Bio Entrepreneur -- Biotechnology Industry Organization

Summary:

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is the world's largest biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business development and communications services for more than 1,150 members worldwide. Biotechnology members expand the boundaries of science to benefit mankind by providing better healthcare, enhanced agriculture, and a cleaner and safer environment. The mission of this organization is to be the champion of biotechnology and the advocate for its member organizations—both large and small.

Corporate members range from entrepreneurial companies developing a first product to Fortune 100 multinationals. BIO also represents state and regional biotech associations, service providers to the industry and academic centers.

Reflection:

Entrepreneurs support the society. Without them, the society will not be able to develop and improve. For instance, BIO represents an industry that has already provided more than 250 million people with benefits from more than 130 commercially approved drugs, biologics and vaccines. More than 75 percent of these medicines have been approved in the past six years. There are more than 350 biotech drug products and vaccines in late-stage clinical trials to treat more than 200 diseases, including various cancers, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

With BIO and other bio entrepreneurs, people can gain medical support and healthcare. Thus, we can continue to live in a healthy and safe environment.

Biotechnology Industry Organization website:

http://bio.org/

Lecture by Dr. Pamela Fong Optometrist

Last Thursday, my class was very honored to have an optometrist to conduct a lecture. The lecture is very interesting! It gives me a lot of information about different parts of eyes and their functions.

First, Dr. Fong gave us a little introduction about eyes. She said that eyes are important structures that connect information received to the brain. So, if a person finds it very hard to concentrate, he should go to see the eye doctor and have an eye check-up to see if his eyes work well.

After that, she explained the different eye parts by using an eye model. The model gave me a better concept of how our eyes look like. It also showed clearly what the inside of the eye contains.

She mentioned that the iris is used to block light and reduce distortion. When it is dark, it dilates because more light needs to get in. Also, the iris is unique. The clear, colorless transparent jelly that fills the eyeball behind the lens, which is vitreous humor, contains nutrients. The back of the eye is the retina. The retina is also unique. It contains a lot of rods and cones. If an eye is compared to a camera, the film will be the retina.

During the lecture, Dr. Fong showed the class a lot of eye photos. It was the first time I knew that an eye can actually tell at least three characteristics of a person. They are color (nationality), age, and distinguishability of myopia.

For instance, blonde people have light eyes and blue iris. People with high blood pressure have narrower arteries and thicker veins. People with diabetes have more yellow eyes. Besides these, I also learned one more thing. The grey ring around the eyeball in old people is actually cholesterol!

For myself, I have serious "near-sighted". The main reason for this is that my parents also have "near-sighted". My optometrist advised me to wear hard contact lenses to push down the degree of "near-sighted". I had worn contact lenses for many years, but I didn't like to wear them because they made me feel really uncomfortable. That's why I stopped wearing contact lenses anymore.

Know more about eyes!

Paramecium bursaria

Paramecium bursaria is a species of ciliate protozoan that has a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with green alga called Zoochlorella.

Taxonomy:

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protista
Phylum: Ciliophora
Class: Oligohymenophorea
Order: Peniculida
Family: Parameciidae
Genus: Paramecium
Species: bursaria

Habitat:

Paramecia are widespread in freshwater environments, and are especially common in scums.

Predators:

In the 1930's a Russian biologist named Gause used Paramecium and Didinium to examine the predator-prey relationship. Both are microscopic organisms. Paramecium is the prey and Didinium is the predator.

Prey:

Paramecium feed on micro-organisms like bacteria, algae, and yeasts. To gather its food, the paramecium uses its cilia to sweep the food along with some water into the cell mouth after it falls into the oral groove. The food goes through the cell mouth into the gullet, which is like the stomach. When there is enough food in it so that it has reached a certain size it breaks away and forms a food vacuole. The food vacuole travels through the cell, through the back end first. As it moves along enzymes from the cytoplasm enter the vacuole and digest it. The digested food then goes into the cytoplasm and the vacuole gets smaller and smaller. When the vacuole reaches the anal pore the remaining undigested waste is removed.

Anatomy:

P. bursaria is 80-150 μm long, with a wide oral groove, two contractile vacuoles, and a single micronucleus as well as a single macronucleus.

Historical information:

The first eukaryotic kingdom was the kingdom Protista. 1 billion year ago, the diverse protists appeared.


Interesting information:

The algae live inside the Paramecium in its cytoplasm and provide it with food, while the Paramecium provides the alga with movement and protection.

P. bursaria is the only species of Paramecium that forms symbiotic relationships with algae, and are often used in biology classrooms as examples of protozoans, and as examples of symbiosis.

More information on Paramecium bursaria:

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Paramecium#Description_and_Significance

http://www.101science.com/paramecium.htm

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/articles/param1.html

Guest Lecturer: Louise Mead

On Thursday, Louise Mead of the National Center for Science Education came to our school and gave us a lecture. Although we could not move around the classrom as we always do when we have a lab, this lecture certainly gives us a lot of information about evolution. In her lecture, she mainly focused on the evidence for evolution. To explain, she provided many pictures and described them in details. Also, she talked about how different people look at evolution differently.

"What is evolution and do you accept it?" -- this was how she started her lecture. This is what I wrote: evolution is a change in species over time. I accept evolution because it is the way of life.

She related these questions to the day's lecture. The first thing she talked about was the evidence for evolution. They include biogeography, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, fossil record, and developmental biology.


Biogeography
It is the districution of plants and aminals over space and time.

Comparative anatomy
The bone structure for humans, bats, and birds are very similar, but they are not exactly identical. Why? Because of different environments and ways of living.

Comparative biochemistry and molecular biology
Humans have 2 chromosomes less than chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. The reason for this is that one of the 2 centromeres became inactivated during the formation of human chromosome 2.

Fossil record
By using fossils, scientists can find out more of the evolution of species. For example, scientists found out that fins could become limbs.

Developmental biology
It is possible: genes of humans and mice have something in common.


Besides the evidence for evolution, Louise Mead also talked about creation. A report showed that most people believed God created human beings while fewer people believed God had no part in the process. As for me, I think evolution exists because many evidence shows that evolution is occuring over generations. However, it is indeed hard for some religious people to accept evolution.

This lecture is very meaningful since it provides a lot of information and pictures where we cannot find in the book. The lecture makes me have a better concept of what evolution is and to understand how scientists discovered evolution.

To conclude, evolution is a really interesting topic since it makes people hard to believe and wonder how humans are actually evolved from earlier species.

Meat raises lung cancer risk

Summary:

According to the article, people who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats have a higher risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

A big study shows that people who eat a lot of meat have a higher risk of liver and esophageal cancer and that men who eat red meat get pancreatic cancer more easily. "The people in the top 20 percent of eating processed meat had a 20 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer -- mostly rectal cancer -- and a 16 percent higher risk for lung cancer."

Meats can cause cancer by several routes. They are both sources of saturated fat and iron, which have independently been associated with carcinogenesis. Meat is also a source of several chemicals known to cause DNA mutations, including N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).


Reflection:

Have you ever thought of the meat you eat daily may lead to cancer? Yes, cancer! All kinds of red and processed meat may be a cause of cancer. Red meat included all types of beef, pork and lamb. Processed meat included bacon, red meat sausage, poultry sausage, luncheon meats, cold cuts, ham and most types of hot dogs including turkey dogs. All these meats should be familiar to you because you eat them every day.

I was totally shocked when I first looked at this article. It is unbelievable that the meats in the hamburgers and sandwiches give people a higher risk of getting cancer. The thing that makes me less worried is that I don't eat a lot of meats. I prefer vegetables to meats.

I think statistics do show that meat really increases the chances of getting cancer. Meat is also a cause of DNA mutations. However, meat is a part of our lives. Every day, you need vegetables and meats to meet a balanced diet. Is it possible to make everyone stop eating meat?

In my opinion, the best way now is to limit the amount of meat we eat each day. I think everything is good if you use it in an adequate amount. But I really hope that meat is not an essential cause of cancer because it will affect a lot of people if so.

Visit the following websites to get more detailed information:

• http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071211/hl_nm/cancer_meat_dc_1
• http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&%20doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040325

Genetic Face Lab

I was really curious at first. What does it mean by 'genetic face lab'? Does it have anything to do with my face?

Hehe.. actually, it has nothing to do with my face. Instead, the whole class had the opportunity to create a face by tossing a coin. Yes, a coin! There are two sides of a coin: head and tail, and we used these two sides of the coin to determine the characteristics of the face. It's kind of fun.

Want to see my work? It's up above. I know it's a bit... um... weird, but I think it's partly because I cannot draw well using the computer. Anyways, this lab helps me relax a lot and I enjoy the process of creating this strange face. By the way, do you have any idea if this is a boy or a girl?

Answer: Boy

Cooking with DNA: A Protein Synthesis Simulation

I love Rice Krispy Treat! It's great that the whole class could make Rice Krispy Treat in class and EAT it! Since the process of making Rice Krispy treats is analogous to the process of protein synthesis in cells, so making Rice Krispy can help all of us understand better about the protein synthesis process.

I was so happy that I was picked to be the group leader, which was actually the rRNA. I was supposed to direct and keep track of the whole thing. I also had to manage my group members(tRNAs), record the order in which they deliver their ingredients and instructions (amino acids), and coordinate the manufacturing of the protein.

My group was very effecient and cooperative. We were the fastest group to finish making the Rice Krispy treat and I don't think we made any mistake in the process of making it. It's really fun! I only ate a little piece of it and it tasted really good. Hope I will have a chance to COOK WITH DNA in the future!