Too Soon Before its Time?

As many of you may have heard, Albert Hofmann passed away April 29, 2008 at the age of 102. But how many of you know what he's famous for? Albert Hofmann was the inventor of a strong psychedelic drug that was quite popular in the 1960's. This drug is known as Delysid, LSD-25, or more commonly as just LSD.
LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. It is one of the most powerful drugs ever created. Hofmann discovered this drug while studying the pharmaceutical potential of a couple plants by the names of medicinal plant squill and fungus ergot. Hofmann did not realize the strength of LSD until five years after his original discovery of it when he accidentally got some in his mouth. A tiny amount, such as 200 micrograms, can cause your mind to see the world in a warped way. Many users, including its inventor, describe the visions while on the drug to be similar to Salvador Dali paintings.
Many experiments were done in the 1950's and 1960's to find potential uses for LSD. In the 1950's it was tested as a cure for alcoholism and had a surprising 50% success rate. Also during this time it was tested by government organizations, including the CIA, as a possible mind controlling drug for use in interrogations.
As of now, LSD is considered illegal in many countries and areas such as the United States, Australia, and Europe. Though use of the drug as recreation has fallen from its peak use in the 1960's it is still widely used. It is commonly known as acid or battery acid. Though this purpose was obviously not what Hofmann intended it for.
Hofmann had hoped that the drug could be used in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Hofmann said the drug exaggerates what we think and what our minds see. He thought that by exaggerating what someone sees, especially someone with a mental illness, it would be easier to observe and treat what was wrong. Until the day he died Hofmann firmly believed that LSD could be used for the good and could potentially be the largest breakthrough in medicine ever found.
Today's world sees LSD simply as a hallucinogenic that should be kept illegal. Though quite a few organizations and medical researchers see it as having the potential Hofmann claims it to have. Research and time will uncover its hidden potentials or terrible consequences. Until then, its just another thing discovered too soon before its time.

Posted by: Christine McConville

Insects Use Plants Like A Telephone

above ground green leafy-eating insect prefer to use plants that have not yet been occupied by subterranean root-eating insects. Subterranean insects emit chemical signals via the leaves of the plant, which warn the above ground insects about their presence. This messaging enables spatially-separated insects to avoid each other, so that they do not unintentionally compete for the same plant. Dutch ecologist Roxina Soler and her colleagues discovered that different types of above ground insects develop slowly if they feed on plants that also have subterranean residents and vice verse. another fact is that subterranean insects can also communicate with a third party, this can also be a benefit from the volatile signals emitted by the leaves, as these reveal where they can find a good host for their eggs. also the communication between subterranean and aboveground insects has only been studied in a few systems. It is still not clear how widespread this phenomenon is.

posted by: Rafael Leon

Natural Antibiotics

Haven’t you ever wondered if some animal holds antibiotics against known human pathogens? It has become apparent that there is an animal that holds proteins that show promise for fighting different disease causing microbes including E. coli, herpes simplex virus, methicillian-resistant bacteria, and stains of the yeast Candida alvicans. It is the american alligator.

In past year’s germ fighting peptides have been isolated for amphibians for example the skin of frogs. Both reptiles and amphibians live in habitats that are hazardous and polluted. It is a known fact that these species can with stand harsh environments because of this they are of great interest in the science world.

So far they have found four or five highly active peptides that might be extremely useful in making antibiotics. By studying amphibian and reptile blood there is high hopes for discovering more pathogens that will help us fight microbes. There are many more species that live in uncleanly areas, which could bring forth more hope for discovering other antibiotics.

Posted By Julie Hachey (3b)

Birds can blush too!!!

Feeling embarrassed? Thus, you are now blushing. Don't worry, as it may be hard to believe birds blush just as much as you do. According to researchers, blushing is a method use by birds in order to control body temperature when emotionally or physically heated. Blushing is also use as an indication of the medical state of birds. This observation was confirmed on birds such as ostriches, crested caraca, hooded vulture, and the pied-billed grebe by a scientist named Jose Negro at the Estación Biológica de Doñana at Pabellón del Perú, Spain. The observation seems to be prominent in birds that are dark-colored and live in hot climates. 

Posted by Vanessa Raphaël

Human Echolocation

We commonly think of bats and dolphins using echolocation to maneuver through obstacles and locate food, but are humans capable of this technique as well? One 15 year old boy, Benjamin Underwood, has learned to use echolocation as his primary means of navigation. Benjamin, who has two artificial eyes, makes clicking noises and uses the reverberations as his sight. He says that he can distinguish between the many echoes he hears and that helps him identify his surroundings. He can miraculously play basketball with his friends and ride his bike around the neighborhood with no problem, just using the clicks he makes to locate the hoop and other players on the court or curbs and traffic on the street. He can even play video games, knowing precisely which sounds correspond to certain events and rapidly reacting. Benjamin says every object in his life speaks to him in a way that no one else can hear or understand.

Another remarkable person, Kish, a 40 year old Californian, also uses clicking to identify his surroundings. Both Benjamin and Kish lost their eyes to cancer at the age of two, and were raised in encouraging environments, where they were told they could accomplish anything they desired. Maybe the combination of their age and family support is what led to the development of this incredible talent, but neither can recall when or how they began to hone this skill. Currently, Kish is teaching blind children the way he sees the world, and in doing so he is enabling them to be independent and resourceful.

Scientists have studied the brain activity of the blind, and have discovered some interesting findings. Using fMRI and PET scans, scientists have learned that the visual cortex is not deactivated in blind patients, as it was previously believed to be. It is actually very active and almost indistinguishable from the activity of sighted people during comparable tasks. Reading Braille has been the main focus of much research because while the blind read Braille their visual cortex are activated very similarly to sighted people reading print. Some believe that this activity plays no functional role in the brains of the blind, but most evidence contradicts that opinion. It is probable that blind people interpret these signals in different ways to generate images, just without the visual component. This is a hard concept to explain to sighted people, but Kish assures that he has “mental images that are very rich, very complex. They simply do not possess the visual element.”

Posted by: Nicole Eckart

Antioxidants: Keeping us healthy by destroying one free radical at a time

Antioxidants and their health benefits have dominated the nutritional headlines over the last few months. Thought to prevent different forms of heart disease and treat various brain injuries, antioxidants have become the latest trend among today’s health conscious. Turning once maligned foods such as chocolate, wine and certain oils into natural health remedies, people are now consuming a wide variety of foods that were previously avoided.

While most people know that certain foods are considered healthy, few actually understand how they maintain our well-being. These natural wonders work by destroying the free radicals in our bodies. When oxygen comes into contact with various molecules in our bodily cells, a reaction occurs in which they lose an electron. These molecules become known as free radicals and are highly reactive and destructive. Known as reactive oxygen species, free radicals can attack cellular components in tissues, DNA, and proteins.

Antioxidants work to impede these deleterious reactions from taking place. By preventing or slowing the oxidation process, they donate electrons to disable these free radicals. It is amazing to think that eating a bunch of blueberries and washing them down with a glass of red wine can actually help repair our damaged bodily tissue. There are many antioxidants that are naturally produced by our bodies, but it is the dietary form that has created the recent buzz.

Consisting largely of fruits and vegetables, these dietary antioxidants are broken down into two categories called carotenoids and flavonoids. These carry essential compounds such as ascorbic acid and carotenes and, in addition to countering the effects of free radicals, help attack unsaturated fats. It is important to consume a well-balanced variety of antioxidants as they each have specific roles in localized parts of the body.

As is with the over-indulgence of anything, consuming too many antioxidants may have negative health consequences. Studies have shown that they can couple with minerals such as iron and zinc to affect absorbance in the digestive tract of the gastro-intestinal system. With moderate, controlled intake, however, antioxidant-containing foods are a powerful source of all-natural health maintenance. As it turns out, an antioxidant a day can, in fact, work to keep the doctor away.



posted by Thomas FitzGerald

The Miracles of Birth

In recent news, a baby with two faces was born in Saini Sapura, India exposing the public to a rare condition known as craniofacial duplication. Unlike other babies, baby Lali has two noses, two pairs of lips, and two pairs of eyes---only her ears are in the normal amount. Although she was delievered like any other baby, her extremely rare congenital disorder has caused a sensation beyond her rural birthplace miles east of New Delhi.

Also known as diposopus, the condition is associated with the SHH (Sonic Hedgehog homolog)protein, which governs the expression of facial features as well as brain development during embryonic development. In craniofacial duplication, excessive amounts of SHH protein leads to wider facial features, making way for the duplication of structures like eyes, mouths, and noses in mirror formation, as represented in baby Lali. In contrast, if SHH protein is lacking, the opposite condition of cyclopia is developed.

Because SHH is also a vital player in healthy brain developmemnt, craniofacial duplication is a feat of survival to those victim to this condition, who may well also suffer from internal organ abnormalities. Fortunately, the previous survival story of a two-faced cat named Frank and Louie gives hope to baby Lali's potential to survive. Incredibly, because of the condition, baby Lali as been worshipped as the reincarnation of an Hindu goddess, although the director of Saifi hospital insists she is just a normal baby: "She drinks milk from her two mouths and opens and shuts all the four eyes at one time"


Posted by: Helen Thi

A Predisposition for Addiction?

There have been many questions throughout our history debating the idea of inherited influences versus environmental influences. It has been widely accepted in our society today that smoking cigarettes is an addictive habit that can eventually lead to lung cancer. However, some people seem to smoke and not become addicted, and others who have addictions also live without ever developing cancer. This puzzling scenario of double standards was thought to have a genetic determinant. Until a recent series of studies in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics this link was not found.

Through these studies however a variation in the gene on chromosome 15, which helps regulate the body’s response to nicotine, was found to be this link. In case studies that covered over 35,000 smokers the researchers discovered that individuals with one variation of this gene had a 15% chance of developing lung cancer while individuals with two copies had a 25% chance.

What is most interesting perhaps is the discovery that these variations do not necessarily lead directly to lung cancer, but instead lead to more smoking. It was found that individuals with one variation smoke one extra cigarette per day on average, and those with two variations smoke two cigarettes per day over the average. Since there is more consumption this indirectly leads to an increased risk of lung cancer. It is clear here that this disease is environmentally linked, not genetically, and that this variation on chromosome 15 simply increases the risk for individuals carrying it.

This sentiment is shared by a study coordinator Kari Stefansson who says “Lung cancer is almost certainly environmentally induced, and we have found the variant that pulls us toward that environment."

It appears that addiction is not genetically linked, but your genes can increase your individual risk of becoming affected. Smoking in this sense is the trigger for this variation to have an affect. Stefansson, the main researcher in this study is coming out with a product to screen your genetic profile for this variation to find your level of risk. I, however, think that if you’re on the fence just don’t bother buying the cigarettes.

Daniel O’Leary

Liver stem cells possible cure for liver cancer?

The liver is the only organ in the human body that can naturally regenerate. Regeneration was know to be the cause of naturally occurring stem cells in the liver. Liver cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancer in humans and it is believed that 40% is caused by abnormal stem cell growth. These cells were recently identified by a research group at the Georgetown University Medical Center. The discovery was made when samples of patients who had recently undergone liver transplants expressed cells that displayed expression of Stat3, Oct4, Nanog, ELF, and receptor for the TGF-b protein. These proteins are all associated with know stem cell chains. The cells were very rare found four in every 30,000 to 60,000 cells but were displaying very high expression. These cells were also discovered in the liver of cancer patients. In cancer patients the cells were expressing constantly because of the loss TGF-b.

These discoveries lead to experiments in lab mice who had the stat3 gene removed. Preventing the stat3 gene from being passed on to the next generation yielded experiment results displaying only 1 in 40 mice developed liver cancer. Mice with the stat3 gene displayed a 70% chance of developing liver cancer. Georgetown is now starting a new set of testing with an experimental stat3 inhibitor drug created by the National Cancer Institute. The drug simply blocks the expression of stat3 cells in the liver without removing the gene.

If this drug is capable of regulating stat3 expression in the liver it could be a possible cure for liver cancer. The stat3 inhibitor has been tested and the results indicate that the drug has little toxicity. If testing in the lab mice is successful the drug will continue on to further experiments that will justify its use to cure cancer in humans. This information was published in February of 2008 and is still in early phases of the experiment. The results of these experiments if successful could lead to the very first cure for any form of cancer

Posted by John Reilly

Conservation by Color

Researchers have come up with a new way to help decide where areas for conservation can be set aside, what type of land is needed, and how much land should be used. They do this by taking a map and plotting biodiversity "hot spots" on it. This was done for Madagascar. The colors on the map show what areas were/are being protected, and what areas are recommended for protection. The areas are chosen with the help of a computer system. This computer program has information on 2,300 different species in Madagascar. It can tell the researchers which species are most likely to go extinct before another, and what habitats should be preserved. With this information biodiversity on Madagascar can be saved. The researchers were also confident that this software can also be used in other areas of the world to help preserve biodiversity there as well. More on this topic can be found here.

Posted by Jennifer McGrath Group C

Wildlife Thrives After Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Explosion

On the 26 of April 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear plant in what was the Soviet Union in Ukraine had exploded. The majority of the population living there evacuated the area, except for about three hundred residents who refused to leave. Scientist believed that due to high levels of radioactivity, this area would not be safe for any living organism to live for many years. Now a little over twenty years have passed, and wildlife still occupies, and in fact, flourished the contaminated area. Scientists have different opinions on the effects the radiation has contributed to the wildlife inhabiting the area. Some scientist argue that their have been a variety of different mutations in the DNA of some species and has a dramatic effect on reproduction and health. Other scientists argue that wildlife is coping with the contaminated area and the damage caused by the nuclear explosion is far less significant than the damage caused by humans during their occupancy in the area.

As humans evacuated the area, animals began to move in. The populations of species living in the radioactive area are now multiplying and species not seen for decades such as the lynx, eagle owl, great white egret and nesting swans are now reappearing. Existing animals such as the wolf, elk, fox, deer, badger, boar, hare and many species of aquatic and non-aquatic birds are thriving in population. According to radioecologist Sergey Gaschakm in an article in BBC News "A lot of birds are nesting inside the sarcophagus," referring to the steel and concrete shield over the reactor that exploded in 1986.

In the first few weeks after the explosion, the pine tree forest within a 6 kilometer radius turned reddish brownish given the name Red Forest. Animals within the 6km radius were immediately affected. Most animals died or became sterile. The embryos of mice dissolved and even horses beyond the 6km radius died because their thyroid glands had disintegrated. Some species were greatly affected but their next generations seem fine. It is too early to tell how radioactive these animals are and they are probably not safe to eat but so far, most species have adapted fine.

Gaschakm conducted an experiment with mice living in the Red Forest. He tagged a numerous number of mice and then recaptured them later and concluded that these mice lived just as long as mice that lived in a clean and safe environment. During his research, he only found one mouse with cancer-like symptoms. He also found mutations in some of the mice DNA but their physiological and reproductive systems were not affected. Another scientist by the name of Timothy Mousseau of the University of South Carolina studied barn swallows in Chernobyl. He discovered that out of 284 birds over one third had ill-formed beaks, albino feathers, bent tail feathers and other malformations. According to an article in The Washington Post Mousseau said, “a high proportion of the birds he and his colleagues have examined suffer from radiation-induced sickness and genetic damage. Survival rates are dramatically lower for those living in the most contaminated areas.” thus, according to his study although wildlife is adapting to this radioactive habitat the animals are struggling to build populations. Both scientists criticize each other’s studies as poorly designed.

After two decades after the nuclear explosion, a woman by the name of Maria Urupa still lives in the contaminated area. She claims that wildlife is flourishing around the fields and forest around her home. A pack of wolves have killed and eaten her two dogs and the meadows near her house are infested with fox, rabbits and snakes. Although some scientist said life would not exist here for several hundreds of years, evidence proves them wrong. Unfortunately, scientist have not conducted enough research to draw significant evidence that life is dramatically affected or not affected by the explosion. However, life has adapted to survive in this radioactive environment.

Posted by: C. Varela

Cardiac Conduction System

When you listen to your heart beat, you never stop to wonder why it beats, how does it beat and what causes it to beat. Do you ever ponder why it never stops beating however much you want it to. Why cant you control it like you control your muscles or the way you breathe, or may be open and close your eyes as you please. There are muscle in our bodies which are controlled by the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. The way you can move from one place to another and come back, when you choose to lift your book-pack and when you dont feel like it. All these movements you choose to do are controlled by you. but beyond what we can control, lies the uncontrollable. The muscles of the heart are not close to being control by you. Lets just say they have thier own world and a small brain that tells them what to do and not you. think this is your heart and it's in yo body but you dont have control over it. You dont tell it when to start and when to stop beating.

All these questions can be understood by simple understand the functions of these structures that make the heart beat. First, the heart is composed of muscle which are capable of initiating there own electric impulse.

The process by which this happens is called the Cardiac Conduction system. The Cardiac Conduction System generates lightning-fast electrical impulses which are rapidly conducted through the heart muscle. This impulse causes the heart chambers to contract in a rhythmic sequence, pumping blood throughout the body.
The elements comprising the Cardiac Conduction system are the sinoatrial node (also referred to as the "SA node" or "pacemaker"), the atrioventricular node ("AV node") and certain fibers of the autonomic nervous system atrioventricular bundle also referred to as the Bundle of His, right and left bundles branches and the purkinje fibers.
The sinoatrial node is a small lump of neural tissue located in the right atrium of the heart. This tiny cluster of cells is responsible for initiating the electrical impulse that causes the heart to beat. This impulse travels rapidly throughout the cells of the atria causing them to contract then continues on to the AV node.

Located near the center of the heart, the AV node serves as a kind of "gatekeeper" delaying the electrical impulse before relaying it on to stimulate the ventricles. This slight delay ensures that the right and left atria have had sufficient time to contract before the ventricles do. From here, the impulse travels on to the right and left ventricles by way of the bundle of His. These specialized autonomic nerve fibers are located inside the muscular walls of the heart. The impulse is passed through the muscle cells of the ventricles causing them to contract and forcefully eject the blood contained within.Once complete, the cycle begins again to keep your heart beating... and your blood flowing.

The understanding of how the heart works, generates its own impulse and capable of changing the rate at which it beats, has become a big contribution to the improvement of patients with heart failures. Scientists have introduced artificial pacemakers which is connected directly to the chambers of the heart. Pacemakers are designed to meet specefic needs which may include increasing or decreasing the pulse rate to match the activities for example running, walking, resting, while other boost the impulse of the heart when needed.

With this complex gift, that our bodies possesses, we should be able to thank whoever made the heart.

Posted by M. Lubega

The Protein Structure Initiative

The Human Genome Project was great except that all of the information that was gathered is pretty useless until we know something about the proteins that are made by gene sequences - specifically what they look like and what function they have. In 2000 the National Institute of Health launched the Protein Structure Initiative to solve the structures of 10,000 proteins. The initiative was designed to take 10 years but here we are in year 8 and what do we know? As of 2005 1200 protein structures had been added to the national database and the technical development phase was completed. Unfortunately, there are billions of proteins in this world all functioning to form complex machines which we have barely begun to understand.
Life really is a miracle in the sense that beings carry the genetic information to replicate themselves, and in this replication a new life is formed in a carefully constructed way which prevents it from growing an extra arm out of its brain. Errors happen, but the majority of the time these series of genes produce a series of proteins which operate every possible function of the body.
In the following years of the project, the goal was to use the technology learned to add more proteins to the database. 3 years and 2000 structures later, we have entered into a tough time. We are gathering information on protein structures but we don't have any use for this information yet. We don't know why this is important and yet we continue to throw money into researching the shapes of proteins. This year marked $80 million alone and the expected tab by 2010 is over $700 million. The question facing the funders of the project now is whether or not to continue with it in 2010. The human genome project was a similar undertaking which started out rough and ended with a complete genome. The only problem is that we cannot to anything with this information except pat ourselves on the back for figuring out the whole gosh-darn thing. Yay us. But what do we do now? How do we attempt to figure out what every single one of the billions of proteins does? Is it worth continuing with this project?

Posted by Sarah Kaz (2B)

Summertime Listing for Polar Bear?

According to the department of interior by early summer polar bear might be in danger of being extinction because the greenhouse effect has been part of the earth's workings since its earliest days. Gases like carbon dioxide and methane allow sunlight to reach the earth, but prevent some of the resulting heat from radiating back out into space. Without the greenhouse effect, the planet would never have warmed enough to allow life to form. But as ever larger amounts of carbon dioxide have been released along with the development of industrial economies, the atmosphere has grown warmer at an accelerating rate: Since 1970, temperatures have gone up at nearly three times the average for the 20th century.
Acording to the New York Times science report from the climate panel predicted that the global climate is likely to rise between 3.5 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit if the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere reaches twice the level of 1750.
Another reason that can be a cause of the issue of the polar bears being in the danger species is oils spills because its toxicity to exposed wildlife, the USGS Polar bears, the apical predator of the Arctic, are widely dispersed near the continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean, an area also undergoing considerable hydrocarbon exploration and development there has been no way to quantify the probability that polar bears dispersed over the seascape would be exposed to spilled oil.
we need to have a petition to help this cause and to make a petition to clean the oils spills because we have all the tools to prevent the extinction of the polar bears


Posted By: Rafael Leon

RNA Interference: Does It Work?

In 2006, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for work in RNA interference, also known as RNAi. Since then, this technology has been used to silence genes in research, and potentially it can be used in humans to stop specific-disease causing genes. But as the New York Times reports, drugs using this mechanism work differently than expected.

RNAi works to stop a gene's message as it is translated. As the dogma of molecular biology states, a gene of DNA is transcribed to a single stranded piece of RNA, and the RNA is processed and translated to become a protein. To interfere with this process, a small piece of double stranded RNA is broken up into pieces that can bind to other RNA molecules that then become degraded (more information here).

Theoretically, using these pieces of RNA can silence viruses. Viruses reproduce by injecting their genetic material into a cell, and oftentimes they use RNA. With RNAi, one should be able to stop the RNA from viruses before it affects the cell. Earlier research concerning mice showed promise. Mice infected with hepatitis had fewer viral particles in their blood when treated with an RNAi drug.

But the drugs described by the New York Times, attempting to treat macular degeneration, did not work as expected. The RNAi didn't work by silencing genes, but instead helped to activate the immune system. One of the potential hallmarks of RNAi technology is its specificity: you can target a particular gene, and not have a system-wide affect. If it doesn't work by silencing genes, there are questions to what else it can do, especially whether or not it has harmful side effects.  

Even as we think we can unlock the mysteries of how the cell works, there are even more mysteries that arise when we try to use these ideas for ourselves. But regardless, new ideas and discoveries continue to be made, and one day, maybe, we'll understand how the cell functions completely and thoroughly.

Posted by katgor (2B)

Through the Eyes of Another

Most people have probably seen at least one person with a guide dog. Whether it be on the street, in the mall, or maybe a restaurant. These animals are known as service animals. They are specially trained animals-not pets. Most service animals are dogs and are trained to perform functions that its owner is not capable of. This includes everything from leading a blind person around obstacles they may encounter, pulling a wheelchair, providing a stable body for balancing for those who have mobility impairments, or relieving emotional stress. Animals that are trained for service also know how to behave properly in public, pick up items that are asked of them, or even open doors. They are truly smart animals that are loving, compassionate, and helpful.
Unfortunately, a dog isn't for everyone. Some people are allergic or fearful of dogs, no matter how well they are trained. That's where miniature horses come in. Miniature horses are horses, not ponies, that stand no higher than 34 inches at their withers. They are ideal assistant animals for people. They are fairly low maintenance, very comparable to dogs. Many people also enjoy that these animals can live outside when they are not being used.
The Guide Horse Foundation was founded in 1999. The first guide horse was trained by a long time horse trainer, Janet Burleson, as an experimental project. Though not as common as a guide dog, miniature horses have many benefits and are becoming more popular over time. Horses are identified as a guide animal in public by wearing a jacket, just as dogs are. Though horses also have to wear a unique accessory, boots. They boots look just like tennis shoes and help horses with traction on laminate or slick flooring since malls aren't really designed for horse hooves.
A great advantage to using a mini over a dog is that they have an average lifespan of 30-40 years. People have noted that their lifespan makes using a mini more cost effective. An average guide dog costs about $60,000 to raise and train and can only be used for service for a maximum of 10 years. Some other benefits that have been noted are horses memory capacity and vision. Horses have a very good memory in comparison to dogs. Horses also have a wider range of vision than dogs do, which can be extremely helpful in leading a blind person in a busy area.
As you can see, dogs aren't the only animals capable of assisting humans. This can be seen not only in guide animals but also in therapy animals. Many animals, from birds to ferrets, have been used as therapy animals. Who knows, maybe someday someone will train a bird to give directions to the visually impaired.

Posted by: Christine McConville

Can an inactive childhood lead to heart disease?

A recent study states that children who live inactive lifestyles are more likely to develop various forms of heart disease later in life. The study was conducted on the same group of children over 7 years. It first examined the children while they were in grade school, and then again when they were teenagers. They measured things such as blood pressure, height, body mass index, and cholesterol levels. After the final measurements were taken, the researchers found that 4.6 percent of the teens had 3 or more characteristics of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a label of clustered conditions that lead to heart disease, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. Researchers said that within the 4.6 percent of children that displayed metabolic syndrome, all of them were six times more likely to have had very little aerobic exercise during their childhood. These children indeed received little to no vigorous exercise that strengthens the heart. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes of rigorous exercise per day.

So what does this study actually show? It indeed shows the importance of exercise in childhood, but the study also raises questions. Did the time of the study have an effect on the results? For example, if the study had been taken 25 years ago, would they still have been able to obtain the same results? In current times, there may be underlying factors that lead to children exercising less and being at greater health risks. Digital entertainment has skyrocketed in the last ten years, resulting in more children playing video games and watching TV. Parents also tend to work harder and longer hours now, leaving their children to do what they want unsupervised.

The important point to take home from this study is that parents should be more alert of their children's activities. Assuming that the study is valid, and that there is indeed a correlation between lack of exercise as a child and having greater risks of heart problems later in life, then parents should know to make sure that their kids are getting enough exercise on a daily basis. A 10 year old is not likely to read the results of scientific studies, so they continue living their lives without enough activity - not knowing it could be detrimental to their health.

Articles about the study can be found here and here.



Posted By: Nate Pitcher