Expert Assessment: Part 3

http://boortz.com/images/funny/052504_what_media_bias.gif

Analysis of Potential Bias

1) Bias through Selection and Omission;

This article has a limited amount of data, and all of it is from one source. The data shows only the findings of a potentially bias scientist that prove the point wanted by FOX news. The supporting articles have two different views on mankind's influence on Global Climate Change. The first is from ABC, a fairly neutral news site, and the other from the same cite and author. In the author's second story he uses only the same data again, and omits the opposing side's data.

2) Bias through Placement;

The article was placed in a fairly easy to see area on google when one searches "Global Warming". It didn't get placed unfairly on fox's site, but could still be discovered easily.

3) Bias by Headline;

The headline, "Scientist Disputes EPA Findings That Carbon Dioxide Poses Threat to Humans," is not at all bias, but simply informative.

4)Bias by Photos, Captions, and Camera Angles;

The article I analyzed was not bias in photos or captions, nor in camera angles. It just presented common knowledge without any moral twists.

5)Bias through Use of Names And Titles;

The article was only a little bias with titles, giving the scientist mentioned a prestigious title that sounded a little bogus, and giving him many connections to famous institutes.

6) Bias through Statistics an Crowd Counts;

The article is extremely bias with statistics, presenting only those collected by the single scientist and those by other bias organizations. No mention was given to the statistics of how much pure Carbon Dioxide is released into the environment a year. That alone would be bad for the entire climate of the earth not just humans.

7) Bias by Source Control;

The quotes are evenly distributed between the EPA, the scientist, and other reliable un-bias sources.

8) Bias by Word Choice and Tone;

The article is very bias with tone. It clearly wants to show the world that we do not contribute to global warming, and we can go on living as we are. My guess would be that the author is funded by major corporations that will be harmed if CO2 emissions are regulated. This quote shows it clearly, "Carbon dioxide is hazardous to your health, the Environmental Protection Agency says. Oh really?"

Expert Assessment: Part 2

http://karthik3685.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/profile_img1_greenpeace1.gif

Background Article Summaries:

One other article from ABC says that the supreme court ruling was a huge victory. The article is titled "Supreme Court Rejects Bush in Global Warming Debate." In the article many different groups, both political and environmental, put in their word on the decision of the supreme court. Groups like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club and the Clean Air act applauded the decision. "A well-documented rise in global temperatures has coincided with a significant increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Respected scientists believe the two trends are related," Justice Stevens wrote. The article showed that the general public agrees with the scientific evidence presented by the United Nations.

Another Article on the subject says that global warming is not having major affects on the environment, specifically the water level rise presented by advocate groups. The article is from the same site as the other article, FOX news, a well known conservative-oriented station. It uses the same references to heartland institute. The data collected by Nils-Axel Morner shows a sea level rise of 3 millimeters at the most since the beginning of climate change. He says that their is a big difference between theory and reality, and his data proves the EPA wrong.

Citations:

Article 1;

Parker, Jennifer. "Supreme Court Rejects Bush in Global Warming Debate - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Politics, Online News, World News, Feature Stories, Celebrity Interviews and More - ABC News. 2 Apr. 2007. Web. 21 May 2010. .

Article 2;

Koprowski, Gene J. "What Alarming Sea Level Rise? Observational Data Reveals No Change, Scientist Says." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. 19 May 2010. Web. 21 May 2010. .

Expert Assessment: Part 1

Purpose:

The purpose of this article is to release information regarding Global Warming that says that CO2 does not harm the environment at all, contrary to the EPA findings. It is trying to change the environmental view of readers.

Key info and how biology helped me understand this article:

Dr. Patrick Michaels, senior fellow in environmental studies at the CATO institute says that the EPA is wrong about CO2, and that it doesn't harm the environment at all. He says that the research done was spotty and that the scientists "added new figures to compensate. In doing so they also add errors to the final research product." he also says, "There is a systemic bias in the computer models." This means that Man's contribution to global warming is .03 degrees versus .07 degrees. The proposed error could mean that most of global warming is not caused by mankind. The US Supreme Court, however, ruled that "The scientific evidence of climate change is overwhelming, and greenhouse gasses pose a real threat to the American people. The question of the science is settled." Bio class has helped me understand the consequences of our actions and decisions as consumers, and that we have a big impact on the environment, whether it be GMO's or global warming.

Stakeholders and References Made in Article:

• Mankind
• EPA
• All Governments of Earth
• Patrick Michaels
• CATO Institute
• Heartland Institute
• U.N.
• Catherine C. Milbourne (spokeswoman for EPA)
• FOX News
• Oil Companies
• U.S. Supreme Court
• Greg Wiles (professor of geology at The College Of Wooster)
• Former Virginia Governor George Allen
• American Energy Freedom Center
• Car Companies
• Environmentalists

Citation For Story and Image:

Koprowski, Gene J. "Scientist Disputes EPA Finding That Carbon Dioxide Poses Threat to Humans." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Link to Story:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/18/epa-carbon-dioxide-threat-human-welfare/

Evolution and The Volcano

Boyle, Alan. "Evolution and the Volcano." Cosmic Log - Msnbc.com. MSNBC, 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

• Scientists researching Mt. Saint Helens recently have found many ways and forms that new life is developing after the eruption thirty years ago.
• One form of new life is a newt that has abandoned it's lungs for gills.
• It now lives completely under water and thrives.
• the blast of the mountain created 150 new lakes or ponds that new amphibians are developing in.

Reflection:

This article relates directly to our underlying current of Evolution. It shows how species can adapt to their environments or natural disasters due to helpful adaptations. The newt probably had variation in the population that helped it live completely under water, and when the blast occurred the land newts were killed. Evolution was sped up extremely fast and this hew newt was formed. If this happened to newts here it could be possible for humans to simulate natural disasters and create new species. This is a promising hope for the Gulf Oil Spill, as it shows an environment's ability to recover from disasters quickly. If we stop the spill soon enough it could make the recovery time significantly quicker. Scientists should study the area more and see if more species have adapted and diverged due to the massive selective pressure of the Eruption of Mount Saint Helens.

Link:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/18/2321831.aspx

Citation:

Boyle, Alan. "Evolution and the Volcano." Cosmic Log - Msnbc.com. MSNBC, 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

St. Vincent’s Part of Promising Brain Cancer Research

http://itdp.providence.edu/blogs/fall09/healthpop/kwhalen1/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Brain.jpg

• Scientists at Duke are looking for personalized treatments to brain cancer.
• They have a way of taking your data and personalizing a "vaccine"
• They do brain surgery and sample the tumor.
• They also take samples of your white blood cells and use both samples to create a personalized treatment or"vaccine".

Reflection:

This is an interesting article because it shows that outside organizations are becoming interested in cancer. The church previously didn't help any scientific organization, but this article shows that they have become involved in biological research. The research has huge potential and could show the world that we can beat cancer for good. The idea of personalized treatment is not new, but this one portion of treatment sounds better than that of the movie we watched in class. This idea will attempt to shrink tumors after they are removed and begin re-growth.

Link:

http://jacksonville.com/news/health-and-fitness/2010-05-13/story/st-vincent’s-part-promising-brain-cancer-research

Citation:

Cox, Jeremy. "St. Vincent's Part of Promising New Brain Cancer Research." Jacksonville. The Florida Times Union, 13 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Soy Beans Negatively Affect Sperm Production

http://gryphonscry.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/soy_beans.jpg

• Soy Beans have just been found to diminish the body's ability to create sperm.
• They dock with receptor molecules on cells known to interact with estrogen, and slow the production of sperm.
• Soy beans would be especially dangerous for infants, as their reproductive tract is still developing. It could cause defects in the reproductive tract of males.
• Soy beans are now a common substitute for dairy based food!

Reflection:

I have always had the feeling that soybeans are not as good for you as they are thought to be. I mean, if they can make the hood of a car indestructable, they could harm your body a little bit. I think it is strange that it could only harm males, as females need estrogen more than males. I didn't even know that males used estrogen at all. I wonder if soybeans can harm males who haven't yet stoped developeing, not just babies? This article relates to the reproductive system and how it developes using hormones as messengers to rely messages.

Link:

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_soy-beans-negatively-affect-sperm-production_1381359

Citation:

ANI. "Soy Beans Negatively Affect Sperm Production - Dnaindia.com." India News, World News. 10 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Cell-Phone, Cancer Link Proves Inconclusive

http://ramaker.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/cellphone.jpg

• A 10 year study was recently released on whether cell phones can contribute to or cause brain tumors.
• It concluded that it is possible.
• When the study began ten years ago not many people used phones as frequently, but today the iphone and blackberry have revolutionized cell phone use.
• The average American uses 22 minutes of cell phone time a day, not including texting.
• If the study was redone today they think their would be much different results.

Reflection:

I was suprised to hear that the average american uses 22 minutes a day on their phones. I know that I hardly use the talking feature of my phone as texting is so common and helpful. I think that people my age all text more that talk, so the study should be more on hand cancer or something more relevant. The study also said that these days 91% of Americans have cell phones, and even 22% of houses use wireless phones. It worries me that we don't know about wireless tech, and we still promote it so much. Maybe the phones are radiating our DNA and causing all the cancer today. Iu remember learning this year that radiation shreds our DNA and causes mutations, so why wouldn't cell phones to the same? This topic is highly debated by all scientific groups. I now am thinking about turning my phone to airplane mode because it is safer for the body.

Link:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10760197/1/cell-phone-cancer-link-proves-inconclusive.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEFI

Citation:

Nobel, Carmen. "Cell-Phone, Cancer Link Proves Inconclusive Personal Technology Financial Articles & Investing News TheStreet.com." Stock Quotes, Financial Market & Wall Street News Personal Finance & Investing Advice TheStreet.com. 19 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. .

Nut Allergies May Be On The Rise In Children: US Study

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/3049092.bin?size=620x400

• 1-2% children in the US have peanut allergies, a rate which has tripled since 1997.
• Peanuts and Tree nuts are the most common child allergy in the US, and it is right to ban them from cafeterias across the nation.
• It is thought that because our society is so clean, children don't get exposure to germs early on and it affects their immune system later in life.
• Confirmed allergies are low, but that is because parents deny surveyors access to doctor reports.

Reflection:

I find it scary that so many kids have allergies that can be fatal, and no one really takes major precautions. I think that research should be done more in-depth. Maybe parents just overreact to minor allergies and get freaky about them. It could be possible that kids have always have these allergies, but parents didn't know or report it. Maybe kids could just man up and deal with it. Only a few kids have fatal peanut allergies. I think that more data needs to be presented for this article to become really legit. This relates to our immune system unit, specifically hypersensitivity, and maybe these allergies are an increasing mutation caused by environmental factors.

Link:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/allergies+rise+children+study/3049087/story.html

Citation:

Reuters. "Nut Allergies May Be on the Rise in Children: U.S. Study." Montreal Gazette | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News. 12 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Scientists Clone Fighting Bull

OUCH. Sorry for that picture but it was fitting.

http://www.injury.com/injuries/wp-content/uploads/image/bull%20fighter(1).jpg

• A spanish team of scientists just managed to clone a fighting bull.
• They created the calf using nuclear transfer, where DNA is inserted into the eggs of a cow to create embryos which are in turn inserted into surrogate mothers.
• It is the same method used to create Dolly the Sheep.
• The team hopes that it's breakthrough will eventually help save nearly extinct species.

Reflection:

I personally thought before that the cloning of dolly was a fraud, but maybe they perfected the technique of inserting DNA since then. Cloning is a strange concept that is debated because it eliminates completely the process of natural selection. It could be dangerous for cattle if put into wide usage. Viruses and bacteria could target entire populations of clones like we saw in the video about the a sexual fish in mexico. There would be necessity to create our own natural selection, which would be dangerous and almost evil. We would have control over the whole world and all the life on it. maybe we would be smitten by mother nature for disobeying the laws of nature. It is a scary thought that clones can exist and aren't just science fiction anymore.

Link:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/20/2904458.htm?section=justin

Citation:

Brown, Rachael. "Scientists Clone Fighting Bull - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)." ABC.net.au. 19 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. .

Keeping An Ear Out For Kin

http://scienceaid.co.uk/physics/waves/images/sound.png

• Bats can distinguish between echolocation of different species and use the ability to their advantage.
• Studies have been done at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen.
• The scientists play different species' echolocation calls through speakers and watch bats' reactions to them.
• They have determined that bats can tell their own species' call from those of other species and then adjust their hunting pattern or area based on their knowledge of the other species' food and hunting methods.

Reflection:

This is almost like how humans can distinguish between people of other areas of the world or cultures by their accents. It is advantageous to us as it gives us background info on people before even getting to know them and tips us on how not to offend them or their culture. It is the same in bats. Bats have changed their calls over time because of selective pressures like environment and prey or predator. The different species hunt different prey usually and can tell where their prey is not by other bats' calls. Both humans and bats can determine their position by the accents of those around them. It must be an advantageous adaptation that has demonstrated coevolution between our two species.

Link:

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/05/19/keeping.ear.out.kin

Citation:

Grief, Stefan. "Keeping an Ear out for Kin | E! Science News." E! Science News | Latest Science News Articles. 19 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. .

Bat Detection Methods Inspire Robot Development

http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/images/graphics/Echolocation.jpg

• A scientist from Strathclyde's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering is investigating the method bats use to "see" called echolocation.
• He set a backpack with a microphone on it in a cave in egypt to record bats and decipher their sounds.
• He hopes to use his findings to create a system for structural engineering robots to use to find flaws in structures and to report back to a team outside the flawed building.
• The research was conducted for a larger group called Biologically Inspired Acoustic Systems (BIAS) for usage in a wide variety of potential applications.

Reflection:

It is awesome that biological adaptations are being used and transformed into modern technology. Technology is evolving just like the bat itself. If a new system of Echolocation in robots works, they will sell more and be a better alternative to imagery robots. They will eventually overtake a large portion of the pie chart of robots and become a prevalent technology used throughout science and technology in every field. If the bats evolved to have echolocation, it would be amazing to see if we could make a branch off of our species that lived at night like bats and used echolocation to find it's way around. It will probably never happen though, because humans need sunlight to live. This Article shows a perfect correlation to "SEXI" It could be the exemplify portion for natural selection.

Link:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/news/bat-detection-methods-inspire-robot-development/1002403.article

Citation:

"Bat Detection Methods Inspire Robot Development | News | The Engineer."Engineering News & Engineering Jobs | The Engineer. 17 May 2010. Web. 12 May 2010. .

Scientists Discover Frog With Inflating Nose

http://static.desktopnexus.com/wallpapers/1214-bigthumbnail.jpg

• Scientists have discovered a lot of new species in southeast asian rain-forests including a frog.
• This frog has a nose that inflates, like pinoccio.
• Other frogs have throats that expand, but this new frog is totally different.
• This area hold the most undiscovered species in the world, it is believed.
• The inflation is a call to females to mate. this new frog lays eggs under leaves in trees.

Reflection:

These Foja Mountains sound like an interesting place to explore. If so many undiscovered species are there I'd think it would soon be flocking with scientists. This species of frog can be explained by natural selection. If some males had the trait and it helped them attract mates they would produce more children with the trait because of heritable variation. Eventually they would outweigh those others without the nose flare trait. Maybe they didn't migrate becaue the area they live in is so isolated, or maybe it was because other frogs did better with the throat flares outside of the Foja Mountains. I think that it is interesting that new species ar being discovered still on land on earth. We claim superiority to all other species, but we don't even know them all yet.

Link:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/17/biodiversity.new.species.foja/

Citation:

Knight, Matthew. "Scientists Discover Frog with Inflating Nose - CNN.com."CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 18 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Gulf Spill Provokes Worries Of Unbelievably Bad Damage

http://therealnews.com/media/trn_2010-04-12/ch4spill0504.jpg

• The oil spill in the gulf of mexico could have tremendous repercussions on the environment of the gulf.
• The coast it would harm would be mostly wetlands, which are teeming with life.
• Oil sticks easily to the grasses of these wetlands and could cause a mini mass extinction in the marshes on the coast.
• It would have a huge affect on breeding grounds for crabs, shrimp, and oysters.

Reflection:

This makes me worry about the entire habitat of the gulf. If it hits the coast it has to travel through miles and miles of open water and decimate fish populations. this would not only be sad for the fish and environment, but fishermen would go broke and our country would be forced into a deeper economic depression. Most species of animals in the gulf will be harmed in their majority, and could cause mutations in the young of those animals who live. Maybe our fish will be able to live on oil in a few years! Anyway, birds and even land species could be affected. In a way this could potentially mirror the extinction of the dinosaurs. A disaster hit the gulf of mexico and caused a chain reaction, a house of cards falling to the ground, or death.

Link:

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/11/1939504/gulf-spill-provokes-worries-of.html

Citation:

"Gulf Spill Provokes Worries of Unbelievably Bad' Damage - KansasCity.com." Kansas City's Best Source for News, Weather, Sports & More | KansasCity.com. Web. 19 May 2010. .

Obama Opens Access to More Embryonic Stem Cells

• President Obama lifted eight years of restriction on embryonic stem cell research last spring.
• Now many new researchers are applying for the ability to do research on Stem Cells.
• Another 250 stem cell lines can now be applied for.
• All the researchers are excited that the NIH will be providing major funding for them.
• Now the 21 million dollars in grants can be used immediately.

Reflection:

This is exciting because now the work can begin on projects that could eventually repair cancerous damage and build brain cells and stop Parkinson's Disease or other illnesses. This will allow money to go to an awesome use for the good of all the people in America! This relates to our stem cell unit, for it means that more in depth research can officially begin. I didn't know before that so much money had been put aside for usage on stem cells, but wasn't yet allowed to be used. I also learned from this article that there are many types of medical grant systems used by state and federal government. There was already the CIRM (California institute for Regenerative Medicine), a big donor for hospitals and research grants. This article also shows the change instituted by Barack Obama in relation to the Bush administration.

Link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/03/MNQT1ATUR0.DTL

Citation:

Neergaard, Lauran. "Obama Opens Access to More Embryonic Stem Cells." San Francisco Bay Area — News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds: SFGate. 03 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. .

The Aliens Among Us

http://jnuenvis.nic.in/subject/arsenic/arsenic1.jpg

• A new theory says that maybe there could be another from of life out in the universe.
• If there are extremophiles here on earth, couldn't extremophiles exist in different extreme conditions than those conventional ones.
• One theory says that the chemical phosphorous could be replaced with arsenic, and scientists are looking for life in arsenic contaminated lakes to prove it.
• This new life could also maybe feed on mirror molecules to ours, molecules with the chemicals mirrored.

Reflection:

I think that this theory is possible, but that is just because anything is possible in all the universe. I don't quite understand mirror molecules, but that probably doesn't matter. This article directly relates to the process of natural selection. If one type of life was better fit for the environment it would have eventually eliminated the other type. Maybe it was time for the life to move away from the extremophile lifestyle and the other type of life didn't make the transition. I bet that if we search hard enough and explore more with new technology we will find a different kind of life.

Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/opinion/14davies.html

Citation:

Davies, Paul. "The Aliens Among Us." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 13 May 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Clues for Personalizing Breast Cancer Treatment

• Researchers from USCF have found three "biomarkers" that can tell the percentage one has of developing invasive breast cancer within 8 years of when the cancer is discovered.
• Invasive cancer is when the cancer has left the milk gland or duct.
• They gathered data on 1162 women with breast cancer and discovered that three markers can accurately predict the chance of developing invasive breast cancer without treatment.
• Since they can now find the individual risk of a patient they can decide what treatment to use and personalize it.
• The discovery is not "practice-changing", but it is an "exciting clue!

Reflection:

This relates to something we covered in class about over treatment and under treatment. Now we have clues to help personalize treatment, and it won't be as painful for the woman or man receiving it. It could mean eliminating a harmful treatment like chemotherapy or surgery. I hope that they can develop a treatment based on their findings, and that it won't be blocked from the general public because of monetary reasons. Treatments now are very expensive, and sometimes can't be afforded. I wonder how these markers work, and if it has to do with metastasis? Most likely it does, as that is when cancer spreads and causes damage, becoming "invasive."

Link:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/clues-for-personalizing-breast-cancer-treatment/?scp=1&sq=new%20cancer%20treatment&st=cse

Citation:

Parker-pope, Tara. "Clues for Personalizing Breast Cancer Treatment - Well Blog - NYTimes.com."Health and Wellness - Well Blog - NYTimes.com. Web. 16 May 2010. .

Pill To Live Past 100 Available In 2yrs.

• Professor Nir Barzilai, one of the worlds leading age scientists, announced May 11th that a drug that helps people live longer will be available in two years for testing.
• It focuses on the death of cells.
• Some people don't get diseases like cancer and dementia, and Barzilai is studying them to find a "cure for age"
• The pills would be taken once a day starting in you forty's or fifty's.

Reflection:

The world has so many people that I don't think we should try to save everyone that gets past 80. Overpopulation is a big issue, and it isn't being addressed properly. Most scientific article nowadays talk about saving people with diseases and such, but diseases are the earths way of natural selection. If we go against the will of natural selection we will destroy ourselves!! I think that governments should ban drugs that promote longevity. Anyway, how will they test the drugs on humans. if they stop cells from dying, our bodies will like explode with cells and we'll kill ourselves. If I were offered to test this drug I would humbly decline. I don't want to die from it, but i don't want to live so long everyone I know dies either.

Link:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/2969070/Pill-to-live-past-100-ready-in-two-years.html

Citation:

Emma, Morton. "Pills To Live Past 100 Available In 2 Years." The Sun. Emma Morton, 12 May 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Scientists Make Cells That Form Eggs, Sperm

• Researchers have found a way to turn stem cells into the cells that make eggs and sperm.
• This allows us to study a phase of human development that we previously could not.
• This can't be studied in animals because it is unique to humans.
• One gene, DAZL, was key to transforming the stem cell. It made it possible to see meiosis in a dish.
• Now we can study people with infertility problems and see why they exist.

Reflection:
I think that this study has huge potential, but I still want to know if it could be used to reverse infertility. That would mean we could use similar techniques to cure other problems in the human body. I think we should put a limit on what we can do to the body, though. Otherwise we would overpopulate the earth so fast we wouldn't be able to blink. Some things should not be scientifically explored. I'm all for advanced medicine and such, but we need to look into the future be fore we do anything huge. If we predict the consequences of our actions then we could control everything more safely. If these people discover a "cure for infertility they shouldn't realease it to the public because it would have huge consequences.

Link:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59R4V520091028

Citation:

Steenhuysen, Julie. "Scientists Make Cells That Form Eggs and Sperm in Lab | Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 2 May 2010. .

Mini T. Rex Opens Evolution Discussion

• Paleontologist Paul Sereno recently identified a mini t. rex
• He got the fossil from Henry Kriegstein, a private collector.
• The new fossil showed a 150-pound, 9-foot long dinosaur.
• It changes the idea of T. Rex evolution.

Reflection:
I believe that this new fossil might be a baby T-Rex. You never know, the author didn't give the concrete facts that identified it as a new species. All the article said was that this man IDed the fossil as a new species linked to the T-Rex. It had the right proportions to be a T-Rex, just smaller. I think that there is more evidence pointing toward the baby T-Rex than to a new species. I am going to research the author so I can be sure this is a real Article. the name Kriegstein seems fake, and the name Raptorex doesn't sound scientific. If this Article is true, this new find could greatly influence our idea of Evolution. It changes the "pathway of character evolution" for the T Rex. the likelihood of all the Raptorex's traits growing in size equally over time is very slim. Overall I liked this article. It was "Scifi."

Link:

http://www.uwire.com/Article.aspx?id=4454026

Citation:

Henderson, Mark. "Tiny Tyrannosaur Was Still Every Inch the Killer - Times Online." Times Online | News and Views from The Times and Sunday Times. 18 Sept. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. .

Deadly Cattle Plague set to Be Wiped Out: World Farm Agency

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• Rinderpest is a disease that has been wiping out cattle for millenia.
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• The World Organization for Animal Health is close to wiping out the disease entirely.


• Only 17 countries out of 175 are still reporting active rinderpest.


• Somalia has the most of the disease.


• Some are scared that once rinderpest is gone some will store the vaccination and attempt to use it as a bioweapon.

Reflection:

I think this is monumentous for humanity it could save trillions of lives. I hope it doesn't come back though. It could ruin the US. We depend so much on beef and if our supply was wiped out we would be in serious trouble. I would like to know how rinderpest works. The Article didn't mention it so much. If biologists mutated it to go to humans that would be most likely an epidemic. I hear that Smallpox is being developed as a biological weapon and it's scary. We have the ability to change so much in the world, and I hope scientists do the right thing.

Link:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gjiNhHkPYI4O9cJQ8n69I-sIZVlQ

Citation:

AFP. "AFP: Deadly 'cattle Plague' Set to Be Wiped Out: World Farm Agency." Google. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

Cancer in The News; Cancer Fight: Unclear Tests for New Drug By GINA KOLATA

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/health/research/20cancer.html?scp=9&sq=cancer&st=cse

• Dr. Linda Griffith has breast cancer and was recommended to take tests to see if a certain estrogen suppressing drug would help her.
• These tests are often all over the place. Often they say different things in different labs, or on different times the test is taken.
• Scientists were troubled by these odd results and began a test reform. They managed to fix the tests somewhat in 900 hospitals.
• The tests for the HER3 protein are still often faulty, and the medicine itself still is risky and expensive, so Dr. Griffith chose not to take it.

Reflection:

I learned from this video that cancer can be patchy looking on the outside due to proteins. It can be dark and light like a checkerboard. The thing with the faulty tests is scary, and I think that doctors should do away with the testing, as the drug itself causes stomach pain, weakened joints, and fatal heart problems. i would say that radiation is the best choice for everyone with cancer so far. Once they develop a reliable protein suppressor, it could be used in place of radiation therapy. Linda Griffith chose chemotherapy over the drug and she is a well informed doctor. I am glad that males cannot get breast cancer, because it sounds painful and scary. I wonder if Estrogen suppressing drugs will make women more manly and testosterone suppressing drugs will make men more feminine"""I am very comfortable with my decision,” said Dr. Griffith.

Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/health/research/20cancer.html?scp=9&sq=cancer&st=cse

Citation:

Kolata, Gina. "Cancer Fight - Unclear Tests for New Drug - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. .

New Dinosaur Extinction Theory Causes Debate

• A scientist named Sankar Chatterjee thinks that the basin Shiva in India is the cause of the KT extinction.
• The theory before this was that the KT extinction was caused by an impact or volcanoes or both. The theory before this has not been changed by this information.
• The chicxulub impact has more reliable evidence.
• The Shiva Crater is oblong and suggests that the meteor hit at an extreme angle.
• Chatterjee thinks that the crater could be from a piece of the meteor that hit chicxulub
  

Reflection:

I believe that chatterjee is very wrong and that the chixculub crater is still the most logical explanation of the KT extinction. He is probably a respectable scientist that just wanted to put his theory out into the scientific community. He might be from India and want to bring attention to his country's scientific groups. anyway, how could a meteor have glanced the earth and continued into space without being discovered yet. The impact crater is also dated to way before the KT extintion. The evidence doesn't add up.

Link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33384513/ns/technology and science-space/

Citation:

Moskowitz, Clara. "New Dinosaur Extinction Theory Causes Debate - Space- Msnbc.com."Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- Msnbc.com. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .