"AIDS Study in Mice Suggests Hope for Prevention; Doctors Now Want to Test Humans" by Malcolm Ritter

As AIDS continues to take more and more lives, scientists have been working tirelessly to discover vaccine to prevent this threatening disease.  Doctors have continually been testing new vaccines on lab rats for years and they have finally found a solution that is able to provide one hundred percent protection against HIV.  Their discovery is a protective gene that they have been developing and perfecting since 2009.  This gene has also been tested on monkeys, also with positive results.  The vaccine works by injecting the protective gene into the muscle cells; the gene will then begin to produce antibodies that are capable of neutralizing HIV strains.  Hundreds of mice have been tested and have proven to be one hundred percent protected; no signs of HIV have been seen at all.  Doctors are very hopeful about this new vaccine and are planning to start a preliminary trial on humans soon.

It is always encouraging to hear that doctors are making progress when it comes to the cure of diseases.  AIDS is not just harmful; it is a very deadly and serious disease, and it is beginning to affect more and more people.  It is very impressive that scientist have found a vaccine that completely protects mice from HIV.  Although scientists are uncertain if this vaccine will be as affective in humans, there is certainly hope.  Mice are completely different that humans, but they possess human immune system cells.  I am very please to hear about this new vaccine, and I hope it will be effective in humans so that doctors can start saving people from this terrible disease. 

"Scientists a Step Closer to Cloning Mammoth" by Kyodo

Japanese and Russian scientists have recently found evidence that could enable them to cloning the extinct mammoth.  Scientists found a perfectly preserved mammoth thighbone in Siberia; by extracting marrow cells from this thighbone, placing them into modified elephant egg cells, and injecting these egg cells into an elephant’s womb, it is possible that a mammoth could be produced.  Scientists were surprised at the good condition of the matter of this thighbone; normally nuclei cells are damaged from extreme cold, but the ones in the thighbone found in Siberia are almost completely unharmed.  Scientists have been trying to clone the mammoth for over twenty years, and they are very thrilled by this opportunity. 

I was astonished to read this news.  Frankly, I had no idea that it was remotely possible to clone a species that has been extinct for such a long period of time.  The science and technology that makes this possible is unbelievable.  The mammoth was truly a majestic creature, and it would be remarkable to see this species come to life again.  I am thoroughly excited for that moment. 

"Heart Attack Repair: Cardiac Stem Cells Show Promise in Trials" by Eryn Brown

Scientists are making more progress in the area of stem cell research; this time, they have found a way to use a patient’s own stem cells to help repair heart attack damages.  Doctors are now able to harvest stem cells during a patient’s own bypass surgery using a minimally invasive technique to infuse into the patient’s in order to reverse damages that occurred during cardiac arrest.  Out of the seventeen subjects that the doctors used to experiment this procedure, fourteen of them saw improved cardiac function within the next few months, and their heart scars had shrunk considerably. 

This new finding by doctors came as very good news to me.  In the US alone, approximately six million people have heart failure.  My own grandfather died a couple of months ago from a heart attack.  This condition is very common and very severe, and it is encouraging to hear that doctors are making progress in this field so they can help those who are suffering from heart failure. 

"Doctors Separate Conjoined Twins" by Sajid Farooq

Last week, two young conjoined twin girls in San Jose were separated for the first time.  Dr. Gary Hartman performed this operation.  It was a very tricky surgery, because the two girls were joined at both the chest and abdomen.  These two girls were born with their livers, diaphragms, breast bones, chest and abdominal walls fused together.  They had separate hearts, kidneys, brains, stomachs, and intestines.  Dr. Hartman said the trickiest part of the operation was separating the liver, because it was tightly fused and they had to use tissue expanders to fill the holes.  Dr. Hartman performed this risky operation very skillfully, which is no easy feat considering that these operations are only performed in the US about 6 times a year.  These two young girls are very lucky to be alive and healthy; most conjoined twins die in the womb.  However, their surgery went well and they are now both adjusting to living their lives as two separate children. 

This article was very encouraging to me.  I have heard many stories about the failed separating conjoined twins.  I have also heard about twins who could not be separated, due to a situation where they are joined at a place that could not be separated, such as the brain.  It is uplifting to hear that the doctors performing these surgeries are improving, and that the patients are able to live a normal life after the operation. 

"Coffee Lowers Risk of Skin Cancer Basal Cell Carcinoma" by Christian Nordqvist

A recent study has shown that coffee might lower the chance of one getting basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer.  Basal cell carcinoma is identified as a bleeding or scabbing sore that will not heal, and is usually found on the neck or face (though it has been found on the legs and abdomen occasionally as well).  This type of skin cancer is locally invasive and rarely spreads to other parts of the body.  Nearly one million people in the United States are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma every year, but this study has proved that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop it.  Men who drink at least three cups of coffee daily are abut nine percent less likely to get basal cell carcinoma, while women who drink at least three cups of coffee daily are twenty percent less likely to get it.  Dr. Fenju Song explains the relationship: “Mouse studies have shown that oral or topical caffeine promotes elimination of UV-damaged keratinocytes via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and markedly reduces subsequent SCC development.”

I recently wrote a blog post about how coffee drinkers are less likely to get depression, and how interesting that was to me since I myself am an enthusiastic coffee drinker.  This article, therefore, also came as great news to me.  I find it particularly important since skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US, especially amongst young people my age.  It is very encouraging to know that something I love so much can prevent something so serious.  I hope that scientists discover many more helpful properties of coffee in the future. 

"Cyclops Shark Appears to be Legit" by Jennifer Viegas

          A few months ago, a photo of a one-eyed shark went viral on the internet, but many believed it to be a hoax, since the creature looked too strange and artificial to be a real specimen.  However, just recently scientists have claimed that this organism is actually a legitimate one-eyed dusky shark fetus.  This Cyclops creature was discovered after a fisherman caught a pregnant shark near Cerralvo Island in the Gulf of California.  Scientists believe that this mutated shark is a result of a disorder called cyclopia, characterized by only one eye in the center of the forehead and other facial mutations.  Puppies and kittens are sometimes born with this disorder, but they usually die shortly after their birth.  This baby shark probably wouldn’t have made it past birth either; no scientists have discovered any baby sharks with cyclopia outside of the womb.

          I learned a good deal from this article.  I had never heard of cyclopia, and didn’t even think a mutation like that was possible.  The article got me interested in this disorder, so I did some research and learned that cyclopia can occur in human babies as well.  Even though this baby shark probably would have died if his mother had been able to give birth, it is still fascinating to find something that hasn’t been seen before.  Scientists are finding something new every day, and that is very exciting for people interested in the subject.

"Scientists Solve Puzzle of Black Death's DNA" by Nicholas Wade

Recently, scientists have discovered the DNA of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that caused the black plague in London during the 14^th century.  This DNA was obtained from the teeth of four victims in the cemetery prepared for victims of victims of the plague, called East Smithfield, near the tower of London.  Scientists hope that possessing the full genome of this bacterium will aid them in discovering what made this outbreak so gruesome.  “The bacterium’s genome consists of a single chromosome, about 4.6 million DNA units long, and three small rings of DNA called plasmids.”  These scientists are trying to recreate the microbe to help them further understand the characteristics of this plague.  So far, they’ve come to the conclusion that the living conditions of the people in that time actually affected them more than the plague itself.  “People were probably already suffering from malnutrition and other diseases when the plague arrived like the fourth horseman of the apocalypse.”  Scientists believe that nowadays the plague could be easily treated with antibiotics.  Nevertheless, this is a huge step forward in the field of DNA and pathogens.

I found this article very fascinating.  I once read a book about the black plague and found myself wondering what kind of disease could devastate such a large population.  Also, I am very impressed by what we can discover with technology today.  It’s simply astonishing to learn what scientists can discover about something that occurred so long ago.  Hopefully this advanced technology will help solve many more mysteries from the past. 

"Being depressed disconnect's the brain's 'hate circuit'" by Alasdair Wilkins

Recently, researchers at UK’s University of Warwick performed an experiment on a group of depressed people to learn more about this common, yet serious, mental condition.  They used a group of 39 depressed people and 37 control subjects without depression in order to distinguish the differences in their mental patterns.  The differences they noticed in the depressed participants’ brain circuitry were the uncoupling of the connections between different areas of the brain; when circuits are uncoupled, two sections of the brain cannot work together to perform complex thinking processes.  One circuit that was frequently uncoupled in depressed participants’ brains was the “hate circuit”, a circuit associated with feelings of hatred.  When shown pictures of things they hated, depressed subjects showed little to no response, whilst healthy patients had a clear and defined response.  This was puzzling to many researchers, but one had a theory.  Researcher Jianfeng Feng said, “One possibility is that the uncoupling of this hate circuit could be associated with impaired ability to control and learn from social or other situations which provoke feelings of hate towards self or others. This in turn could lead to an inability to deal appropriately with feelings of hate and an increased likelihood of both uncontrolled self-loathing and withdrawal from social interactions.”

        This article gave me some good insight into the condition of depression.  I have known people who have suffered from depression, so I am always interested to learn more about this mental condition.  This reasoning behind the actions of depressed people and their apathy towards lots of things, especially things they hate, makes sense to me and it is very good information to have.  I am also glad to know that researchers are working hard and making progress in studying depression; it is a serious condition and the more they discover about it, the closer they are to finding more treatments for it.

“Caffeine Buzz Chases Away Women’s Depression” by Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times

Contrary to many beliefs about the effects of caffeine, a new study has proved that caffeine is actually beneficial.  This new researched showed that women who drank four cups of coffee a day, or the equivalent amount of caffeine to that, have better mental health and are less likely to become depressed than women who do not.  Dr. Alberto Ascherio explains that coffee keeps people more happy and active on day-to-day basis, therefore leading to better mental health in the long run.  Their research also showed that women who regularly drank coffee were less likely to be obese or have high blood pressure.  Coffee can also help with reducing strokes and improving cardiovascular health.

Seeing as I am an earnest coffee drinker, this article came as great news to me.  I simply cannot start my day without my morning cup of coffee, and I really don’t know what I would do without my regular jolt of caffeine to get me going in the morning.  Also, there has been much controversy over the years about coffee and whether it is good or bad for you.  For a while, the consensus seemed that coffee had overall negative effects, so it is interesting and refreshing to hear some benefits that result from drinking coffee.  Preventing depression in women is definitely a significant effect of coffee, especially since twice as many women experience depression than men. With these newfound results, many women might feel much better about the amount of caffeine they intake, and it might cause others to consider drinking it on a regular basis.

“Newly Discovered Raptor Had ‘Switchblade’ Claw for Fighting” by International Business Times Staff Reporter

         

          Talos sampsoni is a recently discovered feathered dinosaur related to the velociraptor.  This new specimen is estimated to have been about 6 feet long and weighed around eighty pounds.  Talos and the velociraptor are both a part of the Troodontid family, a group of dinosaurs closely related to birds.  A new fossil find shows that this dinosaur may have had long hooked talons as well as sharp claws.  This fossil was found in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah, where fifteen other species of dinosaurs have been unearthed.  The fossil was discovered by Michael Knell, a doctoral student at Montana University, who was very thrilled to have discovered a new species of dinosaur.

          This article came as exciting news to me.  Dinosaurs have always fascinated me; the mysteries that surround their disappearance and wonderings about what these creatures truly looked like are very interesting to me.  What enthralls me the most is the fact that scientists are still to this day finding new evidence about dinosaurs.  The more they look, the closer they get to unlocking the answers for all the questions we have about dinosaurs.  Hopefully there will be many more fossils found from the Talos sampsoni, and we can continue to learn more about this mysterious extinct creature. 

"Giant King Crabs Threatening Antarctica, Scientists Say" by Wynne Parry

In this article posted on the Fox News website, the author explains that the king crab species have recently found their way over to the Antarctic waters.  These crabs have never been able to cross the continental shelf before due to the frigid temperature, but now that the climate has gradually warmed, the king crabs have travelled into the Ross Sea in Antarctica.  The problem with this is that king crabs have large, crushing claws, and are known to be a very invasive and ecosystem-altering species.  Scientists are concerned that they will begin destroying the usually safe and isolated organisms living in the Ross Sea.  These crabs have been overturning the ocean floor with their constant digging, and they have been feeding on basket stars and other invertebrates.  Scientists will have to find a technique to keep these dangerous predators at bay soon, as the water continues to keep warming and inviting more and more crabs to the Antarctic water.

--Rachel Croft