Farmer John Boy Ubaldo's Bloomberg TV Interview about GMO's

John Boy Ubaldo is the farmer from Cambridge NY, from whom we purchase our pork, beef, and this summer we are participating in his CSA. In a CSA we get a box of vegetables and fruits from him each week. John raises hormone, antibiotic and GMO free Berkshire pigs and Black Angus cattle. Here he is talking about why we should insist on labeling of GMO products.

Oh The Times They Are a' Changing

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2013/02/27/seeing_through_hivs_disguises.html

I read the article, “Seeing through HIV’s disguises”.  It was very interesting; it is about how the Scientists from Johns Hopkins have studied the infectious HIV subtype. The article goes into details about how researchers can use tools to come up with treatments and strategies to fight HIV. In the article it mentions that the virus will choose certain proteins to infect so that it can survive longer, because those proteins would have been the resistance. Scientists hope to combat the disease with specific proteins that kill the virus, but there are so many proteins that, “[it Leaves] too many targets for researchers and drug companies to chase after.” Said David Graham. But fortunately the new research narrows the, “pool” to a smaller number. This discovery is very helpful and caused them to find that 25 of 279 of the proteins shared the two cell types of cells compatible. And later a research team found that CD44 is the only one of those 25 that can bind to other cells.

This discovery is very interesting and helpful to the world of medicine.  Because of this discovery they can now apply new medicines to patients with HIV. The article is not as applicable since Biology is over, but it is pretty recent.

The article was an interesting read but I feel like it was lacking. There was no hook at the beginning; I didn’t feel at all compelled to the story until they specified the significance half way through the article. But I do think the way the information was told was well done, and kept me engaged. 

CHILDHOOD OBESITY

In the article “Childhood Obesity Linked To Wide Range Of Health Problems” by Catherine Pearson is about how our generation could be at risk of getting these major diseases. Its known to most people that known that childhood obesity puts kids at greater risk for high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as diabetes and cardiovascular issues. A new study done by Neal Halfon, has found that obesity can also put children at risk for 20 other surprising health problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, allergies and ear infections. Researchers analyzed data from more than 43,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17 collected in 30-minute phone interviews as part of the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Evidence suggests that ADHD and obesity may both be due to "toxic stress" in a child's early years, which affects both impulse control and insensitivity to leptin, a hormone that helps control appetite. Researchers found ties between obesity and 19 indicators of overall health, psychological and social functioning and chronic conditions. But while the new research goes a long way in supporting smaller studies that have tied childhood obesity to other health problems, it does not establish causality.

            The bottom line is that this is not just a cosmetic disorder; it affects every organ in the body. There are physical consequences, and emotional. This talks about how the children are obese because of their habits. Some can be reversible, but they do have to be careful of what they do. It’s hard when they go to school, but as a nation we are going to set up programs that will help them (the obese). For the children who have been taken to far to turn back there are plenty of ways to help them. As a nation we must all fight against obesity!

Some Children Lose Autism Diagnosis: Small Group With Confirmed Autism Now On Par With Mainstream Peers

In the article, Some Children Lose Autism Diagnosis: Small Group With Confirmed Autism Now On Par With Mainstream Peers, formerly diagnosed children born with autism have been see to lose the disease as they grow older. Many scientists around the world who have been experimenting with the disease for years have confirmed the study.

Scientists have researched and come to this conclusion after carefully documenting a prior diagnosis in a small group of young children and young adults with no current symptoms of the disorder.

Scientists are continuing to analyze data on changes in brain function in these children and whether they have subtle residual social deficits. They are also reviewing records on the types of interventions the children received, and to what extent they may have played a role in the transition.

I found this article very interesting because we have just finished studying multiple disorders in class and to find this new information is quite amazing. Also one of my youngest cousins was diagnosed at birth with autism and I hope that he is one of these individuals who can overcome it overtime.  

Some Children Lose Autism Diagnosis: Small Group With Confirmed Autism Now On Par With Mainstream Peers

“As Biofuel Demands Grows, So Do Guatemala’s Hunger Pangs”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/science/earth/in-fields-and-markets-guatemalans-feel-squeeze-of-biofuel-demand.html?ref=earth&_r=0

            “As Biofuel Demands Grows, So Do Guatemala’s Hunger Pangs” by Elisabeth Rosenthal was published in the New York Times on January 5, 2013. Over the last decade the search for alternative fuels has been a hot topic. Biofuels, which are fuels made from different plants such as corn and sugar cane, are some of the more popular alternatives. With the demand for corn to produce these fuels increasing so is the price of the corn.  Landowners who had previously leased parcels to small farmers are now leasing the land to large biofuel corporations instead. In countries like Guatemala this change is causing a food shortage and 50% of the nations children are now chronically malnourished. Lands that were once used to grow corn are also now being used to grow African palms. The oil that is produced by the palms is now the countries third largest export. Large industrial sized fields also divert rivers in order to irrigate their fields which takes water away from smaller farmers growing food for their families.  An American mandate stating that fuel that we purchase at the gas pump be blended with at least 10% of biofuel and a European mandate stating that by 2020 the same is done, is contributing to the food shortage that exists in Guatemala.

            While alternative sources of fuel, which are clean burning and leave less of a carbon footprint on the environment are a great idea, it should not come at the cost  of a persons ability to eat. Smaller nations like Guatemala are at the mercy of larger nations like the United States and they are often negatively affected by American decisions. The United States first hurt Guatemala by importing a surplus of cheap corn in the 1990s which left Guatemala farmers unable to compete and farming in the country dropped by 30%. Now that American farmers can obtain a higher price for their surplus from biofuel companies the extra corn is no longer going to Guatemala on top off the fact that they already put local farmers out of business.

            If people are starving because of a lack of a resource that we are using for fuel, we should loosen the fuel requirement. The article states that the EPA can wave the 10% biofuel mandate only if it does not “harm the economy of a state or a region of the United States.” In other words if a large company would lose money in order to feed starving children they would not allow it. Guatemala farmers who a banded their land because the United States put them out of business do not have the opportunity to go back because their land is now being leased to biofuel producers. The United States should place a hold on the bio fuel mandate regardless of the economic impact until there are no starving children.