Congress Approves Child Nutrition Bill

NAME: helen ^.^
TOPIC: Health/Leaders
POSTING #: 2
TITLE: Congress Approves Child Nutrition Bill
AUTHOR: robert pear
PUBLICATION NAME: NY times
DATE OF PUBLICATION: Dec 2nd

Main topic:
Congress Approved the nutrition bill to set the standard of school lunches/food. The bill passed with the vote of 264 to 157. Although the bill was passed many are having debates on where to get the money in order to pay the bill. Michelle Obama lobbied the bill because she believed that childhood obesity should be dealt with by the schools. Rosa DeLauro (the democrat of Connecticut) supports the bill because it will replace the unhealthy food with nutritious food. But the Co-chairmen for the house hunger congress (Mr. McGovern) states that hunger and obesity are one in the same because high calorie foods are cheaper than healthy food. (which equals people eating empty calories and more people have hunger and obesity problems). Also The republican of Georgia ( Paul Bron) says that overall it not about the health of the children but it is about how Washington is taking more control and in doing so spending more money which leads the children into greater debt.

Conclusion:
In conclusion congress passed a bill to raise the standards of nutrition in schools. some people say it is good because it will get rid of a lot of problems facing schools like childhood obesity but others are saying it wont help because the government has no money to put into this bill and therefore they are putting all the future generations in debt.

Arsenic and Old Space: A Key to Life on Other Planets?

Jeffrey

Posting Number: 2

Topic: Science/Technology

Title: Arsenic and Old Space: A Key to Life on Other Planets?

Writer: Allie Townsend

Publication Name: Time

Date of Publication: Dec. 2nd, 2010

Length: 458 words

This Thursday NASA announced its discovery of one of the oddest bacteria on Earth. Found in Mono Lake, California, these bacteria thrive on arsenic, which is usually toxic to all other organisms. Not only do these bacteria live in arsenic, but they also seem to consume or eat it, as well. When scientists cultivated the bacteria in very low levels of phosphorous, they seemed to live just as well. However, in all known organisms on Earth, phosphorous acts as an essential backbone to DNA, the life's genetic material. The new findings in this bacteria suggest that other forms of life may exist, not just the familiar carbon and phosphorous-based life forms. NASA's findings suggest that this new type of bacteria seems to substitute phosphorous with arsenic in their DNA, which, if true, would alter our concept of biochemistry and broaden our view of possible life forms. NASA is still probing with experiments and hopes to apply their findings to research in space, where life may exist without phosphorous.

In conclusion, NASA has discovered extremely unusual bacteria which thrives on arsenic, a toxic material, and also can survive on very low levels of phosphorous, an essential ingredient to life. NASA has interpreted the findings as a possible substitution of phosphorous for arsenic in the bacteria's DNA. Although research still continues, these findings go to show that a variety of different forms of life may exist, not just the carbon-based organisms we commonly call life. NASA is applying their new findings in the search for life in space, where other trace elements could prove to support other kinds of life.

Personally, I find that this discovery goes to show how much diversity we have on Earth. Although it would be very interesting for scientists to discover life in outer space, it is interesting enough just to find these bizarre life forms on our own planet. We definitely have not discovered all there is to discover in our own world, and I feel that it is absurd to start looking on other planets when we are just beginning to see and appreciate the diversity of nature on Earth.

Researchers One Step Closer to Potential Autism Test

Ashka

Blog Post #2

Topic: Health

Title: Researchers One Step Closer to Potential Autism Tes

Writer: Miriam Falco

Publication: CNN

Date: Dec 2, 2010

650 words

Main Idea: Until this recent study there has not been a test to verify if a child or adult has autism. Doctors have used the “milestone method” to gauge if someone has autism. This means measuring when they learn to crawl, speak walk, etc. A child with autism would develop these skills much later than expected. However a new test has emerged that can identify autism through a 10 minute MRI scan of the brain. In the study 30 males with autism and 30 males without from ages 7-28 were scanned and the results show that brains with autism have a disorganized nervous system compared to normal brains.They researched males first because they are more likely to carry the disease. They looked at the water flow in the brain along nerves and axons to determine irregular patterns in autistic brains. Nicholas Range, an associate professor at Harvard University, throws caution to the fact that the test is not perfect yet and that much more research and lab work on other subject will have to be carried out before any assumptions can be made. He also added that the test should expand to encompass autistic babies and women.

Conclusion: This is another advancement in health that is sure to have an eventual impact on people and families that deal with autism. This has never been done before, which is why it’s such a break through. However this is not a cure to autism, it is only a means to identify it and an imperfect method at that. This test will have its greatest impact in helping develop other tools to identify autism even more accurately and quickly. It is also added that there are many different types of autism and it is not right to assume that every brain functions like the ones in the research.

Florida Keys Declare Open Season on the Invasive Lionfish

First Name: Cindy
Current Event Posting Number: 2
Topic: Scince
Tile: Florida Keys Declare Open Season on the Invasive Lionfish
Writer: ERIK OLSEN
Publication Name: New York Times
Date of Publication: November 22, 2010
Length: 859 Words

Main Ideas:
On November 13, 18 teams consisted of spear fisherman brought nets and spears and competed to kill as many lionfish as they could with the hope of winning $3350. Lionfish is an invasive native species of the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea. It is believed that it has been released by aquarists around the 1990s and it has since spread to North Carolina and through the Carribean. According to scientists, one female lionfish can produce annually approximately two million eggs. Scientists have examed that among 1000 lionfish’s stomaches, there are more than 50 species of prey fish involved. Lionfish also prey on parrotfish, which feed on algae and keep them from overgrowing and killing corals. Once, a single female lionfish was found in September 2009 at Dry Tortugas National Park, site managers were terrified because lionfish continue to grow its population rapidly and damaging the reef system on the Carribean, which serves as a guide to the site mangers. National OCeanic and Atmospheric Administration once said that it is impossible to eradicate the fish and the only hope is from local control. So, the 18 teams were competeing with one anothoer, but only 109 fishes were killed. One lion hunters explained another potential solution to eradicate the lionfish is to promote the fish as food for man. He commented that lionfish are considered excellent eating and peopl feasted on fried lionfish nuggets.

Conclusion: According to the news, lionfish grow in size rapidly, they can prey on more than 50 different kind of fish, and they are destroying reef system. Currently, particular reef in areas like Bahamas are filled almost completely with lionfish. If the reef system were damaged and depleted, this impact could affect the region’s economy, because they rely heavily on fishing. Locals have offered two possible solutions to this problem, one is promoting lionfish as food for human and the other one is organizing teams to compete with one another by killing as many lionfish as they possibly could.

Teen Brain More Prone to Drug, Alcohol Damage

Sarah

Posting #2

Topic: Health

Title: Teen Brain More Prone to Drug, Alcohol Damage

Writer: Elizabeth Landau

Publication Name: CNN

Date of Publication: 11/15/10

Length: 468 words

Main Idea:

Plenty of teens seem to enjoy the free and rebellious feelings that drugs and alcohol offer. These teens however, do not understand the long-term damage they're inflicting upon their brains and bodies. The brain is still developing through teenage years therefor, abusing drugs and alcohol can cause a terrible change in the path of development. Research has shown that the teenage brain is even more susceptible than the adult brain because it contains more receptors for the drug to latch onto. Teen brains have longer-lasting effects of getting high which can result in damage to parts involving learning and memory and a decrease in IQ. Teens are also much more vulnerable to drug addiction. Addiction for teens is usually much faster, stronger, and longer. The same consequences exist for alcohol abuse. Alcohol also has a greater impact on the teen brain because it binds to the multitude of receptors and creates larger problems for the developing brain. Researchers found that alcohol can interfere with connections in the brain related to the production of stress hormones. This interference can damage one's ability to handle stress, causing long term issues such as depression and anxiety.

Conclusion:

Teenagers all over the world use drugs and alcohol without fully understanding the impacts they have on them. Because the teen brain is still developing, it is much more susceptible to damage from drugs and alcohol than the adult brain. Teens that abuse these substances are very vulnerable and at risk for long term impairment to their brains and bodies.

Let Me Sleep On It: Creative Problem Solving Enhanced by REM Sleep

Kieran Gallagher

Posting #2

Topic: Health

Title: Let Me Sleep On It: Creative Problem Solving Enhanced by REM Sleep

Author: Science Daily Staff

Publication: Science Daily

Date: 9 June 2009

Length: 534 words

Though psychologists believe that all problems can be worked through with the passage of time, REM sleep has been proven to enhance the creativity with which we attempt to solve these problems. The study was done by Sara Mednick, PhD and assistant professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego, the VA San Diego Healthcare System and Denise Cai, graduate student in the UC San Diego Department of Psychology. It was published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). These experts hypothesized that REM sleep would help stimulate different systems in the brain, which allows the decision maker to draw parallels between seemingly unrelated situations. As part of the study, subjects were given a creativity test called a RAT or Remote Association Test. In this test they were given three words and asked to find a word that all three words could be associated with. In one instance, the participants were given the words cookie, heart and sixteen and expected to respond with the word “sweet.” The test subjects were given this test once in the morning and again in the afternoon after either a nap with REM sleep, a nap without REM sleep or a quiet rest period. Both of the groups that did not experience REM sleep showed no improvement, but the group that experienced REM sleep improved by 40%. This suggests that REM sleep does indeed aid in problem solving by uniting different parts of the brain.

In conclusion, REM sleep is not only necessary for our physical and mental wellbeing, but it can be incredibly beneficial in solving complex problems that require more creative solutions. Though experts still do not know exactly what goes on in our brains during REM sleep, they are constantly discovering more about how it enhances our health. As REM sleep occurs more frequently later in sleeping, this study once again stresses the importance of getting many hours of sleep every night. This correlates with many previous studies linking REM sleep and grades or REM sleep and health.

War Machines: Recruiting Robots for Combat

War Machines: Recruiting Robots for Combat

Keenan

Posting #2
Topic: Technology/Science
Title: War Machines: Recruiting Robots for Combat

Publication: New York Times
Date of Publication: 11/27/10
Posting Length: 240 words

My article is about a new war machine that is being developed by marines called Mars. The article is written by John Markoff and describes the war machine and its functions. This all takes place in a fake town created by marines. The fort is Fort Benning, GA. This article was published on November 27, 2010 during an event called the Robot Rodeo. The Robot will not be put into use for another few years but still robot warfare is not as distant as it was a few years ago. The robot itself has a deadly design, it contains a camera for identifying hostiles, a assault rifle stock and firing mechanism, four grenade launchers and an antennae for distant control. This could revolutionize warfare and possibly create a concept of cheap warfare, where anyone can start a war without losing civilians or too much money. If America can utilize this technology, wars may start sooner between any countries.

In conclusion, it’s clear today that robots are being used for many new things. Five years ago, robots could be thought of for assembly lines and construction but not much else. Now robots can be vacuum cleaners, gutter cleaners or even pets. The military saw this as an opening for new weaponry that would not endanger lives. However if wars become cheap, and many countries can start them without causing damage to themselves, what will happen to the citizens of other countries?