Invading Danger: Gecko Style

A newly discovered Gecko has developed a way to evade danger. The fish-scale gecko rips off its scales and skin so it can slip away unharmed when attacked. The ripped scales resembles a pink flesh, and through the translucent tissue, the spine and blood vessels can be seen. Losing the skin and scales is very easy for the gecko and they develop a new skin within a few weeks. The new scales are different from the previous one. This newly discovered gecko was discovered in the limestone karst of Northern Madagascar. Its' scale is the largest from any geckos. The scales are a decoy to distract the attackers while the geckos have time to escape naked. A genetic analysis have suggested that there might be about ten species of these but only five are recognized so far. These new species could be a descendant from the species; Geckolepis. The only differences are found in its eye bones and enormous size of its scale. They are also hard to obtain because of their speed, agility, and the way their skins are easily removed.

These geckos have a really cool way of surviving! I do like the fact that new species are evolving in different ways. This technique is really different from how other species escape from their attacker. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/science/fish-scale-gecko.html

Survival of the Fittest Cell

Survival of the fittest doesn’t only happen in the wild. It also happens in the body. When people think of apoptosis, many think of a cell that is sick or damaged that must be removal. However, it has been discovered that if there are weak cells surrounded by healthier cells, these weak cells will be killed off. This is a problem when the stronger cells are cancer cells. Molecular biologists from University of Zurich and University of Columbia have been the first to publish that the only way for this process to happen is when one has an innate immune system.

The biologists proved their theory with an experiment with fruit flies. They saw that apoptosis was induced by “Spätzle”, which is a signaling protein that binds to the Toll-related receptors. This was known information, however; before this experiment, it was thought that this protein only reacted to the presence of foreign bacteria and fungus. It is now known that it also responds to less fit cells. The only part the team is not sure about whether it is the weak cell that triggers the binding or the stronger cells around it. As Professor Konrad Basler says, “We still don’t know whether this involves the voluntary or forced suicide of the less-fit cells.”

While this may sound like a good thing. Weaker cells are being conquered by healthier, stronger cells who are in better shape to do the work it needs to. However, what happens when the stronger cells are not good cells. This cell activity is often found in cancerous tissue. This raises big problems. However, it gives bigger hope to cancer research. Scientists hope that this discovery might lead to early detection of the disease, possibly before the cells are even malignant.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141204140648.htm