A clean up crew like no other!

Researchers in Washington found out that small tiny “Petroleum-eating bacteria”, were found eating the bacteria that was left from the petroleum oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico in April. This bacteria was so efficient at eating the Petroleum that they were said to have out competed many other bacteria eating microbes that were in the process of slowly, but surely eating the petroleum as well. The bacteria was said to have individually each ramped up their own internal metabolic machinery to digest the oil as efficiently as possible, so that there was no more oil left on the shore. To scientists, this result and finding was said to have been a “ nature-made cleanup crew capable of reducing the amount of oil in the undersea plume by half about every three days”.

    This is very important to science and biology, because after the scientists, and researchers found these organisms, to be eating away at the oil plumes, much faster than the other microbes, this then led the researchers and scientists to find a way to increase the surface area of the oil and water, so therefore the microbes and oil plume eating organisms were then able to eat the “unusual food source” much quicker, to the point that there was no more oil.

    We care about news of this sort, because it helps scientists help engineers find solutions to problems, so that other organisms do not get intoxicated with such bad fumes in their systems, and for organism such as birds, it could be fatal to certain endangered species such as pelicans, who are most often found in oil spills, that can no longer fly, and end up dying due to the lack of help of the people to terminate the oil plume from getting any larger.

    Source:http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/25/bacteria_ate_away_at_gulf_oil_plume_study_shows/

So many hands, so little time?

    Doctors in LOUISVILLE, Ky performed the third most efficient transplant surgery to a burn victim. Surgeon Dr. Warren Breidenbach said that the victim that had come in on that Tuesday, was said too have had very severe burns to both hands. When Dr. Warren found out about this news, he then contacted his team of doctors, and then they performed the first double hand transplant in Louisville. Single and Double hand transplants were only completed successfully in others states a hand full of times, but in Louisville this double hand transplant was only successful because of science. Dr. Warren and a few scientists were able to pull off this double hand transplant because they were able to put the  “patient's existing nerves into hands from a donor”. This then allowed the patient to feel the sensation of their hands moving around and about, which made both of his hands mobile.

    This article applies to science and Biology, mainly due to the fact that the only way that this surgery/transplant could have been pulled off, was because of the scientists, who helped the doctor figure out that the nerves in the donors hands would match up with the nerves in the patients hands, so that the patient would have two fully functioning hands.

    We care about articles like this because they help us understand that although doctors perform most surgeries, that there are always people behind the scenes such as scientists, who are there side by side to help the doctors solve any scientific problems that occur, when trying to apply a transplant or a surgery on a patient. Science and biology evolves everywhere and in every aspect!

    Source:http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/25/ky_surgeons_perform_rare_double_hand_transplant/

A Frog The Size of a Chick Pea?

In Malaysia Indraneil Das, a scientist who studies amphibians, and small organisms in the Malaysian jungle, accidentally came across a small creature one day while he was surveying some carnivorous plants. This creature is known as today as the smallest frog in the world. “It was just sitting on the tip of the plant, and I could barely see him” said Indraneil, as he used the tip of his pencil to pick up the frog. Indraneil said that these frogs were then kept after discovery by him as juveniles inside of a local museum. The frogs were named Microhyla nepenthicola, from the plants that they came from, which were tubular plants that were carnivorous, but did not harm the frogs.

    This information is very relevant to science and biology, because once again, it shows the variation of small and large organisms, in jungles, oceans, rivers, ponds etc. that are documented each and every day that the public, and scientists across the world are clueless about. This frog, being the tiniest frog in the world is key to help scientist figure out how this frog became to grow so small, which could lead to other research about this frog, so the discovery that this frog has and the relationship that it carries with the plants that they grow on carries a large impact in the biology field to scientists, who are interested in small organisms.

    We care about this information so much, due to the fact that technology is elevating each and everyday, and small animals like these could possibly be a cure along with the plants that they grow on, to a disease that we have in this day and age, or they could simply be something that leads to a research project in the long run.

Source:http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/26/pea_sized_frogs_found_in_borneo_carnivorous_plants/

Is there really new life under water?

Scientists in Indonesia, decided that they would use “cutting edge technology” to explore the waters, and ocean floors of Indonesia, to see what new organism that they could possibly find. The scientists used a mixture of still photo cameras, and video cameras to take over 100 hours of video, and 100,000 pictures, whilst on their three week expedition under Indonesian waters. The underwater adventure showed many scientists across the world a new world, and it also took newcomers to the marine world, into an old, but little known marine ecosystem. While on the three week journey, scientists were said to have found sea spiders that ranged from 4-8 inches in length, and other crawling organisms as well.

    This article relates to science and biology, because when people think of marine biology, the first thought that comes to peoples minds is the aquarium. Although the aquarium is an ecosystem in itself, there are many other ecosystems out there in the world that have many organisms that have never been documented, or discovered that live in waters that have never been explored, or even thought of. This article keeps an open mind too the many undocumented organisms that are out in the ocean at this time living in their own special ecosystem that has never been seem before.

    This information would most likely have been put in the newspaper because it is in much interest to people who are professors, and for students that are in college, who are interested in marine biology, and the different organisms that live in different parts of the earth. This information is also helpful to the public, because it keeps the public up to date on the findings of scientists and researchers that are around the world as well.

Source:http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/26/deep_sea_images_reveal_colorful_life_off_indonesia/