Parina+S.

=Genetic Modification of Human Embryos.=

**//Wiki Post #1//**
The world is debating on whether we should allow the genetic modification of human embryos? UK scientists are recently seeking for permission to genetically modify the human embryo. To put this in a simpler language, the UK scientists have applied for a license to genetically edit human embryo. The scientists are allowed to use a CRISPER or Cas9 to modify the gene of developing embryo to help reduce the range of disease, the rate of miscarriage and it will eventually lead to the Designer Babies. This is all done by the development of new IVF technology (IVF technology is basically used to select the healthier embryo and remove the unhealthier embryo)

It will reduce the range of Disease
Genetic diseases are commonly heard diseases. Having a down syndrome is an example of the most common chromosomal disorder, which is one of three type of genetic disease. it is caused when your child received an extra copy of chromosome 21. Down syndrome has lots of effect on humans population. Like down syndrome, genetic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are easy to identify using our genetic testing technology, but we still are unable to innovate a technology that will cure these diseases. This is when IVF technology comes into play. The doctors perform karyo-mapping, where they obtain the DNA from cheek swabs of the parents and family member affected by the disease. They are used to compare the gene sequence that is used to work for the genetic fingerprint for a mutation that caused the diseases. The cells removed from the embryo will affect the disorder, or will it become a carrier that could pass the diseases?

Miscarriage/ Designer Babies
The UK scientists are mainly concern about the women miscarriage, they perform the similar experiment to karyo-mapping. They found an embryo donor, a woman who went under the IVF treatment. They perform what's called genome editing on humans embryo. They implanted the embryo into women to achieve pregnancy, although the modified embryos never become a baby. The scientists name Kathly Niakam took another procedure to find the genes on the first few days of fertilisation. The development coating cells form the placenta later could help them to understand why babies are lost before the term. New PCR technology is used to make copies of the healthy gene and when the healthy gene develop it can also help scientist to understand the cause of the miscarriage. But will this eventually lead us to the designer babies? What will you do if you have a choice to design your own baby? You can choose what kind of personality you want in your baby, the physical appearance (whether you want blue eyes, green eyes, or brown eyes, you want your baby to have a hair like yours, body like yours, etc.). People believes that we're one steps away from the designer babies by allowing the gen etic modification on human embryos.

[|Main Article]

Video
media type="youtube" key="Upejy_BRiwg" width="560" height="315"This news video discussion on how people are concern about the genetically editing embryo, and how the UK are taking one step forward toward legally allowing this system. The scientists goals are to reduce the diseases, miscarriage and probably designer babies for the future generation.

Sources Cited

 * [|http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/scientists-urge-ban-human-genetic-modification-151130163522308.ht]
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=Evolution of Whales=

//**Wiki Post #2**//
//**May 6th, 2016**//

Hippos, the large and aquatic animal are thought to be the closet relative of whales, but they are not the ancestors of the whales. In fact hippos evolve from the group of anthracotheres about 15 million years ago, whereas the first whale such as Pakicetus are 48 million years old.

The Features of early Whales
They used to have shorter legs, enlarged feet and hands like the paddles. Long tail and very muscular.

Pakicetus
Pakicetus are the first whale that lived 48 million years ago. They typically used to be land animals with long skull and long carnivores teeth. They never really looked like whales from the outside, but their skulls, in the ear region surrounded by bone resembles the features of the whales.



Ambulocetus natans
It means the “Walking whale that swims”. Which refers to the lifestyle of both in water and on land. Ambulocetus used a distinctive way to move in water. It has legs to swim by paddling and dive by tucking in its forelimbs and give itself the powerful kick with its hind limbs. Ambulocetus hears through the lower jaw bone which is adapted as a sound receiving system that is used by modern toothed whales. The whales that evolve after Ambuloctus, they show higher levels of saltwater oxygen isotopes, which indicated that they used to live in marine habitats and they can drink saltwater like today’s whales.



Video
media type="youtube" key="lIEoO5KdPvg" width="560" height="315"This video gives the general view of how whales have evolved over time, their common features, and if the hippos and whales share the same ancestors.

Sources Cited

 * [] Main Article
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=** Autism as a complex disorder of the nervous system **= //**Wiki Post #3**// //** June 11, 2016 **//

**What is Autism?**
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disorder of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Generally described as the disorders of Central Nervous System (CNS). Like, we learn in class CNS is consist of the brain and spinal cord. Some common behaviours of Autism as the disorder of nervous systems are:
 * Problems with brain functioning
 * Learning difficulties
 * Behavioral issues
 * Seizures
 * Sensory processing problems
 * Slow talker

**Neurological background**
The child with autism has a different brain. It is believed by showing many evidence that there are abnormalities in both the structure and the function of the brains of individuals with autism. The brain of autism children is larger. A child who is approximately 6-14 months has a brain which increases in size, it could be due to the larger number of neurons.

**Most Recent view of Autism as Sensory disorder**
The new study of Autism shows that it might be related disorders partly due to a disruption in the nerves of the skin that sense touch and not just the disorders of the brain. They have discover that majority of the people with autism are hypersensitive to light touch. The sensation touch begins in peripheral nervous system (PNS) at the surface of the skin and travels along nerves that connect into the CNS. When the study does their test on a mice, they discover that we an animal have the way that we navigate our world with mostly the sense of touch. Touching is a key to learning how to interact with others animals and with our environment in general. The if the touch from something becomes uncomfortable, we often avoid those things. That is where the autism child experiences a difficulty on socializing. The touch of something or someone becomes uncomfortable to them so, they try to avoid it, but at the same time, they are socially trying to avoid interacting with others. That’s where it becomes hard for autism child to learns things and try new things.







**Video**
media type="youtube" key="lXIBVBtWKlY" width="560" height="315"The video generally discusses about how the child with Autism are sensitive to touch and some tips of message therapy.

**Further Reading**

 * [] It has a cool background of Autism
 * [] It has a video with cool facts on Autism
 * [] Things that normal people don’t understand that the Autism kids are going through.
 * [] More depth on PNS of autism disorder.

Sources Cited

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 * [] Article

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/scientists-urge-ban-human-genetic-modification-151130163522308.html 