"Immune Protein Fends Off Exotic Virus"

Key Purpose: To show the recent discovery of a protein that will protect people from a certain virus.

Key Ideas:

• Antiviral proteins fend off viruses
• The main virus that it will eradicate is the Chikungunya virus
• This virus has caused an epidemic in Southeast Asia
• The virus causes joint pain and high fever
• The effectiveness of the proteins produced from the immune cells can be used to control the outbreak of the Chikugunya virus

Key Conclusion:

After reading this story, I am really interested what might be in our body that we have no idea about. It is possible that inside our cells we have the power of curing our own diseases. This could be the common cold or something large like A.I.D.S. I think that more research into our body and what we are made of might be fantastic for finding cures and creating medicine. We wouldn't have to look at outside resources to find cures; every person might have it inside them. If we can find this out, many people in countries that do not have proper medical attention for their citizens could save many lives. I think we have just started t see these things and experiment with them. I am really interested in viruses and bacteria. When I was ten, I wanted to be an infectious disease doctor. Now that we are discussing this in biology, I am enjoying the class even more. To me it is very interesting to study something that might be the end to all humans, or something that might be able to help the world.

"Immune Protein Fends off Exotic Virus." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 19 May 2010. .

http://lilliandcosta.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/the-chikungunya-virus.jpg

"CIC bioGUNE researchers embark on work to control the prion epidemic affecting deer in the USA "

Key Purpose: This article explains the research that has started in Europe

Key Ideas:

• Scientists have found a way to control the stability of prions
• Prions are responsible for the spread of scrapies and Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy
• These diseases are spreading all around the world causing scientists at CIC bioGUNE to start research to control the spread of these diseases
• The scientist's main goal is finding and controlling the spread of mad cow disease
• Another goal of the scientists is to stop the spread of a prion that can infect deer. This disease is spreading at an alarming rate

Key Conclusion:

After reading this article, I was really interested to see where this research might lead. After doing several articles, I found that sometimes the greatest discoveries are made by accident. If the scientists in Europe were able to find a gene that would be able to control the deer prions, the gene might be able to affect the prions in cattle. On the other hand, the scientists are also researching mad cow disease so there might be a discovery from that research that may be able to unlock clues about the prions in deer and even the prions in sheep and goats. I am very interested to see what changes and what discoveries will be made in the future from this lab.

"News - CIC BioGUNE Researchers Embark on Work to Control the Prion Epidemic Affecting Deer in the USA." Basqueresearch.com. Web. 20 May 2010. .

http://www.biobasque.org/wWeb/imgs/cicbiogune16.jpg

"Stem Cells Made From Developing Sperm"

Key Purpose: To show the recent discoveries about stem cells that might change how all people view stem cells.

Key Ideas:

• Scientists at John Hopinks have analyzed and found the key molecular parts that occur when a stem cell changes into a specialized cell
• Many scientists believed that differentiation could be reversed but many were unsure how to do it
• With an experiment with fruit flies, scientists at John Hopkins found that using two certain proteins, they could revert the sperm cells back to stem cell
• By reducing the “Jak and STAT” proteins, scientists were able to produce more stem cells
• Scientists are eager to find out whether this change is the reversal of the process of becoming a stem cell, or some new process

Key Conclusion:

This story is really interesting to me for one certain reason: What happens next? The possibilities that could come of this discovery could be endless. The fact the humans might be able to reverse cell functions is incredible. So many diseases and viruses could be cured. Also even aging could be “cured” as well. Also with these possibilities, stem cell research could be stretched to new lengths. These opportunities would arise for one specific reason. Many of the issues of stem cell research, abortion, would be resolved without the need for the aborted fetus. This will allow for the progress of stem cell research that could help many people. I believe that stem cell research is valuable and will be able to save lives, on the other hand, I do not advocate the killing of babies. These are my thoughts on stem cell research, and I believe it is a subject to keep working on that will help many people.

"Stem Cells Made From Developing Sperm." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 19 May 2010. .

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/10/01-07/sperm_egg_4is.jpg

"Harnessing Bacteria To Make Fuel Cells More Efficient"

Key Purpose: To inform people that there are new discoveries being made that may help resolve the problem of fuel today.

Key Ideas:

• A bacteria that has pili will be able to help fuel burn more efficiently
• Pili are structures on bacteria that help move electrons to transfer power
• Pili act as electrical conductors
  
• Bacteria is a strain of Geobacter sulfurreducens
• This fuel will act as a microbial fuel
  
• This fuel might be of use when a car battery is dead (acts as back-up power) or for robots

Key Conclusion:
This subject is very interesting to me for one large reason, I will be driving soon. Since I will be a driver, gas and fuel is something I need to think about. Living about an hour from school will end up causing constant trips to the gas station. I'm not sure I will be able to afford the gasoline if the prices get any higher. So with this news, I am interested where this will lead. I am really interested in the biofuel and microbial fuel mentioned in the article. Both of these fuels might be the solution that I, and many other new drivers may be looking for. I hope that soon scientists will be able to industrialize this process and make these alternative fuels the primary fuels. Like I said above, I cannot wait to see where this goes and how it will affect the automotive world.

"Harnessing Bacteria To Make Fuel Cells More Efficient." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 19 May 2010. .

http://jb.asm.org/content/vol185/issue7/images/medium/coverfig.gif

Expert Asssesment - "Obama Lifts Bush's Strict Limit on Stem Cell Research"

Part I: Expert Assessment
"Obama Lifts Bush’s Strict Limits on Stem Cell Research." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 18 May 2010. .

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to inform the public about the new easement of the rules and restrictions regarding stem cell research. This article is shows the views of both the president and the view of the politicians surrounding him. This article explains the potential of stem cell research and the drawbacks that will arise if "the research" is continued.

Key Information:

• President Obama made the decision to continue stem cell research
• Stem cells are harvested from embryos aborted from a female's womb.
  
• Harvesting stem cells ultimately "kills" the embryo
• In the act of continuing stem cell research, President Obama made it clear that there will not be human cloning
• President Obama feels that "guidelines and strict oversight the perils can be avoided.”
• Stem cells will be able to cure many disease that cannot be cured today: Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease etc.
• Limitations on research in America can spur other countries to work on stem cell research (in this case, Britain.)

Key Conclusion:
The controversy surrounding stem cell research is very heated. A person will either firmly believe that this research will help people, or a person will believe that this is murder. The fact that deciding whether abortion is murder is the gray area in this case. The fact that stem cells will be able to cure cataclysmal disease is something that needs to be taken into account. This will be able to save and improve many patients lives. There is a misconception that stem cells only come from aborted fetuses, however, there are other parts from a baby that doctors would be able to harvest stem cells without harming the child. I feel that this misconception makes the controversy much more extreme. On the contrary, abortion and the process of harvesting stem cells are looked down upon by very many people, including the Catholic Church. They view abortion as murder. There is more controversy about the specific time and period when a fetus becomes a child, but that is a different discussion. The fact that many people are opposed to stem cell research because of the method restricts the continuing research, but now the door as been opened...at least cracked with the Obama Administration's take on stem cell research. Now, all we can do is wait for either a discovery, a change of heart, a extreme situation to tip the controversy to one side, and I feel that with this news, the outcome will come soon.

Course Preparation:
Obviously the stem cell unit of this course is what really prepared me for understanding this article. This unit really helped me understand even though the unit was a bit shorter than the others. Also the current reproduction unit has helped me understand this article because of the knowledge of how pregnancy works and the functions that take place during pregnancy. Without the knowledge of blastocysts and also the clarification of misconceptions from television and movies, I would not have understood the article as well as I did.

People Involved (Referenced):

• Barack Obama
• Obama Administration
• Bush Administration
• Congress
• Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey
• Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts
• Senator John Kerry

Type of Article:
This article was a report on a topic currently under review by the courts, legislature, and President. As you can see from the list of people involved, many are from the House of Representatives, Senators, or Presidents. This article can also be classified as research development because the opportunities that can arise from the easement of the strict laws on stem cell research.

Part II: Background Research

"Stem Cell Basics: Introduction [Stem Cell Information]." NIH Stem Cell Information Home Page. Web. 18 May 2010. .

About this article:

When looking for sources, I found the one that would give me the most information and the least opinion I could find. The Natural Institute of Health was the best site I could find. After reading, I really felt like I reviewed most of the information we have covered in class. The fact that stem cells are unspecified cells that can change to become many types of cells, muscle cells, brain cells, and blood cells. I found that not only can stem cells be found in embryonic stem cells but also in somatic stem cells, corresponding with my previous misconception: stem cells only come from aborted fetuses. I also found information about the two different types of cell therapies used with stem cells: Replacement therapy and reparative therapy. I also found more information about inner blastocyst, cells that will form the vital organs of the body, and the body itself. After reading I also found that stem cells are in adults bodies that are used to repair injuries and disease. This is the overall information that I have found after reading the Natural Institute of Health's stem cell information.

Blastocyst:


"Public Opinion About Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning -- Nisbet 68 (1): 131 -- Public Opinion Quarterly." Oxford Journals | Social Sciences | Public Opinion Quarterly. Web. 18 May 2010. .

About this article:
Unlike the last article, I chose to research the public opinion about stem cell research. After reading I found out some very interesting things. First, many people, even today, are unaware of stem cell research and what it is. Secondly, I found that the increasing publicity of stem cell research is not only making people more aware, but also creating people come to extreme conclusions about the research. Finding this out, I fell that many of the opinion pieces can be wrong because of the bias written by people who do not fully understand the issue.

"Human Stem Cell Research." ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Web. 18 May 2010. .

About this Article:
I chose this article specifically because it was from a religious tolerance site. I wanted to find an article that would express the opinion of those opposed to stem cell research. I found useful information through this website. I found that 72% of Christians agree that stem cells should be banned. I found that Britain has already approved stem cell research. I also found that, like my last article, not many people are informed about the subject, and many republicans oppose stem cell research. This site gave me some information about the Christian side of the controversy of stem cells.

Part III: Analysis of Potential Bias

• Bias through selection or omission: I thought this article did show a balance between those opposed to stem cell research and those supporting it, but overall I felt as if this article was meant to show this as an opportunity for scientific growth.
  
• Bias through placement: This article was placed on the first page of Google when searching for "Obama stem cells" This, however, I do not think is bias, the New York Times is a very popular newspaper, and I feel that this was an appropriate spot for an article from the NY times
• Bias by Headline: There was some bias in the headline: "Obama Lifts Bush's Strict Limit on Stem Cell Research." The word that stood out was "strict." In this case, Obama was made to sound like a liberator, lifting the strict limit, not the limits, the strict limit.
  
• Bias through photos, captions, and camera angles: There were no pictures or captions associated with this article
• Bias through names and titles: I don't feel like there was bias through names because each side was equally represented in the article
• Bias through statistics and crowd counts: There were no statistics given in this article
• Bias by source control: There was no bias in sources, each were a political representative that believed in one side or the other
• Bias through word choice and tone: I felt that the tone and word choice of the article was very strong, but for both sides. Each had a extreme side to it, and I felt that the author was able to balance the story in a way the reader would be able to judge for his/her self.

Works Cited:

"Human Stem Cell Research." ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Web. 18 May 2010. .

"Obama Lifts Bush’s Strict Limits on Stem Cell Research." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 18 May 2010. .

"Public Opinion About Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning -- Nisbet 68 (1): 131 -- Public Opinion Quarterly." Oxford Journals | Social Sciences | Public Opinion Quarterly. Web. 18 May 2010. .

"Stem Cell Basics: Introduction [Stem Cell Information]." NIH Stem Cell Information Home Page. Web. 18 May 2010. .

"Insect May Make Moves to Survive the Harvest"

Key Purpose: The purpose of this article is to alert farmers and all people about a new behavior of certain pests to avoid destruction during harvests.

Key Ideas:

• Both species of caterpillar (O. scapulalis and Ostrinia nubilalis) are pests in places where corn is grown
• O. nubilalis burrows itself inside corn and eats the corn during spring, while O. Scapulalis burrows itself in a weed called mug wort
  
• Both of these species have developed a behavior: when farmers harvest corn (summer), the caterpillars will sink to the bottom of the stalk to create their cocoon, and avoid being cut during the harvest
• This behavior is called geotaxis
• Harvesting has acted as a selective pressure for the caterpillar and is causing it to evolve to avoid being harvested with the corn

Key Conclusion:
The first statement of this article really popped out at me, "One thing about evolution — you never know what’s going to influence it." This statement is very true. From my past conclusions in some articles, this statement has summed it up. There are many things that humans are doing that are causing other organisms to change, for this example, it is the process of harvesting corn. After thinking about it, everything we do, every day will make a difference. While it is somewhat scary to think about, it is the only way life could exist on this planet. Earth is a hostile planet, but because humans and other organisms are able to adapt, we are able to survive. I think this article is just another point on the significance that we humans have on the world, some that we may not know about.

Fountain, Henry. "Observatory - Insect May Make Moves to Survive the Harvest - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 17 May 2010. .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/science/27obborer.html

"Three Approved GMO Crops Linked to Organ Damage, New Study Shows"

Key Purpose: The purpose of this article is to alert people of the recently approved GMOs for human consumption

Key Ideas:

• Monsanto has had 3 GMOs approved for public
• The only tests have been done on rats, there have been no human trials
• The three GMOs are Mon 810, Mon 863, and NK 603
• The crops have produced side effects that are able to harm the kidneys, lungs, and heart.
• Governments of the United States and other countries ignored the lack of test results and allowed the production in their countries.

Key Conclusion:

This article made me a little scared. The fact that this big of a problem from GMOs was approved without rigorous testing is frightening. For a GMO to become approved, it must be tested on at least three mammalian species, but these three were only tested on rats. Because of lack of testing, many people will now be eating GMOs that will ultimately cause problems to their vital organs. Even if Monsanto would approve the GMOs, I would think the government would investigate and make sure the proper testing has taken place, but apparently not. This is not just a problem in the U.S. Many other countries have also approved the three GMOs that will could be dangerous to humans. This could only be a start of the problems that will arise as more and more GMOs are produced. Hopefully it will not take many of these mistakes for the government to change its testing process and approval process to keep citizens safe.

"Three Approved GMO Crops Linked to Organ Damage, New Study Shows." Independent News on Natural Health, Nutrition and More. Web. 16 May 2010. .