On Mars Rover, Tools to Plumb a Methane Mystery

This article , On Mars Rover, Tools to Plumb a Methane Mystery discusses a S.U.V.-size rover named Curiosity that carries an instrument that can detect methane in the air, and if it does, it will unleash new excitement about the prospect of life on Mars. Based on evidence there a possibility that life could have arisen on mars before it did on earth. Because Mars is smaller than Earth, it cooled faster, and it probably would have been hospitable for life earlier. However, after a 1976 mission to Mars, soil experiments show that Mars was really most sincerely dead. NASA subsequently played down the notion of life on Mars and instead set out on a methodical campaign to explore the past geology and climate of Mars. Although Mars today looks dead, geological markings like gullies, dry lakebeds and colossal canyons point to a liquid past. Spirit and Opportunity, NASA’s last rovers found evidence of habitable environments in the past. Now, Curiosity will be able to go even further and possibly discover more building blocks of life. However, Curiosity is not going to discover life. Curiosity will not be able to detect life forms even if they are thriving in the soil. This can be very frustrating for some scientists such as Michael A Meyer, NASA’s lead scientist for Mars. Meyer says “I don’t think we’ve put down enough groundwork.” Curiosity may be the last spacecraft landing on Mars for many years. If this is true that would derail the whole search for life, extant or extinct on Mars. Dr. Mumma said. “That would be a disaster.”

The possibility that there was life on Mars before earth leads to an intriguing possibility that pieces of Mars containing microbes were blasted into space by asteroid impacts and later landed on Earth, seeding life here. Meaning, all forms of humanity could all be descendent from Mars. More discoveries by Curiosity could fuel this idea that humanity is descendent from Mars.

I found this article to be very interesting. I liked how in detail it was, but not to wordy. I think many important points were presented in this article. I like how this article makes you think about the possibility of being descendent from Mars. Overall, I think this article was very well written and very interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/science/space/aboard-mars-curiosity-rover-tools-to-plumb-a-methane-mystery.html?_r=1&ref=science

NASA Launches Sophisticated Rover on Journey to Mars

On saturday, the world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer, known as Curiosity, was launched on an eight and a half month voyage to Mars.  Its purpose is to explore the planet's surface in order to find evidence that would prove that Mars was once home to microscopic life.  The Curiosity weighs one ton and consists of ten scientific tools that will sample Martian soil and rocks.  The rover also holds a drill and a stone zapping laser.  The rover has no actual life detectors on it because its true purpose is to find organic compounds that would once have been able to sustain life.  The Curiosity has a radiation detector and a weather station, to test whether it would be safe for astronauts to land on the planet one day.  The Curiosity is set to land next August, using a jet pack and tether system, which will be much more accurate then the previous air bag system.  The rover will spend two years roaming the planet, and it is predicted to be the most successful of all of NASA's missions to Mars so far.          

If Curiosity is able to successfully land on Mars, it will have a great impact on humanity.  It may be able to discover the first evidence of extraterrestrial life in history.  Curiosity will test the radiation levels and the weather on Mars, which could lead to NASA finally landing a human on Mars, if the conditions are suitable.  Curiosity will help NASA to make discoveries that will completely change the way we look at other planets, and could eventually lead to even greater discoveries.       

I thought this article was very interesting.  It went into a lot of detail about the rover and how it works, which really helped me to see the importance of this mission.  I also like how it gave exact dates and time periods as to when it took off, when it will land, and how long it will be on Mars.  I think the article could have gone into a little more detail about the evidence that the rover will be looking for.  I also would have liked it if the article had given some more quotes form different people who had worked with this mission.  Overall, i found the article very intriguing, and I had no idea NASA was so close to making such amazing  discoveries.

Ancient Shark Attack Preserved in Whale Bone

Ancient Shark Attack Preserved in Whale Bone

My article suggests that sharks and whales at one time were very aggressive towards each other. In South Carolina a whale rib was found, it offers a glimpse on the interaction between prehistoric sharks and whales about 3 to 4 million years ago. On the link below the article will show a picture of a whale rib, that was severely bitten by a shark. The rib is bitten in 3 places, only a strong jawed animal could do that. Experts measure 6 centimeters from each tooth mark and conclude that the whale was most likely bitten by a Megalodon or any other large shark 3 to 4 million years ago. The whale found in North Carolina seems to be an ancestor of the pacific blue humpback whale. Scientists figured out the whale survived the attack but died 6 weeks later from disease.

If this article could have had images of the giant whale or shark at the time it would have been easier and maybe more enjoyable. Also this article could of had more facts on the interactions between sharks and whales that would have been nice. I felt that the author kept going on and on about the certain whale that was bitten I believe he should of focused on the areas these interactions were taken place and maybe why the shark attacked the whale and maybe it was because the whale wondered near its territory. The author left many questions unanswered.

This article was very interesting it grasped me unlike the rest of the articles out there. I enjoyed how this article had many of the experts opinions and the experts ideas. This article shows us the inside relationship of prehistoric dinosaurs it only leads me to wonder what other interactions other sea creatures could have had.

Ancient Shark Attack Preserved in Whale Bone

Ancient Shark Attack Preserved in Whale Bone
My article suggests that sharks and whales at one time were very aggressive towards each other. In South Carolina a whale rib was found, it offers a glimpse on the interaction between prehistoric sharks and whales about 3 to 4 million years ago. On the link below the article will show a picture of a whale rib, that was severely bitten by a shark. The rib is bitten in 3 places, only a strong jawed animal could do that. Experts measure 6 centimeters from each tooth mark and conclude that the whale was most likely bitten by a Megalodon or any other large shark 3 to 4 million years ago. The whale found in North Carolina seems to be an ancestor of the pacific blue humpback whale. Scientists figured out the whale survived the attack but died 6 weeks later from disease.
If this article could have had images of the giant whale or shark at the time it would have been easier and maybe more enjoyable. Also this article could of had more facts on the interactions between sharks and whales that would have been nice. I felt that the author kept going on and on about the certain whale that was bitten I believe he should of focused on the areas these interactions were taken place and maybe why the shark attacked the whale and maybe it was because the whale wondered near its territory. The author left many questions unanswered.
This article was very interesting it grasped me unlike the rest of the articles out there. I enjoyed how this article had many of the experts opinions and the experts ideas. This article shows us the inside relationship of prehistoric dinosaurs it only leads me to wonder what other interactions other sea creatures could have had.

Cell Organelle Presentations and 3D Models

Mitochondrion Model by P. Bisconti, D. Borcich, A. Falcon

  Mitochondria Project by P. Bisconti, D. Borcich, A. Falcon

Plasmids and Vacuoles by K. Monaco, G. Yienger

Plasmids and Vacuoles by K. Monaco, G. Yienger

 Vacuoles and Plasmids by K. Monaco, G. Yienger

Cell Membrane and Cell Wall Model by J. Bothwell and E. Kister

  Biology Cell Wall and Membrane by J. Bothwell and E. Kister

Endoplasmic Reticulum by T. Diaz, O. Hayes, M. Lewis

  Endoplasmic Reticulum and Ribsomes by T. Diaz, O. Hayes, M. Lewis

Nucleus by T. Bremar, P. Meade, S. Walsh

Nucleus Project by T. Bremar, P. Meade, S. Walsh

Cytoplasm by C. Cory, L. Sapon

 
Cytoplasm Cytoskeleton by C. Cory, L. Sapon

Enzyme Catalysis Inquiry Lab

The core biology students were shown how to assay the rate of reaction for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen by the enzyme catalase. They then designed their own experiments to see what factors might influence that rate of reaction.

Purging Cells in Mice Is Found to Combat Aging Ills

Purging Cells in Mice Is Found to Combat Aging Ills

          Recently, researchers discovered a special category of cells, known as senescent cells. These cells promote the aging of tissues. They hope that by cleansing the body of the cells, they could postpone many of the diseases of aging. Scientists performed a couple of experiments, but many more will be needed before they know if drugs can be developed to help people live longer. They found that senescent cells accumulate, and therefore speed up the aging of tissues. A research team led by Darren J. Baker and Jan M. van Deursen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has generated a strain of mouse and performed two experiments on them. In the first experiment, the mice received a drug that forced the cells to self-destruct. The mice’s tissues showed a major improvement in the usual problem of age-related disorders and the mice retained the fat layers in the skin that usually thin out with age and cause wrinkling in people. Dr. van Deursen’s work is the first to show that removing senescent cells is beneficial. The discovery that senescent cells seem to be the cause of tissue degeneration opens out a new direction for researchers on aging to explore. In a second experiment, the mice were not given the cell-cleaning drug until they were middle-aged, however, aging was still delayed in their fat and muscle tissues. Dr. Campisi of the Buck Institute, said that the purpose of the research was not to make people live a thousand years, but to increase health span.

          I believe that this article affects us greatly. The discovery of these cells and there use is a big achievement. This finding may be the result of people living a healthier and longer life. Another benefit would be that people would still look young at an older age. If scientists develop a drug to get rid of these senescent cells, humanity will be greatly affected by it and the further generations will adapt better traits.

          I found this article very interesting to read. I think that this is a helpful and amazing discovery because; the development of a drug would lead to a beneficial life for everyone. I think it would also eliminate women’s’ use of botox, because it would have a similar affect, but in a healthier way.

 posted for Joanna Rymarowicz

Dino-Era Disaster: Multiple Drowned toothy Birds

 

According to MSNBC’s article, there were a group of birds that settled near a large river in Transylvania during the Mesozoic era. These birds lived next to the river for some time, until the river flooding drowned them out. The birds then died and fossilized. What only remained were some broken eggshells and fossils. This gives scientists more information than most would think. This can tell scientists that the water was only a few feet above where it would normally be, and came in, swept up the eggshells and a few adult fossils and dragged them out to a shallow depression, possibly on the other side of the body of water.

     I think the article could have been improved by adding more information about the birds themselves. The reader is given very little information about what the fossils have told us about the birds. Another thing I think would have made the article better is giving the reader more necessary information and prioritizing. The reader reads all about how the water moved the fossils, but not about where this location is (more specifics needed) and what genus, species, or even family these birds were from.

     Overall I though the article was very interesting and gave the reader important information about an extremely new discovery. The reader was informed on all the important information and made it clear and easy to grasp as a concept.

Dino-Era Disaster: Multiple Drowned toothy Birds

posted for L. Sapon

Purging Cells in Mice Is Found to Combat Aging Ills

          Recently, scientists have discovered that there is a type of cell that are called senescent cells, and are bad cells that participate in the aging of the tissues. Scientists are trying to determine if there is a drug that will be able to stop these cells so that people will age less and the tissue will be able to continue being healthy. Seeing if the drug will make people live longer is something that must be tested and is highly unlikely. In order to continue out some of the experiments a research team led by Darren J. Baker and Jan M. van Deursen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has generated a strain of mouse in which all the senescent cells can be purged by giving the mice a drug that forces the cells to self-destruct. Researchers reported online Wednesday in the journal Nature, the mice’s tissues showed a major improvement in the usual burden of age-related disorders. They did not develop cataracts, avoided the usual wasting of muscle with age, and could exercise much longer on a mouse treadmill. They retained the fat layers in the skin that usually thin out with age and, in people, cause wrinkling.

           I thought that this article could have improved by first letting us know the mice’s condition with aging. Learning more about the mice’s precondition would’ve helped me get a better perspective of how the mice respond to the tests. I also would’ve liked to have more information on the drug that is being tested to help with the aging tissue. I think that if we were able to know what effects the drug have and how long the process usually takes. Unfortunately the facts aren’t available to readers due to the fact that tests have not yet been completed.

           I overall thought that this article was extremely interesting. I thought that it was an awesome fact that scientists are working on preventing old age and keeping aging tissues. I also thought that the results of the mice was a remarkable discovery and I look forward to hearing about what effects this drug will have on people themselves. 

Purging Cells in Mice Is Found to Combat Aging Ills