Future
Health
Scientist
Par tner ship
Program
V o l u m e
1 ,
I s s u e
5
O c t o b e r
2 0 0 8
What’s Next?
S p e c i a l p o i nt s
o f i nt e r e s t :
· Please
Remember
to
R.S.V.P.!
Inside this issue:
Yummy Bugs
2
Health Career
3
of the Day
Mad Scientist Corner
3
Word Search
4
Cartoon of the Day
4
For the remainder of the winter and
spring monthly sessions, we will focus on
genetics and how it affects our lives. As we
have already learned, DNA is the “Code of
Life”. Now we are going to learn how it
determines our gender, characteristics,
health, and whom we receive our traits
from.
have a better understanding of who we are
and why we look the way we do. It also
opens the door for discussing the theory of
Nature vs. Nurture. I hope you are as excited
as we are about our upcoming campus
visits, labs, studies, and discussions. Hope to
see you there! Remember to R.S.V.P.!
☺ F.Y.I. ☺
We will visit labs on campus that
What does R.S.V.P. mean?
are working on research involving genetics.
In the classrooms we will be exploring preR.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase,
dicting the outcomes of particular crossings
“répondez, sÍl vous plaÎt”, which means
of organisms with certain genotypes using
“please reply”. The person sending the
the Punnett’s square diagram. Using this
invitation would like you to tell him or her
diagram will lead us into learning about
whether you accept or decline the invitation.
dominant and recessive genes. This in turn
More important though, is the simple
will build our scientific vocabulary with
courtesy of responding to someone who was
words like:homozygous, heterozygous, epi- nice enough to invite you, even if it is to say
genetic, morphogenesis, and cellular
that you regret that you will not be able to
differentiation. We will also explore the
attend.
different career fields associated with the
field of genetics.
Help us prepare so that you can actively
participate!
With all this information we should
Quick Facts
Genetics Trivia
Did you know…
Þ DNA stands for Deoxy-ribo-Nucleic Acid
What Causes Bad
Breath?
5
Þ The complete human genome consists of approximately 3 billion DNA molecules
Þ On average, each chromosome has about 65 million DNA molecules
Þ A chromosome contains about 1000 genes
Þ Humans get one complete set of genes from each parent
Þ On February 28, 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson figured out the structure of DNA
Page 2
Yummy Bugs
Mini livestock! Until recently, most people interested in insects
have collected their own. Kids in central Africa may nibble on ants
or grubs while out playing. Aborigines in Australia’s Outback may
travel long distances to find and picnic on honey ants. And some
families in Ecuador wait for the spring rainy season to collect
scarab beetles. That’s when the adult insects crawl out of the soil.
People then fry the beetles with some spices or add them to flavor
rice. As people have been moving from rural areas into cities, it’s
We’re talking about grasshoppers, the worm-like larvae of wax moths,
ants — even the occasional dragonfly. Although unusual as food items, become harder for them to collect the insects their communities
bugs do make sense here because this is the Insectarium (in sek TAIR’ may have eaten for centuries. So hunters in country villages have
ee um). As its unusual name implies, the entire museum will be devoted begun collecting bugs and shipping them off to distant food markets.
to the world’s six-legged species. Want chocolate chip cookies? They’ll
come topped with toasted crickets. And yes, they’re the same kind that
chirp in yards and parks all summer long. Make no mistake, these bugs Bugfree bugs- Still not convinced that insects are a food for you?
are not just there for looks. You’re supposed to eat them, explains Audu- Well, scientists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands have
bon chef Zack Lemann. The crickets, for instance, “taste kind of nutty,” an alternative. They are growing cells from several different types
of insects, including silk worms and gypsy moths, in large vats of
he notes. The restaurant will be named Bug Appétit. It’s a play on the
liquid. It’s a type of biotechnology operation that produces isolated
French phrase — Bon Appétit (BOHN’ ap pay TEET’) — which means
“enjoy your meal.” Lemann and his Audubon team realize that “eewww” cells, but no actual bugs. The goal, explains Marjoleine C. Verkerk,
is to produce a clean source of bug proteins that can be dried and
or “gross” may be the first reactions many people will have at seeing
added to breads or perhaps molded into pseudo-burgers. Indeed,
bugs in food. But the Audubon center hopes its visitors will leave the
this biotech project may overcome two major obstacles that appear
restaurant with a better understanding that much of the rest of the
to stand in the way of Americans and Europeans accepting insects
world is not turned off by bugs. Indeed, bugs are eaten by choice.
as a food source, says Patrick B. Durst. He works for the United
What’s more, many insects are actually quite nutritious.
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Bangkok. He also
Why Not Eat Bugs? In America and Europe, most people accept crusta- organized the conference on edible bugs earlier this year. The first
advantage of the Dutch approach to growing cells only is that the
ceans such as crab, lobster, and shrimp as food items. In fact, diners
often view these foods as special, tending to pay far more for them than cells will be sanitary. So people don’t have to worry about the pofor chicken, pork and most beef, or serving them on special occasions. tential of bugs to host germs. It also eliminates any chance a bug
would have picked up pollutants in the field. Even more imporYet crustaceans are “the ocean equivalent of insects,” says David
Gracer. In fact, crustaceans belong to the same part of the animal fam- tantly, Durst says, raising isolated insect cells avoids the gross
factor — Westerners having to “look the bug in the eye as they’re
ily tree as insects do. When people argue that eating grasshoppers or
beetle larvae is yucky, Gracer points out that lobsters tend to “eat trash eating it.” So, would you consider eating muffins fortified with
cricket cells? What if the muffin wrapper merely said the baked
and dead things.” And Insects? Most of them dine at nature’s salad
goods contained animal protein? These are the kinds of questions
bars. Knowing that, he asks, “Which would you rather eat?” Besides
pointing out that insects are good food, Gracer also argues that insects Verkerk has been asking people. She’s investigating how to make
insect cells sound appetizing to Europeans. So far, she’s found, it’s
can be “a better choice” than most meats — at least ecologically.
still a tough sell.
Good for the Body! The muscle tissue in conventional livestock — such
-Excerpted from Science News for Kids
as cattle, hogs, chicken, and fish — is what we think of as meat. It’s
made primarily of protein. By eating protein, we give our bodies a nutrihttp://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20080903/
ent needed to build structural materials, including muscle.
Note3.asp#top
Insects are tiny animals. And studies have shown that their protein
typically has higher quantities of minerals and vitamins than occur in
many conventional meats that people eat. That finding was a surprise
to Sandra G.F. Bukkens, an independent nutrition scientist based in
Barcelona, Spain. While she was working in Italy, several years back,
she was asked to survey what scientists around the world had published on the nutritional value of bugs.
This summer, the Audubon Nature Institute is opening another
museum in New Orleans. Its restaurant will offer everything from
soup and main courses to desserts. But the foods will contain
ingredients U.S. diners would usually complain about finding on
their plates: bugs.
Buffet offering in Thailand of stirfried grubs with chilis. ­P.B. Durst/UNFAO
Volume 1, Issue 5
Page 3
Health Career of The Day
ABCD
EFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
EPIDEMIOLOGIST epi-demi-ologist Epidemiologists are scientists who first identify a
disease in a population and then track it as it
moves through the population. Epidemiologists
research the cause and frequency of a disease by
using statistics and demographics (i.e., ethnicity,
race, and age) to prevent or control the spread of
new diseases. Epidemiologists receive their
education through programs at colleges or
universities. A 4-year bachelor's degree can be
obtained. A master's degree or doctoral degree
(PhD) is often required.
Mad Scientist Corner!
HOW TO MAKE SLIME What You Need: ·
Some Elmer®'s White Glue (be sure and use Elmer's only; not the 'Washable' type) Procedure In the bowl, mix an equal quantity of the Elmer's glue and water. Mix well with a spoon or left‐over popsicle sticks. In the jar or water cup, we'll make a saturated solution of borax. Combine a tablespoon of borax pow‐ der with a cup or so of water and stir. It's easier if you use a jar with a lid as you can then screw on the lid and shake the mixture well. If all of the borax powder dissolves, then you need to add a bit more. When you get to the point where no more borax will dissolve, then the solution is saturated. Now, add about 2 tablespoons of the borax solution to the bowl with the glue and water mixture and stir quickly. The resulting mixture should be slimy or gooey. You can save your slime for a long time · Borax (sodium tetraborate, available from by putting the 'stuff' into sealable plastic bags. If your slime dries out, you can add a bit of water back your local supermarket. Look for Borax™ in the into it. If it gets too dry, you'll have to start over. laundry detergent section.) What's going on? When you mix Elmer's glue with a bit of water, you make a substance that is known as a polymer · Water (polyvinyl acetate) and that the borax solution (sodium tetraborate) is a 'cross‐linking' substance that binds the polymer chains together to make the glue solution thicker. So, as the polymer chains get · Some Ziploc® or other sealable plastic more 'bound‐together', it gets harder for them to move around, and your slime starts to be more like bags, Silly‐putty™. Experiment with adding more borax solution to see if this indeed makes the slime thicker or thinner. · some stirring item such as a spoon or craft Knowing just how much Borax solution to add is the trick to this experiment. If you add too little, your slime will contain excess glue (the polymer part) and it will be sticky. If you add too much, your slime sticks will be very wet (too much 'cross‐linking'). Touch your slime with your hands when it doesn't look like a liquid anymore. If your slime feels sticky, try adding a little Borax solution. If your slime feels very · a jar or large cup wet and slippery (but is not still runny), remove it from the container and kneed it in your hands. In a few minutes, any extra Borax solution will evaporate or be absorbed. a bowl to mix all the ingredients. The substance known as 'Gak™' is really a specialized form of a polymer known as Poly‐vinyl Alcohol, but is not too far off what we made with Elmer's glue.
Page 4
Volume 1, Issue 5
ABNORMALITY ALLELE AUTOSOME CARRIER CHROMOSOME CLONING DISEASES DISORDER DOMINANT ENZYMES GENERATION GENOME GENOTYPE HEREDITY INHERITANCE MUTATION PEDIGREE PHENOTYPE RECESSIVE TRAIT VARIATION FHSPP
Human Genetics
D E R I A D I G K T E V G J C I C V Y N T O C N L R E U H E S N F I J H D M E I N A R B P E G R R S F E L I O N O I E Y A I F E A S L R T N M O N T T S N P I B A E Y I O A Z L R O E R Z R N X P C S T Y N S C N S E P R O E T O E M A M T O E N D E A R R M O E R L N I T H W R D C M E V S N H H T C P P N O I T A R E N E G A J Q E X Z S G I L I I Y T I D E R E H L I R C I V P V R G E N O M E V D E H T J D A U T O S O M E I Z E J Y I V M U T A T I O N What Causes Bad Breath?
Ca
rt o
t h e o n o
f Da
y Wo
rd S
Pu ear c
zz l
h e
which just doesn't cut it. To sufficiently clean all the surfaces of your
teeth, you should brush for at least 2 minutes at least twice a day. Re-
Bad breath, or halitosis, can be a major problem, especially when
you're about to snuggle with your sweetie or whisper a joke to your friend.
member to brush your tongue, too - bacteria love to hang out there. It's
equally important to floss because brushing alone won't remove harmful
The good news is that bad breath can often be prevented with some simple plaque and food particles that become stuck between your teeth and
gums.
steps.
Bad breath is caused by odor-producing bacteria that grow in the
Myth #3 - If you breathe into your hand, you'll know when you have bad
mouth. When you don't brush and floss regularly, bacteria accumulate on
breath.
the bits of food left in your mouth and between your teeth. The sulfur com-
Wrong! When you breathe, you don't use your throat the same way you do
pounds released by these bacteria make your breath smell.
when you talk. When you talk, you tend to bring out the odors from the
Certain foods, especially ones like garlic and onions that contain
back of your mouth (where bad breath originates), which simply breathing
pungent oils, can contribute to bad breath because the oils are carried to
doesn't do. Also, because we tend to get used to our own smells, it's hard
your lungs and out through your mouth. Smoking is also a major cause of
for a person to tell if he or she has bad breath.
bad breath.
There are lots of myths about taking care of bad breath. Here are
three things you may have heard about bad breath that are not true:
Myth #1 - Mouthwash will make bad breath go away.
If you're concerned about bad breath, make sure you're taking
care of your teeth and mouth properly. Some sugar-free gums and mints
can temporarily mask odors, too.
If you brush and floss properly and visit your dentist for regular
Mouthwash only gets rid of bad breath temporarily. If you do use mouth-
cleanings, but your bad breath persists, you may have a medical problem
wash, look for an antiseptic (kills the germs that cause bad breath) and
like sinusitis or gum disease. Call your doctor or dentist if you suspect a
plaque-reducing one with a seal from the American Dental Association
problem. They can figure out if something else is behind your bad breath
(ADA). When you're deciding which dental products to toss into your shop-
and help you take care of it.
ping cart, it's always a good idea to look for those that are accepted by the
Updated and reviewed by: Barbara P. Homeier, MD
ADA. Also, ask your dentist what he or she recommends.
Date reviewed: January 2005
Myth #2 - As long as you brush your teeth, you shouldn't have bad breath.
Originally reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
The truth is that most people only brush their teeth for 30 to 45 seconds,
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/halitosis.html