Archive for category Education Science
Antibodies for the Study of Immunology
Posted by in Education Science on October 20, 2011
Immunology encompasses the study of all aspects of the immune system. The study of immunology is clinically relevant because an increased understanding of how the immune system functions will allow researchers to develop better treatments for both infectious and autoimmune diseases. Immunological research can also be targeted toward finding ways to harness the immune system to protect against the development of various cancers. Various proteins, including cytokines, chemokines, interferons and interleukins, are involved the various pathways associated with the immune system.
Cytokines
Cytokines are soluble extracellular proteins that act as key modulators of both innate and adaptive immune responses. They are composed of two major subfamilies, chemokines and interleukins, which act as chemotactic cytokines and mediators of leukocyte communication, respectively. Cytokines are released by leukocytes in response to stimuli and regulate many biological processes, including cell activation, cell migration, cell proliferation, cell death, differentiation, angiogenesis, development and tissue repair.
Chemokines
Chemokines are a family of cytokines that have the ability to induce directed chemotaxis in nearby cells. Homeostatic chemokines are involved in controlling the migration of cells during tissue maintenance and development. These chemokines also participate in immune surveillance by directing lymphocytes to the lymph nodes. Pro-inflammatory chemokines are induced by an immune response and recruit immune cells to sites of infection. Their release is stimulated by cytokines in response to bacterial infections, viruses and/or physically damaging agents. Read the rest of this entry »
Stalling Space Exploration
Posted by in Education Science on October 20, 2011
Space travel has been considered the last endeavour as humans. It’s the accumulation of innovation, progress and hardship over thousands of years. Our perspective on this dark void has changed over millennia as our understanding of celestial objects grew. Early man would look at the stars and consider the existence of Gods or otherworldly super beings. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t too long ago when we thought Earth was flat and soon after that when we discovered we are not the centre of the Universe, but in fact a tiny speck amongst trillions of other tiny specks.
If it is one organisation that has helped mankind understand our place in the universe, it’s NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was the U.S’s answer to the space race against Russia which boomed after WWII. As people looked forward to the future and forgot about the past, new technologies were being realised and people were beginning to discover the true potential of what we could achieve.
Sputnik 1, the first man made satellite to achieve Earth orbit, sent signals back to the Russians igniting the first stages of the space race. Russia would soon after perform manned low earth orbit flights to test the effects of space travel on living beings, the first of which was undertake by Yuri Gagarin in 1961. America soon sent up Alan Shepherd later that year. Eyes were soon set upon performing a mission to the moon, echoing the wishes of President John F Kennedy. Read the rest of this entry »