Honors Core Biology Cell-abration Presentations

In our study of cell function and structure the students were assigned a cell organelle or process to research and produce a short google slide presentation for Mr. Ippolito's section. These are their unedited presentations.

L. Abbott - Extracellular Matrix
T. Bender -  Flagellum and Cilia
J. Burstein - Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
L. Cruikshank - Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
J. Curran - Nucleolus
E. Donohue - Chromatin/Chromosomes
Z. Flangos - Ribosomes
A. Gaston - Golgi Apparatus
S. Huss - Lysosome
K. Ircha - Mitochondrion
F. Jones - Peroxisome
Q. Madden - Cell Wall
S. Mitchell - Microtubules
C. Mooney - Microfilament
A. New - Centrioles
E. Parson - Central Vacuole
T. Purdy - Chloroplast
M. Pytosh - Plasmodesmata
M. Rizzo - Desmosome/Tight Junction/Gap Junction
B. Sands - Nuclear Envelope
A. Saralegui - Phagocytosis/Pinocytosis
N. Semenyuk - Contractile Vacuole
S. Sulimirski - Autophagy
S. Sullivan - Secretory Vesicles
S. Whitney - Endosymbiosis Theory

Macroinvertebrate Slides/Reports

As part of the Bronx River Research Initiative Mr. Ippolito's Honors Core Biology class prepared a short informational google slide presentation or one-page report describing one type of macroinvertebrate that may be found in the river.
Leeches by L. Abbott
Hemiptera by T. Bender
Dragonflies by J. Burstein
Stonefly by L. Cruikshank
Leeches Paper by J. Curran
Clams by E. Donohue
Crayfish by Z. Flangos
Leeches by A. Gaston
Mayfly by S. Huss
Snails by K. Ircha
Coleoptera by F. Jones
Dragon Fly by Q. Madden
Dragonflies (Odonata) by S. Mitchell
Mussels & Clams by C. Mooney
Scuds by A. New
Macroinvertebrate overview by E. Parson
True Bugs (Hemiptera) by E. Parson
Dobsonflies by T. Purdy
Dragonflies by M. Pytosh
Mussels (Mollusca) by M. Rizzo
Dragonflies by B. Sands
Flatworm (Platyhelminthes) by A. Saralegui
Crayfish (Decapoda) by N. Semenyuk
Sowbugs by S. Sulimirski
Crane Fly by S. Sullivan
Dobsonflies by S. Whitney

These presentations/papers are "raw" student work presented here as submitted by the students without teacher editions.

Climate Change Driving Toad Disease from Fungus in Pyrenees

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161023190558.htm

"Climate Change Driving Toad Disease from Fungus in Pyrenees."ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

    The article, "Climate Change Driving Toad Disease from Fungus in Pyrenees", features the effect of global warming on frogs. The chytrid fungal disease is a deadly fungus that is wiping out toads and frogs. The vast majority of mortalities due to the virus have occurred in areas of high altitude. The disease has , “... severely affected over 700 amphibian species worldwide causing more extinction events than any other infectious disease known to science”. Both the Imperial College London and Zoological Society of London, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, that “From analysing lake melt and amphibian infection rates over eight years, the researchers found that the earlier that the valley's lakes melted in the springtime, the higher were the rates of infection for both frogs and toads”. This research exemplifies the true devastation that global warming has on frogs, toads, and many other organisms.

    As society continues to pollute and release harmful gasses into the atmosphere, the environment takes a toal. It was very powerful when the author includes a quote from scientist Matt Fisher that says, "These findings show yet another devastation of species thanks to human activity”. This quote is truly eye opening because if humans don't start respecting and caring for the enviroment, entire frog and toad species could potentially be wiped out. If these species grew extinct, many ecosystems would alter and be dysfunctional. So not only would frogs and toads be extinct, but thousands of other organisms would be affected, and it is all due to society's poor treatment of the environment.

    After reading the article, “ "Climate Change Driving Toad Disease from Fungus in Pyrenees", I believe that the authors delivered their points very well.  I really liked how the author used a myriad of quotes from credible sources to prove the great dangers facing toad and frog species. It also thought that the authors organized the article very well. They wrote the article in chronological order, which made sense to the reader because they could understand the cause and effect of everything. On the other hand, the authors did not put enough specific facts into the article. It would have been nice if in addition to adding quotes, the authors could prove the legitimacy of their points by adding detailed data. For example when the author states, “...the higher were the rates of infection for both frogs and toads”, it would have been very smart for the authors to include the specific rates of the infection, rather than displaying the general idea. I also would have liked for the authors to explain exactly how the global warming was causing the disease. It would have been interesting context if the authors included exactly how the disease is formed.

posted fot E. Donohue

Some Australians Want To Rent Out Endangered Wildlife

    Mililken, Grennen. "Some Australians Want To Rent Out Endangered Wildlife." Popular Science. 21 Oct. 2016. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

    A proposal to offer private ownership of endangered species has gained traction in Australia this week, after prominent electronics businessman, Dick Smith came out in support of the plan. Around the world, extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times greater than ever before. As a result, many ecologists think Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction event similar to the one that ended the dinosaurs. The current proposal, led by ecologist George Wilson of Australian National University and published in Conservation Letters last month, stated that  endangered animals could be owned by private landholders, investors, or community groups, instead of the government. In turn, these owners could breed more animals on their own land, and lease or sell the surplus individuals to other private owners. The role of governments would be to regulate the leasehold arrangements and any animal welfare issues, rather than be sole managers of wildlife,” said Wilson in a press statement. Overall, the goal of the project to increase suitable habitat for threatened species in addition to increasing their populations.

    New concepts and approaches are undoubtedly needed to secure the lives of endangered animals. But whether this approach of commodifying wildlife is the right one remains hard to say. However, Wilson points out that this concept is not new and has been employed in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and other African countries all to varying degrees of success. “Although wildlife management in Southern Africa has different aims, success there suggests that the approach is worth trialling in Australia.” If this were the case, our society as whole would truly have the power to make a change for our environment and the animals living in it.

Milliken did a nice job incorporating subtitles and pictures within the article, making it easy to follow and understand. She also started the article with two rhetorical questions, engaging the audience and hooking them in from the start. However, the structure of the paragraphs could have been more thoughtfully laid out. At times, a sentence would start with the word “and” and there were too many quotations and parentheses throughout the article, which made it difficult to follow at times. To improve on this, Milliken should paraphrase more often instead of quoting most of the paragraph. Overall, this was a well written article that brought up the awareness of endangered animals worldwide, where they believe that people can be the first step to fixing the problem at hand.  

posted for L. Cruikshank

Taking Down Dams and Letting the Fish Flow

Thomas Bender

Mr. Ippolito

Biology

Current event

24 October 2016

Carpenter, Murray. "Taking Down Dams and Letting the Fish Flow." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/science/penobscot-river-maine-dam-removal-fish.html?_r=0>

Taking Down Dams and Letting Fish Flow

In the 1800’s the Penobscot river in Maine had been teeming with aquatic life such as herring, shad, and alewives. However, these wildlife species were soon evicted from the Penobscot river due to dams that had been built. Recently, these dams have been torn down and as a result of this, the wildlife is flourishing. Recently the aquatic creatures that had previously lived in the river have returned, and many of them are using it as a new spawning ground. This has lead to a large increase in the population of local aquatic animals and terrestrial animals due to the new spawning grounds and new food sources. Now “nearly 8,000 shad have swum upstream this year”. It is migrations like this that are rebuilding the ecosystem of the Penobscot river.

As occurrences such as this keep happening, where people take away obstacles and unimpeded habitats, to find the ecosystem rebounding and all life in the vicinity flourishing. it is starting to be hard to imagine just how environmentally inconsiderate previous generations have been. It is also important to ask what negative things current generations are doing to the environment, and how such things could be reversed or reduced.

Overall this article was great. It made clear sense and backed up all of its points with evidence. However, the article did not refer to the purpose of the dams and why they had been built in the first place. It also does not enough talk about the  negative effect of the dam on the local ecosystem. These issues could have been fixed by adding in a few sentences about each point.

"Brain Science"

Julia Curran

Mr. Ippolito

Biology D-Odd

24 October 2016

Zimmer, By Carl. "Brain Science." Secrets of the Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/brain/zimmer-text

In the article “Brain Science” by Carl Zimmer it explains in detail the new technologies that are instrumental in deciphering how the brain really works. There is a device created by Van Wedeen and it consists of 96 miniature antennas, close enough to the brain in order to pick up the radio waves it was about to emit. According to Zimmer, Wedeen is “creating in unprecedented detail representations of the brain’s wiring: the network of some 100,000 miles of nerve fibers, called white matter, that connects the various components of the mind, giving rise to everything we think, feel, and perceive.” By observing active brains, neuroscientists can identify the differences in “normal” brains and the brains of people with various disorders such as Autism, schizophrenia and more. Zimmer explains how “as they map the brain in greater detail, they may learn how to diagnose disorders by their effect on anatomy, and perhaps even understand how those disorders arise.”

This article has a drastic effect on society because we now are developing more and more technology that will allow neuroscientists to map the brain. This is crucial because neuroscientists will be able to distinguish between average brains and brains with a mental illnesses or disorders. Meaning they could possibly be able to diagnose these illnesses and disorders and possibly understand how and where these disorders stem from. This is huge because in the near future, with this technology, if scientists know where disorders such as Autism and Alzheimer's come from, they may possibly be able to prevent it from occurring.

The article was very detailed however it was slightly challenging to grasp, reading this article as a 10th grade student. I think this article was intended more for scientists and college level readers onward.The article was also quite long and lengthy and could've been condensed to a slightly simpler and shorter version. But in all the article provided great detail and was extremely fascinating and provided me, as a reader with great insight on the brain and the importance of fully understanding it and how it works.

Jay Burstein
Mr. Ippolito
Biology D-Odd
24 October 2016 

Goode, Erica. "Why Big Liars Often Start Out as Small Ones." The New York Times. N.p., 24 Oct. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/science/why-big-liars-often-start-out-as-small-ones.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

Why Big Liars Often Start Out as Small Ones

This article written by Erica Goode addresses how the brain functioning works and specifically how lying starts out small and evolves overtime. At first, the lies we tell are little "white lies" to make up excuses or to make other people feel better. 

Lying has been difficult to study in the scientific world and Dr. Sharot who is an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London took this study head on alongside her colleagues. Furthermore, for their research, they used brain scanners to learn how the brain reacts in the emotional section when a person lies. In addition, participants in the study were encouraged to lie so then the researchers could get more accurate results. Overall, when people lie, they realized that there was little reaction in the emotional part of the brain. The less reaction in the emotional part of the brain led to larger lies in the future. As a result, the liars lie bigger and with greater ease as time goes on. 

While some of the results can be repeated, using brain scanners was not the most effective way of carrying out this research. In addition, the information is difficult to interpret from brain scans. While there were some limitations to this study, it was a start to figuring out people lie and what makes them continue to lie more and more. The one thing that the author can do to make this article more valid is to test their theories on more than the 80 people that were used in their study. My other suggestion would be to develop a more accurate scanner that go in line with the results because then there will be information to interpret and it will also be easier to interpret that information. Furthermore, this author is stating how we need coming up with white lies because it is a "slippery slope" to tell bigger lies in more serious situations. This research is timely based on the election cycle and the issues that are being discussed by the presidential nominees. Lying can become a serious matter even if you start telling little white lies. 

America’s Gray Ghosts: The Disappearing Caribou

Sarah Whitney

Mr. Ippolito

Biology D-Odd

16 October 2016

Robbins, Jim. "America’s Gray Ghosts: The Disappearing Caribou." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/science/endangered-caribou-idaho-british-columbia.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

In the article “America’s Gray Ghosts: The Disappearing Caribou” by Jim Robbins, it clearly states that caribou are in danger and their numbers are rapidly decreasing. Since they are so few and rarely seen, these caribou are known as “gray ghosts.” These animals are currently one of the most endangered species due to wolves and cougars. Though the “Selkirk herd” has been seen in the United States, it spends around 90 percent of its time in southern Canada. The threat there is so serious that canadian sharpshooters have resorted to killing some wolves from helicopters, though they have only killed 19 so far. But, in order to save the “Little Smoky caribou herd” around 1,000 wolves were killed over a decade. The steep mountain forests had been affected by humans cutting trees and searching for oils, but when they recently grew back, many deer, elk, and moose were drawn back. Wolves then started to move back to the surrounding area due to the abundant prey. The number of caribou dived due to the increasing number of wolves.Wolves focus primarily on moose and deer, but in the last two years, wolves have killed two caribou in the Selkirks; cougars killed another one. Yet another was killed by a car on Highway 3 in Canada, where salt on the road lures wildlife. Some entire wolf packs have been killed to try and keep the species from going extinct. To protect pregnant caribou, “maternity penning” has been used. This is where a pregnant caribou is moved into an enclosure until her calf is old and strong enough to fend for itself. Protection for the caribou is controversial in the United States partly because snowmobilers want to ride on the 30,000 acres that have been set aside for the endangered species. Many biologists fear that it will be too late before they can act to save this species.

The endangerment of this species can affect today’s society because it could change the food chain, affecting even more species. This affects us because we could lose money and resources while attempting to save these animals. If our attempts fail, we could lose a lot of money so it is up to scientists and the government to decide if it is worth the risk. The author stated, “In 2012, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to set aside more than 375,000 acres of critical habitat for the caribou. Opposition to the plan forced officials to reduce that to some 30,000 acres.” If we had given up the 375,000 acres, it would have cost the US government and taxpayers money to take care of the land so it is suitable for the caribou, thus pushing officials to reduce the amount. Though it is not much compared to the alleged proposal, at least the caribou are being helped in order to keep them from extinction.

This article has many strengths, the author included facts that corresponded to the statements. He also  included quotes such as, ““Right now, predation is the biggest problem, primarily wolves and cougars,” said Norm Merz, a wildlife biologist with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho”. Though the author had many strengths, there was also one thing that I noticed that could be improved. While reading this article, I noticed that the author would state one thing and later, state a point that would fit better with the first. For example, the author said, “Canadian government sharpshooters began killing wolves from helicopters. In the Selkirk Mountains, they have killed just 19 so far.” But later in the article, he mentioned, “Widespread wolf culls further north in Alberta are credited with saving the Little Smoky caribou herd in the Peace River region. But the price was high: About 1,000 wolves were killed over a decade.” I feel that these two points would better fit together and that would be a way to improve this article. Overall, I found this article very interesting and informative. I believe something can be done to help these caribou but we need to act fast.

Forget The EpiPen-It's Time For An Epi-Pill

Rimler, Rose. "Forget The EpiPen-It's Time For An Epi-Pill." Popular Science. 14 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

    For years, epipen auto-injectors have dominated the market for emergency allergy treatment, but now a cheaper alternative is being developed: an epinephrine tablet that dissolves under the tongue. Scientists have long known that epinephrine is useless when swallowed since the hormone, which occurs naturally in the body breaks down in the stomach and liver before it can hit the bloodstream. However, Mutasem Rawas-Qalaji, a pharmaceutical researcher at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, designed a pill that works similar to an orally disintegrating tablet, or ODT. In Rawas-Qalaji’s version, the tablet would be placed under the tongue so that it would dissolve directly into the blood-rich area at the base of the mouth. Like an injection, the drug would be delivered straight to the bloodstream. I chose this article because my brother is allergic to nuts and occasionally has to use the epipen. I thought this article could give me a better background on the topic of allergies and could possibly be a game changer to my brother, who has had severe allergies since a kid.

    Although this article was well written, it was quite bias. Most of the article involved the scientists telling us about the improvements the new epipen would provide, yet gave no incite to how regular people viewed it. To further improve this article, they should interview ordinary people with allergies to see how they feel about the possible new development.

    I thought this article was quite interesting. If this new study is able to be carried out and become successful, I believe it could truly benefit those with allergies, like my brother. It is also satisfying to know that the scientists are making their new product affordable and portable, making the invention all around more convenient. Overall, this article has given me a clearer understanding of how everyday people deal with severe allergies. Hopefully, this new study will accommodate patient’s needs and become another life long improvement to the field of science. 

posted for L. Cruikshank

What’s the Longest Humans Can Live? 115 Years, New Study Says

Lyric Abbott

October 15, 2016

Core Biology

Current Event #5

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/science/maximum-life-span-study.html?_r=0

What’s the Longest Humans Can Live? 115 Years, New Study Says

In the article, What’s the Longest Humans Can Live? 115 Years, New Study Says published in the New York Times by Carl Zimmer, it is stated that humans will begin dying at younger ages in the future and researchers say that 115 years is most likely the longest humans will live. There is a lot of debate occurring between scientists when it comes to this topic and the theory that humans are living short lives is very controversial. Many researchers have found that a child born in the US in 1900 had an average life expectancy just under 50 years, while a child born today is expected to live on average to age 79. Although humans have begun living longer and longer over time, researchers also say, “The shift toward growth in ever-older populations started slowing in the 1980s; about a decade ago, it stalled.” Dr. Vijg, an expert on aging at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine continues to do further research on this topic and has come to state his theory that humans will in fact living shorter lives in the years to come. Dr. James W. Vaupel, the director of the Max-Planck Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging, has “long rejected the suggestion that humans are approaching a life span limit.” He disagrees with Vijg’s  theory and bases his research in the trends of survival in the 1900’s.

This new research has a big impact on society because we have now found evidence that can affect human lives for future generations. Although research is still being done, it is likely that Dr. Vijg theory is correct and humans can only live up to the age of 115 and no further. “The fastest-growing portion of society has been old people, Dr. Vijg found. In France in the 1920s, for example, the fastest-growing group of women was the 85-year-olds. Instead, the increases slowed down and appear to have stopped. When Dr. Vijg and his students looked at data from 40 countries, they found the same overall trend.” The article proved that this trend in data occurs in other countries, not just the US, which has a big impact in not only America's but the entire world.

I thought the author of this article did a very good job getting his point across about how humans are living shorter lives. I liked how he gave two sides to the argument by including the two researchers and their opinions on the topics as well as the research they have done which provides the reader with more evidence. I think some parts of the article could have been stronger. For example, I think the author could have interviewed more scientists on their research which could have helped compare the two sides better and also provided more evidence as to why this decrease in age is occurring in humans, because I felt that some parts of the research were a bit vague. I also felt that the article ended a bit abruptly and did not have a proper explanation and conclusion. I think the author can improve for next time by interviewing more scientists and writing a proper conclusion that satisfies the reader properly. Overall though, I learned a lot from this article and found it very interesting that although we have a lot more medicine and cures for certain illnesses compared to the 1900’s, humans are still dying earlier today and most likely will continue to in the future.

A Milestone for Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere

Quin Madden

Mr. Ippolito

Biology D-Odd

16 October, 2016

Current Event

A Milestone for Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere

SCHWARTZOCT, JOHN. "A Milestone for Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere." New York Times. N.p., 3 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

In the article, “A Milestone For Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere”, The author proves that the carbon dioxide levels are reaching uncomfortably high levels. One of the main issues this article talks about how carbon dioxide levels are climbing. In Mauna Loa, Hawaii, reported that levels had recently risen above the symbolically important figure of 400 parts per million, and were likely to stay that way “for the indefinite future.” It has been awhile since the carbon dioxide levels have reached so high. This makes it almost impossible to prevent global temperatures from rising beyond the goal of two degrees Celsius. Dr. James Hansen a Nasa climatologist  said “if humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted.”. The problem is media is not promoting climate change and it needs to be tended too. However, Gavin Schmidt, a scientist who heads a NASA climate research unit in New York, agreed. “400 ppm is definitely a milestone, but there’s no evidence it’s a tipping point,”. Climate change is a huge issue and our media is not talking about it enough. This article talks about how climate change could possibly end the world we know and love. This article gives a good understanding of how high our carbon dioxide levels are reaching.

Overall I thought the article could have given more information about how they took the data. The article did a great job on finding reliable sources. One of the pro’s in the article was how the Author’s made sure to say specifically what happened in the article. They also did not  explain why the goal is two degrees Celsius. This could be improved by breaking it down and explaining it so the average human can understand it.

Nations, Fighting Powerful Refrigerant That Warms Planet, Reach Landmark Deal.

Sean Sullivan

Mr. Ippolito

Biology D-Odd

17 October 2016

Davenport, Coral. "Nations, Fighting Powerful Refrigerant That Warms Planet, Reach Landmark Deal." New York Times. N.p., 15 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/15/world/africa/kigali-deal-hfc-air-conditioners.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

Global warming is an issue that affects everyone on the planet. World leaders came together in Kigali, Rwanda to suppress climate change and cool our planet. Leaders from over 170 countries on Saturday discussed hydrofluorocarbons, (HFC'c) and how they could eliminate the use of that chemical all together. Hydrofluorocarbons are cooling chemicals used in air conditioning units and refrigerants. HFC's are a very small percentage of greenhouse gases but they contain 1,000 times the heat trapping potency of carbon dioxide. Creating time restraints and deadlines for over 170 countries can be very challenging. Constant deals and compromises were made by these countries so they can reach a goal that satisfies them. They could not simply make a one deal solution where every country has to meet the requirement; instead they made three tracks by dividing the world economy.Rich countries such as the United States and European Union will freeze the production and consumption of HFC's by 2018 reducing them to 15 percent of 2012 levels by 2036.Much of the rest of the world, including China, Brazil and all of Africa, will freeze HFC use by 2024, reducing it to 20 percent of 2021 levels by 2045. Lastly the wolrds hottest countries like India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will have a very leninet schedule for freezing HFC's. Their requirement is to freeze the use of HFC's by 2028 reducing the it to 15 percent of 2025 levels in 2047. The Kigali amendment is a very important and monumental deal. Following the Paris talks Kigali is, “an ambitious and far-reaching solution to this looming crisis," states President Obama. The Kigali accords are, “much, much, much stronger than Paris,” said Durwood Zaelke, the president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, a research organization. “This is a mandatory treaty. Governments are obligated to comply.” Any country that does not comply will face sanctions against their country. The Kigali amendment is expected to reduce an equivalent of 70 billion tons of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. Close to double the amount of carbon pollution produced annually by the whole world. 

Through the Kigali accords we really see a great display of cooperation from more than 170 countries demonstrating the best of mankind. Climate change is a very slow condition but is deadly and we very close to being on the point of no return. “It’s a step toward ensuring the survival of our island,” said Mattlan Zackhras, the climate change minister of the Marshall Islands. Most African countries although being some of the hottest and poorest in the world are taking the mid level approach to freezing HFC's. This shows the severity that Africa is under and putting the benefit of society as a whole in front of economic capability. other countries such as India pushed against this deal, because their people are almost in reach of HFC air conditioners. Global warming treatise and negotiations have been happening for decades but the Kigali accords are some of the most influential. The Kigali accords push to amend one issue that could lower our carbon dioxide emissions rigorously 

This article was very well written. It gave multiple statistics which led to real impact on the reader. The author compared this landmark deal with others made in the past giving some insight to how far we have come. He also brought up both sides of the argument, why some countries are pushing for this and others are not, identifying the key factors in their decision making and supporting that conclusion with quotes from the attending world leaders themselves. He also gave background info into the certain countries and how what is happening in their country may influence their deal. The author could have improved this article I believe by making his transitions better. At times I felt that the next paragraph was very out of order and random. If he improved his transitions than it would have been easier to follow ultimately making a better article. 

Two Weeks in the Mountains Can Change Your Blood for Months.

Sophia Sulimirski

Mr. Ippolito

Biology D-Odd

17 October 2016

@NewsfromScience. “Two Weeks in the Mountains Can Change Your Blood for Months.” Science, 14 Oct. 2016, http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/two-weeks-mountains-can-change-your-blood-months

In the article, “Two Weeks in the Mountains Can Change Your Blood for Months”, the authors discuss the effects of high altitude on the human body. Scientists have known for a very long time that when in low-oxygen conditions, new red-blood cells are created to account for this. It was always believed that it took weeks for new blood cells to be created. However, a new study conducted has shown that “the body begins adapting to elevation as soon as overnight”. In the study, volunteers spent two weeks on a mountain, training to climb a 3.2 kilometre hill. Comparing the first day to the second, there was a significant difference in how the volunteers were able to handle the altitude, and by the end they were able to climb up the hill. They then left for two weeks, and when they returned, their body’s adaption was still noticeable, as they were still able to climb the hill. The participants hemoglobin, oxygen carrying proteins, had changed the way they hung onto the oxygen load during their time in the hills. These changes last as long as red blood cells do, which is about 120 days.

Low-oxygen studies have occurred for years, however this new study provides new insight into how humans can adapt to altitudes. Furthermore, low-oxygen is a significant problem in traumas such as car accidents. Angelo D’Alessandro, a biochemist, states that “Finding ways to kick the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity into high gear in such an emergency could save lives in both the civilian sector and on the battlefield”. In addition, understanding how humans adapt in low-oxygen situations could help make improved preparations for astronauts journeying into space, and even simply help tourists with altitude sickness.

This article is very good in the sense that is clearly describes the new study about high altitude adaptation, using simple yet detailed terms to allow every kind of reader to fully understand the subject. However, the way it was organized was slightly confusing. The article begins by discussing the study and what the volunteers had to do, then skips to how the body adjusts to high altitude, then goes back to describing the study itself again. If the order of the paragraphs within the article were changed slightly, it would make the topic and what the authors were trying to prove a lot easier to follow.

Study: Viruses Are Living Entities, Not Machines

Tommy Purdy

Mr. Ippolito

Biology D-Odd

5 October, 2016

Current Events

Study: Viruses Are Living Entities, Not Machines

Staff, News. "Study: Viruses Are Living Entities, Not Machines." Sci News. N.p., 30 Sept. 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.

    In the article, “Viruses Are Living Entities, Not Machines,” the authors prove that many viruses are actually living things. The debate on whether or not viruses are living things has been happening for a while now. One of the main issues, the article talks about, is identifying the viruses. The article says, “Part of the confusion stems from the abundance and diversity of viruses. Less than 4,900 viruses have been identified and sequenced so far, even though scientists estimate there are more than a million viral species.” Because of issues like this, it is very hard to get a better understanding of viruses. The article mainly talks about Prof. Caetano-Anollés and Arshan Nasir’s experiment. There experiment was to look at protein folds and see how they cipher viruses genomes. In their experiment, they learned that some viruses can build a full “tree of life” alone without any other assistance from other organisms. This disproves a commonly believed hypothesis that viruses get all of their genetic material from cells. Also from their research, they learned that viruses most likely evolved from cells which gives even more reason to believe that they are living. The main reason that many believed that all viruses were non-living was because they believed that they relied on other cells from genetic material.

    The experiment that the article talks about is a very important experiment for many reasons. One of the reasons it is important is because many scientists now have been believing that viruses are nonliving. Now that the experiment with protein folds has happened, our understanding with viruses and how they are formed is completely changed. Also, the experiment has also gained information on the history of viruses and how they came to be what they are today. One thing that they learned from the experiment is that the genetic sequence in the viruses are nothing like what is inside cells.

    Overall, I think that the Author’s who made this article did a very good job but could have worked in a few areas. One of the good things in the article was how the Author’s made sure to say specifically what happened in the article. Sometimes the author will abbreviate the experiment and put less information on it. Another strength of the article was how the author’s explained why the virus discovery was so big. Often authors will say the discovery and not back it up with why the discovery was so important. In this article however, the author’s explain the importance of learning the viruses are living, which is because we originally did not know whether or not they were alive. Even though the article was mostly good, there were some weaknesses. One issue was that the author’s did not explain clearly what some of the things they said meant. For example, the article states, “The new study focused on the vast repertoire of protein structures, called ‘folds,’ that are encoded in the genomes of all cells and viruses.” To people who are not experts on the subject, such as myself, do not have a great understanding of the subject. This can be improved on by more clearly defining the terms that the average person does not understand. That would make the article easier and more enjoyable to read.

Researchers Have 3D-Printed Usable Human Bones and Muscles

Current Event

In the article, “Researchers Have 3D-Printed Usable Human Bones and Muscles,” the author explains that 3d printing body parts has become a reality. Researchers at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have been developing a new type of 3D printed called the “Integrated Tissue and Organ Printing System.” This printer prints out organs, bones and muscles in two layers to make sure that the organ is accurate to its real life counterpart. This invention has the potential to help the 120,000+ people waiting to receive an organ. It is said that 20 people die a day waiting for an organ that will never come and this invention may save 20 lives a day. The doctors who made this printer have already tried their bones and tissue on animals and it worked. The animals new tissue developed their own blood vessels which signifies that it worked. Also, the scientist worked on human jaws and ears. Even though these parts are not ready yet they could be available soon which would help people who need a need ear after a fire or people who broke thier jaw. This article impressed me because it shows that modern medicine is nowhere near the end of ingenuity. After they learn to print some body parts they will probably learn to print all the rest making the amount of people dieing from lack of an organ almost zero.

I have heard of countless stories of people dieing from a lack of an organ donor. I am very fortunate to not know anyone who died from lack of an organ, but I have, met people who have been unfortunate to have someone they know die from this unfortunate circumstance. With this new technology a lot less people will die, which is huge on its own, but less lives will be affected with tragedy. One very minute negative I can think about this technology is that people who need money in a pinch will not be able to sell their organs. This obviously does not matter in the slightest when you think about all the lives that this will be saving.

This article did a very good job of explaining why this technology will have a great effect on our country and the world. It gave very heavy and meaningful statistics where it needed to and overall proved its point very well. My one complaint for this article is that it only focuses on one team of Scientist work in this department. I know that there is a lot of other teams making discoveries that should be pointed out and it is disappointing that they only cover one in their article. They could improve this by looking for more teams that are working to 3D print body parts.

Works Cited

Brueck, Hilary. "Researchers Have 3D-Printed Usable Human Bones and Muscles." Fortune Researchers Have 3DPrinted Usable Human Bones and Muscles Comments. Fortune, 15 Feb. 2016. Web. 04 Oct. 2016. <http://fortune.com/2016/02/16/3d-printed-ear-wake-forest/>.