Biology

Ariza , Luis Miguel "Evolution in a Petri Dish

Scientific American 297 .6 (Dec . 2007 : 36-36

New discoveries in science have been able to gather information about existing scientific events but also enable us to probe into the perfect solutions for diseases that threaten humans . There is a continuous search for more undiscovered organisms and the changes they undergo This has proven to be a big help for human kind and to the animal kingdom as well . It is a vital part of the food chain , particularly on the lower level . The very

important fact here is that human efforts to look into the diversity of organisms give us more knowledge about the ecosystem and our relationship with other living organisms no matter how small they are

This particular article looks into the evolution of species specifically the Caenorhabditis elegans . The mutation of certain species can also help us look into the evolution of disease-causing organisms and give light to their current status . In particular , the mutation of Caenorhabditis elegans has caused it to be immune to specific bacteria In fact , it goes beyond to even overpowering and killing other microorganisms . However , this particular strain of the organism is less ability to breathe compared with their counterparts found in the wild This just suggests that for most organisms , certain abilities are compensated for the weakening of another ability . This is applicable to human incapacity such as blindness which is compensated with an increased sensitivity of the person . This article has shown evolution as another active mechanism of nature in to enable organisms to adapt to their environment . This article is also very helpful in

educating people about the breakthroughs in science and their significance to human health . I basically enjoyed reading this article because it is very informative and it gives insight on the changes that organisms undergo . It is also very interesting because of its connection to diseases we get from animals like malaria and can even help health experts to find a cure for it

Work Cited

Ariza , Luis Miguel "Evolution in a Petri Dish " Scientific American 297 .6 (Dec . 2007 : 36-36 . Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection EBSCO

Article

In the lab , seeing how infectious disease triggers new species

In the 1930s the geneticist J .B .S . Haldane offered an explanation of why the gene for sickle-shaped red blood cells , which can produce lethal anemia , persisted in tropical populations . He suggested that the mutation offered a trade-off : although the sickle cells raised the risk of death , they also made a person one tenth as likely to contract malaria--a boon in the mosquito-ridden tropics . His striking idea that an infectious disease can drive evolution can now be directly tested in the laboratory with complex creatures , as reported this summer by Spanish researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA

The team , led by Jose Luis Martinez , a microbiologist at the Spanish National Center of Biotechnology , and Alfonso Navas , director of the National Museum of Natural Sciences...