My current event is on editing genes.

Chinese Scientists Edit Genes of Human Embryos, Raising Concerns

By Gina Kolata

The New York Times

April 23, 2015

Aurora

Throughout 2015 experiments about editing genes have been going on. Though other scientists around the world had talked about doing gene editing experiments, this article is about the Chinese scientists who attempted to edit genes. These experiments will affect many people when there is a definite way to edit genes. Many people have cancerous genes in their DNA and after scientists find a way to edit genes we will have the potential opportunity to take these cancerous genes (and other diseases) out of people’s DNA before they are born. Editing genes could benefit everyone. The recent experiments took place in China. What they were hoping for was all of the cells to be changed so there would be no diseases but the DNA of the embryo would stay unaltered. Out of the 85 embryos they experimented on, none of them turned out the way that they wanted. In the Chinese experiments defective embryos were used so that a baby would never be born. Other scientists helped along the way, but the research was being done primarily by Chinese scientists. In order to edit genes the scientists use the CRISPR method.

“This is an unsafe procedure and should not be practiced at this time, and perhaps never.” - Dr. George Q. Daley

This quote reflects what most scientists feel about editing genes. Not only are people worried about the dangers of this type of experiment, they are worried about the ethics involved with genetic experimentation.

Editing genes is news that is very important. Maybe not to the people in the world who don’t have a disease that is killing them. Peter Warlick, a very close family friend has lou gehrig's disease. His children are four and six. He has two years to live, and in those two years he will get very sick. Imagine what he would do to not have lou gehrig's disease. I know that editing genes was not being experimented on before he was born, but this shows how important editing genes is. So many people watch their friends and families die from diseases. Now, we are on the edge of finding a way to make editing genes possible. I chose this article and topic because sooner or later scientists will find a way to edit genes. Scientists will be able to save many people’s lives before they are even alive.

I believe that editing genes is amazing. Being able to edit a gene that has a disease is remarkable. Other people think that editing genes is dangerous and unethical. Obviously it is dangerous, but that shouldn’t mean that scientists shouldn’t pursue this area of science. What experiment has had no danger in it? When scientists know how to edit genes without harming an embryo, there will be babies who are born with no diseases because the gene that carried a disease will have been taken out of them.

Chinese scientists did an experiment on editing genes. Even though they did not get what they were hoping for, every time scientists do more experiments on editing genes we learn more. Just like Jonas Salk’s experiments with finding a vaccine for polio, many people are fearing the outcomes of editing genes. I think that editing genes will be an amazing scientific discovery.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/health/chinese-scientists-edit-genes-of-human-embryos-raising-concerns.html?_r=2  

Why Do We Get Pins and Needles?

Source: BBC future

Author of the article: Jason G Goldman

Publication date: November 18, 2015

source: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151116-why-do-we-get-pins-and-needles

By: Charlotte McDonough

Almost everyone has experienced pins and needles at least once in their lives. But, most people don’t know what's going on when it happens. Quoted from the article itself, “The biology behind those pins and needles is actually quite straightforward.” Scientists have discovered that after having a limb under pressure for a period of time, the nerves get pinched and your blood vessels (that supply those nerves)  are under a lot of pressure. So, your brain stops getting information from those nerves like it expects. But, pins and needles are not only caused by one way. It;s very rare, but paresthesia, or pins and needles, can be triggered with anesthetic medications during dental work. It’s still not very clear why this happens though. but there are a couple possibilities. Such as, the needle used to deliver the anesthetic touched and/or damaged a nerve. But other than anesthetics, peppers can also bring pins and needles to your mouth! This is because the capsaicin found in most peppers. Paresthesia can be very annoying and irritating, but it doesn’t take much to get blood circulating back again!

I chose this article because I am very prone to getting pins and needles. I thought it would show some different ways of how to get rid of the feeling as well as tell what is going on in my skin. Though the article did not tell me how to get rid of the painful pins, it told me what I really just needed to know, the science behind it.

All in all, I think this article was very informational and interesting. My favorite new thing that I learned was the three stages of paresthesia; “Finally, after the pressure is released, comes the third stage: this is known as “release pricking”. That’s the part usually referred to as “pins and needles.” “  This quote taught me that there were more than just one part/stage of the painful “pricking”. I thought that there was only one painful 5 minutes that make up the whole pins and needles.

This article relates to what we are learning in class because in class we are studying cells and a lot of what is happening is being caused from our nerve cells. The majority of the article tells about the biology behind it, as well as other useful information on the causes to the feeling. This information can be very helpful to people because they can be very aware with what is going on inside of their body. We all get pins and needles, some more than others, and it’s totally normal. Now knowing what causes the feeling, you can now avoid the pain and hassle of pins and needles. But, I still have a few questions, some include; do some people experience pins and needles more than others? If yes, than why and how?

Gene Editor CRISPR

By: Oliver Peloquin

1/19/16

Have you ever wish at one point I wish I could run faster, or that you were smarter, or that you had a better memory. Well now that is possible thanks to a new gene editing tool called CRISPR it enable a person to edit out genes thank a person doesn’t want and replace them with genes they do want.

I choose CRISPR because the title attracted my attention. I believe that the writter tried to stay neutral in the article as I am, and like everything it has its good points and negative ones. The problem with its bad point is that it can affect many generations scientist fear and have proved that if a gene is edited by CRISPR it move down the family tree to the next generation. But on the other hand it has a lot of positive intentions. Such as the ability to have genes edited in mosquitoes to block the malaria virus, or how they are working with pigs because of the shortage of organ donors in the U.S. they are trying to use CRISPR to get rid of the many disease that are in pig organs that can hurt us. So far all of the human DNA mixed with the pigs have not gotten infected. Or how studies being done one of them is to see if CRISPR can stop Lyme disease in mice and then the next step may be us. So far CRISPR has done a lot but many many scientist believe that it will be a while before CRISPR or scientist can safely and effectively modify human genes.  

The article connects with our next unit of study biology. CRISPR affects our society because now if people want green eyes they can have them or if they want to be smarter they can have that or if they want a certain hair color they can have it. It will affect how we as people see each other. With so more research we may be able to stop more diseases or have organs from pigs. Which is good because there is beginning to be a shortage of organ donors in the U.S. but thanks to CRISPR people may not have to worry about that anymore. The article I read was full of information and was very thorough.  

URL Of Article: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/16/the-gene-hackers

URL Of Picture:ttps://www.google.com/search?q=nucleus+in+a+cell&espv=2&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS657US658&biw=1318&bih=586&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQ9YGplbbKAhVFMz4KHRtmBrcQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#tbm=isch&q=dna&imgrc=V_VukwzFIicWhM%3A