"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.