"Superorganism" Ant Colonies as Compared to Cells

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219092819.htm
       
       This article I read pertains to the energy efficiency of large ant colonies as opposed to smaller ones and even the individual ants themselves. Scientists at Missouri State University of Science and Technology are able to use this metabolic rate of the large colonies, or "superorganism", as well as their growth rate, reproduction rate, and longevity of individuals lives compared within the colony. They are using mathematical formulas and energy scaling laws that are beyond me. But what made it most understandable and relatable was that the author of the article compares this "superorganism" to cells in an organism.
       Our cells are most effective when they are working together rather than individually, just like the ants. Just as a horse and mouse do not use proportionately equal amounts of energy (the exact law is body mass to the 3/4 power), the cells within the animals do not either and it goes the same for ants of larger colonies than smaller ones. The cells of the horse actually use less energy than those of the mouse cells because they're apart of a bigger cell "colony". It makes a lot of sense to say that the bigger the "superorganism" that an individual is a part of, the less energy consumed per individual. This is exactly what scientists are now realizing and are also using this knowledge to determine that these colonies actually have a longer lifespan. For instance, if one cell dies in an organism of 10 cells compared to a cell death in an 1000 cell organism, their would be less impact on the community because the cell wasn't as crucial. This goes the same for the ant colonies being studied; the larger the colony, the longer the lifespan and less energy being produced.
    The realization came about at first in a 2010 study in which the idea of a "superorganism" was introduced. Since then, it has led these other discoveries pertaining ants and cells and also leaves many hopes for future plans. The energy scaling laws could be used to study animal's energy uptake and particularly, food restrictions necessary to expand their lifespan. For humans, the idea can be used to determine the energy efficiency of cities (the larger the city, the more energy efficient). Overall, this "superorganism" concept with ants in which their energy efficiency and lifespan is determined by their size as a whole can, and will, lead to many other circumstances down the road! Most importantly, it is interesting to see how this ties in with cells and their importance in organisms.

The Genetics Behind Fainting

  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120806161727.htm

   The act of fainting (vasovagal syncope) has always seemed to me to be the human body's reaction to particular physiological or environmental situations. However, according to recent discoveries by the University of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) in Neurology®, fainting is not necessarily just due to external triggers. Apparently people can have a strong predisposition to having problems with fainting based on genetics. This brings up the debate of nature vs nurture-- for instance, did a child faint due to a trigger like dehydration or does it just run in their blood? The author of this study, Samuel F. Berkovic, studied twins to determine if fainting can be genetic.

   In this study of 51 same-sex twins (at least one had fainted before), 57% had a history of fainting in the family and those that were identical twins were shown to be twice as likely to have fainting problems as opposed to fraternal twins. This is because identical twins come from one fertilized egg (not two like fraternal) so therefore they inherit the same genes. And the risk of fainting with and without environmental triggers was higher for identical twins than fraternal twins. The article summed up saying that although fainting has been proven to be genetic, it is most likely coded by multiple genes and therefore doesn't have a strong genetic component in non-twin relatives. It also recognizes that fainting is not just genetic as it is often brought about by multiple environmental factors.

  It was interesting for me to see in this article how what we've been learning about the beginning of life and DNA replication takes effect. That identical twins might share this fainting characteristic because they came from the same fertilized egg because of the DNA replication producing the same genes for each child. It also brought me a new understanding of what it means when people say things like, "heart problems run in the family" that it is not just physical characteristics, diseases, and disorders that are determined by genetics but possibly all kinds of physiological problems.

  Admittedly, this study does not seem very revolutionary or dramatic. The science behind it was not particularly technical but it brought about new information nonetheless. Although it may not have drastic effects on the science community, it is still a piece of knowledge scientists have in their back pocket for the future and for further studies. For instance, if a doctor had a patient with frequent fainting they may be able to determine if it is because of genetics or environmental factors and if a twin might suffer the same problems too.

Wax Nano-tech "Muscle" Yarn

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115141534.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+News+--+Top+Science%29

          At University of Texas at Dallas a new revolutionary material is being developed. A wax filled nanotech yarn is able to lift more than 100,000 times its weight and acts like a super strong muscle. It is 10,000 times smaller than human hair but can be woven together to form a kind of muscle fabric. Despite it being called an artificial muscle, this yarn cannot function in living organisms at its current stage. Given what we have learned about the human body with cells, this is most likely because it is composed of candle wax (paraffin) and carbon yarn two materials that can’t function with human cells.
         This article interested me because of the possibilities that can result from its creation. It has the ability to rotate a paddle at 11,500 revolutions per minute and can contract at 25-thousandths of a second. These kinds of capabilities could lead the nano yarn to become a new kind of fan or windmill rotator. Given that it can essentially “move” (contracts or unwinds) with help of heating and cooling, means it may be possible as a source of energy transfer in a windmill or in a factory. At the same time it is strong and could be used as a support system for architectural developments such as bridges. Given they are temperature sensitive (contracting up to 1000 degrees Celsius above melting point of steel), the yarn can be used for temperature regulation situations. This excites me that even though this material is at an early stage, it may one day revolutionize machinery, laboratories, even clothes! Its thermal characteristics allow for the thread to increase in volume and decrease in length providing for possible new temperature controlled apparel. Unfortunately I am still skeptical of this creation.

         This is a fairly new discovery (was published in journal Science two days ago) and it makes me think there may be flaws down the road or that it is not as successful as the scientists hope. In fact the article says it operates in high temperature situations but if it must reach a very high temperature or very low temperature to be successful, then it may not be very effective for thermal apparel. Similarly, if it does operate (contract and move) in moderate high and low temperatures it may not be the best material for buildings and bridges, structures that must stay sturdy in all weather. Also, scientists working with this yarn say that they have not completely mastered being able to create large actuators with many yarns working together. Not to mention that the yarn works by being constantly heated and cooled which may ultimately wear it down and cause it to become ineffective very quickly. The article stated the overall potential uses of the yarn and generally how it works/is expected to work but there weren’t many particulars. They didn’t really talk about what might not work with it as these kinds of developments often do have various problems. Although this article has little to do with the biological features that we are learning about in class, it is relatable because it has the potential to change the materials that make up our society. Maybe if it does end up being a successful product, it may be developed