Summary of Articles - Essay Example

Summary Can plants Get Cancer? - C.Claiborne Ray The article- Can Plants Get Cancer?, offers a detailed explanation to the questions whether or not cells and tissues of plants can be afflicted by cancer and if not than what are those tumour like growths that are sometimes seen in plants. The article basically highlights an interview with Dr.Susan.K.Pell, Direcror of Science, Brooklyn Botanic Garden who explains that since the cells of the plants do not have the ability to move around the phenomena of metastasis does not take place. In animals however, the metastasis takes place through the blood stream which helps in cancer development. The tumours or the gall formation that are sometimes noticeable is a result of uncontrolled growth of cells just like in cancer but these are mostly caused by bacteria, virus, fungus or structural damage in plants. For example crown gall is caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens while black knot is caused Dibotryon morbosum. Dr. Pell further explains that in some cases this uncontrolled growth of tumour tissue offers ecological benefits as well by helping insects. Gall wasps such as Callirhytis cornigera and C. quercuspunctata affect oak trees by laying eggs in the newly developing tissues of the plants. The plant responds by producing new tissues around the eggs thereby lending protection and providing nutrition for the larvae of the insect. However, not much is known about the mechanism of this biological symbiosis. The article helps in gaining an understanding about the ecological role of plant galls and explains the formation of these over-growths. 2. Dry Climate may have forced invention of Agriculture -William.K. Stevens This article is primarily based on an article published in the research journal of American Anthropology by leading researchers Dr. F. Hole and Dr. J. Corriston who investigated the origin of agriculture and the need to do so. Archaeologists and historians have long tried to find out the exact origin of agriculture and it was only recently, that they successfully proved that the origin of transition from depending on wild grassed to growing cereals lied within area of 50-100 miles of the Dead Sea. The article further reports about a new thesis that the researchers proposed to explain why people were driven towards agriculture. According to this thesis climate change and over exploitation of Nature led to the invention of agriculture. This article further highlights the fact that the researchers believe that the inventors of Agriculture belonged to Natufian culture since theirs was the culture which preceded time span since domestication of plants appeared. The researchers confirmed that the Natufians unlike nomads led a settled life, showed societal ranks and ate gazelles, deer, wheat and barley.They also used tool such as sickles and stone mortars and hence it is plausible that the Natufians had the technology to grown and cultivate plants and store the seeds. The theory further explores the fact that around 12,000 years ago the Natufian culture came under environmental stress owing to climate change. The drought conditions and food shortage drove people towards the Dead Sea region. However the same climate initiated supported growth of legumes which completed life cycle in spring and the seeds of which could be stored and planted next years. Thus it was logical for the Natufian people to understand this and plant and store the seeds and thereby take the “giant leap” for mankind which enabled mankind to maintain stable food supply to this date. 3. Which Came First: Bees or Flowers? Find Points to Bees -John Noble Wilford J.N. Wilford, in his article -Which Came First: Bees or Flowers? Find Points to Bees, writes about a revolutionary discovery which has changed the understanding of the ecology and evolution of bees and angiosperms. The articles talks about a research finding in the Petrified Forest in Arizona where the researchers have found nests and cocoons, the ages of which have been put 207 million to 220 million years ago.Dr.S.T. Hariotis and others researchers found the nests during their field work over a span of almost four years. The tree logs bore these nests which bear striking resemblance to the nests built by modern bees and wasps. The main problem with this finding is that flowers date to only about half of the age of the bees which puts a question mark upon the evolution of the bees and their role in nature until the first flower emerged. The only answers might be that either the flowering plants emerged much before it is thought to have or the bees fed on and pollinated angiosperms before evolution of gymnosperms. Scientists believe that the latter explanation is much more acceptable which again casts doubt over the co-evolution of bees and plants. The article highlights the fact the in stark comparison to the previous belief that proliferation and evolution of gymnosperms initiated bees to evolve; it is now believed that bees initiated proliferation and evolution of flowering plants. Thus, this article holds up such facts which have redefined the course of evolutionary history of both insects and plants. 4. HEALTH: Nutrition; Diet Higher in Fat May Help Adult Diabetics, Study Shows -Gina Kolata The writer in this article talks about new findings in the field of medicine in related to a major global heath concern of today- Type II diabetes. The article reports that according to recent studies a adults afflicted with diabetes and usually kept away from a fat-rich diet would do much better if their daily intake of fat was high basically comprising of unsaturated fats such as olive oil which would not elevate their cholesterol levels. Normally, with gradual loss of weight the diabetes is also supposed to disappear however for patients, this loss of weight does not occur simply because their diet which consist of low fat foods are unpalatable and therefore not many patients follow the diet regularly. The study by Dr.Grundy and associates suggest that a high fat diet is not only palatable but also good for the blood sugar level in diabetics. The article further described the study conducted by Dr.Grundy and other researchers where over a span of 28 days the diet of a number of diabetic patients was tested. Half of the patients were given high fat diet while the other half were given a low fat diet while both diets contained same quantity of protein and fibres. After the observation period the diet of the groups were switched and it was noticed that in both cases the group given a high fat diet had lower blood glucose levels and required less insulin. The article thereby concludes that it is important for diabetics to lose weight but the fat in their diets need to be replaced with unsaturated fat helping the food to be palatable. The article furthermore explores the fact that Dr. Aaron I. Who heads the American Diabetic Association, advices a high carbohydrate diet as well for diabetics the basis of which is still to be supported by more research findigs. 5. Food for thought: Crop diversity is dying Elizabeth Rosenthal Life depends of diversity. The opening lines of the article establish this fact by pointing out how different varieties of the same corn species are different from one another in terms of taste, aroma and use. However, Rosenthal’s article discussed the fact that with each passing year the diversity of food crops is being lost. It was only a few years back that after the UN Food and Agriculture Organization recognized this extinction initiated the adoption of United Nations Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture according to which genes of plants need to be preserved and stored in order to maintain diversity. The article reports that compared to the 7000 species of plant species that met human needs, today humans cultivate only 150 of the species and live on only 12 of the plant species. A number of different species of corns and potatoes have all disappeared. The consequences of such grave losses are dire. Such huge losses also culminate into loss of genetic diversity which in the first place helped scientists use recombinant DNA technology to make hybrids for better adaptation to environmental conditions. The article says the green revolution is the prime reason for such extinction. In this strategy which was aimed at producing high yield of crops to meet human needs, the farmers focussed upon growing a particular high yielding variety of crops while others slowly disappeared. The article further reports that in the U.S. almost 95% of the 8000 apple varieties have become extinct while in Mexico, 20% of the corn varieties that existed in 1930s have disappeared. The articles highlights the fact that the only way out is the need to establish more seed banks to help preserves the genes of the crops since maintenanceof such huge diversity in food is essential. REFERENCES Kolata,G. “HEALTH: Nutrition; Diet Higher in Fat May Help Adult Diabetics, Study Shows.” The New York Times, (October 6, 1988). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/06/us/health-nutrition-diet-higher-in-fat-may-help-adult-diabetics-study-shows.html Ray,C.C. “Can plants get cancer?” The New York Times, (15 July,2013). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/science/can-plants-get-cancer.html?_r=0 Rosenthal,E.” Food for thought: Crop diversity is dying.”The new York Times, (Aug 18, 2005). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/17/world/europe/17iht-food.html?pagewanted=all&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22}&_r=0 Stevens,W.K. “Dry Climate may have forced invention of Agriculture”The New York Times,(April 2, 1991). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/02/science/dry-climate-may-have-forced-invention-of-agriculture.html Wilford,J.N.” Which Came First: Bees or Flowers? Find Points to Bees.” The new York Times, (May 23, 1995). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/23/science/which-came-first-bees-or-flowers-find-points-to-bees.html. Read More