Katelyn+W.

=Genetics=

Awhile ago back in September we discussed cell division in class along with cancerous cells. I have found an article that I think is interesting related to the topic of cancerous cells. The name of the article is "Scientists find a way to make leukemia cells kill each other" so I will tell you what its basically about. So some Scientists who work at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found a way to reverse the leukemia cells into killing other leukemia cells which will eventually result in a new therapeutic way to fight against leukemia and potentially other cancers. The team has also found a way to have antibodies induce the bone marrow into making certain types of mature bone marrow. Some unexpected side affects that they have found is that some of the antibodies have made the marrow cells to mature into a different type of cell, such as a "neural cell." It is an unresolved issue but the team is now looking into if they could use that method to make those leukemia cells turn into non cancerous cells. The team had first discovered this with acute myeloid leukemia cells from human patients. The effective antibody was a selected activator to use on the marrow cells. When the antibody was put into a healthy immature marrow cell, it made that when the cell had matured, it had a blood platelet making some cells called "megakaryocytes." When the antibody was put into the acute myeloid leukemia cells, they had matured into different cells known as dendritic cells which are the key supporter cells to the immune system. which that itself could be a valuable strategy for therapy. I found that this was an interesting thing because of the amount of time and money donated into cancer research and scientists are finally coming up with new ways to help get rid of the cancer without having to use the radiation which is very painful for the patient and the family members to have to see a loved one in that state. [|Main Article] I have also found a video that goes along with what the article was talking about. [|Experimental therapy trains immune cells to hunt and kill blood cancers]

=**Dominant and Recessive Genes**= //In this unit we were discussing how genes have recessive and dominant traits. Dominant traits show dominance over the recessive traits.// //For example:// //Brown eyes is dominant over Blue eyes.// //Brown hair is dominant over blonde hair.// //Curly hair is dominant over straight hair.// //You can have brown eyes and still be a carrier for the blue eye gene. However if you have blue eyes, its impossible for you to give a brown eye gene simply because you only have the recessive genes.// //Over learning the past few weeks we had to use a punnet square to help us figure out what percentage of the possibilities were possible when crossing certain genes with each other.// //I have chosen article that has to do with the "addictive gene" and how its commonly seen in people who frequently use alcohol and or marijuana. The article says that addiction is a biological process and how it would be surprising if genetics did not play a part, but it does, and it plays a big part. A gene was found in people who all commonly use alcohol and it was the same gene found for all of them. However for the people who did not use alcohol the gene was not there. The same gene was also there with people who used marijuana. People who use marijuana are most likely to use alcohol as well.// //A sample size of about 2000 people were used and 11 different variations of the CNR1 gene (addictive gene) were able to be found. Scientists are still looking at this and trying to come up with a solution as to why. This same gene is found in people who are overweight or obese and that's because the CNR1 gene blocks the CB1 gene which allows people to lose weight or stop an addictive behavior.// //[|Article of Addictive Genes]// //[|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZtcg0qVuFA]//


 * Reproductive Systems, Menstrual Cycle, Fertilization and Development**

As our semester is coming to an end, the last few things we have been discussing in our Biology 122 class is the reproductive systems,the menstrual cycle, and fertilization and development. These topics all tie in together because its about what parts we have to reproduce, what happens if we do not get pregnant, and what happens when we do get pregnant. So Females and Males share 8 out of the 9 reproductive organs, males have testicles that release testosterone and females have ovaries that release estrogen. Testicles also store millions of sperm and ovaries release an egg once a month. If the egg does not come into contact with the sperm, and is not fertilized then females will experience what is called a menstrual cycle. This is where every 28 days the uterus sheds its lining and can last anywhere between 3-7 days. However if the egg does happen to become fertilized then it will become a zygote and eventually grow into an embryo and then from there a fetus. I have chosen an article that has to do with the evolution of the Penis and Vagina, and i chose it because it fits with what were learning about in class. This article is called "Beyond the Penis: Vaginas shaped Evolutionary History and Scientists have been seeing that there are similarities between the vaginas and penis's of some animals, and they are believing that it is because of how the animals mate with each other. For example female ducks have a twisted vagina, so the male duck penis's are also twisted to fit into the female ducks. The same thing with Whales and Dolphins, The female vaginas are more folded and for that reason the males are having bigger testes.“we have no idea how male and female genitalia interact and how those interactions affect reproductive success,” cautions Matthew Dean, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “But it’s super important.” [|Article] [|Male and Female Reproduction Video]