Category: New Research

The Great Unknown

New Research

I find it astounding that even with all of the technology we now have there are still parts of the world that have yet to be explored. Even today, new species are still being discovered, which just makes me wonder how many species we have killed off without even knowing what they were.

I remember when I was in Costa Rica in 2005, our guide was pointing out species of plants that he said were new and waiting to be classified. He was hoping to get credit for finding one of them, and thus get the naming credits. It made me feel so small that there are so many different organisms in the world. I think it is the little kid in me that just wants to poke and prod and understand all the amazing new things there are to study. 
In the last week a new species of bat (that was actually first sighted in the 1970’s) was discovered to be a distinct species in Ecuador, and a new species of squid was found in the Indian ocean. I find it pretty exciting that there are still things to explore. 

Creepy Crawlies On the Brain

New Research
Tarantula at the DaVinci Science Center, Allentown PA
Credit: Erin Podolak,  July 2008

I’m not scared of many things. I love snakes, heights, roller coasters, and being in the dark. Most of the typical things that freak people out don’t have much of an effect on me. Except spiders. I can’t stand spiders.

I think my fear of spiders stems back to being told that every year in our sleep humans EAT an average of eight spiders without even knowing it. Imagining a spider creeping along my skin and the way their little legs would feel definitely freaks me out. I’m not so afraid that I’ll run away or anything, but some shrieking is usually in order.

Researchers are now using tarantula’s to help study fear reactions in the brain. I think brain research is really interesting, considering how little we actually know about how the human brain works. Figuring out how the brain controls all the things we think and do can tell us a lot about ourselves. I feel the same way about genetics and studying our genetic code.

Tarantula helps scientists map how brains process fear was featured in the LA Times.

Promiscuous Crickets

New Research

The article: Cricket testicle size clue to promiscuous mating in the BBC was just too good to pass up for a blog post. I mean come on, cricket testicles? Who wouldn’t chuckle.

Source: eHow

The researchers found that bushcrickets have the largest testicles of any organism, accounting for 14% of the cricket’s total body weight. The study correlated the large testicles with the promiscuity of the organism. The more the organism gets around, the larger the balls. 

That this is news, and that thousands of dollars were probably spent determining this makes me laugh, and then makes me question why we spend our time and money investigating some things. I want to know what good is going to come of knowing that crickets have the largest testicles, because aside from just expanding humanity’s knowledge of insect sex I don’t really get a lot of value out of this. 

Help Me Obi Wan Kenobi

BioTechnology, New Research

My experience with holograms doesn’t extend much farther than Princess Leia’s secret message to Obi Wan Kenobi, entrusted to R2D2 in the first Star Wars movie released (but really the fourth story in the series) A New Hope. Yeah, Nerd Alert, I’m OK with it. Anyway, Star Wars has shown us that holograms are something used in a galaxy far far away, certainly not here on Earth, and certainly not in present day. But alas, Star Wars has led me wrong.

Source: Wikimedia Commons.

New research from the University of Arizona is close to making holograms a reality. So far, the group is able to film a video image and beam it to a new location where it updates in “near” real-time. The research team has been working to improve the speed at which the images are conveyed, and has gotten them as fast as every two seconds. Video with a continuous flow of images, like Princess Leia’s famous message, is just around the corner.

The BBC article by Jonathan Amos, “Hologram messaging coming of age,” breaks down the process like this:
1. A series of cameras arranged in a semi-circle take multiple images of a person or object from lots of different angles.
2. The images are fed into a computer, where they are processed and then sent to another computer at a different location
3. A specially designed 3D printing system receives the images and based on the information contained in them, controls a laser that “writes” the images onto a screen made of a special plastic.
4. The special plastic screen can update every two seconds, but a light source is needed to be able to see the changing holograms.

The researchers say that holograms will be useful for manufacturing, to update plans or blueprints as workers are designing new models. I think it has value simply for being cool and for proving to Star Wars geeks that IT COULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN, well at least the hologram part.

1000 Genomes Project

Genetics, New Research, Sequencing

For as long as I can remember my parents have been telling me that I’m special (in a good way, not in the derogatory way the kids are using the term these days). Most of us start life out thinking that we’re unique and the more we learn about life, and the more it kicks out asses we become so disillusioned that we cease believing we’re really all that special.

But, new data generated by the 1000 Genomes Project recently confirmed that our parents have been right all along. The 1000 Genomes Project is an effort to sequence the genes of 2,500 people from around the world in an attempt to fill the gaps in the draft sequence of the human genome left by genetic variation. 
The draft sequence was established in 2000 by teams led by J. Craig Venter and Francis Collins. While that was a breakthrough moment in the field of genetics because it enabled the study of diseases caused by changes in our DNA, it only took us so far. 
Genetic variation refers to the differences in the human genome between individuals (ie: if my code is AGTCAGTC, yours might be AGCCAGTC). That kind of a difference can have a huge impact on how disease manifests itself, therefore studies looking for treatments for genetic-based disorders (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease, Cancer, etc.) are hindered by these variations. 
The new data obtained by the 1000 Genomes Project, is a 95% map of human genetic variation. The results of the study show that each individual person has an average of 75 variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, which are changes in the code like I described above). These variations are essentially what makes each of us different from everyone around us. My parents were right, I am special, but something tells me they weren’t referring to my genes. 
This is exciting for a few reasons:
1. Millions of dollars have been invested in this project, it is good to see something actually come of it. 
2. A better understanding of variation can enable more progressive research on genetic disease, from causes to treatments. 
3. Genome sequencing technology is advancing quickly, and making interesting research like this a reality. Expect more projects like 1000 Genomes, it’s definitely about to get ambitious in here. 
4. A project like this sets important standards for open access information and data sharing among researchers for genetic studies at this scale. 
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