Expert Assesment: Embryonic Stem Cell Research Does Too Much Good to Be Evil, Says Janet Rowley

-With the ban on embryonic stem cell research being removed, a key barrier to research and discovery has been broken.
- Stem cell research is a true moral dilemma, but the behind it science offers a way to bring something good from a flawed situation
-It is the parents choice whether or not to donate the embryo
-There are some sort of guide lines when preforming stem cell research.
-Scientists cooperate with ethnic groups as well as patients when dealing with stem cells
-Stem cells researched for the greater good of the human population. It is used so doctors can better understand certain diseases so they can help their patients in a more effective way.

Reflection: I thought this article was interesting for multiple reasons. There is no question that stem cells research is one of the most controversial aspects of science these days, and that makes learning about it all the more interesting. I think that this article focuses on all the good that stem cell research does for the world, but I also agree that since stem cell research is being used to help people, and hopefully save lives in the future, it does more good than bad. Of course I realize that some stem cells come from babies, but if the parents were going to have an abortion anyway isn't it okay for the parents to donate it to help the future? Those are just my thoughts though.


Link: http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/03/23/embryonic-stem-cell-research-does-too-much-good-to-be-evil-says-janet-rowley.html

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Axkn8G18t8

Citation: Rowley, Janet. "Embryonic Stem Cell Research Does Too Much Good to Be Evil, Says Janet Rowley - US News and World Report." US News & World Report - Breaking News, World News, Business News, and America's Best Colleges - USNews.com. 3 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Related Articles:
-Leave Embryos Alone: Stem Cell Work Can Be Done Without Them, Says Tony Perkins: http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/03/23/leave-embryos-alone-stem-cell-work-can-be-done-without-them-says-tony-perkins.html%20?s_cid=related-links:TOP

-Stem Cell Research: some pros and cons:
http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/irv/irv_19stemcellprocon.html


Bias: I thought that this article was a little bit bias because it only really talked about the positive that embryonic stem cells do, and not the negative. I myself am a little biased though because I feel I support stem cell research. At first when I read the article I didnt think that it was bias at all, but I now realize that the article may have been a bit bias. It wasn't bias to the point where is was criticizing other points of view though, just bias enough to ignore the negative in stem cell research.

When Plants Attract Bugs, It May Be Their Own Fault

-Initial research in greenhouses showed that Cajun Carmine had significantly less damage from thrips than Dazzler White.
-Thrips are very tiny, sliver-like insects that are native to northwestern North America. They feed on the plants' leaves and petals and transmit devastating plant viruses
-Thrips were choosing one side over the other 50-50. Because the thrips were choosing Cajun Carmine basically 50-50, choosing Dazzler White 64 percent of the time shows they were definitely choosing the plant [Dazzler White] over the purified air.
-When specific plant volatiles are identified as attractant or repellents to specific insect pests, these volatiles can then be used as selection factors in plant breeding programs or by producers seeking to limit insect damage

Reflection: I think that its interesting to know that certain plants attract bugs that help destroy them. When I was little my dad and I planted a tree in our back yard. Every once in a while I would go out there and see that some of the leaves on the tree had holes in them. I knew that this was the work of some insect, but I never knew why exactly it happened. Now I know that it might have been the tree's fault for attracting the bugs in the first place. This concept makes some sense but it leaves me wondering if natural selection would push the chemical attracting bugs in a certain direction.


Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100517144816.htm

Picture: http://z.about.com/d/landscaping/1/0/l/C/poison_sumac_plants.jpg

Citation: University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. "When Plants Attract Bugs, It May Be Their Own Fault." ScienceDaily 17 May 2010. 17 May 2010 .

Bald Eagle Diet Shift Enhances Conservation, Study Finds

-Seabirds provided an abundant source of carrion for the local eagle population until the pesticide DDT wiped out the eagles in the 1960s.
- Since bald eagles are extremely opportunistic, they can quickly adapt to changes in the prey base of the diverse ecosystems they inhabit.
-Because there are no sheep on the islands today and the seabird populations are diminished, the researchers thought the introduced eagles could scavenge seal or seal lion carrion
-Atoms of elements such as carbon and nitrogen, which cycle through the food chain, come in different forms, or isotopes that have the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons. Scientists can distinguish them by the tiny differences in their masses.
-The researchers could determine the diets of bald eagles by analyzing the isotopes found in their remains.

I thought that the bald eagles ability to adapt to its environment and change its diet is pretty cool. The survival instinct it takes to live in the wild is a lot different than what it takes to live a civilized life. In biology class we talked about adaptation, and this is a great example of it. Nature forces a lot of species to adapt in order to survive, in fact now that I think about nature also forces us to evolve. With different diseases and viruses going around man kind is forced to create certain medicines and change the way we live. But in that sense we are in one way or another slowly conquering natural selection.


Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503161231.htm

Picture: http://fatfinch.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/bald-eagle-head2.jpg

Citation: Carnegie Institution. "Bald Eagle Diet Shift Enhances Conservation, Study Finds." ScienceDaily 4 May 2010. 17 May 2010 .

Costs and Benefits of Testosterone in Birds

-Individual male birds can differ dramatically in their behavior determined by the different levels of testosterone in their body's.
-Testosterone and the behaviors it mediates may predict how well a male succeeds.
- An aggressive male may be more likely to obtain high-quality territories that attract females.
-Aggression might pose a survival risk, because aggressive males might be more likely to engage in costly fights.
-Researchers found strong relationships between testosterone and both reproduction and survival, demonstrating that natural selection is currently acting on testosterone production in this population of juncos.

Reflection: It is interesting to see how testosterone affects birds because we recently learned how it affects people in biology class. Now that i've read the article, I found that the hormone affects birds in pretty much the same way. But it is also interesting to know that natural selection is pushing birds towards more testosterone. I would think that there would be a balance in the testosterone levels of birds because too much testosterone is a bad thing and hinders a birds ability to survive. Maybe I'm wrong but this explains why some birds are extremely aggressive.


Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513112753.htm

Picture: http://www.ornithology.com/images/BabyBirds_Miller_061705.jpg

Citation: University of Chicago Press Journals. "Costs and Benefits of Testosterone in Birds." ScienceDaily 13 May 2010. 17 May 2010 .

A Dog's Life: Relationships Between Dogs, Owners Fall Into Three Categories

-Dog's circumstances can change depending on their owner's life course and experiences.
-Dog ownership attitudes fell into three categories: Humanist, where dogs were highly valued and considered close companions, like pseudo people; protectionists might be vegetarians and they greatly valued animals in general, not just as pets; dominionists saw animals as separate and less important than people
-Distinct orientations toward animals were informed by multiple, competing cultural logics
-People learn how animals should be treated.

Reflection: At the very beginning of the year we learned about the concept of artificial selection. It is interesting to know that dogs are the way they are because we made them so. This kind of represents our dominance in nature. Different dogs are bread for different activities for human use. Some people use this as a reason to treat dogs a lot worse than people, because they see dogs as worse than people. People I think that is wrong, but that is because ( like the article stated) the way I was raised. In my house my dog is treated like part of our family. He eats around the same time as us, sleeps in a bed, and is frequently walked. I'm not really sure how dogs our treated in other parts of the world, but it would be interesting to see the difference.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810025813.htm

Picture: http://puppydogweb.com/gallery/softcoatedwheatenterriers/softcoatedwheatenterrier_andrews.jpg

Citation: Indiana University. "A Dog's Life: Relationships Between Dogs, Owners Fall Into Three Categories." ScienceDaily 19 August 2009. 17 May 2010 .

Low Umbilical Cord pH at Birth Linked to Death and Brain Damage

-Low umbilical cord blood pH at birth is strongly associated with serious concequences, such as infant death
-Whether of not research to explore whether all babies should have their umbilical cord blood tested is needed or not
- When a baby is deprived of adequate oxygen during labor, the pH levels of blood in the umbilical cord drops.
- Doctors found that low arterial umbilical cord pH did in fact have a strong association with infant death and brain damage

Reflection: In biology class we learned about the miracle of life, specifically birth. But we did not really learn about some of the things that can go wrong during birth. This article talks about one of the complications that can cause brain damage in an infant or even death. Before reading the article I had no idea that if something was wrong with the umbilical cord that bad things could happen to a child. Although I knew that the umbilical cord gives the baby the nutrients it needs to survive it never crossed my mind that something could go wrong.


Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513212431.htm

Picture: http://www.ohiohealth.com/mayo/images/image_popup/fl7_umbilicalcordatbirth.jpg

Citation: BMJ-British Medical Journal. "Low Umbilical Cord pH at Birth Linked to Death and Brain Damage." ScienceDaily 13 May 2010. 17 May 2010 .

Are Humans Still Evolving? Absolutely, Says A New Analysis Of A Long-Term Survey Of Human Health

-The idea that because medicine has been so good at reducing mortality rates, that means that natural selection is no longer operating in humans
- Humans are not exempt from natural selection. Humans are actually likely to evolve at roughly the same rates as other living things
-The changes may be slow and gradual, but the predicted rates of change are no different from those observed elsewhere in nature
- The results place humans in the medium-to-slow end of the range compared to the rates of other living things


Reflection: I think in one of my other articles I mentioned humans slowly overcoming natural selection. I guess I was wrong, nothing can beat natural selection. There will always be something in nature to put you in you're place, or make you the way you are. I don't know what the reason for this is but who does? Nature is an extremely mysterious thing, and there will always be unanswered question about the mystery of nature.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162933.htm

Picture: http://whosoeverdesires.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/human-evolution5.jpg

Citation: National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent). "Are Humans Still Evolving? Absolutely, Says A New Analysis Of A Long-Term Survey Of Human Health." ScienceDaily 20 October 2009. 17 May 2010