Turtles Disappearing millions of years ago?

Around 71 million years ago, there was a climate change in Alberta's Drumheller area. Turtles are considered to be climate sensitive organisms, so it was believed that the climate change caused them to leave this area. However, a discovery has been made that suggests the turtles left before the climate change. Now it seems as if a habitat change caused the turtles to leave rather than the climate change.

The habitat in which the turtles were living in was a subtropical forest, near an inland sea, which leads to many wetlands. The wetlands are believed to be the homes of these ancient turtles. The new discoveries being made suggest that the wetlands started to disappear in this time period. The departure of the turtles from the area seems to correspond directly with the destruction of their habitat rather than the cooling period due to climate change.

Before this discovery it was believed that climate change had a greater impact on the turtles than the habitat changes. Now, its is believe that overall the habitat changes had a greater impact. It was surprising to most scientists to learn that even if a climate is "ideal" if the habitat isn't right for the organism it could die out or choose to leave. Before this I, like the scientists would've believed that the climate would have a larger effect. This could do with watching the movie Ice Age too frequently when I was younger (although the climate obviously changed then too), or just assumption. I definitely learned something new by reading this article.

This discovery about how the habitat rather than the climate change effected the turtles could lead to a different way of thinking about other organisms too. Perhaps this could change beliefs about other organisms too. This small discovery could potentially change the way things have been considered to be for decades now. I hope that this discovery would open up possibilities of taking a second look at the way things are now. The migration of animals over the years due to what was beleive to be climate change could end up being due to habitat change instead.

I'm not sure why but when reading this article humans popped into my mind. If you think about it, its not necessarily climate change that would cause us to move or "migrate" but rather habitat change. If it gets really cold out, you buy heavier jackets to wear, if it gets really warm out, tank tops and shorts suffice. However, if your house catches on fire, or is deemed unfit to live in due to mold or faulty building, you move. That in a way is habitat change. So when it comes to humans, it seems as if habitat change would have a greater impact overall in comparison to climate change. Obviously all organisms are not the same as humans, but it is an easy way of thinking about this issue.

I found this article to be unbiased, and I definitely learned  a lot and have a new outlook on the situation after reading it. However, there is the possibility that I am over thinking the issue, maybe it was just these turtles this one time, but it would be interesting to go back and double check previous discoveries and find out for sure.

Spiral-Toothed Mystery

For a while now scientists have been trying to piece together what the body of an ancient species looked like. This species had an odd trait, spiral saw like teeth. Scientists debated back and forth whether the  species, Helicoprion, was more closely related to a shark or other organisms. It was with the use of fossils of the Helicoprion and CT scans to finally discover which organism the Helicoprion was more closely related too.
Ends up it is not the shark as many scientists believed for a long time, but instead the modern chimaeras, or ratfish. The fossil record helped the scientists to discover more about this organism. It lived 270 million years ago, and was made up of mostly cartilage, not a substance that leaves behind particularly good fossils because it is easily crushed. However, one of the fossils found of the organism had preserved some of the cartilage, thus allowing the scientists who used the CT scans to better develope what the organism looked like way back then. Because they were able to go so in depth with the fossil they were able to figure out what organism was related to the Helicoprion. It does have similar traits to a shark, such as having cartilage and rather than bone, but it is the way the upper jaw is connected to the rest of the body that actually determines which current day organism it is more closely related too. In this case its upper jaw seemed to fuse to the brain tip, this characteristic is well known for being in chimareas and ratfish. The computers helped the scientists to focus in on these minute details that can mean serious differences.
We recently learned about fossil record in class, so it is very interesting to see it applied in the real world. If not for fossils the scientists would have been stuck, they would not have been able to discover much more about this organism. Clearly fossils are very important. Also, the computer technology played a big role in this discovery. This technology helped to build a 3D replica of the organism based off the fossil. The fact that we are now capable of doing this is amazing. It has allowed us to learn more about that specific organism, but also about the evolutionary history between the Helicoprion and the modern day ratfish/chimaeras.
The technology used in this event, at least to me seems to be very important. If we can use CT scans to form 3D images from this fossil, why wouldn't we be able to do this with other fossils? I could see this being very important in current day science. We are alwalys trying to discover things about the past in science, and with this technology it would become easier to picture how the world was millions of years ago.
For the most part this article seemed to be pure facts, no biases present. While reading this article I was very interested in it. What other organisms can we discover more about using this technology? We could easily expand what we know about certain adaptations and traits passed down from ancestors millions of years ago. It really does relate easily to what we are doing in class, which is a pleasant surprise because it makes everything a lot more interesting, it gives it a real world meaning, instead of just one of those things you learn in class. I am interested to see if the technology used on the Helicoprion fossils will continue to be used with other fossils we have.

New Cancer Drug

A new drug has been combined with a chemotherapy drug, emtansine it is aimed at helping patients with HER2 – positive breast cancer. This form of breast cancer is known for being very aggressive. This drug is capable of helping to treat the breast cancer and having a less toxic effect on the body. The drug is helping patients with this form of breast cancer to live their lives more normally, they feel better than they would if they had chemo and in some cases have even been able to keep their hair, which is rare when using chemotherapy of any kind. The name of this drug is Kadcyla or TDM-1.

TDM-1 combines Traztuzumab or Herceptin with emtansine. Emtansine is a well known powerful chemotherapy drug. TDM-1 is currently being referred to as “Super Herceptin” because it is proving to be stronger and less toxic than the usual process used to fight that particular type of cancerous tumor. Not only is this drug less toxic and more effective, but it is more effective in the long run too. So far it has proved to have a longer lasting effect than the standard procedure. A comparison between TDM-1 and the usual routine showed that TDM-1 causes a patient to stay cancer free for an average of 9.6 months, while the regular routine (two cancer fighting drugs that were unnamed in the article) provided only 6.4 months of life cancer free. This drug is an important breakthrough in science.

A very interesting aspect about this drug is that it specifically kills the proteins that help to reproduce this type of cancer. Herceptin, part of TDM-1 was capable of hunting down and then interfering with cancer cells, while chemotherapy drugs (such as emtansine) can kill it, combined they are a great pair. Just as it sounds TDM-1 does both these things, it goes straight to the cells with cancer, due to the Herceptin part of it, and then the emtansine part of the drug kills the cancer. It also works from the inside out; the cell with the cancerous protein first eats the TDM-1. After this the TDM-1 is released inside the cell and destroys it, killing the cancer. This is so important because usually chemotherapy drugs aren’t as exact, they can kill cancer, but it is easy for them to kill healthy cells too.

There are always problems with new drugs, that’s undeniable, however this is definitely a break through. Being able to specifically target the problem cells and kill them without causing harm to the healthy cells is important, it could change the way cancer is handled, and change the lives of cancer patients. Obviously a person who can feel healthier while they are fighting cancer, because the drugs they are taking are less toxic, will be a happier person in the long run. I personally do not see any problems with this drug, the FDA even recently approved it. However, this fix is only for one specific type of cancer. It’s a breakthrough, but it would be so much better if it could be expanded on soon for other types of cancers. Also, will it be easy for the cancer cells to become immune to it? Because it is capable of fighting aggressive cancer, maybe it will be even more effective when it comes to slower moving cancers, but then again that has to be developed, tested, everything, a long process awaits for this to become a more usable popular cancer fighting drug. How many types of cancer are there, aren’t there constantly new ones being discovered, or ones developing slight mutations over time? It will take more time to see if those treated with this new drug will have reactions to it later, or how much longer it will last effectively. As for now we can only hope for the best, and that new advances based off this drug will be made. 

Swim

For the first time ever, scientists have been able to see a thought. They used a Zebra Fish looking for his food, the though they saw? Swim. This is an incredible break through. Being able to see thoughts an animals is a first. The studies of perception will most likely have tons of new doors opened by this technology. Before this seeing thoughts in a brain wasn't possible.

This technology consists of a flourescent probe that is extremely sensitive, this is used to detect the brain activity. The seond part of it is a genetic - method used to insert the probe right into the neurons of interest. This allows a more specified view of the thoughts to be seen, ones at a single celled level.
To test their invention, they used the zebra fish. They put food infront of him and watched as the Zebra Fish sighted it. Upon seeing it the zebra fish's first thought, swim. They also saw thought activity after the Zebra Fish had caught his prey. It will be interesting to see how other animals brains work as their research continues. Also, it will be even more interesting to see what they will find when they use it on humans. Obviously the human brain is a lot more complex than that of a Zebra fish. However, apparently we have the same basic functions, which makes it possible that this technology can be used on human brains at some point.

This new technology also opens up possibilities for new psychiatric drugs. Now researches can see where complex behaviors take place such as decision making and perception. Hopefully sometime in the future this technology will be capable of pointing out where in the brain sadness comes from, anger, happiness, and many other emotions too.

Something I find very interesting about the this technology is a possible future use. The human brain is still a mystery to us, it is too complex to understand it, and pieces of it, thought process wise, vary from person to person. However, maybe, just maybe this technology can be specified enough to view exact brain activity. And maybe someday this technology could be used on criminals. It would allow us to discover what makes a psychopath a psychopath, how their thought process works. That would be an incredible break through, especially if a way to treat it was developed. Also, if things such as anxiety could be found in the brain maybe drugs that could better help those with anxiety could be helped. Same for those that struggle with being bipolar. This new technology has a long way to go, and a long way to  develop before it will be ready for either of those uses, but it is definitely off to a good start and can only go up from here.

Gattaca and Biotechnology

Biotechnology can be a very good thing, but there ris the potenital of taking it too far. In the movie "Gattaca" the capabilities of biotechnology were taken too far. In this movie parents can choose exactly what their child will be like down to their looks, talents and physical abilities. In this new way of life nothing is left to chance anything and everything can be genetically altered. Although this has its benefitssuch as eliminating diseases, heart defects, and premature balding, it is not a good thing overall.

The biotechnology in this move is extremely advanced. There day in which biotechnology could be used to eliminate diesease in children would be amazing. However, the extreme genetic alterations could lead to discrimination as shown in the movie. Your genetic make up should not define you as a person, it should not eliminate job opportunites or seperate you from the rest of society. The idea of such specified ways of reproduction is beyond ridiculous and just unnecessary.  Childbirth is a game of chance that has been around for millions of year, you should not be able to pick and choose exactly what your child should be like, its just weird.

Discrimination based off of your genetic make up, sound crazy right? Well in this movie this actually happens. The main character, Vincent, is born with a heart defect and isn't even supposed to live to be very old. However, Vincent wants to go to the moon, he wants to go up into space. But Vincent has a heart defect, so he is proclaimed an "invalid" and the only jobs available to him are janitorial. The good jobs belong to the "valids" the ones who had everythting about their genetics picked out before they were even born. Job discrimination due to the work of biotechnology was one of the negative impacts shown in this movie. Another negative thing was shown with Vincent's relationship with a woman at Gattaca. She was technically an invalid, and he was posing as a valid so when they got together she gave him a hair off of her head. The hair was so that he could check and see if anything was wrong with her... you know being an valid obviously just makes you that much more superior than anyone  who isn't. That in itself is ridiculous, you shouldn't have to worry about testing the DNA of the person you are considering dating. Relationships don't work like that. The biotechnologoy really just changed the way of life for every day people in this movie.

Another big issue with the biotechnoloyg's capability to change everything about people is that the "valids" were all capable of living long lives, and were very healthy. If everyone is healthy, and everyone is destined to live a long life, where are they all going to go? We would over populate like the deer population. There would be no room for any of us to live comfortably. This is yet another negative impact of genetic altering. Although the idea is a good one, there is just too great of a possibiltiy that we will take it too far and the negative impoacts will out weight the few good ones. If we would learn how to limit ourselves and just use it to eliminate disease that would be great, but we are humans why would we even consider stopping if we can just keep accomplishing more?

A Drug for Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic Fibrosis is a well known genetic lung disease. If you have Cystic Fibrosis you have mucus in your lungs that builds up and makes it difficult to breathe, also it opens you up to the possibility of recieving an infection. Cystic Fibrosis is the most common genetic disease in white people. 

In August, 1989 American and Candadian scientists discovered the gene responsible for Cystic Fibrosis. When this happened scientists believe that they would be able to quickly come up with a cure, or drug that would allow them to treat the disease. Now, almost 25 years later, a druge to treat the disease is possible. It took the scientists this long to test 600,000 possible chemical solutions that would help fix the incorrect protein that produced Cystic Fibrosis. The new drug is one called Kalyedco.

Kalyedco like all drug is not perfect. It does not cure the disease but it helps to control it. Also, it is very expensive, it can cost $300,000 per year. Another downside is it doesn't work for everyone with Cystic Fibrosis, only those with a certain type of mutation in that gene. The scientists that have helped to create Kalyedco are still on the search for a drug to help a greater amount of people with Cystic Fibrosis, but they have been able to accomplish much with Kalyedco. A woman that is on Kalyedco (she has the specific gene mutation necessary for it to work) is able to breathe and not feel as if her lungs are filled with mucous, instead they feel clear. For her this is enough, for the scientists not so much.

The only way currently to fix the protien and thus end Cystic Fibrosis comes from gene therapy. Apparently gene therapy is not easy though. There is a good chance that it will not work and takes a lot of time and effort. So as of now there is no definite  way to cure Cystic Fibrosis, but the fact that scienists were able to come up with a drug that benefits some is a good start.

Hopefully someday soon scientists will be able to help end Cystic Fibrosis. As they progress towards this ending goal it is good that they are at least capable of making drugs to help those currently struggling with it. Although the drug is defintely very expensive, like all other drugs over time it is bound to drop in price. It is important that we focus on developing drugs that help or even can cure diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, its a long difficult task to find a solution to these issues and takes true dedication. If we could eliminate Cystic Fibrosis there is the possibility to eliminate other genetic diseases, this drug has gotten the ball rolling for more to come in this specific focus and hopefully some others as well. I hope that one day during my life time Cystic Fibrosis will no longer be a disease people have to worry about, and I hope it is not the only one like that.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/02/168353348/drug-fulfills-promise-of-research-into-cystic-fibrosis-gene