Even Moderate Drinking During Pregnancy has Effects on Children's I.Q.s

During the embryonic stages of development, many outside influences can affect the characteristics of the baby. One of these influences is whether or not the mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy and the quantity consumed. It is commmonly thought that drinking a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy is completely harmless towards the child, but this is not entirely true. A recent study conducted showed that even moderate drinking (less than 1-6 units of alcohol per week) can have major effects on the I.Q. of the child born.

The way this study worked was by looking at moderate alcohol intake in over 4,000 women and using the technique of Medelian Randomization,which is a way of finding the links between exposures and later diseases, using genetic variants that modify exposure levels and are not influenced by other factors. This study was also proved to be more accurate than others of its kind because it used genetic variation as a basis of determining if alcohol was the only cause of defect.

During the study, each mother included was given a series of questionnaires about their drinking habits to determine if they qualified as a moderate drinker. Eight years after their children were born, their I.Q.'s were tested and the results showed that the children of even moderate drinkers had significant differences in I.Q. compared to those of children whose mothers were non-alcoholics. Speaking about the results, Dr Sarah Lewis, said: "Our results suggest that even at levels of alcohol consumption which are normally considered to be harmless, we can detect differences in childhood IQ, which are dependent on the ability of the fetus to clear this alcohol. This is evidence that even at these moderate levels, alcohol is influencing fetal brain development."

The use of Mendelian Randomization in this study showed that the work of Gregor Mendel can be applied to help find solutions to problems today. This study also showed how genetic variation was used to investigate the effects of alcohol. My thoughts after reading this article were that mothers should abstain from alcohol 100% during pregnancy because of the potentially harmful effects it can have in the future on their child.I also think that this study could lead to future investigations on the effects of alcohol on humans and the longtime effects it could possibly have.

What Happened to all the Old Trees?

           In the world today, society is aware of many large changes taking place, some of these include Global Warming, the world's rapid Industrialization and increase of technology, society's changing views on gay marriage, etc. These large changes have instant impacts on our world, and the impact of these changes can be monumental. Many of us are completely aware of the big picture, but something we are often oblivious to are the smaller changes occurring in the world today which can also have just as large as an impact. One of these smaller changes that is happening today is that large old trees are rapidly declining. In the article World's Big Trees Are Dying it shares that "There is an alarming increase in death rates among trees 100-300 year" and the terrible fate that ties into the disappearance of these trees.

        Large. old trees are the largest living organism on the planet, and although they only make up a small percentage of the trees on earth, their disappearance could possibly have a large and disastrous outcome. The cause of the decline of large. old trees is "forest fires,drought, high temperatures, logging and other causes."These trees are vital to many different ecosystems including forests, woodlands, savannahs, farming areas and even cities. The role these trees play is of the utmost importance to the natural balance and survival of their ecosystems. Large old trees provide a sheltering or nesting site for up to 30% of all birds and animals in their ecosystems. These colossal trees also store large amounts of carbon which is critical to their environment. Giant trees also recycle nutrients in soil, create rich patches of land for other organisms to thrive in, and supply an ecosystem with a vital food source. With the rapid decline of this massive classification of plant life, many organisms are at risk of becoming endangered or worse, extinct. Without the shelter, food, and various benefits to the environment that these monstrous organisms have, many of the plant and animal life depending on them will  face the danger of dying off.

                 My thought on this article is that more research should be conducted immediately in order to restore the giant tree population. As the article said, "Research is urgently needed to identify the causes of rapid losses of large old trees and strategies for improved management. Without… policy changes, large old trees will diminish or disappear in many ecosystems, leading to losses of their associated biota and ecosystem functions" These trees are so important to the delicate balance of life, that scientists must try all they can to prevent this from happening any further. Although this may be seen as a small, insignificant change in the world, it could potentially have a devastating outcome. Something that must be discovered is why these droughts, fires, and high temperatures are occurring so frequently. Could this possibly have anything to do with Global Warming, the increase of earth's temperature due to the buildup of greenhouse gases? The loss of these trees could be just the beginning of the many destructive outcomes yet to come from Global Warming. This could also be due to the lack of rainfall in areas where these trees are located, causing the trees to be dryer and more susceptible to the harmful effects of high temperatures, which can also be a reason why the forest fires are common. Another possibility I have thought of is that these trees have experienced a genetic mutation, which we have learned about in class. This genetic mutation would cause them to not be able to take up water as easily, causing them to die easier due to their changing environment. I think that these trees are too important to watch wither away, which is why I believe this issue ought to be resolved as soon as possible.

A woman sitting in front of a Giant Sequioa Tree in Yosemite National Park

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