Biodiversity and human health
Over 250 million years ago, cataclysmic volcanic activity wiped out nearly all life on earth. 65 million years ago, a meteor impact in the Yucatán drove the dinosaurs to extinction. In the past 540 million years of earth’s history, paleontologists have identified five mass extinction events in which over 75% of Earth’s species have died during a relatively short period of time [1]. Unfortunately, it … Continue reading Biodiversity and human health
Alien invasion! Ecological and societal impacts of invasive species
A worker fire ant is steadily traversing the landscape looking for a good meal to take back to the nest. Suddenly, it finds a lizard basking in the sun lying directly in its path. Undaunted, the ant goes back to the nearest foraging trail and recruits colony members to the site of the lizard. Armed with a venomous sting, the ants prepare to launch their … Continue reading Alien invasion! Ecological and societal impacts of invasive species
The importance of being biodiverse
“An inordinate fondness for beetles” is what the celebrated biologist J.B.S. Haldane apocryphally quipped when asked his opinion of God. purchasing levitra Beetles comprise just under a third of the 1.2 million species described so far [], and a recent paper has estimated that there are about 7-10 million species on the planet. In other words, we have yet to describe about 86% of the … Continue reading The importance of being biodiverse
Obesity, Inflammation and Diabetes
— In 1985, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) began tracking the prevalence of obesity in the United States. Since then, a clear trend has emerged: obesity is on the rise… If you’re wondering why the CDC is tracking obesity, it’s because those excess pounds have been linked to several significant health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer. In fact, one study in 2009 estimated that the direct medical cost of obesity in the US accounted for $147 billion of total health-care spending. Of all the health problems associated with being overweight, one of the most significant and well-studied impact is the increased risk for diabetes. Continue reading Obesity, Inflammation and Diabetes
Pancreatic Cancer: How to Catch a Silent Killer
— When Steve Jobs died on October 5th of this year, global attention turned to his cause of death – pancreatic cancer. Many people had questions: Would his fate have been different if he hadn’t elected for alternative treatments in the early days of his diagnosis? If someone of his wealth couldn’t beat this disease, can anyone? What many people may not know is that the eight years Jobs lived with his cancer diagnosis were significantly longer than the typical pancreatic cancer patient can expect to survive. This fact has much, if not all to do with the particular type of pancreatic cancer that Jobs had. Continue reading Pancreatic Cancer: How to Catch a Silent Killer
Dendritic cells – catalysts of the immune response
— In 1973, a young scientist by the name of Ralph Steinman became the first person to identify and describe an unusual immune cell called the dendritic cell. At a time when immunology was dominated by research on cell types known as B cells and T cells, most scientists initially considered these comparatively rare, strikingly branched cells discovered by Steinman to be nothing more than a curious oddity. Steinman and his colleagues fought an uphill battle advocating the importance of these cells in controlling the immune response, and it took almost a decade for their ideas to gain significant traction in the scientific community. Despite this initial struggle, Steinman’s ideas eventually revolutionized immunology and the greater medical field to such a degree that this year he was awarded the Noble Prize in Medicine – albeit, tragically, three days after he passed away from pancreatic cancer. Continue reading Dendritic cells – catalysts of the immune response
How to find an Earth-like planet
— Are there other planets like Earth out there? Could they be places that future generations could eventually live? Is our Solar System somehow special? Current research on exoplanets – planets orbiting stars other than our own – aims to answer these questions. We know of hundreds of exoplanets, but one particular class of planet has continued to elude us: a planet the same size as Earth, orbiting a star like our Sun, and with a surface temperature just right for liquid water. Such a planet could be habitable to life as we know it here on Earth. Continue reading How to find an Earth-like planet
Resveratrol, Red Wine, and Health – Take 2
— As reported in a recent issue of the Flash, in the 1990s scientists found they could extend lifespan in yeast and roundworms through caloric restriction, providing the bare minimum set of nutrients necessary for survival. Other groups extended these findings to other organisms (including fruit flies and mice), mimicked the effects of caloric restriction with a small molecule called resveratrol, and found that this molecule not only extended lifespan, but also prevented obesity-related disease. Scientists believed that caloric restriction and resveratrol treatment both acted through molecular machines called sirtuins. However, this finding has recently come under scrutiny… Continue reading Resveratrol, Red Wine, and Health – Take 2
Antibiotic resistance: A battle of wits versus natural selection
— On a Monday morning, as he was sorting through Petri dishes of Staphylococci he had left on his laboratory bench before going on vacation, Dr. Alexander Fleming noticed one that had become contaminated with mold. Fungal contamination was not particularly unusual, but what was remarkable was that all of the bacterial colonies immediately surrounding the mold had died. Fleming subsequently identified the mold as belonging to the genus Penicillium and found that it naturally produced a substance that was lethal not only to staphylococci, but to a wide range of bacteria including those responsible for diseases like pneumonia, gonorrhea, meningitis, and scarlet fever. He named the miracle compound “penicillin.” Fleming’s serendipitous discovery marked the beginning of the modern medical era of antibiotics, played a critical role in the Allies’ victory during World War II, and has likely saved more lives than most other medical advances in history. Continue reading Antibiotic resistance: A battle of wits versus natural selection
Evolving better proteins… with a little help from viruses
— Every organism is an incredibly complex machine whose biological processes benefit from 3.6 billion years of refinement through natural selection. Thus, it should not be surprising that designing biological systems is still difficult for scientists and engineers. Despite the obstacles, successes in areas such as protein engineering are leading to useful applications like better medicines and cheaper biofuels. Now, a new method of artificial selection is helping to evolve useful proteins 100 times faster than was previously possible. Continue reading Evolving better proteins… with a little help from viruses