November 30th Honors

Article Name:

“New Figures on Cancer in Europe Show a Steady Decline in Mortality but Big Variations”

Date: November 29th, 2009

Magazine: Science Daily

Summary:

New European studies say that deaths from cancer (in Europe) show a steady decline in death between 1990-1994 and 2000-2004, deaths from all forms of cancer in the European Union between these two periods fell by 9% in men and 8% in women, with a large plummet with the middle-aged populace.

Thoughts:

Another interesting development in the cancer case. Decline in the amounts of lives taken by cancer but showing much difference and unique qualities of the different cases.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091129210539.htm

Honors Article Review 3

Article Name: How Cells Tolerate DNA Damage: Start Signal for Cell Survival Program Identified

Author: Nathan Seppa

Date: November 17th, 2009

Magazine: Science Daily

Summary:

Cancer researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have gained new insights into how cells react to DNA damage. They have shown that the protein "PARP-1", which detects DNA damage, activates the transcription factor "NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB" triggers a survival program, which blocks programmed cell death. The activation of "NF-kappaB" is thought to be one of the potential causes for tumor cell resistance to chemo and radiation therapy.

Thoughts:

It's interesting, how almost every week new research and new innovations come out all relating to cancer. It really displays how much we don't know about cancer, and how much we have yet to learn.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103441.htm

Article #1 Review

Article Name: Blood Type Could Matter in Pancreatic Cancer

Author: Nathan Seppa

Date: Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

Magazine: Science News

Summary:

People with type O blood are less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people with type B blood (according to this study). People with type A or AB blood face a risk that falls somewhere in-between. It's an interesting article, odd idea, unproven, but the study is semi-final, until proven it stays pretty much unimportant. But it is an interesting idea.

Thoughts:

I think its an interesting idea, but the demand for information proving its not random, that it has a pattern. None of it has been really proven, only tested. It's one study, so I'm not sure whether or not to trust it.

Photosynthesis (DRAFT BLOG)

"AP Bio Photosynthesis video"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX42n9Zi1A4

This video is made by students of an AP biology class and I feel like I get it because it's from students. However it is still confusing because Biology is the most confusing thing in the world right now for me, but this is in simpler words and terms, and in a language I understand.

Response to Partner's Blog

Vaughn’s blog post was all about her curiosity with someone’s brain, the chemicals inside one’s brain, and what the brain is actually for.  She wondered if there are real any mental differences between males and females beyond physical differences.  My idea for how she could find these answers will have to be a pretty generic one.  Since we/you cannot actually experiment on peoples brain chemistry, Vaughn could do one of the following: 

Conduct social experiments, to see what people do and how they react an make an average of what different groups of people do,

Or…You could just do generic research on the Internet including gathering data, reading published scientific journals, and books.  Possibly something like that.  The problem is that there isn't a way to conduct an experiment on something of that caliber.  Maybe if we were a top lab, but the only way I could see a question like this answered would be through research.  

Blog Post, September 2, 2009

I think that I am mostly interested in human anatomy, how the human body works, and why.  I don't know, I've always wondered, because our bodies are always in function, always operating, and always doing something, it's crazy, I don't understand 99% of what my body is doing, even though I am doing it (sort of).  That's just pretty much what I am mostly interested in, mostly what I want to learn in this class, if we're even going to go through it.

But I'm also interested in the history of our adaptations, or evolution, I really believe in that stuff, but I don't really understand all of it, I don't really now all of it.