BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Tag: life

We Could Be One Step Closer to Finding Life on Other Planets

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On October 19, 2020

In Student Post

I’ve always been so curious about life beyond Earth. Scientists recently discovered that there are as many as 24 planets outside of our solar system more suitable for life than Earth. They found that these planets surpass Earth in several categories, including age, warmth, wetness, and size. These factors qualify the planets to be “superhabitable” and to have optimal potential for complex extraterrestrial life. 

When searching for a habitable planet, one of the most important factors to take into consideration is temperature, which goes hand-in-hand with distance from their star. Scientists have discovered several planets at extreme temperatures, including planet KELT-9b, which is so hot that its atmosphere is constantly melting or GJ 433 d, whose discoverers described it as “the coldest Neptune-like planet ever discovered”. While both of these planets are on opposite sides of the inhospitable spectrum, there are several other planets within their star’s “habitable zone”, which are not too hot or too cold for life as we know it to flourish. 

File:Artist’s view of an exoplanet inspired by the discovery of Gliese 876 d.jpg

An Exoplanet Depicted by an Artist

Scientists have discovered over 4000 exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system so far. The main qualities researchers aim to identify in exoplanets in order to classify them as “superhabitable” include a nearby star of the right star and life span, as it took 3.5 billion years for complex life to form on Earth, and size of the planet. A larger size means more surface area for habitats, higher gravity, and a thicker atmosphere, which is beneficial for flight based organisms. Planets with these qualities in addition to being slightly warmer and wetter would be even more habitable than Earth. A larger or closer moon than Earth’s would also be considered “better”, because of benefits such as helping to stabilize its orbit and preventing life-disrupting wobbles. Taking all of these factors into consideration, the researchers came up with a list of the most ideal parameters for the perfect superhabitable planet. This planet “would be in orbit around a K dwarf star, which is a relatively small star star that’s slightly cooler than our sun […]; about 5 billion to 8 billion years old; about 10% larger than Earth; about 9 F  warmer than Earth, on average; moist with an atmosphere that is 25% to 30% oxygen, with scattered land and water. [It] would also have plate tectonics or a similar geological process in order to recycle minerals and nutrients through the crust and to create diverse habitats and topography, and would have a moon between 1% and 10% of its size orbiting it at a moderate distance” (livescience.com) As we know from biology, an oxygen rich atmosphere is essential as oxygen is one of the most important building blocks of life. Our cells need oxygen to produce various proteins which in turn produce more cells. Oxygen is also vital in many of our body systems and needed for the creation of carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and lipids. Other animals and plants also require large amounts of oxygen to survive. 

Out of the 24 Kepler Objects of Interest, which are unconfirmed indications of  transiting planets, spotted by the Kepler telescope, two have been confirmed as exoplanets, (Kepler 1126 b and Kepler-69c), nine are orbiting around the proper type of star, 16 are within the correct age range, and five fall into the right temperature range. KOI 5715.01 was the only candidate of the 24 that fell into the correct range for each of the three categories, but the planet’s true surface temperature is unable to be determined right now because it depends on the strength of the greenhouse effect in its atmosphere. Additionally, as all of these planets are more than 100 light-years away, many of them can’t be studied properly due to lack of technology.

I personally believe that we are on the brink of making seriously ground-breaking discoveries regarding extraterrestrial life. Technology is advancing every year, and in turn we make more discoveries each year about the enigma of space. Hopefully soon we will find out if some of these planets really do have life inhabiting them.

Drinking Tea Can Extend Your Lifetime

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On January 23, 2020

In Student Post

An article was written in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and refers to the recent work that some Chinese scientists have recently discovered: habitually drinking tea contributed to living a longer, healthier life. The data comes from 100,902 Chinese participants with no record of heart attack, stroke, or cancer. They were separated into two groups: those that drank tea habitually around and those that did not. The participants followed up for a median of 7.3 years per participant.

Generally, habitual tea consumption was linked to “more healthy years of life and longer life expectancy.”

The analyzed data reveals that “50-year habitual tea drinkers would develop coronary heart disease and stroke 1.41 years later and live 1.26 years longer than those who never or seldom drank tea.” And in comparison to non-habitual tea drinkers, habitual tea consumers “had a 20% lower risk of incident heart disease and stroke, 22% lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 15% decreased risk of all-cause death.” In addition, tea drinkers “had a 39% lower risk of incident heart disease and stroke, 56% lower risk of fatal heart disease and stroke, and 29% decreased risk of all-cause death compared to consistent never or non-habitual tea drinkers.”

The data points to the fact that drinking tea can certainly make one’s life healthier, decreasing the odds of potential heart issues in humans in the long run.

Dr. Dongfeng Gu, one of the main authors of the article, noted that “frequent tea intake over an extended period may be necessary for the cardioprotective effect.” The other authors found that green tea was the most beneficial, as it was linked with “approximately 25% lower risks for incident heart disease and stroke, fatal heart disease and stroke, and all-cause death.”

Green tea is a rich source of polyphenols, which “protect against cardiovascular disease and its risk factors including high blood pressure and dyslipidaemia.” High blood pressure usually exercises more strain on one’s blood vessels and heart and eliminating the risk to get high blood pressure can extend one’s life.

Drinking tea has shown to increase one’s lifespan and decrease potential heart issues. The ingredients of tea, specifically polyphenols in green tea, defend against the risk of heart diseases and problems.

How a Dash of Salt in the Summertime Helped Bring About Life on Earth

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On October 20, 2019

In Student Post

As humans, one of the most challenging and provocative questions we can ask is how life on earth came to be. We know about evolution, survival of the fittest, the one fish brave enough to walk. But how did the first microorganism suddenly wriggle its way out the world of the inanimate and mark the beginning of life on earth? Researchers from Saint Louis University, the College of Charleston and the NSF/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution think they have a new clue regarding the Earth’s environment at the time, and it sounds a lot like barbeque and pool party weather!

One of the keys to the creation of life is proteins. Proteins are strings of amino acids held together by peptide bonds, and they are responsible for carrying out countless tasks in the cell from catalyzing reactions as enzymes to protecting against diseases as antibodies to controlling movement and muscle contractions. Previous research has found that subjecting amino acids to “repeated wet-dry cycles”creates an ideal environment for the formation of peptide bonds. The more peptide bonds, the more complex polymer proteins that form and carry out biological processes needed for sustaining life. According to our original article, “Were hot, humid summers the key to life’s origins,” scientists imagine that the pre-life climate on earth consisted of hot, sunny days broken by heavy rainstorms. However, when Luke Bryan said that “rain is a good thing,” I don’t think he was referring to the cultivation of peptide bonds, because too much rain can actually have an opposite effect on our pre-biological proteins.

Pictured above is two amino acids joining to form a dipeptide through dehydration synthesis (removing an H2O molecule to join two monomers)

While water is the basis for all biological function, too much water added to a solution can result in hydrolysis, the decomposition of polymers due to the insertion of water molecules between bonds. If the Earth’s early climate involved large rain storms, the rain would flood the amino acid mixture and prevent the formation of peptide bonds. So, what kind of climate would then be required to spark the creation of life? Angela M. Hessler, in her article “Earth’s Earliest Climate,” tells us that “evidence points to an unfrozen — perhaps balmy — Archean Earth” due to “100–1000 times more CO2 than present atmospheric level,” which gives the Earth a “greenhouse atmosphere.” This greenhouse climate consists of high temperatures and humid weather- basically summer weather! This humidity in the air allows the amino acids to receive the ideal amount of water for forming complex proteins. However, our researchers have also discovered another factor that aids the formation of proteins, the process’s own sort of catalyst that pairs perfectly with the humid climate of pre-biological Earth.

Deliquescent minerals are salts that absorb humidity out of the air and then dissolve. If deliquescent minerals are present while amino acids bond into polypeptides, they can regulate the wetness of the environment in which polypeptides form, creating a perfect environment for the creation of proteins! I guess we can take the Bible that much more literally when were were told, “For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

Above is dipotassium phosphate, a highly deliquescent mineral that is likely to have been present during the first formation of polypeptides millions of years ago.

While to some it may seem inconsequential, this discovery is important! Think about it: whenever we talk about evolution, we talk about inheriting traits from our ancestors. But we never talk about our oldest ancestor. The ancestor that has no ancestors because they are the first thing to live on this Earth! This discovery gives concrete evidence for a plausible theory regarding the birth of life on this planet, that one cell that fathered everything that now sees and breaths and strives to reproduce. This article gives us the farthest glimpse possible into the past, and with this new information, we can start to learn more about how life rose from the ground to survive and thrive on Earth.

If you have any other ideas or remarks, please feel free to comment on this post! I would love to hear what you all have to say about this exciting, new discovery!

 

What are Biofilms?

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On November 19, 2018

In Student Post

 

Biofilm being formed. (Pixnio)

Medicine has made great advancements in patient care and treatment over the last decade. However, everyday viruses and bacteria alike have become stronger and more resilient – even to the latest antibiotics. One such threat that has led to “…thousands of deaths…” in “…American Hospitals alone…” are biofilms. These bacterial cells “…gather [together] and develop structures that bond them in a gooey substance…” insulating them from the outside world. Biofilms ability to become impervious to antibiotics at a moment’s notice has led biologists to wonder both how they develop, and how to stop them.

To find out how and why these bacteria form biofilms, researchers at the Levchenko Lab, at Yale University, as well as from the University of California – San Diego, “…designed and built microfluidic devices and novel gels that housed uropathogenic E. coli cells, which are often the cause of urinary tract infections. These devices mimicked the environment inside human cells that host the invading bacteria during infections.” From this experiment, the scientist discovered that the bacteria would multiply until physical constraints inhibited them from further reproduction. At this point, the bacteria would become “stressed” and thus this “stress would induce the formation of a biofilm.

With the numerous mimicking devices that the researchers utilized in the experiment, they can now create many biofilms in predictable ways, and further analyze their behavior in similar environments. “This would allow for screening drugs that could potentially breach the protective layer of the biofilms and break it down.”  It is an amazing solution to a stubborn and persistent biological threat, that has already robbed enough, otherwise healthy, people of their lives.

It is imperative that we continue to make great strides in the advancement of medical technologies and treatments, as this will enable us to live healthier, more disease-free lives for the future to come. As viruses and bacteria get stronger, we need to make sure to keep up.

Questioning one of the most widely-held beliefs about the origins of life!

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On December 10, 2017

In Student Post

Two scientists, Dr. Charles Carter, of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Peter Wills, a physics professor at the University of Auckland, are challenging one of the most widely-held beliefs in the world of science.

A widely accepted hypothesis of the origin of life is called the “RNA-world” hypothesis, which states that life began from nucleic acids and only evolved later into proteins. However, in two recent studies, scientists Carter and Wills have found that this hypothesis is false, and have named their findings the “peptide-RNA” hypothesis. They believe their findings are much more probable and realistic. They argue that RNA could not be the source of biological life on earth because it lacks an important characteristic, called “reflexivity”. This means RNA lacks the ability to form the feedback loop that is necessary to lead to eventual life forms.

Source: https://pixabay.com/en/dna-string-biology-3d-1811955/

At the core of their “peptide-RNA” hypothesis is that the remnants of ancient enzymes are still found in all living organisms today. These ancient enzymes are called aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetases (aaRSs). These 20 aaRSs enzymes are broken into 2 structurally distinct families which each are exact opposites of each other. Being that these enzymes are so simple in structure, Cater and Wills believe they are the basis of biological life.

So, which theory do you believe, the “RNA-world” hypothesis or the “peptide-RNA” hypothesis?

Original Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171101160756.htm

Evolution of Human Lifespans

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On November 28, 2016

In Student Post

human_evolution_scheme

(Locutus Borg, Wikimedia Commons)

Humans have started living longer and healthier lives. According to research conducted by various international teams, the last two centuries have had a greater percent increase in human lifespan than the past millions of years did.

The research teams compared the average lifespan of the most developed societies to the average lifespan of modern-day hunter-gatherer populations, which most closely resemble the lifespan and lifestyle of early humans. The researchers found that developed countries, such as Sweden, have average lifespans of eighty years now (an increase from the mid-thirties range it was in 200 years ago). On the other hand, hunter-gatherer populations such as the Hadza in Tanzania live only ten to twenty years longer than wild primates.

Such drastic improvements in human longevity are attributed to the advent of several post-industrial era features, including modern medicine and supermarkets. However, males trail behind females in terms of lifespan by at least three to four years– something that has not changed since the beginning of primate history.

The exact reason for the lifespan gender gap is unknown. Some hypotheses propose that males are more at-risk because they carry one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome, as opposed to the females’ two X-chromosomes, which makes males more susceptible to disease. Another possible explanation centers around harmful male-related behavior, such as fighting. What do you think is the most likely reason for the gender gap?

Head Start is the way to “Start”

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On January 17, 2015

In Student Post

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“Eat healthily, sleep well, breathe deeply, move harmoniously,” said Jean-Pierre Barral*

The good health and well-being of Americans is something that matters to me.

Head Start is a United States Department of Health and Human Services program that helps low income families achieve the goal of living a healthy lifestyle. This program occurs during the transition from preschool to elementary school. Its mission is to foster stable family relationships, enhance children’s physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills.

According to an article by Kathryn Doyle, “Obese kids in Head Start get healthier during the year.” This conclusion was determined through a study by Reuters Health on pre-schoolers in Michigan. From the study, they concluded that the kids who were underweight or overweight at the start of the program were healthier than the other kids in their community when they all entered kindergarten.

In the article, Dr. Julie C. Lumeng of the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor states that she was “watching their weight get better.”  The researchers involved in the study used children’s height and weight data, which was provided by Michigan Head Start programs for 19,000 kids to calculate their BMIs. They compared these BMIs to what would be considered the average for other children of the same age in Michigan. It was found that within the first academic year, the overweight kids who started Head Start lost weight and the underweight kids gained weight.

Mary Cunningham Deluca, director of children services at Community Action Agency in Jackson, Michigan, believes nutrition is the most important part and I could not agree more. I chose this article because I like to be extremely health conscious. I try to fuel my body with the best food for me and maintain an active lifestyle. Personally, I have found that  living a healthy lifestyle builds confidence, opens your mind, and teaches you to break through boundaries and overcome obstacles you never thought possible. It opens up opportunities and that is exactly what we need to do for children; It’s time to give them a “head start!”

 

*”Jean-Pierre Barral is an Osteopath and Registered Physical Therapist, who serves as Director and Faculty of the Department of Osteopathic Manipulation at the University of Paris School of Medicine in Paris, France. He earned his diploma in Osteopathic Medicine in 1974 from the European School of Osteopathy in Maidstone, England, and went on to teach spinal biomechanics at the institution from 1975-1982.”

 

New Breast Cancer Gene Discovered

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On January 17, 2015

In Student Post

 

 

 

Pink_ribbon.svg

Today, one of the most talked about cancers is breast cancer. Breast cancer is defined as cancer that forms in the tissues of the breast. There are two types of breast cancer: ductal carcinoma, which is most common and begins in the lining of the milk ducts (thin tubes that carry milk from the lobules of the breast to the nipple) and lobular carcinoma, which begins in the lobules (milk glands) of the breast.

According to a new study done by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge, a gene has been identified to have a major association in aggressive subtypes of breast cancer. The research suggests that an overactive BCL11A gene causes the development of tripe-negative breast cancer.

The study was conducted in human cells and in mice. The study was important because one in five patients are affected by triple-negative breast cancer. From the conducted research, Dr. Walid Khaled discovered that by adding an active human BCL11A gene to a human or a mouse’s breast cells (in the lab) caused them to behave as cancer cells. Increasingly, Dr. Khaled concluded that “by increasing BCL11A activity we increase cancer-like behaviour; by reducing it, we reduce cancer-like behavior.”

This research and study is extremely important because from the results, the team was able to propose that BCL11A is a strong candidate for development of a possible targeted treatment. Typical treatments of breast cancer include radiation and chemotherapy as well as surgery. The most known surgeries are Lumpectomy/partial mastectomy (large portion of the breast is removed) and a full mastectomy (full removal of breasts)

I chose this article because I know many dear friends that have faced and survived the battle of breast cancer. I believe that spreading awareness and screening early is extremely important. In addition, I am very hopeful that new advances will be made so that others need not endure the excruciating fight of breast cancer.

 

Forever Young

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On January 10, 2012

In Student Post

Photo Credit: Flickr user flatworldsedge

How would you feel if you discovered that your doctors may have found a real fountain of youth?  Well thanks to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh that could someday be a reality.

Dr. Laura Niedernhofer and her fellow researchers have discovered a way to slow down aging, for mice at least.  To conduct their experiment the researchers bred a line of mice with progeria, a disease found in chickens that rapidly increases the aging process.  Normally once a mouse contracts this disease they have only a few days left to live.  After the addition of stem cells as well as some progenitor cells (a similar type of cell) the mice survived up to 66 days.

Now don’t worry its not only some rare poultry disease that this study shows help for.  Mice with mild cases of progeria showed geriatric symptoms similar to those that older humans show, weak leg muscles, walking hunched over and trembling and saw a dramatic improvement.  In fact 75% of the symptoms the mice were experiencing were relieved with only two injections of the stem cell mix given over a period of a few weeks.  Imagine if 75% of an aging human’s symptoms could find relief!

These mice also appear to be showing evidence that the new stem cells didn’t replace their aging stem cells but rejuvenated them as they saw improvement in the brain’s of these mice although the stem cell mix was injected into each mouse’s stomach.  It’s too soon to tell if this stem cell therapy will be able to help humans, but if it did we may have found a real fountain of youth.

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