- Look at the list of links I provide.
- Pick a few (or all) to read.
- Make an intelligent comment here that shows you read and thought about at least one.
- Gain points. Comments that are made within the week receive maximum points.
The links:
- Turns out most eggs are not shaped like eggs.
- An extinct virus was re-created in a lab. Good idea that will pave the way to bringing back other extinct organisms, or bad idea that will lead to engineered bioweapons?
- As some one who is always being bitten, I am very interested to see the results of this study looking for a genetic component to mosquito attraction.
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63 comments:
I too noticed that most eggs aren't shaped as the stereotypical round with one side being fatter. I did not know how eggs were created, therefore I did not take into account that the process an unfertilized egg goes through while being fertilized impacts its size and shape. I noticed how the female birds that are known to being better at flight produce longer, pointier eggs, and I never understood why. By using common sense, I am able to understand that the more a female's body is streamlined, the more pointier and longer the egg will be due to the limited space it has to produce. Scientists can use this information to first produce eggs of all sizes and shapes, and then find out more information on how an egg is produced and the anatomy of birds.
It is interesting that not all eggs are egg shaped. As discussed in the article, the shape of an egg is determined by either the environment it lives in, its flying ability, or the females anatomy. Depending on the environment the egg lives in, it can adapt to its needs. For example, "pointy eggs are common to cliff-nesting birds because they roll in a circle and are less likely to tumble off an edge." The egg learns to adapt to its habitat for survival. Flying ability also determines egg shape because as birds learn to fly, their bodies "become more tightly packed" which makes their eggs pointy. Lastly, while the egg is in the female, by changing the force in the oviduct, as well as the thickness of the membranes can make a variety of egg shapes.
I believe it is a good idea to re-create extinct viruses because it can be a way to bring back other extinct organisms. A job like this should be kept safely and in the right hands, or it can end up harming many people, or used as biological weapons. Re-creating these viruses can be a good resource for researching ways to prevent future diseases. It can help to prepare for diseases by creating vaccines or medications.
I am interested to see the results of the study looking for a genetic component to mosquito attraction. Mosquitos are a problem in many places and finding what they are attracted too can help prevent future bug bites. The study seems promising because by using the used socks it can help find what odors or body types mosquitos attract. To make the experiment more beneficial, they should use different ethnic groups to see if mosquito attraction is related to ethnicity. This experiment can be used to create pills or repellents for people more prone to get bitten. It can also be used to see which communities or places are more attracted to mosquitos.
Of the three articles I had read, I found two of them to be particularly interesting. I found the article, "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus" captivating because as we're advancing scientifically in new and exciting ways, we are creating a possibility of threat. The smallpox virus and the polio virus have been extinct for decades. The extinction of these viruses, has been for the greater good of the human race, but now we are uncovering ways to re-sequence the DNA of these deadly viruses. David Evans is attempting to create vaccines using the vaccinia virus, which is similar to small pox. This is to deliver cancer fighters in our immune systems, and the easiest way to create this virus is synthetically. On one hand, we are one step closer to curing cancer, however should this research get in the hands of the wrong people, we can end up back to where we were decades ago. Although we are taking a step forward curing something that continues to kill people everyday, we are taking two steps back to something that has killed so many in the past. It has been decided that the research for recreating these viruses will be left in their journals, as someone with a scientific background can easily recreate them.
I was immediately hooked onto the article "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?" because it has been a topic of conversation forever. Every time we go outdoors, we think about why some people are so much more prone to getting mosquito bites rather than others. I personally thought it was based on blood type or how "sweet" it was. However studies have shown I was way off on this assumption. A study with non identical and identical twins have shown that body odor along with the surface area of your body play a significant role on how prone or not prone to mosquito bites you may be. Studies have shown that pairs of identical twins which have similar body odors are equally affected, while fraternal twins who have different body odors are affected differently. This links it back to genetics, which determines how prone you are to mosquito bites. Knowing this, scientists are trying to create a pill that will (at the genetic level) prevent these mosquito bites, which I find very fascinating.
Not specifically just recreating extinct viruses, but with the ability to create new vaccines and cancer treatments from new strains of viruses is just what this world needs. Taking a look back at many of the infamous epidemics, there has been a trend in the death toll - it pointed downwards. Going back as far as to 541AD, the Plague of Justinian took the lives of 50 million people in the Middle East and Asia. Nearly a millennia later in 1519AD, a smallpox epidemic had its toll of a little over 20 million lives. The Modern Plague of China and India killed 12 million, an outbreak in Manchuria in the 1910s took 60,000 with occasional outbreaks still in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa, and down to about 11,000 deaths in the 2012 Ebola epidemic which many believed to be the single most devastating virus to the largely misinformed population of the US and many other nations as well [Referenced to CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2014/10/health/epidemics-through-history/]. Where this all ties in now is that in the creation of a multitude of strains in the better interest of the people, there will be certain folks who have malintent of creating a bioweapon, a supervirus immune to any vaccine or even superbug immune to any antibacterial substances with genetic engineering. Understanding it could be my life that is affected by the harmful viruses, I place the importance and value of constructing a healthier future for us. And understanding that we have been able to develop some counter or isolation of viruses in the past to limit its death toll which has been very successful in almost all outbreaks and has even gone as far in a global movement to entirely eradicate smallpox. Any massive outbreaks that may occur in the near future will be with the consideration that it can and will be defeated with the help of newly engineered vaccines as well. Ultimately, the benefits of creating strains of viruses outweigh the possibly dangerous products of this engineering.
In regards to the mosquito article, I am just going to talk about my own personal experience about it rather than anything in specific to the article. I get too many mosquito bites each summer that I lose count of them. I currently have over 20 bites from these terrible monsters and I'm sure that every mosquito I see has my blood in it and deserves to be dead :(. I have 5 on my pinky disabling its mobility without irritating any of the bites. Every time I get a bite, it swells into this huge patch immediately which then decreases to a normal appearance of a bite after 15 minutes. My best friend for the summer is a large can of mosquito repellant. All of these issues can be similarly seen in my double first cousin who lives in Minnesota. She and I, in addition to these bug issues, possess many similar traits such as a similar appetite, similar height, both of us used to produce very little melanin in our skin when younger but have recently produced a large amount, and many more similarities. Whether it is a specific gene that we possess, from my past years of research to save myself from these tiny monsters, I have learned that there are a multitude if causes of a large attraction for mosquitos varying from blood type to certain excessive acid productions to the amount of physical activity one conducts. Any drug that can be put together to repel the large amount of mosquito bites I receive, that's where my money is at.
The first one I have read was about recreating an extinct virus. This was tremendously impressive and showcases the ability of current technology is brilliant. To create from scratch a virus which is a relative to the extinct virus is amazing. I am quite interested on how our lives in 20 years can be affected. It will be an incremental step in biology introducing it into many procedures done today such as surgery. Also for cancer this will be huge, this may cut down on cancer treatment costs making it more affordable for the patient improving health care. Although it can be used as biological weapons it can also be used to save millions of lives. The virus should have a gene that would reduce the lifespan dramatically and stop reproduction. This would enable scientists to keep the genes in a safe environment, and if leaked it would die by itself withing a 2-5 days. There should also be enough security for these facilities. However despite all of this there is still biological warfare, they must find a cure fast. Or while creating these viruses create a cure too. Luckily the relative of the small pox virus has been modified to not infect humans. However the small cost, makes it easy to replicate and use it as a weapon.
It is interesting to see that smell is one of the main factors that insects utilize as a form of attraction, rather than the type of blood one has, as that is commonly spoken of when referring to people that are usually bitten by mosquitoes. Through this research, scientists can learn what types of scents bugs are more attracted to and can improve the quality of bug sprays and repellents manufactured today.
Discovering that most eggs are not the typical chicken egg shape that we are used to is really surprising. This just shows how much more there is in nature that we do not know of, and how we are only used to the things we see everyday. We only know the things we see often and forget that there is a whole world full of various creatures that look, act, and live in different ways than we are used to seeing. Researching these different species can of course allow us to have a better understanding of species and why certain qualities are present.
I found it very interesting how most eggs are not exactly “egg-shaped.” Before reading this article, I always wondered what factors determined egg shape. According to data presented in the article, a female bird’s flying ability correlates with its offspring’s egg shape. Birds who have great flying abilities are more likely to produce asymmetric pointy eggs due to their streamlined body, narrow oviduct, and limited space to hold eggs. Their narrow oviduct prevents the width of each egg from being too wide. Also, a bird’s environment can play a major role in its egg shape. Cliff-nesting birds’ eggs tend to be pointier, preventing their eggs from tumbling off an edge. After reading the article, I can conclude that eggs living in nests cannot be completely spherical. If they are completely spherical, the eggs will break. It’s amazing how an egg’s shape depends on the environment.
I was very intrigued by the article “Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?” because I am always being bitten by mosquitoes during the summer. After reading this article, I am interested to see the results of the experiment using socks. If done correctly, the experiment will hopefully produce medication that will "allow the body to produce natural repellents in order to keep mosquitoes away." This will benefit many people. To get more accurate results, the experiment should be repeated multiple times using people of different backgrounds. I hope viruses like dengue and malaria can be prevented in the future through this research. In the future, I would love to learn more about the role genetics play in mosquito attraction.
I also believe that bringing back viruses that are no longer around can benefit our society. This is because these viruses may be able to aid scientists in creating cures for severe diseases today and future epidemics. Creating cures for future illnesses would help keep a large population, and it would mean that less people are dying. Re-creating these viruses could allow people to live long, happy lives. These viruses could be a lead to bring back extinct organisms too. DNA found in some of the "ingredients" used to make these viruses could be DNA from organisms that are extinct. That could be used as a lead to re-create organisms that are no longer extant. According to the article scientists believe that re-creating these viruses is quite possible. The technology is there, but there are still a few obstacles that should soon be overcome. Although scientists can produce these viruses, they must be kept under great care. This is because it is important that these viruses do not get placed in the wrong hands. If they do get placed in the wrong hands, the viruses could be used for villainous purposes.
The experiment seems interesting because it is one that could definitely benefit the lives of many people. Mosquitoes are a constant nuisance when one is outdoors. They make being outdoors less enjoyable for some people. Seeing what these pests are mainly attracted to, and figuring out a way to keep them away will make it more enjoyable to be outside. This experiment will inform people on what mosquitoes are really attracted to when they are around, for example the mosquitoes could be looking for a certain smell. This certain experiment can also lead scientists to create some kind of treatment to prevent mosquitoes from feeding on human blood.
I view the accomplishment of re-creating/ creating a virus as both a great scientific advancement in our generation but also a possible set back. The ability to put pieces of DNA together in the right sequence and create a virus could move vaccines and medicine forward, allowing us to have a better understanding on how to prevent certain diseases. But this all comes at a cost. Falling in the wrong peoples hands, there could quite possibly be another plague outbreak that could sweep the world a cause the global population to plummet. Though this scientific accomplishment is definitely a step forwards, it could be 5 steps back as well.
The idea of recreating a dangerous virus that was once eradicated is great yet frightening, because while some scientists may want to find cures for cancer with this process, it is just as possible for people with bad intentions to recreate viruses to be used as bioweapons. David Evans, the professor responsible for recreating the smallpox virus, had intended for the recreation to eventually aid in developments for a cure for cancer. Of course recreating viruses has been done in the past, but every time it prompts the question of whether or not modern advancements in biotechnology can lead to the creation of bioweapons. Bioweapons pose a threat, because harmful viruses such as polio, smallpox and more had greatly affected large populations in the past. Due to the nature of viruses, recreating eradicated viruses can be dangerous because of their potential to cause great harm. Another concern stated in the article was that since Evans had used private funding and the team worked in Canada, the government had little control in regulating the process whereas if Evans was working in the United States, the recreation of the virus would have gone through a much more complicated process. This brings concern because if others can work in countries where regulation is very low, along with private funding, then there is less control over the experiment from the government. This may lead to dangerous consequences in the future as there is a greater chance for someone to abuse the process, and create bioweapons. Although many journals refused to print Evans' findings, the word about his recreation had already been reported, and this worried Professor Marc Lipsitch. Lipsitch is worried that people with bad intentions will now be more aware of the uses of modern technology to recreate dangerous viruses, and information like this can lead to the abuse of modern day science. And despite Evans' stating that he would not reveal great information on how exactly he recreated the virus, Lipsitch is worried that Evans' findings show that as it becomes easier for complicated science to be utilized, government will have less control over it. While this technology can be used to further develop cures for cancer and other diseases, it also has the potential to cause greater harm. However there are many positives to these new findings. Diseases like Alzheimer's, Cancer, Celiac disease, HIV and more may be able to be cured in the future if scientists can utilize the same technology. Perhaps in the future, when science has advanced even more, these cures will be available. And perhaps it can also be used to recreate extinct organisms. There are several positives to the use of Evans' findings as long as they are used with good intentions.
As I was reading the article "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus," I was startled by the confirmation that it was possible for scientists to recreate deadly viruses that wreaked devastation on humans in the past. The fact that there is technology in the world which allows scientists to create viruses that have been extinct for a while is one that truly frightens me. Although this technology can be used in a good way if it is used to create vaccines or bring back extinct organisms, there is always a chance that the technology can end up in the wrong hands. Bioterrorism is a dangerous idea because bacteria can spread between people very quickly. Throughout our history, diseases have killed far more people than other causes of death like war. If somehow, terrorists learn how to create strains of viruses they will suddenly be much more powerful. Even when we create vaccines for their new viruses, they will simply create a new strain that would be just as deadly. With that kind of power, terrorists would be capable of destruction on the largest scale. That is why I believe that this technology is bad.
The other article that I read was "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?" This article was very interesting because mosquitoes spread many diseases. Every year about one million kids die from malaria alone.This shows that mosquitoes pose a serious threat towards human health. Every time I go to India to visit my family there, I always end up getting countless mosquito bites all over my body. When I compared the number of bites that I have on my body compared to the number of bites that my cousin has, it shocked me. My cousins would barely have any bites on their body, while I would be itching every last bite on me. My grandparents would always say that I get a lot of bites because I lived in America, even though there is no scientific evidence to support that claim. If scientists find the genes which which repel mosquitoes, then perhaps that could be worked into a way to repel mosquitoes.
After reading the article “Scientist Re-created an Extinct Virus,” it is apparent that synthetic biology is a huge controversy in the science community. For many years, scientists have been working on creating viruses from genetic codes or sequences. Recently, at the University of Alberta a strand of smallpox was created. It shows that deadly viruses can be created by humans. In addition, a Canadian team created the horsepox viruses. Even though this virus is not a threat to humans, other viruses can be created that can potentially harm humans. In the early 2000’s, the Polio virus was created. Scientist feared that it will only be a matter of time before more dangerous viruses can be created. Through modern technology, these deadly diseases can be synthesized, and it could be done at relatively low costs. Scientist, who are against synthetic biology, are concerned that if this technology is in the wrong hands that these diseases will be unleashed into the world or used as weapons. On the contrary, scientist Evans believes that there would be a bigger goal such as developing cancer vaccines by using vaccinia virus in his research. Also, a pharmaceutical company named Toxin believed synthetic biology is important for a better smallpox vaccine. Some scientist are concerned that the world knows that there is technology capable to create these deadly disease. If too much detail is put in articles, then the information can be used by the wrong people. There is a possibility that it can be turned into a bioweapon because it can be done at a relatively low cost. I support synthetic biology because it can lead to discovering new cures for cancer, and it can improve different vaccinations. This can end suffering of million of people worldwide. It can make strong vaccines which enables people to have better health. Although, if this technology falls into the wrong hands, it can have disastrous affects. Therefore, governmental regulations should be put on synthetic biology, and scientist should be able to stop the virus if anything is to happen.
Recreating an extinct virus can be beneficial, but it's negative impacts greatly outweigh these benefits. It is true that this new advancement in science can be profitable as it can lead to the creation of multiple cancer vaccines. However, I believe that synthetic biology has the potential to lead to harmful bioweapons. If people with bad intentions get there hands on this technology, they can manipulate it and use it as a weapon. This can result in mass casualties. According to the article, it is more difficult for the governement to control engineered bioweapons. Although I am against this technology, it is quite impressive that scientists were able to recreate an extinct virus from scratch. It is really a great advancement for science, but it can be used as a weapon if it falls into the wrong hands.
For the first article, I always thought that all eggs were shaped the same (like a chicken egg), but that they came in different sizes. After reading this article, I now realize that eggs come in many different shapes with different ellipses and symmetries. Also, why they are shaped differently now makes sense. The way the shape of the egg correlates to the bird’s flying ability surprises me. I hope that this helps scientists further their research on the anatomy of birds, and their reproduction process.
For the second article, in my personal opinion, I don’t think that creating a new virus is the best option. This new virus could escape from the lab and harm people like it did when it was in a different form years ago. Why should we create a possible bio weapon that could possibly kill thousands of people just so we can save others. We don’t even know if the vaccine will help with fighting cancer, so I think that the cons outweigh the uncertain pros.
For the third article, I found this article very interesting. I would have never thought that our genes could contribute to how many mosquito bites we will get. I hope that new research comes out about this topic because the research presented in the article was not fully complete. One example of the incomplete research was exactly which genes actually contribute to the attraction. This would be very useful information because it could let people know if they are at a higher risk of being bit by a mosquito that is carrying a virus. Finally, I wonder what makes the researchers believe that different species of mosquitoes will be attracted to the same human odor.
Of these articles, I found the one entitled "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitos?" particularly interesting because I do feel as if I am a magnet for mosquitos. Understanding the possible genetic component of mosquito attraction can pave the way to send these pesky bugs searching for dinner elsewhere. I hoped that by the end of this article I would know the cure for mosquito bites, yet it was still helpful to understand that the smell of attractive or repellent chemicals is what brings them to a particular person, not blood.
Because I am heading to Peru, I have read about the different types of insect repellent (and there are quite a few) more than I ever thought I would in my lifetime. We are fortunate to live in a place where we light a candle in the backyard and try not to scratch, but that isn't always the case. In other parts of the world, viruses like Dengue and Malaria are very real threats. Precautions are taken as seriously as airport security and a simple bug bite is more than a nuisance, its cause for concern. A raised red circle on the skin isn't the end of the problem, it is just the beginning.
Ideally, this study will lead to the creation of a product with the ability to repel mosquitos and the viruses they may bring. While it isn't the biggest deal in the world for us, a medicine like this could eventually save lives by understanding the role of genetics and blood in mosquito attraction. And maybe one day, those awful smelling mosquito repelling candles will be a thing of the past.
The article regarding the extinct virus being recreated sparked great interest for me. In many supernatural movies, it is seen when a virus is either created or recreated using old DNA that has been reordered in the correct sequence and accidentally released to the public, creating havoc. However, we have always regarded these occurrences as superficial or unreal. Now that through the use of synthetic biology (the design or redesign of biological systems), highly dangerous viruses have been recreated. Although not released to the pulblic, it may still pose a danger. At the moment, scientists have been observing viruses similar that stimulate cancer fighters into immune systems of humans, the vaccinia virus in particular, only for the betterment of society and the mindset that once the genetic outline of such viruses are created, the genetic outline of other harmful viruses can also be created or discovered. This use of synthetic biology however raises the question of bioethics since if a benign virus is released into the public by accident and turns out to be harmful, it can cause a great deal of setbacks. Also if the ability to reconstruct harmful viruses falls into the wrong hands, purposefully catastrophic events may occur. It may also pose a danger in the sense where in a world of mainly natural beings and systems, if many unnatural beings and systems are created or recreated it may affect the current ecosystems and our current immune systems abilities. If this use of synthetic biology continues to be purely used for good and to introduce things such as cancer fighting cells to our immune systems, many scientific advances can be made without the need for extraction of current human DNA or DNA of other organisms. This will introduce research into the scientific community that will greatly benefit society.
The article discussing mosquitoes and what makes us prone to being bitten also greatly interested me. Most people I know are often bitten, while mosquitoes don't seem to bite me at all, which has always made me think about what creates attraction of human blood to mosquitoes. Body odor seemed like a obvious factor, however it was overlooked, instead with people thinking it was blood type. I am anticipating the results of twin sock experiment since if people who omit similar body odors are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes, it may be easier to identify populations that will be more prone to being bitten. I also found it interesting that mosquitoes infected with a virus such as malaria will be more likely to bite someone with the virus as that may require some level of detection that mosquitoes have that also produces the question of how mosquitoes can account for so many factors. I hope the discoveries made from this experiment help produce effective mosquito repellents and help us understand more about diseases mosquitoes carry.
Regarding the article on re-creating an extinct virus, I believe that humans having the capability to do so could be a huge step forward in both genetic and medical research. While the potentialis always there for the re-created viruses to be used as weapons, I think the possibility of furthering cancer research or creating more effective vaccines outweighs the possible security concerns. If the research was done here in the US rather than overseas, I think it is almost a given that the federal government would have stepped in to take some part in the research or stop it due to security concerns. The specifics concerns in the article reminded of President Bush's ban on stem cell research funding in 2001, which prevented further research for years to come. I think there could be the possibility of a similar case if the virus research was taken overseas to America. While there may be a moral grey area similar to stem cell research, I believe the simple possibility and potential these viruses have for the greater outweigh the potential for them to be used to harm others. I look forward to seeing any further development on the topic and if a backing by large pharmaceutical companies will have an impact on the public and government's opinion.
Synthetic biology is a very conflicted point of discussion for it has various benefits but also many dangers. This field of research is considered to be a DURC, or dual use research of concern, meaning it could be used for both good and for bad. This week, a Canadian team created a relative of the smallpox virus called the horsepox from scratch by putting together the DNA of the virus according to its genetic code. In the past, there has been others who have also replicated an extinct virus such as the poliovirus in 2002. Although creating the horsepox virus was not the first time a similar feat has been accomplished, this is the most complex thing that has been replicated and that too at such a relatively low cost. This shows what modern technology and science can do. Synthetic biology is a positive advancement because it can help cure cancer, make new vaccinations, and even bring extinct species back to life. Seeing this recent feat, Evans wanted to take it to the next level by developing cancer vaccines. He wants to use the vaccinia virus "as a way introduce cancer fighters to the immune system". Synthetic biology can also be used to bring back extinct species using the method of artificially putting together its genetic code - as used in developing the horsepox virus - but on a larger scale. Although there are many of these benefits, synthetic biology can also result in the production of dangerous engineered bioweapons. This fear started when a Dutch scientist manipulated bird flu viruses until they could spread through ferrets. This was posed as a security threat because any disease that can be caught be a ferret can be caught by a human. This same thing can be applied to cause much larger repercussions. Given this, I personally support synthetic biology but I believe that if the technology gets into the wrong hands, it can have disastrous results.
Regarding "Scientists Re-Created an Extinct Virus" I can see how it is controversial. Once a deadly virus, such as smallpox, has been deemed extinct or eradicated it should never resurface for the benefit of others. Bringing back these viruses comes with concerns as to who can be trusted to control the genetic code. This power could lead to biological weaponry on a world wide scale, especially if the virus is airborne. Although it could be beneficial to use these viruses to cure diseases such as cancer, as David Evans advocates, there is still controversy regarding who can be trusted with producing such a virus that could be used for testing in order to cure millions of people or used to wipe out an entire nation.
I have always thought thought that mosquitos are attracted based on heat signals. I also assumed that they are repealed by certain smells, as there are mosquito repellent outdoor candles and brackets. What I found interesting was that our genetic makeup could also determine whether these insects are more attracted to us. Always being bitten by mosquitoes is very frustrating for someone especially if they are allergic, so I'm very intrigued in these test results. It would be amazing if they show how particular genes could be the factor that attracts mosquitos. This study could explain the reason why one person is more susceptible to mosquito bites than others, based on their biological makeup, not their heat signals.
I also had noticed that most eggs aren't shaped as what we seem to be the normal round shape with one side being bigger. I had never noticed it thought about how how eggs were created, that is whu I never took into account the long process an unfertilized egg goes through while being fertilized. I never knew that this process could effect the size and shape of the egg. Another thing that I noticed is how the female birds that are known to being better at characteristics such as being able to fly longer produce longer, they have pointier eggs, and I never thought to question why this happens. Using prior knowledge i was able to understand that the more a female's body is changed the more pointier and longer the egg will be due to the limited space it has. Scientists use all this information to produce eggs of all shape and sizes and then find out more information on how an egg is produced and the structure of birds.
Of the three articles I read, I found the one pertaining to egg shape and size to be the most interesting. I find this article the most interesting because it provides a detailed and scientific explanation and examples of vestigial adaptation, something I didn't understand very much, and something that every organism must go through to survive. When I first learned that egg shape was not always uniform, I jumped to the conclusion that it had to do something with the environment the egg was layed in. I was not alone in this conclusion that environment seems to cause the egg to be shaped a certain way: "Researchers have argued that pointy eggs are common to cliff-nesting birds because they roll in a circle and are less likely to tumble off an edge. Or that asymmetric eggs pack together more easily and would allow females with large clutches to incubate their broods efficiently. . ." However, this hypothesis was eventually replaced with one that says that egg shape correlates with a bird's flying ability; better flyers have more compact and streamline bodies which limit their reproductive organs to narrow and long membranes instead of wide and symmetrical ones. The birds that do not fly so well, tend to have more symmetrical eggs. I find it fascinating that such a simple observation such as egg shape can be explained with so many factors and so much research. It is especially interesting because scientists can apply this knowledge to humans, and how we, in a way, adapt to our own behavior. For example, why are our bodies made the way that they are? Several factors of our environment influence this.
It is interesting that the egg most people visualize when they think of eggs is not the most popular shape for eggs. Before reading this article, I thought that eggs from the earliest egg-laying creatures were randomly shaped and that the more common shapes we see today were the result of thousands of years of breeding and genetic mutations. I can see now that I was wrong. I did not even think a bird's flying ability could be even related to egg shape. There are different organs and muscles used when flying than when creating, shaping, and laying eggs. I was surprised when the article stated that good fliers were more likely to have asymmetric and elliptical eggs. One thing that confused me was that the owl, which can fly longer and faster than the chicken, has a spherical egg while the chicken has an elliptical egg. I believe that in addition to the shaping affect provided by narrower oviducts, the environment also plays a role in the shaping of eggs. Something I wondered after reading the article was whether or not the egg shapes of oviparous or ovoviviparous terrestrial animals were affected by how fast they travel.
I was intrigued by the fact that mosquitoes can be attracted to certain people more than they are attracted to others. I used to think that mosquitoes bit people randomly and the only reason that they bit me was that I was unlucky. Now, I can see that some people, like me, are more attractive to mosquitoes while some people naturally repel mosquitoes. I was confused by how smells people release make them more or less attractive to mosquitoes. I was confused because I thought all people's blood would be similar, no matter how they smell. Something I wondered after reading the article was how long it would take until the something is created that can change your smell permanently to one that repels mosquitoes. This study is very interesting and can reduce the harm caused by the insect that harms many people each year.
Upon reading the first article, the correlation between bird species and egg shape seems to be dependent on three factors: diet, habitat, and evolutionary aeronautics. The thought of varying egg shapes and sizes had not entered my mind before reading this article, but now it seems to make sense. For instance, a bird that nests higher in trees will lay conical eggs so that if they roll, they will not roll off the nest. Their shape will keep them inside and safe. This development seems like it would be a feat of human logic, however without mankind's interference evolution and natural selection are likely at fault. Perhaps early species of birds who also nested high did not have conical eggs, and with too many incidents of eggs falling, species became endangered, and later extinct. Another example being that birds with eggs that could not easily be grouped together could not incubate properly or effectively, and again, became extinct. As time marched forward a few hundreds of thousands of years, the fittest survived when the weak could not.
Recreating smallpox using "synthetic biology" can be a very useful tool when it comes to developing vaccines for diseases that still affect society today, though the thought of mad scientists whipping up a batch to unleash on the masses is a freightening one. The article mentions using these procedures and methods to create low dose, harmless strands of viruses or cancer cells to make vaccines that can hopefully relieve the world of these illnesses. To take advantage of this opportunity and fund this research is a risk that, with its intentions accomplished, can save countless lives in the future, especially in third world countries that when done so can inspire incredible cultural development.
It makes sense that mosquitoes have some sort of internal radar when it comes to choosing who they should leech off of. The research done by Logan two years ago gives a hint that what lures mosquitoes is in our genes or similar physical traits. Whether that be smell, body heat, or carbon dioxide emission, we do not know yet. My theory is that all three play a role. The pheromones that we secrete may play to the mosquitoe's evolved instinct that humans hold a fluid that will fertilize their eggs, or our body heat clues them in on the fact that we are alive and metabolically effective, and if they choose us to draw blood, they will be metabolically effective as well to produce offspring. Perhaps the levels of carbon dioxide we exhale tells them that our respiratory system oxidizes blood and will be a good choice in fertility. This of course would be instinct, not a developed, logic based thought. To incorporate any or all options in researching and narrowing possibilities can lead us to develop a repellent that is based on our biology.
When I read the title, "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus", I knew that this issue would raise high controversy among people on the uses of biotechnology. Will humans destroy themselves through biotechnology in recreating a virus that is a threat to biosecurity or are we revolutionizing medicine? David Evans, a professor of medical microbiology and immunology, believes that recreating viruses is able to create cancer vaccines by using the vaccinia virus, which is a relative of smallpox. If Evans is able to succeed, then cancers will depreciate over time as humans will be less susceptible to the cancers with vaccinations. However, the debate arises due to the potential worry that rogue scientists could weaponize pathogens that will be able to destroy the human population. Consequently, the United States pulled its funding in biotech and pharmaceutical industries to prevent the possibility of an outbreak of a once extinct virus. Yet, scientists like Evans are still able to continue their research overseas with private capital. Overall, recreating the virus has a possibility in advancing medical abilities to help patients with serious illnesses but could lead to the downfall of human life if a disease is able to escape the lab.
Before reading this article I had no idea that eggs had different shapes. It shows an evidence of the change in eggs shape when Stoddard experimented hundreds of species in which it showcased the frequent structure that appeared the most by a songbird called "Graceful Prinia " and also more pointed than chicken's. There were various types egg shapes mentioned in the article such as pointy, spherical and asymmetrical. Pointy eggs tends to roll in a circle and least likely to tumble off an edge. One thing that also caught my attention was that "spherical eggs are stronger... or use the least amount of shell for a given volume which would be useful for birds that can't get enough calcium in their diet." The shape of an egg is based on their flying ability and female anatomy and the enrollment they live in. I also got to know that even though penguins are flightless they swim underwater so their eggs turns out to be pointy instead of symmetric. Nonetheless, the scientists point out that bigger birds with smaller clutches tend to have longer eggs. When L. Mahadevan researched he found that all eggs are determined based on how symmetric they are and how elliptical they are. It is unbelievable how rarely everyone knows about the different egg shapes because we never really researched this deeply before.
I always wondered how mosquitoes were attracted to humans. It is because it depends on the body weight and structure. The larger and taller you are the more it makes them attractive towards you. Also, there was a really fascinating study that I also got to learn a bit about smelly socks and how scientists used as their experiment tool. I thought it was pretty unique way of finding why mosquitoes are attractive towards us. Another study puts together identical twins and nonidentical and it demonstrates that identical twins were more desirable than nonidentical. This study is satisfying to me because it helps scientists know what body odor or body types attracts mosquitoes. According to the article, one way to reduce mosquitoes from us is to change our body odors. Correspondingly, genes like MHC characterizes a part of odor production and mammal's partner choices because it is said that human and mice likes their partners that smell less similar to themselves. I think reading this article totally answered my question.
After reading the article describing the reconstruction of extinct diseases, I have a lot of reasoning as to why I am in support of the research. Planet Earth’s population is expected to hit its maximum survival cap, of 10 billion, in 2050. In addition, it is noteworthy that the issue over water is already prevalent, being that less than 1 percent of fresh water is available, and the issue over resources is inevitably going to arise with our growing population. From here out, everything I say below, is not because I am in support of bioweaponry, but simply because it is important to think about.
We are expected to face this issue around 2050, when resources will be used at an extremely dangerous rate. Scientists say we will have to face nuclear war for resources, or in other words, World War 3. Others say we should release a hazardous disease into contained areas to decrease the population. I personally believe that the research spoken about in Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus should be encouraged for multiple reasons. First off, if we as an American community, try to solve the population issue, we would have to limit down reproduction and societal growth, which is perceived as inhumane and unfair. As a result, we will have to face war, or find a solution which can cut down our population, but doesn’t require death on both sides of the world. If we are to learn the background and the complicated details of forming and taking apart viruses and such diseases, our understanding grows. And with increased understanding, we as a community will be able to do 2 things when the time to fight the population issue arises. Number 1, we will be able to find a cure to any bioweaponry released on us, from other countries (Even though this can be done without the research today, the increased understanding that comes with synthetic biology will only be more supportive if an issue arises). Secondly, if we have to choose between nuclear war or cutting the population, we will have the ability to make the decision. This doesn’t mean that we should choose to introduce bioweaponry, but simply that we will have possible options, other than nuclear war.
This response most likely seems absolutely absurd, so I’m going to mention other reasons as to why I support this research, in a completely different contextuality. The text explicitly states, “Evans, who is a member of a World Health Organization...is trying to develop cancer vaccines and wants to use a vaccinia virus — another relative of smallpox, often used in research — as a way to introduce cancer fighters to the immune system. Learning how to make vaccinia viruses synthetically would speed this work.” (Branswell). The intent of many scientists in the field of synthetic biology is to relieve society of many issues, as described by the goal of Evans. With the prevalence of cancer and the risk of future diseases, it is important for us to take a step in solving the problems of our future by allowing our understanding to grow where it can. Risks, such as societal threats, are existing in every avenue. Within the military, governmental power, and even biology, there will always be a risk involved, but that doesn’t mean work should be entirely discredited when benefits come as well. If in 20 years a completely different disease is to enter our community, we can be ready, at least to a greater extent, if we allow our understanding in viruses and disease to grow. In other words, learning to construct viruses today may allow us to take them apart when we need to.
I found this article to be the most interesting, and I believe that we should allow our knowledge to grow, rather than to allow the fear of threat to stop our own mental evolution.
Scientific discovery is monumental in preserving the human race and advancing the world as it changes. Although, I believe there is very thin, delicate line as to whether it is a good or bad idea. It is a good idea pertaining to the advancement of our intelligence, but as this happens, it is easy to take for granted and advantage of in a way that could only hurt the human race.The ability to use technology to make discoveries and the freedom to do that should not be taken for granted. Research, application, and trial and error is how we learn and fix problems we face, but I believe the world can not be perfect, and these advancements could spread that thinking. As long as scientists focus on fixing specific problems that hurt humans, these discoveries will greatly modernize our race. Having said that, this discovery can monumentally bring back extinct organisms that help our world and its ecosystems and with that, can fix many problems that rose with the extinction of those animals.
While reading this, the idea behind the movie, War for the Planet of the Apes, was in the back of my mind as I noticed a similarity. The scientists of that movie were experimenting on apes in order to increase the intelligence of average humans. In result, the apes gained intense amounts of intelligence and began to conquer the world. As that happens, a gene in humans mutated and now they began to lose intelligence. So, I believe there has to be a limit and sense of reason when it comes to scietific discovery and advancement.
Mosquitos can smell their target before they actually see them. People have wondered why humans attract mosquitos. British researchers are going to do an experiment for the job of human genetics in this study. They will collect socks from identical and nonidentical twins and place them into a wind tunnel filled with mosquitos. The researchers think that the socks will contain attractive or repellant chemicals. The odor compounds could be used for future purposes in controlling mosquito populations. Previous studies have shown that mosquito attraction is driven by visual, olfactory and thermal cues. This investigation will help find more causes to attracting or repelling mosquitos. It is already known by most scientists that certain types of people have a higher frequency of bites than others. Carbon dioxide exhalation means more mosquitos. Researchers have discovered that large people get bitten more because they exhale more carbon dioxide. They also found that people infected with malaria are more attractive to mosquitos that carry malaria within their transmissible stage of infection. Our individual genetics also play a role in mosquito attraction. Scientists found that identical twins were more alike in their desirability to the mosquitos than the nonidentical twins since identical twins smell more alike to each other. The new study by British researchers will have some more exact results than any former experiments. This study will include twins from two separate places instead of just from Europe. They will also be using a different type of mosquito. It has been found that various groups of people develop four major volatile compounds. The compound nonanal may be mainly attractive among specific kinds of mosquitoes. What they have not found out yet is which genes produce the compounds that attract mosquitoes. I would say that we should commit to finding more repellents to mosquitos like these so that there are less diseases spread and mosquitoes will become less of a threat to humans. In the process, we can also find cures to the diseases that are caused by the mosquitos.
As a person who is not fond of eggs, or even birds in general, I've never spent much time thinking about their evolution. According to “Why Are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer,” different species of birds have differently shaped eggs. This was news to me that every egg wasn't the same. Things that cause eggs to vary include environmental factor, the ability to fly, and the anatomy of the mother bird. To further explain, a bird who flies compacts their internal organs to help streamline their bodies. Doing this makes it much more efficient for flying, but this compacting of the internal organs causes the mother bird’s oviduct to be much more narrow. The oviduct being more narrow allows for much less room for an egg to be birthed through. Having less room for an egg to pass through causes the eggs to evolve to their mother’s abilities. This causes eggs that were more round before to be more slim, but have a longer point. So according to these findings, a bird who doesn't fly, such as a penguin, wouldn't have to accommodate to the problems that arrive from flying. This causes eggs to come in an array of shapes and sizes.
Having the newfound ability to create viruses is a huge leap for humanity in a scary direction. Knowledge is always a great asset to have, but too much knowledge with the wrong person could cause chaos. Letting someone who is not mentally fit or has a deviant mind, control something that could wipe out a population is something that could very much happen if we all continue in search to create new viruses. Though some may help with curing disease or making vaccinations, one mishap can kill.
I am definitely a magnet for mosquitoes and the search for a way to not be eaten alive is something I've been waiting for for a long time. Our world faces enough problems with diseases and infections brought upon by the bites from insects, so finding a way to protect ourselves from that is great. Things such as malaria and the Zika virus have been brought upon by those little ankle biters and need to be stopped.
Mosquitoes, to me, are certainly not one of the things that I would discuss about. Growing up in Nigeria, it was a normal thing to hear about a neighbor infected with malaria due to the concentration of mosquitoes in the area. I thought that mosquitoes were attracted to everyone no matter who the are. I did not think that a person's height, weight, or current conditions played a role. I thought they were just about sucking blood and nothing more. After reading the article "Are you a Magnet for Mosquitoes", I now have an answer to the reason behind why my sister would complain about mosquito bites and I wouldn't. I just thought it was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I did not think that mosquitoes had any preference what so ever. It is interesting how genetic also played a role. I never really thought that the human odor could also take part in if a person attracts mosquitoes. This article really gave me an insight on the interaction between mosquitoes and people. This research could really make a breakthrough to help repel mosquitoes. Maybe there's a way in which the human odor can be manifested to repel mosquitoes.
The article that I found was the most interesting was "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus." This interests me because further research into synthetic biology can either help humanity overcome its greatest enemy, cancer; or destroy it altogether. Many scientists are against this field of study because of the threat it poses to humanity. The smallpox virus had finally been eradicated in 1980, causing the deaths of many people. This caused many to be reluctant to create a synthetic smallpox virus in the chance that the virus may wreak havoc with an immunity that can't be cured, though the chance is small. Another aspect of synthetic biology that scientists fear is its use in warfare, and the chance is very real. As stated by Lipstich, when Evans published the work of the smallpox virus, he basically let the whole world know that it can be done, including those who would use it to harm others. The main reason that Evans was able to do his work was because he did his work outside the US and with private money. The National Institutes of Health had no influence on what he could or couldn't do because of this. If Evans was able to do it, others can too, and these people may not have the same goal as Evans to help humanity. Despite this, researching into synthetic biology has its positives, and in my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives. The main positive of research into this field is the development of a cancer vaccine. According to the National Cancer Institute, 171 people out of 100,000 die every year, and in 2016, around 600,000 people died because of the disease. The ability to prevent the development of cancer will save millions of lives, and it starts with synthetic biology. Evans believes that learning how to make vaccinia viruses synthetically would speed his work, as a way to introduce cancer fighters to the immune system. All in all, I think that the pros outweigh the cons, but our main threat is the use of this field as a way to gain an advantage over others in war.
The research on viruses holds a great amount of potential. What we once considered to be a threat could be transformed into a life saver like the cancer vaccines. However, in reality, we have only scratched the surface of genetic research since there is still so much unknown to us. But do we actually know enough to avoid error? Even nature produces harmful mutations, so I highly doubt it. Alongside the threat of unintentional human error is the threat of bioweaponry. I believe the benefits have the ability to outweigh the risks as long as more security and regulations are placed on genetic engineering research. It's not like we're going to go splice DNA in our backyards, of course there are going to be restrictions and isolated facilities for this. The risk of the wrong people getting ahold of it is always going to exist, but if the research is contained enough we can at least reduce the risk involved. Also, if the research becomes more successful, then it will exponentially save more lives in the long run and that is worth it to me. It won't only benefit the medical field, but this experimentation could open up even more doors and we shouldn't close ourselves off from trying to discover such great knowledge.
The article regarding the shape of eggs raised many questions for me in terms of evolutionary biology. Scientists were analyzing all types of factors they figured could correlate to the egg shape such as body mass, climate, and diet, but none showed a correlation. The only factor that correlated well with egg shape was a bird's flying ability. No one had thought of that because they were fixated on the possible evolutionary aspects of the egg. The reasons were much more simple and happens to be universal for birds. Instead of adaptation reasons that vary from bird to bird, the egg is shaped by the anatomy of the bird and the way that it flies. A basic topic turned out to be so poorly misunderstood as stated in the article. This discovery made me more aware of how we can't always predict nature. Throughout the years we have adhered the concept of nature to evolution. As a result, we forget how unpredictable and complex nature really is and that sometimes every factor is worth considering. The logic we have created for ourselves in attempt to make nature predictable may not necessarily be reality.
ARTICLE: “Why Are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer"
I found it fascinating that there was a lot more to eggs than that met the eye. I never thought about it but if I had to make a prediction prior to me reading the article, I would have just assumed that the egg’s shape depended on the size of the bird. I also did not realize that scientists actually focus on such little details. I was shocked that this information was relevant enough to do this much research on. I honestly just feel like there is a lot more important things to solve in life then the scientific reasoning to the shapes of eggs.
ARTICLE: “Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus”
The fact that it is possible to now bring back past viruses bewilders me. The possibilities with modern technology is never ending. I think its remarkable yet frightening that modern day scientists can manipulate DNA and put it in the right sequence to recreate things from the past. It is frightening because the recreated viruses could be used for bioterrorism if that power is put in the wrong hands.
In the study of anatomy, it is understood that structure dictates function; specific structures perform specific functions. However, it seems as if the reverse idea is explained in "Why Are Birds Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer." The article describes how a bird's flying ability dictates the bird's egg shape, not the other way around. As a bird flies, especially the best bird fliers, their organs compact, causing their oviduct to descrease in width. This change in width restricts the egg's shape, which is why good bird fliers have the most asymmetric eggs. It is interesting how the egg shape of a bird is the way it is because of how the parent flies— determining how asymmetric and elliptical an egg is.
After reading "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?" I hope that the experiment is further studied because identifying the specific genes that attracts mosquitoes would help populations with disease carrying mosquitoes. As the article stated, medications can be created to prevent mosquito attraction. This would greatly impact countries that are most threatened by mosquitoes. Additionally, it surprised me that certain smells attract mosquitoes and that they are in our genes. I have always thought that certain types of blood attract mosquitoes. Further research in mosquitoes' attraction would inform and benefit society.
The article that really drew me in was "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus." I think advancement in synthetic biology is necessary to find the cure for cancer or other diseases. Although it poses a threat to humanity if the genetic code was left in the wrong hands, it is more worthwhile to take the risk and discover the possibilities of synthetic biology. There is no doubt other countries will want to develop their own findings on this topic. If the United States decides to opt out of developing knowledge on synthetic biology, it will be left prone to the bioweaponry of other nations that choose to pursue synthetic biology. I agree with the arguments of David Evans and Marc Lipsitch. Evans proposes the future of possibility and the good that synthetic biology can bring. On the other hand, Lipsitch criticizes publicizing Evan's findings and continues to voice his concerns about the few restrictions the National Institutes of Health provide with this type of research because of its complexity. Despite Lipsitch's concerns, it is imperative for the United States to not hinder synthetic biology but continue to place restrictions on this growing topic.
Of the three articles I had read, I found "Why Are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer" the most interesting article. I found this article surprising because it had shifted my knowledge on the shape of the average bird eggs. Before reading the article I had believed that the normal bird egg had been shaped as an ovular shape with one side larger than the other. It turns out that the shapes of bird eggs varies based on a variety of factors. The first factor is the pressure that acts upon an egg passing through a female bird's oviduct. This factor can shift based on the frequency of a bird's flight. Since a female bird's flight narrows the oviduct, pressure is applied to the egg making it narrow and pointy. Another factor of egg shape is the thickness of the membrane beneath the shell from one end to the other. Scientist were able to simulate an egg from any species of birds by changing either factors. Before this, egg shape had been seemed much more complicated. Scientists would measure a variety of factors like body mass, clutch number, diet, nest location, how quickly they grow, and the climate in which they live, yet the only factor related to egg shape had been a bird's flying ability. For example, owls tend to have spherical eggs, but the better fliers among them, like barn owls, have more elliptical ones than their relatives.
I've never really questioned and looked deep into the shapes of eggs, most of the time believing that all would be similar in size and shape of a chicken egg regardless of various factors. This article enhanced my knowledge about what I assumed to be true and further on. It is fascinating to find flying ability being the factor that varies the number of species’ eggs. From having pointed to spherical to elliptical eggs laid, birds are still diverse such as penguins which “were probably influenced by evolutionary forces”. Additionally, female anatomy also adds to patterns discovered about eggs. In the end, pressure in the oviduct and membrane thickness determines what occurs in the oviducts which leads to being able to alter egg structure. Egg shape is definitely a topic to look back to and have more research conducted upon.
I'm not a fan of mosquitos and their bites and I don't think anyone is, but it sure can rise discussion if there is a way, a medicine to prevent from feasting themselves with our blood. The studies that were done are very unique and surprising and the results are even more! Who knew the taller and bigger the people, the likelihood of being bitten by a mosquito is higher? When I first read the article, I didn't quite comprehend why identical and non identical twins were chosen for research. However, the second time reading, it hit me that rather than blood type, smell (as it states is more alike in identical twins than nonidentical) is the essential to the attractiveness of mosquitoes. I'll certainly be waiting for an answer and confirmation to genes playing a role in us being their meal.
Scientists are recreating viruses in labratories. For example, viruses like horsepox were recreated even after they were extinct in nature. It is possible that if they aren't contained properly they they could cause harmful effects on other living organisms. Additionally, as it becomes easier to create these virus in labs, government regulation could also decrease. Even though there are drawbacks to recreating these extinct viruses, there are also benefits. The horsepox virus could potentially help the progression of the smallpox vaccination. A professor at Harvard university, Lipsitch, wanted the development of such viruses to be restricted and restrained in order to prevent possible misuses. The benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks because of vaccinations. If the viruses do help improve vaccinations, it could help a number of people stay immune to dangerous diseases worldwide.
The fact that scientists are able to replicate viruses that no longer exist displays how advanced modern day science actually is. However, the idea of bringing back viruses that once decimated parts of the population is very controversial. The horsepox virus, created by a team of Canadian scientists led by David Evans, is not deadly to humans, but these same methods could be used to re-create a much more harmful virus, such as smallpox. If knowledge of this process falls into the wrong hands, deadly viruses could be created and used as weapons. Though re-creating viruses might be harmful, there are some benefits. Scientists are working to create cancer vaccines using a virus related the smallpox virus. Also, the horsepox virus is being used by the pharmaceutical company Tonix as a delivery mechanism for a more effective smallpox vaccine. I believe that if these projects of re-creating viruses is contained and the viruses are being properly monitored, then we should be furthering research in this field because of its potential aid to the treatment of cancer and other diseases.
"Are You a Magnet for Mosquitos?" immediately grabbed my attention due to my personal experience with the insects. Throughout an entire mosquito season, I get bit roughly 3 times, and even then they do not become itchy. I could be outside around a fire with friends and everyone will be complaining about the mosquitos biting them and not a single one will bite me. It has always stumped myself and who I am around as to why mosquitos are so repelled by me. After reading the article I have more of an understanding behind why some are more attractive to these insects than others. It indicates that there are various possible factors that contribute to who they are attracted to including body odor, body heat, the amount of carbon dioxide you exhale, pregnancy and even genetics. Its interesting reading about how much research has gone into solving this age-old mystery. With all the problems this breakthrough could solve, such as creating a pill that could make everyone repel mosquitos, I hope this upcoming and innovative experiments using twins helps lead the way.
I found the article regarding insects and their appeal for humans interesting because mosquitoes have had an affinity for my skin since I was a child. When I was in elementary school, I always had to wear long clothing during the summer to avoid getting itchy bumps on my skin from mosquitoes. The research study with sock odors and the genetic blueprint of identical twins is unlike anything I have heard of, which only makes it more engaging. As stated in the article, if scientists are able to pinpoint the things that directly contribute to mosquito attraction, they may be able to create a more successful insect repellent, or maybe a pill that makes humans less attractive to the "ankle-biters." Although malaria is no longer common, it is still feared by many expecting mothers. With the introduction of new insect repellents that make us less prone to mosquitoes we can create a safer environment. Hopefully, this study will yield results that can help those who have a summers filled with itchy insect bites and the pregnant women infected with malaria.
Moreover, something that startled me was the fact that those who cure widespread diseases can also recreate them. This statement is both frightening and shocking. In the article, scientists were able to create a version of the smallpox virus which is not harmful to humans, also known as the horsepox virus. This new advancement in synthetic biology is very controversial because while some say it is just an example of what modern technology can do, it can be disastrous if an eradicated virus is put into the wrong hands. However, the way Evans wants to use the vaccinia virus to introduce cancer fighters into the immune system is advantageous because it can exterminate the second leading cause of death, cancer. I hope a cure for cancer can be found, but the fact that a detrimental disease can be created in a lab is frightening.
The one thing I immediately noted when I read the article "Why Are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer" was that most eggs aren't shaped like chicken eggs like I had thought. Soddard and Mahadevan's study answered a question that I never considered before. After reading the article, the conclusion that the streamlined bodies of adept fliers influenced the shape of the eggs made perfect sense and surprised me because I thought that the shape was simply a unique feature of each species. Since the study was theoretical, there was no data on the diameter of the oviduct versus the shape of the egg, but I still would have liked to see a comparison of the pictures of a few birds to their eggs. One question that the article raised was whether the altitude of the birds' habitats affect their egg shape, for instance what the difference between a kingfisher and albatross' eggs is.
The article "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus" also intrigued me in terms of the cost of manufacturing deadly viruses, especially ones that have already gone extinct. I wouldn't have thought that putting together a virus that no longer existed could be done so cheaply. An immediate risk of this is that humans may have lost resistance to these viruses, which could result in an instant pandemic. It stuck me that $100,000 is very cheap to bring back a close relative of smallpox, and it is nothing compared to the billion dollar budgets of today's companies. Given current capabilities through methods like CRISPR to edit genes, this means that the viruses can't just be created, but they can be cheaply tampered with to create new bioweapons, which I think is cause for global concern. I strongly agree with professor Lipsitch that it is risky to announce news like this, because although people may not know how to replicate the process, it likely isn't very hard to learn. I think that such news should be kept within more close circles, and while there are advantages to announcing such breakthroughs, I think that the risk is much higher than the benefit. Although the debate over the ethics of pathological research will go on forever, I think that such information should be kept a secret.
In the final article "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?", I was interested by the premise of the experiment because although I have never been bitten many times, I am still highly averse to mosquitoes, and I think that finding out which people are more likely to be bitten is useful for preventing the transmission of disease. If demographic maps of the world were compared to frequency maps of mosquitoes, people at high risk areas could be targeted by disease control organizations, which would save a lot of money. I would like to see if Aedes mosquitoes are attracted to the same chemicals as Anopheles mosquitoes, because this might indicate an evolutionary link between human chemical odors and mosquito 'targeting'.
I thought that the virus article was most interesting in the end because it had a much more widespread application and has both the capactity to protect or hurt people, and I look forward to seeing how that will play out.
After reading the article "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus" I think scientists recreating viruses is not going to have as much benefits as the cons of doing so. The article talks about the major scientific advances relating with reviving viruses. It is interesting that we are now able to recreate viruses that were once the cause of so many deaths. I wondered why anyone would want to bring back such deadly viruses. It was then I read about the head of research David Evans. Evans decided to use synthetic biology, which is recreating viruses by piecing together the DNA in the correct sequence, in order to bring back the vaccinia virus. His plan is to introduce this virus to the immune system to fight cancer. Then I realized that while the goal was to help people, its methods can cause much more harm. When scientists revived the horsepox virus they assure the public that it is not harmful. However, people who are smart enough, know that if they get the steps of reviving viruses they can modify and create virus that can be used as a bioweapon. I question whether the risk of creating a bioweapon that can destroy so many lives at once is worth it for research that could end up being pointless for the human population.
The second article that I read was "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?" The article corrected my thoughts on mosquitoes. I always thought that mosquitoes were attracted to people bases on just availability and blood type. The article talked about how mosquitoes chose people based on their odor. It was fascinating to read that mosquitoes who carry malaria have the ability to find humans with malaria through smell and bite them more often then people without. The tests run by James Logan have concluded that genetics have a part in mosquitoes being attracted to a person. By using identical and nonidentical twins, Logan has found out that identical twins are bitten more because their histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, which are genes in control of odor production, are more similar. These findings and further research is going to be used to create something that would make humans unappealing to mosquitoes. This actually is really important work because once scientists have found a mosquito repellent, countries with a problem of mosquitoes carrying diseases like Zika, will have a solution.
The article that caught my attention was "Why Are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer," by Ed Yong. The article caught my attention because growing up in a family that always had animals in the house, I was already engaged, and the title automatically made me realize that there are so many stereotypical ideas that come to mind while thinking about nature and biology. Specifically, bird eggs were highlighted in the passage. The typical idea of a bird egg is that they are all the same and the usual, day-to-day chicken egg. This was proven to be false when scientists came together to explain the biology and birth of different species of birds. Shapes of the eggs were shown to be based on the anotomy of the mother which is the birth-giver, the variations of the habitats (environmental factors), and finally, their flight abilities. Stoddard realized that all the eggs are best described using two important characteristics, how asymmetric they are, and how elliptical they are. Throughout the article, the main points highlighted were of the different characteristics of the differently shaped eggs. Personally, I found this to be the most eye-catching and interesting part because it showed how there are so many things that are affected by different biological and environmental aspects. Overall, the article was informative and fascinating because it engaged the reader and proved that the stereotype of all bird eggs being the same size and shape was in fact, wrong.
I enjoyed reading "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus." I was surprised to learn that scientists have been able to replicate viruses and I was in awe of how far studies in science and medicine have come with the advances in technology. Although this is a great feat for the world of science and biology, I believe that this should not be seen as a new trend in the modern science world. In the view of many, this advancement can lead to the destruction of humanity. Creating a relative virus to smallpox may not be a huge warning sign or danger for the growing human population, but it is hard not to think of some scientists re-creating a destructive disease in the future which can lead to the dead of millions. It is a scary thought, but if research in this area is to be continued, then the threat of these mistakes must be addressed. The threat of this being uses in warfare is also another area to be addressed, which may have brought about the majority of the controversy. In this world where new threats of war are seen often, there is a chance that scientists use these achievements in terrible ways which can cause deaths of many innocent civilians. I believe that synthetic biology can be used to save millions from disease, but the threat of it becoming destructive is not a far fetched idea. Overall, however, I admire the intelligence behind this, and believe that it can lead to the creation of vaccinia viruses in attempts to fight cancer in the immune system, as the article covered.
I was surprised when I read the article, "Why Are Birds Eggs Egg-Shaped?" The classic chicken egg was my idea of what every egg looked like, just a little bigger or smaller. It was very interesting to learn that egg shape correlates with the flying ability of the bird. The elliptical or slightly pointed eggs, belong to birds that are better fliers than birds who have symmetrical or spherical eggs.
It is very impressive that scientists were able to put pieces of DNA together to re-create a virus; however, it could potentially be dangerous if too much is shared with the public, as people may try to create viruses themselves. The creation of a cancer vaccine would be beneficial and would save many lives. After reading this article, I believe that scientists should continue creating viruses in order to create more effective vaccines, as long as their work is somewhat secretive and not published in detail.
As a mosquito magnet myself, I was very intrigued by the article, "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes? I always thought mosquitoes were attracted to a certain blood type, but as I learned from the article, tall or large people that exhale more carbon dioxide tend to attract more mosquitoes. Scientists have found that a compound called "nonanal" is particularly attractive to mosquitoes. I am interested to see how they will come out with more effective ways to repel mosquitoes, with this new-found information.
The concept of recreating viruses seems like something out of a bad horror movie in which a catastrophic event ends up releasing a plague into society causing major chaos. If dealt in the wrong situations this is certainly a possibility but if done correctly, the re-development of certain contagions could benefit society in ways unprecedented before. By designing and reconstructing viruses and germs, impactful research could be conducted to create vaccines, cures, and other useful advancements in chemistry, biology, engineering, and science in general. There is also a potential to find vaccines and cures to cancer, something mankind has been looking for since the first case or the disease. By re-creating viruses, we can further develop cures and combatants for the ever changing deadly diseases that the world still houses.
After reading this article (Scientists are-created an Extinct Virus), I uncovered several other articles on similar topics and one that caught my eye was The Dangers (and Benefits) of Designing Mutant Super Viruses by Sarah Zhang. In this particular piece, the audience is provided with Yoshihiro Kawaoka's, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, research and development on viruses and mutant viruses. They have also brought viruses back from extinction, most notably the 1918 Spanish Flu, and went even further to extract the specific strands most lethal to the immune system. The strands created were extremely contagious and could easily wipe out loads of people. By conducting such tests and research, the group's purpose was to use the results as preparation for potential catastrophic events and disasters in case similar viruses become unleashed. Due to the fact that viruses and diseases change in nature to become more lethal and harder for immune systems to fight, Kawaoka's work is a basis to understanding how they develop and the best ways to combat them. Similarly, the scientists at the University of Alberta can find ways to prevent other diseases from getting out of hand and find vaccines for any future disasters ahead of time.
The drawbacks of conducting such experiments and keeping the lethal viruses on Earth after being eradicated are clear and obvious. Viruses that have been held in labs, like strands of H1N1, smallpox, anthrax, and others, have ended up escaping laboratory freezers in the past so nothing would be stopping the diseases that are being recreated to escape. Thankfully, because the diseases were dealt with in prior years, scientists were able to quickly eradicate it from the public once again. Another danger that appears more lethal as times evolve are the use or these lethal viruses by terrorists and/or in times of war. Terrorists could easily kill unimaginable amount of people and reset much of the infrastructure in short amounts of time if somehow the virus was some how acquired. Armies and war could also use these extreme viruses during an age of chemical warfare and biological warfare, wiping out millions, including innocent civilians, making it even more important to keep the viruses in the lab of created. Modern technology, which is constantly evolving, allows scientists and institutions to go through and re-create extinct viruses and if handled correctly would help society further faster than it is currently, a risk I think scientists are willing to take.
The most intriguing article out of the three read was "Are You A Magnet for Mosquitos?" by Dina Fine Maron. Ever since I was little, mosquitos and I have had a negative affiliation with each other. I was always perplexed why I would be one of the only ones complaining about the excessive mosquito bites I received while playing outside. A misconception I had always thought until reading this article was that mosquitoes were attracted to "sweeter" blood, which I know now is not the case. Instead, biological scientist Syed had confirmed there are many factors that contribute to individuals who are prone to mosquito bites. This includes height, body shape, surface area, diet, time of day, ethnicity, and surprisingly, carbon dioxide output. Another fascinating component was the twin sock experiment; it was interesting how the mosquito attraction was similar in identical twins than fraternal twins. This was due to the fact that identical twins smell more similar than fraternal twins. The genetic component for the attraction of mosquitoes has to do with the MHC (major histocompability) genes may be more prevelant in others. MHC genes control odor production. Going back to the different factors presented by scientist Syed, ethnicity was particularly surprising. In the article, it had stated that different ethnic groups produced four different and particularly major compounds, especially 'nonanal'. I hope that scientists will continue to find cures and more evidence to help those who are prone to mosquito bites and diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, like malaria.
During the 20th century alone, nearly 300 million people have died due to smallpox. Recently, according to the article “Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus”, scientists from the University of Alberta have managed to create a close relative of the smallpox. The total cost of creating the virus was surprisingly low. $100,000. With funding, it supposedly isn't difficult to recreate a virus. The implications of this development are both threatening and reassuring. Using synthetic biology to create a virus is clear proof of the technological advancements of mankind. Just years ago, the concept was just a theory. Developing upon synthetic biology is certainly going to occur in the future. Furthermore, synthetic biology can create vaccines to prevent mass outbreaks of potential deadly viruses. An example is Evans, from the World Health Organization advisory committee. His goal is to develop cancer vaccines and introduce cancer fighters to the immune system, an admirable aspiration. On the other hand, this development can revolutionize warfare (not necessarily in a good way) and become a severe threat. Introducing biological warfare, or biowarfare will lead to the deaths of millions in the future. Entire armies can be taken down by simply contacting an individual with a virus. Therefore, despite the positive intentions of the scientists from the University of Alberta, censorship of how to create viruses must be considered. With the relatively cheap cost of manufacturing viruses, those who wish to harm others cannot be trusted with ability to create viruses. Countries who oppose the United States will undoubtedly invest in the research of recreating viruses such as smallpox, in the hopes of crippling our military powers. In the end, it comes down to one question-- is the potential to introduce biological warfare worth the advancements in technology and health? Personally, I support the former. Obviously, not sharing information about creating viruses will lead to a much lower production of vaccines. However, the threat of biological warfare will be neutralized. I choose to slow down medical advancements over making war more dangerous.
In the following article, I read about how scientists are questioning the origins of various eggs of different species. One of the most common one in today's society is the egg of a chicken. As we all know, it is famous for having an ellipse shape. Surprisingly, many other birds who also lay eggs have a much different egg shape. For example, a hummingbird lays a "Tic Tac" shaped egg. Therefore, researchers wanted to conclude what factors led to each egg shape. I was surprised to learn that scientists didn't have a clear theory for why the eggs are shaped the way they are. Some former hypothesis included that pointy eggs related to cliff-nesting birds. To discover the truth, the researchers observed the traits of 1,400 bird species. Surprisingly, the only factor they discovered that caused the egg shape was the bird's flying ability. To fly efficiently, the bird's internal structures became condensed through evolution. Studies showed that the better the flier the more pointy and ellipse shape the egg was. When the organs become condensed, the oviduct of the bird also decreases in size so the birds can have the proper body to fly. Within the oviduct the egg becomes fertilized. According to the researchers, there are factors such as pressure and membrane's thickness in the oviduct that determined the egg shape and size. Overall, the egg is a very interesting topic since so little is understood about it.
I was also interested about how scientists in Canada were able to recreate an eradicated disease. In this instance it was the disease called smallpox. The version
the scientists invented was called horsepox and wasn't a threat to humans. I believe that using our knowledge to create viruses are equally good and bad. Like the article stated, we could use lab grown viruses to help produce better vaccines for various cancers and diseases. The biggest reason I don't support this since there are too many opportunities for the use of such technology to go in the wrong direction. The most feared is the disease spreading out of a lab and infecting the population. This is since many accidents can happen in a lab with contracting the disease. Therefore, creating a possible outbreak that may not be treatable since there'd be no cure. Another concern is the disease making technology could get into the wrong hands. Therefore, someone with a bad intent can harm a population.
Before reading the article " Why are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggplainer," I never knew that eggs can consist of different shapes other than the normal chicken egg. After reading this article, I was facisnated by the fact that not only are there different shapes of eggs such as pointy, asymmetrical, symmetrical, etc, but these different shapes of eggs may affect the characteristics of the bird. More specifically, scientists noticed that one factor, such as the flying ability of a bird correlated well with the shape of an egg, which was something I found very interesting. For example, two birds like the hummingbird and the swift are both related to one another and are both considered great fliers, yet the swift is considerered to be better at flying than the hummingbird. Scientists noticed that the hummingbird has a more symmetrical shape, while the swift has a pointy shape. Even though this is an observation, scientists went further into trying to find out how the egg shape may affect flying by looking in a bird oviduct. They realized that as these birds become better fliers, their organs move closer to one another, thus causing their oviduct to become narrower, changing the shape of an egg to a more narrow shape. Stoddard realized that all of this may be due to a streamline body and it all may be a coincidence, as she did not know much about the oviduct, but scientists like Mahadevan concluded that "two properties were especially important: the pressure acting upon the egg in the oviduct, and how the membranes vary in their thickness from one end to another." They found these properties through a computer simulation and may now simulate every egg shape in nature to carry on with this experiment. In the end, egg shape may or may not affect the different characteristics of a bird like flying, yet this shows that there is so much to discover about our world and about nature.
While reading the "Why Are Eggs Egg-Shaped?" article if found it interesting to see that scientists were able to unearth potential ancestral common traits amongst species and their egg styles. For example, barn owls have rather elliptical eggs are magnificent fliers. Similarly, penguins have elliptical eggs and are also great "fliers," they simply "fly" underwater, Therefore, by examining the egg sizes and shapes, scientists are able to discover similarities never before thought to exist.
The mosquito attraction article was extremely relevant and interesting yet I found the research to be lacking control and specificity. The study used socks from twins and went on to prove that certain mosquitos are a attracted to certain smells. This is true, however the smells that twins' socks produce may not be from genetics but rather from household environment, pets, or any other external factors. Perhaps, a different control group should be used to determine genetic attraction.
The article about what attracts mosquitoes to some people opposed to others was intriguing to me because it never occurred to me that they were using their olfactory sense, similar to we humans, in order to choose their "food". It also had me thinking about potential differences in the mosquitoes' preference based on region in the world. One thing I personally noticed is that while in the Untied States, especially over the summer, I acquire up to 20 mosquito bites in a three month period, but when traveling to India, I tend to acquire the same number of bites within a week. This leads me to question, are mosquitoes genetic preferences universal, or do they vary based on the region of the world's population thus making me more attractive in one place opposed to another? Is it possible that they prefer odors that contain different combinations of the four major volatile compounds mentioned by Zainulabeuddin Syed? Once the study in the United Kingdom and Gambia is finished, it would be interesting to see if Syed's research could be combined with Logan's and then tested to see how the results may vary, or hold true, in other regions of the world.
The first article I encountered this week was the one regarding the role of genetics in the attraction of mosquitoes. I was primarily interested in this article as being a young child who constantly visited India, I always had to deal with mosquito bites, and could never really understand the reason behind why I was attacked more viciously as opposed to my peers. Through my years of schooling, I came to understand that it may have been because of my excessive height and mass, but it still intrigued me that there may be a genetic component to this problem. When I read the article, I thought about the possible applications for such a technology. With all this hype around genetic engineering, scientists could definitely use an application of technology to combat major ailments like malaria and zika. Although there are several genetic factors that can cause or refrain a mosquito from biting someone, it truly is fascinating to see whether the genetic pool from these Caucasian and African twins will show any attrction or repulsion from mosquitoes.
When reading the article that pertained to the shapes of bird eggs, I was fascinated to discover that the flying ability of the bird is reflected upon the shape of the egg. Since genetic evolution is a result of natural selection and the whole "survival of the fittest" theory, I was curious about what sort of advantages the asymmetric eggs had over the symmetric ones, and that caused the correlation between pointed eggs and good fliers as well as the correlation with rounded eggs and bad fliers. However, through further reading, it made sense that the aerodynamic bodies come from the more aerodynamic egg, and the same theory applies to the opposite. Overall, it was interesting to see that the correlation between egg shape and the bird it comes from is its flying ability, and it definitely will be interesting to see how scientists can use this information to their advantage.
The article "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitos" immediately caught my attention, because of my hatred for the bugs. It makes sense that mosquitoes are attracted to certain people based on their DNA makeup since DNA codes for everything in organisms, including smell. Unfortunately, mosquitos must love the way I smell, because I have mosquito bites all up and down my legs. I have noticed that my sister is one of those lucky people who never get bitten. I always found this odd, but never realized it was due to our differences in DNA. I find it interesting that our DNA is very similar, yet we are complete opposites. However it does make sense because just one different base pair can create a complete opposite trait. I look forward to seeing where their research leads to, and I hope they find the solution to keeping the pesky insects away!
In regards to the article on the recreation of an extinct virus in a laboratory environment although I do agree that it does create significant risk to public health, I think that we should continue to explore our abilities in this field. As stated in the article, researching the ability to recreate viruses has opened up new, more beneficial avenues, such as using viruses to fight cancer and other diseases and to develop stronger, more efficient vaccines. There is always a way for scientific discoveries to be used inappropriately, however, this should not mean that we should stop pushing forward in fear of what could happen. We should take precautionary measures, such as only publishing the bare minimum in journals and notifying our respective governments of ways to combat any efforts made to create viruses for a malicious purpose, such as keeping watch on people who buy large quantities of ingredients to make bio-weapons.
The two articles that I found most interesting was "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitos" and "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus". The mosquito article was intriguing as it talked about a common problem millions of people face everyday including myself. It is astonishing that mosquitoes attraction includes factors on a genetic level along with environmental factors. Although the experiment reveals the connection between odor and genetics regarding mosquitoes attraction, it is still a mystery what specific genes are the cause. This makes me question if in the future a pill or medication could be developed to prevent mosquitoes from biting due to the broad spectrum of factors that affect the preference of mosquitoes. It is exciting to see the scientific advances research brings out and eventually a possible solution to the problem of the pesky insects.
I also enjoyed reading "Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus" because it was very thought-provoking and created a different perspective on my views on the power of modern technology linked to science. The article made me analyze the positive and negative outcomes of future implications of synthetic biology. The use of synthetic biology is a controversial topic and has many aspects to take into consideration. For example, David Evans has goals to use synthetic biology in ways to help millions of people worldwide such as creating cancer vaccines and synthetically creating vaccina virus would speed up the process to prevent cancer. While synthetic biology used with honorable intentions results in undeniable advancements, there are many concerns about the negative outcomes that must be addressed. As it is getting cheaper and easier to do these processes, this raises the risk of people to take advantage of the technology. Therefore, I believe synthetic biology should be used for the life-changing medical successes but with tight regulation to avoid the technology falling into the wrong hands.
Of the three articles, the one i found most interesting was "Are You A Magnet For Mosquitos". The article talks about scientists who are trying to figure out what makes certain people more "attractive" to mosquitos than others. I was fascinated that the scientists believe the cause to be on the genetic level. However, although they have narrowed it to the genetic level, they have not been able to pin point what gene(s) is so attractive or repellant to mosquitos. If they are able to eventually figure it out, it could lead to a new type of repellant that would be drastically more effective than anything we have now. This in turn would help the number of people infected with Zika and Malaria to decline and hopefully eventually vanish. These new discoveries have made me excited to see the findings of their most recent experiment, and hopeful that they will be able to create a more powerful repellant to combat mosquitos.
The first article that I read was, "Scientists re-created an Extinct virus". This article references synthetic biology various times throughout this article. Before I read the article I was not fully aware of what synthetic biology was, and after learning about how it worked it intrigued me. It made me wonder about the effects that synthetic biology can have in the world. I began to imagine of the positive impacts that can come from it, like resurrecting extinct entities that can help us create powerful vaccines that can help cure disastrous diseases such as cancer. It also made me think about the wounding aspect of synthetic biology. Like in the article where they created an extinct virus, what if this science was in the wrong hands and they used the re-creation of deadly viruses to harm the world? So in that sense, this can be a very positive finding, or a very damaging one.
I also read, "Are you a magnet for a mosquito?". This article was very interesting to me, particularly because I cannot go outside without being swarmed by mosquitoes. It cannot be a normal summer for me unless I have been bitten by mosquitoes multiple times. I am very eager to see the results of this experiment,whether it is a gene that produces an odor that attracts mosquitoes, or if it is the time of day, wind, diet, mosquito species, or maybe even both. Whatever the finding is, I hope that there will be a solution to everyone's horrible mosquito problem.
I had chosen to read the article regarding the re-creation of an extinct virus, as the controversial topics like this appeal to me greatly. Of course, without reading, many people may think of this as purely negative and will bring upon the apocalypse. Hiwever, the scientific discovery shown here could greatly help mankind as time commences. In this article, it is stated that the horsepox virus was artificially created in a lab. What some may fail to realize is that this particular virus is no threat, should it be exposed to the world. With this discovery, the future can hold much greater things. The re-creation of a virus is simply the beginning of an all new science. The world could potentially benefit from other lifeforms brought back to life after eternities of extinction. For example, if a lifeform was previously known to produce a chemical that is quite rare, it can be brought back to assist us. Of course, if this technology is provided to the wrong people, the outcome may differ due to greed for profits of some businessmen. However, I see this technology as a new path for mankind to explore.
Among the list of given articles, i found the article on the shape of bird eggs to be the most intriguing. The article provides numerous explanations on the shape of bird eggs and what the purpose is for each egg to be shaped a certain way. Some of these theories and hypotheses involve the certain types of adaptations and environmental factors the species of birds are associated with. For example, a bird who makes its nests near a cliff side is most likely to have pointy eggs, limiting the chances of the egg rolling of the edge and rolling in circles instead. But through research and the continuous study of birds and their egg shapes, scientists discovered that shape had nothing to do with previous hypotheses but rather more so to one factor, flying. A bird's wings and flight pattern could determine the configuration of it's egg, meaning that a bird the flies better has a more symmetrical and elliptical egg shape.An example is hummingbirds, whose eggs are symmetrical and elliptical show they are good flyers. But their closely related relatives, swifts, who have better flying patterns have eggs that are pointier and symmetrical. The same concept applies for bird who are flightless. An exception could be the penguin who is flightless but an excellent swimmer. It's ability to swim is considered a for of flying underwater, therefore, its eggs are pointier compared to them being symmetrical. The formation of the eggs happens because of the flight abilities each bird has. The better the flier, the narrower the bird's internal organs and oviduct becomes, thus causing the egg to come out longer and pointier. The study of a bird's oviduct in flight helps scientists conclude if nature works in the way they predicted it does. The study of these birds eggs could become a crucial part in understanding how nature and the environment works, and can further expand our knowledge in how it can be manipulated and structured.
I chose to read the article about the extinct virus. I found it very interesting, and brought up many controversy topics in my mind. First this makes me wonder how far away scientists might be to creating transplant organs from your own DNA. If they are able to accomplish this they'll be no risk of rejection and I'll be going in for a new pair of legs. Second this advancement worries me, if it is so easy to make a safe virus, it can't be that much harder to make a deadly one. I feel this will be the terrorists next form of attack. Lastly I hope that there will be more experiments like this one, and that we look into old viruses and other extinct biological species to see if these could in fact be a cure. That's all I have to say but I think this is a huge scientific advancement to a bigger and better future.
I always wondered why I got bitten by mosquitoes so frequently so I found the article, "Are You a Magnet for Mosquitoes?", really interesting. Whenever I go to India, I end up having innumerable amounts of mosquito bites and I never understood why. I always thought that maybe certain types of blood attracted mosquitoes so I was surprised to read that the odor an individual has is a big factor. I'm intrigued to learn about the results from the experiment as they can be very helpful to the lives of many by avoiding major diseases like malaria. Figuring out what specific genes attract mosquitoes to some people more than others will allow scientists to create a more effective mosquito repellent.
"Scientists Re-created an Extinct Virus" also really drew me in. Synthetic biology and advancements in it are necessary and essential for finding the cure to many lethal diseases. However, as of now, we have just skimmed the surface. There is so much more that we do not know and so many unknown dangers that could occur unintentionally. Although if put in the wrong hands, we could be taking steps backward, the benefits of being one step closer to curing cancer are definitely worth it. There are always going to be people with wrong and harmful intentions and that should not stop such an important advancement in science. Keeping the information contained with regulations and safety precautions will make sure less people use it for the wrong reasons.
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