Pancreatic Cancer Linked to Sodas?

-"People who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% increased risk of getting pancreatic cancer compared to individuals consuming no soft drinks."
-About 42,000 people in the US were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009.
-The pancreas lies right behind the stomach which is a great spot for cancer to start because if people are eating and drinking unhealthy products, they go to the pancreas and destroy it.
-The pancreas is made to make hormones like insulin to balance sugar in the blood and produces juices with enzymes.

To help researchers find more sufficient data some poeple went to Singapore to see if soda was a big part of getting cancer in the pancreas. They evaluated 60,000 men and women and they did this study over 14 year span, and at the end they found 140 different cases of pancreatic cancer that might have been assosiated with soda. The researchers split the consumption of luices and sodas into three categories: no servings a week, less than two servings a week, or two or more servings a week. Those who drank two or more a week, the average number was five, and they had the 87% increased risk. But there was no link between the cancer and juices. What the researchers say is, "What we believe is the sugar in the soft drinks is increasing the insulin level in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth. That increase in insulin is what may be leading to the development of the cancer." The study of soda and its relationship with pancreatic cancer came out just perfect and now more people in the world will know that drinking too much soda can lead to many unhealthy things.

Bugs Fighting Back in Evolutionary War on Humans

-Humans are evolving so quickly that antibiotics, antiviral drugs and etc. are ineffective.
-Lately humans are in an evolutionary arms race against other organisms to gain resistance to the latest drugs.
-While we are still trying to beat the many viruses with our drugs, the viruses are getting even stronger to be immune from those drugs.
-A scientist named Palumbi says that the world should do a "drug overkill" strategy that would overwhelm the infections of the humans who had recieved the virus.

In the world right now, antibiotics, antiviral drugs, insecticides, and pesticides are becoming very ineffective. This is because as every minute or day(s) go by, the viruses could replicate in very large numbers that would allow them to have a better chance of evolving newer and stronger traits later on. Researchers too believe that humans will never win the arms race against other organisms that also develop resistance to drugs. Another way of saying this is when humans first started to use herbicides to kill weeds, the weed began to gain resistance to the herbicide. Researchers strongly believe that humans have to start picking the weeds from the ground like we used to, or else we will have no chance of killing some weeds for ever.

UC Davis Study Shows Spirulina Boosts Immune System

-Adding Spirulina to cultured immune system cells drastically increases the production of infection fighting cytokines.
-Spirulina is a blue-green algae rich in vitamins that has been used as food supplements for more than 20 years.
-It is harvested from large-scale commercial ponds and it grows naturally in lakes with extremely high pH levels.
-If Spirulina were to be put into obese peoples diet, they would start to lose weight in a few weeks.

Spirulina are blue-green algae rich in antioxidants, vitamins. minerals, and other nutrients. Spirulina is commonly used as food supplements. A number of animal studies have shown Spirulina to be an effective immunomodulator. In cats, Spirulina enhanced the ability of macrophages to engulf bacteria, and in chickens Spirulina increased antibody responses and the activity of natural killer cells. Other researchers say that Spirulina can also have therapeutic effects on obesity.

Making Old Stem Cells Act Young Again

-Howard Hughes Institute researchers have found how to make mice from being old to young again.
-They have found that in old mice, a couple weeks of exposure to the blood of young mice will cause their stem cells to act young.
-They believe that it could be possible to boost the lifespan of stem cells.
-This would lead to an increase in resistance for the body to fight off disease.

At Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have now found how to make old stem cells in a mouse become virtually young again. To get this, they had old mice expose themselves to the blood of young mice and that caused their bone marrow stem cells to feel or act young again. The researchers tried to see if the younger blood could reverse the slowing down of aging blood cells, they began joining the bloodstreams of pairs of mice that were different ages. Each of the mice carried genetic markers so that researchers could differentiate each mouse. Several weeks later the exposure to a younger animals blood somehow pushed the older animal's hematopoietic stem cells back to a more youthful state. I believe that this discovery might someday change the way people live.

Researchers Find New Piece of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Puzzle

-The University of Leeds has found that a protein called glypican-1 plays a key role in the development of BSE.
-This presence of Glypican-1 causes the numbers of abnormal prion proteins to rise.
-When levels of Glypican-1 were reduced in infected cells, the levels of the abnormal prion reduced as well.
-Glypican-1 in this case, acts as a scaffold bringing the forms of both the two forms of the infectious form.
-This discovery has given them the chance to make better treatments for BSE and CJD.

A new treatment route for BSE and its human form CJD could be a step closer based on new results from scientists at the University of Leeds. The team there has found that a protein called Glypican-1 has a big job in the development of BSE. BSE is also known as mad-cow disease, which was a huge problem in England during the late 1980's. It's to be caused by an abnormal form of the prion protein that is present on cells within the nervous system. This experiment has shown that Glypican-1 causes numbers of abnormal prion proteins to rise and when the levels of it were reduced, the levels of the abnormal prion also reduced.

Engineering Bacteria to Turn Carbon Dioxide into Liquid Feul

-UCLA has genetically modified a cyanobacterium to consume carbon dioxide.
-This experiment also produces the liquid fuel isobutanol.
-The reaction that is produced is powered by energy from sunlight.
The experiment can now achieve a long lasting cleaner energy economy.
-It reduces greenhouse gas emmissions and uses solar energy.

I chose this because when I first saw it, it reminded me of global warming and how possibly the Earth is now in danger. These people at UCLA have definitely found a way to achieve greener energy and it has made me think that people really do care about the Earth. Recently they have genetically modified a cynobacterium to consume carbon dioxide and produce the liquid feul isobutanol, this is a great gasoline alternative. This reaction is produced by energy from the sunlight, photosynthesis. First, this method recycles carbon dioxide, reducing grenhouse gas emissions because of the burning of fossil feuls. Secondly, it uses solar energy to convert the carbon dioxide into a liquid feul that can be used in the existing energy of automobiles.

Changing Charges Make for Squid Rainbow

-Loligo squids disguise themselves with shine.
-The charge change shifts shapes of cells and shifts the color of reflected light.
-This process helps attract mates, scares off predators, and gives them camouflage.
-This gives scientists new ways to self-assemble proteins which would be used in thin films and invisibility fabrics.

I chose this story because I have always had a slight interrest in the science of squids and their unique life style.The colors that are produced by the squid are created with pigment cells and reflective proteins. Scientists have also found that the charges of the squid's reflective protein help them attract mates and help gaurd off predators. These Loligo squids can break down the reflectors and then rebuild it on demand. These squis also travel together in the sea, kind of like birds when they are traveling a long way.