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“Biogen Reports Its Alzheimer’s Drug Sharply Slowed Cognitive Decline”

By: Andrew Pollack

Source: New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/business/alzheimers-drug-trial-shows-cognitive-decline-sharply-slowed.html?ref=science&_r=0

A new experimental drug has for Alzheimer’s disease has slowed the decline of mental function. The drug was created by a man named Biogen Idec and is called aducanumab. Although the drug can have a significant impact on mental function, it can rarely be taken in high doses, which means the time it will take to improve an individual’s condition will take a while. However, Alzheimer specialists continue to be cautious of the new drug claiming that most drugs that are claimed to help with the disorder end up not working properly. Aducanumab is designed to get rid of amyloid plaque in the patient’s brain, which is believed to be the cause of dementia. The main concern about this drug is if it will be effective in a larger trial, due to the fact that most drugs for this disorder only work on small trials, not large ones. To further increase the drug’s chance of success, Biogen tried to give the drug to patients who are in the early stages of the disease. In general, the drug slows cognitive decline and reduces plaque in the brain. Higher doses did prove to be better than lower doses, but can only be used for a short amount of time.

This new drug may be a way to find a cure to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Although this new drug has created hope for many scientists, they should not rush into believing this drug is the cure. The drug only slows cognitive decline; it does not stop it. 

Stereotypical Roles

            Gender roles have become prevalent in today’s society. People are expected to behave as others in society and fulfill pre-established stereotypes. Both men and women are affected by society’s stereotypes of a man and woman. Men are supposed to be tough and take care of the family. They are the ones that earn the money to pay for the family’s expenses. As teenagers and adults, men compete with each other to see who is the tougher one. In addition, people tend to enjoy watching sports when men are playing. The reason for this is that men play more physical than women, which makes the game more interesting to watch because it creates suspense. Also, men have had always had higher positions in government. In the past, men governed countries because they were believed to make better decisions without emotions interfering in their choice.

This does not mean that women are not capable of performing the same tasks as men. However, women have had a far more difficult time adjusting to a stereotype because they have had a constant struggle for equality in the past. In the past, a stereotypical woman was one who would stay home to cook, clean, and take care of the children because very few job opportunities were available for women. The average Women was found to have a smaller brain size than a man, so they were not considered to be smart. This caused men to not allow women to take part in society because they were considered unintelligent. However, these stereotypical gender roles have begun to change. Women have begun to take important roles in society. In our present economic state, most families require that both parents obtain a job to help pay for the family’s expenses.

Ocean on Mars

“Ancient Mars Had an Ocean, Scientists Say”

By: Marc Kaufman

Source: New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/science/mars-had-an-ocean-scientists-say-pointing-to-new-data.html?ref=science

            After several years of research, scientists at NASA claim that Mars may have had an ocean, which is predicted to be the size of the Arctic Ocean. Scientists say that the ocean covered Mars’s northern hemisphere. If NASA scientists are able to prove that Mars had an ocean, they will gain a further understanding of Mars and the possibility of life on the planet. Dr. Mumma and Geronimo Villanueva discovered that two types of water were located on Mars. The first type is the basic water on Earth, but the second one is different. The second type of water is MDO instead of H2O, in which the hydrogen atom contains a neutron. Scientists are able to determine how much water Mars had by finding how much of it was lost. Based on previous findings, scientists estimate that Mars had enough water that was 137 meters in depth. The Curiosity rover that was placed on Mars discovered the different types of water molecules on the Gale crater. However, Mars is missing signs of topographic and geological features caused by oceans, such as sea cliffs and shorelines. Other scientists identified a possible system of channels on Mars that originated in the planet’s southern hemisphere. It is predicted that these channels traveled to the northern hemisphere and caused water to flow to the northern hemisphere.

            The possibility of water being found on Mars would prove that life was once sustainable on Mars and can be in the future. Although scientists have discovered small traces of water molecules on Mars, they cannot guarantee that life was possible on Mars because the ocean failed to leave behind geographic traces.