Science Current Event Summary-2

Now, this article does NOT have a hypothesis, an experiment or any other portion of the scientific method, but it is an article created by a U of A faculty member (A. Elizabeth Arnold). It contains a lot of higher-level language, and thus took some effort to decipher, but I believe that I've captured the gist of it. Anyways...

Summary:

This article was about fungal endophytes (endo- within, phyt- of or relating to plants), organisms that have a symbiotic relationship with plants. In fact, the article says that they "are found in... tissues of all major lineages of land plants". The article continues, saying that, although it is known that these organisms are almost omnipresent, scientists still know little (or, at least as of 2007) about what diversities exist among them, or where they are spread out across the globe. In an effort to learn more concerning this, those involved did a study ranging from the Arctic to Panama, observing the presence of these organisms in relation to latitude. They were able to show through molecular sequencing how the diversity, presence, and "host breadth" of endophytes increases the closer one gets to the equator, meaning that tropical plants show a higher quality of biodiversity of fungal endophytes. However, the further north one goes, the fewer species they exist within. The scientists involved found that certain species of these organisms appear only in plants in tropical areas.

Video:
Follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmJVWtTBomM&feature=youtu.be

Questions:

1. Are there any agricultural applications that such diverse endophytes may provide?
2. If not, are there any biomedical applications?
3. How much money and effort did this data collection and analysis require?

Sources:
Arnold, A. E., & Lutzoni, F. (March 2007). Diversity and Host Range of Foliar Fungal Endophytes: Are Tropical Leaves Biodiversity Hotspots?. Ecology, 88, 541–549. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/05-1459

Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/05-1459

Image:  http://www.sciencebuzz.org/blog/dont-leaf-me-behind

Original Article With Highlighted Key Points:

Fungal endophytes are found in asymptomatic photosynthetic tissues of all major lineages of land plants. The ubiquity of these cryptic symbionts is clear, but the scale of their diversity, host range, and geographic distributions are unknown. To explore the putative hyperdiversity of tropical leaf endophytes, we compared endophyte communities along a broad latitudinal gradient from the Canadian arctic to the lowland tropical forest of central Panama. Here, we use molecular sequence data from 1403 endophyte strains to show that endophytes increase in incidence, diversity, and host breadth from arctic to tropical sites. Endophyte communities from higher latitudes are characterized by relatively few species from many different classes of Ascomycota, whereas tropical endophyte assemblages are dominated by a small number of classes with a very large number of endophytic species. The most easily cultivated endophytes from tropical plants have wide host ranges, but communities are dominated by a large number of rare species whose host range is unclear. Even when only the most easily cultured species are considered, leaves of tropical trees represent hotspots of fungal species diversity, containing numerous species not yet recovered from other biomes. The challenge remains to recover and identify those elusive and rarely cultured taxa with narrower host ranges, and to elucidate the ecological roles of these little-known symbionts in tropical forests.


Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/05-1459

Science Current Event Summary 1:

This is a truly fascinating article on the results of an experiment from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Follow this link to find more details: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130812125331.htm

Purpose:
The researchers involved were exploring a new way to fight the flu.

Hypothesis:
Their new method, the "molecular biocontaminant approach", will be effective in fighting certain types of influenza. This method mimics the way plants fight diseases.

Procedure:
They modify the genetics of a virus (in this case H5N1), "adding a binding site for a miRNA found in human cells", after which it mutates into something similar to an siRNA in plant cells, a molecule that latches onto and destroys viruses. They used an miRNA that exists in lung cells of humans and mice, but not the lung cells of ferrets. They then exposed the virus to mice and ferrets.

Results:
The lung cells of the mice destroyed the virus on contact, but the transmission of the virus remained unchanged in the ferrets.


Conclusion:
The hypothesis was supported by the experiment. One researcher commented, "It is clear that we can apply this technology to any virus. The only requirements are that we need a miRNA that is present in humans, but not in the model system where we want to study the virus, such as in ferrets. We also need a viral genome that permits insertion of miRNA target sites."

Questions:
1. What virus, if any, does the team plan to focus on next?
2. Who discovered the system in plants that this method was based off of?
3. What plans does the team have for the future?

 
Sources:
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine (2013, August 12). Scientists develop method that ensures safe research on deadly flu viruses: Strategy turns molecules in human lung cells into viral scissors that cut H5N1 bird flu and similar bugs into pieces. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 12, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2013/08/130812125331.htm

Science Article Annotation & Practice:

First assignment! Partly for practice and partly to explore ideas, I'll be doing reports on science-related articles for my physics class. Today's report is on an experiment done by students of the University of West Georgia (for the article, go to this link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2006/1012-fighting_fire_with_sound.htm)

Purpose:
To test a possible method for extinguishing flames in zero or low gravity situations, hopefully one worthy of the ISS (International Space Station).

Hypothesis:
Sound waves can extinguish a flame by reducing pressure around it, forcing it to go out.

Procedure:
During free fall (via airplane), speakers were used on a candle flame.

Results:
Although the speaker-candle apparatus was successful in the lab, it did not work in free fall


Conclusion:
Although the apparatus will mot work in zero gravity, it could be used in computer labs where regular extinguishers would be destructive.


Sources:

Siencedaily.com. (2006). Fighting Fire with Sound: Acoustic Waves Could Help  Put Out Flames in Zero-Gravity Environments. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily. com/vide os/2006/1012fighting_fire_with_sound.htm

I'm Daniel Streeter, and I'm creating this blog as a electronic companion for my science research project. I've always loved science, particularly concepts involving biology and electricity. I love the science fair, and would be willing to do this for the experience alone. This year, my goal is to conduct enough trials and collect enough data so as to not have the slightest margin of doubt in my conclusion.