Get Ready for all things Santa – Courtesy of NORAD

Track Santa’s progress with the NORAD Santa Tracker – Have a happy and safe Holiday!

 

 

 

A Chinese Scientist Claims to have successfully done gene surgery on a set of girl twins at the single cell stage – ethical?

Learn more about the Chinese gene surgeon:

(Check out the Good Genetics Question Tab to learn more)

 

What’s all the fuss about Climate Change? How can you get informed and involved

Learn more about updated projections for Climate Change

Learn more about what you can do to help the global climate stay stable

Everything you want to know about climate change in #MyClimateQuestions

Genetic Testing – good idea or a waste of time??

Learn more about the commodification of your genetic information

 

What is the difference between genetic testing and genetic therapy?

Climate scientists remind the public that the Earth has only about dozen years before global warming becomes catastrophic

Learn more about the facts and evidence for Climate Change due to global warming

Nature Study – Read More

Abstract:

Learn more by looking at the images of change:

Learn more about the science behind Halloween Magic!

Top ways to make Halloween more spooky fun and sciency!

Visual Animation of Chromosomes to the genetic code – let’s review!

The animated Genome – Link

Nobel Prize has been awarded for 2018 in Medicine and Physiology: Allison and Honjo

Learn more about the 2018 Prize Research in Medicine and Physiology

“Cancer kills millions of people every year and is one of humanity’s greatest health challenges. By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumor cells this year’s Nobel Laureates have established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.

James P. Allison studied a known protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. He realized the potential of releasing the brake and thereby unleashing our immune cells to attack tumors. He then developed this concept into a brand new approach for treating patients.

In parallel, Tasuku Honjo discovered a protein on immune cells and, after careful exploration of its function, eventually revealed that it also operates as a brake, but with a different mechanism of action. Therapies based on his discovery proved to be strikingly effective in the fight against cancer.

Allison and Honjo showed how different strategies for inhibiting the brakes on the immune system can be used in the treatment of cancer. The seminal discoveries by the two Laureates constitute a landmark in our fight against cancer.”

Figure: Upper left: Activation of T cells requires that the T-cell receptor binds to structures on other immune cells recognized as ”non-self”. A protein functioning as a T-cell accelerator is also required for T cell activation. CTLA- 4 functions as a brake on T cells that inhibits the function of the accelerator. Lower left: Antibodies (green) against CTLA-4 block the function of the brake leading to activation of T cells and attack on cancer cells.
Upper right: PD-1 is another T-cell brake that inhibits T-cell activation. Lower right: Antibodies against PD-1 inhibit the function of the brake leading to activation of T cells and highly efficient attack on cancer cells.

Why – What makes us curious? Are kids more curious than adults?

The Science behind curiosity – Learn more about what makes us curious.

There is no single type of curiosity.  

Curiosity comes in different flavors.  “Specific/diversive curiosity” is a type of curiosity when you would like to know the answer to something fairly straightforward that can be answered by a simple internet search. 

“Epistemic curiosity” is a type of curiosity when you want to learn more for the satisfaction and joy of learning.  This is the type of curiosity when YOU try to learn more things for the sake of the fun of learning. 

 

YOU can enhance/build your curiosity by being trained to ask questions.

One of the most powerful types of questions you can ask as a science student is “How”.

You can improve your curiosity.  Start with something that you are interested in. Begin to ask questions about something that you like and enjoy about a topic.

Young children typically ask questions because they are interested in “cause and effect”.  This means that their perceptual curiosity decreases as they get older.

As you get older your epistemic curiosity does not decrease.  Your willingness to learn new things, to discover new things does not decrease as you get older.

 

Learn how to make picture notes to help you to understand how DNA controls protein production in the cell

Notes:

DNA to RNA to mRNA to tRNA