Ranjana Mehta, “Survival Mode That Protects Cells When Oxygen Is Low Also Slows Aging”, Science Daily
A possible way to slow aging and fight old age disease?? Might that really be possible?? The answer is yes; a biochemical pathway that helps keep cells alive when oxygen is low also plays a role in longevity and resistance against some diseases of old age, which researchers are trying to use to find a way to not only slow age, but fight diseases.
Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have found that nematode worms live longer if their genetic make-up permits their cells to turn on the hypoxic response, a cell's protective reaction to a drop in oxygen, under normal oxygen conditions. Not only do these worms live longer, the researchers noted, but their cells are relatively free from the toxic proteins that accumulate and clump together as an animal ages. Researchers state that defining cellular mechanisms that prevent accumulation of these proteins may point to new therapeutic targets for devastating diseases that often accompany old age in people.
This being said, I think it is amazing how science is evolving and changing. It is breath-taking how we are on the verge of maybe finding a way to longer life spans. This research and technology, if successful, could and should be used to help those who wish to prolong their life and definitely those who are suffering from a disease caused by old age.
This new technology and research would be terrific, as it would greatly benefit those suffering from old age diseases. In the article, a researcher states, "What we're focused on now is figuring out how HIF is protecting the animals from aging. In both worms and people.” Kaeberlein agrees. "This is a completely new pathway for aging and age-associated disease. If we can understand at a very detailed level how HIF is slowing aging, we may be able to use that information to develop effective therapies for treating age-associated diseases in people."
In conclusion, it would be marvelous if scientists and researchers succeeded in finding the way to prolong age and maybe halt old age diseases. There are many who are dying from these diseases every day, who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and several other degenerative conditions that afflict the elderly. This new method and technology could change the world as we know it.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Day of the Play
In our French class, the third years have to prepare French plays, and perform with the Spanish class (who, obiously, prepare Spanish plays) for a whole school day! The plays were about a month ago, and it was probably one of the most rushed and stressful days of my month! I'll tell you why.
Unfortunately, the day of the play was on a monday, and, as we all know, mondays are the most likely days to forget about important events, due to the stressless and fun weekend. Well, the day started out pretty casually, with me getting up and doing my usual stuff. I left home at about 7:30, which is when I usually depart, and I went to my first period class (science) and just chilled.
Well, being the careless person that I am ( XD ), I didn't realize why so many people were gone from our class, and it wasn't until some minutes into reading time when two of my friends entered into the room, with their French costumes on, looking at me like some maniac; I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE PLAYS!
Now, the last day of the week before the day of the play, friday, we were practicing in the activity room, and since I had finished all of my parts, and I had nothing left to do except wait and wait for the bell to ring so I could go to lunch, I had decided to leave early as some people had already. Little did I know that before class ended, during the period that I was gone, the teacher had told us to come about an hour and a half earlier on the day of the play - monday. Although there were texts going around, and Facebook was smothered with reminders, I still didn't know about coming early on Monday.
So, after my two friends came in to get me, I sprinted down to the activity room, to find that the whole class was already dressed up in their costumes. I wasn't in my costume, and the plays were starting in about ten minutes!! Talk about STRESSFUL!
Surprisingly, though, I wasn't the only one who forgot. Another friend, who played two parts in our four French plays also forgot, and we were both in the same situation.
But, although the day was crammed, and I had to make up a ton of homework, not to mention a test I had to take in Algebra II, the day went by quickly, and it was a blast. The plays went well, and we were all very pleased. It was a highlight of the class!
Unfortunately, the day of the play was on a monday, and, as we all know, mondays are the most likely days to forget about important events, due to the stressless and fun weekend. Well, the day started out pretty casually, with me getting up and doing my usual stuff. I left home at about 7:30, which is when I usually depart, and I went to my first period class (science) and just chilled.
Well, being the careless person that I am ( XD ), I didn't realize why so many people were gone from our class, and it wasn't until some minutes into reading time when two of my friends entered into the room, with their French costumes on, looking at me like some maniac; I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE PLAYS!
Now, the last day of the week before the day of the play, friday, we were practicing in the activity room, and since I had finished all of my parts, and I had nothing left to do except wait and wait for the bell to ring so I could go to lunch, I had decided to leave early as some people had already. Little did I know that before class ended, during the period that I was gone, the teacher had told us to come about an hour and a half earlier on the day of the play - monday. Although there were texts going around, and Facebook was smothered with reminders, I still didn't know about coming early on Monday.
So, after my two friends came in to get me, I sprinted down to the activity room, to find that the whole class was already dressed up in their costumes. I wasn't in my costume, and the plays were starting in about ten minutes!! Talk about STRESSFUL!
Surprisingly, though, I wasn't the only one who forgot. Another friend, who played two parts in our four French plays also forgot, and we were both in the same situation.
But, although the day was crammed, and I had to make up a ton of homework, not to mention a test I had to take in Algebra II, the day went by quickly, and it was a blast. The plays went well, and we were all very pleased. It was a highlight of the class!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Walk Two Moons- Review
It started out as an english assignment, my reading of "Walk Two Moons". However, I soon became obsessively addicted to the book, and finished two days later. There were many reasons I was drawn into this book, but I mainly loved it because of how it was so masterfully written, and how, while reading, I realized how closely my life compared to Sal's.
The story is one of a young girl, Sal, who travels with her grandparents to see her mother, who left her and her father some years ago. On the long trip, Sal's grandparents request a story, and Sal decides to tell them of her life after her mother left, after they had moved away to her previous home. The unique way the author wrote the story was outstanding. As Sal tells her story to her grandparents, the reader feels as if he/she is with them on the trip, listening to every word, bawling to every sorrow, and jumping for joy in every scene of happiness. Occasionally, throughout the book, the story is interrupted as Sal's grandparents comment on their feeilngs at the moment. Whatever they say, the reader finds him/herself completely agreeing. It is as if Creech wrote the novel, knowing exactly how to make the reader feel the way she wanted. There was one point in the climax of the story, where, again, it is interrupted by a commentary conversation between Sal and her grandparents. Annoyed, the reader would trudge along to find, in joy, that the grandmother insisted on the continuation of the story. I felt a deep connection with Sal and her grandparents while reading the novel because Sharon Creech wrote in such a way that the reader never felt left out, that the reader always felt included in the story.
Sal's life was filled with sorrow at first. She found herself wrenched from her farm home, which she adored, to a city house, with only a small patch of grass in the front. One can only imagine how the young girl, so attached with nature and her surroundings, felt when she was stripped of the willow trees, the singing larks, the sweet aroma of flowers, and the beautiful meadows. Life was good and life was perfect, making a perfect opportunity for something to creep in and ruin eveyrthing. In her new school, her class studies mythology, and Sal is required to give a report on Pandora's Box. If you don't already know, Pandora's Box was filled with all the evil and darkness of the world. There was only one good thing, and that was hope. Sal ponders:
"That night I kept thinking about Pandora's box. I wondered why someone would put a good thing such as Hope in a box with sickness and kidnapping and murder. It was fortunate that it was there, though. If not, people would have the birds of sadness nesting in their hair all the time, because of nuclear wars and the greenhouse effect and bombs and stabbings and lunatics. There must have been another box with all the good things in it, like sunshine and love and trees and all that. Who had the good fortune to open that one, and was there one bad thing down there in the bottom of the good box? Maybe it was Worry. Even when everything seems fine and good, I worry that something will go wrong and change everything."
At this point in the story, I felt the deepest connection between me and Sal. My life was once exactly as hers was. I always had the fear AND hope of being happy, having joy. If my life got too perfect, something would always come along and ruin it.
In conclusion, I loved this book, because of the deep understanding I shared with Sal, and because of the way the novel was written. Sal tells the story as a means of reflecting on it and coming to accept it, and that is what I have to do. You cannot change what life has given you, but you can change what you do with it.
The story is one of a young girl, Sal, who travels with her grandparents to see her mother, who left her and her father some years ago. On the long trip, Sal's grandparents request a story, and Sal decides to tell them of her life after her mother left, after they had moved away to her previous home. The unique way the author wrote the story was outstanding. As Sal tells her story to her grandparents, the reader feels as if he/she is with them on the trip, listening to every word, bawling to every sorrow, and jumping for joy in every scene of happiness. Occasionally, throughout the book, the story is interrupted as Sal's grandparents comment on their feeilngs at the moment. Whatever they say, the reader finds him/herself completely agreeing. It is as if Creech wrote the novel, knowing exactly how to make the reader feel the way she wanted. There was one point in the climax of the story, where, again, it is interrupted by a commentary conversation between Sal and her grandparents. Annoyed, the reader would trudge along to find, in joy, that the grandmother insisted on the continuation of the story. I felt a deep connection with Sal and her grandparents while reading the novel because Sharon Creech wrote in such a way that the reader never felt left out, that the reader always felt included in the story.
Sal's life was filled with sorrow at first. She found herself wrenched from her farm home, which she adored, to a city house, with only a small patch of grass in the front. One can only imagine how the young girl, so attached with nature and her surroundings, felt when she was stripped of the willow trees, the singing larks, the sweet aroma of flowers, and the beautiful meadows. Life was good and life was perfect, making a perfect opportunity for something to creep in and ruin eveyrthing. In her new school, her class studies mythology, and Sal is required to give a report on Pandora's Box. If you don't already know, Pandora's Box was filled with all the evil and darkness of the world. There was only one good thing, and that was hope. Sal ponders:
"That night I kept thinking about Pandora's box. I wondered why someone would put a good thing such as Hope in a box with sickness and kidnapping and murder. It was fortunate that it was there, though. If not, people would have the birds of sadness nesting in their hair all the time, because of nuclear wars and the greenhouse effect and bombs and stabbings and lunatics. There must have been another box with all the good things in it, like sunshine and love and trees and all that. Who had the good fortune to open that one, and was there one bad thing down there in the bottom of the good box? Maybe it was Worry. Even when everything seems fine and good, I worry that something will go wrong and change everything."
At this point in the story, I felt the deepest connection between me and Sal. My life was once exactly as hers was. I always had the fear AND hope of being happy, having joy. If my life got too perfect, something would always come along and ruin it.
In conclusion, I loved this book, because of the deep understanding I shared with Sal, and because of the way the novel was written. Sal tells the story as a means of reflecting on it and coming to accept it, and that is what I have to do. You cannot change what life has given you, but you can change what you do with it.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Ender's Game- READ IT
At first I wasn't very interested with this book when my brother became obsessed. But, last week, I guess I decided to give it a shot, due to its augmenting popularity in my school.
I read Ender's Game in two days, spending almost every minute of my time flipping the pages. I love this book. Ender's life often reminds me of mine, because he was a tool, a robot, used for others' purposes. He hardly ever had time for himself because he was doing what others insisted on him doing. When I saw this book on various shelves of my friends, all with a five star rating, I couldn't resist. It has now become one of my most valued and favorite books.
I read Ender's Game in two days, spending almost every minute of my time flipping the pages. I love this book. Ender's life often reminds me of mine, because he was a tool, a robot, used for others' purposes. He hardly ever had time for himself because he was doing what others insisted on him doing. When I saw this book on various shelves of my friends, all with a five star rating, I couldn't resist. It has now become one of my most valued and favorite books.
Science Olympiad 2009
It was the 26th of March. I had to wake up at 6 A.M., and I got home at about an hour before midnight. I had to work hours a week, and I hardly had time for anything else. But it was worth it. What was I working so hard for? The answer is SCIENCE OLYMPIAD. Despite others looking down on us, and despite how much time and dedication we had to have put in to succeed, all the members of our team still pulled through, leading the school to its, once again, state championship.
Science Olympiad was tiring, stressful, and tedious, but the joy we had when we walked up to receive our medals and trophy made it all worth it in the end. We all met at Fairfield Jr. High in the early morning, and traveled by bus to Weber State University. There, we went to our homeroom, and we all went our separate ways, to each of our events. My day was jam-packed, because not only did I have four events to arrive and compete at, but I also had to sacrifice another hour of my time to carry and impound my trajectory device at the Dee Events Center.
Overall, however, it was a fun and exciting experience. Before my fourth event, “Compute This”, I had time to run back to the home room. Once there, I gorged myself and stuffed my pockets with junk food. Now, picture how hyper I USUALLY am, and imagine how much more hyper I would be if I had a thousand cheeseballs, two Twinkies, three ding dongs, a muffin, and four juice boxes in my bloodstream. Luckily, however, that did not affect my partner and my results in the end. We received first place. I had also received two silver medals, and would have received gold in an event that we chose to drop.
Science Olympiad has been a great experience throughout all of junior high, and I have learned so much from it. It’s been an outstanding way to make friends, learn, and have fun.
Science Olympiad was tiring, stressful, and tedious, but the joy we had when we walked up to receive our medals and trophy made it all worth it in the end. We all met at Fairfield Jr. High in the early morning, and traveled by bus to Weber State University. There, we went to our homeroom, and we all went our separate ways, to each of our events. My day was jam-packed, because not only did I have four events to arrive and compete at, but I also had to sacrifice another hour of my time to carry and impound my trajectory device at the Dee Events Center.
Overall, however, it was a fun and exciting experience. Before my fourth event, “Compute This”, I had time to run back to the home room. Once there, I gorged myself and stuffed my pockets with junk food. Now, picture how hyper I USUALLY am, and imagine how much more hyper I would be if I had a thousand cheeseballs, two Twinkies, three ding dongs, a muffin, and four juice boxes in my bloodstream. Luckily, however, that did not affect my partner and my results in the end. We received first place. I had also received two silver medals, and would have received gold in an event that we chose to drop.
Science Olympiad has been a great experience throughout all of junior high, and I have learned so much from it. It’s been an outstanding way to make friends, learn, and have fun.
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