Insomniac Flies

Sleep is a not a very well understood physiological process. During the day we are awake and active, but at night we become lethargic and groggy until eventually we fall asleep and the cycle repeats itself. This would lead you, and pretty much everyone else, to believe that sleep is controlled via pathways pertaining to the circadian clock. While this definitely appears to be a large part of what makes us sleep, apparently, it’s not the only part.

Researchers at Rockefeller University claim to have found a gene responsible for sleep in fruit flies. Through infrared technology, researchers were able to see when flies were sleeping and use this information to find sleep-deprived mutants. Comparison between normal-sleeping flies and sleep-deprived flies revealed a gene that may be responsible for this anomaly. This gene, called insomniac, was found to have a profound effect on the amount of time spent sleeping per day. Flies lacking the gene slept for 317 minutes a day compared to the average 927 minutes a day.

This might not seem particularly interesting, but the researchers also believe that insomniac is controlled by a homeostatic pathway, specifically a protein degradation pathway. What this means is that this gene affects the body regardless of the time of day, unlike in circadian mechanisms. Without this gene flies lived only two-thirds as long as their normal counterparts.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120220211013.htm

Posted by Michael Thomas (3)

"Why do Zebra's Have Stripes?"

A commonly asked question is “Are Zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes?” The color of a zebra is black with white coloring. Even though a zebra’s belly and underside is white so it would appear they are white with black stripes, it is just a coincidence. Most animals have lighter colored undersides.

They reason zebra stripes evolved is to confused their predators, who are mainly lions. Lions are color blind so the zebra’s stripe helps them blend into grass. Also, lions can’t focus on one individual zebra to attack when they are all running in a group. The lion has a hard time making out where the head and tail.

Every zebra has a unique stripe pattern. This is how they tell each other apart. The stripes come in handy in breeding season because if a zebra was injured and therefore physically unfit, you can see so in their stripe coloration. Zebra are attracted to stripes. If you are in a zoo, you will notice sometimes the wall in the zebra pen is painted with stripes. The zebras will stand near other zebras or the wall. The zebra stripes main purpose is camouflage.

http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/articles/at_zebrastripes.html

Posted by: Jen Silva (3)

Common Herbicide may be Unintentional Herpticide

Atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide and most common water contaminants on Earth, has come under scrutiny as a possible cause for global amphibian population decline. Hardest hit are stream salamanders. Although in the short term it seems harmless, longer lasting studies have found it to be problematic.

A few years ago at University of Kentucky, researchers Rohr, Sesterhenn, Palmer, and Sager tested the effects of different concentrations on larval salamanders. Of the three Atrazine levels tested, the two highest showed a significant increase in mortality rate during exposure. This would benefit the survivors, as it results in lower competition after metamorphosis. However, the effects of the contamination persist long after exposure. All the specimens subjected to the pesticide (even the lowest concentration group which had seemed fine in larval stage) showed a significantly lower survival rate post-exposure and post-metamorphosis when compared to a control group. The mechanism by which atrazine sabotages the salamanders is unknown, but it has been suggested to be an endocrine disruptor. Salamanders are not the only animals affected by this pollutant; frogs exposed to extremely low concentrations will still have developmental difficulties.

Studies like this can really make one question humanity's effects on the environment. Is pumping the ecosystem full of pesticides really worth it? Should our own selfish desire to get rid of a few weeds and insects really be allowed to have such an effect on the rest of the animals we share this Earth with?

Rhys Ursuliak (3)

Hunting for the Sixth Sense

We have all thought about the possibilities of having a sixth sense. Maybe it is telepathy or being able to see heat signatures or sense future events. Or, and I’m sure you saw this coming, being able to ‘see dead people’. How about being able to sense magnetism – you know, like having a built-in compass? Well, in the 1770 a man named Franz Mesmer suggested that a sixth sense exists – he called it animal magnetism. He believed that it could be used to heal people if their ailments. Now, a recently published article in Scientific American explains that researchers are building on evidence published in Science that such a sense does, in fact, exist. Except, it is not used to heal people; it is used to find magnetic north for navigation.

Now, before you go outside and try to align yourself with magnetic north you should know that even current evidence is inconclusive and it mainly applies to migratory animals. Current leading hypotheses follow two lines of research – magnetic particles within animals or chemical reactions caused by magnetism. The former follows research that found microstructure magnetic particles in the beaks of homing pigeons. It is hypothesized homing pigeons could use sensory input from the particles to align with magnetic north and thus aid in bird’s legendary navigation skills. The latter follows research from the early 2000’s that suggests a protein, cryptochrome, in retinal cones is the mechanism for magnetic sense. This hypothesized that as photons bombard the protein, a lone pair of electrons is kicked out of antiparallel alignment and flip flops between antiparallel and parallel alignment until one of two things happens. If the bird goes back to magnetic north the antiparallel state prevails and the lone pair reunites spin. If the bird continues off magnetic north the parallel state prevails, a chemical reaction occurs and free-radical is produced – thus, alerting the animals that it is off course.

This is amazing to me for two reasons. First of all, how amazing is the scientific process? Decades of evidence piling up to potentially uncover a new sense! A new sense – get out! Secondly, this research may be able to explain a bunch of unknowns about how animals migrate and sense the world around them. This, once understood, could help support or refute research on whether human-source magnetism and radiation is having a significant impact on declining populations of animals such as bees, butterflies and birds.

The breadth of the unknown in science is staggering as evident by the possibility of a sixth sense. Maybe more senses exist in other animals. Maybe there are grasshoppers that can see into the future (although if that were true the ones who get caught by predators must be suicidal) or tuna that can see dead tuna. Sure Mesmer was far off on his interpretation of the sixth sense – but was he farther off than Nostradamus who believed he could read the future? It is amazing how often ‘crazy ideas’ have a shred of truth to them.

Posted by William Mohn

A Form of Birth Control May Seem Convenient, but is it Worth the Risks?

Although this can be a sensitive topic to some, and I know there are people who don't feel comfortable addressing it; it needs to be discussed. This topic is birth control. Even though I know there are many men reading this blog, I feel as if this subject should be addressed. I have recently dealt with various issues concerning different types of birth controls. Each brand and method has their own risks, just as any other type of drug or medicine. The problem with birth control is that many girls are too afraid to ask questions. Anyone taking a prescription needs to be aware of the side effects and this is no exception.

While being home over vacation, I recently met with my doctor to discuss trying new forms of birth control. Being an extremely busy student, I want a form of birth control that I don’t have to worry about remembering to take every day. One of her first suggestions was Depo Provera, a shot that women receive once every twelve weeks. My first concerns were the side effects, in which she told me that about 60% of women do notice sufficient weight gain. My reaction, “no thank you!” But besides being vain, I also opted out on this form of birth control for other reasons; it just was not right for me.

As I was surfing Science Daily, I ran across the article “Hormone in Birth Control Shot Linked to Memory Loss.” Naturally, I became intrigued and wanted to know more. The Depo Provera shot contains an active hormone called medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), which is not found in other forms of birth control such as the pill. This hormone already has a history of effecting bone density, but now it appears that it does indeed effect memory loss as well. An experiment performed last year with different groups of rats showed that at any point in their lifetime were cognitively impaired, compared to rats who had not received the hormone. MPA is also used for post-menopausal women, so that is why some women don’t start taking it until later in life. Even worse, it was also confirmed that when MPA was no longer in the subject’s system even months later, it still was showing effects on the brain.

This article was written November 1, 2011. Although it is a few months old, this is a very up and coming discovery in women’s health. I write to not only the ladies, but to you gentlemen too! Be aware of what you are putting in your body. Granted, no one knew until recently that Depo Provera had these memory loss effects. But that does not change the fact that it is still important to ask questions! Never just assume that because your doctor recommends it, that the drug is perfect for you. I have experienced health issues due to taking wrong forms of medication, and I listened to my body and made the change. Worst comes to worst, you’re embarrassed and blush for a few minutes during your doctors appointment. In the long term, those few minutes could save you years on your brain and body.

Taylor Pirog (2)

Stem Cell Study Re-Grows Heart Muscle in Heart Attack Patients

Stem Cell Study Re-Grows Heart Muscle in Heart Attack Patients

Stem cells are incredible cells that have proven to be invaluable to scientists over the last 50 years. They have the ability to divide through the process of mitosis into a diverse spectrum of cell types, and can aid in the repair of vital organs. Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute located in Los Angels California have recently released findings that exemplify the amazing potential of these cells, and their potential to repair organs after trauma.

Patients that had suffered heart attacks were taken in at CSHI and were subject to an experimental procedure using stem cells, (animal tests had been preformed before hand). Eduardo Marban, the director of CSHI stated that the procedures primary intent was to verify the safety of like procedures, while also monitoring the regenerative properties of the heart tissue after implementation. The results they found were astonishing. Select patients in the study were treated with their own heart-derived cells, which were applied to the damaged area shortly after a heart attack. The process of obtaining these cells began with a biopsy of heart tissue smaller than the size of a raisin. This sample would be the basis for the growth of new heart cells, and expand to between 12 and 25 million cells. Once the sample had grown in the culture process, it would be reintroduced into the coronary arteries in a process similar to the biopsy. A year after the stem cell treatment, patients saw a 50 percent decrease (24%-12%) in scar tissue associated with the heart attack. Control patients had no reduction in scar tissue, which composed 24 percent of the heart after an attack.

CSHI has taken out a patent on the process of deriving these cells, and plan to use similar processes in the future. The possibilities for these types of processes are limitless. Right now, stem cells implantation shows a 50 percent regenerative effectiveness, and it is only in the earliest stages of its trials. This procedure is at the forefront of a major breakthrough in the biomedical and bioengineering fields. Stem cell use is on the cusp of its heyday, and may very well prove to be one of the most effective and influential procedures and medical processes of this century.

Posted by: Jeff Keating (2)

Reference Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213185441.htm

UNDERSTANDING OUR ANCESTORS

The desire to understand where human beings came from and from whom we evolved is a curiosity shared among many. Until recently, what we knew about our predecessors came solely from archaeological findings and the fossil record. However, new breakthroughs in DNA technology and analysis has allowed us to come even closer to understanding our ancestors, and their relationship to us, on the molecular level.

According to the article “Entire Genome of Extinct Human Decoded from Fossil” on Biology News Net, last week on February 8th, Dr. Svante Paabo and his colleagues - the Leipzig team - made the entire genomic sequence of our closest extinct relatives, Denisovans, available on the internet for use by the scientific community. This sequence, which was originally drafted in 2010, came from just a tiny fragment of bone from a human finger that was uncovered in a cave in southern Siberia. Using DNA extracted from less than 10mg of the finger bone, the sequence was drafted using techniques that produced results sufficient enough to confirm the close relationship of the Denisovans to Neanderthals and us, but was insufficient in further research that required more specifics.

According to Dr. Matthias Meyer, the developer of the new techniques that provide more accurate sequencing, the updated, completed sequence “is of very high quality” with “fewer errors than most genomes from present-day humans that have been determined to date.” This new, higher resolution is due to the ability of the new methods to sequence every position in the genome 30 times, as compared to just twice with the first draft.

What does this mean? That scientists will now be able to use the sequence to research the evolution of specific parts of our genome, with hopes of discovering the genetic changes that allowed humans to spread so rapidly around the globe and develop our modern human culture.

The finger bone was found at an archaeological dig site in a layer believed to be between 50,000 and 30,000 years old. Now, not only can we speculate about the way of life of our ancestors that lived at this time, but we can use these archaeological findings to actually figure what was going on at the genetic level with these ancient humans. With each breakthrough such as this, we come closer to understanding how we evolved, and the information this provides us will hopefully help satiate our curiosity about our ancestors.

Posted by Laura Moro (2)

Reference link: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/02/07/entire_genome_of_extinct_human_decoded_from_fossil.html