Chimpanzee Outsmarts College Students

I found out in a column in sciencenews.org that in a rapid number recollection test, college students were outsmarted by a young chimpanzee named Ayumu. In Kyoto University in Japan, this test was performed. This test involved students and chimps seeing an array of five of the numerals 1 through 9 flash onto a computer screen for just 650 milliseconds. When the numerals simultaneously turned into white squares, the subjects had to touch the squares in numerical order. The students managed to choose the squares in the correct order around 80 percent of the time, as did Ayumu. the researchers performing the test then shortened the viewing time of numerals to 430 milliseconds, then shortened more to 210 millisecond. For these viewing times, the students correctly got around 40 percent of the various sequences, but Ayumu still correctly got nearly 80 percent of the various sequences. Tetsuro Matsuzawa, one of the researchers performing the tests assumed that Ayumu's success comes from something close to the photographic memory in humans.

This article interested me because I didn't know that chimpanzees have that kind of photographic power at their disposal. After reading this article, a sudden respect for chimpanzee came into me when I watched the video provided in the article. When you watch the video, you would be surprised like I had been when I first saw it. I recommend watching the video so that you can see it for yourself.

For more information, click the link i have provided at the bottom:

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071208/fob2.asp

Stem Cell Vaccines

I have read an article about four cases where an individual's own cord blood stem cells were released to produce a treatment for aplastic anemia. The cord blood was processed and stored at Cord Blood Registry and the transplants were conducted at three different institutions: The University of Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Children's Hospital in Seattle.The cases suggest that autologous cord blood transplantation for aplastic anemia is a safe and effective treatment protocol and demonstrate that this approach is amenable to use at different treatment centers across the United States.
"Aplastic anemia is a life-threatening disease with no known cause that can be acquired at any time in life and is difficult to treat," quoted a scientist named Dr. David T. Harris, the lead study investigator of the cases. According to the article, it also tells that autologous cord blood is used in Regenerative Medicine.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/86542.php

Snail Lab Observation

When I started high school science, which is Biology for freshman, I freaked out because I thought I wasn't ready. But after a few days, I started to realize that science in high school isn't at all easy nor hard. It is a bit between compelling and just plain complicated. My teacher, Mr. Olson, made me welcome and well, now I feel confident in myself to step up and get good grades.

My experience with the snail lap was really interesting because Lee, Byron, Daisy, and I were playing with it and trying to make it crawl onto the leaf. I also found out that the snail can be male, female, or both. Seriously, how can it be both?!?! In the end, it was ok, but the only boring part was maybe watching it somehow eat because you couldn't tell if it was eating or not.

BioTech Presentation

Yesterday, I attended a presentation and talk about Biotech by an organization named BayBio. The presentation and talk was at the San Mateo Public Library. This organization was founded in the 1990.

Here is what I learned:
All 50 states have some form of biotechnology and the major Biotechnological states are California, Massachusetts, Washington(state), Texas and a few more I can't think of at the moment. The major biotech centers around the world include Uk, Canada, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and many more. There are over 400 products of the Bay Area origin.

The speaker, Matthew M. Gardner provided some quotes during the presentation from newspaper clippings I believe.

• "The Bay Area has over 100 bioscience firms...employing more than 19,000 people." -Launch Newsletter, Baybio, July 1989

• "Thirty-four of the forty-two jobs in highest demand are in clinical and regulatory affairs." -Biocom/ San Diego, February 2000

• "The largest numerical increase in employees is expected in the research associates position... The next largest increase in hiring appears to be in the manufacturing associates... Large companies appear to be only hiring for the research associates and clinical lab associates positions." -Future of the Industry, Baybio Institute- SJSU Needs Assessment, May 2006

There are also many Opportunities for a job in the Biotech industry.

What is a Lab Tech?

1. BS in biology, biochem., molecular biology
2. Lab procedures
3. Data
4. Developing and testing new drugs
5. Largest job category in North California

What is a regulatory affairs specialist?

1. BS in biology, chemistry, engineering
2. Detailed oriented
3. Organization skills
4. Critical process and procedures

What is a clinical lab tech?

1. BS and some advanced training & certification
2. Diagnostic process
3. Complex test development and administration
4. Personalized medicine

For a whole lot more info, look them up by clicking the links i have provided.

www.baybio.org
www.ccbiotech.org
www.biospace.com
www.sciencejobs.com
www.sciencecareers.org
www.ey.com
www.burrillandco.com

I thought that this presentation was wonderful because it was interesting and worth going to. I didn't even know that the clothes brand Tide have biochemical enzymes in it. Practically I really didn't know that these biochemicals are effecting my life to this day. I also assumed that the book that the person presenting the presentation was a great thing to do. It is called "Bay on Impact" and I thought the book is great because of the way the talker presented it.