Another Instant Egghead from Scientific American.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Keep those drugs out of the waterways
It is well known (especially thanks to the P2D2 program) that there are too many drugs in the nation's waterways. This article highlights the effects those drugs are having on fish.
Note, as you read this article that the research is based on drugs that have already passed through the systems of humans and entered the waterways through the sewage treatment systems. It's possible that might be the next step for the P2D2 program.
Anatomy and AP Bio students, look at this quote from the article and comment upon it.
To find out more, Rearick compared gene expression in estradiol-exposed and unexposed fish. He found a significant increase in the expression of genes for the neurotransmitter dopamine in estradiol-exposed fish, suggesting that something might be occurring in their developing brains.
Klaper took a similar approach in her investigation of fluoxetine effects in fathead minnows, finding a cascade of gene-expression changes in the male minnows' brains as the dose increased. "I'm in the process now of trying to figure out the [physiological] pathways these might be involved in," she said.
Biology students, read the article and comment upon the scientific method being used, the ecology being studied, and how the effect of drugs on fish affects humans
Note, as you read this article that the research is based on drugs that have already passed through the systems of humans and entered the waterways through the sewage treatment systems. It's possible that might be the next step for the P2D2 program.
Anatomy and AP Bio students, look at this quote from the article and comment upon it.
To find out more, Rearick compared gene expression in estradiol-exposed and unexposed fish. He found a significant increase in the expression of genes for the neurotransmitter dopamine in estradiol-exposed fish, suggesting that something might be occurring in their developing brains.
Klaper took a similar approach in her investigation of fluoxetine effects in fathead minnows, finding a cascade of gene-expression changes in the male minnows' brains as the dose increased. "I'm in the process now of trying to figure out the [physiological] pathways these might be involved in," she said.
Biology students, read the article and comment upon the scientific method being used, the ecology being studied, and how the effect of drugs on fish affects humans
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
More about antibiotic resistance
I have had several posts before about antibiotic resistance and now there's more research into it. This time the research focuses on the urine of cattle. That's right, bovine pee! Read the article and see what kind of research these scientists are doing?
What's your opinion of having 80% of all antibiotics in the United States being given to livestock? Comment on the research and what they could do to expand. What else could they study to learn more about antibiotic resistant bacteria?
What's your opinion of having 80% of all antibiotics in the United States being given to livestock? Comment on the research and what they could do to expand. What else could they study to learn more about antibiotic resistant bacteria?
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Otzi the Sardinian?
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| from: http://www.livescience.com/24666-otzi-iceman-mummy-life-death.html |
The mummified remains found in the Alps of a man named Otzi has been a staple of science books for many years now. Scientists have used a variety of forensic and archeological tools to reconstruct his life. Scientists have now identified which Europeans he is most closely related to according to his DNA sequence and it is the people of Sardinia, shown in the map below. Read through the articles and and come up with a list of the forensic tools used to identify parts of Otzi's life.
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| from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinia |
Giant Roman!
National Geographic recently published an article identifying that the bones of person with gigantism had been discovered. The person was between 198 and 204 cm tall. This would have put them more than 30 cm tall than the average Roman citizen.
"To find out if the skeleton had gigantism, the team examined the bones and found evidence of skull damage consistent with a pituitary tumor, which disrupts the pituitary gland, causing it to overproduce human growth hormone.
Other findings—such as disproportionately long limbs and evidence that the bones were still growing even in early adulthood—support the gigantism diagnosis, according to the study, published October 2 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism."
Using the bold print from the article copied above, identify what the scientists were looking for in the bones that they used as evidence for gigantism.
It isn't terribly strange to have a person that is 200 cm tall at this point in time? What changes have occurred that caused changes in height?
"To find out if the skeleton had gigantism, the team examined the bones and found evidence of skull damage consistent with a pituitary tumor, which disrupts the pituitary gland, causing it to overproduce human growth hormone.
Other findings—such as disproportionately long limbs and evidence that the bones were still growing even in early adulthood—support the gigantism diagnosis, according to the study, published October 2 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism."
Using the bold print from the article copied above, identify what the scientists were looking for in the bones that they used as evidence for gigantism.
It isn't terribly strange to have a person that is 200 cm tall at this point in time? What changes have occurred that caused changes in height?
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