BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Author: cytocourtnesis

The More You Sit, The More You Forget!

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On April 22, 2018

In Student Post

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles recently discovered a linkage between the memory of middle to older aged adults and their sedentary behaviors, actions that require little energy like sitting or lying down.

They concluded that long periods of sitting, like at a desk chair, affects the specific region of the brain that is involved in creating new memories, the medial temporal lobe. The UCLA researchers closely studied 35 people ages 45 to 75 years old, documenting their physical activity for two weeks prior to and during the study.  After the three months of research, they used a high resolution MRI scan and quickly noticed similarities between the thickness of each adult’s medial temporal lobe who spent on average the same amount of hours sitting everyday. The more hours spent sitting, regardless of any physical activity, the more thin the medial temporal lobe. “The participants reported that they spent from 3 to 7 hours, on average, sitting per day. With every hour of sitting each day, there was an observed decrease in brain thickness, according to the study. ”

Even though the findings of this study are preliminary, it suggests that “reducing sedentary behavior may be a possible target for interventions designed to improve brain health in people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” Becoming more active is always a great thing, but becoming conscious of how much time you spend being inactive and working to decrease that, could help you out more than you think. There is still more research to be done on this matter but this is a step in the right direction for improving life for those with memory related diseases and improving overall brain health.

To read more check out the full article here!

CRISPR: Back at it Again

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On March 10, 2018

In Student Post

Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes made scientific history by turning skin cells of rats into stem cells by activating a certain gene in those cells using CRISPR technology. CRISPR technology is a tool used for editing genomes through making it easy for researchers to modify gene function and easily alter DNA sequences. CRISPR stands for “clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats” and it has been a popular topic of discussion and research in the science world.

Gladstone senior investigator, Sheng Ding and his team shaped their research aiming to answer the question; “can you reprogram a cell just by unlocking a specific location of the genome?” which they answered yes at the end. They decided to test on specific stem cells that can be turned into any cell type in the body, Pluripotent cells. Ding built upon a different senior investigators discovery, Shinya Yamanaka, who found he could make stem cells out of skin cells by treating skin cells with four key proteins called transcription factors. Here Yamanaka learned that the transcription factors could change which genes are expressed in the cell, turn off genes associated with skin cells, and turn on genes associated with stem cells and he called these skin turned to stem cells Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC).

So Sheng Ding was inspired by Yamanaka’s investigation and decided to follow the same process but treat skin cells with CRISPR  instead of transcription factors. They targeted genes Sox2 and Oct4, only expressed in stem cells, which can turn on stem cell genes and turn off those associated with different cell types. With CRISPR, Ding and his team discovered they could reprogram cells activating Sox2 or Oct4. This proved to be more efficient than previous study, as using the CRISPR technology to target a specific location on the genome immediately triggered a natural chain reaction reprogramming the entire cell into an iPSC.

This was surprising and groundbreaking for this research group as they answered their guided question but came out with more. They still want to understand how the CRISPR technology was able to trigger a change within a whole cell efficiently and immediately compared to any other tested process. This study expanded knowledge on CRISPR and its many functions, and creates more questions on why and how it can do what it does. CRISPR technology continues to confuse scientists by manipulating genes in new, different, and unpredictable ways so the next question is, what does it have up its sleeve next???

Original Article 

Are E-Cigarettes Worth the Hype???

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On January 18, 2018

In Student Post

In America, electronic cigarettes are all the rage as they come in a wide range of flavors and intricate and discreet devices. Yes, they are less harmful than regular cigarettes but do they have the ability to make the users quit smoking altogether? This is the question that the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina aimed to answer.

In this study, 68 smokers were evaluated over four months. 46 were randomly selected to use different e-cigarettes however they wished and the other 22 were in a control group where they could only use the e-cigarette as instructed. All were either given a device with low amounts of nicotine or high amounts (like the one pictured above). After the four months and the study was complete, the results were as expected.

Published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the 46 smokers who could freely use the e-cigarettes had a seemingly positive response to them. With  high frequent usage, the majority purchased their own electronic cigarettes and ditched the regular traditional cigarettes they used to smoke. They also were more likely to quit smoking overall compared to those in the control group. Additionally in the control group, since the smokers were confined to only to using the e-cigs when instructed, it only increased their urge to go back to non-electronic cigarettes. Also stated in the article, “Of the two e-cigarette models used in the study, the more powerful device, with a higher dose of nicotine, showed stronger outcomes. People using e-cigarettes throughout the study smoked an average of 37 percent fewer cigarettes, showing a positive effect when making the switch and potentially serving as a tool to help smokers quit.” This shows that e-cigs can make a difference, especially with a higher amount of nicotine. Lead researcher Matthew Carpenter was happy with the positive response and people who switched to e-cigs since smoking traditional cigarettes is the leading cause of cancer.

Don’t get it twisted, electronic cigarettes are still harmful!!!  Yes they are safer than the conventional cigarette but they still expose the lungs and body to harmful toxins and chemicals that we all know should not be there. Especially with the variety of flavors, sizes, and customizable appearances of these devices (pictured below), they are now made specifically to target adolescents. Big companies create a product crafted to draw more and more adolescents in, with the sole purpose of making money at the expense of the consumer’s health. Terrible! So ask yourself, will you fall for it? (DON’T!!!)

You’re a Jerk!!!

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On December 10, 2017

In Student Post

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night because you felt like you were falling?? What about waking up from sudden muscle spasms you’ve experienced in your sleep?? If you answered yes to either or both questions, that means you’ve experienced a hypnagogic jerk!

A term referencing to the period between wakefulness and sleep, called the hypnagogic state, hypnagogic jerks are involuntary muscle spasms that occur during light sleeping. These jerks are also known as ‘sleep starts’ and effect 70% of the population. Some factors scientists know to cause and increase the amount of twitches one can experience are high caffeine intake, stress, fatigue, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and intense activity and exercise right before sleep. Additionally, it is surmised that these spasms can also be induced by sound, light, and other external factors.

In a recent study, different people have reported that with these jerks comes hallucinations, vivid dreams, or even ringing noises inside of their heads! Though, with the acknowledgement of hypnagogic jerks and what comes with them, the actual main cause in the body is unknown. Here are two popular theories from the researches:

  1. The first idea is that the jerks are just natural when transitioning from alertness to sleep by nerves in the body ‘misfiring’.
  2. The second idea is that hypnagogic jerks result from evolution. It’s argued that the spasms are a primitive reflex where the brain at one time in history misinterpreted the transition from movement to relaxation and sleep as a sign of the primate falling, making the muscles quickly react.

Even with those two theories the actual cause is still a mystery and scientists continue to try and find it. Though don’t be scared if you experience a hypnagogic jerk once in a while that causes you to wake up, but if this starts to happen on a more frequent and repetitive basis seek a sleep specialist!

Feel free to comment your experiences with hypnagogic jerks!!

Original Source: https://www.livescience.com/39225-why-people-twitch-falling-asleep.html

Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife, ‘Devil Weed’ is Coming.

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On October 16, 2017

In Student Post

No, it’s not what you’re thinking, but Devil Weed is invasive brown algae disrupting ecosystems across the globe. This seaweed, Sargassum horneri, has existed along Japanese and Korean shores and has now popped up along California coasts. The major concern in each location is the Devil Weeds rapid and unstoppable growth. It pops up in rocky reef areas, harms and alters surrounding wild life, and completely takes over like a weed. Evidently, its controlling nature inspired its name and has raised great concern for affected ocean life as it continues to grow at an unbelievable rate.

S. horneri  is a 10 to 50 foot tall annual species, completes its life cycle in one year, though there are “overlapping generations” in the same seasons. This allows it to remain in the same habitats for years and years, forming dense ‘forests’ and hijacking specific areas.

Image Credit: Sargassum

Researchers at the Santa Barbara Costal Long Term Research Project (LTER) and National Science Foundation (NSF) used various approaches to try and learn how to clean and control Devil Weed in the most efficient and powerful way. This proved a challenge because of the seaweeds unpredictable and unknown behavior, but the researchers were able to tests some ideas. They experimented and discovered that partially cutting the stems of the seaweed, instead of completing removing the plant, would stop the plant from self-reproducing and it would later die off. They also discovered that the best way to remove a lot of the Devil Weed was to use an underwater suctioning machine though this only allowed two scuba divers to work at once and it was very time consuming and costly. Lastly, they figured out that the plant thrives in warmer climates and reproduces the most during those times, but overall they couldn’t find an efficient and effective removal approach like they had hoped for.

The biologists concluded that it’s better to attack S. horneri during the early winter by slashing the stems of the seaweed and using an “underwater suction device”, though these tactics only slow down its spreading and make no significant long-term impact. This issue should be of concern of many and I believe we all should care about our underwater ecosystems. So with that being stated, if more research isn’t done, awareness isn’t raised, and action isn’t taken S. horneri  will continue to grow at rapid rates. It will most likely harm and take over big portions of our underwater life and this intrusive and cynical behavior is only typical, of a Devil.

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