Attack of the Communist Fish

     On the east bank of the Illinois River, the Illinois Natural History Survey research biologists monitor about 150,000 local fish a year with the use of aluminum skiffs. The local species are relatively small and bland however, the names are remarkably interesting. Three names have been recorded within the local species: gizzard shad, bigmouth buffalo, largemouth bass, and bluntnose minnow. In the mid-‘90s a small but rather significant epidemic broke out around the area with the invasion of two species of Asian carp. The carp was imported from the China during the 1970s and broke lose from their ponds in the south. The species eventually migrated up the Mississippi River and spread out throughout various tributaries, including the Illinois River. United States Geological Service expert Duane C. Chapman, a highly experienced specialist within the species of Asian Carp, states, “They puttered along for a few generations and then they reached an exponential growth phase” (Chapman). Silver carp behavior is very aggressive, for example when boats approach the organism will react with an exaggerated leap out of the water. The observation of the carp’s peculiar behavior revealed biologists unexpected data of their immense population size and growth within the rivers of the Midwest. 

* Information obtained at www.discovermagazine.com

* Pictures obtained at www.thinkgreenliveclean.com & www.mri.usd.edu

 Figure 16.1

 Figure 16.2

Explosive Detectors VS. German Shepherd

     Researcher Dr. Spitzer, working at a binational armaments and security research center in eastern France, and his colleagues constructing a sensor in hopes to make the process of bomb detection easier. This sensor will detect faint amounts of explosive vapor that may be present through airport security. The ‘Canis lupus familiaris’, also known as the German shepherd, is the most common breed that the United States uses to detect bombs, drugs, weapons or other threats. This device that Dr. Spitzer and his colleagues are working on will hopefully be the equivalent or even better than the canines extreme ability of smell. Emulating the intelligence and sense of this canine will be highly difficult task, the device must detect even the faintest smell or molecule as well as any noises that the may be present. Even though Dr. Spitzer and other researchers are in the process of this supplemental device, dogs still rank the highest. Dr. Aimee Rose, a product sales director at the sensor manufacturer Flir Systems, stated: “they have by far the most developed ability to detect concealed threats” however, “dogs get distracted, cannot work around the clock and require expensive training and handling” (Rose). 

* Information obtained at www.nytimes.com

* Pictures obtained at www.thedaily.com & www.brassringfitness.com

 Figure 15.1

 Figure 15.2

Martian Meteorite

     A blazing fireball struck over the Moroccan desert and scientists claim it is the freshest sample from Mars surface that has ever been discovered. Desert nomads uncovered the Martian fragments and scientists revealed that the space rock resembles a meteorite that was discovered in Antarctica in 1980. Unlike other meteorites that may have settled on Earth’s surface for a substantial period of time ‘Tissint’ (newly discovered meteorite) has not had much influence, terrestrially. Carl Agee of the University of New Mexico, a planetary scientists states, “it’s really a great sample if you’re interested in studying something that has more or less been delivered straight from Mars, uncontaminated, to the Earth” (Agee). Scientists project the same ideology however; they say contamination still could be a factor. Harry McSween Jr. of the University of Tennessee, another planetary scientist, states that the meteorite was present in the desert area for months. McSween also notes that, “nevertheless, it’s an interesting sample, in that it is probably less altered than others we have that weren’t collected immediately” (McSween). The meteorite Tissint is rich in magnesium and iron and is composed of volcanic ash. “It’s sort of like having a little Martian environment tucked away inside that meteorite,” Agee says.

* Information obtained at www.sciencenews.org 

 * Pictures obtained at www.sciencenews.org & www.astrobob.areavoices.com

 Figure 14.1

 Figure 14.2

Microraptor

     A controversial feathered dinosaur known as, Mictroraptor gui was discovered to of had aerodynamic wings and feathers used for flight. However, researchers continue to debate whether it flew from the ground up or from tree to tree. The microraptor specimen was discovered nine years ago in northeastern China and is one of the earliest flight organisms in evolution. The discoverers observed a series of long asymmetric feathers on the creature’s arms and legs and came to hypotheses that the early bird flew. Paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee of Texas Tech University and his colleague discuss the issues of the newly discovered creature, "We realized there's something wrong in the anatomy because no dinosaurs could splay their legs sideways," Chatterjee says. "No birds can do that." Chatterjee and his colleague envisioned the Microraptor’s legs tucked under its body and noted that this was common ‘posture’ for many raptors. This is a pure conjecture however; this is a more realistic position. The researchers note that it “puts the leading, narrower edges of the leg feathers forward against the direction of airflow, like the arm feathers”. 

* Information obtained at www.scientificamerican.com

* Pictures obtained at www.rareresource.com & www.news.nationalgeographic.com

 Figure 13.1

 Figure 13.2

Mice Eggs - Stem Cells

     Stem Cells, a controversial topic, has been said to create various cells, like liver cells to actual live tissue. According to a recent study these adaptable cells were even used to make fertile mouse sperm, which raises the question of whether stem cell technology can be a major factor in the treatment of human infertility. Two different stem cells were altered into ‘viable’ mouse egg cells, ultimately yielding healthy products (baby mice). The proposed study was published online under ‘October 4 in Science’. Researcher Katsuhiko Hayashi, at Kyoto University’s School of Medicine used embryonic stem cells to create the eggs as well as ‘pluripotent stem cells’. Female embryonic stem cells were converted, genetically, to relapse into an earlier developmental stage, which the team decided to do first. Gonadal somatic cells were combined with the previous cells to create “reconstituted ovaries.” “Our system serves as a robust foundation to investigate and further reconstitute female germline development in vitro,” the researchers noted in their paper, “not only in mice, but also in other mammals, including humans” (Hayashi). 

* Information obtained at www.scientificamerican.com

* Pictures obtained at www.scientificamerican.com

 Figure 12.1 

 Figure 12.2

Rapid DNA Testing: Rare Diseases

     A five-week old child fought for her life at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. From the day she was born, the child experienced countless seizures and doctors were unsure why. Every medication possible was diagnosed and tested and all failed, after weeks of desperation the family decided to let go of their baby. Doctors suspected that this rare occurrence was due to a genetic disorder. During this unfortunate situation the hospital was studying how to quickly analyze the DNA of newborns and identify particular mutations that cause disease. The recent study of early detection was published in the magazine Science Translational Medicine and is a proof of concept. A report was conducted with four babies that it is possible to “quickly scan a baby’s entire DNA and pinpoint a disease-causing mutation” within a few days than the average weeks to months period. The baby had a mortal gene mutation, so rare that it had been reported just once before. Doctors analyzed a sample of the newborns blood and within 50 hours their conclusion was the rare gene mutation. This test could have been followed through within days of the newborns birth however, “there was no treatment, there was not anything that could have changed the outcome,” Dr. Petrikin said. “But we could have more appropriately counseled the family and bypassed what had to have been intense suffering.”

* Information obtained at www.nytimes.com 

* Pictures obtained at www.nytimes.com & www.unistelmedical.co.za

 Figure 11.1

 Figure 11.2

Black Mamba

     Can the world’s deadliest snake venom act as a painkiller? When combined with a proportional amount of morphine the Black Mamba’s venom would essentially work. According to researcher Anne Baron at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in Valbonne, France, studied hundreds of compounds for a particular compound that ‘blocks acid-sensing ion channels in nerves’. A new analgesic, which was that one compound, was discovered to be the venom of a Black Mamba. Before Baron and her colleagues produced the purified drug, the team identified specific proteins that blocked the ion channels. After the drug was produced a test was conducted with mice to determine whether how resilient they were to pain. Mice injected with the drug appeared to be significantly more resistant to pain compared with those given a ‘sham treatment’. Morphine targets the opioid receptors, however this drug does not but delivers the same effectiveness of pain relief. Baron intriguingly concluded, due to the drug not targeting the opioid receptors many side effects from morphine such as: addiction and breathing problems might not be associated with the new drug. 

* Information obtained at www.newscientist.com 

* Pictures obtained at www.thedailystar.net & www.worldmostamazingrecords.blogspot.com

 Figure 10.1

 Figure 10.2

Male DNA --> Female Brain

     A recent discovery suggests that fetal cells can slip through the blood-brain barrier and into the female brain. Scientists have traced segments of male DNA, considered to be from ‘boy fetuses’, embedded in brain tissue of women who have died in their 70’s. Male DNA is also very common throughout the female brain. An online report (PLOS ONE), electronically published on September 26, clarifies the discovery. Researcher, J. Lee Nelson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, studied 26 female brains and 18 out of the 26 male-only genes (69%) died without neurological disease. With that said, male DNA was profusely present throughout their brains. In relation to this particular study, the technique used couldn’t determine whether the DNA originated from ‘intact, functional brain cells’. Nelson and the cancer center researchers conducted a similar test, a different sample of female brain tissue and sited nuclei from male cells in the brain. Geneticist Kirby Johnson of Tufts University in Medford, Mass conservatively noted that, “from everything we knew, it’s not really that surprising. What’s interesting is how the DNA could have gotten there. Male cells from a fetus could have broken through the blood-brain barrier — a wall that protects the fragile brain from pathogens in the blood. But that shouldn’t be possible” (Johnson). Mothers can also carry a daughter’s genetic material in their brain tissue and with the presence of a Y chromosome it makes male DNA easier to locate.  

* Information obtained at www.sciencenews.org

* Pictures obtained at www.frenchtribune.com & news.yahoo.com 

 Figure 9.1 

 Figure 9.2