Flex Your Mussels

Epioblasma raniana

Freshwater mussels play a vital role in aquatic ecosystems. They are amazing filters and are capable- in tight clusters- of filtering as much water as a treatment plant. It's no wonder why researchers working with the Illinois Natural History Survey, a division of the University of Illinois, have been working so hard to save two endangered species or mussel.

They moved individuals of the two endangered species- the northern riffle shell (Epioblasma rangiana)and the clubshell (Pleurobema clava)- from the Allgheny River in Pennsylvania to another area in the Ohio River Basin in Illinois. The species hadn't been seen in this area in about 100 years and have been transplanted with an 80% success rate. The area they were moved from was a site due for bridge restoration which would have greatly impacted the already dwindling numbers of these mussels.

You can read more at the University of Illinois site here.

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The Effects of Fructose

Fructose remains highly controversial because previous studies claimed liver disease was not caused by fructose, but by higher caloric intake. This study sets out prove that all calories are NOT created equal.

Check out this article! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130619164437.htm

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Monday Blues: GENETIC MUTANT FREAKS! or not so much...

I've talked about eyes a few times before, but usually in relation to sea critters or bugs. Today, it's about all you blue eyed people. Yes. All of you. You are all mutants! This is an old article, but a fun one to tie into my old Monday Blues series. 

According to a team at the University of Copenhagen, all blue- eyed people in the world share a common ancestor. A genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene is to blame. This gene is the one responsible for skin and hair color as well. If all the switches on this gene are" turned off," you get albinism. People in Turkey, Jordan, and Denmark all had this one switch on the exact spot of their DNA mutated, leading the team to the conclusion that all blue eyes stem from one mutation between 6 and 10,000 years ago.

You can read more here. And don't worry, you're all cute mutants.

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This Week in Science

This has been an exciting week in science! I know what you're thinking, so were a LOT of other weeks... where have you been? I have had things to deal with. If you read Roogoodoo at all, you may know what some of those are.... anyway. On to the science news!

• In space related news, Jeff Bezos (a.k.a. that billionaire guy from Amazon.com), funded the recovery of the Apollo 11 rockets from their longtime home in the bottom of the ocean. For those that somehow don't recall, this was the mission and shuttle that landed the first humans on the moon.
• Stingray behavior is changeable. A study published in PLoS ONE noted the way rays at the infamous Stingray city in the Caymans acted compared to their non-human-fed counterparts.
• You're a cheater! Don't believe me? Well, a study has proven it... sort of. Our brains are cheaters when it comes to remembering social ties and relationships. You can read more about your cheating mind here.
• Lastly, in tech news, Apple wants Siri to take over the world. They may not want it to be as malicious as Pinky and the Brain may have wanted it, but they do want her voice to be your companion. From everyday tasks in your home, to the voice of your entertainment center, Apple plans on taking her places. 

That's it for highlights. Keep stirring up knowledge!

Photo from Absolute Divers.

 

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Largest known crocodile could swallow a human

Largest known crocodile could swallow a human

This croc once lived in East Africa and is the largest known true crocodile. It is believed to have exceeded 27 feet in length, according to University of Iowa researchers. Read more at the link above.

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Plastic found in nine percent of 'garbage patch' fishes

ScienceDaily (2011-07-01) -- The first scientific results from an ambitious voyage led by a group of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offer a stark view of human pollution and its infiltration of an area of the ocean that has been labeled as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."

Read more here.

Credit: J. Leicther

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Yum Yum Strawberies are Healthy!

I love strawberries. A lot. They are yummy and sweet and refreshing and juicy... and pretty darned healthy, too. Besides just having a bunch of good vitamins and being great jams, strawberries are appearing to be beneficial in another way: boosting red blood cells.

The boost they get is in how responsive they are to anti-oxidants. Oxitative stress (the "oxi" you are trying to "anti") is associated with various diseases.

The study was done by Spanish and Italian researchers. Subjects were given 1/2 kilogram of berries a day or roughly the equivalent of one pound. That's a lot of berry. The pound was spread throught the day and this was done for two week. The results? Blood plasma had increased antioxidant capacity and red blood cells resisted fragmentation.They are now doing the studies with a quarter to half that amount: average strawberry consumption.

How delicious! What a yummy study in which to participate. You can read more at ScienceDaily.

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New Mammals Discovered

Here we are: in the Philippines, again. Luzon, again. Like last time, we are finding more critters, too! This time, seven species of mammal. Mice. All very genetically different; some only found on ONE mountain. This increased the number of known mammals (excluding bats) from 42 to 49. They increased mammalian integration by 17%!

Where were these mice all this time? Apparently they are very shy and liked to hide. They aren't pests and prefer to eat earthworms and bugs and seeds.

A Dr. Scott Steppan, head of one of the labs conduction the DNA part of the survey, said,

"The Philippines is an ideal place to study the evolution of animal diversity, even better than the famous Galapagos Islands. These animals have been evolving in the Philippine archipelago for millions of years."

Do you think we, as humans, have made the mistake of assuming a place like Panama is a biodiversity hotspot because it actually is, or is it because that is where everyone does research?

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Local Science

Here in the VI, science based articles seem to be in the news a lot lately. It makes me feel especially nice as a lot of them are (while technically political news) pertaining to the environment.

• The first one I want to talk about is the fact that our current governor is trying to tackle the problem of fossil fuel usage in the VI. As laughable as it may seem, we still burn oil for electricity here. The governor laid out a plan that has the VI reducing usage and using different sources of energy within the next 14 years. While to some of my readers, this may seem like a long time, most of you know that this doesn't seem like enough at all in the Virgin Islands. Some of the renewable energy sources he mentions include solar, waste-to-energy, wind, and landfill gas. 
• Some of the members of the 29th legislature of the Virgin Islands are stalling a measure that would make an Emission Control Area around the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The people stalling are claiming that they knew nothing of this proposal and haven't carefully thought out how it could affect tourism to the VI. Again, this is about their bottom line, and forget the health and safety of the islanders. They have had sufficient time to consider this. I wonder why they are stalling....
• The Caribbean Fishery Management council approved cuts in the amount of parrotfish local fishermen are allowed to take from federal waters. The measure came after preliminary biological opinion showed that parrotfish are vital to a healthy reef ecosystem.
• One of the local hospitals had an open forum and the CEO heard quite the community outcry on how the facility handles dialysis and mental healthcare. Not only does the facility not have any staff psychiatrists, but many of their patients cannot even get dialysis there and have to move to private facilities. The mental healthcare on these islands is deplorable at best. This is something that is near and dear to me and I hate the struggle. It's sad, really.

In the very least, well, for the moment... The VI seems to be incorporating more science related things! Woohoo!

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Waste Water Electricity?

River water and salty ocean water used to generate electricity

Great article. Researcher at Stanford University found a way of converting water (and not even clean water) into electricity. The ScienceDaily article at the link above does a great job of summarizing the research.

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There's A New Fly on the Wall!

I’m all for science improving the life of humanity, but at what cost? Recently in Malaysia 6,000 genetically altered male mosquitoes were released into the wild. The Malaysian government claims that their efforts were to decrease the spread of dengue, a disease spread by female mosquitoes that killed in Asia an estimated 136 people last year.

The current solution being presented is that if scientists can genetically alter the life spans of mosquito, then they won’t live long enough to spread the disease or infect anyone. The problem with this scenario is that the genetically modified traits could spread to other insects resulting in a shortage of food for birds, bats, frog and other animals to eat. Essentially it would be a food chain disaster.

However Malaysia is not the first to try this tactic. An experiment much similar to this one was done in the Cayman Islands from May to October of 2010.

Oxitec, an Oxford-based research firm released sterile male mosquitoes into the wild. By August of 2010 the number of mosquitoes in the test area had dropped by 80%. The Oxitec scientists argue that because the sterile traits won’t be passed “this method will have no permanent ecological impact.” The claim is that the genetically altered males will act better at thinning the mosquito population that insecticides ever could while also reducing the amount of toxins being released into the environment.

Just so you know, dengue isn’t the only disease that mosquitoes pass on to humans and animals. The Malaria parasite is also a big one. Check out this article on how Scientists at the University of Arizona have successfully bred genetically modified mosquitoes that are 100 percent resistant to the malaria parasite, rendering the mosquito incapable of infecting humans with malaria.

What do you think PotSpooners? Do you want genetically altered mosquitoes in your neighborhood if it could mean fewer deaths, or do you want to just let Mother Nature and natural selection to continue doing their thing?

Refrences (Because I'm a geek like that XD)

 

Dillow, Clay. "Malaysia Releases 6,000 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes into the Wild Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/malaysia-releases-6000-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-wild.

Ferreira, Becky. "What Could Possibly Go Wrong: Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-genetically-modified-mosquitoes.

Schiffman, Lizzie. "For The First Time, Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Are Released Into The Wild Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 12 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/mutant-mosquitoes-nearly-wipe-out-their-population-and-diseases-they-carry.

Schmidt, Laurie J.. "Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Are 100 Percent Resistant to Malaria Parasite Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 15 July 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-07/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-are-100-percent-resistant-malaria-parasite.

 

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The Pleasure Derived from Music: Chills, Thrills, and Dopamine

Anyone who has read Potspoon! for any length of time can attest that I am kind of a music junkie. I love making it, dancing to it, watching it, listening to it. Watching someone passionately sing their heart out is one of the most spiritual (to me) moments that one can be a part of. The chills that you get when the music does what it is supposed to is one of my favorite experiences. Making music is a very intimate thing for a lot of people and when everything just "clicks" between a group of musicians, the air feels alive with static.

That feeling, it appears, is in part due to the dopamine being released in anticipation of and during a pleasurable experience. It's like a little reward from your brain. In a study done by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, responses were measured by the "chill" factor, skin conductance, breathing, heart rate, and temperature. These were all correlated to music pleasurability ratings. They even did brain imaging in real time to see how the brain responds to peaks and whether it coincided to the peaks shown physically. The findings were pretty outstanding in that they could see baseline neutral readings and peaks all in synch with music.

The fact that dopamine is released for something abstract like music may prove to be beneficial. Dopamine is usually a reward for food, sex, drugs, and other such tangibles. This is an amazing step proving that non-tangible experiences can still be rewarded by our body. It sort of reminds me of  A Clockwork Orange and how Adam was calmed and soothed (or went crazy and froze depending on your take) when Beethoven was played. Ahhh.... music!

You can read more about the study and the brain analyses and imaging they did at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital website.

Fuzzy Picture of Music Equipment teefed from friends Facebook page.

 

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Laser Weapons

To any sci-fi geek worth their salt, laser weaponry is really "where it's at." Now I am not talking about fantasy here, but honest to goodness laser weaponry. In an attempt to battle pirates out at sea, a defense company believes it has the answer: laser cannons.

Well, these cannons won't fry the ship or anything, but the lasers can be used to disorient and blind pirates giving sailors on other vessels a good chance.

The company, BAE Systems, tested the lasers more as an energy directed flood light. It really is aimed at commercial use and not military. The benefits are the lights can be flashed from far away as a warning and the blinding effect works in the day and at night. I particularly like how Wired put it: Quite the alternative to paying Yemen’s Ministry of Interior for U.S.-provided escort boats.

Ok, sure, we're still far from actual laser cannons and ray guns, but it's pretty neat. The lasers even have their own targeting system so it is pretty advanced. When they actually get put out in real situations, I would like to see how they fare. For now, I still want my ray gun.

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Science Updates

Wow! There actually has been a lot going on in the world and I've mainly been posting links to articles on the Potspoon! Fan Page just to save on time, but I may as well write up some snippets here. We have quite a bit of a range of science stories to cover but I am only putting up a few with links so you can explore on your own.

• Paleontologist finally believe they have identified the oldest known dinosaur embryos. The embryos belong to genus Massospondylus and are believed to be about 190 million years old. The embryos have over sized heads much in the way that many modern vertebrates do. This would mean that this dinosaur may have needed some parental care early on making it the earliest parental care evidence.

• In a story that has be written up in a few of my favorite online sources for science news, cats' balance even extends to how they drink. Using the inertia of the moving liquid, they actually quite delicately suck the liquid up in a column and close their mouths before gravity kicks in and makes the liquid fall again. This minimizes spills and messes.

• IBM unveiled their plans to make super small processors for the worlds most powerful supercomputers. The processors, according to this article from the BBC, would shrink them to about the size of a sugar cube.

• If you like watching the skies for auroras, tonight and tomorrow may be perfect for you. A closely watched sunspot, 1123 to be exact, recently sent a "blast" of filaments towards earth and we should be receiving a magnetic glancing blow tonight and tomorrow. Should be quite a show.

Well, that's it for now, folks. I hope you have an awesome week!

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Stem Cell Wonders

I could go into detail on this but CNN did a great job. Read it. In the famous words of Peter Griffin, "why are we not funding this stuff?"

Brief synopsis: Stem cell transplant used to aid patient with leukemia may have also cured his HIV.

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Large Creatures in Hiding

I am sure cryptozoologists everywhere are having a field day with this as evidence of the ability of larger animals like the elusive bigfoot to remain in hiding. It has been confirmed that a new species of lizard, namely Varanus bitatawa, was discovered living in the treetops on the Philippine island of Luzon. The lizard can reach lengths of up to two meters in length (approx 6 ft) and has eluded scientists all this time. The lizard, a type of monitor lizard and closely related to the monitor lizard, is a vegetarian.

The lizard was first brought to scientists attention in 2001 when hunters went by with a large monitor lizard that they were only permitted to photograph. This spurred a two month expedition last summer. The hunt was successful and DNA testing revealed that this is, in fact, an entirely new species. What makes the find even more unique is that Luzon is a highly populated island and has suffered severe deforestation. Local hunters have always seen the lizard as a delicacy, but due to the small number of surveys done in this part of the world, the lizard had been unclassified by science.

The team from the University of Kansas was lead by herpetologist Rafe Brown. You can read more at National Geographic and ScienceNews.

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Debate!: Animals in Captivity

In the wake of yesterdays bombardment of the news of an orca attack on a trainer at SeaWorld, Orlando, the conversation came up many times about the purpose of keeping these large mammals in captivity. While animals have been held in captivity for thousands of years for the simple sake of enjoyment, showcase, and pride of ownership, many a conversation has been had about the reasoning behind this. This sort of thing is perfect for the now rare and occasional Debate! series.

Too many times, the presence of non-native wildlife in an area, no matter how contained the plants or animals may be, the organisms end up becoming invasives and manage a way into the wildlife in the surrounding areas. This destroys the biodiversity in many areas and since this is the Year of Biodiversity, an appropriate debate as well. That is what happened, if you recall, with the Vervet monkeys in St. Kitts. There is also a very serious problem with invasive lionfish in the Caribbean. There is even a bounty out for these guys. The lionfish ended up in these waters as wayward pets. People buy exotic animals and instead of properly disposing of, selling, whatever, they release these animals into the wild. Now the lionfish is destroying reef systems simply by not having any natural predators. We'll get into that later, though.

On a larger scale, however, killer whales (Orcinus orca) and other dolphins are not your average pets. Many of these animals start out as rescue animals or are bred in captivity. The rescue animals, such as those found at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, are rehabilitated for release. Many of the seriously injured ones, like Winter, would never make it being re-released in the wild so they are used for educational purposes. Many of these amazing mammals, however, actually are captured for use in entertainment shows, suffer various pathologies, and have a decreased life expectancy.

So, dear readers, on what side of the argument do you weigh in on here? People do die of pig related accidents all the time, and this was a bit of a freak incident, but should animals of this nature be held captive? There are a lot of angles one can take here, so happy debating!

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Hypnotic Results

A recent paper published in Pediatric Asthma, Allergy, & Immunology has found a great way to help children with respiratory ailments: hypnosis.The findings show how well it worked in children and the idea for treatment was brought on by the observation that symptoms all but disappear while children are asleep. The study was mostly done by Ran D. Anbar, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University. In the end, many think that by adding hypnosis to the treatments offered, one can save money in the long run by not purchasing expensive medications and testing.

Hypnotherapy has been touted in the past for various things; most notably in aiding with smoking cessation. It has also been used to help with anxiety disorders, stress, and more.

You can read the press release here.

Would you use/ have you used hypnotherapy?

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Hey Oh, Galileo!

This was too interesting to not post on this blog. In 1737, three fingers and a bottom tooth were removed from the corpse of Galileo. This was 95 years after his death while his body was being moved from storage to a monumental resting place (picture at left). The tooth, with two of the three fingers, were sealed in a jar and were not heard about again after 1905.

Recently, an anonymous person bought an urn at an auction. The auctioneers knew that the urn contained a tooth and some bones, but there was no description. There is, however, a description of the urn and contents written in 1905 with very good detail. This description matches the current findings perfectly. it is unknown yet whether or not they are ACTUALLY Galileo Galilei's body parts. They are determining whether or not there is enough DNA material to test the fingers against the third. The third has been under a museum's care for sometime.

Galileo, if you do not recall, was one of the first people to deny the Catholic Church's insistence that Earth was the center of the universe. Galileo had many reasons to believe that we actually circled around the sun. One of the earliest telescopes is also attributed to Galileo. There is also the matter of gravity and its affect on two objects of differing masses. You can watch a video about it here. Please ignore the ignorant comments. Sometimes YouTube scares me.

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Preventing Psychosis

Yes, I know, it has been a minute, but I swear, I have a good reason... but we're ignoring all that and getting straight to the news!

There were two articles mentioned on ScienceDaily yesterday pertaining to things that cause psychosis and violence in children. Both articles were published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. In one study, 6,356 12-year-olds were looked at. All of the children were tested/interviewed for psychosis (hallucination or delusions). About 11 % of the children were found to have symptoms, most of which had mothers that smoked during pregnancy. The children with the highest levels of psychosis were born to mothers who smoked heavily. There was also a correlation found between women who drank alcohol within the first 21 weeks of pregnancy and psychosis. There was no relation at all to women who claimed to have smoked cannibis. You can read the published article here. It is an open access article.

In the second study, 17,500 people were studied since 1970. Data was taken at 5, 100, and 34 years of age. The purpose of the study was to determine if sweets affected adult behavior. By age 34, some of the people were considered violent. Of these people, almost 70% were given some sort of confection or chocolate everyday as a kid. This link was present even after other factors were removed. Here's what researchers had to say:

"Our favoured explanation is that giving children sweets and chocolate regularly may stop them learning how to wait to obtain something they want. Not being able to defer gratification may push them towards more impulsive behaviour, which is strongly associated with delinquency."

In otherwords, be kind to your body while pregnant and don't spoil your kids. It could be bad for them later in life!

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