Research On Cells - Daniel Wood - P.6

Introduction

People may ask why is important to study cells. The point is that they are the building blocks of life. Our body is made of trillions of cells, all of them with their own functions. The study of cells helps us understand how organisms work and the biological process that keeps us healthy. It also helps us understand new ways to treat diseases that in the past were deadly or made our lives more difficult.

Now, scientists are looking for new ways to improve our quality of life by researching cells. In this project, we will learn more about cells in our everyday life and respond according to new studies.

Task

The goal of this project is to learn about new research involving different types of cells and how scientists' discoveries are contributing to the current knowledge about cells. By understanding the roles that different cells play in our bodies we will be able to answer important questions such as:

  1. What do researchers think is one cause of memory impairment related to growing older? What does new research show that may be able to help reverse this process? 
  2. How might fat cells be able to help people with spinal cord injuries? 
  3. How are frog eggs being used in research involving human cells?
  4. What are Schwann cells? How are they affected in multiple sclerosis patients?
  5. What role do cells play in preventing the stomach from digesting itself?

Once we have explored information to increase our knowledge of cell studies and how cells work in the human body, we'll write a summary about one of the topics we investigated.

The purpose of this summary is to write about a scientific topic using a style suited for posting on a Web site.

Process

Growing older has many challenges, some may be physical and others may be related to our mental capabilities. We all know stories of older people forgetting things, appointments, names, words, etc. But why does this happen? For many years now scientists have been trying to understand the causes of memory impairment for older people. Scientists found 3 causes of age-related memory loss: 

  • The deterioration of the hippocampus, which is a small but crucial part of the brain that is important for memory and learning.
  • The decline of hormones and proteins that protect and repair brain cells and stimulate neural growth
  •  Decreased blood flow to the brain can impair memory

But what is the role of our cells in memory loss? Apparently a big one. 

First, it is important to point out that there are two main types of cells in the brain and spinal cord: neurons and glial cells.

In the past, we believed that neurons (which are the cells responsible for brain functioning) were the active working units of the brain and that the role of glial cells was just to support and nurture them.

But a new research with mice found that when glial cells called "astrocytes" produce too much of a protein called ephrin-B1, it causes memory problems. Abnormal interactions between astrocytes and neurons can lead to degenerative disorders of the brain.

However, we must know that getting older is not a reason for a challenging life and that not all older people suffer from memory impairment. Thankfully for scientists, we have many ways to live a good and long life.

Evaluation

Astrocytes usurp neurons as a disease focus | Nature Neuroscience

Conclusion

After researching all the 5 topics mentioned earlier in this project, we can conclude that for every function of our body, we have specific cells that help and keep our bodies working, Cells provide structure and function for all living things and are responsible for everything that happens inside our bodies. When a cell doesn't work properly and mutates, it can cause birth defects, cancer, and other diseases. If the cell is damaged because of physical trauma or infection, it can lead to inflammation and organ malfunction.

The study of cells is important so we can learn how cells work and what happens when they don’t work properly. We can learn about the biological processes that keep us healthy and also how to treat diseases.

Because of cell research, we can live better and longer lives, as scientists found cures for many diseases that were deadly in the past and developed medicines. Hopefully in the future we will find even more ways to improve our quality of life. 

Credits