Regaining Eye-sight through Gene Therapy

      Three US citizens who all lost their eye sight as children, have gotten gene therapy to fix their eye problems, have reported life-changing results. Tami Morehouse, has recently talked about the joy she has experienced since getting gene therapy in both of her eyes. UK scientists and researchers are now saying that these treatments can maybe be used to treat other kinds of eye issues. All of these patients, have the same type of eye disorder, named Leber's Congenital Amaurosis. This rare genetic issue is inherited when a defect that encodes protein occurs and eyesight is effected. This disorder appears in the early stages of life, the symptoms that are shown with this disorder include very impaired vision, eye movements that are involuntary and very poor night vision. With this disorder, the cause is a mistake in more then 10 different genes. The effect of these abnormal genes is the retina does not function normally. Only a handful of people are being able to be treated by this new gene therapy treatment. The treatment consists of injecting one eye with the gene RPE65. Through this treatment the patients sight was improved, and in addition to treating the other eye their eyesight improved greatly. This discovery is important, because of the knowledge that we now know how to treat people for eye based issues through a gene based treatment that is not only safe but also successful.

Reflection on first part of Cracking the code of life.

1. Would you want to be tested to learn whether they  had a genetic disease or predisposition if no cure available? Why or why not?

I would still want to be tested for this genetic disease or predispositiosn because maybe starting with finding out whether this disease is in my body, so that if in the future there was a cure created that I would be aware that this would be helpful to me. Also, I believe that being informed is much better than not being, because this would allow you to be aware of the dangers your predisposition could carry.



2.  Would you want to have your DNA be part of a study? Why or why not? Would you want royalties for your part in finding the gene? What if during the testing, the company discovered you had a gene that might result in health problems later in life? Would you want to be informed ? Why or why not?
I would not be opposed to having my DNA be part of a study that could prevent people from falling ill and losing their life. Yet if I did I would not ask for anything, because it was just the matter I would have contributed and none of the true time and effort put in by the scientists that actually created the cure. Though if the company did find out that I might have health problems later on in life, I would definitely want to know about it. For the same reasons answered for the question above.

3. I think that keeping the public's genetic makeup private rather than public would help against any developing of genetic discrimination. Yet I don't honestly believe that genetic discrimination will become a very big problem, because there are bigger social issues plaguing society currently.

Empathy Gene

      According to studies, perhaps the reason why a person you might come across is more caring and kind that average could be because of there genes. There have been studies done previously, that showed links of traits to a certain gene variation. This gene the the receptor for a chemical made by the brain called oxytocin. This particular chemical has earned the nickname "love hormone" because of the role it plays expressing the feelings we feel such as anxiety, bonding and empathy. The division between the variates of the oxytocin chemical appear in the "G" and "A" variates. While people with two "G"'s tend to be better at socializing and are more confidant while the people who contain at least one "A" often have more mental health issues, are more likely to be autistic and find dealing with stress hard.

      I found this article to be interesting because I always thought that the kindness we express, and the kind of person you are, or empathy is something that has to be taught while growing up. I believed that the level of kindness and caring depended on your surrounding environment. So I was quite intrigued when I read that the level and willingness to express feeling and emotions to people is wired into to your DNA. 

Mendel's Pea Experiment

Gregor Mendel was a monk from Central Europe, he gave us the modern understanding of how genetics work. One of Mendel's famous experiments is one that he did with peas. Mendel took one green pea plant and crossed it with one yellow pea plant, his hypothesis was that the resulting offspring would be a yellow-green pea plant. Yet the result of his experiment was that all the offspring of the 2 pea plants were yellow! Thinking that he had made a mistake in the experiment, Mendel repeated this experiment many time, but he got the same result every time. Mendel then bred the first offspring generation (f1) and found that the second offspring generation (f2) had a ration of 3:1, which meant that out of 4 one pea was green while the rest were yellow. Looking at the experiment Mendel concluded from the f1 generation that the yellow gene was dominant and from the f2 generation that the green gene was recessive. This was not just relative to colour but to other traits as well. 

     In class we did a similar experiment where instead of growing our own plants, which would take a while, we took a bucket with a mix of yellow and black balls. From looking inside the bucket it was evident that the number of yellow balls exceeded the number if black ones. The test was to reach inside the bucket without looking and take four balls then record the number of black balls and yellow ones. At the end of our experiment after tallying up the results, we concluded that is the yellow and black colours were genes for a certain trait that the yellow gene would be dominant while the yellow would be recessive. 

       When conducting our experiment, we had to take a number of results because they varied each time. I imagine this is what Mendel must've done when working with the pea plants in his experiment. The test must've been repeated many times to ensure results that were adequate. This is the same for really any experiment, if the conclusion that comes out of the experiment, you wish to be accurate the experiment must be repeated a few times at least.
      To conclude, if believe we can agree that without Mendel's discoveries and experiments, that the modern understanding of genetics would be different from what it is today. 

Gattaca

I found the movie Gattaca very interesting. Not only was the idea that people could be discriminated because of the DNA they are born with, something, if it is natural, you have to live with it. In Gattaca it really doesn't matter if you have any other important talents or attributes what really matters is how your DNA results appear. While to whole idea of being able to "engineer" humans with certain DNA traits sounds fascinating, the idea that if your DNA is perfect you could be discriminated for it doesn't sound so promising. This is shown with the main character, Vincent Freeman. Being born with the DNA he has he is told that the probability of him developing a mental disorder is high, that he has a heart defect, his life expectancy is 30.2 years and is near sighted all because his birth was natural and not engineered unlike his brother. This in reality destroys any dream he was of making it to space. Unless he becomes someone else or a borrowed ladder, which is essentially becoming a 'valid' by borrowing their DNA. This is another interesting concept, asking us if taking samples of someones DNA and altering your appearance is all it really take to "become" this person. He buys this DNA from a man named Jerome, who is wheel-chair ridden after being hit by a car. Everyday Vincent must rid himself of his own cells by washing and scrubbing himself frequently and replace these with Jerome's. To get by screening Vincent also uses everything from hair, tissue, blood and urine samples from Jerome.  I found this movie to be quite thought provoking in terms of different kinds of discrimination within society while as well as teaching me about DNA, and how it shapes us.  It shows how Vincent's determination fights all the odds and he can eventually fulfill his dream. 

One World Essay: Food Preservatives and Mass Production

Maria Los

Science

8B

12/11/11

                                                                Evolution of Food

Food is all around us and is necessary for everyday survival. Yet it has become so different from what it used to be. With the developing of new technologies, transportation and a growing population we require food to last longer and in mass production. Have you ever wondered why maybe the apple you eat is so deeply colored red, or perhaps why the food in chain restaurants manage to produce so much food, yet have it all taste the same? Many people don’t consider this, they put trust into food producers and marketers to tell them the truth and serve up healthy and safe food. Yet this is not the truth, food which was once a necessity is now a business.  Yet what are the health dangers of these new “brands” of food, and what will the future hold for food? And how using food preservatives and mass production is affecting this all?

The definition of mass-production is to produce something in very large quantities for a low cost; the use of assembly lines is often used in this system. The food that is sold in these fast food joints are mainly produced in great numbers and then frozen for transportation, when they end up at the restaurants in large freezers. Employees’ then heat up the food and serve it to customers. To make these foods taste the same, natural flavorings cannot be used by companies producing these food products and they must add artificial flavorings, this will be delved into deep later on in the essay. When preparing this food to be sold to a customer the procedures are quite robotic. Everyone has a certain job, made to be quick and efficient so that the food all has the same taste, having no variety in different products. The employees are the same way, given specific instructions to follow. This is what sets apart “fast” food chains from working restaurants where the food is made from scratch. They give a fast-food chain the ability to produce its food quickly, hence “fast” food; you must supply it with a consistent supply of product. This is what a distribution network does for a chain.  Yet these chains usually do not have the facilities to keep enormous amount of food, so this food is stored within a warehouse where it sits until needing to be shipped off and used. This may seem as if it is a good situation, food is produced quickly, giving it to us whenever we need it, while these companies are making more money by selling their food.

The unfortunate truth is being mass produced there must be some downside, because when you mass produce food the health factor drop by a substantial amount. A good example of this would be McDonald’s food. The average person’s intake should be consisting of about; 2,000 calories, 65 grams of fat and 1779 milligrams of sodium. Yet with an average McDonalds meal, that is made up of a dessert, burger, fried and a soda it would add up to being; 1,701 calories, 72 grams  of fat and 1,630 milligrams of  sodium. So in one meal you would be getting all the sodium, fat and calories that should be consumed in one day. This is why fast-food and mass-produced items contain more fat and less, healthy fiber that we actually need. The calorie and sugar content is higher and so is the salt content as well. Since this food is made quickly, there is no time to give a second look on its effects to people’s health so things such as organic or fresh are not heard of. Within these foods, not only high contents of sodium, calories, and fats, are prevalent. Trans-fats are a type of fat used excessively in the fast food market; these are also called partially hydrogenated oils. These oils might be what makes fast food appealing to people by making it taste better, but the health effects are much worse than normal fats. While normal fats can be consumed in moderation and not have devastating effects on health consuming 5 grams of trans fat can raise the risk of heart attack for you up by 25%. This is shocking considering that most of the larger sized meals contain a sufficient amount of trans fats, going over this 5 grams mark multiple times.  Even though the idea of mass production is appealing because of the endless supply to a chains, easy preparation and fast service yet the health effects tell a different story.

Ever wondered why some products can last so much longer than, maybe, something bought fresh? The reason for this is thanks to the chemical preservatives in food. These are used to stop the slow spoiling of food and restrain the microorganisms.  There can be 3 different varieties of preservatives, the first are antimicrobials which stop bacteria, yeast and mold from forming. The second are antioxidants which stop oxidization; hence the name and the third are Metal Chetlates which alter the natural ripening cycle of the food. These protect us from the microbes all around us, in small quantities these cannot harm us yet with larger amount (which starts with a single bacterium and can spread very quickly) and then they can become a problem. Through having preservatives we are able to give foods longer shelf life’s and be safe for transportation by stopping the forming of bacteria and it’s spreading which can have dangerous effects. Preservatives are used widely today yet mostly on products such as spreads that are low fat, bakery items, dressings, margarines, cheeses, mayonnaises and dried fruits. Yet a similar dilemma to one we have with mass-production is, are these methods safe? Of course, food preservatives stop and prevent the spread of bacteria, which keeps us from getting food borne illnesses but we are also placing chemicals in our foods, which can potentially also have health effects. Food preservatives have to be safe enough so that the cells in the human body are not affected by any of the process also the quantities of preservatives that are allowed to be put into food is limited. Yet this might change because over years the bacteria in our food has started to slowly become more, and more resistant to the preservatives we are using. This means raising dosages to produce the desired results as were before. This is where the speculation comes in, is it healthy to be adding more preservatives into food? Still there are other rumored health effects of food preservatives. Such rumors are those that some preservatives, specifically those added to products such as cereal and potato chips, can cause cancerous tumors. Another is that those found in canned corn and tomatoes can raise a person’s blood pressure or some people are allergic to food preservatives giving the reaction of rash and hives. Yet microorganism spoilage is still a great threat, it raises the toxins in a food making it a threat to its safety and the way a food smells, tastes and appears making it a threat to quality as well.  There are, though, other ways to preserve foods. These methods include; canning, in which the food is packed into a can and then heated to a high temperature. There is freezing, in which the temperature is dropped to slow down enzyme activity.  Another is drying, where water is removed from the food which dehydrates the microbes. Additional others are, pickling, which lowers the PH level of the food, jam-making, this uses a lot of sugar which draws out the water, and perhaps the oldest way of preservation, smoking, in which the food is hung over a fire and the chemical in the smoke kill the microbes. The preservatives that we use today are often somewhat based off similar ones that nature provides us with. Unfortunately, there are not enough of these to widely use in large quantities so humans have synthetically recreated them. Looking from the point of view of the human safety, the food with the most need for these preservatives is probably meat that is processed. This is because the bacteria produced in these products can easily turn into poisons which are deadly to the human body. Yet this should be no problem because there are currently over 80 substances that are allowed to be used a preservatives, keeping our food safe to eat.

                We know what mass production and food preservatives are, and have lightly skimmed the effects of these two food industry aspects. While food preservation does allow us to have food that is sanitary, the effects are not all around good. Looking at the effect through an environmental point of view there are some. When given the power to preserve a food you are able to transport it as well. Transporting lots of food overseas and even to other countries causes pollution. Whether sent by plane or trucked to the buyer. This is why the benefits of buying locally are much greater. When you buy locally you can support the economy because you are buying from farms that are local. This in turn lets the farm land develop and farmers make a profit. Local produce can also decrease your carbon footprint, the food you eat will not have to travel great distances to have come to you and end up on your table. Last but not least, buying local will give you the freshest choice. You will get farm fresh food rather than food that has been sitting being transported overseas. Yet what are the effects of having mass production? Such huge amounts of product is produced through mass production, a great example of this are an American snack called Twinkies. These are produced so quickly that every minute 1,000 are produced, 16 every second and for every blink, 4 Twinkies are made. Yet what is even worse is that Hostess, the company that produces Twinkies use up 40,000 miles, or 64,373 kilometers of plastic wrap every year. Having to produce products so fast these companies often go through so many materials and they are not recyclable.

                In conclusion, food has changed a lot through time. Where we started out as hunter-gatherers, we have evolved a lot to changing the food we have today even though in its natural form it is good enough. We have developed so that the ways that we produce food as well today is very different. Through mass production and food preservatives we are able to alter our food to suit our needs that we have today. Food must be able to travel over distances, be produced in large amounts and keep up appearance and quality for a long period of time. Though there are effects some good, some not, humans have been able to achieve this level of food engineering and control.

                                                                                                                                                              

 

Works Cited

DiAmicis, Ralph. "Mass Produced Foods Information." SG & Singapore Map - Singapura, Singapur, Singapore Information. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/3812/health/mass_produced_foods_information.html>.

"Food Additives." Understanding Food Additives. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.understandingfoodadditives.org/pages/Ch2p5-3.htm>.

"Food Preservatives." Chemical and Engineering News. American Chemical Society, 11 Nov. 2002. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/8045/8045sci2.html>.

Layton, Julia. "Curiosity "10 Quirky Facts About Mass-produced Food"" Curiosity. Discovery. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/agricultural-biotechnology/10-quirky-facts-about-mass-produced-food10.htm>.

"Why Buy Local? - Reasons to Buy Local Produce - PVGA.net." PVGA.net - The Pioneer Valley Growers Association - A Cooperative of Farmers in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.pvga.net/pvga_whybuy.html>.

Wilson, Tracy V. "HowStuffWorks "Fast-food Safety and Nutrition"" HowStuffWorks "Science" Vertical Acuity. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/fast-food2.htm>.

Make your own lab

  MAKE YOUR OWN LAB: Water and Alka Seltzer Tablet
Guiding Question: Does the temperature of the water mixed with an Alka-Seltzer tablet effect the amount of energy produced from the reaction?

Background Information:  The reaction of Alka Seltzer and Water is practically that of baking soda and vinegar which starts with the sodium bicarbonate is a solid form and the vinegar in a liquid form. When baking soda and vinegar react with the acetic acid (HC2H3O2) which is in the vinegar, it reacts with the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) which is baking soda. They come together to form carbonic acid and this produces Carbon Dioxide gas, which in our experiment will then pressurize.

Hypothesis: We believe that the heated mixture will make the canister jump quicker than the mixture that is non-heated; this is because we believe that with a heated mixture produces more energy on top of the energy already produced.

Variables: The independent variable or manipulated variable is the temperature of the water, the dependant variable or the responding variable is the amount of energy produced in the end and then the controlled variable will be the amount of Alka Seltzer Tablets and Water

Materials:

·          Water

·          Alka Seltzer Tablet

·          Film Canister “Steve Spangler Science©”

·          Match/ Heat

·          Safety Goggles

·          Timer/Stopwatch

·          Freezer

Safety Procedures:

• Be careful when handling the heat, to heat up the water.
• Do not consume anything that is part of the experiment!
• Wear the safety goggles so that when the cap pops off, it does not fly into someone’s eye

Procedure:

1.     Take one “test tube” film canister and fill it with room-temperature water ¼ of the canister filled.

2.     Then take 1 Alka Seltzer tablet and insert it into the film canister. 

3.     Put the cap back onto the film canister, shake and then start the timer.

4.     When the cap pops off then stop the timer and record your observations.

5.     Take the same amount of water and heat it up.

6.     Pour the heated water inside the canister and add 1 Alka Seltzer tablet, shake and put the cap back on.

7.     Start the timer again and wait till the cap pops off.

8.     Record you observations.

9.     For the last test you must take the set amount of water and chill that in the freezer, for long enough so that the temperature change is noticeable yet it must not freeze completely!

10.   Take the chilled water and pour it into the film canister, insert an Alka Seltzer tablet and shake, start the timer.

11.   When the top pops off stop the timer and record your observations.

12.   When finished draw your conclusions and answer your guiding question.

Temperature	Time	Observations
Chilled	60 seconds	Takes a long time to pop
Heated	1 second	The reaction is so quick you can almost not get the cap on in time
Room Temperature	10 seconds	After the reaction the canister seems like that it will not pop yet after waiting it does

Conclusion: Our guiding question in this experiment was, “Does the temperature of the water mixed with an Alka-Seltzer tablet effect the speed of the reaction?” the hypotheses I came up with was, “I believe that the heated mixture will make the canister jump quicker than the mixture that is non-heated; this is because we believe that with a heated mixture produces more energy on top of the energy already produced.” Looking at our data that we collected during our experiment we can see that the heated water caused the quickest reaction. To do this we used a stopwatch to see how quickly the cap would pop off. The heated mixture made the cap pop off faster than the other temperatures. Why did this happen though? Well, my conclusion was that when heating up the water the particles start to move quicker, buzzing faster, and more energy is produced to start with. So, when you add the Alka Seltzer tablet there is even more energy added so the pressure builds up faster and makes the cap pop of faster than the other mixtures with different temperatures.

Further Inquiry: For this experiment we had an original plan to do a car that was powered by the energy made with the reaction of vinegar and baking soda (which has a very similar reaction to Alka Seltzer and water) yet it did not work because there was not enough power to make the car move. So we had to remodel our experiment so that we could actually have some data to record. So we made a new lab about the speed of the reactions and the amount of energy. If we had to do this lab again, I would do it so that the surround temperature is more stable, and so that there when closing the cap the cap is closed at the same time each experiment. I would have made the surrounding environment more stable.