How Key Enzyme Repairs Sun-Damaged DNA
Maybe the first step in a sunscreen/sun burn lotion that heals DNA mutations. Though in the past, the trip from gene to marketable treatment has been very long.
World's Largest Rat Discovered
13 pound rats? Yeah, I am glad they are extinct.
Comic-Con: Zombies in the Eye of the Beholder
There are two very discreet types of zombies - fast (I am Legend, 28 Days Later) and slow (Zombieland, Night of the Living Dead). It seems rare that someone will enjoy zombies from both sides of the fence.
42 comments:
Worlds largest rat? Well that sounds intriguing. When i think of rats i think of the small rodents that infest the sewers of the cities or the poor rodents that are frequently on the side of streets due to road kills. However, never did i once think that they could grow and weigh up to 13 pounds. Despite my apathy towards rats, if i saw 13 pound rats crawling around id be freaked out. I am glad that they are extinct and i never had to deal with one.
Zombies fast or slow? I had once imagined what a world woul dbe like with zombies. At first i thought it would be AWESOME. There would be no school! Just people stashing foods and weapons at home and killing off zombies. I am a very active person and to me, zombie hunting sounds like fun. As for the speed of zombies, id like to have both as long as they have no intelligence. Hopefully if the world ever is infested by zombies, it would be just as fun as my day dream.
First off, an enzyme that helps repair damage done by Ultraviolet (UV) rays, should be utilized to the fullest potential in helping heal people. A drug containing this special enzyme, Photolyase, could help reduce the number of people that are diagnosed with skin cancer every year throughout the world. Skin cancer is a problem that is in dire need of resolution; more Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than those diagnosed with cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon... combined. This is why when I read about an enzyme that could potentially change all this... I thought it was too good to be true. Then I thought of trees outside, and it dawned on me that even though they are immobile, and therefore in the sun all day from rise to set, "tree-sunburn" does not exist, and I strongly believe Photolyase is the answer behind this! When a tree burns out, it is solely because of lack of water, and in no way related to the amount of sun exposure. So could this amazing enzyme be the answer to the one in five Americans who will be diagnosed with skin cancer during their lifetimes? Only time will tell, but I sure hope so. Personally, I believe Dongping Zhong and his colleagues have significantly advanced the worlds of science & health-care with their discovery of how photolyase works to repair damaged DNA; I hope this information will be utilized in such a way that preventative and/or post-sundamage medication can be engineered.
On another note, the discovery of a 13 pound rat is amazing to me. It was a difficult task for me to imagine a rat of such sheer size, and when the article stated that the size of the giant Timorese rodent would surpass even that of a house cat, I made a personal pact to refrain from ever visiting East Timor of Southeast Asia. The discovery of many new species in just one excavation opened my eyes to just how little we know about the life that inhabits the world we’re living in. A very intriguing article indeed.
In regards to zombies, I guess I am one of the rare few who appreciate both fast and slow zombies. Because I have seen different movies and shows with their own zombies, I accept the fact that there are different types of zombies, both fast and slow. However, my preference would be slow zombies, because they are much easier to kill than fast zombies in Call of Duty: World at War’s, “Nazi Zombies” game, which is hard enough already. I can’t wait to see the results of the vote, I wonder how other AP biology students view their zombies :).
Sunburn resistance would be the best thing to happen in terms of skin diseases since the invention of suntan lotion. It could possibly bring an end to skin cancer, skin disease, premature wrinkles, etc. Although this is probably many years in the making, it's a promise of good things to come and very interesting research to follow.
A 13 pound rat. First of all- creepy. Second of all, if the rats were 13 pounds, does that mean the cats were 20-30 pounds? Because how else did they keep the rats away? Of course, seeing a rat that big would be pretty cool as long as it was on the other side of the glass.
As for zombies, I'm not much of an expert. I've never seen any zombie movies because they creep me out. If I was to pick fast or slow, I'd go with slow so I could run away. And I figure they just came back from the dead and dug their way out of a grave, so they must be tired. The concept of bringing someone back from the dead is constantly revisited, in both fiction and reality. The problem is, no one has figured out how to get their mind back after they've been dead for a while. And on the same note, if someone flat-lines and is brought back with CPR, are they a zombie? Something to think about...
Dr. H- I was in Europe with no internet access for the past two weeks, which is why I haven't been commenting. Let me know if you'd like me to comment late on the last two weeks posts.
Thanks, Risa
Okay, so first hand experience on a giant rat. When my family and I were visiting Italy we stayed a few days in Florence, and of course we explored the famous Pointe Vecchio. The road has a river running under it and the elevated roads next to it have sidewalk and rails along the edge of the so you can walk alongside the river. I looked over the edge of one of these rails and saw the biggest rodent I have ever seen, including ones shown on animal planet specials. Italy is home to "river rats" and those things are definitely the size of my cat, at least in length. (In fact i have a close up picture of it, I'm going to try to find it and post it.) It was giant and grotesque and I was fascinated yet disgusted by just the sight of it. I am not completely sure if it was a rat or if it was some type of non-America inhabiting rodent. Everyone around, including the Italians, were referring to it as a rat. It was unbelievable. However, now it is a little more believable knowing that there were 13 pound rats living on Earth. I thought it was bigger than my cat and the average American short-hair feline (like mine) are 8-12 pounds. I feel like it would mess up the food chain to have such big rodents on this side of the world. The cats would be bumped down from their current place because some rodents would be able to eat them, instead of the other way around. I am fine with America being barren to those species of strange rat, they can have a great time in East Timor.
In regards to the enzyme, Photolyase, I am shocked that scientists have not researched it intensely. I feel as if that should be a main priority. It is an enzyme with the potential to help rid the world of skin cancer. The ability to harness it, and maybe even introduce it into human DNA, will open the door to endless possibilities. Our Sun is young and is going to continue shining for awhile, being able to protect ourselves fully from its harmful rays would mean longer, healthier, and safer lives for those across the globe.
I'm pro-vampire and anti-zombie, but I think slow zombies are the better choice when deciding what should invade the Earth. I would have much better luck killing the slow ones than the fast. And the fast always seem to be a bit smarter, even though when you think about it, zombies brains should not even be able to work.
Scientists have recently uncovered the secret to combat the damaging effects that UV rays have on human skin. By infusing a single electron and proton into the strands of DNA that contain the misplaced chemical bonds formed by the rays, the sun’s impact on human skin instantly reverts to its previous state in a fraction of a second. I wonder whether the healing of the DNA strands does anything for the aesthetic of the skin: eliminating age spots, freckles and redness. Prior to reading this article, I never knew what sun screen actually did, that they “convert UV light to heat or reflect it away from our skin.”
After reading the article about the largest rat ever discovered, I wonder how scientists distinguish between physical changes that a life form underwent and different species altogether. How many similar characteristics are needed for two living things to be considered the same species or the converse: what are the differences that justify them being different species since the rat found in Asia was dramatically larger than those found today.
I don’t know much about zombies, and I find it pretty comical how this particular article differentiates between the types of zombies.
It's good to hear that they are figuring out how to cure sun damaged DNA, because that is something that affects us all.
I also find it interesting that the reason why we get sunburnt (or even tan) is because we are missing a key enzyme that apparently almost every other organism has except mammals.
So if it damages our DNA, does that mean if we overexposed ourselves to the sun, our children will be more likely to be immune to it?
About the rat...the picture of the skull comparison blew me away. There is such a large difference, imagine one of those dwelling in the sewers of New York City...people would probably hide in their houses.
It seems that the more tropical and hot climated the place, the more bizarre the life that lives there. Tropical places tend to be home to bright colored animals, fruits, flowers, and other weird creatures. The creatures tend to only survive in hot climates, because they aren't able to adapt with the weather change...so not a surprise they found it exsisted in the phillipines/new guniea.
Can't say I'm particularly interested in zombies...sparkly vampires all the way!
I concur with what @njlamacchia said. It makes sense that if we're exposed to a lot of sun throughout our lives, our children will be safer from the harmful rays. It's just evolution at work. This however, will definitely not happen that quickly, it will take a few generations.
If we had those behemoth rats in our town, everyone would go crazy. If now, with a small house rat/mouse around, people freak out...what will happen when rats the size of small dogs and cats start prowling the streets?
As for the zombies, slower is better. I agree with Keith. With faster zombies, we wouldnt have enough time to mow them down with our guns while keeping up our barricades. If they were slow zombies, they'd be much easier to manage.
When I first saw the three articles that were posted the one about the rat caught my eye immediately. My first reaction to the title was ew, that's kinda creepy. However, when I started to read the article I was actually intrested to discover that 11 new species of rodents were found that are new to science. A few years back when I visited Thailand I saw many weird species but I would never have thought, if i was alive thousands of years ago that I would have seen a 13 pound rat on my visits to Southeast Asia.
I agree with cspoleti I also think that slow zombies are the better choice when talking about invading the world. Further, after seeing I am Legend which totally scared me the zombies portrayed on shows like Scooby Doo would always be my pick and the slow zombies are would be much easier to kill and they wouldn't be chasing you at speed.
Reading the article about Photolyases and sun damage was quite ironic to me since I just got back from a two week vacation down the shore. As any light skinned person, I did burn, peel a little, burn some more, than eventually tanned. After reading this article it made me contemplate how horrible laying in the sun for hours and hours really must be. Now, if they did eventually create the sunscreen with Photolyases in it, would that stop us from burning and/ or tanning all together? Or just repair damage DNA? It mentioned that mammals do not contain this enzyme, so does that mean an elephant has the ability to get skin cancer? or even a dolphin? It makes you wonder.
The idea of a 13 pound rat actually gave me the goose bumps. I just picture myself walking down the street a good 1000 years ago, with a pet rat on a leash.
Zombies. I guess id prefer slower zombies, though they are creepier and less..comforting its easier to run away form them or pull out a weapon, well, thats just what I prefer when playing Nazi Zombies on call of duty.
In reality, i suppose it was inevitable that scientists would find a solution to the common effects that UV rays from the sun have on a lot of people. The approach, however, did come as a surprise. This is a bigger scientific achievement than it may seem to be at first glance, as i believe that this may be one of the first steps in "fixing" mutated or damaged DNA. It isn't a new idea, but it is a breakthrough nonetheless. The success of a single enzyme repairing a full strand of severely damaged DNA is proof itself that such things are possible and in full ability to advance. Perhaps in the future our sunblock won't deflect, but will nourish sun damage as it occurs.
To me, seeing as the skeletal remains of the giant rodent dates back to thousands of years ago, it isn't too hard to believe that the 13lb rat once walked the earth. This isn't to say I would be completely fine crossing paths with the giant rodent today, but more to underline my general understanding of evolution. Fossils are only a small portion of the proof we have that such evolution has occured and continues to occur, other than the more obvious presence of vestigial organs and so on.
And so i conclude on the note of Zombies.. I figure i would expect them to be slow, them coming back from the dead and all. And if they were fast.. well I guess you could say zombie hunting would make for a great team sport.
Imagine of those rats were still around today..
Daddy, where's Spot?
Oh, he probably got eaten by a rat.
What if these huge rats just came out of holes and ate your pets?
That would be insane.
Photolyase is a pioneering discovery for us mammals, because we always hear of people we know getting sunburned or skin cancer from being out in the sun for too long. With photolyase in our creams and medications we can enjoy the UV rays the sun has to offer without being severely damaged by them. Although we weren't gifted with the enzyme from the start such as other members of the animal kingdom, we can take precautions by putting photolyase into our drugs. This discovery could change the lives of millions of people who get sunburned or suffer some sort of sun damage. I couldn't believe that this was the reason behind animals never getting affected by the sun's UV rays. None the less, this discovery could prove to be very promising for future sunblocks and medications.
When I heard of a 13 pound rat, i thought that was impossible. Considering the size of rats in the tri-state area, a 13 pound rat seemed like a myth. But research and excavations proved otherwise. I couldn't imagine having a rat as a pet who is almost bigger than my cat. When I used to watch Tom and Jerry as a kid, I would find it hilarious to watch the crazy adventures of the cat chasing the mouse. If I had a 13 pound rat in my house it would chase the cat, which would be quite ironic. It would be amazing to see a 13 pound rat, because they only exist in africa and farther east parts of the world. I could only imagine the look on the faces of the researchers whom discovered this magnificent site.
The zombie article had me thinking of what kinds of zombies are most frightening. I recently saw Zombieland, a movie that portrays zombies just the way we would assume, humans affected by a virus that spread into their veins and made them hungry for flesh. But to be honest, slower zombies are less frightening and more fun to see. Also, zombies dont eat other zombies they only crave untainted human flesh. Disguising oneself as a zombie would be the best way to not become someone else's dinner.
Let me start off with the zombie thing, because that's the coolest one of the three topics. Personally, I would rather have faster zombies. Slow zombies seem to be everywhere in those type movies (slower moving zombies, but more of them) and the faster ones seem to come in waves and be somewhat easier to get some free time (less zombies, but they move faster). So, I would rather have faster zombies. Also, I wouldn't really worry about keeping barricades, because if I were in a zombie apocalypse I would be proactively searching for other survivors, not just sitting in a barricaded room waiting for my eminent doom. I would prefer fast zombies that are more fun to fight off. Plus I would get breaks in between hoards of zombies, giving me time to regain my wits and all, as opposed to constantly fighting off slow zombies.
As for 13 pound rats, I would take my shotgun to them just like the zombies. If I ever saw that thing near my house I would make sure its gone. No wonder they're extinct.
Actually, I think it would be REALLY bad if we had zombies AND 13 pound rats at the same time. The rats would be attracted to the dead flesh of the zombies, so we would be attacked by zombie-rat symbiotes, which would suck pretty hardcore.
And yeah, skin cancer sucks, I'm all for using new enzymes to repair skin damage. I love being a Bronze God, but I don't want cancer, so I try to stay out of excessive sunlight. Luckily, I tan easily, so I look great with minimal risk to my health!
That rat thing is just horrible. I already hate finding spiders and other crawling monsters in my house, and I really don't like the idea of having a rat like that crawling around the sewers. Although, I'm sure it would only be a problem for New Yorkians.
The photolyase article is much nicer than last week's feces transplant article in terms of remedies for disease. What I find interesting is that it took scientists this long to finally observe the enzyme in action. Go figure that humans would be in the grouping that doesn't have the super useful enzyme that cures sun damage; probably one of the most common injuries considering how much we love going to the beach.
So, anyway, how about them zombies? I personally always thought of them as the slow-moving, swarming, fun to beat up brain-eaters we all love from the movies. If they end up being fast when the zombie apocalypse hits, then I'm glad I'm on the track team.
And whoever answered that they prefer sparkly vampires, stop that right now.
I don't think I'll be able to survive with 13 pound rats running around; I'm petrified enough of the 180g rats I see sometimes. This article took me back to the time when I was eight and I went to Lagos, Nigeria to visit my extended family. I remember playing outside in my uncle's backyard and seeing what I thought was the biggest rat on earth, scurrying across the lawn. I also remember screaming bloody murder and then after that, counting the days until I went back to the U.S.
Walking down the street and seeing my neighbors walk their 13-pound pet rats is something I would definitely had to have gotten used to. I can just imagine myself buying giant-sized rat traps.
I found the article concerning the discovery of a key enzyme that repairs sun-damaged DNA extremely fascinating. One of the goals for most people this summer is to get as much sun as possible, but what they fail to realize is that overexposing one's self to sun, greatly enhances the risk of skin cancer. I know many sun-burnt individuals can benefit from this enzyme and prevent them from getting any skin diseases.
I have to disagree with @njlamacchia though, sparkly vampires remind me of fairies. Nothing scary about that =).
I don't know which ones are scarier: the slow zombies, the fast zombies from I Am Legend.....or the dancing zombies from Michael Jackson's "Thriller".
My opinion of rats has changed a little due to the Disney movie Ratatouille. Well, of course animation is not the same as reality, and real rats aren’t as kind, cool, skillful and cute as Remy. Now after this article, my fear for rats increased. I can’t imagine how life would be if 13-pound rats roamed around the street. It would be a very scary experience to encounter one or even to anger one, resulting in a murderous rampage. Carbon dating still amazes me though. When the concept was introduced to me in 9th grade, the idea of using carbon atoms to determine the time period of an organism is still astonishing to me. In this case, carbon dating revealed that the rat lived approx. 1,000 to 2,000 years ago. It is fascinating that we could use such technology to research the past and its path to the future. I do hope that scientists keep finding and analyzing the new species that were once in the forests of Timor (what a great environmental change from then to now). Exploration is a never-ending journey. Nevertheless, the change from 13-pound rats to the smaller form seen today proves that evolution does indeed occur. I guess people’s eating habits change as well. At that time, maybe it was acceptable to eat rats at the island of Timor, but in the current time it would be wondrous (and quite...disgusting) if rat was served in a restaurant.
When human skin is exposed to the sun for a long period of time, it either tans or burns. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, tanning is “the darkening of skin in an imperfect attempt to prevent further DNA damage”, or human’s UV damage repair enzyme at work. People who don’t tan just burn because their body lacks enough enzymes to repair most of damage. Photolyase could replace humans’ enzyme for repairing DNA damage caused by UV rays. If this were to happen, people’s skin would no longer tan in the imperfect attempt of the human enzyme, the skin would just return to its original state. If photolyase were used by everyone after they were in the sun, no one would tan! Photolyase would take years to become an available remedy for skin damage, but even after it’s released, I believe the public will have a hard time accepting not being able to compare tans after summer vacation.
When it comes to zombies, or any other fictional creature, an author or screenwriter can interpret years of myths and legend available from various cultures to help them. They can develop upon the myths origin and enhance the threat of the creature to the characters in their story, but they shouldn’t change the fundamental parts of the legend. For example, hundreds of years of vampire legends and, later, vampire fiction and movies, suggested vampires turn to dust in sunlight. This was considered part of being a vampire in everyone’s imagination just as much as sucking human blood for food. Stephanie Meyers changed this essential part of the myth so that vampire’s in her novels “sparkle”. Sparkle? Nowhere in years and years of myths and legend is there any hint or suggestion of a vampire sparkling! Meyers changed years of what people believed was history and truth. Although their thinking was inaccurate, hundreds of people for hundreds of years truly believed vampires turn to dust in the sun as surely as they believed vampires suck human blood. The creators of I Am Legend did the same thing as Meyers. Zombies historically, and I use that term loosely, meant a dead person rising to the control of a powerful being, usually a witch doctor or a god/goddess, not a chemically or virally enhanced soulless being as in I Am Legend. I side with the more “historically” accurate zombie, the slow one.
I agree with Keith, any drug should be fully utilized if it can prevent skin cancer. Skin cancer can effect anyone unlike some other cancers that are only genetic or effect women or smokers/drinkers. Everyone gets exposed to the sun almost everyday, it is impossible to avoid. Sunscreen can only protect our skin for so long and to a certain limit.
As for zombies, I believe the only real zombies are slow zombies. Zombies do not have a regenerative ability like the living do. When we use our muscles we can repair them, but since zombies are dead they body is not fully functioning so they cannot fully use their muscles, and when they tear or rupture one, it cannot be repaired and that muscle is rendered useless. So in reality if all zombies were fast there would most likely be no threat at all after a few days or weeks. I love my zombies, and i recently read Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z.
The part of the enzyme article that I immediately found interesting was how the photlyase actually uses light energy to remove damage done by the sun. Very ironic fact, like the article stated. It would make sense that plants and trees to have this enzyme, as the sun is an absolute necessity to their life source. They also need protection from overexposure, which is where the photolyase comes in. Since, for humans, ultraviolet light does cause cancer over an extended period of time, the discovery of the photolyase and how this enzyme works can go a long way in possibly preventing skin cancer caused by UV light. As the article mentions, there are enzymes in humans that serve a similar purpose, but the cryptochrome in no way has the effect and impact that the photolyase has. After further study, it should be feasible for scientists to connect the way that enzymes alter DNA to other medical and scientific cases, potentially opening up more advances in the scientific world. Similar to what dmboztepe said, the fact that an enzyme can have this type of an effect on DNA should open up many new thoughts about DNA strands in current research being done.
The fact that a 13 pound rat has been discovered is pretty hard to imagine, but with the amazing amount of mutations that have taken place over time, it shouldn’t be too hard to believe. Still, it’s a little surprising that the large sized rats lived as recently as when forests began being cleared down, if what the article suggests is true. It is kind of weird to think that there still maybe more odd species still living today in the uncovered forest area of Timor, and if there are in fact more species existing in that area, it should provide more information about undiscovered animals to scientists. It may also provide new information on different evolution processes, and new facts on how habitat may affect evolution. Science aside, though, I’m happy I didn’t live during that time period or even in South East Asia right now.
My whole comment wouldn't fit...
I found it funny that even entertainment based things like zombies can even be related to science. I never really thought about how zombies are due to some DNA altering disease, or mutation. I would prefer faster zombies over slower zombies. Although the slower ones would be much easier to fight off, avoiding the faster zombies would provide a much larger thrill, even if it does come with a much larger risks. Also, the slower zombies would become more annoying than fun to fight off.
It was interesting to know that there were rats of that size that existed thousands of years ago, and that there are rodents even today that are huge. This article also reminded me of another giant prehistoric rat that paleontologists uncovered which roamed South America 20 million years ago. This creature was 9 feet long and 5 feet tall and weighed over a 132 pounds. It was surprising to know that there were rats that were 13lbs, but a rat that was nearly the size of cow is fascinating. Even today we have rats that are huge such as the Capybara which weighs 100lbs and can grow to a height of 2 feet . To think that such a small creature could have so many large ancestors makes a person wonder if other small animal species could have larger relatives that haven't been discovered yet.
The article about skin cancer and the protein that would help cure it was also very interesting. Many people die from cancer each year and it's great that we have made great strides in curing it. The discovery of photolyase and its ability to repair DNA brings up possibilities of other proteins that can help cure cancer or even other diseases. We are close in curing fatal diseases such as cancer and if we can find new methods of curing diseases that are simple and affective then we can save more lives then what we can do now.
Just like Keith said, skin cancer is one of the most prominent types of cancer in our nation. To discover a key enzyme that would significantly reduce, if not eliminate, damaged DNA strands is amazing. I think researchers should definitely invest more time into finding methods to include photolyase in consumer products such as sunscreen. I find it really unbelievable that an enzyme can revert severe sun damage in just a matter of a few seconds, and even more unbelievable that researchers are still continuing to discover things that could have a significant impact on our lives. It just shows that the human body really is not just one of the most amazing machinines in the world, but also a great mystery.
I could barely read through the entirety of the rat article without cringing. When I first moved into my house, we used to have a rat live in the downstairs family room and ever since then I have been thoroughly afraid of every non-human thing crawling around in my house (except dogs, of course). To even imagine that a 13lb rat existed would be torture for me. And I honestly don't care much for zombies though I find it quite amusing that this article classifies the different types of zombies. The only zombie-like creatures that I do like would probably have to be the Inferi from Harry Potter :)
I found the article about photolyase quite interesting. The fact that scientists are getting closer and closer to preventing and curing the most hindering of diseases day by day fascinates me. Hopefully with the newly discovered information about photolyase, scientists can work to replicate it in other mammals thus preventing skin disease and other ailments among humans.
The article about the largest rat that ever lived is amazing. I was surprised to find out, through some mental math of my own, that compared to the average rat today, this land wandering behemoth was 40 times as large! Furthermore, the findings of 11 other rodents which were new to scientists shows that a lot is still left to be discovered about the animal world and that with time, scientists will unveil the answers to many of earth’s mysteries. The one question I had about this article involved East Indonesia and why it was the center of rat evolution. Even though I am perplexed by the fact East Indonesia is the center of rat evolution I find it interesting that it has its own unique rat species.
With regards to slow or fast zombies, fast zombies are the best!!! Slow zombies are so boring that by the time they get to the person they’re hunting he/she is already armed and ready to cut some zombie heads off or mow down bodies with an AK 47. Fast zombies like in “I am Legend” are seemingly impossible to kill unless you have some miracle cure. Fast zombies ultimately will overwhelm the victim and by the time he/she realizes it, it’s all over and they’re chowing down on your brain.
The discovery of the way photolyase works is amazing. Though it will probably take a while to get a lotion or some other kind of treatment out to the public that can repair sun damaged DNA, this is certainly a huge step in the right direction. The creation of a treatment that utilizes photolyase would be amazing, as it could prevent the pain of sun burn and skin cancer. Since I am afraid of rodents like rats, the article reporting evidence that there once was a thirteen pound rat walking around really creeped me out. As for zombies, I would probably prefer slow ones. They just awakened from the dead; it makes sense that they would be confused and slow moving.
I chose to read the "key enzyme repairs sun-damaged DNA" article first because, especially during this time of year, I'm sure that all of us are either thrilled or mortified with the fact that we are becoming tanner and darker the more we are outside in the blistering heat. Some people spend hours of their day baking themselves in their backyards while others dread the idea of being exposed to the hot, sweltering weather. Though a nice summer tan looks refreshing, people should be careful not to overdo the idea. Sun damaged skin has become very common, and it's incredible that modern-day science is finding ways to lessen sun damage and possibly create sunscreen that heals damages from UV rays. Today, scientists all over the world are working days and nights to discover cures for the multiple cancers that spread through human beings. Yet, this enzyme is a way for scientists to not only cure skin cancer, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. In my case, I never burn when I go outside, but I know many people who do. When I look at their peeled, reddish skin, I feel terrible for them and their painful condition. With this special enzyme-infused sunscreen, the whole post-beach experience will be very different! This concept can be a potential breakthrough in modern science and in our everyday lives.
Just like probably the majority of humans on this planet, I hate rats. Now, I don't want to be mean and pick on them specifically so I will just say this: I equally HATE mice and as well. I'm one of those people who'd flip out if there's a dead squirrel(or whatever is left of it)lying in the middle of the road. I'm not exactly proud of being disgusted with these rodents, but hey, it is what it is. So, when I read the headline "World's Largest Rat", I wasn't exactly thrilled of the concept, yet I still clicked the link and read on. I must say, I was shocked with what I read. The rats today are already too big for my taste, yet there once existed EVEN bigger one?! When the article compared the rat to an average house cat, I immediately thought of my neighbor's cat and a cold shiver went down my spine. To think, a huge RAT as a pet?! Thank goodness something so large existed way before our time! On a more serious note, if researchers were able to find the remnants of a rat this huge, which of the other animals that we are so familiar with today were different sizes back then? Hm, that's something interesting to think about...but kind of creepy as well...
I think it is awesome how there could be future sun cancer prevention. I am happy to hear that new discoveries like photolyase is coming out because it can benefit many people.
I was very much surprised when I first read about the rat. I am frightened by common household rats I would not be able to handle 13 pound rats if I ever saw them. I would have never thought that 1000 years ago they would be this enormous. I was immediately lured in when first beginning to read this article. If rats with this size were only discovered recently I can only wonder about other animals, who knows there might be other species in the world that were at an unbelievable size years ago waiting to be discovered.
For the zombies i would believe they were slow!
Despite the numerous tubes of the sunscreen that we put on, sun damage from the sun’s ultraviolet rays is unavoidable. This is the case for all humans regardless of their skin color. I, myself, do not frequently get sun burned because of the high amounts of melanin in my skin cells. Nevertheless, with continuous exposure to the sun, I like all other humans suffer from the painful condition known as sunburn. Before reading this article, I believed that all I could do was put on my Neutrogena SPF 30 sunblock lotion or cover up my skin in hopes to avoid sunburns. However, I have now realized that scientists have discovered an enzyme, known as photolyase, which is able to reverse damage cause by the harmful UV rays. According to the article, plants, bacteria, insects, and most animals flourish from the protection of photolyase. By simply injecting a single electron and proton into an injured strand of DNA, photolyase is able to break up rapidly the damaging chemical bonds formed by the sun’s ray and heal sun damage in a few billionths of a second. Many scientists believe that photolyase can be use to prevent sunburn and repair human skin that has been already damaged by the sun. With this newfound information about the function of photolyase, scientists are bound to invent products which will heal sun damage and cure numerous DNA mutations caused by chronic sun damage that have led to diseases such as skin cancer. As Mr. Anaker mentioned, skin cancer is a serious problem in today’s world, and I too firmly support the idea of investing tremendous time and money in exploiting photolyase fully. Most importantily, after becoming aware of the ability of photolyase, I can safely say that I will soon be better protected from the wrath of the sun’s destructive UV rays.
For those of you do not know about Heathcliff, let me explain that Heathcliff was a big, fat cat from the 1980s comic strip Heathcliff who annoyed the manager of the fish store, tipped over garbage cans, pestered the milkman, and pursued female cats. When I read the opening sentence that claimed that there was actually a bigger rat than Heathcliff, I could not imagine what I would do if I ever came across that rodent. I would probably scream and run as fast as I could away from it. In my opinion, a thirteen pound rat could only indicate more trouble and mayhem for the people living in the nearby area. Although excavations discovered 13 species of rodents in the East Timor of Southeast Asia, scientists claim that several parts of the islands are still uncovered. Thus, there remains a possibility of finding new species of rodents, some of which may be larger than the already identified thirteen pound rat. After reading Ruhil’s comment, I found his statement about Tom and Jerry to be very amusing and intriguing. I definitely agree that a thirteen pound Jerry would aptly change the “chasing” field.
Zombies, in my opinion are hideous, fictional creatures, which only deserve to be killed. When I read the statement “zombies are literally just dumb things for hot chicks to kill,” I was quite pleased that Seth Grahame-Smith supported my point of view. Additionally, I definitely have to agree with the students who claim, “fast zombies suck.” Zombies, like those in I AM LEGEND, are extremely fast and possess great dexterity. Thus, they are able to attack at great speed and kill a majority of the human race. If these zombies were to exist, then would pose a great threat to mankind today. However, this threat is not evident in video games like World at War: Nazi Zombies and Resident Evil, in which the zombies are slower than snail. In these games, players are able to kill the evil zombies with great ease. If these zombies existed today, human life would not be affected, as the weapons of today’s weapon would be able to defeat the slow zombies easily.
I'm glad that I don't get sunburned. It's actually great to go out into the sun and not have to worry about flaky, red skin. Yet, I am aware that it is a bad habit to not put on sunscreen, even with a dark complexion like mine. Everyone is susceptible to skin diseases due to excessive exposure to harmful rays. Knowing that makes this leap in photolyase research even more interesting. To think that skin damage can be drastically reduced for many people is a great thing. However, due to the recent nature of this discovery, I believe we'll have to wait a long time before we see commercial-brand photolyase. However, I can't wait.
As for giant rats, I'm not a huge fan. Rats are disgusting. However, the discovery of the giant rat is still quite amazing. Actually, the location of the discovery, the islands of Asia, was more intriguing to me. The article mentioned the discovery of six new species of rat on the Flores island. For some reason, the name seemed familiar, and I did a little bit of research and realized that the famed hobbit-sized person was also found on the island of Flores. I just found it interesting that this area of the world could be such a hotspot for evolutionary discoveries.
I must agree with Kuldeep on the statement that zombies should go back to being dead. When I see a movie featuring zombies, I am not even scared. Only realistic fear seems scary, and therefore, zombies have no place in cinema or pop culture. Furthermore, I did not think of the characters in "I Am Legend" as typical zombies, because they were not really undead. To me, they seemed to be human beings struck by a nasty virus, but not the undead. Anyways, zombies should be slow. The undead definitely do not have enough carbohydrates or electrolytes to do any real exercise right out of the coffin.
Can technology and scientific advances get any better? That's the question that popped into my head after reading the first article. I find it amazing that there may be a cure to skin cancer. I never knew that mammals were the only creatures who didn't have photolyase. But I guess it worked out now that scientists found an enzyme to take the role of photolyase.
As for the largest rat article, all I can say is GROSS! After reading the article I pictured a huge rodent crawling through a small ally. Just imagining it gave me goosebumps. I wonder what kind of animals will be found in other parts of the island.
When I think of zombies, I think of scooby doo. It's one of my favorite cartoons and I'm pretty sure that zombies are suppose to be slow ugly creatures who scare scooby and shaggy. But if zombies did exist I'm sure I could gather up the courage to kill them. Well only with a small bribe of scooby snacks.
While I was reading the article about the giant rat, I had assumed the creature had lived tens of thousands of years ago, given its immense size in comparison to modern rats. Of course, I was surprised to find out that it had existed as recently as a few hundred years ago, as I often generalize giant extinct animals as living in the distant past. Still, it pales in comparison to the modern capybara, which often grows to four feet in length and weighs over a hundred pounds. Capybaras are usually docile when interacting with humans, but I'm not so certain this rat would have behaved well.
I also couldn't help but think about the creatures of the Paleozoic Era as I read the article. During this period (approximately 570 million years ago to 250 million years ago), the ancestors of many modern insects grew to gargantuan sizes, with species of marine scorpions eight feet long and dragonflies with the wingspans the length of a human arm. These prehistoric vermin, along with the giant rat, seem far more frightening and menacing than any dinosaur or saber toothed cat simply because of the widespread fear and disgust directed toward their modern descendants.
As an avid video game player, I have bludgeoned, shot, beaten and chopped my way through thousands of zombies of all shapes and forms. I find the "fast zombie vs. slow zombie" debate to be pretty amusing. In my experience, it has always been more interesting to fight the "fast" zombies than the "slow" ones, considering the former would be more agile, aggressive and intelligent than their sluggish counterparts. Ultimately, however, the differing qualities of various zombie types (speed, size, etc.) are irrelevant in comparison to the one thing they all have in common: the sheer vastness of their numbers. In this aspect, I agree with Max Brooks (whose novel, World War Z, is quite good and seems frighteningly realistic of what would happen if the world was hit by the zombie apocalypse) in the article. An individual zombie is of no major threat, no more threatening than a single undead brainless cow. Throw in a hundred or a thousand more zombies, however, and it's a different story. What makes zombies so scary and intriguing is that they are an infinite legion which no one can escape...
... Unless you have enough bullets.
It is pleasing to hear that scientists are figuring out how to cure sun damaged DNA, due to this having a major effect on every one of us, but its surprising that they just started to work intensely on this subject now. I find it interesting that the reason why we get sun burnt is because we are missing a key enzyme that apparently almost every other organism has except mammals. If this is to be true that we can fix the damaged DNA to reverse the sunburn this could be a major breakthrough in our health. Not only could it prevent skin cancer, it can also allow people to enjoy the outdoors more often without having the pain of sunburn. We do have to watch that this new fixed enzyme does not mutate and cause more harm than good to us. Also, we have to watch and study to see if there are going to be any side effects on fixing the damaged DNA.
The article about the 13-pound rats was quite bone chilling to me considering i was at my neighbor’s house earlier and a rat came out from under the couch i was sitting on. To me all rats look big, especially coming out surprising you. But now I am trying to imagine a 13-pound rat come crawling out from underneath something, ew! Discovering this creature was a shock, but considering there is still more of that island untouched there has to be hundreds of new creatures waiting to be discovered!
Zombies, in my opinion are disgusting, fictional creatures, which only deserve to be lying still in a coffin. The first thing that came to my mind when reading this article was a video game. Strategically, you would want a zombie that is slower so you can either catch it easier or have a chance of out running it. I agree with Sammy O. its surprising that zombies can be related closely to science!
Enzymes: I think it is interesting that plants and animals have an enzyme that repairs sun damage. It would be so useful for everyone especially on a bright summer day. If humans had this enzyme it could potentially help to prevent skin cancer. I believe that any small measure toward cancer prevention is a large aid to everyone. I also find it amazing how complex living things are and have the tendency to rejuvinate itself.
Largest Rat: I find rats existing today scary and disgusting. It's not surprising that there were 11 types of rodents back in the day. Over the years, many animals have become extinct, or evolved into the animals we know today. To know that the world's largest rodent was 13.2 lbs is scary to think about. If I saw a rodent that big I would probably have a heart attack. Although... I think that it is fascinating that something that was huge is now a tiny animal.
Prior to reading the article about how photolyase actually repairs sun-damaged DNA, I never even heard of photolyase let alone even how UV light damages our skin. Blatantly, the only knowledge I had on the topic was UV light is detrimental to the skin and that too much sun exposure can lead to skin cancer. It never occurred to me that the UV light harmed our DNA or that plants and other animals needed protection from the sun.
After that reading the article, however, I learned more information than I thought I would learn. For instance, I now know that photolyase reverses the damage done by the UV light by inserting an electron and proton to fix the irregular chemical bonds that the ultraviolet light made and then when the original bonds along the DNA molecules are back to normal the electron and proton are returned to the photolyase. Basically the photolyase carries an electron and proton that it reuses again and again to heal the sun-damaged DNA.Because scientists now know exactly how photolyase fixes the sun-damaged DNA, I hope that after further research, scientists will be able to make some kind of drug that could do the same function that photolyase could do and maybe find cure for skin cancer. One thing that I still inquire about is why only mammals lack photolyase while all plants and other animals have it and other organisms like bacteria.
The third article about zombies was interesting to me because my view of zombies were scary undead monsters that want to eat people’s brains. Then while reading the comments by John Skipp and Joan Frances Turner, I gained a whole new perspective. Imagining “Part of being trapped in a body that is literally collapsing into nothingness. “ and “being.. utterly empty” , makes me feel almost sorry for the zombies. Moreover, now that the Twilight series has defined vampires as a whole new meaning, as Mira Grant said, zombies are “the only monster that is universally OK to kill.” I feel almost sad for the zombies because they remind me of Frankenstein and how it was just misunderstood but then again zombies still chase you around. So as for fast or slow, I prefer slow ones because I would have more time to scream and panic, and perhaps have a better chance of escaping.
Enzymes have a multitude of functions in the human body. They perform small, but complex,tasks that impact the body greatly as a whole. The scientists’ knowledge of this correctional enzyme, photolyase, can become a very useful tool in the treatment of skin damage. Instead of simply shielding the skin from UV rays, a sunscreen containing photolyase could reverse skin damage. I am sure that a product such as this would be very popular among women, as it would reverse the aging process caused by sun damage. On a more serious note, it could also be a preventative measure taken to completely eradicate sun exposure-linked skin diseases.
Since reading the article, I can’t seem to be able to get the image of that 13.2 pounds Timorese rat out of my head. That is three times as heavy as the currently largest rats in the world! I just know that I would not want to be the one to discover one of those rats in a dark cave. Like Ken Aplin said, with the existence of dense forestation, it seems as if people will continue to find new species of common animals as time goes on. It is always interesting to read an article about how someone came across an undiscovered species.
When it comes to the zombies, I agree rmcnellis2; the slower the better. That way, it gives uncoordinated humans like me a chance to get away. I’ll leave the killing to those who actually enjoy that type of thing. I love horror films, so I can understand how both types of zombies can be entertaining in their own way. The slower ones make for a more comical movie as they shuffle after their prey, but the faster zombies are scarier because they really do hunt their victims like real predators. Sometimes, they can be reminiscent of large hunters in the animal world, such as tigers or wolves. I also agree with Max Brooks; zombies are the least prejudiced form of people. They will eat you no matter where you are from.
The article about the key enzyme that repairs sun-damaged DNA really grabbed my interest, mostly because it’s the summer now so people love to play or just sit around in the sun. Although my mom forces me to slather on layers of sunscreen, sometimes I still get pretty tan. Now, after reading the article, I realized that we humans are missing one of the most important enzymes that could have saved the thousands and millions of people who died from skin cancer. It’s interesting to that even though we coexist with many other life forms on this Earth and mostly dominate over them, they also have benefits that we humans don’t have. Of course, the majority of the animal kingdom and plants spend their lives living under the sun so it’s quite useful that they possess this enzyme. After reading Dr. Zhong’s report, I began to understand photolyases more. Even though this is still the beginning of further research into photolysaes, I hope Dr. Zhong and his team of researches can find out how they can apply photolysaes to humans and fix the damage.
As for the 13 pound rat article, I would say it came as a surprise. Even the tiniest rat or mouse can scare me, and then I hear about the 13 pound rat that is probably larger than my dog! Needless to say, I am SO glad they existed over a thousand years ago, and probably will never be seen again. When I read about the people on the island of Timor hunting and eating these gigantic, monstrous rats, I was shocked and disgusted. To me, that’s like eating my dog or an animal similar to her! (Although some people in this world DO eat dog meat, I’m strongly against that.) And since this article has reminded me East Indonesia is a “hotspot for rat evolution” I’ll make sure I never put this location on my list of places to visit.
The article about zombies wasn’t so pleasing to read since I’m not really into this kind of flesh-eating dead body running around. So I’d have to say, no zombies for me! And no sparkly vampires either.
The article about the photolyase enzyme is very eye-opening! The discoveries that could be made by the application of this enzyme could be extremely useful in the future, expecially considering the global warming crisis. We humans are quite unfortunate not to have these components in our bodies, for, like the article said, mutations and regular skinburns would decrease in severity and occurance. However, it will clearly take much time to acheive this new stage in discovery.
As for the rat, that is an astonishing thought to have had a rodent so large! A 13.2 pound rat is quite a scary thought. If they were dangerous, it is good that they are extinct. Although, it would have been amazing to see how they became so large and other such characteristics.
In response to the zombie article, I never knew so much effort could be going into the analysis of how slow or fast a zombie is! I never really thought about the mechanism of a zombie nor how it is portrayed in movies or in idealogy. I must say the article was different than most of the literature or texts I've read about zombies!
Ok everyone who is freaking out about a 13 pound rat should stop freaking out. i am right now at the philippines and every corner they are probably 5 pound rats. 13 pounds wouldnt surprise me. that means that cats then might have been 50 pounds or more!
zombies fast or slow? i rather slow so i can actually live.i realized that people have different opinions of a zombie. and i realized that what their description is either what they fear a zombie is or what they wish it to be. its crazy how people think
The article about the enzymes is very interesting. When I see my friends come back from the day at the beach, they can barely move and their skin is peeling. I on the other hand as a brown indian, I dont get tan and I hope not to get a tan. I cant remmeber the last time I got a sun burn, since I am always protecting myself with a umbrella over my head or layers and layers of sunscreen. If Mr. Zhong does find a way to apply photolyase to a human it can be very helpful to people. In anyway that it would given to humans.. I would be the first to recommend it to my friends.
In the article about rats it didn't really disgust me or scare me. Many archealoigist find more and more bones in the dirt every year. If we didn't know what a dog was...we would be freaking out about a 10-15 pound thing that had a short or long tail and look like a smaller tigger (like this article) ...sure rat are weird creatures that live in disgusting areas but their extinct now and wont bother us, on the side note bravo to the scientis who uncovered this dicovery.
A slow zombie would be the zombie for me. I would totally agree with Arvid, I could always run away from the zomibe....play dead....or even hide without it magically reappering before my eyes. They're just hilarous to look. Fast zombies are scarier...especially in I AM A LEGEND. people die a lot faster than when a slow zombie is after you.
It is amazing how as time progresses, researchers and scientists make highly useful and valuable discoveries. Reversing severe sun damage? That's amazing! It was especially interesting to read this article because just recently, my family and I went to the Siesta Key beach in Florida, where we spent 6 hours floating around in the refreshing water. The sand there was always cool (made of quartz) and we overdid it as we hadn't gone to the beach in a very long time. What we didn't realize though, was that we would suffer the next couple of days from sunburn. My dad got the worse end of it; his back was an awful red color and one touch would cause him to yell. It only exacerbated the next few days. Although we thought it was kind of funny, to him, it was almost like an injury. Besides that, though, we all peeled terribly and that wasn’t a pleasant experience. So, this article gave me hope; it was intriguing yet rather funny. Not only can this enzyme possibly hold a remedy for future sunburns, but can also possibly prevent skin cancer and other skin diseases. Knowing that a sunscreen containing photolyase could potentially heal some of the damage from UV rays can excite many people and give them hope for a less painful experience at the beach. When I read that, "the two subatomic particles healed the damage in a few billionths of a second", I was amazed and couldn't wait till this new beneficial discovery was developed and used to its fullest potential.
In regards to the "Discovered: The Biggest Rat That Ever Lived", that's scary! Who would have thought that the giant of the bunch of rats weighed 13.2 pounds? I couldn't get over this fact and I kept thinking about it. It's strange and interesting to discover captivating and even mortifying information about other species. In TV shows, whenever someone sees a rat, everyone jumps up and scrambles to stand on their chairs. Today, they are little creatures, yet they alarm and disgust us, just like insects do to some people (me included). But what would happen if this 13.2 pound rat lived in our world today? I think that that itself would be a disaster and would even prevent some people from going outside their houses. As said in the article, "...who knows what might be out there?" Also, I learned that East Indonesia is a hotspot for rat evolution. Overall, this article was intriguing yet frightening to read.
As for the Zombie article, I agree with cspoleti when she says she's pro-vampire. I much prefer vampires over zombies. But if I were to choose, I would prefer slow zombies because I would be able to run away and possibly have a better chance of surviving. Also, I don't see zombies being fast at all. I agree with John Skipp when he says, "Zombies make me sad, ultimately". It is sad to know that zombies are empty inside and have no emotions.
I am very glad to hear that there are now ways to correct sun damage, and even better, effectively PROTECT from getting sun damage to begin with. It is also great that scientists can learn from other organisms to help humans. It is really interesting that this special enzyme, photolyase, can FIX mutations. As soon as a sunscreen comes out with a "photolyase complex" I am going to buy it. This is because though I am indian, I get sun burnt often, and i want to protect my skin of the future. A key to good health is prevention.
The first thing I thought of when I saw the headline "13 Pound Rat Discovered" was a normal housewife jumping onto a kitchen table swatting at a rat big enough to be a cat while screaming to the heavens. I found this image quite humorous. I then thought of this same rat chasing a Tom (from Tom and Jerry) like character. This was pretty funny too. Jokes aside, 13 pound rats are very impressive. If "rats" were THAT big, how BIG were the predators. That is scarier than the thought of the 13 pound rats roaming around.
And finally, I would like to say that zombies are not zombies if they are fast. I mean a zombie is something that comes back from the dead and moans and drags itself slowly towards you. Of course it is coming over to you to eat your brains, but it has to be done slowly. The slow movement adds to the suspense of the viewer.
I feel that the Article about the rats was amazing because it showed that that stuff that humans fear in stories actually are true. In many old tales there are stories of strange creatures including dragon but in fact millions of years go there were dinosaurs in the world. I feel that oversized rodents being extinct are a good story to tell future generations. I guess these finding will help to solidify Darwin’s theory of evolution.
I also feel that the new advances in DNA repair is amazing, in the past genetics have been a new frontier and now it is a reality. The genome project used to be a scary science since talk about cloning and stem cell research but now it is more a science which is effective to common people. Mutation of skin cells is a common problem to many people in the summer since the uv rays from the sun can cause DNA in skin cells to mutate. The zombie article was also interesting since is showed people viewed zombies differently. I personally think that zombies would form from an after math of a biological war and they would be slow moving,
How Key Enzyme repairs Sun-Damaged DNA:
The discovery of a new enzyme, photolyase, is really beneficial to many people. Sunburns are common among a great amount of people, especially in the US, and the prevalence of skin cancer around the world is becoming more common. As said in the article, at first when i was reading it, I thought "gee, this seems so simple? why was it only discovered now?", but as I read on about the series and reactions, I realized it actually is a complicated process.
13 pound rat:
I am EXTREMELY terrified of rodents. I get scared when i see a small little rat in my house. When I saw the title of this article, I imagined a 13 pound rat in my house and I almost screamed! This article was extrememly interesting and even amusing to a certain extent.
Post a Comment