Jasmine – BIOL 125 Blog Fall 2019 10 AM

Jasmine Tran: The Olinguito

Each year there are over thousands of new species that are discovered by professionals. Most of the newly discovered species result in insects, but over the past ten years there have been mammals that were lately identified. One of the mammals that were recognized was the olinguito, scientifically known as the bassaricyon neblina. This species was discovered in August of 2013, in the forest lands of Columbia and Ecuador. It is known to be a cute, furry animal that physically looks like a mix between a teddy bear and a cat. Because the olinguito was recently discovered, there is not a significant amount of information about the mammal, but what is known is interesting material.

The olinguito has a specific need of living in a forestry habitat. Coming from the scientific name of the olinguito, “Neblina” is the spanish term for fog, which describes the type of environment this animal lives in (Smithsonian Scientists). This species is acknowledged as one of the most rare animals that have been discovered in thirty-five years. The reason it is so rare is because it is part of the carnivora family, known as the “flesh devourers”, meaning they devour any living thing, whether it is a plant or an animal (Carnivore). The adorable creature most of the time feasts on fruit or nectar, sometimes even insects (Animalia). The olinguito is the smallest family in the procyonidae family. This family includes animals such as raccoons, coatis, and kinkajous (Animalia). Although this species is fairly new, the population of it is not growing at a fast rate because olinguitos that are fertile can only carry one offspring at a time. The lifespan of olinguitos have researched to be twenty to twenty-five years, just from the research of the recent olinguitos. The population size is unknown because it is so new, but there have already been threats of deforestation and the population of this species to decrease because the lack of environment (Animalia). Because of the animal being newly researched, this limited information is the current knowledge of the species that had been leaked to the public.

With new technology and easier access to discover modern items, residents that lived near the area of which this species lived would take pictures and videos and send them to researchers where they would explore the animal (Five Facts). Professionals at the Smithsonian Museum studied the DNA of this species to identify the exact information needed to analyze. Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History mentioned that the discovery of this carnivore is significant because it is the “first step toward understanding the full richness and diversity of life on earth” (Smithsonian). Helgen is also known to be the one who had discovered the olinguito back in 2013. With over a decade of research on this species, Helgen visited the homeland of the olinguito and finally laid his eyes on one. This research began when Helgen was working at the Chicago Field Museum in 2003. He discovered a patch of fur that he was not familiar with, one with much denser hair than the ones he has seen (CNN). Thus, this had triggered his fascination of the fur and Helgen, along with his team, detected facts of the olinguito from artifacts that belonged to the museum. Their work, to this day, has been significant in the world of species.

With the new discovery of species over the years, it shows how diverse our world is. Many new species are found and researched; There are so many found within a year, we may not even know more than half of the species that surround us. Some even dating back to millions of years ago but have just recently been discovered. The research and work put into discovering new species is impeccable. This work allows humans to be aware of the amazing world we live in and the beautiful living life that lives within it. In the depiction below in figure 1 is an image of the olinguito in it’s natural, forest habitat.

Figure 1. “Smithsonian Scientists Discover New Carnivore: the Olinguito” Smithsonian Insider. 15 August 2013. https://insider.si.edu/2013/08/olinguito/

Works Cited

AMNH. “Five Facts: The Olinguito”. American Museum of Natural History. 2015 February 20. https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/from-the-collections-posts/five-facts-the-olinguito

“Olinguito” Animalia. http://animalia.bio/olinguito

Landau, Elizabeth. “Olinguito The Newest Rare Mammal Species Discovery. CNN. 2013 August 16. https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/world/americas/new-mammal-smithsonian/index.html

Stains James Howard and Lariviere Serge. “Carnivore” Encyclopedia of Britannica. 2017 August 16. carnivore-mammal

Derek’s Death from Grey’s Anatomy By: Jasmine Tran

Grey’s Anatomy is a dramaticized show written by Shonda Rhimes about doctors and their everyday lives in the hospital. Although there are many departments in a hospital, this particular show’s main focus is the surgical wing of the building. On the surgical floor of a hospital, there are several things happening at once, especially with the many branches of surgery. It is one person’s responsibility to maintain this floor and what goes on in it, and that person is known to be the chief of surgery. In this show, the chief of surgery’s name was Derek Shepherd. Shepherd was previously Chief of the Neurology Department, then later on was given the position of Chief of Surgery at the Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital (Grey’s Anatomy). On his final episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Shepherd was on his way to the airport to catch a flight he was late for. To make it in time, a detour was taken, where there was no service and not many people in sight. While Derek was driving in a rush, a seventeen year old boy who had stolen his dad’s car, was speeding and crashed into another car off the road, right in front of Derek. Luckily, Derek was not harmed in this accident, and he was able to keep the people involved stable until help was on the way. After help came, Derek was on his way back home, until he noticed his phone was misplaced in the car and had bent down to reach for it. As he looked up from getting his phone, a semi truck struck his car, leaving him in critical condition (Grey’s Anatomy). It may be a “Beautiful day to save lives,” but Derek’s beautiful life was about to end.

Following Derek’s accident, he was taken to a hospital that was not as up to date as the one he works at. Another thing that differs between the two hospitals is that the one Derek was taken to was not a trauma center, meaning they specialize in practiced cases, rather that unexpected emergent cases (What is a Trauma Center?). When Derek was introduced to the doctors as “John Doe,” there was lots of bickering between the doctors to find out what was wrong with him and what procedure should be followed first. A resident on the team of doctors noticed that there was access bleeding coming from his head and they should follow through with a head CT, which is a computed tomography that shows the activity going on inside the head, things that cannot be seen from the outside (Computed Tomography). Derek is narrating the episode as if he is giving instructions to the doctors, but in reality he is conscious with no vocal ability. He agrees with the resident, but the arrogant, attending doctor argues that the CT would be a cause of lost time because of the bleeding in Derek’s internal organs, so he insisted on rushing to the operating room and stop the bleeding. In reality, the procedure to get a head CT first is very accurate because of how crucial the accident was (What Kind of Tests). With the obvious bleeding coming from Derek’s head, the right move would have been to get a CT and see the occurring brain activity. In the battle between the internal organs and the brain injury, the brain injury would have been necessary because the brain is the most important part of our bodies due to the many functions it controls (Brain Anatomy). If the brain activity is neglected in an accident, the patient can potentially result in a matter of brain death, where their brain no longer has function, but other organs such as the heart or liver may have function (Understanding Brain Death). Due to the wrongful guide of misdirections, Derek’s life terminated with the results of being brain dead, all because of a doctor who believed he was right and was too stubborn to listen to a resident.

This concept relates to what we have been learning in class because it is a form of biology that has different aspects to save a person’s life. In a hospital, the most common biology used is anatomy, which is the study of organisms and the dissection of their bodies (Medterms). The term “biology” can have many definitions, but in this case, biology is known as the world around us and how we adapt to it. In this episode, the doctors had to adapt to the mistakes that were made in order to attempt to save Derek’s life. Although that failed, it shows that biology is used in everyday life whether we know it or not. Below in figure 1 is a depiction of a blunt force trauma injury. This is pictured by a head CT and the activity that is not easily visible is shown through this scan.

Figure 1. “Blunt trauma” Wikiwand. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Blunt_trauma

Works Cited

“Brain Anatomy” Princeton Brain, Spine, and Sports Medicine. https://www.princetonbrainandspine.com/resources/learning-center/brain-anatomy/

Calderwood, Heather. “The Death of Derek Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy” HM Insights. 24 September, 2015. The-death-of-dr-derek-shepherd-in-greys-anatomy-would-meredith-have-a-claim-for-medical-negligence-under-scots-law

“Computed Tomography Scan of the Brain” Health Conditions and Diseases. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/computed-tomography-ct-or-cat-scan-of-the-brain

“Grey’s Anatomy” American Broadcasting Company. 25 March 2005.

“Medical Definition of Anatomy” Medicinenet. https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2237

Rhodes, Senta. “What Kind of Tests Might be Ordered After an Accident?” Grimes Teich Anderson LLP Injury and Disability Lawyers. 26 October 2017. https://www.injurylaw-carolinas.com/kind-tests-might-ordered-accident/

Trauma J. “Is the Use of Pan-computed Tomography for Blunt Trauma Justified? A Prospective Evaluation” NCBI. October 2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19820586

“Understanding Brain Death” Donate Life. http://www.donorrecovery.org/learn/understanding-brain-death/

“What is a Trauma Center? ER vs. Trauma Center” Trauma and Emergency Medicine. 26 May 2016. https://share.upmc.com/2016/05/what-is-a-trauma-center

Shinya Yamanaka Blog post 1

In previous research studies, scientists believed that a living cell could not go from it’s mature state to its immature state in a reversed process. That belief was conceived until a particular individual by the name of Shinya Yamanaka collaborated on a research to prove this theory wrong. While visiting a fertility lab, Yamanaka believed there was another way for the use of embryonic tissue in the stem cell and that was when the idea of his research came to mind. Instead of cells producing at its normal cycle, Yamanaka did the impossible and reversed the states of the cell. In 2006, five years into his project, he was able to first conduct the research on mice cells, then later on conducted it on human cells. With endless hours of research and a strong team of intelligent students, Yamanaka was successful and in 2012 received a Nobel Prize on this unique study. This specific study and Yamanaka’s work has revolutionized science as we know it today.

Yamanaka is a scientist whom was born on September 4, 1962 in Higashiosaka, Japan. Parented by his father who had owned a small factory in Osaka, Japan, something I myself can relate to because my parents are also hard working so I am able to pursue my dreams. As a teenager, Yamanaka had an interest in martial arts and swimming. These activities led to many visits to the orthopedics office as a result of sports related injuries. Appointments directed Yamanaka to his interest in the medical field where he originally was in favor of becoming an orthopedic surgeon (Pioneer). Formerly, Yamanaka obtained a medical degree at Kobe University and started his residency in orthopedic surgery at National Osaka Hospital. Overtime, Yamanka realized his lack of skill and interest as a surgeon and switched over to pursue a career in research (Pioneer). Yamanaka started his research career receiving his PhD at the Gladstone Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (Shinya Yamanaka). After, he decided to move back home and become an assistant professor at the Osaka City University Medical School. In 1999, Yamanaka became an associate professor at Nara Institute of Science and later on was offered a professor position in 2003. In 2004, Yamanaka started at Kyoto University as a professor and continued his interest in the study he is notorious for. In 2007, Yamanaka was appointed to be a visitor scientist at his old stomping grounds at the Gladstone Institute and is currently a director of the program (Autobiography). Yamanaka is the father of two girls and is continuing his career in research.

As a cell produces, it begins to be identical at the beginning of cell production, it then divides and overtime the cells in one’s body increases due to this division. Yamanaka helped conduct a study that involved the separation of adult cells reverting back to it’s pluripotent stage. A pluripotent cell is known to be a “master cell”, meaning it is a strong cell that is able to repair a cell or tissue if the body is in need. As a pluripotent cell, the cell has the ability to adapt into any cell type of the body (Shinya Yamanaka). To begin this research, Yamanaka was able to find four genes from adult mice that converted the skin cells back to its pluripotent stage (Pioneer). Although the research done on mice was successful, the big question that was left for Yamanaka to answer was, “Can this study be done on adult human cells”? Subsequently, after the discovery of his success, Yamanaka started his research on stem cell reproduction in human cells. In the duration of Yamanaka’s work, he realized that one of the gene combinations used to test the human cells included a type of cancer gene. Almost a year after doing research, Yamanaka was able to successfully find a solution that would decrease the amount of cancer gene in the cell, while also continuing his process of going back to the cell’s immature state in a human cell. In the figure 1 below is a depiction of the process Yamanaka has created for his study.

Figure 1. Making IPS Cells. “Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mouse Embryonic and Adult Fibroblast Cultures by Defined Factors” The Science of Parkinson’s. 25 August 2006. <on-astrocytes-and-neurons-reprogramming-for-parkinsons>

Works Cited

“Autobiography of Shinya Yamanaka” The Shaw Prize. Hong Kong. 9 September 2008.

http://www.shawprize.org/en/shaw.php?tmp=3&twoid=49&threeid=56&fourid=72&fiveid=16.

Okita, Keisuke, Ichisaka, Tomoko, and Yamanaka, Shinya. “Generation of Germline-Competent Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells” Nature. 6 June 2007. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature05934.

“Pioneer of Embryonic Stem Cell Research” Academy of Achievement. 30 October 2018. Shinya-yamanaka-m-d-ph-d.

Rogers, Kara. “Shinya Yamanaka” Encyclopedia Britannica. 31 August 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shinya-Yamanaka.

Shinya Yamanaka – Facts. Nobel Media AB 2019. 5 October 2019.

<https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2012/yamanaka/facts/>.

Jasmine Tran

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