No Acid Burn for Naked Mole Rats

     It was found last year that naked mole rats are impervious to the sting of acid. They took a closer look at the naked mole rats acid sensors in Berlin at a science lab and discovered that all of them are working perfectly fine, its just that inside these receptors a protein responsible for relaying the message about the acid’s presence to the nervous system. Researchers are looking into this discovery because it might lead get drugs that can target pain that is directly associated with inflammation. Mole rats live in large social groups in burrows underground, and in these confined conditions carbon dioxide levels ruse as high as 8 to 10 percent higher in the air and these levels are know to make body tissues acidic. So since they have to live here their bodies have developed a way of blocking out acidic pain so they could survive down there. They looked inside these cells and they found out the reason a mole rat can take the pain of acids is because although their cells feel the acid there is a special protein called a sodium channel that takes in the acid and blocks of the message it sends to the nervous system. When the researchers engineered human cells with the naked mole rats version of the sodium channel the cells responded in a similar way by blocking out the message of the presence of the acid. Researches are now trying to see if they could create a painkiller that makes these proteins so that people wont feel the pain of inflammation.

     

      The discovery is very important because with this discovery of the naked mole rats ability to block acidic pain, we as people can create a pill that would make cells make this protein that way people will no longer have to suffer from chronic inflammation pain and be a huge step in medicine.

     

      I think this article is very surprising because I could not believe that cells would be able to block out pain messages from being sent to the nervous system naturally. I also think its very interesting that researchers can actually modify cells so they naturally do things how other cells would, like how they were able to make human cells block acids like the mole rat cells.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/12/no-acid-burn-for-naked-mole-rats.html?ref=hp

Posted for S. Walsh

Opioid Abuse Linked to Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Opioids such as oxycontin, are usually a common and effective treatment for chronic and acute pain. However, recently, non-medical use of prescription opioids has increased drastically and according to the Susbstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, prescription opioids are the second most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S. New studies led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found that mood and anxiety disorders are highly associated with non-medical prescription opioid use, such as oxycontin. As the studies have shown, prescription opioids are highly addictive and prolonged use of these opioids can produce neurological changes and physiological dependence. Therefore, many individuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders such as bipolar, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder are highly likely to abuse opioids. During the researchers studies, they examined the association between individuals with mood and anxiety disorders with non-medical prescription opiod use and opioid disorder.

This new study that opioid abuse could be linked to mood and anxiety disorders, affects humanity and the lives of the future. If the government doesn’t get involved with the abuse of illegal opioids and regulate the amounts people take of opioid drugs, further diseases will emerge and many people may possibly die as a result of this. Especially with the increased use of non-medical prescription drugs, even among adolescents, the association with future psychopathology is in great concern. As Carla Storr, ScD, author of the study and an adjunct professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health says, “ Using opioids, or even withdrawal from opioids, might precipitate anxiety disorders, suggesting that there is a subgroup of people who are vulnerable to future development of anxiety disorders."

I found this article to be very interesting and intriguing even though at times it was confusing. I think that learning about the seriousness of these opioid drugs, that aren’t even mentioned that often, and the effect that they have on people and could have on future lives, is very fascinating. I also found it very interesting that opioids are the second most frequently abused drugs in the U.S. after marijuana because such little is heard about these drugs, and the effect on people is so vital effect that it made this article that much more interesting. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful article, and would love to learn in more depth about why opioids are so addictive.

Next Big Bet for Space: Airborne Rocket Launcher

     Paul G. Allen, one of the richest men in the world and co-founder of Microsoft, plans to announce that he is entering the rocket business by building the biggest airplane ever. This plane is not only going to be bigger than the double-decker airbus A380, it is also going to launch a rocket to orbit at 30,000 feet. They hope this plane will begin flying in five years, first taking satellites, and eventually people into orbit. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. will be building the rockets that Stratolaunch will be launching. The plane’s wings will stretch 385 feet, which is longer than a football field. Scaled Composites, which is the company building the airplane is only designing and building its frame. Other components like engines will be searched from second-hand 747s. Mr. Wentz said that he predicts that there is going to be a clear opportunity for 8 – 10 launches a year.

     I found this article very interesting. For me, the double-decker Airbus A380 is already huge and it is hard for me to imagine something bigger. Also the fact that in about 5 years people will have the opportunity to orbit around the world amazes me. I think this was the main reason why I chose this article. It astonishes me that people just keep on coming with bigger airplanes. Except, this one will also launch rockets like no other.

     The information in the article is very fascinating to read, but I found it hard to understand the article completely. I didn’t like that the article included a lot of names because I got confused at certain times as to who achieved what and to who built what. I also felt that the article got repetitive at times. I think they focused too much on the airplane’s mass instead of its use and purpose to science and us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/science/space/paul-allens-plan-airplanes-as-launching-pads-for-rockets.html?ref=science

Extremely Mobile Devices

This article is very interesting. It describes the advancements made by different car manufacturers in Silicon Valley, such as the ability for the car to drive itself, assist with daily tasks, and know your personal habits. This is due to the ever-increasing amount of technology placed in cars. One engineer predicts that by 2030 we will be able to be called to pick someone airport and completely drive itself. This article showed the many revolutionary technologies that are being designed for future cars, as well as ones in the present.

Despite the interesting topic of the article, it was a pretty dull read. There were a lot of technological terms used in the article that I didn’t understand, and had to look up just to figure out the general meaning of the article. Also, I would have liked for there to have been more information about concept cars as opposed to cars that have already been produced that have a few technological innovations.

Overall, I found this article to be very interesting, as it holds a great deal of relevance to our future lives. These cars in production will be the cars that we will be driving in the upcoming years, and by the time we’re in our thirties, cars that drive themselves everywhere will likely be very common.

http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2011-08/extremely-mobile-devices

posted for N. Kister

Possible Earth-like Planet Discovered

Recently the practice of searching the galaxy for radio signals using radio telescopes in the hopes of finding extraterrestrial civilizations has resumed. These radio telescopes, better known as the Allen Telescope Array, have begun to be used again in after NASA’s Kepler satellite found a habitable, Earth-like planet 600 light years away. The planet, named Kepler 22b is 2.4 times the size of Earth and has an orbit around its sun, which is about the same size as our sun, of 290 days. The temperature on the surface of the planet is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Although Kepler 22b shares many of Earth’s characteristics, it is unknown whether it has an atmosphere, or what it could be made out of. These are two important factors in deciding whether life is sustainable on Kepler 22b.
I think the discover of Kepler 22b will launch a renewed interest in exploring space to find extraterrestrial life. For years, we have always believed that out of all the solar systems and planets in the universe, there has to be at least one planet similar to Earth. Kepler 22b is that planet that is similar to Earth and it possibly has the characteristics to support life. Although getting to Kepler 22b will be very difficult, maybe a space race will lead to the development of new technologies that will make traveling the distance of 600 light years a breeze. Maybe humans will extend their reach beyond Earth, defying the laws of physics that state nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. But right now, reaching Kepler 22b is more of a fantasy than a possibility.
I think this article could have gone into better description of what kind of atmosphere and surface composition would be needed to support life. Would there need to be an atmosphere similar to Earth’s and what kind of elements would have to make up the surface of Kepler 22b to make it habitable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/science/space/astronomers-resume-search-for-evidence-of-life-out-there.html?ref=space

Ned Kister

Grizzly Bears Move Into Polar Bear Habitat in Manitoba, Canada

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100223121439.htm

In this article, “Grizzly Bears Move Into Polar Bear Habitat in Manitoba, Canada”, it explained how biologists worked along side of the American Museum of Natural History and City College University of New York to find that grizzly bears were roaming into what was known as polar bear territory. Grizzly bears were officially listed as extirpated, to root out and destroy completely, from Manitoba. Grizzly bears were recently photographed in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. Research was taken and Robert F. Rockwell stated that the grizzly bears were competition to polar bears living in the area.

As they flew over Wapusk they spotted several grizzlies. There was absolutely no trace of grizzlies living in the area before 1996. However they were spotted on several occasions 1996 and 2008.An additional three grizzlies were spotted in the summer of 2009. The sightings were increasing and Gormezano, another researcher, feared for the polar bears because the grizzly bears would most likely hibernate in polar bear maternity denning habitat. The researchers were afraid that the grizzly bears would come out of hibernation and kill the polar cubs making it hard for the population of polar bears to survive.

The researchers attempted to discover how the grizzly bears came over to the polar bears territory. The polar bears lived on the barren landscape north of the Hudson Day but there was an impassable gab for potentially migrating grizzly bears. The grizzly bears lived in the ranges of the Rockies, the Yukon, and Nunavut. The grizzly bears had a large flexibility in their diets. Gormezano uncovered that “In Canada, both the polar and grizzly bear are federally listed as species of special concern. In Manitoba, the polar bear is provincially listed as threatened while the prairie population of the grizzly bear is listed as extirpated.”

Posted for P. Meade

A Drug That Wakes the Nearly Dead

There have been many times where parents, relatives, and friends have to choose between the life and death of someone they love in the case of an accident that leaves the victim either brain dead or on a ventilator. However, a pharmaceutical sleeping medication called Ambien along with many other sleeping medications have been in the spotlight since it has a surprising effect- it can literally wake the dead.

Since the first case in 1999, there have been reports on how sleeping medications can be the deciding factor between life and the state of vegetation. However, the seemingly magical effects of these drugs will only appeal to a mere 10% of the people in need as scientists at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and at the University of Pennsylvania, both in the Philadelphia area, began the first large-scale clinical study of zolpidem as a treatment for disorders of consciousness. With these kinds of tests, the question remains- what do these bizarre happenings tell us about the brains ability to heal?

These drugs have not proved a full regain of conscience, but have put the patients in a state of minimal conscience where the patient is able to communicate with eye blinks, finger wiggles, and slight movements of the hands. These progressions though give family and friends false hope on the condition of the patient, often getting their hopes and expectations up. Most people living in minimal conscience end up in nursing home care, unable to communicate further. But in general, these sleeping drugs have given rise to the study of how the brain Is able to heal after being though traumatic shock, opening up many doors of research

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/magazine/can-ambien-wake-minimally-conscious.html?pagewanted=4&_r=1&ref=research