Science Forward

On the day of our debate we will hear arguments from different positions on whether Bisphenol A is harmful in its current concentrations. Before we investigate the harmless effects of the current Bisphenol A concentrations, let’s discuss its background. Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.
In many studies, BPA has been found to be harmless to subjects when consumed in present concentrations. For example, “Health Canada last updated its risk assessment associated with Bisphenol A (BPA) used in food packaging applications in August 2008. At the time of that assessment, the Department determined Probable Daily Intakes (PDI) for BPA of 0.18 µg/kg bw/day for the general population and 1.35 µg/kg bw/day for infants.” According to this study the recommended dosage is a lot higher than the dosage that we consume daily.
Another study performed by, “Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) have been studying BPA. Some of their findings include:
the level of BPA from food that can be passed from pregnant mothers to the fetus is so low it can’t be measured. Researchers fed pregnant rodents 100 to 1000 times more BPA than people are exposed to through food, and could not detect the active form of BPA in the foetus eight hours after the mother’s exposure, exposure to BPA in human infants is from 84–92% less than previously estimated, BPA is rapidly metabolised and eliminated through faeces and urine and there was no evidence of BPA toxicity at low doses in rodent studies, including doses that are still above human exposure levels.” In this study, the levels of BPA are proven to be at such low levels, making BPA harmless and able to be metabolized. Another aspect of this study is that BPA was FED to the rodents, making it easily metabolized. BPA that is injected is not easily metabolized because it enters the bloodstream immediately rather than going through the digestion process. The conclusion of this study was that research on the harmful effects of BPA does not support restrictive actions that some countries are taking in regards to its consumption.
There are many more arguments that we have developed, but we will surprise you with them on debate day!!

Sources:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/chemicals/bpa/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/packag-emball/bpa/bpa_hra-ers-2012-09-eng.php

We are all doing this project that is being posted on this website for this society, but do we know what it is or what they stand for? The American Littoral Society specifically centers around the well-being and preservation of marine life and its habitat. Since 1961 they have been the connection between marine life and concerned citizens. They have fostered marine habitat restoration in which citizens become involve and foster their passion for the coast and its preservation. Their main method of education relies on hands on experience in which they lead students into the water and get their hands dirty. Through this experience students realize the need for continuous protection and care for the endangered marine habitats.

Apart from the participating students, there are many members of the American Littoral Society that helped build and maintain its foundation. The president of the society is Kathleen Gasienica. Kathleen’s first experience with volunteering in marine biology preservation was her work in the Clean Ocean Action program, which provided education in schools and in the field on a variety of marine topics. She then continued her field research to encompass The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, in which she educated grades K-12 on field work and hands on participation of preserving the New Jersey coasts. In 2008, Kathleen transitioned from field work to mainly desk work, becoming the President of The American Littoral Society. Since then she’s organized events and expeditions that promotes the conservation of a myriad coastal regions.

So what does all of this mean for us? I think that learning about the society and its mission we now have a clear point to focus all of our videos around. Because although we are doing this video for class, we are also doing it as a channel for The American Littoral Society and their educational efforts on coastal preservation. Using this information, we should now be able to link the information we learn from this project to the overall goal of conserving marine habitats in our respective videos. I’m excited to see everyone’s videos!!

References:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathleen-gasienica/1a/971/14
http://www.littoralsociety.org/

Upon arriving at the Macaulay building on Saturday, September 8^th, I found that I had been placed in the ant group for Macaulay BioBlitz. Originally, I wanted to be in the group that was studying mammals, but this group became full very quickly. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. I couldn’t imagine a worse way to spend my Saturday night. I didn’t think that looking at and counting the different species of ants in New York Botanical Gardens would be interesting at all. Luckily, I was greatly mistaken. Upon arriving at NYBG we met with our Myrmecologists, or ant specialists, who flew all the way from North Carolina. We then collected our materials, which included trowels, trays, aspirators, pencils, and the observation sheets. An aspirator is a mechanism used to collect ants for study.

http://www.tarheelants.com/products-page/ant-collecting-supplies/aspirator

            The myrmecologists told us the most common places to find ants, including in between the pavement and grass, at the base of trees, and under rocks. For the most part, we found the ant colonies under rocks. In the first set of ants we collected, we collected the queen of the colony. Among all the ants in the tube, she was the most determined to escape, perhaps showing her superior way of thinking. We continued to find more ant colonies under various rocks including the most ancient form of the species, whose name escapes me, unfortunately. While collecting the ants, we learned that there are is only one ant species in New York that will bite and the bite is so insignificant that humans won’t even feel it. So all those stories you heard about the red ants in your backyard being vicious biters are all myths! We also learned that you can also find ants in full acorns that have a hole drilled through the top. Worms sometimes drill a hole through the tope of an acorn, and when they are done using it, they leave. This allows ants to enter the acorn and make a home there.

http://www.myrmecos.net/2013/01/08/the-dangerously-cold-life-of-acorn-ants/

            After collecting the ants, we then took them to the lab to study them under a microscope. Being able to see the ants at such a large size was absolutely amazing. We learned that you can identify some species of ants by the presence of a single or double hump right after the thorax. Upon further study of the two queens we collected, we noticed that one had wings and the other did not. One of the ant specialists told us that once the queen is well established in her colony, she sheds her wings. Going along with a queen being well established in a colony, I asked one of the specialists about the theory of ants having the “perfect monarchy.” The specialist was quick to rebut this claim saying that many ant colonies have coos in which the winning side overthrows the current queen and appoints a new one! It was very interesting to learn about how similar ant colonies are to some past and current societies. Ants even have a sort of “caste” system in which ants are born into a certain role in the colony that they cannot move out of. Also, female ants are the ones that do all of the work in the colony! As the Bioblitz was wrapping up, we used our “data sense” to identify the different ants we collected. Throughout the experience the specialists helped us to gain a substantial amount of “knowledge sense” when it comes to ants.

http://expeditions.fieldmuseum.org/australian-ants/media/ant-basics

http://blog.wildaboutants.com/2011/07/24/what-does-a-queen-ant-look-like/

It’s only appropriate that we started our Science Forward seminar by thinking about the definition and practice of science in a general sense. Here are some of the definitions that you offered:

From Julia’s group: “Science is the use of empirical evidence and previous theory to draw conclusions about a certain field of study. To be scientific is to be methodical and skeptical in gathering information to support or disprove a hypothesis.”

From Maria’s group: “Science is the field of study concerning discoveries, accidents, and a never-ending fostering of curiosity.”

From Renee, Adiell, Viviane and Adam: “Science is an ever changing way of looking at the universe with a critical lens and trying to find the most likely answer for things by using observation and other methods specific to different fields of study.”

I have never visited the New York Botanical Garden, even though I have visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the Staten Island Botanical Garden. When looking at the different meeting times and signing up to Bioblitz, I was unsure of what to expect from this trip. Considering that I had signed up for Plants, I assumed that we would be collecting small samples from trees that we were already familiar with and would go to a laboratory, where we would spend the majority of the day. Additionally, I viewed the video clips that we were assigned a few days prior in order to gain an insight as to what “Bioblitz” entailed. After attending the session I chose, I came to the conclusion that I was only partially incorrect.

A plant, by definition, is a living organism that is stagnant (stays in place), absorbs inorganic substances and water via its roots in the soil, and synthesizes/converts what it absorbs into the nutrients it needs to survive, thrive, and “reproduce” in its leaves. A plant does this with the help of photosynthesis, using chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment, which is what gives all plants a green color, contains a magnesium atom held in a porphyrin ring, and is responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. Trees, grasses, shrubs, ferns, herbs, and mosses are all considered plants.

Upon arriving at the New York Botanical Gardens, we were given magnifying loops, clipboards with a recording paper and a map, and several books used to help us identify plant types. One of the VERY FIRST things we were told to do was to stay away from and give a wide range to:

Poison Ivy

Then, we were told to stay on the trail and basically listen to our instructors, ask them for help if necessary, and try to identify plant species using the resources given to us. Although we were able to identify many of the species along the trail by virtue of our combined effort, our sight/ visual observations, smell/ scent of the specie, and sometimes even taste, there were limitations to this method, as stated below.

As my group and I traveled along the trail, each of us took turns picking a plant that we wanted to categorize and try to identify. In order to categorize a plant, we observed the type of leaves it had, the order in which the leaves were placed along the stem/branch, and other characteristics that were individual to each specie. When my turn came, I found a plant that we tried to identify, but simply couldn’t after some time. The centers of the flowers of the plant, which alternated in bright yellows and dark magentas, stood out to me as an evident varying phenotype visible to the unexperienced, and naked, eye. When we asked one of the group leaders/ instructors for help, she told us that we should skip it and try to identify something else. Honestly, my group and I were disappointed that we spent so much time and went through every page of the three or four books we had with us, without receiving an answer to which species this was. Furthermore, the instructor didn’t really help us with it.

Unidentified species…

Therefore, I consider to be a limitation of the sampling methods provided.

My favorite discovery was of a plant whose leaves seemed unique when compared to everything else around us. Liriodendron tulipifera goes by the name American Tulip Tree. It is native to the Western Hemisphere, and eastern North America, and is the tallest eastern hardwood. It can grow to be more than 170 feet in height and will be without any “limbs” until it reaches 80-100 feet in height. It is considered a very valuable tinder tree. Although we didn’t see this tree during its flowering period, the leaves were cool to observe.

Favorite discovery: Liriodendron tulipiferah

One of the Liriodendron tulipferas had to be cut down when it was struck by lightening 5 years ago, didn’t recover, and was deemed dangerous to visitors. The tree lived for 150 years, and we were able to see it and learn about dendrochronology, which is the study of a tree’s unique pattern of growth rings. Wide rings indicate years of ample rainfall, while narrow rings show years where the tree’s growth was limited by drought or other unfavorable conditions. We also noted that the darker rings near the center of the cross-section in front of us indicated mature-wood growth known as heartwood, while the lighter rings at the edges were signs of new growth called sapwood. Furthermore, the irregularly shaped hole at the center of the “cookie,” a nickname given to the cross-section, is called a heart-rot, caused by wood-decay fungi.

A more interesting portion of the event was on the way back, when one of the more enthusiastic instructors cut a part of a tree branch off and offered it to one of my classmates and said “Eat it!” with a big smile. All eyes turned to the young man, who shrugged, took the thin branch, and began chewing on it. His eyes brightened after a few seconds, and then everyone wanted to try it. We found that chewing the branch allowed us to taste peppermint. Native Americans also used bark and other plants instead of the gum we have today to cleanse their teeth and freshen their breath.

This Bioblitz event definitely supplemented my understanding of urban ecology. In high school, I had already learned about many species of plants and trees, and on Sunday afternoon, I was able to find even more species that I wasn’t aware of! I enjoyed viewing the diversity of plants that exists within the urban, concrete jungle of New York City. I am a bit disappointed that we weren’t permitted to leave the trail whereas other groups had the opportunity. One of the funnier parts of the trip was finding small chipmunks among the greenery and hearing my group cooing over it, getting excited, and jumping up and down excitedly.

Although we identified close to two dozen species between all my group members, the pictures of the weeds and lower growing plants (examples: viburnum dentatum, spiked lobelia, etc) are hard to tell apart in the pictures. Below are a few pictures of the trees that we identified:

Aver rubrum

Ulmus Americana

prunus serotina

My favorite: The Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)

My friend entranced by whatever she has in her hands…

My group and I outside the trail