Harvard researchers develop bioplastic made from shrimp shells

"Harvard Researchers Develop Bioplastic Made from Shrimp Shells." Fox News. FOX News Network, 16 May 2014. Web. 21 May 2014. <http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/05/16/harvard-researchers-develop-bioplastic-made-from-shrimp-shells/>.

For my current event I read the article “Harvard researchers develop bioplastic made from shrimp shells,” by Fox News.  This is a very interesting article which discusses the advancements in organic technology which have been made by researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.  Basically, a team of researchers in this department were able to create a new type of bioplastic from the substance chitin.  This is real neat because chitin actually comes from the shells of shrimp, and it is the second most abundant organic substance on earth, so there are no worries that we will run out of chitin if we want to use it for more purposes in the future.  The article states that “the bioplastic the lab creates is fully biodegradable – so much so, in fact, that they were able to grow a California Blackeye pea plant in soil enriched with its chitosan bioplastic over a three-week period” (par. 7).  This is important because it shows that using chitin as an alternative resource won’t hurt the environment.  The researchers hope that this discovery will allow for the production of plastic to keep going, minus any harmful effects.

           

This new bioplastic has a huge impact on society because it allows for people to keep creating plastic and other materials that usually would harm the environment, but now instead use a biodegradable material of which there is a high abundance.  Switching over to chitin as the primary resource for plastic and other synthetic materials is a step in the right direction to help stop global warming.

Overall I think that this was a well written and interesting article, and I definitely recommend it.  The author does a good job of giving information to support the claim that chitin plastics are good for the environment, while at the same time weaving in a mixture of researchers’ quotes and ideas which help strengthen the author’s argument.  I do however wish that the author had included a bit more on the process of creating the plastic, as it is left a bit too vague in the article.  Nonetheless, this article conveyed an important and really interesting topic which I expect will lead to more advancements and improvements in eco-friendly technology up the road.

Looks Like Rain Again. And Again

            I read the article “Looks Like Rain Again. And Again.” from The New York Times written by Justin Gillis. Based off of research from the 1980s, a prediction was released in 1995 stating, ‘The available evidence suggests that a warmer world is likely to experience an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events, associated with a more intense hydrological cycle and the increased water-holding capacity of a warmer atmosphere.’ The National Assessment of Climate released last week stated researchers in the U.S reported ‘large increases in heavy precipitation have occurred in the Northeast, Midwest and Great Plains, where heavy downpours have frequently led to runoff that exceeded the capacity of storm drains and levees, and caused flooding events and accelerated erosion.’

            Climate is a very difficult branch of science because of its unpredictability, however scientists have been able to demonstrate skills to predict future climate patterns. While many people are “still catching up with science” it is difficult to not notice the recent heavy rainstorms. A pattern has been observed in recent years of these more frequent rainstorms.

            The title of this article instantly caught my attention when browsing The NY Times website. The beginning of the article really drew me in, but as it went on I found myself slowly losing interest. Other than that, I found the article to be very well written.

Gillis, Justin. "Looks Like Rain Again. And Again." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 May 2014. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/science/looks-like-rain-again-and-again.html?ref=science>.

Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans as Antarctic Ice Melts

Gillis, Justin, and Kenneth Chang. "Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans as Antarctic Ice Melts." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 May 2014. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/science/earth/collapse-of-parts-of-west-antarctica-ice-sheet-has-begun-scientists-say.html?_r=0>.

I read the New York Times article Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans as Antarctic Ice Melts by Justin Gillis and Kenneth Chang. In 1978, glaciologist (glaciology is the study of glaciers) John H. Mercer of Ohio State University warned that if significant human release of greenhouse gases continued, the West Antarctic ice sheet was of particular vulnerability. He was assailed, but soon after, scientists began paying more attention to the Antarctic ice sheet and their concern has only been growing ever since. On Monday, two groups of scientists reported that the melting of the Antarctic Ice sheet has already begun. The scientists also reported that the complete melting of this ice sheet may be unstoppable at this point, since "global warming is accelerating the pace of the disintegration". The melting of this ice shelf is of particular significance because of its massiveness and the amount of water it holds. Not only will the melting of this ice shelf continue to desalinate the oceans, making it harder and harder for sea life to thrive, but it also poses a threat direct to humankind as well: the rising of ocean water levels. With this ice shelf completely melted, scientists claim that "a rise in global sea level of at least 10 feet may now not be inevitable".

Climate change affects everyone who lives on this planet. Every year, climate change causes our environment to get sicker and sicker. People need to be not only aware of climate change but also aware of the fact that if we don't act right now, it will become inevitable that life on earth will never get back to what it used to be like. As more and more horrific articles about the stresses global warming has put on our world come out, the question really becomes "why haven't we begun taking truly significant action against global warming?"

The topic of climate change is one that I find personal interest in, so this article appealed to me immediately. This article was well-written and clear. The two authors of the article are well-known New York Times writers, so the well-written article was to be expected. Overall, I saw no problems with this article.

Young Blood May Hold Key to Reversing Aging

Two teams of scientists published their work on Sunday showing that blood from young mice reverses aging in old mice, it makes their muscles and brains younger and stronger. It could lead to treatments for disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. Rudolph Tanzi, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said, “These findings could be a game changer.” Scientists joined old and young mice for a period of five weeks and then examined them. The muscles of the old mice healed about as quickly as those of the young mice, the scientists reported in 2005. In addition, the old mice grew new liver cells at a youthful rate. The experiment indicated that there were compounds in the blood of the young mice that could awaken old stem cells and rejuvenate aging tissue. Amy J. Wagers, a member of Dr. Rando’s team, and an associate professor at Harvard. demonstrated that it could rejuvenate the hearts of old mice. They found that GDF11 revived stem cells in old muscles, making old mice stronger and increasing their endurance. The new blood supply led to the growth of neurons and gave older mice a sharper sense of smell. Scientists hope that it will work on humans too.

This is a revolutionary discovering if it turns out to work on humans. This would affect humans all around the globe and who knows what else it could lead to. If it did work out as planned would it be for the good in the long run though. This is so far away though no one can determine that, but just looking at what they discovered now is absolutely incredible.

This article was very detail oriented, which made it very interesting. Although when stating some findings they used words involving this subject that not the average person would know, only someone with intelligence in this subject would understand what they were talking about and yet they didn’t explain it for the more average readers.

Zimmer, Carl. "Young Blood May Hold Key to Reversing Aging." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 May 2014. Web. 05 May 2014.

An About-Face on a Risky Transplant

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/health/an-about-face-on-a-risky-transplant.html?ref=science&_r=0

                I read the article An About-Face on a Risky Transplant by Lawrence K. Altman. In 2005, the first face transplant was performed on a French woman to much opposition from people who called it an unethical and immoral procedure. Since then, numerous other people have had face transplants to astounding results. The article states that transplants can “ease or erase the grotesque deformities that leave them [the patients] subject to taunts, discrimination, isolation and serious depression.” The face transplant has even helped 4 patients get back to work or school. However, the procedure is still quite risky and expensive. Costing upwards of $300,000 and killing 3 people, one of whom could not bear the grueling rehabilitation from the surgery, it is definitely not an easy procedure. Even though this technology still has quite a few kinks in it, they will eventually be worked out and lead to a better life for facial trauma victims.

                This information affects everyone. Everyone is always at risk for a traumatic accident, be it a car crash or an animal mauling. This technology has and will continue to help those who have faced traumatic accidents. You never know when disaster could strike, and a face transplant could help you get back from it.

                I did not see any issues with this article. I thought it highlighted a very interesting and new technology very well, even including an infographic to assist the reader to understand the procedure. One things that I would like to know is why the Chinese government ended funding for one patient’s rehabilitation drugs. Other than that, the article explained everything else very well and gave insight into similar topics, such as hand and arm transplants.

Scientists Find an 'Earth Twin,' or Maybe a Cousin

Chang, Kenneth. "Scientists Find an ‘Earth Twin,’ or Maybe a Cousin." The New York Times.

            The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.    

I read The New York Times article “Scientists Find an ‘Earth Twin,’ or Maybe a Cousin” by Kenneth Chang.  On Thursday, astronomers declared that a planet similar to earth has been discovered, named Kepler 186f, about 500 light-years away from our home.  It was discovered in the Kepler planet-finding mission carried out by NASA.  Many factors observed by astronomers highlight the fact that Kepler 186f may possibly be life-sustaining.  Kepler 186f orbits a red dwarf star at a distance that would enable water and oxygen to be present as they are on Earth, making it possible for photosynthesis to occur.  However, the temperature on Kepler 186f could be significantly lower than that of earth, as the red-dwarf star it orbits emits less heat than the sun and Kepler 186f is located slightly farther away from its star than earth is from the sun.  However, scientists believe that the bigger size of Kepler 186f may result in a thicker atmosphere, making it easier for the planet to trap heat.  Because red dwarf stars are among the oldest in the universe, possible organisms on Kepler 186f may have been developing for billions of years.

This event is most important to scientists.  Scientists have been searching for another life-sustaining planet for a very long time, and they may have been successful in finally finding one.  This opens up a huge area of study for scientists, and could inspire scientists to search for more planets like earth.  Who knows, maybe humans might travel to these planets in the future.  This could have an impact on our society in that it would lead to many new discoveries and advances in science.  Because advances in science lead to advances in technology, new discoveries about other planets like Earth could lead to technological improvements.

I thought this article was very well written, and I found it very interesting.  I did not see anything wrong with this article, and I do not have any tips that could help the author improve its writing.  However, I would love to find out more about this topic.  The author mainly focused on the facts about the planet itself, but I would like to learn more about life on these planets.  Overall, I thought the author did a great job writing this article, and I would definitely recommend others to read it.