Osama bin Laden DNA Identification

In the recent killing of Osama bin Laden, the government resorted a variety of different methods to confirm the identity of the body that was thought to be bin Laden’s. One of the methods they used to confirm the body’s identity was DNA analysis. As we have previously discussed in class, when analyzing DNA analysts look for matches from a sequence of small, repeating markers at different locations on a person’s genome. According to FBI’s forensic analysts, the team relies on 13 DNA regions that are different for each individual. They use this data to create a genetic profile and compare it to other genetic profiles.

According to Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist who helped pioneer the military’s DNA identification program, said that it would not be uncommon for the government to have samples of bin Laden’s DNA. These stored samples of DNA were tested and compared to the samples taken from the body, and resulted in a match.

In addition to matching the DNA from the body to past samples of bin Laden’s DNA, experts also used a familial DNA approach. According to reports, one bin Laden’s sisters died at a hospital in Boston while being treated for cancer. Authorities decided to release her body for DNA sampling so that it could be compared to the body that was killed. When comparing the DNA of siblings, it has a 50% match, so authorities were able to hone in on specific areas and decided that the two samples were in fact a match.

Many Americans were curious as to how the DNA match was be performed so quickly. This is because instead of DNA sequencing, which is very time consuming and involves comparing entire strands of DNA, officials used a DNA matching approach. They created reference samples of bin Laden’s DNA along with the sample of DNA they had of his sister, along with multiple other family members. They then brought in the new sample of DNA from the body in which they killed to compare it to these reference samples. Analysts looked for repeats in the DNA patterns, as they came across more repeats in the patterns, they concluded that the body was in fact Osama bin Laden’s.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/02/bin.laden.body.id/index.html

Energy: A Factor in Extinction

In class today we discussed the extinction of animals, along with various factors that have led them to become extinct. The leading cause of most animal species becoming dyeing out is some type of extreme altercation to their habitat. For example, the Dodo bird became extinct because of humans inhabiting the island they were living on. When the Portuguese settled the island of Mauritius, they brought with them animals to live off of. Both the animals and the Portuguese would use these birds as a food source, ultimately leading them to extinction.

However, according to researchers, some animals are more susceptible than others to becoming extinct due to habitat changes and human activity. Placental mammals, such as bats and rodents, expend more energy than marsupials, such as kangaroos, performing the same task. While most may think that a animals with a larger body mass would have the tendency to use up more energy while performing comparable tasks. However, this is not always the case. Birds tend to use up more energy to drink water than what large species of lizards use, even though the bird is smaller and has less body mass.

According to the article, orangutans expend less energy swinging through treetops than humans do sitting on the couch watching television. Orangutans use nearly 30% less energy than expected for their body mass, making them the most energy efficient primate. This could be why orangutan are able to survive on a limited food supply, and are able to better cope with their deteriorating and endangered habitats. This adaptation enables them to adapt to their limited food supply and will allow them to reduce overall energy needs, making it easier for orangutan to meet their daily intake when food is scarce.


Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/08/orangutans-go-green.html?ref=hp

Excessive Gaming

Today in class we discussed the correlation between video games and obesity in adolescence. We compared our personal childhood experiences to those of children in today’s society. We concluded that as children we were forced to play outside, and were limited in the amount of time we could allocate towards playing video games. In today’s society, children are being allowed to play video games for hours on end.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, otherwise known as the AAP, excessive video gaming, or pathological gaming, has contributed to a plethora of physical and mental health issues. In addition to obesity, excessive gaming can lead to depression, anxiety, and performance in school. After conducting a study on 3,000 children in Singapore, researchers discovered 9% of them were addicted to gaming. They discovered that these children had the tenancy to experience higher levels of depression, anxiety, social phobia, along with other mental health concerns. Students who significantly reduced their gaming habits also reduced their levels of depression along with other mental effects.

A child is considered to be addicted, or a pathological gamer, if video games cause issues in their daily life. On average, pathological gamers play more than 31 hours of video games per week. AAP has recommended that children of elementary school age should not play more than one hour of video games per day, and high school aged students shouldn’t exceed two hours.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, “there simply is no concrete evidence that computer and video games cause harm”. The organization claimed that, according to research, video games can be used to improve our lifestyles through education, health and business aspects.

I personally feel that parents need to monitor their child's activities more closely. There is no reason that children should be allowed to play 31 hours of video games a week. I personally feel that the extent to which video games are being played has led many children to be diagnosed with attention disorders such as ADD and ADHD. If parents became more active in the life of their children this would not be an issue. Instead, they stick their child in front of the television with some gaming device, and use it as a babysitter.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/17/gaming.depression/index.html?iref=allsearch

Robot can Detect it is being Ignored

In class we discussed the ability of a room-sized computer created by IBM that acted as a contestant on Jeopardy. This robot, named Watson, was able to beat out human contestants on the show. However, Georgia Tech University’s Socially Intelligent machines Lab created a robot that is able to sense when you are ignoring it. Once the robot, named Simon, detects that you are ignoring him, he attempts to regain your attention. Simon is able to detect a person’s behavior by using a camera that assesses the person’s mannerisms. Currently, the robot is able to accurately identify behaviorism's 80% of the time.

I feel that this technology could prove to be beneficial in hospitals. For example, previously in the semester we had a class discussion on how robot technology was being used in the medical industry as a means of communication between patients and doctors. This enables patients to receive the best medical care from doctors in countries abroad. The technology is in the process of becoming advanced so that it can perform medical procedures through a robot. Experts claim that this will allow for more precision and accuracy, as the robot will not have human qualities such as shaky hands.

Cost of Identifying Every Animal Species

Antonio Marques and Fernando Carbayo, two biologists from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, estimated that the cost of discovering, naming, and scientifically describing the remaining animals on Earth would cost nearly $263 billion. This number is strictly an estimate for animal species, and does not account for other life forms. In order to come up with this number, Marques, a jellyfish specialist, and Carbavo, a flatworm expert, surveyed 44 Brazilian taxonomists to determine their rate of describing new animal species. This rate took into account their education, lifetime salaries, laboratory equipment, and expeditions. They estimated that there were an estimated 5.4 million animal species that are yet to be discovered.

These biologists, along with the rest of the science community, feel that it is urgent to discover these animals, considering their role in crop pollination, clean air, along with other aspects of human well being. However, the global shortage of taxonomists is a huge obstacle that is difficult to overcome. On average, taxonomists are identifying and cataloging nearly 16,000 new animal species per year. At this rate, it will take about 360 years to complete this task.

As technological advancements in areas such as image matching software, electronic publishing, and photography are being developed, costs are slowly declining. These advancements could potentially reduce costs and speed up the process of identifying species.

I chose this article simply because I was interested in the final cost that the scientists came up with, in addition to what they took into account when calculating this cost. I do agree with the notion that it would be beneficial to document all the existing species of global biodiversity as soon as we can. Knowing about the various life forms around us and understanding how they impact our daily activities is invaluable knowledge. In order to complete the job of identifying every single species of organisms, I feel that it would be advantageous to have IT savvy individuals who could work on the technological side of things. Although this would require intensive training, it would allow taxonomists to focus on the technical identification of these organisms; it would also create more jobs and potentially reduce the costs of identifying foreign species.

Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/how-much-would-it-cost-to-identi.html?ref=hp

Long Lost Terraces Were Found

The White and Pink Terraces that were once located on Lake Rotomahana in New Zealand, were often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

These Terraces were silica deposits; scientists suspect that the Pink Terraces obtained their color from either the elements such as iron and manganese dissolving in the hot spring waters, or from a type of bacteria that thrives off of hot water, and typically lives in warm pools.

In June of 1886, volcanic activity near Mount Tarawera altered the landscape and raised the water level of the lake drastically, and destroyed these Terraces. The molten rock generated steam explosions that blasted holes into the bottom of Lake Rotomahana. This caused rock and sediment debris to block the stream flowing from the lake, which resulted in water levels rising nearly 100 meters.

Cornel de Ronde, a New Zealand geologist, along with his research team, recently completed a field expedition that discovered remnants of the Terraces. During the two week field study, the team used an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to probe the lake. This AUV was essentially a torpedo filled with sensors and equipped with a camera, and scanned the lake using sonar technology. It discovered long crescent-shaped objects nearly 60 meters deep, in an area where the Terraces were once located. For New Zealanders, this discovery was equivalent to the discovery of the Titanic.

The expedition discovered no signs of the upper levels of Pink Terraces or any of the White Terraces. Researchers believe that they were either destroyed in the volcanic eruption, or they are now covered in sediment, which was too thick for sonar to detect.

I chose this article because I was familiar with the once existing White and Pink Terraces, and was curious as to what researchers found in their expedition. I also found the method in which scientists used to find these Terraces to be quite fascinating. The data collected during this expedition could possibly be used to aid future researchers in understanding hot springs and geysers, and help them respond to geological disasters such as the one at Lake Rotomahana in 1886.

Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/02/new-zealands-lost-and-found-pink.html

Threatened Coral Reefs

The World Resources Institute, along with 24 other organizations, published a report stating that the amount of threatened coral reefs has increased from 58% to 75% within the past decade. Activities such as overfishing, destructive fishing, and pollution are all leading causes of the deterioration of coral reefs. Global warming, which increases bleaching and oceanic acidification, also makes it difficult for coral to grow.

It has been estimated that more than 90% of coral reefs will be endangered by 2030, and nearly all reefs will be at risk by 2050. If these predictions are proven true, nearly 275 million people who depend on coral reefs for their livelihood will be affected. Countries such as Haiti, Indonesia, and the Philippines whose local communities rely heavily on these reefs as a major food source will severely threatened.

The report concluded that, in order to slow the decline of coral reefs, more effective marine protected areas need to be put into effect. Currently, nearly 27% of reefs are in parks/reserves, however only 6% are effective. In addition, there needs to be a reduction in carbon dioxide levels in order to decrease bleaching and oceanic acidification.

I chose this article because I have recently become certified in scuba diving, and have begun to experience the beauty of sea life up close. There is nothing in the world like swimming through a maze of coral reef alongside of sea turtles and colorful fish. Preserving these reefs is not only important for people who enjoy experiencing live underwater, like myself, or for people who rely on these reefs as a means of food, it is also important because it is the habitat that many smaller sea creatures use to protect themselves. Damaging coral reefs will destroy the only means of protection for many smaller fish, which will in turn have an impact on the food chain. In addition to marine protected areas, and reduction in carbon dioxide, I feel that scientists could collect and breed coral in man-made aquariums as an effort to protect coral reefs. This coral could then be cultivated and placed into reef environments in order to repopulate what has been lost.

Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/02/three-quarters-of-coral-reefs.html?ref=hp

Beer. Good for the Bones!

According to recent studies, scientists have found that beer contains nutritional properties that can contribute to a healthy diet, if consumed in moderation. One of beer’s active ingredients that contribute to these health benefits is folate. Folate is a water-soluble form of vitamin B that occurs naturally in certain foods, such as egg yolk, leafy vegetables, beans, and grain. Folate, or vitamin B, is essential to many bodily functions. It is especially important in synthesizing and repairing DNA, cell division, and producing red blood cells. Studies have shown that folate aids in a variety of different medical complications, such as bone health, the prevention of cancer, and in the reduction of birth defects.

Beer also contains large amounts of silicon, which is found in connective tissues and in the skin of humans. Researchers have also linked silicon with increasing bone-mineral density in humans. Silicon can also be found in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Nutritionists are not certain on the amount of silicon that should be consumed daily, however humans have an average intake of between 20 and 50 mg per day.

The brewing technique and ingredients used in the beer have an affect on how much folate and silicon end up in the final product. Malted beers contained the most silicon, followed by barley and wheat. When it came to brewing styles, studies showed that vigorous processing released greater amounts of silicon into the beer. The method used to dry the grain also had a result on the silicon level. The more the grain is dried, the more flavor the beer has, however it reduces the amount of silicon present in the beer. Therefore, dark beers, in which excessive drying techniques are used, have less silicon.

I chose this article because I felt like it coincided with the video we watched in class discussing the history of beer. When I stumbled upon this article I felt that it was appropriate to blog about considering that we just had a class discussion on the movie, and how a majority of the class felt that it was somewhat of an exaggeration. I felt that there was some interesting scientific evidence proving the that beer does in fact help ones bone density.

Source: http://news.discovery.com/human/beer-healthy-bones.html

Bioterrorism

In 2001, between the months of September and October, anthrax letters were dropped into a Princeton, N.J. mailbox; killing 5 people and leaving 17 others sickened. The FBI’s investigation determined Bruce Ivins, an Army microbiologist was responsible for these attacks. The genetic analysis portion of their investigation concluded that the mailed anthrax spores were grown from Dr. Bruce Ivins’ laboratory in Frederick, Maryland. After the investigation, the National Academy of Sciences was paid $1.1 million to review and assess the scientific aspects of the investigation.

Although the panel reached no conclusion as to the guilt or innocence of Dr. Ivins, their report revealed that the FBI attached too much certainty to the scientific aspects of the investigation. The report stated that the FBI overstated the strength of genetic analysis, which linked the mailed anthrax to a supply kept by Dr. Ivins. The panel felt that the genetic analysis “did not definitively demonstrate” that the mailed anthrax was grown from the samples acquired from Ivins’ Fort Detrick laboratory. The report also stated that investigators need to reconsider the tests that indicate the possible presence of anthrax at a lab used by Al Qaeda. Although the report did not include any detail on the exact location, such a lab was found in Afghanistan after the American invasion.

Regardless of the evidence, many of Dr. Ivins colleagues at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease refuse to believe that he was guilty of the anthrax mailings. Others believe that the evidence, which was “consistent with and supports an association” between Ivins’ flask and the anthrax mailed, is too close-fitting for Ivins to be innocent. I personally feel that, while there is an ample amount of evidence incriminating Bruce Ivins, the FBI closed this case prematurely. Investigators closed the case following Dr. Ivins’ suicide in 2008. While the case itself may have seemed to be at a dead end, investigators could still identify and characterize the anthrax samples obtained from the mailing, Dr. Ivins’ laboratory, and the samples found in the Al Qaeda lab in Afghanistan.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/us/16anthrax.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Fecal Bacteria in Fountain Sodas

A recent study was conducted on fountain soda machines in Roanoke, Virginia, and revealed that nearly half of the sodas poured from these machines contain coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are organisms that are present in the feces of all warm-blooded animals and humans, and are commonly used as an indicator of sanitation in food and beverages. When any type of food or drink tests positive for this type of bacteria, it is usually an indicator of fecal contamination.

According to the study, 48% of the sodas, diet sodas, and water poured from the 30 local soda fountains contained traces of this bacteria. In addition to the coliform bacteria, 11% of the sodas poured tested positive for E. coli, which violated standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency for safe drinking water. These standards require all food and beverages to test negative for E. coli.

The National Restaurant Association issued a response stating that this case “isn’t representative of our industry and that our guests can safely enjoy beverages from dispensers and single-serve containers alike”. It is evident that the sanitation practices at these facilities fall below US drinking water standards. Regardless of whether or not this is an accurate representation of the industry, it is apparent that these restaurants were not being regulated properly.

All beverage samples were obtained from 30 fast food restaurants within a 22 mile radius of Roanoke, Virginia. They acquired samples from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines. Researchers remain unaware of how the bacteria got inside these soda machines. They suspect that employees were not washing their hands properly and contaminating the soda while dispensing it. They also stated that coliform bacteria could contaminate the wet rags the in which employees are using to wipe down the soda machine, therefore contaminating the machine.

I personally feel that, while it is imperative to have laws and regulations established regarding sanitation, it is even more important for these laws and regulations to be enforced. From the results of this study, it is clear that there is a lack of enforcement; no one is paying attention to whether these regulations are being followed. Although these results may not be representative of the entire restaurant industry, they do pose a threat to the average consumer. In addition, this study was performed strictly on traces of coliform bacteria and E. coli. The results make me curious as to other types of bacteria or germs that may be contaminating these machines that researchers did not test for.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/08/soda.fountain.bacteria/index.html