This week it is your turn to find a current event related to our current unit - DNA, genetics, protein synthesis, and transformation. Find a news article related DNA. Write the name of the article and the author in your post. Paste the link into your comment. And then describe the article and how it relates to what you have learned in this unit.
Here are some sources that you can use to find articles:
SF Gate: http://www.sfgate.com/science/
Science News: http://www.sciencenews.org/
NY Times Science News: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/
Popular Science: http://www.popsci.com/
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Rare mutations key to brain disorders
ReplyDeleteSevere disease-causing variants often unique to those affected
By Tina Hesman Saey
In this article it talks about how many of the mutations that cause brain disorders are not inherited, new research on the genetics of mental retardation suggests, but are rare DNA variants that pop up for the first time in affected people. In class we've been talkig about DNA and what its functions are and how its useful.
actually, the warming global is almost occurring in our world, i think we could stop it because we killing a lot of living things even though we have no ideo of it. and it is our fault that's why our planet is dying.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65454/title/Rare_mutations_key_to_brain_disorders
ReplyDeleteThis is called "Rare mutations key to brain disorder". In this article it explains that the mutations that have to do with the brain are not inherited. It states that is you disrupt even one copy of a gene it could result in mental retardation. When a male produces sperm, there might be large chunks of DNA that has been deleted or duplicated. The article says that 15% of mental disorders are associated with the loss or duplication of sperm. New mutations could be an important cause of brain disorders, says Veltman, a leading researcher working for the NIjmegen medical center. Finally this article articulates that even is a gene is disrupted it may not cause mental retardation. This article has to do with DNA and the mutations we learned about during class.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65170/title/The_sandman_gene
ReplyDeleteThe title of this article is, "The Sandman Gene". This article explains how sleep may be connected to a part of a gene that also determines whether fruit flies sleep at night. Geneticists found that people who have a version of a gene called SUR2 sleep 28 minutes more than people who do not have the gene. This gene encodes a protein that forms part of a channel that transports the potassium in and out of your cells. Researchers also found a rare gene in subjects called DEC2. This gene gave people almost 2 hours a night less than average. In this article, it has to do with the genetic blueprints of cells.
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/researchers-use-bacteria-killing-light-destroy-pathogens-flip-switch
ReplyDeleteThis article is addressed as, "New Bacteria-Killing Light Can Destroy Superbugs With the Flip of a Switch". In this article it talks about research scientist have been doing pertaining to sterilization and how they discovered a way to kill types of bacteria. They use a light frequency called HINS, High intensity, Narrow Spectrum, to make the bacteria produce a lethal chemical that in turn pushes the bacteria to kill themselves. Although this is a very affective way to kill bacteria, it must be continuously sterilized to keep from spreading around places with low immunity. This article pertains to what we learned in class because it has to do with genetics and transformation because in transformation the pGLO is inserted in the plasmid and when u shine a UV light it shines green, but for this particular article the light kills the bacteria.
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-05/researchers-find-evidence-horizontal-dna-swapping-between-insects-and-mammals
ReplyDeleteResearchers Find First Evidence of DNA Swapping Between Insects and Mammals
by: Clay Dillow
Scientists recently discovered evidence of the ability to swap DNA between non-mating species; in this case, parasites and their hosts. This method of DNA swapping is called horizontal DNA transfer. Transposons, or DNA segments that move around within the genome, were isolated from a parasitic triatomine bug and 98% of these transposons were similar to those found in opossums and squirrel monkeys. This could only mean that it is possible that us humans share the same transposons with the bug as well. This article relates to what we are learning because it involves DNA, and the process of horizontal DNA transfer is like transformation, where cells are modified by outside DNA.
Making stem cells from skin
ReplyDeleteBy:Melinda Wenner Moyer
so scientists turned ordinary adult skin into pluripotent stem cells.They become any kind of tissue. when turning a cell into another kind of cell or put into an organism you find out more better ways of changing the human and organisms way of being. This relates to what we are learning in class because we've been talking about cells and what they are and how they function and how many cells a human body has. basically the way of life and how organisms and people are different and related.
Is Your Dinner Endangered? DNA Detectives Investigate by Laura Allen
ReplyDeletehttp://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/scientists-deploy-dna-forensics-protect-overhunted-animals
The article describes a campaign in which endangered animals are protected. Detectives can now determine whether or not a specific product is an endangered species, through DNA identification. This article relates to what we have learned because it ties together with the study of DNA.
DNA Shows Nurse was Mom of Mummified Infants in LA
ReplyDeleteBy JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press
This article talks about how DNA was used to find out the mother of two dead children that had been stowed away in a trunk at the bottom of an LA apartment building. The DNA led authorities to finding a lady who had died in Canada at the age of 95. The DNA could not confirm who the father of the two infants was. DNA strands are unique in every human being. The sequences of nucleotides lets detectives trace people and their relatives. DNA sure is cool!
Environmental DNA modifications tied to obesity
ReplyDeleteBy Tina Hesman Saey
Researchers mapped one type of epigenetic change known as methylation in DNA samples taken 11 years apart from 74 Icelandic people. They found four variably methylated regions where more methylated DNA correlated with larger body mass. Obese people had more heavily methylated DNA at those regions than did people of normal weight. The four VMRs are in or near genes that have previously been linked to obesity or diabetes.
This relates to what we have been learning because we have been learning about genes and DNA.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/63405/title/Environmental_DNA_modifications_tied_to_obesity
Trees Infused With Glowing Nanoparticles Could Replace Streetlights
ReplyDeleteBy Julie Beck
This article from popular science is about the potential of genetically modified trees replacing street lights. The tree's leaves are infused with luminescent nanoparticles which provide a natural light. This cause the leaves to produce a bright, reddish light which has no electricity costs and reduces carbon emissions. They also speed up photosynthesis which helps reduce carbon dioxide.Due to this natural and safe light, these glowing trees could be a greener alternative to street lights.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65170/title/The_sandman_gene
ReplyDeleteThe Sandman Gene by Tina Hesman Saey
This article is about how a group of scientists discovered a gene linked to sleep duration. They had studied over 4,200 Europeans to find it. Humans that contained the gene slept and average of 30 minutes longer than humans that didn't. This relates to what we have been learning because it has to do with the human genome. We have recently studied about genes, and how they affect the person that carries them.
Genes Jump More in One Type of Autisim
ReplyDeleteBy:Tina Heasman Saey
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65682/title/Genes_jump_more_in_one_type_of_autism
This article is about how scientists had found a new discovery that is a more severe form of autisim. It is called the Rett Syndrom. This syndrom mostly strikes girls.Researchers still don't know how to control this 'jumping gene'. In class we have been learning about genes and the affect on humans.
Researchers Find First Evidence of DNA Swapping Between Insects and Mammals
ReplyDeleteBy: Clay Dillow
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-05/researchers-find-evidence-horizontal-dna-swapping-between-insects-and-mammals
This article speaks of horizontal DNA transfer. That is the swapping of genetic material between non-mating species. This involves some paristies and their hosts. Mammals can be carrying DNA from parasitic insects that could potententially be altering the mammals' gene over the course of time. Genes that made the leap were transposons, segments of DNA that move around the genome, jumping around replicating and changing the amount present. This relates to what I have learned this unit because because it has to do with the DNA and its gene.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/62021/title/How_salmonella_helps_kill_cancer_cells
ReplyDelete"How salmonella helps kill cancer cells"
By Gwyneth Dickey
This article describes how a bacteria known as Salmonella typhimurium, or salmonella, can be used to treat melonoma, or skin cancer. Melonoma can be contracted for genetic reasons or as a result of overexposure to the Sun. When injected into tumors of lab mice, salmonella caused the tumors to shrink, along with other untreated tumors. When the bacteria was injected, tumor cells began to create more of a channel protein known as connexin 43. As a result, nearby immune cells could "communicate" with the tumor cells. These dendritic cells showed the tumorous protein on their surface, alerting the immune system to search for and destroy that protein and consequently destroy the tumors.
Though salmonella could be directly injected into the patient, scientists believe it would be better to get some immune cells from the patient's body and mix them with tumor cells; after that, salmonella would be introduced, and the resulting immune cells which kill the cancer cells could be returned to the body to teach other cells to kill tumors. The successful production of such a cure would help many people who suffer from melanoma; once the disease spreads to other organs, there is no cure, with only a 15% chance of survival.
In this article, the author writes about cancer in young patients. This links to our newest subject, cell division. Today, 11/18/10, we read a packet on cell division and how crucial it is to control the speed of cell division. in the article they describe how young cancer patients and how they have to cope with their life after cancer. Also, many die because of it and the thought was that 30 and below was "too young for cancer", this is not true at all.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/18/ED301GD6IA.DTL
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65454/title/Rare_mutations_key_to_brain_disorders This article is "Rare mutations key to brain disorder". This article talks about the mutations of the genetics that can give people brain disorders, therefore making them mentally retarded. The research shows that it is not usually inherited. It is a random pop up that disrupts chunks of DNA. This DNA can get lost or duplicated making it non-normal. In class we have been talking about genetics and the mutations it can have.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65170/title/The_sandman_gene
ReplyDeleteThe article is about the brain disorders that can cause a serious defect in most humans. According to this article 15% of our over all of our brain can be effected. This is all possible the copying of something during the act of synthesis. They cause a change in everything causing the mutation in the brain. This can also happen when males has sperm and has a piece of their DNA deleted or sometimes even replicated. This is a known mutation that can actually be stopped, but it is and will be incredibly hard to because it is in our gene and we can't control the genes we make. We learned about mutations and DNA in class.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/64761/title/1000_Genomes_pilot_a_hit_with_geneticists
ReplyDelete1000 Genomes Pilot a hit with geneticists by Tina Hesman Saey
This article was about a program that tried to find out the genetic variability in humans. most people have slight differences in their genes, and most don't know about it. In a study of about 2,500, around 15 million different one letter spelling variations were found! Also found were the amount of copied or recurring genes found as well. The average amount of copied genes were from 0-5, but some extreme cases had almost 368! This article pertains to what we learned because it has to do with our genes, which are part of our DNA.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65063/title/Central_dogma_of_genetics_maybe_not_so_central
ReplyDeleteCentral dogma of genetics maybe not so central by Tina Hesman Saey
This article is about how some RNA misspellings of the template DNA are on purpose. In a study conducted by scientists in Pennsylvania, it was discovered that RNA has misspellings in 10,000 places that were found in more than two people. The changes weren't random, they continued occurring over and over again. The most common of the 12 different misspellings found was the switching of an A on the DNA molecule to a G on the RNA. This relates to what we've been learning because it has to with protein synthesis and the human genome.
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-05/researchers-find-evidence-horizontal-dna-swapping-between-insects-and-mammals
ReplyDeleteScientists have now found evidence of insects and mammals swapping DNA. Insects and mammals share genetic material called transposos, which are floating genome pieces that cause mutations and changes in the genome of a cell.This could help our thinking about cross species DNA swapping, which isnt a novel concept, scientists just never knew how it occured, and even our thinking about evolution. Natural selection is still the driving force, scientists agree, but this finding certainly makes us stop and think.....
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-12/new-dna-analysis-method-drastically-cuts-cuts-time-cost-genome-sequencing
ReplyDeleteScientists at Boston University have pioneered a system for genome sequencing which significantly decreases the time and cost needed to do so. This new method pulls DNA through electrical fields, allowing scientists to analyze it as the DNA is pulled through a small pore in the field. The sample needed for this new method is 10,000 times smaller than the sample needed for traditional methods of DNA sequencing. This method also eliminates rendering issues of normal methods that produce artifacts on what scientists see.
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-06/dna-scratch
ReplyDeleteScientists at the Scripps Research Institute have now successfully been able to produce DNA materials in a laboratory. The 4 bases that make up DNA were mixed with artificial lab-produced bases called "alpha" and "beta", which was a large step in the effort to synthesize new genetic material that could react with a wider selection of materials. Chemist Floyd Romesberg had the idea to use the genetic code in bacteria to help track products as they go from manufacturer to shelf, as well as makign man-made proteins. The two artificial bases could also help construct nano-machines that could help in drug delivery. There are many potential uses for this new discovery.
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-11/scientists-collect-dna-10000-vertebrate-species-see-evolution-action
ReplyDeleteScientist have banded together to form a genomic "zoo", in order to watch evolution on a molecular level. This zoo has the genomes of 10,000 vertebrae species. This project, known as the Genome 10K project, will allow scientist to view rapid changes and adaptations of species. This information could be the key to understanding evolution and the architecture of modern animals, such as wings and the four chambers of the heart. The genomes of the animals represent molecular fossils, allowing scientists to understand our biological past.
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-10/diagnosis-whole-genome-sequencing
ReplyDeleteDoctors in Turkey partnered with a Yale research team to do the first clinical diagnosis by analyzing the patient's genome. An infant with Barrter's disease, a fatal kidney disease. This kind of method of diagnosis allows doctors to direct treatment with accurate information. The cost of this kind of analysis cut costs by 90% and allowed more money to be put into treatment.
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-07/nyc-museums-deep-freeze-lab-will-store-endangered-critter-dna
ReplyDeleteNew York City's Natural History Museum will soon receive the DNA of nearly 400 endangered species. Similar facilities have been set up in San Diego and the United Kingdom. The U.S. National Park Service signed an agreement to store the DNA in the museum's underground facility, making the museum on of the largest facilities to freeze DNA in the country. The DNA is stored in racks in vats filled with liquid nitrogen. The worlds backup frozen DNA bank, however, is drilled 400ft. into an Arctic mountain, and can survive nuclear war, floods of biblical proportions and a smogasbord of other disasters.