Have we already found the cure to cancer?

Stem cells have been covered all over the news with it becoming more of an issue nationally.  What are stem cells though?  Most believe it to be embryonic stem cells in which a female egg is combined with a male sperm cell in order to create a cell that could reproduce into any other human cell.  However, stem cells don't have to be embryonic and could actually come from adults or other organisms.  Even with methods being developed for these stem cells, only time will tell what the future for stem cells will be.

Stem cells are proving to be more beneficial then previously thought.

More and more research everyday from labs across the world are proving just how valuable stem cells can be.  We have been able to treat heart attacks, treat diseases, and even start to help mentally disabled people.  Over in Britain, The Daily Mail reports how doctors are testing a new technique that helps patients who suffer from heart attacks to recover faster and prevent any future attacks or failures
However, the question isn't what have we done so far, but what can we do in the future that will help all of us.  Within our lifetime we could be able to cure cancer, grow limbs for amputees, and even attempt to create life for parents who are unable to conceive.


Leading experts express enthusiasms for stem cells that could go beyond helping out diseases.

Experts and researchers are repeatedly showing how stem cells are improving everyday life.  Although there is more work to be done on this, it's looking very optimistic for the future.  Dr. Carol Keefer, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, says that with new advancements in technology stem cell research could go beyond just helping out humans.  Being able to modify genes and DNA of different animals, we could make them more resistent to diseases and be able to produce more milk or eggs.  Even though we have these opportunities with animals, studies are being conducted on plant stem cells that show their usefulness as well.  Using plant stem cells has a major impact on science because it could help with anti-aging as well as skin care benefits.  This has benefits with the economy and helping farmers have a steady foothold in today's rough economy.

Even though there are some amazing prospects for different stem cell research, there are a couple of consequences for stem cell research.  One of which being the testing of stem cells on humans and not knowing the affects it can have on them.  A way that researchers get around this issue is that they do extensive testing on mice and rats.  Because of their quick reproduction rates and similarities to the human genome, mice and rats are reliable resources when testing the effects of stem cells.

What does the public think of stem cells.

Although there has been a lot of progress for stem cell research, the public has split opinions on this case.  Some think that it is not morally right to fuse together an egg and sperm cell together and use it for scientific research research.  Others believe that it is perfectly fine, since the cell hasn't fully developed.  However, as Dr. Keefer points out, stem cells are not just an egg and sperm cell being fused together then destroyed.  Stem cells can come from adult or animal bone marrows this causes great confusion because most people believe it stem cell research is only performed on embryonic cells.  They can also come plants as previously discussed.  Although there are many different opinions out there, one point that nobody can dispute is how it is helping people live their lives when it is administered to people who have no other hope.

In order to get a different perspective of the situation, Akshay Kolluri, an undergraduate student at College Park, gave his opinion on stem cell research and the future of it.

listen to ‘Stem cell interview’ on Audioboo

So what will happen next?

Although there is a lot of speculation on what the future of stem cells will be, one can be sure that with increasing awareness and growing support for it, we might one day see the full potential of what stem cells can do.  Could we possibly see cows make more milk with heat resistant qualities that could prevent spoiling or chickens laying more eggs with less cholesterol in them? Or possibly curing heart and lung disease or preventing future generations from contracting different forms of cancer? Even though we cannot see into what the future will hold, we can say that the possibilities of stem cells are almost limitless.

Interview about opinion of stem cell research

listen to ‘Stem cell interview’ on Audioboo

Outline for Final Project: Have we already found the cure to cancer?

Stem cells are proving to be more beneficial then previously thought.

More and more research everyday from labs across the world are proving just how valuable stem cells can be.  We have been able to treat heart attacks, grow limbs, and even start to help mentally disabled people.  However, the question isn't what have we done so far, but what can we do in the future that will help all of us.

Leading experts express enthusiasms for stem cells.

Experts and researchers are repeatedly showing how stem cells are improving everyday life.  Although there is more work to be done on this, it's looking very optimistic for the future.  At University of Maryland, College Park, experts are saying that (insert quote from video.

What does the public think of stem cells.

Although there has been a lot of progress for stem cell research, the public has split opinions on this case.  Some think that it is not morally right to fuse together an egg and and sperm cell together and use it for scientific research research.  Others believe that it is perfectly fine, since the cell hasn't fully developed.  Although there are many different opinions out there, one point that nobody can dispute is how it is helping people live their lives when it is administered to people who have no other hope.

Yea or Nay to Technology

listen to ‘Mixing class with technology’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Would you want an iPad?’ on Audioboo

Bridging the Divide

What does it take to bring two groups of people together?  Do we need more integration of the communities? Or maybe just better education for everyone in schools?  Although there are many factors that could help bring more people together, one thing we know for sure is that there is a great disparity between classes and ethic groups when it comes to being able to connect to the internet.

The Great Divide.

According to a study performed by Pew Internet & American Life Project, 17% of cell phone owners do most of their internet browsing on their cellular device rather then a computer.   Although this number may not seem significant, it is important to point out that roughly two-thirds of African-American and Latino cell phone owners go online mainly using their cell phone. This is a vital piece of information because this means that most are able to connect to the world even though they may not have either a computer in their home or they can’t afford having the internet hooked up in their house.  This makes sense because it would more cost effective to have internet on just one device instead of others.  This is great for communities to come together and be able to connect with each other because they can go on Facebook or be able to send and receive emails.   Being able to connect with their friends and families will now be easier then before for these minorities. 

The Gap that is now a Crack.

With this progress for minorities with better connectivity to the world, I could see within 3-5 years that communities of different races and backgrounds to come together and work with each other in order to create better environments for their kids.  Although a lot of progress still needs to be made for these communities to come together, I believe that soon enough a child from a lower social-economical class will have just as many advantages as another kid from a higher class.  Because of these advancements in technology, the divide that separates different classes and ethnic groups will become smaller and eventually become so minuscular that nobody will be able to notice it.

Technology is on the Move.

There are some great technology that we now have that we couldn't have possibly dreamed of a couple of decades ago, however with new advances everyday in the world of technology, anything is possible.  When it comes to the mobile arena, cell phones, tablets, and other portable devices are getting smaller, faster, and more affordable.  Because of this, more and more people will be able to get a mobile device and be able to connect to the internet.  What I believe people should be prepared for is to realize that the next great thing is always right around the corner and that you have to keep up with technology if you want to stay in with the crowd.  Nobody always knows what new device is going to out next, but you need to stay informed in order to take full advantage of every technology.

The Uprising of Bollywood

Here in the United States we have enormous amounts of coverage on the latest tv shows and movies and can constantly be updated by the latest gossip of celebrities and their latest move.  We are so focused on our own entertainment industry that we forget what is happening with the world's entertainment.  Even more surprising is that India's entertainment is quickly growing and yet we have very little coverage on it.  This industry is called Bollywood, and it is becoming a giant in the entertainment industry.

How Bollywood is taking over the global entertainment industry

Bollywood has a very simple business model. Do as the Americans do.  Ever since it's first films, it has constantly mimicked how the American film industry raised the bar for the quality and quantity of their movies.  The bigger the bang and the cooler the shots, brought in more money and saw better ratings for the movie.  This gave the audience always wanting more and gave the production companies always try to outdo their competitor.

It takes a lot of money to finance these big budget movies though and it takes a lot of coordination between several different organizations to ensure a movie is financed.  When Bollywood first started getting popular, the government put a ban on banks being able to loan out money.  This allowed for private distributors and big movie studios to capitalize on Bollywood's success.  However the government recently lifted the ban allowing for smaller studios to increase their budget for movies.  This allows for a boost in higher quality movies being put out in the market, but there are some consequences to the raise of this ban as well.  Illegitimate sources of money were now allowed to control their movies they financed which allowed for different terrorist groups to promote their organization.

American influences on the Indian entertainment industry.

The name Bollywood is very easily recognized to be derived from Hollywood, American's giant movie industry.  However, the name isn't the only influence America has had on Bollywood.  Throughout the 1920s and 50s, American musicals were the hit, however Indian filmmakers took a different spin on it.  As Hollywood focused on having their musicals in their own little world, Bollywood used musicals to enhance their movies in their natural setting to perserve their cultural and heritage.  This allowed for Bollywood to start having their own trends that were popular in the western cultural.

Although Bollywood has had success in it's country, it has yet to transcend to American soil.  This is evident because one of the most popular movies in 2011 was called "Singham" yet it didn't make an news stories in America papers.  This just shows how closed off American is to global industries that will eventually influence our cultural.

Don't follow me bro

Imagine living in a world where the government knows every detail about your life.  When you leave for work, what your favorite place to eat at, different shops you go to, and much more.  By tracking GPS data from your cell phone, the government could track every move you make whenever you have your cell phone on you.  The government says it has only been using this feature to track suspects and criminals, however who is to say that they haven't been using this on innocent civilians to gather data us or someone else hacking the system and using it.

Using this technology on criminals however has been a great help for the government.  By tracking their location, police and federal officers can find out where drug deals are taking place and can bring down the dealers when it's happening.  This has significantly helped officials and is making cities safer. The problem is that there is no privacy rights for suspects that the police are chasing.  Some of these suspects may not be a convicted felon and police might not have any leads but are hoping to get some from the tracking data.  However, if the suspects are innocent, the police and federal officials would be completely violating their privacy rights.

Furthermore, hackers could get into the systems and start using it to find where people are located.  This is very dangerous because terrorists could use the information to plot an attack politicians and cause havoc to our country.  Although this technology is already being used, I believe it must be stopped immediately because of the significant consequences of using it.  It may have helped us on several occasions, but the good does not outweigh evil in this situation.