More Veggies Please! New Discovery Finds That Broccoli May Help The Fight Against Cancer.

Scientist recently discovered that broccoli and its veggie cousins may possess cancer fighting abilities. They found for the first time that certain substances in the vegetables appear to target and block a defective gene associated with cancer. This ground breaking discovery may lead to new developments in the fight against cancer, as reported in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Fung-Lung Chung and colleagues found that broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, and other cruciferous vegetables appear to halt the growth of cancer. The substance that theses scientist found is called isothiocyanates (or ITCs) which in precious experiments have shown to stop cancer growth. The only problem is that more research is necessary because the scientists have yet to discover exactly how the ITC's work, which is key in developing medicine that helps to fight cancer in humans.

I guess that eating broccoli is not so bad after all. I love broccoli it's one of my favorite veggies but, it took a little persuasion to get me there, (Thanks Mom!) Like they say "mother knows best." Cancer is a major issue in America, which I believe has a lot to do with our diets. With that said hopefully, you won't pass on those vegetables next time you're at the super market. I am always amazed at how science can find new uses for things that have been right in front of us ages. This is what science is all about! And that's exactly why science rocks!

Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110126131906.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

American Chemical Society (2011, January 26). Discovery of a biochemical basis for broccoli's cancer-fighting ability. ScienceDaily. Retrieved

The First-Duration Human 520 Day Flight Simulation the Mars-500: Day Number 233

It has been 233 days since the all-male crew of astronauts which includes: three Russians, a Chinese, a Frenchman and an Italian-Colombian; have been locked in a steel capsule at a Moscow research center.

Their mission is to study and help improve how real space crews can manage the real world stress of interplanetary travel. They communicate with the outside world via the internet, using emails and video messages; which are sometimes delayed as they would be in real world situations. Their diets consist of canned meals just like the ones that are currently eaten at the International Space Station; also required for intergalactic travel is a once-a-week shower.

The giant windowless capsule named Mars-500 was intended to reproduce the conditions of space travel minus the weightlessness. The living quarters are about the size of a school bus which has several other units connected so they can conduct their experiments and exercise. To simulate Mars and the mock landing, a separate building is attached to the capsule which models the Red Planet's surface.

So far, crew seems to be in high spirits yet, certainly have experienced some level of fatigue. They are scheduled to land on Mars (500) on Febuary 12th and spend a couple of days in exploration before making the months-long return home. The return flight is expected to one of the most challenging parts of the mission.

Mission director and former cosmonaut Boris Morukov told reporters, "It will be very tough on the boys because of the monotony." "The fatigue and the thought that the mission is over can be fraught with negative consequences," Morukov said.

Talk about being out-of-your comfort zone, wow. The Mars-500 crew really has their work cut out for them. I wonder if they may experience the cabin fever phenomenon*. Either way it takes a special type of person who is mentally and physically fit to undergo the stress in an alien environment. Hopefully the crew will stick it out and shed some light on how real missions can deal with space travel and the stressors that accompany it. I commend the crew for the efforts and dedication, which will help scientist discover better ways to take us, "Where no man has gone before". Which is what science is all about! And that's exactly why science rocks!

*Cabin Fever: symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside.

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-day-flight-simulation-nears-mars.html

For More on This Check Out: http://www.physorg.com/news194015442.html

Researchers combine two different technologies and sunlight to purify waste water.

According to an article in the journal Biomicrofluidics, published by the American Institute of Physics, these technologies use sunlight to break down contaminates in the water using the sun as its energy source. This breakthrough process uses Microfluidics -- transporting water through tiny channels -- and photocatalysis -- using light to break down impurities – this combination is referred to as the science of optofluidics (ScienceDaily, 2011).

"These two technologies have been developed in parallel but there have been few efforts to employ the natural synergy between them," says author Xuming Zhang of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (ScienceDaily, 2011).

Currently, researchers are conducting experiments using a microreactor. According to researchers, this microreactor is contains a rectangular chamber made of two glass plates coated with titanium dioxide, the active ingredient in many sunscreen lotions, when exposed to sunlight the coating releases electrons that react with contaminants in the water and break them down to harmless substances (ScienceDaily, 2011). This technology is in early development, and is being used in concept, on a relatively small scale.

What type of an effect would this have on the environment? How much will this next technology costs? What happens to the impurities that are broken down? These are all the questions that need to be answered during research and testing. More testing and research will be necessary in order to provide any type practical application of this technology. Zhang plans to advance the reactor up to two square meters, which in concept may produce 1000 liters of water an hour. If these tests prove to be successful the next step will be to provide waste water treatment for industrial use.

 

 

References

American Institute of Physics (2011, January 11). Trapped sunlight cleans water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 14, 2011, from

One Team, One Dream!

Hello again! I just wanted to give a great big welcome to my new team/group mates. The quartet includes myself, Melindia Williams, Sean Ezekiel, & Ruth Swift. We are going to rock! Group 4..."One Team, One Dream."

Welcome

Hello and a big welcome to all you all you physical science lovers out there! My name is Jason but you can call me Dr.Jay pleasure to meet you! (Ok I'm not a real Doctor but it just sounds really cool!) This blog is going to be fun and informative. Physical science is really cool, in fact it rocks! Science is my favorite subject because it applies to almost everything, its always happening and its all around us all of the time! That's why I'm so excited to share my experiences and what I learn as we go along on this journey of scientific exploration. So get ready to blow some stuff up...well not exactly but we will have a lot of fun and we can learn a lot along the way. So get your thinking caps on and get ready to discover why I believe that physical science rocks!