Research Project - Could stems cells provide a cure for diabetes?
Could stems cells provide a cure for diabetes? Main Problem: Diabetes Main Solution: Stem Cell (research) Diabetes is a condition that is to do with a person's metabolism; it is when the glucose amount in the blood becomes too high so that its use is inefficient to the body. The food we eat is broken down into glucose, which then enters the blood and supplies the body with energy through our body cells. For the glucose to be absorbed by the cells, insulin needs to be present. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin, not enough insulin or the insulin that is produced does not work properly. Glucose enters the body through foods which contain carbohydrates such as breads, rice, fruit and sweet foods. [9] Insulin is a hormone which is produced by the pancreas and it is required for the cells to take in glucose so it can be used for energy. What happens in diabetes? The food we eat is broken down into sugars in the gut. The main sugar is glucose which is absorbed through the gut wall and into the bloodstream of the body. When blood sugar begins to increase in the body after eating, then so should the level of insulin produced by the pancreas. Insulin acts on the body cells and makes them take glucose from the cells into the blood. In figure 1, you can see that the insulin is going into the muscle fibre in the body and the glucose is also entering. This
The ethical and social implications of genetic screening
The ethical and social implications of genetic screening by Chris Hutchison It was only in 1953 that Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the structure of the DNA molecule. Since then genetic research has moved faster than anyone could have anticipated. Recent advances in technology have prompted the setting up of a collaborative project in which scientists from all the world share information on our genetic make-up. The ultimate aim is to completely map the human genome. Already 10,000 genes have been pin pointed and the function is known of almost 4,000 of these. At the current rate of advancement it wont be long before all genes and their function have been discovered. Not only will this allow us to discover more about ourselves and how genes work but it will also allow us to spot problems in the genetic makeup. This includes inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis or Down's syndrome and diseases which people are made more vunerable to by an amalgamation of faulty genes, such as cancer. Already we take for granted pre-natal screening, in which genes are analysed from a sample of anionic fluid, and in many cases foetuses with abnormal genes are aborted. Could knowledge of more genes, and therefore increasing the likelihood of spotting a faulty or abnormal gene, lead to an increase in abortion rate? Of course, some people believe the terminations would be
Human Cloning Assignment
Haretha Aydi Access I.T Human Cloning Assignment Introduction: In this assignment, we are to choose a specific subject and write out and argument with and against it. We should also include background information and carry out a research on that specific topic, lastly a conclusion should be set out. Background Knowledge: )- Human cloning: First explored by Spemann in the 1920's to conduct genetics research, nuclear transfer is the technique currently used in the cloning of adult animals. A technique known as twinning exists, but can only be used before organism's cells differentiate. All cloning experiments of adult mammals have used a variation of nuclear transfer. Nuclear transfer requires two cells, a donor cell and an oocyte, or egg cell. Research has proven that the egg cell works best if it is unfertilized, because it is more likely to accept the donor nucleus as its own. The egg cell must be enucleated. The nucleus is removed from the egg cell This eliminates the majority of its genetic information. The donor cell is then forced into the Gap Zero, or G0 cell stage, a dormant phase, in different ways depending on the technique. This dormant phase causes the cell to shut down but not die. In this state, the nucleus is ready to be accepted by the egg cell. The donor cells nucleus is then placed inside the egg cell, either through cell fusion or transplantation.
The Loss of the Lemur: The Road to Extinction
The Loss of the Lemur: The Road to Extinction T he Madagascan rainforest is home to an abundance of unique species of animal. After the island split from mainland Africa many millions of years ago, unique ecosystems have evolved and developed there. Madagascar (roughly the size of France) is home to approximately 250,000 species of animal, of which 70% are endemic to the island.1 One such species is the Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata). One of 42 subspecies of Lemur it is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN 2008 red list. This list states that the species has undergone a decline of 80% over the last 27 years. Such a worrying statistic identifies the terrible position the Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur finds itself in, in the wild. It is clear that the downward trend in their population of 80% and their status as critically endangered presents the problem that they could become extinct in the wild in the not so distant future. However, what is the cause of this problem, and what is being done to improve their situation in the wild? I undertook a visit to Woburn Safari Park, which keeps this sub-species of lemur, in order to find the answers to these questions and visit the very animals facing extinction half way around the world. The Cause Although the problem of the declining lemur population was identified by 1986, the problems in Madagascar are
Biology Issue Report on GM Foods
A Level Biology – Unit 3 Issue Report Food Shortage March 2012 Course Code: AN03 Biology A Level 2009 Unit 3 - 6BIO3 -------------------------- ________________ Problem – Producing Enough Food for the World’s Growing Population Food shortages are not a new problem but they have become more widespread in recent years. Food riots took place in Haiti in 2008 following demonstrations over the rising price of food and India suffered drought due to the failure of monsoons in 2009 (1). Famine is a very real issue right now in Africa with the Sahel region of West Africa facing a “worsening food crisis (2)”. In the Horn of Africa (see fig 1) in 2011 tens of thousands of people died (estimates range between 50,000 and 100,000) from famine following a drought said to be the worst in 60 years (3). Climate change is one of the reasons behind the drought that triggered East Africa’s 2011 famine. As climate change is unlikely to be reversed in the near future, reduced rainfalls are expected to continue and a solution is needed to combat the diminished growth of crops and yield in arid, populated areas. The world population is nearly 7 billion at the moment and the United Nations estimates it will reach 9.3 billion by the middle of the century (4). The majority of the increase is expected to be in developing countries. The UN also states that food production must
The Human Genome Project
Amira Nicola January, 2001 The Human Genome Project The Human Genome project is a scientific research effort to analyse the DNA of human beings and that of several other types of organism. The project began in the United States in 1990 under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. It was scheduled to be completed in 15 years. The project's goal is to identify the location of every human gene and to determine each gene's precise chemical structure in order to understand its function in health and disease. In the nucleus of every cell in the human body, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes, each of which is composed of several genes. Genes are discrete stretches of nucleotides that carry the information the cell uses to make proteins. The most important component of a chromosome is the single continuous molecule of DNA. This double-stranded molecule, which is shaped as a double helix, is composed of linked chemical compounds known as nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three parts: a sugar known as deoxyribose, a phosphate compound, and any one of four bases-adenine, thymine, guanine, or cytosine. These parts are linked together so that the sugar and the phosphate form the two parallel sides of the DNA ladder. This double-helical structure of the DNA molecule was discovered Watson and Crick in 1953, for
MENTAL HEALTH
AO1 Mental health issues The concept of mental health There are a wide range of different terms that people use to describe mental health these are as follows: The World Health Organisation (WHO) have objectives and functions, which are there core commitment to mental health promotion, these are as follows: - " not merely the absence of disease of infirmity" - "attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health" - To foster activities in the field of mental health, especially those affecting the harmony of human relations" The World Health Organisation defines health as: ... A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity Mental health promotion involves actions that support people to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles, which therefore create a supportive living condition or environment. Mental illnesses are common and universal. There is no general term for mental health and illnesses. According to research, the most prevalent mental health problems were due to alcohol and drug abuse, family violence and abuse, and suicidal behaviour. Many people in the society are not very familiar with mental health problems. Although, research has shown that about 50 years ago, people would class people with mental health problems and would say they had a 'demon' was inside of them and possessed them.
Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering
Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Introduction The first step to understanding genetic engineering and embracing its possibilities for society is to obtain a rough knowledge base of its history and method. The basis for altering the evolutionary process is dependant on the understanding of how individuals pass on characteristics to their offspring. Genetics achieved its first foothold on the secrets of nature's evolutionary process when an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel developed the first "laws of heredity." Using these laws, scientists studied the characteristics of organisms for most of the next one hundred years following Mendel's discovery. These early studies concluded that each organism has two sets of character determinants, or genes. For instance, in regards to eye colour, a child could receive one set of genes from his or her father that were encoded one blue, and the other brown. The same child could also receive two brown genes from his or her mother. The conclusion for this inheritance would be the child has a three in four chance of having brown eyes, and a one in four chance of having blue. Genes are transmitted through chromosomes which reside in the nucleus of every living organism's cells. Each chromosome is made up of fine strands of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. The information carried on the DNA determines the cells function within the organism.
Too Much Information: Genetic Testing
Too Much Information: Genetic Testing Biology OAC ISP Essay - By Daniel Perez Genetic testing offers a whole new world of information about us and how our bodies work. The data we get from delving into our own genetic code can help us to cure or even prevent disease, stop medical conditions such as cancer or cystic fibrosis from even manifesting, or even correct these sorts of errors before birth, and many other beneficial uses. However, at this point in time, all of this is beyond us. We have no miracle cures, no 'magic bullet' with which to fight disease or genetic conditions, in fact, our understanding of the genetic code is so limited that it's as if we cannot see the forest for the trees. We have taken our first baby steps into understanding human genetics with the completion of the Human Genome Project, and now that we have the big picture, we can begin to interpret it. Through information gleaned from our DNA, we now know that there are certain medical conditions that are caused by certain patterns within the genes. Some examples of these genetic conditions include Tay-Sach's disease, Bloom syndrome, Deafness, cystic fibrosis, and many other diseases (http://www.einstein.edu/e3front.dll?durki=7158). Although many of these conditions are fatal, the ones that are not can be treated early, even before symptoms develop when possible, or if not treated, at least monitored
