Endangered Chocolate

As I’m sure all of you know, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. In preparation for this holiday, Americans buy 58 million pounds of chocolate! And that is only a small fraction of the 3 billion pounds of chocolate per year that we consume. However, with current agricultural practices, demand will likely be greater than the supply in a few decades.

Chocolate is produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree, which is cultivated on farms in Africa, Oceania, and South America. Cacao is almost always grown as a monoculture, or a single crop grown over a wide area. This is a problem, because monocultures are highly susceptible to quick-spreading diseases. Since they are grown in larger fields, it gives pests and weeds a larger target to invade. Also, it means that farmers have to clear huge portions of old-growth forests to make room for their crops.

To save the cacao crops, more sustainable agriculture practices must be implemented. The best solution would be to grow it in a way that is similar to its natural environment: smaller plots, with various other crops scattered between them. Ecological stability results in a higher crop yield, and a higher crop yield means more chocolate per mile of farmland, ensuring that Valentine’s Days will be sweet for years to come.

http://youtu.be/_rYF-dVeZMU

Posted by Erica Fitzpatrick (1)

YELLOW-CEDAR ARE DYING IN ALASKA-SCIENTISTS NOW KNOW WHY

Yellow cedar trees are dying at an alarming rate throughout Alaska and British Columbia. One might ask what’s the big deal or who cares? Well yellow cedar trees affect 60 to 70 percent of the entire tree population throughout 600,000 acres. Alaska and British Columbia are rich when it comes to hardwood resources and many of their timber is used commercially to build homes and boats. If the whole yellow cedar population died off then we humans would lose copious amounts of valuable resources and thousands of animal and insect species would lose their habitat and homes. The reason that yellow cedar trees are dying isn’t because of some new invasive insect species like many of you may think; it’s actually from something that most people probably would just overlook.

The article from Science Daily talks about how the yellow cedar trees are dying at an alarming rate due to root freezing during the late winter and early spring months. These months can reach record low temperatures and often don’t even have snow on the ground. Freezing temperatures with no snow is the key here as the yellow cedar tree roots are more susceptible to the freezing cold temperatures without a soft layer of snow on top to insulate them. Yellow cedar roots don’t grow deep into the soil but remain rather close to the surface, which is why this problem occurs. The lives of these trees depends on the future climatic and snow pattern changes of the Alaskan and British Columbian environments.

Clearly, the yellow cedar tree population of Alaska and British Columbia is declining at an alarming rate. Now that scientists have figured out the reason that so many trees are dying they can start working on new ways to save the population. The yellow cedar trees are an important part of the ecosystem as well as an important resource used by humans. Scientists are now faced with a struggle because the trees are slow growing, so planting new trees won’t have much of an effect on the current population. Now all we can do is hope that someone will figure out a way to save this very important part of our ecosystem.

Reference Link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201181218.htm

Posted by Nicco Ciccolini (1)

THE HUMAN INVINCIBILITY COMPLEX

THE HUMAN INVINCIBILITY COMPLEX

Sky diving, rock climbing, and parkour are all popular extreme sports for those humans who love the rush of death defying activities, also known as adrenaline junkies. The draw of these thrilling sports is understandable; to stare death in the face and come out victorious is both exhilarating and just plain old fun. But is the popularity of these extreme activities an expression of a deeper human flaw? According to Professor David Elkind, a child psychologist, the human perception of invincibility is a normal human development phase. Teens in particular don’t feel that they are susceptible to risky or dangerous behavior. These behaviors include everything from intense participation in sports to committing crimes, to having unprotected sex. Proof of this is quantified in UNICEF’s 2001 report on Teen Births in Rich Nations. In this report, one of the key findings was the teen pregnancy rate for the United States. With a staggering 52.1 out of 1000 girls giving birth while still a teenager, the USA far outnumbers other developed countries when it comes to teen births. Although this phase of invincibility is said to be at its peak during early adolescence, the “it won’t happen to me” mentality can be clearly seen in the habits of many adults in America. One of the most troubling displays of our false perception of invincibility is the prevalence of parents and pregnant women who choose to smoke cigarettes either during pregnancy or in the home after the child is born.

The health risks of smoke, both first and second hand, are outlined in a USNEWS Health video . When smoke is inhaled, the body goes through incredible measures to protect itself. The lining of the throat becomes covered in mucus to protect the lining from harmful toxins in cigarettes. After prolonged exposure to smoke, the body’s natural defenses against infections are weakened. For children in particular smoke exposure is very dangerous because they do not yet have fully developed immune systems and can’t as readily fight infections.

Exposure to secondhand smoke can also affect children in the long term. Parental smoking has been linked to increased probability of obesity in children as well as heart disease later in life. The EPO recently concluded that if a child experiences prolonged secondhand smoke exposure they could develop asthma.

With the health hazards of smoking around children so blatantly advertized in anti-smoking commercials and other media, why do parents still do it? The majority of the parents who smoke in their home would say that they would do anything to protect their children from harm. A classic example of the extreme lengths to which a mother would go to save her child is that of 50 year old Angela Cavalo who lifted a car off of her son who was trapped beneath. Many parents insist that they indeed would do the same. SO why does this parental instinct to protect fail them when it comes to smoking in the home? The magazine Psychology Today had an article on the tendency people have to ignore long term consequences in favor of short term gratification. This could be the way that some parents rationalize risky habits such as smoking near their children. Could the human invincibility complex be outweighing millions of years of evolution and parental instincts?

Posted by Erica Bonnell (1)

Ecosystem and Biodiversity Impacted by Invasive Insects

In a recent article published by sciencedaily.com there has been an increase of the non-native Harlequin Ladybug in Britain, Belgium, and Switzerland. Its presence has greatly harmed the population of the native Ladybird in these areas. The effects of these invasive species are causing changes in biodiversity and have become a threat to the ecosystem. These Harlequins outmatch the native ladybugs in predatory elements and in competition, leaving the natives with few or no resources for survival.

Studies show that invasive species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and declination of different species. The Harlequin Ladybug has mostly impacted the 2-spotted Ladybug by taking away shared resource, aphids. Aphids are types of plant lice and the most known are the green, black, and white flies. They are herbivores, thus they feed on plants obviously.

The effects the Harlequins can bring are by depleting a resource (aphids) that eats certain plants to keep the ecosystem in balance. The Harlequin's fierce competition is also a very strong factor leading to high reproduction rates. These imbalances cause researchers to investigate any decline in any species by this invasion and hope no devastation will occur.

Reference Links:

Science Daily

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206214226.htm

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid

Posted by Khoa Chu (1)

Understanding the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and, directly or indirectly, will probably effect most of us at some point in our lives. Thankfully, recent research for the disease has been progressive and abundant. Most recently, strides have been made in understanding how AD spreads across the brain. While, the first symptoms are cognitive difficulties otherwise common in aging, more radical symptoms appear as the disease spreads to the outer parts of the brain. As the disease influences centers of reasoning, the symptoms progress to dementia and a near complete loss of verbal skills. in this state patients become completely dependent and a large burden on caregivers. Understanding the progression of the disease may allow it to be contained and advanced cases to be significantly reduced.

In two similar articles published in Time Magazine and The New York Times, the movement of the tau protein is traced as it spreads across the brain of mice. Tau is thought to be responsible for actively killing cells in AD, by piling up inside and overwhelming them. Another implicated protein in the disease is beta amyloid, which is secreted and piles up around the cells. The amyloid is thought to 'set the stage' for the tau proteins, creating an unfavorable environment for the brain. While there is no reason to believe that the amyloid moves amongst neurons, researchers at Columbia and Harvard independently seem to have obtained evidence that the tau protein travels in the brain analogous to how a bacterium is spread throughout the body. In their research, specific parts of the brain were genetically altered to produce the tau protein - normally found in humans and not mice - in the entorhinal cortex, where it originates in AD. The tau proteins proceeded to kill the cells of the entorhinal cortex; however, surrounding areas also died and evidence was found for the spread of the protein to these additional areas. Since the mice were only modified to produce the tau in an isolated area, evidence of it in other places is only possible through the physical transmission of the protein across neurons. This explanation is consistent with our knowledge of AD progression and one of two prevalent theories for the progression of AD, which describes it as a spreading virus of sorts.

There is also growing evidence for a similar explanation of the progression of Parkinson's Disease, the second most common form of neurodegeneration. The growing knowledge of the physical progression of these diseases may have grand implications for their treatment. If the tau proteins are the direct cause of AD progression, then the isolation of tau infected areas may allow the symptoms to be likewise contained and the progression of the disease to be slowed, if not halted. This finding and the research that will surely follow it may provide enough evidence to inspire the production of drugs that target the implicated proteins and to ultimately alter the current passive method of care for AD patients, possibly even offering a 'cure'.

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/health/research/alzheimers-spreads-like-a-virus-in-the-brain-studies-find.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=alzheimer&st=cse

by Gina Kolata

Time Magazine

http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/03/is-alzheimers-caused-by-contagious-proteins/

by Alice Park

Posted by James Fargnoli (1)

COCKROACHES: A SOLUTION TO OUR ENERGY PROBLEM?

There aren’t many things I’m scared about in this world, be it a job interview, ghost or going deep in the woods in the middle of the night. But just the sight of one of these creepy little pests and I’m the first to squirm. That’s right; I’m talking about cockroaches. Most of us kill it when we see it, some people eat it as food, but only a few have considered using it as a source of electricity. In an article posted on February 8 2012 on Discovery News website, a group of scientists have done just that, and this is by far the best idea I’ve heard. (I mean, these cockroaches better do something useful or else they’ll just spend their days living in your basement; or even use your clam chowder as a public pool.)

A group of researchers at Case Western Reserve University, led by Michelle Rasmussen and Daniel Scherson, have come up with this creative idea. By sticking a wire into one of these bugs, researchers are able to draw electricity from their electrons. But before you go down to your basement and catch some of these cockroaches to power your Prius, researchers have stated that very little amounts of electricity can be produced- only an estimated 50 to 60 microamperes at 0.2 volts per cm² is produced (maybe your toothbrush?). In case you’re wondering how cockroaches are able to produce electricity, here’s the explanation. A sugar, trehalose, is manufactured whenever the cockroaches eat. This sugar is then broken down into haemolymph by enzymes in the blood. After a few more steps involving other enzymes, the breaking down and conversion of sugars into food, electrons are released. And this is where researchers are looking to harness the electricity from.

Why, you might ask, is the cockroach used for experimentation instead of other creatures such as the butterfly? The reason being, cockroaches have a higher concentration of trehalose than most creatures do (researchers have also tried mushrooms). At this point if you’re a little worried about the well being of the cockroach, don’t be. The cockroach apparently doesn’t feel pain, and this is due to the insect’s lack of blood vessels. As a result, there’s no pressure; meaning sticking an electrode into a cockroach isn’t that big of a deal.

To end, I’ll like to say that I’m deeply encouraged by researchers that are coming up with new ways and finding new sources for greener energy. In this present time we’re living in, alternative sources of energy is a huge and important matter that I feel needs to be tackled. This is to ensure that our environment, our planet, our home doesn’t become further ruined. This article has been a fascinating read and it shows, that no matter how small or how disgusting something is, it should not be overlooked. This is an approach I feel most scientist should adopt in their experiments.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/cockroach-fuel-cell-120208.html

Posted by Hermann Kam(1)

Horses Forgive but Rarely Forget

Horses Forgive but Rarely Forget

The DiscoveryNews article, “Horses Never Forget Human Friends” states that horses remember and remain loyal to humans that have treated them well in the past. In addition, horses understanding vocal cues better than we previously assumed. Carols Sankey, an ethologist at the University of Rennes in France, developed an experiment to test if the horse would remember the trainer and training it received as much as eight months later.

The study consisted of 20 Anglo-Arabian and 3 French Saddlebred horses. The horses were trained in 41 different tasks associated with grooming and medical care. The horses that were given treats as rewards for good behavior were more likely to remember and gravitate towards the trainer. In addition, the horses trained with positive reinforcement would be more friendly and social with humans, which could be due to their positive association with humans in general. On the other hand, the horses trained without positive reinforcement were four to six times more likely to engage in negative behavior like biting and kicking. In other words, horses learn better from positive reinforcement.

Another interesting finding was that horses also respond well to command associated with certain behaviors such as “trot” because their hearing it very good at the frequency in which we talk.

This article supports the saying, “you get more with sugar than vinegar”. Horses, like humans, want to be rewarded for completing a task correctly. If they are not rewarded they will make this fact well know by reacting with bad behavior. My question is, how long can a horse remember someone? Does it last more than a year or five years?

Reference Links:

Discovery News Article

http://news.discovery.com/animals/horse-friends-memory-trainers.html

Paper by Carol Sankey

http://apps.webofknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=9&SID=2DB9oAbLmdH7Eg3anDL&page=1&doc=5

Posted by: Caroline Adams (1)