Sick Gorillas?

The talk of animals contributing to human diseases is often the talk of biology. Lately, Gorillas have been dealing with the same sort of issues, only they contracted diseases from humans. Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have state parks to protect these endangered animals. These state parks are used to protect the gorillas, but because humans are able to visit and view the animals, humans contribute diseases, mostly respiratory infections to the creatures.

These illnesses are potentially fatal to these gorillas, and has already killed several including two infants. These symptoms these gorillas have are, coughing, eye and nose discharge, and lethargy. Pneumonia and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are the two leading respiratory infections found in these gorillas. If these creatures become extinct, we the tree of life loses a species that has 98% similar DNA to humans.

Link http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/03/29/human_virus_linked_to_deaths_of_endangered_mountain_gorillas.html

-Phillip Hunt

MAYBE IT'S BETTER FOR SOME INSECTS TO STAY QUIET

Certain insects have sound producing structures or organs that are generally used to attract mates. While this action has shown to be effective in gaining access to the opposite sex, certain antagonists such as parasitoids have found it beneficial in detecting potential hosts. Over long periods time, selection against insects that continuously produce a sound may lead to suppression or loss of that trait.

I am sure many of you have experienced the sound pollution produced by cicadas during the late spring and summer months. The tymbal, which is the sound producing organ in male cicadas unintentionally attracts Sarcophagid parasitoid flies. The fly oviposits a single egg in its cicada host that subsequently develops into a larva that is capable of destroying the tymbal. By destroying the tymbal, the fly larva reduces future host competition at the expense of the cicada, which loses the ability to attract females, and eventually dies when the larva emerges.

In the case of an introduced Australian cricket to Hawaii, chirping in males has been reduced because it attracts a nocturnal tachinid fly parasitoid (Ormia). Selective pressure by the parasitoid fly has favored a wing mutation in the crickets that prevents their ability to chirp and attract females. However, it is thought that males with the wing mutation may begin to behave like satellites of regular males that are capable of chirping and attracting females, so they could increase their reproductive success.

Posted by: Nelson Milano (2)

Breakthrough in the Study of Aging

An interesting discovery has been made by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California. They have been using a common yellow dye called Thioflavin T or ThT as a treatment for worms that bred to show similar symptoms of a person with Alzheimer's. This dye not only slowed down the progression of the Alzheimer's in the worms, it also extended the lifespan of healthy worms by 50%.

Gordon Lithgow the director of this study wants to use other compounds to stabilize protein homeostasis. Protein homeostasis is the ability of an organism to keep the balance of proteins. The ThT binds the amyloid protein fragments which are associated with Alzheimer's disease. The ThT works in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease in the worms by decreasing the speed of the clumping of the amyloid protein fragments. In addition to these findings Lithgow has said that the ThT could potentially if studies continue to be successful, prolong the lifespan of healthy humans as well.

Silvestre Alavez another scientist working on the Lithgow research team has also discovered that curcumin an ingredient in the spice tumeric also has similar health benefits of the ThT.

The discoveries made by the Lithgow research lab are major in the study of aging. This study will continue on more complex animals such as mice.

Posted by Jessica Kusmirek (2)

Brain Damage Being Linked To Obesity

There are plenty of well known reasons as to why being overweight or obese is unhealthy: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and the list goes on. But what some people probably aren’t aware of is the potential damage being overweight can have on an unlikely part of your body--your brain. A report in Science News discusses a study which has been done comparing memory, thinking, and reasoning abilities in those suffering from obesity before and after substantial weight loss. Perhaps what is even more interesting than the fact that obesity can diminish such abilities is that the damage has been shown to be reversible with weight loss.

This study, which was conducted at Kent State University, involved one hundred and fifty obese subjects. When tested on their cognitive abilities, the individuals generally performed with lower than average results when compared to healthy people based on data from the Brain Resource International Database. Two-thirds of this study’s subjects went on to take measures, including bariatric surgery, to lose approximately fifty pounds. Though still overweight (the average individual being tested originally weighed in at just less than three-hundred pounds), the lighter patients were reassessed. These patients showed a substantial increase in their scores, most of them scoring in the average or even above-average range. On the other hand, test subjects who did not go on to lose weight showed a decrease in their scores, a surprising result to the researchers. Neurologist Stefan Knecht quotes, “You can actually watch them getting worse from one three-month period to the next if you have sufficiently sensitive measures, which [they] did.”

This is not the first time brain function in relation to being overweight has been observed. An article in The New York times describes studies done in both California and Sweden that have shown that people in their forties who were overweight were more prone to dementia over the next several decades in their lives. One suggested reasoning for this is the hormone like leptin (which is thought to play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s) which is secreted by fat tissue. Another hypothesis is that other secretions by fat tissue cause chronic inflammation of the brain, impairing one’s learning and memory functions.

A study done by previous mentioned neurologist Stefan Knecht at theUniversity of Münster in Germany used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to show a linkage between C-reactive protein, a blood marker of systemic inflammation and white matter (a protective layer that insulates nerve cells in the brain) integrity. His findings showed that higher levels of CRP correlated with worse performance in areas such as speed and attention, otherwise known as “executive functions.”

If the risk of heart disease of diabetes is not enough to motivate overweight individuals to strap on a pair of walking shoes and start cutting down portions sizes, then perhaps knowing that their intellectual abilities are on the line will serve as the final push towards a reformed lifestyle.

Posted by Brianna Lee (2)

Cosmology’s Inflation Debate: Why the Big Bang Theory may be Flawed

Paul J. Steinhardt explains in his “The Inflation Debate: Is the theory at the heart of modern cosmology deeply flawed?” from the April, 2011 issue of Scientific Americans that indeed, the universe may not have rapidly expanded following the big bang. This rapid expansion is termed cosmic inflation, and many have, until now, thought of it as a fact, not a theory. However, this theory is now under great debate. The cosmic inflation theory argues that the shape and consistency of our universe are both the result of a rapid expansion of space immediately after the big bang.

The reason for this debate is that the circumstances for which inflation can occur are very unlikely. In a sense, that is what makes this theory so interesting, and people generally like interesting things. Some scientists may have gone along with this idea because they felt that such an amazing phenomenon as the big bang required an unbelievable explanation to explain it. Another piece of the cosmic inflation theory that is being put under the microscope is how it is believed to be never ending, with no certain endpoint, having no real forecasts as to what the universe will look like in, say, a hundred years.

Scientists all over the globe are currently working to solve whether this mutinous idea that the cosmic inflation theory is rubbish actually has some truth to it. There are many different proposals in the works that deal with either fixing or replacing this inflation theory. It will surely be interesting to see what these scientists come up with as the new working theory to explain the events following the big bang.

Posted by Derek Melzar (2).

Amyloid Beta Plaques, Characteristic of Alzheimer's Disease, Develop in Patients Well Before Symptoms

Researchers at Massachusetts General published a study detailing that amyloid beta plaques, the primary constituent of the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, can be seen in patients well before they become symptomatic of the disease. The study consisted of 87 cognitively normal individuals with genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's and 32 patients currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's - matched for gender, race and education - who were subjected to MRI and PET brain scans. The scans showed significant structural damage to the cortex and hippocampus in cognitively normal adults whose brains were found to contain amyloid plaques. Such results are consistent with the psychopathology of many other neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinson's patients, for example, typically show >95% loss of cells within the substantia nigra, the nuclei within the midbrain responsible for motor coordination, before becoming symptomatic.

The results of this study are extremely important, as they are some of the first techniques that researchers have been able to use to identify amyloid plaques in living patients. Before these scanning techniques such as these, the only definitive way to identify individuals with amyloids plaques was through autopsy. Now that the living may have hope for definitive diagnoses, more targeted and effective cognitive exercises may be able to be developed for the purpose of staving off the early symptoms of Alzheimer's (especially since such exercises have already been clinically shown to be effective. They have not, however, been shown to be effective in slowing the progression of later and more serious stages of Alzheimer's, suggesting that these exercises may not be actually lessening amyloid-induced neurodegeneration, but rather utilizing the brain's plasticity to compensate for early cognitive losses). Ultimately, and hopefully, this could even lead to the development of medical treatments and therapies that halt thee more serious and seemingly inevitable stages of neurodegeneration that plagues so many millions of families around the world.

Posted by Connor Finnerty (2)

Dark Chocolate: Good and Healthy

A recent study at the University of Reading supports the notion that dark chocolate may temporarily improve visual and cognitive functions. For up to two hours after consumption, participants in the study had enhanced ability to see under difficult conditions, also known as contrast sensitivity. Researchers used a control group of people who consumed white chocolate as a comparison. Researchers performed the visual part of the study by having participants read a set of numbers on a screen and then lowering the contrast of that screen until the participants could no longer identify the number on the screen. Other visual tests involved the use of moving dots. The dark chocolate group was about 17% better at discerning objects in lower lighting conditions. They were able to read numbers at lower contrast levels than those who at white chocolate. The cognitive tests consisted of memory and reaction time tests. For memory, the participants had to identify objects that changed position when viewing a scene on two different screens. Again, the dark chocolate group outperformed the other and was able to identify more objects that changed location. For reaction time, the participants had to press a specific key based on what was presented on a screen. People who ate the dark chocolate had faster key times than those who ate the white chocolate.

What is the cause of this interesting phenomena? Researchers believe that it is an abundant plant compound, known as a flavanoid, that is found within cocoa beans, grapes, and some tea leaves. Some believe that these flavanoids act as antioxidants or increase the nitric oxide gas production, which helps control blood flow and pressure. Unfortunately, there hasn't been too much research into the health benefits of chocolate. Other studies support the idea that eating chocolate can improve cognitive functions, but researchers still do not know the exact cause of this. More time and research could provide answers to the health benefits and costs of chocolate. Either way, I still plan on adding a little more chocolate to my diet.

Article can be found here

Posted by Kevin McLaughlin (2)