(August 2003) As the population expands there has been increasing concern over whether current rates of food productions can support the growing population. In response to the increasing demand, scientists and farmers have been working hard to come up with new ideas to meet these needs. These ideas range from simple procedures including selection of the best seeds to more complex procedures requiring the transplantation of genes into different plant species. This article focuses on one of the important aspects of plant science which is the growth of plant cells in an artificial media. This process is known as plant…

(August 2004) Scientific interest in medicinal plants has burgeoned due to increased efficiency of new plant-derived drugs, growing interest in natural products and rising concerns about the side effects of conventional medicine. Based on current research and financial investments into medical plants, it seems that they will continue to play important roles in human health. This article reviews the current state of medical plant utilization, concerns over safety and perspective on the future development of medical plant markets. Background The use of various herbal remedies and preparations are described throughout human history representing the origin of modern medicine. Many conventional…

(August 2003) “Biodiversity, the planet’s most valuable resource, is on loan to us from our children.” – Edward O. Wilson As a recent addition to the English language, with roots in both ecology and evolution, the definition of the word ‘biodiversity’ is still evolving. Zoologists and botanists typically consider biodiversity to refer to the variation and frequency of organisms within a given area, whereas evolutionary biologists may prefer to include in this definition the genes that contribute to the variation within a species as well. In either case, biodiversity can generally be defined as the total composition of evolutionary units…

(August 2003) When opportunity strikes you may just find Cryptococcus neoformans making the most of it. Cryptococcus neoformans is pathogen. Cryptococcus neoformans is also an opportunist. Over the past 10 years, infections of this pathogen have been on the rise, mostly striking individuals with compromised immune systems [1]. As an emergent disease it has taken advantage of the recent rise in the rates of immune-suppressing diseases, such as AIDS, as well as the use of drugs that suppress the immune system [1]. This interesting organism is increasingly being placed under a microscope to uncover how it is taking advantage of…

(August 2003) Imagine a typical drive through the countryside. As you look out your window, you notice a farm. There are cows and sheep grazing on grass, chickens in the coop and pigs in the sty. However, this is no ordinary farm. What you don’t see is a blood clotting factor being produced in the cow’s milk, strong yet light-weight spider silk proteins being produced in the sheep, vaccines in the chicken eggs and that the pigs are destined to be a source of transplant organs (xenotransplantation). No, this is no ordinary farm. This farm of the future is actually…

(August 2004) Viruses were first described as agents that were not retained by the unglazed porcelain filters that early researchers used to remove bacteria from solution. In 1898, scientists observed that the agents responsible for foot and mouth disease, as well as tobacco mosaic disease, were filterable. It was discovered that these agents would not grow unless cells were added to the growth medium. Serial dilutions of these infectious agents were performed to rule out toxins as the cause of symptoms. The failure of these pathogens to multiply in solutions in which bacteria were able to grow, as well as…

(August 2003) Prions and prion diseases have been widely discussed in the media in recent years. The interest in prions and prion diseases was stimulated by the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or Mad Cow Disease) in Europe in the mid-nineteen-nineties. This is a relatively new area of study. What exactly has been discovered about prions and prion diseases? What Are Prions? Prions are proteins found on the plasma membrane (the membrane that surrounds a cell and defines its physical boundary). In mammals, prions are found in the highest concentration in cells of the central nervous system. In mammals…

(August 2004) Huntington disease (HD) is a rare, progressive and fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, typically of adult onset. In 1872, Dr. George Huntington (1850-1916), a family doctor in the U.S., published the first paper on the disease that he called “Huntington’s chorea” [1]. A chorea is an abnormal, involuntary movement. The name comes from the Greek word chorea, which means dance. In 1983, HD was the first gene mapped to a chromosomal locus using an anonymous marker technique [2]. After a ten-year struggle, during which fundamental strategies of positional cloning were developed, the causative mutation, a CAG trinucleotide repeat…

(August 2004) Of all human infectious diseases, smallpox is believed to have resulted in more human deaths throughout history than from any other single pathogen. The causative agent of smallpox, Variola virus, was eradicated from natural existence in 1977, through a global vaccination effort administered by the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, the only official stores of Variola are in freezers of two research sites: one at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, and one at the VECTOR research facility in Russia. The story of smallpox is one with many chapters, of which the end has not been…