Read & Learn

Alkali metals in water – Jen

Jen’s blog on the reactions of alkali metals in water is interesting. I always wondered how something could burn IN water. Now I know that the alkali metals burn because when they react, they emit a lot of heat as well as hydrogen gas. The heat released in the reaction combusts with the gas and that is how the metal burns in water. I also think that it is very interesting….and it makes sense…..that as you move down the table of alkali metals, the metals become more reactive. An exploding metal sounds dangerous, but very cool

Car engines – Rick

I think it is very interesting how scientists are trying to incorporate ethanol into gasoline. But, I thought I heard somewhere that gasoline infused with ethanol is more inefficient than normal gasoline, and it costs more to produce….Anyway, Rick’s blog on the internal combustion engine was also interesting. I didn’t know that the combustion process was called the “Otto cycle”. I wonder how it got that name. The internal combustion engines uses for steps to run: air and gasoline enter the engine, they are compressed, a spark ignites the gasoline, and this energy drives a piston which drives the engine.

Lactic Acid – Amanda

I never realized the process to form lactic acid…and lactate was so complex. It starts with glycolosis where pyruvic acid is formed form the breakdown of carbohydrates in our liver. I thought lactic acid was the thing that caused soreness in our muscles, but actually the hydrogen atoms are the culprit. The lactic acid and lactate actually get reabsorbed into our bodies and we use them for energy. The hydrogen atoms are what cause the acidity in our muscles to rise, and also what causes us pain.

MLA Citations...again

My MLA citations, for some reason, didn't post correctly the first time

“Stem Cell information.” National Institute of Heath. 29 January 2008. http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics6.asp.

Stem cells’ repair skills might be link to cancer.” 29 January 2008. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/11_22_04.html.

What can stem cells be used for, and what obstacles must scientists overcome to get to the uses of stem cells.

If you’re like me, you hear about stem cells and you ask yourself, can something like that really cure diseases? Well, after some research, I’ve found an answer.

First let’s start at the beginning. Stem cells are so important because they are the ‘universal cell’ that can be altered to perform a variety of different functions. There are two main types of cells: adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cells are the cells that most people have heard of. They are the ones that have the potential to become a variety of different cells. Adult or somatic stem cells can be reproduced specifically form the tissue that it came from. Their role in the human body is to repair damaged tissue in the area of the body that they are located.

Scientists are studying stem cells so closely because of the potential that they offer. With organ donors in high demand, the waiting lists for a donor are years long. By mastering stem cells, scientists hope to be able to ‘grow’ for example kidney cells and give them to patients that have a failing or damaged kidney. This process is referred to as ‘cell-based therapy’ and there is a great graphic of this in the following link: . Scientists even hypothesize that the cure for parkinsons disease, diabetes, and heart disease can be found in stem cell research.

Right now, the primary goal of scientists working on stem cells is to find out how undifferentiated stem cells become differentiated. When cells are undifferentiated, they are not yet given a specific function by the body. Cancer is due in part to abnormal cell division and differentiation, so mastering how to control cell differentiation will greatly help scientists. Also, much of stem cells function has to do with the activation and deactivation of certain genes in the body’s cells. To fully understand stem cells, scientists also need to realize how the genes control each cell. To be able to grow certain organ cells scientists must be able to control the manipulation of stem cells…..an arduous task that is far from getting perfected.

To be useful, stem-cells must:

• Proliferate extensively and generate sufficient quantities of tissue.
• Differentiate into the desired cell type(s).
• Survive in the recipient after transplant.
• Integrate into the surrounding tissue after transplant.
• Function appropriately for the duration of the recipient's life.
• Avoid harming the recipient in any way.

MLA:

“Stem Cell information.” National Institute of Heath. 29 January 2008. .

Stem cells’ repair skills might be link to cancer.” 29 January 2008. .

Studying stem cells can help medicine in ways unimaginable. Many human birth defects as well as cancer in humans are caused by abnormal cell divisions. By studying stem cells, scientists are trying to fix these abnormal cells to prevent the conditions that have plagued humans for centuries. What makes stem cells unique is that they can function like most any cells in the body. The can be turned into liver cells, or bone cells. The only thing that they can’t do is carry oxygen through the blood stream and send electrochemical signals throughout the body.

The stem cell topic is very broad, but the most important use of stem cells now is with cell-based therapy. Today, the need for donated organs far exceeds the available supply of organs. By researching stem cells, scientists could culture, for instance, some healthy heart tissue and transplant it onto a heart that is plagued with heart disease. Scientists also theorize that stem cells can be used to replace cells in the pancreas of diabetic patients that have failed to produce insulin. Having to do with cancer, scientists think that if they can create stem cells to attack cancerous cells and replace them with strong tissue to completely eradicate cancer in the body.

Instead of talking about the political and religious aspect of stem cells (and the continuing debate about whether they are ethical) I want to focus my attention on the projected uses of stem cells. The media only usually reports about the stem cell debate; not the fact that stem cells may hold the key to a cancer cure. However, since stem cells are early growth cells, they have been found to cause cancer. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have recently found a way to create stem cells without c-Ymc, a cell that is know to cause tumors in rats and humans.

The science of stem cells is changing everyday, and it is hard to stay updated on it, but I think by narrowing my research to the benefits of stem cells to improve human health, the topic will be more manageable

I blogged about internet credibility on...

1. Rick’s blog
2. Jen’s blog
3. James’ blog

My Final Topic

I’m sure now that I want to do my blog on the chemistry of stem-cell research. There are so many different prospective uses from stem cells that I didn’t know of before. Apparently, the key to finding a cure to cancer may lie in stem cells. On a different note, some scientists are trying to find a way to use stem-cells to eliminate wrinkles. Stem-cells do have a range of uses! Also, there has been so much media attention on the new stem-cell breakthrough; I’m interested to see if it leads anywhere. Now that scientists don’t have to destroy an embryo to make a stem-cell, there might be a more positive reception of it.

Website reliablity

A few things about website reliability:
- I remember hearing somewhere that when you put keyword in the search bar, it finds websites that contain those key words. Then, it organizes the websites based on how many links lead to that website. In this way, the websites that are listed first have the most links to them. If this is true (again I’m not sure if it is) then the first several sites that Google spits back may be pretty reliable if other websites deem them reliable enough to link to them.
- about wikipedia…..I think it was on 60 minutes sometime last year…. The producers had professionals read randomly chosen articles from wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica. They found that there was no difference in the quality of the articles. Many teachers have nothing good to day about wikipedia….but it’s free, easily accessible, and apparently very reliable
- to make sure that your data is accurate, compare it with other websites, or even look in an actual concrete object….an encyclopedia. Tatnall has great online resources with UDlib, and I’m sure that you could verify your information that way.
- I haven’t really been taught any method to test for website reliability……except to check information with multiple sources.