Writing in Biology

The ebola virus is very complex. It has many different ways that it can evade the host’s immune system. For example, one way that the virus can “hide” is by using lipids from the host’s cells to make an outer membrane for itself. This lipid membrane tells the host’s immune system that the virus is self and to not attack it. If the virus can evade the immune system it can successfully replicate in the cells of the host. Ebola has been a documented virus for quite some time with the earliest observations dating back to the 1970s. It has only recently made headlines. This is because the virus kills the host so fast that anyone who comes in contact with it dies before the virus can find a new host. So the majority of ebola cases were very limited because infected people couldn't travel to spread it. In 2014 there was an outbreak which ended up killing more than 10,000 people. This was a new strain of ebola, the Zaire strain. This strain is just as deadly as previous ebola strains however it is unique in the fact that it has an extended incubation period, meaning that it kills the host at a slightly reduced rate. This now means that sick people are able to come in contact with more people than with previous cases. This strain is the cause of the current outbreak in which almost 1000 cases have been confirmed.

Today I learned a lot about the ebola virus. The virus has many different ways that it can evade the host’s immune system. For example, one way that the virus can “hide” is by taking lipids from the host’s cells and making a membrane out of those lipids. This lipid membrane tells the host’s immune system that the virus is self and to not attack it. If the virus can evade the immune system it can successfully replicate in the cells of the host. Ebola has been a documented virus for quite some time with the earliest observations dating back to the 1970s. It has only recently made headlines. This is because the virus kills the host so fast that anyone who comes in contact with it dies before the virus can find a new host. So the majority of ebola cases were very limited because infected people couldn't travel to spread it. In 2014 there was an outbreak which ended up killing more than 10,000 people. This was a new strain of ebola, the Zaire strain. This strain is just as deadly as previous ebola strains however it is unique in the fact that it has an extended incubation period, meaning that it kills the host at a slightly reduced rate. This now means that sick people are able to come in contact with more people than with previous cases. This strain is the cause of the current outbreak in which almost 1000 cases have been confirmed.

I was asked to do an extra credit survey for my recent biochem exam. One of the questions asked was what we would do differently studying. I said that I would watch a lot more of the lecture videos before the  exam to clear up any confusion that I couldn’t on my own or from just looking at the slides. I think that re-watching something that you don’t understand is very helpful in figuring out what it really means. It also helps to just confirm what you already know. For example if you don’t understand protein folding you should google it and find some resources that might help explain it a little bit better, but after reading those and learning what it means re-watching the lecture so that you can understand it in the words of the instructor. Because after all they are going to be the ones writing the exam, so it is imperative that you understand what they are trying to say. One other thing that I will try and do for preparation for my next exam is write everything out. Write everything in words as well as in drawings. This will help me personally connect more abstract topics to something that is more tangible.

The METHODS project was had each student create multi-panel scientific figures and document the methods used while creating the figure. The set of methods was then followed by a different student, and the two figures were compared. The purpose of the METHODS project was to highlight the importance of specificity in method sections of scientific papers. While choosing an interaction to document, it was necessary to keep in mind that the interaction would have to be captured again by another student. Therefore, mobility was a key factor in the selection process. Any interaction with an organism that moves a lot would not be ideal. The location of the interaction was also limited by accessability and identification of the organisms. This interaction had to be somewhere that all students could get to on campus and there had to be a clear understanding of the exact organism used. Factors that had to be considerd while capturing an interaction were camera angle, distance from the object, and body position. 

In Ethiopia, those who follow Woga traditions and those who follow Protestantism differ in respect to their view on the land both spiritually and in utilitarian ways. The Protestants believe God gave the land to people to be used as they see fit, while followers of the indigenous practices of Woga believe that the sacred forests should not be tampered with and the grazing fields for local cattle should not be opened up except for special occasions, such as their seasonal festival known as Masqala. Also, sometimes the elders decide to deny access to certain parts of the land and allow them to regrow, meaning people must leave that area of land and its resources alone until further notice. People must ask before they cut down the trees and offer tribute as recompense. In contrast, many of the younger farmers are Christian converts who engage in forest clearing to make room for their growing fields as well as to discourage the presence of monkeys who steal their crop.

Ultrasounds are frequently used in the medical field to examine a specific region in the body’s inside. A few purposes include diagnosing pain, infections, or to examine a baby fetus in a women’s uterus. Furthermore, the procedure to perform an ultrasound is simple and requires minimal preparation, making it favorable to practice by nurses and doctors for their patients. An ultrasound is a safe and painless process that involves a probe and an application of ultrasound gel on the skin’s surface to inspect inside the body. High frequency sound waves are then transmitted through the probe and penetrate through the gel into the body. The machine then collects the sound waves and transforms them to create an image on the screen that can be analyzed. Not only can an image be produced but the transducer can additionally show the image in real-time and capture movement in the body’s internal organs such as blood flow. Lastly, the physical features can be shown such as flexibility of tissues. These analytical features allow ultrasound machines to be efficient for monitoring and diagnosing while simultaneously being safe to operate.   

In the article “Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s Disease” (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180828104023.htm) by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, scientists found another way to mitigate the effects of the disease. Parkinson’s Disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors. Through deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, which is responsible for motor processes and cognitive process such as decision making. Electrodes were used to stimulate the basal ganglia and the nerve tract that is connected. The stimulation allowed the scientists to see that there is another neural pathway that is responsible for unwanted tremors and cognitive effects. The publishing date of this article is back in August of 2018. The study that was conducted did have some important discoveries but it is still fairly new. If there is too much stimulation, it might have worse effects. Therefore, I would not recommend this intervention yet due to its novelty.

TP53 is the gene on chromosome 17 that encodes the p53 tumor suppressor protein.  Mutations in TP53 are present in 96% of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.  Many types of mutations in p53 have been characterized.  These include single base substitutions leading to missense or nonsense mutations and single base deletions or insertions leading to frameshift mutations or in-frame deletions or insertions.  80% of these mutations occur in the DNA binding domain, encoded by amino acid residues 102 to 292, leading to a loss of the ability to bind DNA and act as a transcription factor. Given the rate at which TP53 is mutated in HGSOC, it comes at no surprise that it is a hot target for therapy.  However, the wide range of TP53 mutations found in HGSOC present a major difficulty in TP53 targeted therapy because treatment must be specific for the mutation present. 

Extreme weather can worsen prenatal depression in mothers which could harm their (unborn) children. Things such as severe storms, floods, and wildfires classify as extreme weather and can leave their victims with PTSD. Since the climate is rapidly changing there is a growing threat to mental health. Scientists are exploring the idea that these symptoms caused by these natural disasters could move onto the next generation. Researchers are able to recognize that external factors can cause genetic changes in utero which are referred to as epigenetics. A scientist by the name of Patrizia Casaccia says that the effects might not be transient and could really take a toll on an entire family (mother and child). Hurricane Sandy and the California Wildfires are some examples of disasters that could have impacted unborn children and their mothers.

Today top tech companies are already in a constant race to change the way robotics are implemented into people’s everyday lives and how robotics can transform our future. Being able to explore how a robot can play an active or passive role in the learning process will allow for a better understanding and advancement of automation and mechanization of robotics. The global economy has grown an approximate of sevenfold, and technology has played an extremely large part in this growth.