Epigenetics

Most people never heard of epigenetics before, that's because it is a newly found study. Epigenetics is the study of gene expression or inherited changes in phenotype (appearance). It refers to alterations in gene expression that epigenomes control in the DNA methylation and/or chromatin structure. Epigenomes literally mean on top of or addition to the genome. These epigenomes are the controller to our genes, determining what type of cells our cells will be or how we look.

In a study between mice, a yellow-haired obese mother mouse was given certain foods that turned off the epigenome of obesity. Therefore, the offspring's epigenome of obesity was turned off. These mice, in relation to their mother, were lean and brown-haired. If scientists wanted to turn the epigenome that controls obesity back on, they would use prions which helps an epigenome to turn on by using proteins.

This study shows that it is possible to change an epigenome in the DNA structure. When changing epigenomes, results are promising. Epigenetics is the key for treating diseases and changing the way we live.

At first, I was interested in how things mutate in genetics. As I researched that topic I got into epigenetics which really caught my eye. Learning about epigenetics is almost like a base to understand how to treat diseases. I feel like this topic is only the beginning to more things I'd like to know.

~P O

revised blog post

Have you ever wondered why you can't really see the Milky Way that clearly? The reason is light pollution. Light pollution is a fancy word for saying all the lights in the sky that wash out the night sky that ruins the beauty of the universe to us. The cause of this is from all the lights that send light all around instead of where it should be, which is at the ground. These lights waste energy and add on to global warming. It's a shame because instead of wasting billions of dollars each year on lighting, we could be enjoying the beautiful night sky. One of the most important steps we can do to stop pollution is to shield outdoor lighting so it directs downward. This doesn't mean throw a tarp over your street lamp. The problem is coming from lights like those in the parking lot that almost blind your eyes and defeat the whole purpose of having them there; to find your car. Big cities like New York add the most light pollution because the whole city looks like it is glowing at night.                          

                                                               

 Dark Sky                                                         Light-Polluted Sky                   Parking lot lights

                     

San Francisco 1944                                                            San Francisco 2007

               

I found light pollution to be very interesting because it was something I had never heard of before that obviously is quite a problem to our environment. Not many people know this problem exists and being able to see the Milky Way every night would be pretty cool. There would be no need for powerful telescopes to see things out of earth. I think people of all ages can learn a lot from this and help make our world a more beautiful and environmentally friendly place to live and enjoy in.

M. L.

Testing on Animals

Have you ever thought about whether  the product your putting in your hair, rubbing on your skin, or applying to your own face is tested to see if it is safe? It may be safe for us but that doesn't mean that it is for everybody. Many animals suffer so that we can use products that we use in our everyday lives. Most tests are obscene and very old.
There are a few different types of tests. One is called an eye irritantcy test. In this test the animals are not allowed to move and are not given anesthesia. The scientists drop a substance into the animals eyes and record the damage to the eye usually over a time period of 72 hours but sometimes longer ones from 7 to 18 days. Injuries from the substances can include swollen eyelids, inflamed irises, ulceration, bleeding, massive deterioration, and blindness. Throughout the course of the test the animals eyes are held open with clips. Breaking of the neck is common among these tests because the animals struggle to escape.

Another test is an acute toxicity test, otherwise known as lethal dose or poisoning tests. They figure out how much of the substance can kill a percentage. Sometimes it can be up to 100%. To perform this test the product is forced into the animals stomach with a tube or by a hole cut into the throat. It can also be injected in various places,for example, under the skin, into a vein, or the lining in the abdomen. Other ways of testing it can include inhalation, or direct contact on the eye, rectum, or vagina. The reactions are observed and some can include, labored breathing, diarrhea, constipation, emaciation, skin eruptions, abnormal posture, and bleeding from the nose ,mouth and eyes. At least 50% of the animals die within two to four weeks. You may be asking yourself, why would anyone do that to an innocent animal?

            According to the law it is not necessary to have products tested. Manufacturers decide whether or not they want to test their product. The reason companies do this is because the tests make it possible to put almost any product on the market. Another reason why would be because if the product was tested it can help defend manufacturers against lawsuits. Thirdly, consumers want things with new ingredients and it is considered to be the cheapest and easiest way to "say the products are safe."

Ten of millions of animals are killed or maimed every year in testing so a solution could be a new alternative, Episkin. Episkin is fake human skin that replaces some animal testing for cheaper, and it is less time. Another alternative is pieces of human flesh that is donated to be tested on for products in place of lab animals. Over time hopefully animal testing will be largely reduced or eliminated.

I chose this subject because I've heard about the terrible things they do to animals to test products and I had no clue that all these were true. Animals should not suffer on account of humans.I am 100% against testing products on animals and think it is insane and completely wrong. In my science class when we do experiments we first set up a hypothesis. To test the animals the experimenters need to form  hypotheses to test what is likely going to happen when the substance reacts with the animal. Animal testing needs to be eliminated and it needs to happen now.

Resources-

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/cosmetic_testing.asp

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/technology/techspecial/12animal.html?_r=1

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/cosmetic_testing/

-D A

--

esophagus diseases

    

The diagnosis of esophagus diseases such as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), erosive esophagitis, or Barrett's esophagus (which is known to lead to cancer) can be painful and difficult.  Traditionally, these diseases are diagnosed using endoscopy, which is the most common way to examine the esophagus.  In endoscopy, a long tube is fed through the patient's mouth and down into the esophagus.  The patient must be sedated and after the procedure, it may take the patient a few hours to recover.  However, there is a new technology to check the esophagus that is quick and painless.  The device, called PillCam ESO, is a smooth plastic capsule about the size of a large vitamin pill.  Patients must fast for two hours before swallowing the pill, which houses a minuscule camera.  As the patient swallows it, it takes about 2,600 pictures of the esophageal tract.  That averages out to about 14 pictures are taken per second.  These pictures are transmitted to a recording device worn around the patient's waist as a belt.  Then the capsule is passed naturally and painlessly from the body within 72 hours.  This technology is revolutionary due to its lack of discomfort.

I found this article interesting because simply the concept of a pill with a camera in it is amazing.  In the past decades, scientists and engineers have come up with a lot of astonishing ideas. Decades ago, people never would have predicted these feats.  This is one that has been brought to life.  I was enticed by this article because it made me wonder if there are other procedures that can be done in different (or less traumatic) ways.  Also, it made me realize what depths doctors go to in order to ensure patient comfort.  Additionally, I found that although I thought the tiny pill camera was considered nanotechnology, it is not.  It is too large to be on the nano-scale.  In conclusion, I learned a lot from this article and found it very fascinating.

Should NASA Build a Base On the Moon?

            In the year 2006, NASA released a statement that said we will have a permanent lunar base on the moon by 2026. There is a lot of controversy about whether or not to build this moon base, mostly because of the immense cost of production and maintenance. Although it would be a great scientific achievement, both for the purpose of space exploration and scientific knowledge, would it really be worth it? According to NASA, the current space station and shuttle cost a total of ten billion dollars every year to maintain. A new lunar base would cost much more, considering that it would need so much fuel and supplies just to stay in working condition. Even with the huge cost of an achievement this big, there is not much we could accomplish that we couldn't with probes or occasional astronaut visits, and at a fraction of the cost.

              Many scientists want to have this moon base in order to have a starting point for further space exploration, such as a trip to Mars. People think that this would be a useless stop at the moon because it would require fuel to descend to the lunar surface, then blast off again, which would make any Mars mission hugely more expensive. The cost of placing fuel into orbit is the biggest expense for any flight beyond Earth. All of this proves that using the moon as a base for a Mars trip would be completely useless and just add to the total cost of the already expensive expedition. In conclusion, even though it would be an amazing scientific achievement to have a lunar base, there are many other more important things that NASA could be doing at the moment.

            I chose this topic because I am very interested in space travel and the exploration of the universe. It always blows my mind thinking about what is beyond Earth, and a lunar base would just give astronauts more ways to experiment and research space. The universe really amazes me, and with something like this on the moon, we could learn so much more about the world we live in.

E U

20 Q

Did you ever wonder how the computer game 20 questions works?

              In 1988 Robin Burgner, a computer programmer, started developing a game based on artificial intelligence. In 1994, he put it on the internet and people he never knew were playing it. Over time, it started to become more successful. Then in 1998 Yahoo chose it as their website of the week. In that week alone, people played 10,000 games, doubling its number of players from before. People began to become addicted to playing 20Q.  Four years later, Burgner was laid off from a software company and decided he didn't want to go back to working as a software programmer since he had been laid off 3 times in the past 4 years. As a result, he expanded upon his 20Q idea and later, a toy company in Dallas called Radica wanted to make 20Q into a hand held game. It was a huge success and won the 2006 Toy Industry Association Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year.

The 20Q toy gathers information from what people think rather than what experts know. It draws conclusions and interprets this knowledge by utilizing artificial intelligence.  The more the game is played, the quicker the computer can guess the object. It will start to figure out if someone is purposely misleading the program and can determine the correct answer even when given the wrong information. For example, if I was thinking of an animal, but said it was a vegetable, it doesn't come from the ground isn't sweet, is healthy, and not smaller than golf ball, the game would catch on that I'm not thinking of a vegetable. Then, it would ask me questions like is it warm-blooded, white, and is it used for transportation? If I answer these correctly, the game would determine that my animal is a horse. This amazing toy also generates two thirds of its own knowledge by itself and is as intelligent as an insect.

I picked to do my project on this topic because I was always so amazed by how this game works and I want to figure out how it knows what I am thinking.  I first developed an interest for this game when I gave 20Q out for a goody-bag in 4th grade. Now I play it whenever I can't go to sleep and I never stopped wondering how it works.

By,
CK
 http://www.sittingo.com/talk/713 K

Mental Telepathy

      Is there any way for someone to be able to communicate with another person without talking verbally, using body language or writing messages? There is a way, and that way is mental telepathy. Mental Telepathy is the communication through the mind, without body signs or spoken words. In these sources, the authors talk about this psychic ability and how we can prove it and one day use it. An experiment that one source points out is the card test, or zener cards. These cards were invented in the early 1930's by Karl Zener as an ESP (extrasensory perception) experiment. There is a deck of 25 cards with 5 different patterns. There are two people, one person studies the card and the other person must try to guess what the symbol on the card is. It is just a guessing game, but according Karl Zener, if one gets more than 36%, there might be a mental connection between the partners. When Karl Zener experimented, he used thinner paper, so it is unknown if his results are true. For my research project, I am going to test Zener cards with my class mates, and even test it on twins. Many believe that twins have a special connection, so it would be very interesting to test this. There have been many tests on mental telepathy, although when it was tested present day at several universities, the results weren't too convincing.

            One source believes that mental telepathy does exist; we just need to master it. Although this one source believes so, many others believe that it is a myth or a scam. Using mental telepathy could help us in many ways throughout our everyday lives. As scientists, we need to determine of mental telepathy exists and if it does exist we need to master and learn how to use mental telepathy. Realistically, if mental telepathy does exist, there is not much evidence supporting it.

            I personally believe in mental telepathy. i have little evidence, but I think there are still parts of our brains in which we have not learned how to use. After all only 350 years ago, when Newton was alive,  gravity and calculus were just being discovered and investigated.
I am making a commitment as a scientist to investigate with an open mind.  If there is no evidence of mental telapathy I'll admit it.

PL

Sources: http://mentaltelepathy.org/ and http://www.skepdic.com/esp.html

Building Better Humans

 

In the past 100 years, science and technology has made great improvements in the study of the human body. Early on, when a person lost a limb they could only receive wooden appendages, but now, with advancements in technology and medicine; people can be rebuilt with better materials. For example, today, we have more resources such as steel and aluminum. Also, scientists have created synthetic polymers that transmit feeling to the body. By having a thin, elastic, polymer layer between the skin, any slight detection can allow the body the sensitivity of its original limb. By molding it into different shapes and sizes, "a robotic hand covered with electronic skin could feel a surface and know rough from smooth" (Zhenan Bao). It is amazing that after all this time of research; our society has gone from wooden legs to artificial skin with real feeling.

Another improvement is that researchers have created an "ink jet printer" that allows the bio-medical engineers to use cells, like ink, to create thin layers of human skin. Scientists have done studies and have come to the conclusion that genes can be turned "on" or "off" when need be. The human body has more than 20,000 genes that are arranged in 3 billion pairs. They can utilize these genes to recreate or repair skin and even organs. The Geon Corp. ("THE WEEK"- Building a better human) injected stem cells into a damaged area to treat patients with spinal cord injuries, hoping that the stem cells would multiply, renewing the patient's injury. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many other types of cells, and therefore, can repair them along with other body parts. Also, some special stem cells can become tissue and repair the worn out or weak areas of the body. Without stem cells and the advancements in technology and material, science could not have improved to where we are today. These spectacular studies have enabled people to swap a damaged organ, skin, or limb for a new one created from their own DNA. This scientific progress gives hope that human life expectancy will increase to 100 or beyond.

My brother, Chris, inspired me to learn more about this topic. I have always been interested in the human body and when I heard that he was considering majoring in bio-medical engineering in college, I wanted to learn more about what it entailed. This topic was very interesting because it showed me how science has evolved and now seems as though anything is possible. Research has taught me how with the new technology today, injured or diseased patients have a greater chance of surviving. By using the stem cells and the patient's DNA, their disease or injury could be fixed in an instant. This topic has pushed me to learn more about the improvement of science and where the world can be in the future. I hope to learn more about creating body parts and it is all thanks to my brother's interest in science.

- ADV

Resources:

·         "THE WEEK" Magazine- September 3^rd Issue

·         http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics2.asp (National Institutes of Health)

·         http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100913141537.htm (Science Daily)

Asteroids

   Earthquake! Tsunami! Clouds of dust and debris that cover the world! No this is not a plot to a movie, this was the disaster caused 65 million years ago by a rogue asteroid that hit the earth. An asteroid is a rocky object in space that can range from a few feet wide to several hundred miles wide. When an asteroid hits earth it is sometimes called a meteor. Most asteroids in the solar system orbit in a belt between Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt. The question is though when will the next asteroid hit earth? The last huge asteroid that caused more than a little trouble on Earth hit this 65 million years ago. There is a chance that an asteroid will hit Earth again, but scientist say that won’t be in the immediate future.  The chance of Earth being hit by something small it too very little but it can happen because there are places in the asteroid belt where asteroids can escape.  Overall though, the odds of an asteroid hitting Earth and causing a lot of panic are very small. The asteroid would have to be at least a kilometer in diameter. Such asteroids only hit the Earth one in 100,000 or more years. Even if astronomers did find an asteroid that large coming to Earth, the military would have ways to change the direction of it, such as using missiles to change the direction of the asteroid.    I chose this topic because it sounded very interesting. I thought that I could learn a bit more about asteroids. I always wanted to learn about when asteroids come in impact with the Earth’s atmosphere and what we could do to stop it. Asteroids are also big topics in the field of science. Asteroids can be so small or very large and be a kilometer in diameter, which could cause a huge destruction to Earth. I want to learn from this topic how to stop a huge asteroid that is coming to us and possibly when the next one is coming our way. It’s been 65 million years since a devastating asteroid hit Earth. When is the next one coming? With today’s new technology, NASA will be able to find and probably fend off an asteroid. 

P T                                                       
                               
                                    


http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/dictionary/Asteroid.html
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question11.html


 
 

LASIK Eye Surgery

      

               I bet a lot of you have once asked yourself  "How am I seeing what's in front of me right now?" during one point of your life. Well you should know that you see with those two shining spheres on your face called eyes, but how do they work?

 First, light enters the eye through our lens. The lens then focuses to help us see clearly. Next, the light hits the back of our eye where the image is received by an optical nerve. Once the image is received, it gets sent to our brain where it determines what the image in front of you is.

                  The most common physical ailments that people suffer from are poor eye vision. What happens when a part of your eye gets scraped or damaged? You can get glasses and contacts, but those tend to irritate many people. Thankfully, there is one more thing to help your eyes. LASIK eye surgery is the answer for people that need to get closer to 20/20 vision. LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. This is a refractive surgery, which helps reshape the cornea. How does this surgery work exactly?

                  Your surgeon focuses on the cornea in your eye in order to try to fix your vision. The shape of your eye's cornea represents how clear your eyesight is. This surgery is meant to reshape your cornea so that you can have perfect eyesight. The process can begin once the doctor has viewed a diagram of your eye. First, they numb your eyes with anesthetics so you won't feel pain of any sort. Next, they place a lid speculum on both of your eyes so the lids will stay open for the whole procedure. An incision measuring ¼ of an inch in depth will be made into your cornea. With the cut made, the surgeon can proceed to use the laser device to reshape your cornea properly and securely. When the light directly hits the cornea tissue, a mini portion of the tissue is vaporized. Finally when the cornea is completely reshaped, the cornea flap is replaced and bonds with the new condition of your eye. Your eyes will eventually heal after a few days and your vision will become clear.

                  Is this surgery safe? Well it certainly isn't for everyone. The majority of the time, LASIK eye surgery is completely safe.  The chances of getting a side affect are less than half of a percent. Getting the surgery is certainly something to think about.

How the human eyes give us the gift of seeing has interested me for a long time. What got me really into researching on this topic was when my sister started to get into nursing school. She began by telling me all these cool facts on human anatomy. Seeing is basically the key to our world. Vision helps us see and if we couldn't, our society would be out of sight.

-M. S.

Sources

http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/laser_vision_correction/is-lasik-eye-surgery-safe.html

http://www.aoa.org/x6024.xml

My older sister Maria

Matt

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Halloween and Science: Perfect Together

Vinny

Solar Energy/ Solar Power

Moving into the future, scientists are trying to come up with alternative fuel and energy sources. They have been looking for renewable resources that will not harm the environment. As many people may know, solar energy is a form of this renewable energy. Renewable energy includes Biofuel, Biomass, Geothermal, Hydroelectricity, Solar energy, Tidal power, Wave power, and Wind power. All of these types of energy come from natural resources, and are becoming more popular.

Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. There are two ways sunlight can be converted into electricity. First, it can be directly converted using photovoltaics. This method generates electrical power using solar panels and solar cells, which is the more popular of the two methods. These panels are usually made out of silicon. Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity by absorbing photons of light. The photons will "knock electrons loose in an electrical circuit." Loose electrons will look for atoms to bond with and create electric current. Solar cells are semiconductors and are made of material with one positive and one negative side. The solar panels produce DC electricity as soon as the sunlight hits it. The system then sends the DC electricity to a device called an Inverter, which converts the DC power to AC power. AC power runs everything in your house, and buildings, including your TV and microwave. Solar power is a growing energy source, and maybe one day, it will replace all of the nonrenewable energy resources.

I chose this topic because my dad works for a solar company. Personally, I thought that was very cool and wanted to learn more about it. Also, President Obama will be installing solar panels on the White House. These panels should be up by spring 2011. I think solar energy and solar power is a great topic and people should learn more about it.

EP

Resources:
David Pannullo
Wikipedia
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20101005here_comes_the_sun_white_house_to_go_solar/srvc=news&position=recent_bullet



Picture:
http://www.solarpanelsforrv.com/images/solar-panels.jpg

Wound Healing

Wound healing is a complex and dynamic process of restoring cellular structures and tissue layers. The adult human healing process can be divided into 3 different phases: the inflammatory phase, the proliferative phase, and the remodeling phase. Within these 3 steps, there is a complex and coordinated series of events which are vital to the wound healing milieu. Some of these processes include the production, degradation, and remodeling of collagens, the creation and production of new blood vessels and proteins. The result of these natural processes is the replacement of normal skin structures with scar tissue.

There are 4 main types of wound healing: primary healing, delayed primary healing, healing by secondary intention, and healing that transpires wounds that are only partial skin thickness. Primary wound healing occurs within hours of repairing a full-thickness surgical incision. Delayed primary healing is desired in the case of a contaminated wound. In this process, you wait a while, and then after a period of waiting, the wound is threated. In secondary healing, the wound is let alone and allowed to heal naturally. In the fourth process which is also known as epithelization, the wound is only a surface wound and does not penetrate all the way through the skin. In this case, the skin cells multiply and migrate through the wound. This process would be the final stage of a deep-penetrating wound.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1298129-overview

MV

Mental Telepathy

    

            Is there any way to be able to communicate with another person without talking verbally, using body language or writing messages? There is a way, and that is mental telepathy. Mental Telepathy is the communication through the mind, without body signs or spoken words. In these sources, the authors talk about this psychic ability and how we can prove it. An experiment that one source points out is the card test, or zener cards. These cards were invented in the early 1930's by Karl Zener as an ESP (extrasensory perception) experiment. There is a deck of 25 cards with 5 different patterns. There are two people, one person studies the card and the other person must try to guess what the symbol on the card is. It is just a guessing game, but according Karl Zener, if one gets more than 36%, there might be a mental connection between the partners. When Karl Zener experimented, he used thinner paper, so it is unknown if the results are true. For my research project, I am going to test zener cards with my class mates, and even test it on twins. Although when it was tested present day at several universities, the results weren't too convincing.

            One source believes that mental telepathy does exist; we just need to master it. Although this one source believes so, many others believe that it is a myth or a scam. Using mental telepathy could help us in many ways throughout our everyday lives. As scientists, we need to determine of mental telepathy exists and if it does exist we need to master and learn how to use mental telepathy. Realistically, if mental telepathy does exist, there is not much evidence supporting it.

            I personally believe in mental telepathy. This is not fact, but I think there are still parts of our brains in which we have not learned how to use. After all only 350 years ago, when Newton was alive,  gravity or calculus were just being discovered and investigated. I am making a commitment as a scientist to investigate with an open mind.

PL

Sources: http://mentaltelepathy.org/ and http://www.skepdic.com/esp.html

Difference Between Freshwater and Saltwater Fish

The most obvious difference between freshwater and saltwater fish is there habitat. While freshwater fish live in fresh water salt water fish live in very salty water. Freshwater fish are able to concentrate salts within their bodies in a salt-deficient environment. That allows them to survive in fresh water. But saltwater fish do not have that capability they excrete excess salts which makes them have to live in salt water. One of the main differences is the ionic composition of bodies of water utilized as habitat. Chloride cells in the gills of freshwater fish fish make enzymes that lets them get rid of excess salt in their plasma, which builds up when they drink seawater. They use the enzyme to pump sodium out of their gills at the cost of energy. The physiological mechanisms of freshwater fish allow them to concentrate salts to compensate for their low salinity environment. They produce extremely dilute, copious urine to rid themselves of excess water,while performing an active uptake of ions at the gill.

 
I was always curious what the difference between saltwater and freshwater fish were. I didn't know if there was a very large biologic reason or if it was just because of where they evolved.  I think that it is very cool that they need to live in the different conditions to maintain there salt levels. I think it is kind of like cold blooded and warm blooded animals. They live in different conditions to maintain there body heat. I think that the difference between freshwater and saltwater fish is very interesting.

M B

http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/GeneralCare/general_care_for_saltwater_fish.htm

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-some-fish-normally

Testing on Animals

Have you ever thought about whether  the product your putting in your hair, rubbing on your skin, or applying to your own face is tested to see if it is safe? It may be safe for us but that doesn't mean that it is for everybody. Many animals suffer so that we can use products that we use in our everyday lives. Most tests are obscene and very old. There are a few different types of tests. One is called an eye irritantcy test. In this test the animals are not allowed to move and are not given anesthesia. The scientists drop a substance into the animals eyes and record the damage to the eye usually over a time period of 72 hours but sometimes longer ones from 7 to 18 days. Injuries from the substances can include swollen eyelids, inflamed irises, ulceration, bleeding, massive deterioration, and blindness. Throughout the course of the test the animals eyes are held open with clips. Breaking of the neck is common among these tests because the animals struggle to escape. Another test is an acute toxicity test, otherwise known as lethal dose or poisoning tests. They figure out how much of the substance can kill a percentage. Sometimes it can be up to 100%. To perform this test the product is forced into the animals stomach with a tube or by a hole cut into the throat. It can also be injected in various places,for example, under the skin, into a vein, or the lining in the abdomen. Other ways of testing it can include inhalation, or direct contact on the eye, rectum, or vagina. The reactions are observed and some can include, labored breathing, diarrhea, constipation, emaciation, skin eruptions, abnormal posture, and bleeding from the nose ,mouth and eyes. At least 50% of the animals die within two to four weeks. You may be asking yourself, why would anyone do that to an innocent animal? According to the law it is not necessary to have products tested. Manufacturers decide whether or not they want to test their product. The reason companies do this is because the tests make it possible to put almost any product on the market. Another reason why would be because if the product was tested it can help defend manufacturers against lawsuits. Thirdly, consumers want things with new ingredients and it is considered to be the cheapest and easiest way to "say the products are safe."

Ten of millions of animals are killed or maimed every year in testing so a solution could be a new alternative, Episkin. Episkin is fake human ski that replaces some animal testing for cheaper, and it is less time. Another alternative is pieces of human flesh that is donated to be tested on for products in place of lab animals. Over time hopefully animal testing will be largely reduced or eliminated.

I chose this subject because I've heard about the terrible things they do to animals to test products and I had no clue that all these were true. Animals should not suffer on account of humans.I am 100% against testing products on animals and think it is insane and completely wrong. In my science class when we do experiments we first set up a hypothesis. To test the animals the experimenters need to form  hypotheses to test what is likely going to happen when the substance reacts with the animal. Animal testing needs to be eliminated and it needs to happen now.

Resources-

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/cosmetic_testing.asp

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/technology/techspecial/12animal.html?_r=1

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/cosmetic_testing/

-D A

If You Can Raed Tihs You Msut Be Raelly Smrat!

"I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to the rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig, huh?"

If you can read this, you are one of the 55 out of 100 people who can. According to studies at Cambridge University, when you read a word, it doesn't matter what the order of letters in a word are in as long as the first and last letter are in the same place. The explanation for this phenomenon is that the human brain doesn't read a word letter-by-letter, but as a whole.

The human brain is separated into two sides: left and right. The two different sides of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking:

    Left Side                        Right Side
   - Logical Sequence     - Random

   - Rational                     - Intuitive

   - Analytical                   - Holistic Synthesizing

   - Objective                    - Subjective

   - Looks at parts            - Looks at wholes

I found this topic to be very interesting. I have always wondered why I can "raed wrods lkie tihs." When my family visited the Franklin Institute last year, there was a large paper that had words with the letters all scrambled except for the first and last letters. I read the whole thing and couldn't help but wonder, "How can I read this?" That day I couldn't find an explanation, but now I know that it has to do with the left and right side of the brain.

-AK

Sources:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511177,00.html   (picture)

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/cna-yuo-raed-tihs/
http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/matt.davis/Cmabrigde/
http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13114
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/exercise.html
http://www.lifescript.com/Soul/Self/Growth/
http://www.funderstanding.com/content/right-brain-vs-left-brain


--

>>KrAmEr<<

Epigenetics

Most people never heard of epigenetics before, that's because it is a newly found study. Epigenetics is the study of gene expression or inherited changes in phenotype (appearance). It refers to alterations in gene expression that epigenomes control in the DNA methylation and/or chromatin structure. Epigenomes literally mean on top of or addition to the genome. These epigenomes are the controller to our genes, determining what type of cells our cells will be or how we look.

In a study between mice a yellow-haired obese mother mouse was given certain foods that turned off the epigenome of obesity. Therefore, the offspring's epigenome of obesity was turned off. These mice, in relation to their mother, were lean and brown-haired. If scientist wanted to turn the epigenome that controls obesity back on, they would use prions which help an epigenome to turn on by using proteins.

This study shows that it is possible to change an epigenome in the DNA structure. When changing epigenomes, results are promising. Epigenetics is the key for treating diseases and changing the way we live.

At first, I was interested in how things mutate in genetics. As I researched that topic I got into epigenetics which really caught my eye. Learning about epigenetics is almost like a base to understand how to treat diseases. I feel like this topic is only the beginning to more things I'd like to know.

~ PO


Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetic-mice.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics#cite_note-49
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3411/02.html
http://en.mimi.hu/biology/epigenetic.html

Head for the Stars: Has "New Earth" been discovered?

          According to an article written by Terrence Aym, there has been a new discovery of a planet, named Gliese 581g, with alien life. Scientists say that there is a 100 percent chance of life being on this planet that is 20 light years away from the Earth. Scientist, Professor Steven Vogt, estimates at least 10 to 20 percent of all planets in the universe have some sort of life form on it. According to Vogt's estimation, there is 40 billion planets that has a type of an alien life form out of the 200 billion in the whole Milky Way. Gliese 581g does not rotate at all, so one side of the planet is always dark at below -200 degrees Fahrenheit, while the side facing the red dwarf is at most 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, this planet is very capable of supporting life.
          This article is related to our research because recently in the beginning of school, we had talked about alien life forms outside of our planet. This article supports the fact that there are many possibilities of extraterrestrials. I found this article very interesting because I was shocked that there was real evidence of the capability of aliens living on other planets. Before I had read this, I didn't believe so much about extraterrestrials. But ever since this has caught my attention, it makes me wonder. What if we encounter other life forms from other planets?

http://www.helium.com/items/1973199-steven-vogt-declares-new-planet-gliese-581g-has-life

-M L

LASIK - Eye Surgery

            I bet a lot of you ask yourself  "How am I seeing these objects?" during one point of your life. Well, you should know that you see with those two weird things on your face called eyes. But how do they work?

                  Eyes are the organs of sight on a human's body. First, light enters the eye through our lens. The lens then focuses to help us see clearly. Next, the light hits the back of our eye where the image is received by an optical nerve. Once the image is received, it gets sent to our brain where it processes what the image is.

                  The most common physical ailments that people suffer from are poor eye vision. What happens when a part of your eye gets scraped or damaged? You can get glasses and contacts, but those tend to irritate many people. Thankfully, there is one more thing to help your eyes. LASIK eye surgery is the answer for people that need to get closer to 20/20 vision. LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. This is a refractive surgery, which helps reshape the cornea. How does this surgery work exactly?

                  Your surgeon focuses on the cornea in your eye in order to try to fix your eye vision. The shape of your eye's cornea represents how clear your eyesight is. This surgery is meant to reshape your cornea so that you can successfully see again. The process can begin once the doctor has viewed a diagram of your eye. First, they numb your eyes with anesthetics so you won't feel pain of any sort. Next, they place a lid speculum on both if your eyes so they will stay open for the whole procedure. An incision measuring ¼ in depth will be made into your cornea. With the cut made, the surgeon can proceed to use the laser device to reshape your cornea properly and securely. When the light directly hits the cornea tissue, a mini portion of the tissue is vaporized. Finally when the cornea is completely reshaped, the cornea flap is replaced and bonds with the newly shaped cornea. Your eye will eventually heal after a few days and your vision shall become clear.

                  Is this surgery safe? Well it certainly is not for everyone. The majority of the time, LASIK eye surgery is completely safe.  The chances of getting a side affect are less than half of a percent. Getting the surgery is certainly something to think about.

How the human eyes give us the gift of seeing has interested me for a long time. What got me really wanting to research this topic was when my sister started to get into nursing school. She began by telling me all these cool facts on human anatomy. Seeing is basically the key to our world. Vision helps us see and if we couldn't, our society would be out of sight.

-M. S.

Sources

http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/laser_vision_correction/is-lasik-eye-surgery-safe.html

http://www.aoa.org/x6024.xml