Mitochondria Defects Linked To Social Behavior And Spatial Memory

Link:
http://faculty.southwest.tn.edu/rburkett/GB%201%20cell%20resp.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204102511.htm

Summary: Respiration deficiencies in mitochondria also called the cells powerhouses, are related with changed social behavior and spatial memory in laboratory mice. Since the brain's normal functioning depends on a large amount of the ATP energy that mitochondria get from food through aerobic respiration and decreased ATP could affect behavior.

Questions:
What is the chemical equation for cellular respiration? C6H12O6 + 6O2 ----> 6CO2 + 6H2O
What organelles are involved in this process? mitochondria
List three things you learned from this article in your own words. Social behavoir changes. Decreased amounts of ATP could have affected the mice's behavoir. The mice looked healthy and didnt have any other signs of bad mitochondrial disease.
What impact would the absence of this process have on the biosphere? not sure...

Semiconductor Membrane Mimics Biological Behavior Of Ion Channels

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070712134611.htm

Summary: A semiconductor membrane designed by people at the University of Illinois could offer more flexibility. Also could make better electrical performance than biological membranes. It was built from thin silicon layers covered with different things. The solid membrane also could be used in applications such as singlemolecule detection, protein filtering and DNA sequencing.

Questions:

1. Which components of the cell membrane are being discussed in the article?
2. What is the purpose of the process or component in the article? to make electrical performance better.
3. List three things you learned from the article in your own words. It made better flexibility. Electrical performance was better. It could also be used for detection.
4. What impact would the absence of this organelle/process have on the cell? nothing would ne protecting the things inside of the membrane.

The Nucleus and Nucleolus

Link:
http://cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/nucleus.htm
http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/nucleus.htm

Summary: The nucleus is in eukaryotic cells. It's a membrane bound organelle. The DNA in the nucleus is in charge of its unique characteristics. The main structure in the nucleus is the nucleolus. The nucleolus produces ribosomes and positions on the rough ER where they synthasize.

Questions:

1. What is the major function of this cell's organelle? stores, organizes, transports, and produces, basically the control center of a cell
2. Which cell types have this organelle? animal and plant
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. The nucleus is very important in a cell. It contains a nucleolus. The nucleolus produces ribosomes on the rough ER.
4. What impact would the absence of this organelle have on the cell? Things in a cell would go wrong.

'Wiring Up' Enzymes For Producing Hydrogen In Fuel Cells

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119100338.htm

Summary:
There is a successful electrical connection between a carbon nanotube and hydrogenase. Hydrogenases show as a powerful catalysts. They can be used for hydrogen in fuel cells, which can produce electricity no pollution for motor vehicles, portable electronics, and other devices. Scientist have dound difficulty in putting these enzymes into electrical devices. They do not form good electrical connections. Metals such as platinum are needed to perform. They combined hydrogenase enzymes with carbon nanotubes, submicroscopic strands of pure carbon to make sure that they are good electrical conductors.

Questions:

1. What reactions does this enzyme catalyze? hydrogen in fuel cells, no pollution for motr vehicles, portable electronics, and other devices
2. How is the cell affected if this enzyme is removed?
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. These enzymes can be used to decrese pollution in cars. There were difficulties in doing this. It was finaaly fixed whrn they combined other elements.
4. What impact would the absence of this molecule have on the cell? more pollution

Climate Change Impacts Stream Life

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070504101355.htm

Summary:
Climate change is affecting streams and rivers. Streams and rivers are likely to be highly sensitive to climate. Climate change is also affecting the habitat of some animals living in those streams or rivers. Studies predict that every degree the temperature rises 21% of the stream decreses. The number of species could also decrease 12-25% in the next 50 years. The climate change also causes other problems such as effects of acid rain.

Questions:

1. What are some ways this phenomenon could be stopped? we cant really change the climate. But we could not pollute the streams and rivers and that possibly could help.
2. Is there anything you could do to contribute to the reversal? stop pollution maybe
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. It is affecting our streams and rivers. It alsl affecting habitat to some animals. The number of species could decrease alot over time.
4. What impact would the continuance of these process have on the biosphere? No more species in river or streams, thr drying up of river or streams

New Insight Into HIV Infection

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070504131255.htm
http://www.aids-india.org/hivbasics3.htm

Summary: DNA enters nucleus and viral DNA produces proteins that make new viruses. How DNA enters though is not really understood yet. Xiaojian Yao and some other people studied on howthe virus entered and infected the cell. When they silenced the cell they saw that HIV was less infectious than when the the protein was there. HIV can be gotten in alot of ways. HIV sooner or later can cause AIDS and that can kill you!

Questions:

1. What are the symptoms of this disease? harms immnue system and when it worsens it turns into AIDS and that can kill.
2. How is this disease passed from person to person? blood transfusions, unprotected sex with infected person, infected mother during pregnancy, birth process and through feeding, and use of infected needles and instruments w/o sterilization
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. HIV can be gotten in quite a few ways. It is a big issue in today's world. HIV causes AIDS that kills people.
4. What impact does this disease have on the US economy? more pepole are getting it and HIV causes AIDS and that kills people.

More bear species threatened with extinction

Link:
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn12904-more-bear-species-threatened-with-extinction.html

Summary: There are only two bear species that remain unthreatened from extiction. There is a total of 8 species or bear worldwide. The american brown bear and black bear have the least concern. Sun bears are considered to be vulnerable. You can be in a forest for over 5 years and never see one. These bears are caged, killed and used for bile used for medical remedy's.

Questions:

1. Why is this species endangered? hunting, catching of bears, trade
2. What could prevent this organism from going extinct? people to stop hunting them
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. The sun bear lives in the forests of Asia, from India to China, and all the way to Indonesisa. Farmers and even restaraunt owners capture up to 20 bears in cages. Wild bears are alos hunted for their paws to be used in soups
4. What impact would the absence of this organism have on its ecosystem/community? the fish population would be up, hunters wouldnt have the claws they use for soups.

Alzheimer's Finding Points to Treatments

Link:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/08/10/alzheimer_hea_02.html?category=human&guid=20060810163030

Summary: Another protein called DAF-16 jumps in to help buy a little more time for people. It helps by clumping extra amyloid together in a way to make it less toxic. A scientist thought this was bad at first, but it turned out not to be. Dillin is now test his experiment in mice to make sure it works the same way. Drugs are already being made to get rid of amyloid in the brain.

Questions:

1. What is the major role of this molecule in the cell? to get rid of amyloid in the brain causing alzheimers
2. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. Medicines are being made to help people who have alzheimers. Research found that the smaller amyloids are the poisinous form causing alzheimers. The drug is being tested on roundworms and mice because both can get alzheimers according to this article.
3. What impact would the absence of this molecule have on the cell? Since the drug is not out yet, it has no impact on anyone. But when it does it will help the people who have alzheimers.

Photosynthesis

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/p/photosynthesis.htm
http://users.adelphia.net/~lubehawk/BioHELP!/photochm.htm

Summary: Photosynthesis is the most important biochemical pathway. It takes place in plants, algae, some bacteria, and some protist. Plants that go through photosynthesis are called photoautotrophs. They get food and energy directly from inorganic material.

Questions:

1. What is the chemical equation for photosynthesis? 6CO2 + 12H2O + light energy ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
2. What organelles are involved in this process? Chlorophyll and chloroplast
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. It happens in most plants. The plants that go through this are photoautotrophs. Algae and bacteria can alos go through photosynthesis.
4. What impact would the absence of this process have on the biosphere? Some of our food comes from plants, so alot of out food would be gone. Photosynthesis realeases oxygen for us, so if we didnt have photosynthesis we wouldnt have oxygen.

Chimps outperform students in a memory game

Link:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19626332.900-chimps-outperform-students-in-a-memory-game.html

Summary:
Chimps have a more photographic memory than 12 university students. Students were to memorize the locations of number 1-9, which were at random locations on a computer screens each time. The numbers appeared on the screenfor 650, 430 or 210 milliseconds. The numbers then were replaced by blank white squares.

Questions:

1. How is natural selection or evolution illustrated in this article? Monkeys have become alomost smarter than humans when it comes to memorizing things such as locations of numbers.
2. How does this support Darwin original findings?
3. List three things you learned from this article in your own words. Chimps have a more photographic memory. University students werent able to do this as fast as a chimp. Chimps were able to do this really really fast.
4. What impact would the absence of this organism have on the ecosystem? Possibly, humans wouldnt be here today...

Human Cadaver Fungi Identified

Link: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/05/22/corpsefungi_hum.html?category=human&guid=20060522104802

Summary: This article is about fungi feeding off of two bodies. These bodies were found in two very different environments. One was lying on a concrete floor with yellow and white fungi. The other was a skeleton in clothes still hanging from a tree in a forest. And the yellow and white fungus was also growing on this corpses too. A scientist explained that the white and yellow coloration is associated with the sexual stages for Eurotium fungi.

Fungi Article Questions:

1) What type of lifestyle does the fungus in the article have? (Is it saprophytic, autotrophic, or parasitic?) What information lead you to this conclusion? It's saprophytic beacause it feeds off a dead material and it feeds off a dead corpses.
2) What benefits or problems can you foresee with this particular fungus? The smelling and rotting smell.....
3) List three things you learned from this article in your own words. 1. 2 bodies were found decomposing in two very different environments. 2. A yellow and white fungus was found on both corpses. 3. The fungus is called push up daisies.
4) Infer what potential impact this fungus will have on the environment it grows in. human corpses