Writing in Biology

Compass and some navigation skills are innate for birds. But there are some other components to help birds to orient themselves. In order to migrate, birds must have landmarks to guide them back home. Birds will remember the sights from the sky and uses that to take them back home. Some water, coastal birds would use flow of water and current to navigate themselves. This is not an inurt characteristic so young birds must learn from the older birds how to remember their route to home. This discovery allowed humans to train pigeons to send letters far away and come back after delivery.

The ab initio protein prediction and the homology based protein prediction had a substitution that involved 4 amino acids becoming 140.  Ab initio methods are purely based on theoretical trends of transcription and translation, while homology based methods compare the reference sequence to known sequences.  I believe the homology-based protein prediction is more accurate. In both DNA and protein level homology searches, the “G-type lectin S-receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase” terminology was repeated in results with high levels of homology.  This makes me confident to say that the Bradi1g25180.1 gene encodes a G-type lectin receptor kinase. However, the functions of many of these G-type lectin receptor kinases are not well characterized. Sun et al implicated an Arabadopsis thaliana G-type lectin receptor kinase called GsSRK to salt stress.  They showed that is is upregulated when a plant is under salt stress, and also showed that its overexpression leads to increased salt tolerance. Unfortunately, they did not perform a knockout of this gene. To my knowledge, there are no papers that have studied a knockout mutation of a G-type lectin receptor kinase in any organism.  

The vaccine that the scientists have developed should be used to save the German Shepherd.  The German Shepherd is above all known for its intelligence, and is also loyal, confident, and courageous (American Kennel Club).  These dogs have the intelligence to adapt to any situation. They are docile and obedient yet can be aggressive when necessary. Their superior intelligence makes them comparatively easy to train.  Due to these character traits, it comes as no surprise that they are one of the top service dogs (Hayner, 2019). Service dogs are used for a wide range of things. To name a few, they assist the blind and the deaf, and they are often used as police dogs.

It is well established that German Shepherds have characteristics that make them a good service dog.  The heritability of these characteristics must be taken into consideration. In their study, Wilsson and Sundgren noted a high heritability on average for numerous behavioral characteristics in German Shepherds.  Their findings are important because they give us confidence that the descendents of the German Shepherds we save will be able to maintain their integral role in our communities. German shepherds improve the quality of life for many people and play integral roles in keeping our communities safe.  The extinction of the German Shepherd would leave big shoes to fill. Although with proper training, other dogs theoretically would be up to the tasks, it makes sense to save the German Shepherd, as they are the gold standard for service dogs.

Sources:

“German Shepherd Dog Dog Breed Information.”  American Kennel Club.

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog/

Hayner, LM. (2019).  Let’s Meet Some of the Best Service Dog Breeds.  Dogster.

https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/best-service-dog-breeds

Wilsson and Sundgren (1996). The use of a behavior test for selection of dogs for service and breeding.  II. Heritability for tested parameters and effect of selection based on service dog characteristics. Elsevier.  53 (2-3): 235-241.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159196011756

The fatal canine retrovirus spreading quickly through the global domestic dog population in conjunction with the limited doses of vaccines available necessitate choosing one mother and litter of a particular breed to receive the vaccine, and the best candidate for this is the labrador retriever. The labrador retriever is among the most common breeds used as both pets as well as work/service animals, and it is one of the healthiest of the larger dog breeds, therefore administering the vaccine to this breed would be the most effective use of it in the time constraints we are presented with. The lab is among the most popular dog breeds not only for families seeking beloved pets, but for people seeking work animals or those with disabilities seeking assistance animals. Certain temperaments and physical traits are preferred for service animals, and labs exhibit the necessary intelligence, energy, and gentle-natured that makes them one of the most common breeds for this kind of work. By giving the vaccine to labs, we would be preserving a breed who performs a vital function for those with illness or impairments. Similarly, they were originally bred for sport, and still display the moderate to high energy level and hardy physique for all kinds of physical labor, whether it be hunting, fishing, or other activities. This allows people to train and use them as work animals, which provides economic benefits. Even when only considering them as pets, by administering the vaccine to labs and preserving a breed that is known to have relatively few health issues and long-lifespan compared to other pure breeds, future dog owners can keep their beloved pets around for a long time and can likely anticipate comparatively fewer vet bills than they would with alternative breeds.

The zebrafish  (Dania rerio) model has become popular for studying epilepsy and even other neurodevelopmental disorders, as they possess certain features that make them ideal for the study of neural circuits. Zebrafish embryos and larvae develop externally and are optically transparent. This makes it easy to monitor the development of major organs as the zebrafish embryos progress from stage to stage (Monesson-Olson et al., 2018). Moreover, larval zebrafish undergo rapid development; sensory and motor systems are present and functional within five days post-fertilization (Monesson-Olson et al., 2018). The ability to generate large clutch sizes of 50-200 embryos adds to the favorability of zebrafish. Zebrafish, as model organisms, also hold great advantage because they have less complex central nervous systems compared to mammals, yet the cell types and mechanisms are conserved among vertebrates. Logistically, their small size and low cost of maintaining large colonies of adult wildtype and mutant fish make the use of zebrafish viable (reviewed by Baraban et al., 2010).

If all domestic dogs are being killed at a terrible speed and there is a vaccine that can save one pregnant mother and her puppies the breed of dog that should be saved is Labrador Retrievers. This breed is America’s most popular dog breed, that is due to its lovable energetic nature that makes them stand out amongst other dogs. Labrador dogs are hard working and can be spotted in many different services. They can be seen working at airports helping security, working with the police force, being guide dogs, emotional support dogs, and being faithful companions to families. Labradors are known for having great intelligence and being very friendly. The breed is highly energetic but at the same time obedient and well trained. This would be the ideal dog to save, one that can provide different services for the benefit of others and also be a loyal companion and friend.

Birds have a different style of migrating and they also use different things to help them travel long distances. First, they use visual landmarks such as highways, railways, and rivers to help them migrate even if the routes are not direct. For example, some waterfowl follow watercourses to help them migrate but often they are scared to cross open bodies water unless it’s windy. Birds also use the sun and the stars as compasses. For a long time, scientists were curious that birds traveled by the sun but, they did not know how they do it. Common starlings and homing pigeons follow the sun to lead them home and will not travel until they can see the sun. On the other hand, land birds and waterfowl maintain their directions at night by using the stars as their source of direction. Baby Indigo cannot navigate without seeing the stars when it’s their first time flying. In order for them to fly, they need to see the stars regularly during their first month in order for them to see their migratory paths.

In a recent study, scientists discovered a relationship between depressive symptoms and a decline in cognitive function during midlife. Sussex psychologists analyzed data from a child development study that followed 15,000+ babies from birth through adulthood. The psychologists found that the increased depressive symptoms were a strong indicator of a linear decrease in memory function in older adults. The psychologists recommended in order to protect future memory function that mental health interventions need to be promoted in younger adults. Although these scientists found associations between depressive symptoms and cognitive decline before, it was the first time they were able to find this relationship represented in a large amount of data.

If all domestic dogs are being killed at a terrible speed and predicted to be extinct and there is a vaccine that can save one pregnant mother and her puppies the breed of dog that should be saved is Labrador Retrievers. Labrador dogs are hard working dogs and can be spotted in many different scenarios. This dog is always focused and gets the job done. They can be seen working at airports as security, working with the police force, being a guide dog, and being a faithful companion to children.  After all they are the most popular dog in America they have intelligence and friendliness. The breed is highly energetic but at the same time obedient and well trained. This would be the ideal dog to save one that can work and help the government but also be a loyal companion and friend.

In the event that a retrovirus is killing domestic dogs and we are only able to save one breed, the breed of dog that we should save should be the breed that provides the most utility benefit to us humans. Currently domestic dogs provide us with a lot more than just being house pets and have roles that can greatly effect human lives. Dogs can directly help us with public services us as the Fire department, and search and rescue which directly help save the lives of humans. They also help in many services that help indirectly save human live including working with the police to help catch criminals and with the military. Dogs are also used to help people with medical problems and also help save their lives such as Guide or hearing dogs, and Dogs that alert to seizures. These services that dogs provide for use have an immense benefit on our lives. 

The dog breed I choose to save was the German Shepherd. In order to maximize on the benefit we receive from our relationship with dogs I choose a breed of dog that is able to preform a variety of different services. This results in use losing as little of these life saving services as possible when we lose the rest of the dog population. German Shepherds are currently found in use for a variety of different services includes in the Police, Military, use in search and rescue, Use as Guide and hearing dogs and Use a seizure alert dogs. Compared to other breeds I researched the German shepherd was the breed commonly used in the broadest numbers of different services. This broad range of services provided allows for us to keep saving as many lives as possible with the rest of the dog species dying. On top of all the lives saved by picking the German Shepherds to save, they still make great house pets so dog loving home owners won't have to sacrifice the ability to have a dog in their family in order to keep these services active.