What Did One Brain Say to the Other Brain?

Scientists have recently been able to have rats communicate by their brains! The researchers connected the two brain implants they made by wires. The rats were able to send sensory and motor signals to one another. This has been the first ever brain-to-brain "conversation". One thing the scientists studied was whether the rat receiving signal could interpret the information that was sent. The greatest test they put the rats through was linking their brains together even when they were thousands of miles apart. Until recently, the brain implants were used to read brain signals and send them to a computer. The computer would then tell what the animal is doing at that moment. So, Professor Miguel Nicolelis and his team at Duke University decided to switch the computer for another rat.

First, the team had to train the rats to solve a simple problem. The rats were put in a box with two levers and two lights above them. When they saw one of the lights above a lever turn on, they had to press the lever below and they would receive an treat. When they began the test, they had to designate one mouse the encoder and the other the decoder. The encoder would receive the visual clue and press the right lever. The information would be passed to the decoder, who did not receive the visual clue, and they would have to decode the information and do the same to get the treat too. They also had a feedback system.If the decoder presses the right lever, the encoder gets a second treat. If the decoder gets it wrong, the encoder does not get a second treat.

The long distance link was successfully done between a rat at Duke and a rat at the University of Natal in Brazil. Prof. Nicolelis believes that if he can do this long distance link successfully, he can one day be able to link millions of rats together to solve the same simple problem. Prof. Christopher James of the University of Warwick says that the only way the signals can be sent is a implants on the brain, not just on the top of the head.

Although the topic is quite intriguing and really amazing, it seems wrong to cut open anyone, human or rat's, head to insert a chip so they can communicate with another brain. Since, I believe this, I am biased against the idea so I tried to understand it at all angles. There are many ethical problems that come up with this topic though. One is the fact that you must cut open the scalp to insert the implant. This is a very invasive way of reaching the brain. I don't like the idea of this at all. One thing I see that is great about brain communication is the fact that people or animals would be capable of sharing sensory and motor skills. Another thing that could come good out of it is that if one person does not have enough of something in their body, someone could send them a signal telling them to make what they need, say a particular type of cell. All in all, I found this article to very intriguing and I think it will be interesting to see where this goes in the near future, since there are many pros and cons.


Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21604005

A New Flu Drug

US scientists have recently discovered a new type of drug that can stop flu virus strains. It will permanently stop enzyme on the virus's surface. In mice, the drug was found to work on flu viruses that weren't affected by flu antivirals on the market. The WHO (World Health Organization) believes that 3 to 5 million people suffer from the influenza every year. The reason for the new drug research is people are beginning to build up a resistance to flu drugs like Relenza and Tamiflu. In some countries, the drug is available to take before you even catch the flu.

The team of scientists developed a compound that attaches to an enzyme called neuraminidase and permanently blocks it from working. This enzyme is used by the virus to sever the connection between the cell and the virus so the it can go on and infect other cells. The new drug, officially called DFSAs, permanently bind the enzyme to stop it from spreading to other drugs. The drug is special because, unlike other drugs, you cannot become resistant to it. Test in mice show that it works many resistant flu strains. Professor Steve Withers of the University of British Columbia stated that the drug is "like a broken key, stuck in a lock, rendering it useless." According to Dr. Andrew Watts though, it could be a while, maybe 7 years, before the drug hit the markets.

 

 I think this is a great idea. Every year, millions of people are affected by the flu. In January, I had to his school for two days because of the flu. If scientists can make a drug that stops the virus, it could really bring those numbers done. I think it is great when scientist discover new methods, medicines, or procedures for eliminating diseases and sicknesses. The flu is a really hard sick to get over, I know from personal experience. I was able to go back to school after two days but was out of basketball for a week and a half because I never felt fully 100%. When I first saw this article, I was almost excited to see something like this. It is really cool to see something that is a step forward in the medical field. It means that someday, everyone will have the chance to live healthy, long lives and not be having to face the flu every flu season.. It also is a great alternative to having to get a vaccine. In the past, I, like many other people, have gotten the flu after get a shot for it. It is annoying because it is suppose to help you become immune to it. Now, with this new development, people don't need to worry about having the flu for long or not even getting it. I think this article was very informative a I can't wait to see where the new flu drug goes.

 

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21531550

 

A Neanderthal Walking Among Us

Harvard scientists have recently announced that they have the technology to clone a Neanderthal. All they need is a women willing enough to give birth to the baby. It is possible but so far, there has been many hang-ups with safety and ethical issues. Through studying Neanderthal fossils, the scientists were able to find enough DNA to create an embryo that could be placed in a human subject. Geneticist George Church people could really learn something from Neanderthals. Neanderthals had enlarged craniums. This suggests they could have had a different thought process than us humans. Church says that Neanderthals' genetics would be much different than humans.

The problem Church sees is that this neanderthal clone would have to live in a lab. Even if they did not, this clone would be like Frankenstein. The monster was the only one in the world so he struggled to find his true identity. This would most likely happen to the clone. Another problem it could face would be the question over whether it would be too aggressive for this modern world. The Neanderthal were known to be quite the aggressive people. Another problem the clone could face would be a disease that was not around when it was alive. This could be just like the Native Americans being introduced to smallpox by the Europeans. The hardest challenge the Harvard scientist will face is the fact that the U.N. banned human cloning in 2005. But can the neanderthal be considered a human? Scientist aren't completely sure. Neanderthals can either be classified as a sub-species of Homo Sapiens (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) or a different species of the same genus (Homo neanderthalensis). One of the safety issue scientist see is the fact that they could put the DNA from the bone together incorrectly. If one letter is off it could be fatal. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at the NYU Center for Bioethics, sees another problem. The possibility of many Neanderthal stillborns or Neanderthals born with extreme disabilities before a healthy Neanderthal baby is very, very likely.

Their are many things I see that I find very unethical. First is the fact that I think cloning is general will lead to many bad things down the road. Neanderthals are known to have been stronger than humans. If the technology were to get into the wrong hands, technically someone could create an army of strong Neanderthals. This could be problematic. Another thing I see is that I believe that only God can create life. This topic is against my religion along with many others. This does make me biased to the topic. When reading this article, I tried to be as unbiased as possible. Another thing I see wrong and could be a problem is what Caplan said at the end of the article. He stated that there could be many problems with births and newborns before a healthy clone is born. This means many women would have to give birth to this baby. It is possible that they could even die from the pregnancy. Overall, I think this is a very touchy subject and it will be interesting to see where this story goes.

More Enzymes Create Less Obesity

According to the National Cancer Institute, 68% of adults are obese. This puts those adults in the risk of many diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and they have a higher chance of getting cancer. But recently, a team of international scientists have discovered that they can reverse obesity in mice. By manipulating a enzyme in the rodents body, tyrosine-protein kinase-2 or TyK2, they discovered that the enzyme regulates the obesity in the mice and also in humans by differentiating a fat tissue called brown adipose tissue. The scientists tested skin samples from humans and found that the TyK2 levels in samples from obese subjects were 50% less than in the samples from fit or average weight test subjects.

You have two different types of fat in you: white adipose tissue (WAT) and the brown adipose tissue (BAT). Until recently, scientists thought that BAT was only present in infants. Now they know that both, which are used as energy storages, are active in adults. The scientists gave the obese mice a protein called Stat3. This along with another protein called PRDM16 develops the BAT and decreases the person’s obesity.

Reversing obesity could really change the world. Obesity, as said earlier, can cause many health problems. This could help fight cancer and diabetes. Right now, the U.S.A. has the highest obesity rate in the world and the world’s average rate is 14.1%. If we showed obese people a new safe way to lose weight without all the sweat is here, we could fight the problem right here at home.

When I first saw this article, I thought that it was crazy. I believed that you can only become less fat by having a healthy diet and working out. I now know that there are other weight loss strategies and not just the ways the contestants lose weight on “The Biggest Loser”.

Through this article, I further increased my knowledge of how enzymes work in the body. I learned that enzymes do not just increase the speed of reaction times but also help regulate things like fat in your body.

All in all, this new breakthrough could change the world and make the Earth’s inhabitants healthier. This could also cause a decrease in cancer and diabetes. This group of scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University have really discovered something that could help mankind.

 The news article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205132433.htm

A Rain Forest In Your Belly Button?

Belly button bacteria samples: Bacillus subtilis (left) and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Images courtesy of Belly Button Diversity

 

 

 

 

Everyone has a belly button, but do you know what is in it? According to research, your belly button is similar to a “rain forest”. About two years ago, a group of scientists from North Carolina University study 60 belly buttons. The team found 2,368 species of bacteria, 1,458 of which are brand new to science. The strange thing was that, while some of the bacteria showed up multiple times on 6 different subjects, all the other species showed up in only a single subject. One subject’s belly button contained bacteria found only in soil from Japan, yet the subject had never been to the country. One subject even harbored bacteria known to thrive in ice caps and thermal vents. Eight species showed up on 70% of the subjects and it showed up in large numbers. Now scientists want to know why these bacteria show up.

Knowing that there are unknown bacteria is a little scary. I mean, scientists don’t know if the new bacteria are dangerous or helpful. It could help advances in the medical field though. Maybe one of these new bacteria species can fight and kill cancer cells. After reading the article, I am really intrigued by this find. My belly button could be the home to a new type of bacteria that could cure a disease or cause one. I think it would be a really cool thing to look at someone’s belly button under a microscope. You would get a chance to see bacteria alive and in abundance. All in all, there is a micro rain forest of bacteria in your belly button.

 

 

 

 Visit the news article:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121114-belly-button-bacteria-science-health-dunn/