Three Parent Embyros - What Do You Think?

Scientists are perfecting methods for creating embryos containing DNA from three parents.  It is thought that these techniques will help to prevent several rare genetic disorders passed on through mitochondrial DNA.

Your mitochondria contain a small number of genes and are inherited from your mother.  It is thought that diseases such as muscular dystrophy and some cancers are inherited through these genes.

Scientists have developed techniques for taking chromosomes from a mother’s egg (which house approximately 99.8% of her DNA) and placing them in a donor egg from which the chromosomes have been removed but which has healthy mitochondrial DNA.

See "Three Parent Embryos" for more information.

Acid and Bases - extra help

You've heard about pH in biology, you've calculated it in math, and you're using it in chemistry...acids and bases are everywhere!

Want some more practice on pH to [H+] conversions? Check out this helpful site.

This is Your Digestive System...This is Your Digestive System on Junk Food...

Ever wonder what happens to a gummi bear after you eat it???
Take a look at the impact of processed food vs. whole food on the human body with researcher Stefani Bardini from Boston.
Stefani videos the digestion of gummi bears and other processed foods using a swallowed M2A capsule [Mouth to Anus capsule] which wirelessly transmits images from the digestive tract.
You may never eat another gummi bear after watching this!

The Future of Medicine May Be In Your IPod!!

An IPod can now be used to monitor your health!  Cardiology Dr. Eric Topol demonstrates how you may someday soon use this technology to record your own ECG at home and send it to your doctor or monitor your blood glucose levels.  Click here to learn more!!

Creating a Functioning Heart in the Laboratory???

In Human Biology II lecture this week, the question "Has anyone made a human heart in the laboratory?" was asked.  Well...it appears that scientists may be close!

In 2008, researchers from the University of Minnesota produced a rat heart in the laboratory that actually beats!  The scientists removed all of the heart cells from the heart of a dead rat.  This just left the heart valves and a scaffold of connective tissue.  They then insterted cells from the heart of a newborn rat and within 2 weeks the beating heart developed.

In 2011, this same research team used a similar technique using the connective tissue scaffold of human hearts.  They injected stem cells into the scaffold.  The stem cells recognized the heart scaffld, multiplied and grew around the structure, eventually turning into healthy heart cells.

Want more information?  Watch this interesting documentary on the topic. 

Do YOU know these students?

Students in Susan's Human Biology II course had an exciting day today.  They had their blood typed by Canadian Blood Services, learned about blood transfustions and donations, checked out their veins and poked around at a cow's heart!

These students were featured on the college's Facebook and Twitter accounts:

Grow Your Own Blood Vessels ?!

It turns out the adult stem cells removed during liposuction could be put to good use! 

In a study reported here, adult stem cells were turned into smooth muscle cells that were put onto a thin collagen membrane.  The cells multiplied and were rolled into tubes, and in just 3-4 weeks they had formed into blood vessels that can hopefully be used in heart by-pass surgery!

Can DNA save the world?

Check out these stories from Quirks and Quarks:

The world of synthetic biology is fascinating!  What do you think of this new field?  Does it raise any ethical concerns with you?  What sort of organisms do you think scientists should focus on creating?  Read the article and listen to the interviews here.

Also, check out the story on wax-work micro muscles here.

OSMOSIS COMES TO LIFE!

Check out these great osmosis animations and explanations!  http://www.tvdsb.ca/webpages/brownt12/files/osmosis.htm

Bringing Matter to Life?!

In your second week of biology, you'll be discussing the characteristics of life.  This may not be as easy to define as we think.  Be sure to check out this TED talk - Making Matter Come Alive! This scientist is attempting to generate life from non-living matter!  Really!!