The Battalion
Frontiers
Monday • February 23,1)
Science
Briefs
Scientists find
source of hunger
BOSTON (AP) — Texas scientists
have found the brain’s hunger hor
mone, the stuff that triggers the over
whelming urge to say, “Another help
ing of mashed potatoes, please. And
lots of gravy!”
The discovery is likely to start a
stampede of research intended to find
medicines that can rein in this sub
stance and help people say no to food.
The researchers were led by Dr.
Masashi Yanagisawa of Howard
Hughes Medical Institute at the Uni
versity of Texas Southwestern Med
ical Center. They reported the finding
in Friday’s issue of the journal Cell.
The scientists called their discov
ery “orexin,” a play on “orexis,” the
Greek word for hunger.
Female physicians
report harassment
CHICAGO (AP) — More than one-
third of female doctors say they have
been sexually harassed, according to
a survey that suggests the problem
isn’t disappearing from the medical
profession.
Overall, 47.7 percent reported
having been targets of gender-based
harassment, and 36.9 percent re
ported having been sexually ha
rassed, researchers said in Monday’s
issue of the Archives of Internal Med
icine, released Sunday.
The 1993-94 nationwide survey
did not ask women to specify what
behavior they thought constituted ha
rassment, only whether they believed
it had occurred.
Younger physicians reported high
er rates of sexual harassment than
older ones, and medical schools were
the most common site, said re
searchers led by Dr. Erica Frank of
Emory University in Atlanta.
Study: war between
sexes begins early
NEW YORK (AP) — Two genes lock
in a tug-of-war to determine whether a
mammal embryo will become a boy or
a girl, a new study suggests.
One of the genes, called Sry, has
long been known as the master switch
that makes an embryo become male.
The new work suggests that a second
gene, Daxl, tries to block its effect.
It almost always fails. So embryos
with one Y chromosome, which carries
the Sry gene, and one X chromosome,
which carries Daxl, normally develop
as males.
In rare cases, the new study sug
gests, such embryos get an extra copy
of the Daxl gene. And when two Daxl
genes gang up on the single ,Sry gene,
the competition goes the other way,
and the embryo becomes a female.
Correction
On Page 2 of Friday’s
Battalion, there was an
error in a headline. The
headline should have
read, “Grad student in
dicted in sexual assault
case.”
American Association for the Advancement of Science 1998
New learning style
raises questions
By Lisa Brown
Special to The Battalion
A chemistry student asked her
professor to tell her what was
wrong with her experiment, but
the professor instead asked her
questions to guide her to the con
clusion. The student became an
gry and upset, turning the profes
sor in to the dean.
Alexandra Hilosky, a professor at
Harcum College, shared this exam
ple of inquiry-based laboratory in
struction at the American Associa
tion for the Advancement of
Science annual meeting on Feb. 14.
Hilosky, Joseph S. Schmuckler,
a professor at Temple University,
and William McComas, a profes
sor at University of Southern Cali
fornia, said that most American
high school and college teachers
lecture students and then have
them do cookbook science labs.
However, the National Acade
my of Sciences, AAAS and the Na
tional Science Foundation en
courage more inquiry-based
science instruction in their 1996
National Science Education Stan
dards.
Schmuckler said, “The poten
tial has not been fully realized to
include inquiry and lab.”
Hilosky, Schmuckler and Frank
X. Sutman, a professor at Temple
University, compared American
and German college chemistry
classrooms in their study pub
lished in the January 1998 Journal
of Chemical Education.
Hilosky said that the German
classrooms were student-con-
trolled, lab-driven and low tech
nology with a pleasant laboratory
environment.
McComas surveyed professors
and students in Western, Mid
western and East Coast colleges to
compare their desires for changes
in laboratory instruction. He
found that students and instruc
tors want the same changes, in
cluding more team laboratory
work, more evaluation and practi
cal laboratory experience.
However, McComas said that
students did not want more long
term labs, challenge questions or
indirect questioning, but profes
sors did.
Morrisville, Pa. middle/high
school teachers William and Holly
Priestly said that science teachers
enrolled in Temple University’s
science education classes prac
ticed more inquiry-based science
instruction in their classrooms af
ter they completed the courses.
Robert K. James, director of the
Texas Alliance for Science, Tech
nology and Mathematics Educa
tion and a Texas A&M professor,
said that the University has similar
programs, including coursework,
workshops, Internet projects and
research internships.
“The lab is central to science
teaching,” James said. “Over the
course of the high school year, the
lab should grow in emphasis, but
the teacher should teach the stu
dents how to do lab and how to deal
with the inquiry environment first."
Cathleen Loving, a Texas A&M
assistant professor, echoed James’
caution.
“Inquiry-based instruction can
be tricky,” Loving said. “If the ac
tivities are too unstructured, the
students flounder. Teachers pro
vide more structure when they
provide the problem and students
find the best solution.”
Loving said that the best form
of inquiry-based instruction deals
with the students’ conception of
how the world works and leads
them to better explanations.
Skin cancer may not be
deterred by sunscreen
Different types of ultraviolet light cause burns, canca
By Tiffany Inbody
Editor in Chief
PHILADELPHIA-Using sunscreen every day may
not keep the deadly melanomas away.
Since the mid ’70s people have been advised to
wear sunscreen as a form of protection against the
sun’s damaging ultraviolet light.
Dr. Marianne Berwick, an epidemi
ologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center, said this advice is mis
leading based on recent population-
based studies.
"We can conclude from these stud
ies that it is not safe to rely on sun
screen to protect you from skin can
cer,” she said.
A panel of experts addressed
progress in the understanding
of sunscreen and skin can
cer at the American Associ
ation for the Advance
ment of Science annual
meeting in Philadelphia
Tuesday.
There are two main
types of ultraviolet light
that affect the skin. One
is UVB and the other is
UVA.
UVB is responsible
for sunburns. When
used properly, most
sunscreens protect the
skin from UVB.
Sunscreens absorb the
energy from the sun’s ul
traviolet light, preventing
UVB from burning the skin,
Dr. John Knowland, from the
University of Oxford, said.
“It is important to re
member that they (sunscreens) cannot destroy that
energy,” he said.
Dr. Richard Setlow, senior biophysicist and as
sociate director for life sciences at the Brookhaven
For greatest
protection, look
spectrum
National Laboratories, said exposure to UVAda
not cause sunburns, but it is a strong factoi; ^
melanoma development.
“Our research shows that about 90 perceni:
sunlight’s melanoma-causing effect maycois
from UVA and only 10 percent from UVB,”hesE
People have the misconception that bywearq ^
sunscreen, they can stay ou( in the sun forh.
without harm, Setlow said.
“Most of the presently-useds
screens, which protect againstlM
do not protect against UVA/’hesaii
By using fish as a research mode
Setlow found that even thoughsu:
screen is applied, the likelihoods
getting a melanoma is k
creased by multiple hours! 11
exposure.
The effects of dr
depleting ozone o
human health l«
been a concern ft:
many years. How
Setlow said that
ozone does not I
out UVA andtherefi
has little effect
melanoma skin cant
For
for
broad
sunscreen which
contains Avobenzone
OR one of the
benzophenones
various
sons, some p
use tanning beds!
an alternative totb
Source: UC Berkeley
sun.
There is ra
more UVA in a I
ning bed than in nat
ural sunlight, Setlt
said.
Berwick said,*11
death rate f
melanoma cancer is
much more dramai
than for nonmelanoma skin cancer.”
It is estimated that over 7,000 people will diet
year from melanoma skin cancer in the Wed
States, according to the American Cancer Society
DNA databases handcuff criminals to crime scene
Researchers say that use of genetic records should only be for identification purposes, not researcl
By Andrea Pool
Special to The Battalion
PHILADELPHIA — DNA databases are
becoming a key to solving crimes.
The United Kingdom has a national
DNA database and legislation exists in 47
states in the United States to have such
databanks.
David Werrett, director of Research and
DNA services for the Forensic Science Ser
vice in the UK, said their databank was es
tablished in 1995 because 20 percent of of
fenders commit 80 percent of crimes.
When a crime is committed, two tissue
samples are taken from the criminal, and
members of the community volunteer to
give their samples.
Police then use the databank as a start
ing point to their investigation.
So far, said Werrett, the total number of
samples for suspects and convicts is
260,931. There have been 16,754 matches
reported.
Werrett is serving on a subcommittee
of the Forensic Science Review Board in
New York, which makes recommenda
tions for the forensic labs.
Barry Scheck, a
professor at the
Benjamin N. Car-
dozo School of
Law and known
by many as one of
O.J. Simpson’s de
fense lawyers,
helped draft the
legislation estab
lishing the review
board and the
subcommittee on
which Werrett
serves.
Scheck is also
involved in a national commission estab
lished by Attorney General Janet Reno to
plan the future of DNA testing. Their first
report is due this year.
In the databanks in the United States,
Scheck said, are DNA profiles of inmates,
usually restricted to certain violent
felonies and sex offenders; new cases,
solved and
unsolved,
suspects in
old un
solved cases
and blood
sample of
inmates.
The ben
efits of hav
ing such a
databank,
he said, in
clude gen
erating sus
pects in
“Unless we clean up the
statutory language in terms
of law enforcement purposes,
I think that we’re going to
have some problems.”
Barry Scheck
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
new cases, solving old unsolved cases and
exonerating those wrongly accused.
Scheck expressed some concerns
about privacy, however. New York’s data
bank is to be used for identification pw
poses only.
“In virtually every other state, when
you look at the operative language forthf
DNA databank, they talk about‘lawen-
forcement purposes,”’ Scheck said. “Andl
think that is, frankly, dangerous.”
Scheck likened the phrase law enforce
ment to national security.
“National security was used by ourgov
ernment over the course of time fordoing
a whole lot of things which maybe had
nothing to do with national security atal
but just to prevent embarrassment to the
government,” Scheck said.
Scheck predicted that scientists wil
want access to databanks or blood sain
pies of criminals for genetic researchoa
pedophiles in the future unless the lan
guage for these databanks is changed.
“Unless we clean up the statutory lan
guage in terms of law enforcement put
poses, I think that we’re going to havt
some problems,” Scheck said.
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Develop your skills as a photosrapher
with the 1998 Agsieland yearbook
and set paid for doing it.
Stop by Room 004 Reed McDonald
and pick up an application today.
Tiffany Inbody, Editor in Chief
Helen Clancy, Copy Chief
Brad Graeber, Visual Arts Editor
Robert Smith, City Editor
Jeremy Furtick, Sports Editor
James Francis, Aggielife Editor
Mandy Cater, Opinion Editor
Ryan Rogers, Photo Editor
Chris Huffines, Radio Producer
Sarah Goldston, Radio Producer
Dusty Moer, Web Editor
Aaron Meier, Night News Editor
Staff Members
City- Colleen Kavanagh, Amanda Smith, Rachel
Dawley, Stacey Becks, Susan Atchison, Kelly
Hackworth, Lyndsay Nantz, Jennifer Wilson &
Julietta Amanda Jordan.
Science - Jill Reed.
Sports - Assistant Editor: Jeff Webb; Michael
Ferguson, Chris Ferrell, Travis Harsch, Robert
Hollier, Al Lazarus, Colby Martin, Aaron Meier,
Katie Mish, Philip Peter, Jeff Schmidt & Michael
Taglienti.
Aggielife - Marium Mohiuddin, Rhonda Reinhart,
Chris Martin, Leah Templeton, Travis Hopper, April
Towery, Brandi Ballard, Travis Irby & Stephen Wells.
Opinion - Len Calloway, Adam Collett, John
Lemons, Donny Ferguson, Caleb McDaniel, Beverly
Mireles, Manisha Parekh, Stewart Patton, Mickey
Stanford & Jennifer Jones.
Night News - Joyce Bauer, Jaclynn Barker, Ali!*
& Shane Elkins.
Photo - Assistant Editor: Brandon Bollom;
McKay, Greg McReynolds, Mike Fuentes,Jam#
Francis & Jake Schrickling.
Graphics - James Palmer, Chad Mallam,Jared
Faulkner & J.P. Beato.
Cartoonists - Ed Goodwin, John Lemons, Dave
Hoffman, Gabriel Ruenes, Victor Vanscoit, Mi: 1 -
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Copy Editors - Leslie Stebbins, Jennifer Jones.
David Johnston, Martha Gidney, Patrick Pavl®
Veronica Serrano.
Radio - Andrew Baley, Jody Rae Sartin, Laura
Stuart & Karina Trevino.
Web - Anita Tong & Jeremy Brown
Saloma, Joe Schumacher, Michelle Voss, Frank
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