deadly virus. Because of no knowledge about the existing and deadly virus, Musoke diagnoses himself with malaria and typhoid fever but realizes that nothing seems to cure him. He is later on diagnosed with Marburg. More deaths of the Virus are discussed in the book and more and more people seem to be infected by this virus. It was understood that all the people infected by this unknown virus would die within a week.

The news about this unknown, uncontrollable and unpredictable virus spread worldwide. Nancy Jaax, a veterinarian researcher that works with USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) went on a search with other scientist. They were later on capable of figuring the birthplace of this virus. Unfortunately the virus was not found in the designated. When some scientist realized that monkeys from the area had broken out with the virus. After observing the monkeys, scientists were able to know that the virus liquefies the internal organs of the monkeys. From blood tests, it was evident that the virus that the monkeys were infected with is not the Marburg virus but a strain of it. The center is then treated as a “hot zone” and has to be decontaminated from the virus. Eventually, many monkeys were killed and the location was decontaminated. This book ends with the author, Richard Preston visiting the cave where the host of the Ebola virus might still be.

This book is relevant to biology because it is a record of an actual virus outburst. It explains the way the not only the Ebola virus spreads through the world but also any air born virus is easily dispersed. When Monet is on the plane, he easily contaminates the air with the virus and endangers the rest of the passengers to the virus.

You are not exempted from having flu, 30 years old men or female!

A recent survey conducted in November 2009 found that only 32 percent of adults had been vaccinated against seasonal influenza. This is a relatively low number. It has taken as a myth that once you are old, you can take care of yourself; meaning that you no longer need vaccine against flu. This is a mistake that many adults carry out throughout their lives. Miller, a football player was knocked out by the flu and could not play for many weeks or do any travel with his colleagues. This means that vaccine is necessary for everyone, regardless of your age. Miller said that sickness for him meant two or three days, no longer than that. But with the flu, he was forced to lay down on his bed for many weeks with practice. The CDC took records of people who took vaccine against the flu and deaths related to flu and these are their results: 60 million Americans had contracted the H1N1 virus, more than 270,000 had been hospitalized and about 12,270 H1N1-related deaths. These numbers leads us to ask whether the myth regarding vaccination and age is true.
This article has to do with science because flu is a disease that is contracted through the environment. Ecology is related to the environment, therefore this article discusses about science.
I am concerned about this issue because my own father did not get a flu vaccine because of the false myth. Also, I will be soon considered as an adult. So, knowing things that I should not be neglecting will help become more responsible.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/02/flu.guide/index.html

Vaccine, Autism? Is there any connection?

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others according to the Autism Society. One out of 110 U.S born babies has autism. There is a current issue that link vaccination to autism. Posted on Parenting.com, the article questions and asks parents to rethink about vaccinating their children. However, other researches prove that there is no relation between autism and vaccine. It has grown up until it has now become a controversial issue. Should parents vaccine their children and protect them from diseases or they shouldn’t.
This issue has to do with science because autism is a disease that is related to the nervous system; the nervous system is part of the body that is studied by Biology. Therefore this article discusses about science. Further, vaccines are mainly produced in laboratories that involve Biology, chemistry and physics.
The Autism Society estimates that the lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million, and that the United States is facing almost $90 billion annually in costs for autism. It further supports that there are 1.5 million Americans living under the control of autism. Since many lives are affected by this disease, it is incumbent on me to know about this disease and try to learn about things that lead to autism.

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_home
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/07/p.autism.vaccine.debate/index.html

Why Forget The Little Guy

Our effort to stop global warming is just us trying to save our own butts. When it comes down to it most of us want to “save the Earth” just so that we can continue living but say it wasn’t going to affect us but affect bugs and insects would we put the same effort? According to Jessica Hellman insects play a huge role in our world, more then we would probably expect. In fact our very survival depends on them because insects are the number one pollinators and our crops need to be pollinated to continue growing. If the insects were to some how die then we wouldn’t have much to eat since most of our food comes from crops. If we do not watch how much fuel emission we give of in the atmosphere then we will make every insect’s habitat to hot or too dry which would prove to be a life threatening catastrophe. That is why scientists are mainly focusing on the temperature increase because if it rises to a six degree Celsius increase then we are at the point of no return. Its not just insects we should worry about our live stock will soon go away as well. If the temperature rises then water in ponds would evaporate leaving the fishes either as easy prey or confined to a small area which they are not meant to live in. Also plants would dry to due to lack of water and all our live stock that feeds on grass would quickly die.
Global warming branches of to all the sciences because it is affecting a variety of habitats, animals, atmosphere, etc so it can’t be directly related to biology but have to do with somewhat. The biological part of it is that as temperature rises plants will find that they can not find water so they will wilt and dye. But if plants dye then a long chain of catastrophes will follow.
Global warming is a serious topic that should be solved as quickly as possible because the longer we wait then the more damage will be done. But our first concern showed not be us because plants and animals are not dependent on us but we are dependent on them. So the plans to stop global warming should be to first save all the important wild life that is key to the continuing of the food chain. If we do not take more severe steps to solve global warming then we will find our selves in a world where survival is limited.



Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115118&org=NSF

The Trick Behind Diving

Earth is the home of billions of organisms. Even though the Earth is perfectly designed to sustain life there are some places that certain animals can’t travel to because the environment is so extreme. Jessica Meir goes to these extreme environments and studies how animals have survived in such harsh environmental condition. Jessica mainly looks for animals that are hypoxic; these are animals that can survive with little oxygen sort of like seals. According to Jessica the emperor penguin can go under water for thirty minutes with a single breath, she also discovered that the elephant seal can dive under for two hours with one breath. Jessica is so fascinated in this because she wants to know how such little oxygen can sustain all the function a seal needs for two hours. Jessica also observed that both these mammals can dive more then a thousand meters. What makes these mammals such expert divers? Jessica and her colleagues discovered that they have oxygen-storage capability which comes from a high volume in blood and lots of proteins that carry oxygen to the muscles. Scientists like Jessica have made these discoveries by using a recording machine that tracks any physiological changes while in a dive. The seal’s management of oxygen allows it to make such great dives, when compared to a humans it’s extremely different, the human body uses the oxygen ten times faster.
The study of these aquatic mammals is the direct study of biology. When the scientists look for the reason to their success at diving they look for biological factors of the mammal. They look for protein cells, blood cells, blood volume, etc; these all have to do with the biology of the mammal that is why it is related.
This is a very important topic because not only does it explain why these animals are such expert divers but it can help treat some of our medical conditions like heart attacks and strokes. After a heart attack the heart doest work as well and so it pumps less blood cells that carry oxygen threw the body. By knowing how they distribute there blood we can then use that on humans and control there oxygen consumption possibly saying a victim from paralyzing any organ. It is truly interesting how discovering the secrets to how an animal survives can possibly be a solution to our medical conditions, there like almost two opposites. But knowing how these two opposites can go together can be a revolutionary discovery in the medical science field.




Link:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115268&org=NSF

Why DoThey Bite?

The mosquito is probably one of the most annoying insect there could possibly be. They come out in the dark and they usually start appearing around spring. There bites leave nasty welts that have a severe itchy sensation. But what attracts these six legged demons to us. Walter Leal believes that they are attracted by our order. He proved his own hypothesis right when he found out that humans and birds produce nonanal, a scent, that drives mosquitoes crazy for it. Using a syringe like instrument and tin foil to wrap his arm, Walter casted a experiment to test if he had nonanal and if he did, how much? He found out that not only did he have it but a lot of it as well. Walter recalls a moment when on a certain research day he was out on the Amazon where he sprayed so much mosquito repellent and still found himself the next day with a ton of bites on his foot. He said they went threw his thick sucks just to get at his blood. Walter was the first to discover that Deet, a type of mosquito repellent, had a smell that the mosquitoes hated but even when he thought he sprayed it every where he found a patch of bites in a small area. He said “They will find any spot you didn’t spray” Walter also says that out of all the insects he worked with these are the most annoying. During other experiments on mosquitoes he wanted to find out why you can’t feel their bite all the time. He discovered that when they bite us they release a saliva type mixture that not only draws blood to the wound but also num the pain sort of like a painkiller.
This topic has to do with the chemical biology of humans and mosquitoes. A scientist like Walter knows that sent that comes from humans attracts mosquitoes and he knows that the chemical they put in the wound numbs the pain. These are all based on the chemical biology of both humans and mosquitoes. So because this related to the chemicals that these two species give off this would be a direct topic of biology.
Walters’s discoveries in the field of mosquitoes have proved a great help. By understanding the mosquito we can then produce more effective repellents that can actually do the job of repelling mosquitoes. Not only that, but by knowing what mosquitoes feed off we could possibly stop the spread of the west nile virus which is problem to this day by spreading a chemical in the air that can repel mosquitoes from towns and cities. The possibilities are endless to what can be solved from learning about mosquito habitat.




Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116286&org=NSF

Living at Home

Everybody knows that natural selection explains why their can be so many species of one animal all around the world, it also explains why evolution took place but scientist are having trouble explaining is how this relates to insects? Scientists want to know why in some colonies of insects there are insects that can not reproduce but work just for the colony. Barbara Thorne, a scientist at the University of Maryland, believes that insects like termites stay home because it proves to be a lot safer then to run off and start a colony somewhere else plus they know that their parents will be killed by neighboring termites so it will inherit their living space. If this serves to be true then it goes against the evolution of sterility. Thorne and some of her other colleagues put three different family termites in the same area and like suspected, they fought each other often leading to the deaths of the kings and queens. To take their spots “juniors” fill in. These juniors were once sterile but then turn out to be the leading producers. The explanation to this is that pheromones given off by the king a queen leaves every other termite sterile but when they die that pheromone dies off. Since the colonies tend to be small, the chances of a worker being active are pretty high because termites tend to colonize the same tree. So in turn the workers stay in the colony because they know they will probably have a chance to become queen.
The study of these termites can be directly related to biology because it is dealing with evolution, natural selection, and all related topics to life which is all parts of biology. A background to biology will help any scientist study these termites and how they live. A biologist will know what to look for when you talk about reproduction and pheromones but if not a biologist then you won’t know what you are looking at.
Further studies on these termites would be extremely helpful to biological world. It would help to solve some questions that have no discovered answer. No one knows exactly why these termites stay in their own colony when they have a chance to reproduce on their own somewhere else. Barbara suspects that she knows why they stay but she still has not finalized her work and so she can’t yet confirm that the termites stay because it is more logical for them to stay and wait till their parents die when they can start a colony by themselves. Even if she does solve this problem she has to observe why other insects like ants stay just as workers instead of leaving and colonizing by themselves. Insects are in deed a mysterious bunch as our studies on them continue more and more information is being discovered.


Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116316&org=NSF

The Secret of The Mole Rat

The mole rat is the only mammal to this day that is also cold blooded. They live underground and have two teeth and tend to be in huge colonies. The most unique characteristics of these ugly little things is that can breathe in toxic air, that if present in any other mammal’s environment would quickly die of suffocation. This is not the only thing that makes them unique but also their extremely strange social environment. In the colony of three hundred one is a queen that only mates with three other mole rats were the others just search for food and supplies, much like ants in a way. Thomas Park and his collogues are studying this mammal to see how it adapts to its toxic environment. Over a long serious of experiments they found out that the mole rat has a mind that can still work even with a depilation of oxygen and that the brain doesn’t have a neurotransmitter that can send pain messages, well at least for acidic things like lemon. Park believes this is there evolution to help them survive under their toxic conditions. Park also observed that their whiskers were in a pattern and when ever he touched them it would bring out its teeth which for Park makes plenty of sense because a mammal that lives in a dark narrow tunnel with extreme toxicity levels, a sense of great touch is the only way for it to move around.
The mole rat to Park and his scientist is not only a pet but a real research topic on an animal that no one hasn’t yet really noticed. This topic is a direct study of the living environment and survival techniques that mole rats use and encounter to live in their type of environment. So this is directly related to biology because it is the study of the life of the mole rat.
Important information can be learned from the mole rat; since it is such a strange mammal it has really strange characteristics like for example it is cold blooded. That isn’t what really fascinates scientist but the way they can live in such toxic environments. Evolution really designed them to live on the worse condition possible for a mammal. Scientists try to use their studies on the mole rats to better understand how any creature can live under the earth for such a long time. These mammals can also tell us many things about how underground colonies communicate with one another even though they can be a hundred feet away.



Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116600&org=NSF

A Solution To Global Warming

Global warming is the most widely talked topic because is not watched and solved then there won’t be a planet to live in. Even though we are the cause of global warming we are trying to fix what we have damaged. Amy Rosenzweig's research group is using a bacterium to reduce all the green house gases present in the atmosphere. You might ask how such a small organisms succeed in a global task. It’s kind of simple, this bacteria uses copper to form methanol as food. During this process it also absorbs green house gases which are what our sophisticated machines can’t even do. Scientist want to use these bacteria to filter out the methane in air where others would like to use it to ride places were dense copper is present which will help the people that live around the surrounding area. The only problem is those scientists know that bacteria usually die over time if not sustained in the right environment. To solve this problem scientist have to understand how they transform copper to energy and what environmental conditions are needed for them to survive, whether it be hot, cold, or mild; all of this would make the difference of the success expected to be gained from this project. Amy doesn’t believe this is a huge set back but a minor speed bump to a long journey of accomplishments that are awaited.
To better understand the bacteria and how it turns copper to food, a background on biology is needed because, the only way to discover how this bacteria works, you must first know where to look. That is why this directly related to biology. But it’s not even the bacteria that relates to biology but the topic of global warming is closely related because to apprehend what the damages global warming can do to our eco system you must first know what an eco system is and how it functions which all has to do with biology.
This topic is a very important matter, because it may actually be the one solution to the world wide epidemic of global warming. In fact this could open many other doors where we can use common bacteria to maybe solve or cure some of our other ecological problems. This story has to be published in news paper because people don’t believe that there is a way to stop a certain crash course with global warming. This would bring out hopes to people who are truly concerned of this matter. Global warming like many other modern day ecological problems has a solution even though it might be microscope.



Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116836&org=NSF

Living in The Artic

When you think of Antarctica, the first thing that comes to mind is ice. But is there more to it then we assume. Its harsh temperature and icy environment make it a very difficult place to live in. According to scientists Shawn Doyle and Brent Christner there are microbes in the ice. This of course is extremely hard to believe because if these microbes live in the ice then where would they get there energy? If they can prove that there is life under the glaciers or in them then they can prove that in lakes that are frozen there would be microbes. To go about this the two scientists begin by getting a sample of ice which was most likely the easiest part of the experiment. They then would use these samples by putting them under a heavy duty microscope to see if anything is there. They have not yet found anything because they believe they haven’t looked in the right place yet. The major difficulty with is that the time it is summer there is only daylight which proves for good working conditions but in the winter there is hardly any light and it gets extremely cold along with dangerous environmental conditions make it extremely dangerous to continue in winter. So work gets postponed till the next summer which makes this a hard project. The hugest concern for the scientist is that they don’t know when they will find a microbe because they now its there but don’t know exactly where to find it.
Biology today has progressed greatly, due hundreds of discoveries made by hundreds of smart scientist who gave them selves a task and said they wouldn’t quit till they completed it. Even if Brent and Shawn have not found the microbe they are looking, they still stay determined. Eventually they will find what they are looking for and to our knowledge of biology. That is why this topic is directly related to biology because the discovery of the microbe would contribute to the biological world.
This should be researched some more because a discovery like this can prove the theory that nothing can live in the arctic wrong. This can also prove that under any ice bed there could be possible living organisms that may inhabit it. This story is posted on the internet because it is a key example that science is unpredictable and that you can’t always be too sure of something.



Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117005&org=NSF

Evolution in Plain Sight

Changes in the Earth like rising climate changes are going to lead to disasters in our eco system. Although this is the most widely talked outcome of this change, there is more to it then just bad outcomes; in fact this is a time to witness evolution. As rising temperatures are making the acidity in the ocean greater, there is a huge decline in sea coral. Scientist Mikhail Matz says “Corals have a substantial potential to evolve, and this is the high time for them to do it,” Matz is the leading scientist of a research group that are using modern technology to study changes in the corals RNA. Matz believes that witnessing evolution with their own eyes will not only prove all their theories of evolution but help them understand the cellular side of it. To go about this Matz will use modern day sequencing computers that can interpret the change in the genome. He will look for changes in the genome that would lead to the coral evolving. Matz is the first to use this method and hopes that by studying this he can better explain what evolution is. If things go as he plans then he will have a strong evidence of evolution that will for the firs time be in plain site.
Evolution is a theory that has brought a lot of confusion in our present day world. People still believe that god created all living beings but the theory of evolution contradicts all of the information we read from the bible. The theory of evolution is in fact true but why haven’t people learned to accept it? Is because we are afraid to admit that for the past thousands of years we based our lively hood and morals on a thousand page book. This topic is extremely important to research and publish because and probably answer the most contradicting question, does a god exist? Even though this may be not the reason why Matz is doing this, it will still leave most religious believers at a stand still. Religion is not the only reason why this should be studied; there are more important things to discover from it.
This is a direct topic of biology because it deals with the study of life and evolution. It deals with the genome, RNA, and genes which are all topics of biology. If Matz truly expects to see the coral evolve then this will be a huge topic that will most likely be awarded with the peace price. For this to be studied a scientist must know biology because this evolution happens at a cellular level and if you don’t know what your looking for then you will not be able to understand what happens to the genome, for example, during evolution



Link:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117130&org=NSF

Bacterian Language

They are microscopic and are every where around and in your body. The Bacteria is a single celled organism that, depending on the specie, needs a host to survive. They are on your skin and in your mouth waiting to go to your stomach, these small organism make up for there size with number. At times you may have a trillion cells where as they would have ten trillion. Although some are not always out to harm, they pose a serious threat. Using communication they can organize attacks on human cells. That’s right they do communicate, maybe not with words but by releasing small molecules that are detected by the receptors on bacteria and when these messages reach a certain level the bacteria knows that its friends are ready for an attack. This communication was discovered by scientist Bonnie Bassler while she was trying to discover how our own cells communicate. Bonnie gives this type of communication the name “Quorum sensing”. She uses this to develop antibiotics for virulent cells like Vibrio Cholereae Bacterium. She hopes that she can find a way to block these communications so that there wouldn’t be any organized attacks on the human body. She also hopes to use this communication to help bacteria cells that help us. Although it is work in progress this can be a cure to sicknesses we once thought were incurable.
To better understand how these bacteria communicate between each other, a scientist must have knowledge of biology because to understand what bacteria do, you must know how it functions and why it does certain actions. For example you must know that bacteria is a prokaryote and does not function completely the same as a eukaryotic cell. This relates directly with biology because it has to do with the study of live in particular, the study of bacteria. Also a background in biology can help scientists understand the reason why communication between bacteria can be extremely vital to there survival.
If Bassler finds a way to disrupt the communication between harmful bacteria then the millions suffering from the sickness can have somewhere to turn. This can maybe lead to other finds that can better keep us healthy. For example if there is a way to block the communication, then there should be a way to use there communication to attack one another or other harmful bacteria. The discoveries of how to prevent there communication can lead to many other important finds. The reason why this showed be published is because everybody should have a basic knowledge of what scientist are doing to extend our potential to live, and what to expect in the future.



Link:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117183&org=NSF

The Fear of Trauma

When an individual suffers from trauma, the symptoms tend to be anxiety, flashbacks of bad events or in other words fear. Fear is the hardest symptom that any trauma patient can try to surpass. It leaves the human mind in a distress call that can lead to other mental issues. Kerry Ressler, an investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is trying to study what trauma sufferers go threw mentally, and if there is cure to ease the distress. Kessler believes that a Brain Derived Neurological Factor (BDNF) causes trauma victims to keep on recalling the event that shocked them. On one of his experiments Ressler had two rats that did not have this factor and he discovered that they could not remember to fear the trauma inflicted on them, which in there experiment was minor foot shocks. Ressler believes that if there is someway to remove this factor from the human mind then recovering from traumatic event would be a lot simpler. Ressler also knows that the cause of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) comes from the BDNF which is a chemical from the prefrontal cortex that is secreted on the part of the mind that recalls the memory it solidifies not allowing it to be forgotten. Ressler hopes that a drug will prevent the chemical from secreting or will remove it from the spot it rests on.

This directly relates to biology because to better understand what causes PTSD a scientist must have a strong background to the biology of the mind. A scientist must know the biology of the mind to comprehend the problem with trauma and why it is so difficult to cure. A scientist must know why the brain sends out chemicals, how to stop it from secreting these chemicals, and how to prevent the victim from future PTSD. These are all information gained from a background about biology and without knowledge of the biological functions of the mind a scientist could not understand why this happens and a cure to the problem.

This problem showed be addressed and solved as quickly as possible because over five million victims suffer from this distress and rends them helpless and afraid to do many things that are key to surviving in this world. Scientist like Kessler and his colleagues are taking a huge task to solving it because this problem is very complex since it has to do with the mind which is the most difficult thing to apprehend. Trauma victims know what fear can do to the mind because they live with it on a daily basis and with so many in America a cure to this will be just as helpful as a cure for cancer.

Link:

http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117428&org=NSF

Great Feuds in Science: Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever by Hall Hellman

In Great Feuds in Science: Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever, Hall Hellman tells the stories of ten of the most interesting disputes from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. As the book goes on he reveals that these arguments are not only fueled by intellectual opinions, but also by ambition, jealousy, politics, and faith. The first story explores why Galileo was forced to renounce his theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun instead of vice versa. The book shifts focus several times from the age of the Earth, to Geometry, to Pangaea, to species evolution, to Physics etc. Each of which are all significant and have shaped the modern world.
Many of these disputes relate to science concepts. The chapter titled Pope Urban VIII versus Galileo has to do with the order of the Universe. It was common belief during that time, the 17th century, that the Sun revolved around the Earth. Through constant observation, Galileo discovered that this was not true. Not only did he realize that the Earth revolves around the sun, but also that the Earth spins on its own axis. The book also goes on to talk about a controversial, yet widely accepted topic, evolution (natural selection), “Let it also be borne in mind how infinitely complex and closefitting are the mutual relations of all organic beings to each other and to their physical conditions of life; and consequently what infinitely varied diversities of structure might be of use to each being under changing conditions of life…this preservation of favourable individual differences and variations, and the destruction of those which are injurious, I have called natural selection…” (pg. 83).
This book doesn’t really do much to change science or society. It was written to inform people about the disagreements surrounding the greatest scientific discoveries.

How does Mosquitoes extinction affect the birds, the natural airplane?

Bye to DDT. But yet, there is a new microbicide known as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) that is used to exterminate mosquitoes. Previous researches have shown that this product was harmless to the vertebrae. Thanks to a French team that instigated on this case and found out that exterminating mosquito with this production affect the food chain. Certain types of birds get energy from these sweet mosquitoes. The French team led by Brigitte Poulin, a bird ecologist at the Tour du Valat research concluded that “the overall breeding success of birds at sites sprayed with Bti was lower than those at untreated sites.” The team concluded that this product, despite the fact that it does diminish the bird population is far safer than chemical products that were previously used in many countries.
This article has to do with science because it involves biological species, mosquitoes and birds. It further discusses about the digestive system. Therefore, this article is related to science.
I am concerned because birds are part of the food web. So, one species of the food web extinguishes, it will somehow affect us, as human being. It is in our own interest to safeguard the bird population.
http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=6445

The Monk in the lost Garden the Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the father of Genetics by Robin Marantz Henig

Written by Robin Marantz Henig, “The Monk in the lost Garden the Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the father of Genetics” is about the work of the renowned work of Mendel; a scientist who had changed the face of science. Born into the deep Austrian Empire, Mendel came from a modest family of Anton and Rosine Mendel. During his early age, Mendel worked in a farm and was devoted into studies. After the age of maturity, Mendel attended The Philosophical Institute of Olomouc where he met one of his greatest teachers who helped him throughout his entire journey of seeking knowledge. One of his eminent teachers, Friedrich Franz, recommended him to the Augustinian Abbey of St Thomas in Brno in 1843. This monastery will change his entire life because it is here where he will revolutionize the scientific field. Mendel underwent many changes. One of these changes was to baptize his name; Johann became Gregor. He was then sent to the University of Vienna where his physics teacher was Doppler. He then returned to the monastery as a school teacher. From early age, Mendel was not suited for priest work. He was once asked to do the priest work; he could not do it. It was funny that Mendel, the father of Genetics failed twice his oral exam and had a mediocre grade. Further, Mendel’s work was not widespread during his century. This is why little is known about his bibliography. Nevertheless, Mendel had known many failures. He was once asked in a test to classify the mammals. Here was what he said:
Regarding hoofed ungulates,
The horse
The ass
The ox
The sheep
The goat
The chamois, the deer, and the stag;
What’s a genius who could not even refer to the species by their nomenclature name (Latin?) From the early ages, Mendel did not have any success. Mendel had great reverence for Galileo, Darwin, and Linnaeus. Linnaeus classified all species with their Latin names. Mendel was facing both financial and mental crisis. His parents were poor and therefore could not bear him adventuring into long years of studies. He was helped by his sister who gave him money in order to survive once at the university. Most of his family members wanted him to do farm work. He was mentally in crisis because he could barely pass his exams. So, the reader learn Mendel story that a scientist does not have to be a perfect person. All that Mendel had as a resource was determination.
From the beginning of the book to the last word of his book, Robin Marantz Henig discusses the scientific side of Mendel’s discovery as well as discoveries done by other naturalists. The Author mentioned Copernicus and Galileo who had different faiths for their “new” ideas about the universe. These two early naturalists made great progress regarding physics. Perhaps of the greatest person mentioned in this book is Carolus Linnaeus. Linnanaeus is the one that made it easier for Mendel to make his discovery. The Earlier classified all species into kingdoms, classes, orders and so on. He further established a system later known as the Linnaean system when referring to a scientific name of a species. Like Linnaeus, Mendel had known success. But prior to their successes they have both known failure. So, this teaches the reader that research is about eliminating the unlikely possibilities. Mendel discovered heredity laws and therefore became the father of genetics. Mendel cultivated and tested some 29,000 pea plants (i.e., Pisum sativum). He therefore developed Law of Segregation and the Law of Independent Assortment. To summarize his work here is what Mendel discovered:
(Please go this website for the picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mendelian_inheritance.svg)




In this picture the red is the dominant trait and the white is the recessive trait. So, according to Mendel, the likelihood of parents to have offsprings of dominant traits is greater than the one with recessive traits.
Mendel’s work allowed scientist to breed different species and segregate some traits. So, if a person wants to have offspring particular traits, the person can succeed due to Mendel’s work. Also, this is the basic fundamental of modern science.

How Does Salmonella Get Into Eggs?

On Friday the Food and Drug Administration announced they found salmonella in chicken feed that was used at two Iowa farms where tainted eggs have been traced. An estimated 2,400 people have been sickened from the eggs and more than 550 million eggs have been recalled since early August. Even if investigators have indeed found the salmonella source, you may wonder, how can the bacteria get inside the hard shell of an egg? Chickens get doses of salmonella bacteria (of which there are 2,300 kinds) from their environment, which is easily contaminated by rodents, birds and flies. These carriers deliver the bacteria to all types of farms -- regardless of whether they're conventional, organic or free-range.
This article related to Biology because it has to do with the salmonella baceria infecting chicken eggs.
It is important to us because it informs us that this bacteria is found in eggs also, which is a common food eaten by many people. By letting us know what could potentially be in our food, we could take protective measures to ensure our health.

Brain Exercises Can Accelerate Mental Decline

Exercising your brain can keep you sharp longer into old age, confirmed a new study. But here's the twist: When symptoms of dementia finally settle in, the decline happens faster in those whose brains have been busiest. The research suggests that mind-challenging activities don't actually ward off dementia-inducing diseases. Instead, these exercises prolong the brain's ability to function well despite the degeneration happening within. When symptoms finally do show up, the disease has already progressed to the point of no return. From there, the downhill slide happens fast. Still, the findings emphasize the importance of using your brain as you age. Putting off the clinical onset of Alzheimer's by five years, he said, would halve the number of people who have the disease, though there are still no guidelines about which types of activities are best and how much thinking is enough.
This article is related to Biology because it has to do with how brain exercises speed up the deteriation once it's onset has alreasy begun.
Knowing this is important because it informs people who already perform these excercises that although they delay dementia, they speed up the process.

Raw Milk's Appeal Grows Despite Health Risks

The long-running dispute over whether milk, both from cows and goats, should be consumed in raw or pasteurized form—an argument more than a century old—has heated up in the last five years, according to a Washington State lawyer who takes raw milk and other food poisoning cases. Bacterial outbreaks are traced back to nonpasteurized milk, yet proponents claim it is healthier and tastes better Last month, at least 30 people, including two children, tested positive for strains of and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria traced to raw (nonpasteurized) goat milk. In June five people in Minnesota were diagnosed with E. coli traced to raw cow's milk from a local dairy. One, a toddler, was hospitalized after he developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure that is a potentially deadly E. coli complication.
This topic is related to Biology because it discusses bacteria that is found in the lactiation of goats and cows. Humans are drinking it and contracting diseases from this bacteria.
This article is important because it informs people about the dangers of a drink that most people like, milk. If untreated it could cause serious complications despite that it 'tastes better.'

30 Years After the End of Smallpox, Monkeypox Cases Are on the Rise

The ancient scourge smallpox was relegated to biowaste bin of history more than 30 years ago, the result of the world's first and only successful disease eradication programs. Since then, however, cases of monkeypox—a serious, although less severe smallpoxlike illness—have substantially increased, according to a study published August 30 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors stress that better surveillance and a thorough assessment of the public health threat posed by this once-rare viral infection are needed.
This article is related to biology because it has to do with a virus that is most commonly seen in rodents and squirrels but is on the rise in human beings in certain parts of the world.
This article is important because it is informing readers about another form of air-borne disease. Letting people know about this potential epidemic can save lives because people will make sure to be more cautious about germs and sanitation.

Can Lab-grown Human Skin Replace Animals in Toxicity Testing?

It likely comes as no surprise that many common household chemicals and medical products as well as industrial and agricultural chemicals, may irritate human skin temporarily or, worse, cause permanent, corrosive burns. In order to prevent undue harm regulators in the U.S. and beyond require safety testing of many substances to identify their potential hazards and to ensure that the appropriate warning label appears on a product. Traditionally, such skin tests have been done on live animals—although in recent decades efforts to develop , along with ones that are more relevant to people have resulted in new models based on laboratory-grown human skin. New experimental models based on three-dimensional reconstructions of human skin are helping to reduce chemical testing on live animals, but cannot yet replace animals altogether.
This type of testing is not only important because it saves many animals, but also because it can protect humans from the damaging effects of toxic chemicals.
The reason why this article was written was to inform people about efforts to create new forms of testing in order to help animals.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=rabbit-rest-can-lab-grown-human-skin-replace-animals

Is this an End of Cancer and its sisters?

Researchers at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City made a recent amazing discovery that would revolutionize the regenerative medicine. Both the Hematopoietic stem cells and the mesenchymal stem cells form a union in order to form bone, cartilage, fat and other tissues. This means that this process can be used to form order important tissues affected by cancer, or other diseases. The researchers also found that the two stem cells maintain a symbiotic relationship between them.
This research was done in a lab. This means that it involve biology as well as chemistry and physics. It involves biology because it involves stem cells. Likewise, chemical materials as well microscopes were used to accomplish this research. So, this discovery is related to science.
This research interests me because I was currently growing stem cell factors and were participating the long process of finding cure for asthma. So, knowing more on stem cells will help me be more confident.


Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "Two Types of Bone Marrow Stem Cells Could Work Together to Advance Regenerative Medicine." ScienceDaily 17 August 2010. 4 September 2010 .

Another Ecosystem Savior! Long live to Ants.

This article talks about the mystery behind ants repelling giant elephants from acacia trees. Elephants are known to be giant and strong. Yet, they are repelled by little ants who weigh one billion times smaller than them. So, this is an amazing and confusing situation. The article compares this situation with David and Goliath story. The article also discusses whether the ants gain something from the acacia tree. So, the ants participate in regulating carbon sequestration in these ecosystems endangered by herbivores such as elephants. This discovery happened in Kenya. This has changed the thoughts of ecologists about species that help regulate the ecosystem.
From the article, two aspects of science are intertwined; Ecology and Biology. The ants help maintain agriculture as well as the ecosystem by allowing tree to grow without being eaten by elephants. So, this has to do with ecology. The article includes Biology in a way that it talks about living beings, ants and elephant and their anatomy.
This article interests me because I am more concern about global warming. If elephants are not allowing plants to mature and use the CO2, the world will be in danger. So, those little ants are participating in the process of stopping global warming. Are we, humans, doing the same thing?


University of Florida. "Ants Take on Goliath Role in Protecting Trees in the Savanna from Elephants." ScienceDaily 2 September 2010. 3 September 2010 .

Would controlling the nature benefit humankind?

The Associated Press (AP) discusses the news and path of the hurricane Earl. AP says that Earl is heading toward New England where many businesses are closing and people are confused. Many flights are cancelled. This means that businesses are losing money and the economy is affected.
All eyes are focused on Earl. The Atlantic Ocean is located between two continents and is always sending strong winds that sometimes turn into hurricane or tornado. Since Earl has to do with temperature, climate, this article is related to science. Also, the winds might affect the ecosystem of the coast. So, this article deals with ecology and geography.
This concerns me because I live in Boston. Since Earl might affect Boston, I have to be aware of things that affect Boston. Also, Earl affects the attitude of people. People around me are a little be worried of the outcome of the hurricane because some of them have never witnessed strong wind prior to this one. In addition, I would like to understand the relationship between economy and science. If we, humans, were able to block and avoid them, we would be better off and we would not know losses in both lives and materials. So, I believe that if we were able to control the weather, we would be able to reach Mars and improve our economy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/earl

The Host

There’s no pain, there shouldn’t be. The Healer cuts open her skin near her collar bone and put the silver worm inside. She can now control her and “tame” her. She will find out more for them and find the rest of the “wild” humans. The book I have read over the summer is called The Host by Stephanie Meyer. This was a fantastic book and I’ve enjoyed it very much. The book takes place in the future on Earth. This fiction book is mainly about an alien named Wanderer inside Melanie’s body who was trying to get back to the remaining human. The book started out with an insertion where Wanderer, the alien, entered Melanie’s body. They said this would be hard for Wanderer because she is a “wild” human, meaning that she was found recently while almost all the other aliens were put in a body that was already “tamed” and have not been hiding.

Wanderer, unlike most of what she thinks, was not adjusting to this body very well. She was actually talking to the human and this was very strange for her since she had lived on many planets and had many host before. This has never happened to her. She thought this was very unnatural and was determine to find out what she can do. When she finally got to know Melanie, she finds out that she actually cares about her and was trying to help her get back to her little brother, Jamie, and find her boyfriend, Jared, who was still human. The more Wanderer found out about Melanie, the more she cared about her. Wanderer and Melanie became inseparable. When she found Melanie’s family in the desert, she found out that there were more humans there than she expected. Gaining their trust was also very hard since she’s no longer the person they once knew. She was an outsider.

Slowly after Wanderer and Melanie settle down, the people began to trust her except for Kyle who had attempted to kill her several times. Kyle’s brother, on the other hand, found Wanderer quiet amazing and developed feelings for her. Since Wanderer and Melanie shared the same thoughts, Wanderer thought she liked Jared, Melanie’s boyfriend. When Wanderer finds out what Doc, the leader of the wild humans, do with the aliens they find, she knew what she had to do. She has to save her kind without hurting the others. Of course she knew what she can do, but is she willing to give up her life to save people not of her kind is the question here. She made up her mind when her Seeker finally found her with the “wild” humans. There is a way for Melanie to come back, for Wanderer to willingly give up the body.

Before Wanderer left Melanie’s body, she had to do a few things. First, she had to figure out her feelings for Jared and Ian. She realized that her feelings to Jared are just because of the body that she is in and her feelings for Ian are real. She thought that Ian can never love her because she’s not one of them. She also got Kyle to not hate her anymore. She also figured out that she was not the only one that wasn’t adjusting well to the human body, but all the other invaders as well. When she left Melanie’s body, the humans put her into another body so that she can stay with them.

The theme of this book is that it doesn’t take a human to know what’s right or wrong. I chose this theme because even though Wanderer isn’t a human, she knew what was best for everyone and chose to do the right thing. If someone not human is able to do what is right then we as humans should too, but we don’t always do it. We are able to, but we choose wrong at times. Not everyone is able to give up oneself for someone else. So if Wanderer can do it, we can too.

My reaction to this book is that I think that this book was fantastic. It was very descriptive and I can always imagine Wanderer like it was a movie. You can imagine what the book as telling you and it grabs your attention. It was a book that I told many of my friends to read and the overall plot was also very good. It was not only about love like an ordinary novel, it was also about being in a place not familiar to us and survival and a bit of science behind it. So overall it was a great book.

Like I said, this book is slightly related to science. In scientific terms, the “host” means that it has a parasite in it that absorbs its nutrients and/or food. In this case, Melanie is the host and Wanderer is the parasite. Like in science, Wanderer is living inside Melanie and getting her information. Melanie is providing space and food for Wanderer. There is also science behind the insertion of Wanderer. Parasites often get into the host body by a cut. The book is also related to science because no one can prove that aliens exist, just like no one can prove that they don’t. Maybe there are aliens called Souls and planets named the Origin. The existences of aliens are still unknown so this book might give us an idea of what might happen if one day aliens are found. They might take over the planet or they might just leave us alone and we will all live in peace. If the aliens are like the Souls, they might make us their host and control us.

The likeliness of this scenario happening is almost impossible to me. Planets with aliens called “the bird” and “spiders” are not that possible unless they also speak English. I also think that humans will be a lot stronger with our nuclear weapons and such these days. I also don’t think that aliens will make us their host because if they can attack us, they must not need the humans, but rather just the Earth itself. Also, I don’t think there are such strong and effective medicines out there in space since this is the only planet with life known now.

If this book became reality, it will affect our society greatly. First, our society will no longer be made up of people, but instead, hosts and Souls. We will no longer control our mind, but has another “thing” control it for you. You can’t say things you want and you can only talk to your invader inside your head. There is no longer a need for money because everything will be free to take and even if you are near death, the Healers can heal you and make you as good as before. Let us hope that will never happen and this was really a fantastic book.

Benefits for Breastfeeding

It is said that the motto that was imprinted in the minds of pregnant women is, "breast is best." As results are shown, it is said that breast milk have more benefits than formula milk. This is not only for the baby's health but also for the mother's health too. There are four examples as to why there are also benefits for moms. It was established that women who have few children are likely to get breast cancer, but if the women were to nurse their children for 6 months or more, it negates the risks of getting breast cancer. Another reason why breastfeeding is beneficiary to mothers is that it reduces heart disease. The more calories it takes to produce breast milk, the more mothers eat to keep healthy. Breastfeeding also reduces rheumatoid arthritis by 20 percent when a woman nurses for a year to two years. The last thing that breastfeeding is a beneficiary factor for mothers is that nursing protects against type 2 diabetes.

This article pertains to science concepts as breastfeeding turns out to be a benefit for mothers. It helps diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer and heart disease; all of which are under the category of biology.

This is important to know about because there are many women now a days who are at risk of getting breast cancer. Knowing about this would help them make the right choices to prevent from receiving breast cancer. This also helps future mothers know that breastfeeding can be a good thing and not a bad thing. This article will let them know that breastfeeding will not cause harm to them nor their baby, and that it is beneficiary in more than just 2 ways.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/womens-health/articles/2010/08/27/4-breastfeeding-benefits-for-mom.html

H1N1 Vaccine STILL Warranted

Swine flu strikes again as it makes its way back on the news. Now known as H1N1, swine flu is not only spread by pigs, it can also spread by people. It is said that scientists are expecting that the H1N1 virus to be a seasonal influenza for the upcoming years. Everyone knows that there is a vaccine for H1N1 but it is still warranted. The leftovers of the vaccine will soon be discarded and although the vaccine helped contain the epidemic, people are pushing for a better vaccine.

The scientific concepts of the swine flu includes the knowledge of the production of antibodies in the blood.

Swine flu relates to us because of the fact that in the past two years, it has been the cause of numerous deaths. It is important to pay attention to this influenza because it just might be seasonal in the upcoming years and that alone can bring up a series of ongoing problems.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/infectious-diseases/articles/2010/08/11/h1n1-not-a-threat-but-vaccine-still-warranted.html

Autumn Asthma Attacks

School can be a hazardous place and you might not even know it. AOL News have stated that going back to school, where there are seasonal allergens, closed confined classrooms and exposure to germs by other classmates, can unintentionally worsen a student's asthma symptoms. As a result to this, there are two types of medications a person would need to help reduce their asthma symptoms: long-term control or quick relief/rescue. For those who have asthma and allergies, their allergies can inflame their lung airways and maybe cause an attack. In order to avoid infection, students should make sure they are vaccinated with the flu shot.

This relates to science concepts as people with asthma have issues that pertains to their lungs. The lungs are a vital organ for breathing and getting oxygen into the body.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, asthma is the number one cause of school absenteeism. It is important to be well educated in asthma because anyone can suddenly have asthma and they should have the right to know how to treat it and ways of preventing asthma.

http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/asthma/asthma-attacks-increase-september?icid=main

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The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

The Hot Zone is a thrilling true story written by Richard Preston. In this story a mysterious and unknown virus surfaces in Africa, killing hundreds of people. Through out the story scientists try and figure out what is causing this massacre. They later find out that its a virus known as Marburg. Marburg virus hasn't been fully researched by scientists so the information on the virus remains scarce. As the story progresses more and more individuals are breaking out with the same symptoms. The symptoms usually include vomiting, skin irritations, red eyes, excessive bleeding, and a fever. Doctors and nurses were completely baffeled by this sudden out break, and as the patients with these symptoms kept showing up to the hospital they didn't know how to treat them so unfortunately they would all die within a week. Since, this infection was unknown to scientists and physicians, as they treated these patients who came in infected they wouldn't wear lab suits because they were unaware that it was extremely contagious. Soon everyone in contact with the people who were infected with this virus started to show the same symptons and broke out with the viral infection as well.

The news of this uncontrolable virus soon spread to researchers and scientist every where, but most of them were too afraid to take on the job because its extremely contagious and has a high death rate. But when researcher Nancy Jaax, veterinary pathologist at USAMRIID, was presented with the job opportunity she wasn't hesitant on accepting the job along with other scientists such as Eugene Johnson, Peter Jahrling, Tom Geisbert, Clarence James Peters, and Dr. Joseph B. McCormick. As they conducted there research they got a lead on where the the virus first occured, but when they went back to search for it, the virus was no where to be found. Eventually, the researchers found that monkeys were breaking out with the virus. As they started to study the monkeys they found that as the virus began to take over the body it liquified all of the monkeys' organs. When the scientists studied the blood and virus infested tissues they noticed that the virus looked different from the Marburg virus. This led them to believe that what they're dealing with isn't Marburg, but a sister virus. Furthering their research they actually found three different subtypes of Marburg, which are identified as Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, and Ebola Reston.

This story not only relates to science and biology, but it lives science and biology. The books main discussion involves an unknown virus that rips through its host leaving nothing, but liquified organ mush. When the monkey cells are magnified under a microscope, the cells show nothing but virus crystalloids. Crystalloids are viruses packed together so they resemble a block like figure. As these Ebola viruses invade their hosts cells, they magnify and eventually burst through the cells membrane leaving behind a deadly mess. Even as researchers studied over a hundred monkeys they still could not understand why the this virus was so invasive and deadly. This virus is so deadly that nine out of ten people die within one week of being infected. The strange thing about this virus is that it resembles the AIDS virus. The Ebola virus has all of the qualities of the AIDS virus, except that it can be air born unlike AIDS. Also, there aren't any medications available for the Ebola virus like there are for AIDS, because this virus is new so no medications have been found to slow down the magnifaction process. Ebola is uncurable. So in reality, this makes the Ebola virus ten times worse than one of the worlds biggest epidemics, known as AIDS!

The discovery of the Marburg, and Ebola viruses are going to impact todays society immensely. Scientists have never found something so deadly and confusing as the Ebola virus, since they have discovered AIDS. And since there is no cure for Ebola if anyone becomes infected again and comes in contact with other people causing them to become infected, society could be in serious danger! A main reason why the virus cannot be completely understood, because its native origin is still unknown. Even after a month long biological search in Africa's Kitum Cave, nothing was found, not even a single trace of this mysterious virus. One of the scientists even described this virus as something most people would find disturbing. He described the virus as being "beautiful" because of its mysterious and powerful ways of wiping through a host within a week leaving behind nothing, but mush, liquid and blood. Although this viral out break has been dormant for a while now, it still lives in the back of the mind of the scientists from USAMRIID. No one knows when the virus will make another grand appearance or where the virus is currently hiding, but where ever it is currently residing we shall hope and pray that it doesn't wake up. For if the virus wakes up, the human population can be in serious danger. And if it mutates into different subtypes and humans are infected humans can begin to die out in different parts of the nation, eventually leading to the extinction of the entire human race!

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Deception Point is written by Dan Brown. Brown is exceptionally good at making his book full of excitement. It contains thriller and suspense which reels its readers in. Also the book is full of information and it is also descriptive. Although this book is fiction, the whole plot seems like it could actually happen. The book talks of how the scientists up in the Artic found extraterrestrial organisms in a meteorite and how other forces try to stop these scientists from announcing this news to the public.

The story starts off with Rachel Sexton meeting up with her father Sedgewick Sexton. Rachel is works for the National Reconnaissance Office and works analyzing and making data simpler. Her father is Senator and running for presidency against Zachery Herney, the president right now. The polls have shown the people that her father was winning against the president now Zachery Herney. After conversing for a few minutes, Sedgewick tells Rachel that she should join his side since he is going to win nonetheless. Rachel declines his proposition quickly and leaves when he insults her. She went to meet her boss, William Pickering the director of the NRO. He tells her that the president wants to meet up with her. She becomes confused immediately because she’s thinking why the president would want to meet her. He tells her, however, to go meet the president and if anything goes wrong he will have someone transport her back to the NRO.

After meeting the president, she learns that he wants her to go to the Artic to confirm the authenticity of a meteorite there. Herney believes that whatever is up there would help him win the presidency. Rachel had no choice but to agree with the Herney. After getting to the Artic, Rachel meets up with several civilians who were also asked to go to the Artic. These people were Michael Tolland, an oceanographer, Corky Marlinson, an astrophysist, and Dr. Wailee Ming, a paleontologist, and Norah Mangor, a glaciologist. She learns that the meteorite was found in the Milne Ice Shelf. She also learns that why NASA believes this meteorite came from space. One it had chondrules. Second it had a fossilized insect in which could clearly be seen. And third the rock had a fusion crust which only happened when a rock reached a certain temperature and then immediately cooled down.

The scientists there firmly believed that this rock contained extraterrestrial beings. After the news was sent around place everyone started celebrating. However Ming saw an abnormity in the spot where the meteorite was pulled up. There was bioluminescent plankton there. Before he could collect data and report it to the others, a Delta Force killed him. The Delta Force where talking orders from “The Controller”. When Tolland also see the plankton and report it to the others, they find out that there was sea water. This was supposed to be impossible since the meteorite was in an enclosed space. To see why there was sea water, Norah, Rachel, Michael, and Corky go out to scan the ice.

They see the dead body of Ming and there was another hole on the bottom where the meteorite was probably inserted through. When they were preparing to go back to the NASA base, they were attacked by the Delta Force. Norah died but the other three were able to escape by “flying” away. The threesome is rescued by the USS Charlotte. Onboard, Rachel tells Pickering what had happened and he immediately sends a chopper to get them.

Rachel and Tolland tell the chopper to go to Tolland’s ship the Goya. However, when they get on the Goya, they are mysteriously attacked by the Delta Force again. The Delta Force was on a Kiowa airplane and attacking the three up in the air. Rachel faxes her father the lies NASA has conjured up. This time, fortunately, the three are able to kill the three using the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy. Once the three were killed their leader appeared from the airplane. He was William Pickering. The Director of NRO. Rachel’s boss. They were able to escape from him and he died when the Goya started sinking down. Using the information his daughter has given her, Sedgewick was definitely going to win the election. However, at the press conference, Sedgewick’s advisor exchanged folders with him. Once Sedgewick knew he had handed out the wrong information, it was too late. Zachary Herney has gotten his second term as president.

This novel talks about the discovery of other extraterrestrial life other than on earth. The scientists in the Artic have found a meteorite that contains a louse that doesn’t look like it was from earth. Why the scientists think it look like a louse just like on earth was because of panspermia. “Panspermia is the theory that life was seeded from another planet.” (pg. 122) This theory stated that earth was once a lifeless planet. So when a meteorite crashed into earth, it brought with it microorganisms. These organisms sprang to life and involved into all the different species here today.

This novel also talks about the formation of meteorites. When Rachel and Corky meet, they talk of why the meteorite was definitely from space. The first was because of the fusion crust. The fusion crust of meteorites occurs when there is extreme heating as the meteorite falls down into our atmosphere. The second was that there were chondrules, which were little bubbles that occurred only in meteorites. “Chondrules are one geologic structure we simply do not have on earth. Some chondrules are exceptionally old—perhaps madeup of the earliest materials in the universe.” And the third was that the nickel content of the meteorite was between the mid ranges. All other rocks from earth had nickel content from the low range to the high range, never in the mid range.

The events that happened in this book are not so likely to also happen in our world. Scientists and even civilians see meteorites fall from the skies. However, never in history have we found a meteorite with an organism that doesn’t look like anything from earth. Also if we even did find a meteorite with a fossilized organism in it, people will say that it was a fraud like in this book. If these events became reality, then it would cause so much controversy. For example, almost all the religions on earth would be questioned. They would be asked how would they respond to what is happening right now. Then much more money would be invested into space companies like NASA. This would be bad since our economy is already in a bad state.

In conclusion, Deception Point gives us much insight into things like there being a possibility for extraterrestrial life elsewhere. Also, once I was done with this book, there were still a lot of questions on my mind. This book is a great inspiration to me and probably are to others.

Complications with Stem Cell Biology

A few days after fertilization, human embryos are taken and used as a blank slate for cells. These cells could turn into any of the 200 mature cell types in the body. They can also be used to study and treat diseases. Yet the point of these facts result in the use of human embryos, also destroying them. The scientist who started the stem cell research, Dr. James Thomson, used embryos that are going to be destroyed either way to see if he would get any results pertaining to helping others. Because the use of embryos were not encouraged, scientists wondered if they could create embryonic stem cells without the embryos. A group of researchers a few years ago, let by Dr. Thomson, found a way by adding four genes and the cell would reprogram back to its original state. But because it wasn't an upright procedure, there can still be some mishaps resulting in the fact that people would still need to use embryos for a bit longer to figure out the exact procedure in creating an embryonic stell cell without the embryo.

This deals with science concepts because stem cell research is breaking down embryos and cells until the scientist can reach the very main cell that makes things happen. Stem cell research goes under the category of biology since it pertains with the human body.

This is important because stem cell research is used to help people in trying to understand how to fix injuries. People keep up with stem cell research news since it is a very difficult procedure to do and it also kills the embryos causing people to not support its case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/health/research/25cell.html?_r=1

Floods in Pakistan

Floods in Pakistan destroys crops and affects an estimate of 20 million people yet people aren't willing to help donate some money. The floods have left atleast one-fifth of the people homeless and killed a tenth of the rest. United Nations have reported this to be the worst flood that has happened so far. Because of these floods, it also affects the humanitarian crisis with fears that Islamic militant groups could make inroads with the vulnerability it resulted in. It is just so bad to the point where no one can understand unless they are living in the shoes of the Pakistani who have lost their homes and or way of living. Now all we can do right now is to help donate money to this cause even if it is not as big as the massive earthquake in Haiti which puverized its city.

Relating to science because of the way Mother Nature affects the land people live on. Floods are dangerous depending on how serious they are and who or what they affect. In this case, it affected many people, causing them to sacrifice more than they have been asked to. Floods are in areas of land that usually start off as very dry land. Floods are caused by heavy rains that pour too much water into rivers and other waterways, making these natural channels unable to carry all the water. Rising water flows over or breaks the banks to the waterways causing the surrounding land to be flooded. Other causes of floods can also come from masses of snow melting of tidal waves.

This is important to know, because as a person we are not obligated in helping another but we are expected to. As a country in war with Afghanistan, the United States along with other countries should try to help and donate money to Pakistan because it is for a good cause and that the United States might also be in danger of going to war with Pakistan for its nuclear weapons. Floods are dangerous depending on where it occurs, and it is pretty obvious that no one would ask for this omen to be upon them. Give a helping hand and donate because karma just might get back at you.


http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/pakistan-floods-drawing-relative-trickle-of-private-donations/19600516?icid=main

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Fire Tornados EXIST!

On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, there was a fire tornado in Brazil that was caught on video. It was due to a combination of strong winds and fires. These types of tornados are rare and it was amazing that this fire tornado was caught on tape. The flame was said to be a few yards high and the fact that rain hasn’t been seen in the area in three months, proves how dangerous fire and dry winds can be.


This relates to science concepts as Mother Nature does her damage. According to the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), “In order for one to exist, there must be an external source of organized angular momentum that products large swirl velocity components as air is entrained into the fire plume. The vertical acceleration induced by the buoyancy generates strain fields which stretch out the flames as they wrap around the nominal plume centerline. Fire whirls are known to increase substantially the danger of naturally occurring or post-disaster fires.” The physics of this doesn’t escape a scientist when such a thing can result from only flames and winds.

This is important because surely people would want to learn more about tornados that can kill them. The fact that this is a “rare phenomenon,” as the Huffington Post has said, explains that everyone should know about this because it only happens once in awhile.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/brazil-fire-tornado-video_n_693803.html

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

The hot zone by Richard Preston is a graphic yet beautiful written novel that’s includes the hardships of life, the cruelty and diversity of it. He grabs your attention with blood curdling images and uncensored views and storyline. The story reminds us as humans, that we are still animals, that we are still mortal, and even something as large as our civilization can be brought down to the point of chaos by something smaller than a cell. The novel never ceases to surprise the reader and captivate the mind and makes the brain think are we really this naïve? This book opens the eyes of the reader to a point where everything is clear and not shrouded by misunderstanding and fear. Richard doesn’t blow smoke in this story all his work is well researched and all the details even the gruesome ones are nothing more and nothing less than the truth.
The story begins on 1980 with a lonely man named Charles Monet in western Kenya. He was a man of few words but was a lover of nature, also he was no longer a energetic young man but a old middle aged soul. He worked in a sugar factory on the Nzoia River and every day he would go to work, watch the birds and animals of the forest and go home. He lived near a mountain named Mount Elgon. He met a woman whom he befriended and went camping with on Mount Elgon. On the mountain he and his friend visited a cave made by elephants, which were plentiful at the time. They entered the cave and then took off back home. Then around a week after his head started to ache and his eyes started to burn and become red. He stayed home thinking bed rest would help but the pains grew worst, his symptoms kicked into over drive as he developed nausea, vomiting , and had a fever and every day it grew more intense than the other. His face soon became a expressionless, mask that seemed dazed and confused. He is taken to a hospital in Kisumu and is sent to Nairobi hospital. But on the way he is now longer throwing up what is anticipated but blood and black pepperings of crystalloid virus. On the plane to the hospital his blood clots and clots and clots, soon the clots are lodged in his kidney’s liver, and even the brain. When he arrives he silently waits in the emergency room for he must wait due to other people who look worst but as the reader knows not even in the same league as Mr. Monet.
He suddenly goes into shock and starts to bleed out on the floor and a dctor is called to help him as Monet is dying he throws up and drenches the doctor in blood and the doctor not knowing he was infected.
After Monet died the doctor, relieved as Dr. Musoke, began to have the same symptoms as Mr. Monet. At first he confused the disease with malaria and gave himself anti-biotics which had no effect. He was admitted into the hospital and treated by David Silverstien. Who ordered a liver biopsy and tested. The results came in and it turned out to be murburg. AT first it was a simian disease then jumped species and infected humans. Marburg is a close relative of Ebola Zaire and Ebola Sudan, in a category called filoviruses. The surgeons and staff who handled Musoke were quarantined after learning he was an infected of the hot agent. But luck had favored Musoke and after w brief brush with death he recovered and returned to normal.
The novel then switches from Africa to Thurmount, Maryland in 1983 September 25 with a woman named Nancy Jaax. She was a well trained well composed veterinarian for the U.S Army. She was married to Gerald Jaax whom was also a veterinarian; they had two kids Jamie and Jason. She soon become wrapped up in a project back at the base in veterinary pathology. Her curiousity led her to the level 4 in the biocontainment department to see what happened to the monkeys that were infected with Ebola. She worked alongside Eugene Johnson, who was an expert on Ebola and Marburg. Ebola only contains seven protein only seven small changes that eradicate the human body. Soon after they begain reserahc Nancy was exposed to the virus or so she thought there wa a hole in her biohazard suit but her last layer og gloves held and prevented any direct contract.Srtly, after the incident the researchers noticed that the control monkey who were kept separated across the room of the other monkeys were infected and they grew worried that Ebola was airborn.All the while Peter Cardinal, a blond ten-year-old visits Kitum cave and soon becomes infected but sadly does not fight off the infection. And an earier case is reference a nurse named Mayinga who became infected with Ebola Zaire, but the strange thing was that no matter how many people she came into contact with she didn’t seem to have infected anyone.
The novel soon switches scenery again to Reson, Virginia there we meet Dan Gard who works for a company who ships and distributes monkey. One day he finds that one has become very ill and then more. He found it unusual and had them tested. The worst has happened Most of not all the monkeys were infected but he did not realize that until he spoke with the personal from Nancy Jaax’s base. Noting the fact that this was now a state of emergency the military set out to Reston to contain the outbreak covertly and quickly. A few members of the Decon team become ill but it was all coincidence and no one was lost during the decontamination of the building but all the monkey were euthanized. But the whole event changed the way the experts saw Ebola because some of them were exposed and yet all of them were ok , alive and well so it remained a mystery of how Ebola is really contracted.
in the ending of the novel Richard himself visits the infamous Kitum Cave. Taking every caution step he enters the cave and views it for himself. Then heads to Reston to the building of mass expourse and saw that it was aboandoned , and in ruins. Ebola has looked as if it had gone forever but really it’s just taking a break.
The Hot Zone relates to scientific concepts because it organizes into pathology. The book specifly decribes the classifications of the diseases such as filovirus and its three diseases Ebola Sudan, Zaire and Murburg. Next, the story is able to connect the cause and effect of Ebola, meaning the symptoms such as headaches, backaches, intense vomiting, fever, and eventually organ failure. The book describes in detail what goes wrong inside the body when one is infected with the disease. Thirdly, the book show quantative data, as in the virus has a ninty percent kill rate and is able to amplifies into millions in just a few hours. Also the book provides numerous models f the disease such as Charles Monet, Peter Cardinal, and the monkey who were infected in Reston. The Novel also explains the structure and function of the virus, such as its description of a string like shape which makes it part of the filovirus category. Lastly, the Diversity of the disease how it is able to infect both man and simian and other mammalian orgaisms it is in Richard Prestons words a “species jumper.”
How did The Hot Zone change science the better question is how did it not? The Hot Zone did not sugar code the story of the disease he did not sensor his story for the general public he gave every detail as he researched it. Richard preston helped raise awareness of not only Ebola but other dangerous diseases that most people know nothing about. Richard Preston made audiences realize that out side the little ball of existence we live in ther is a large, dangerous and scary world