Stem Cells

Stem Cells are being researched to see if they can be used to cure diseases.  There are two types of stem cells: Adult Stem Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells.  Adult stem cells are found throughout the adult human body and in the umbilical cord, while embryonic stem cells come from embryos that are less than 2 weeks into development.  

There are many advantages in both adult and embryonic stem cells some of them being:

Adult Stem Cell Advantages:

- don't cause the immune system to reject them

- there is no harm done to the donor

- they don't tend to cause tumors

Embryonic Stem Cells Advantages:

- they are very flexible

- are taken from embryos in vitro fertilization clinics

- they can provide endless supplies of cells that have defined characteristics

However, in science, with great advantages come disadvantages that question whether the research is to be done or not.  some of those disadvantages are:

Adult Stem Cell Disadvantages:

- there is only a limited quantity

- they are less flexible

Embryonic Stem Cell Disadvantages:

- because the cells are taken when they are less than 2 weeks into development, it destroys the embryo

- these cells can form or promote the formation of tumors

- these cells from a random donor are likely to reject the receiver after the transplant

Classification

so in class i was learning about classification. scientists have these names for each group that every animal known to man fits in. YEA, every single solitary animal fits into one of these groups. so anyway, the groups are...Kingdom, Phylum, Family, Order, Genus, and Species (i might have missed one or put them in the wrong order) and the lower down in groups you get, the more specific in type you get to an animal. so i was thinking, since every animal fits into one of these groups, doesn't that mean that when scientists discover a new animal that they have to figure out what Kingdom, Phylum, Family, Order, Genus, and Species the animal would fit into right? that seems like a lot of work for one person...maybe a lot of scientists think of where it would fit.

Blue Man Group on Global Warming

This is the Blue Man Group performing while promoting Global Warming prevention.

Treeman

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/02/treeman.wart.skin.disorder/index.html

Okay,

So remember the "Treeman" on Mr. Ruffin's blog, well, i did some research on what caused it and doctor's think that a form of Human papillomavirus. You know, that thing girls get the Gardasil shots for...well, it turns out Kosawa, "Treeman", got a cut like, a week before he started getting warts all over his body. Kosawa has a deficiency of low white blood cells, which are needed to fight off infections, and weakened his immune system. So, when Kosawa got the infection, his white blood cells couldn't fight it off. Then, the virus took over his skin and produced huge amounts of keratin...you know, those protein things in your hair and fingernails, and the warts you usually get with HPV grew into this bark-looking stuff called "cutaneous horns".

Kinda weird huh?