First-Place Sweep by American Girls at First Google Science Fair

[MattSh]

As a budding inventor and scientist, Shree Bose, in second grade, tried to make blue spinach. In fourth grade she built a remote-controlled garbage can. In eighth grade she invented a railroad tie made out of recycled plastic and granite dust, an achievement that got her to the top 30 in a national science competition for middle school students.

In 11th grade Ms. Bose, a 17-year-old in Fort Worth, tackled ovarian cancer, and that research won her the grand prize and $50,000 in the Google Science Fair last week.

For the winning research Ms. Bose looked at a chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, that is commonly taken by women with ovarian cancer. The problem is that the cancer cells tend to grow resistant to cisplatin over time, and Ms. Bose set out to find a way to counteract that.

She found the answer in a cellular energy protein known as AMPK, or adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase. She observed that when AMPK was paired with cisplatin at the beginning of treatment the combination diminished the effectiveness of cisplatin. But added later on, when the cancer cells were growing resistant, the AMPK worked to maintain the effectiveness of cisplatin, allowing it to continue killing the malignant cells, at least in cell cultures.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/science/19google.html

[Sherman A1]

1. Superb!

Much more important than the Soccer game last week in my opinion and my congrats to these fine young ladies.

[MattSh]

2. Science will have a more important contribution in the long term...

For good or for bad, sadly. But congrats to those who play soccer and do it well too. Not everybody can excel in the sciences.

[boppers]

6. Sports (like soccer) advance humanity how, exactly?

Not everybody can advance in wife-beating, so why even put any money there?

Tax the violence of sport, put it into spending on intellect.

[MattSh]

8. Well geez, since you put it that way...

Eliminate not just sports, but arts and music as well. Oh, and history, which by it's nature is looking backwards, not forwards. Force everyone to take math and science. Make those that fail that do manual labor for a living. Oh, except manual labor is not very intellectual either.

:shrug: :sarcasm:

[kick-ass-bob]

11. Nevermind all the good things that come out of playing sports.

Namely learning teamwork, critical thinking skills, both tactical and strategic, a healthy body, time management, leadership...

All of which help people better achieve things like the above scientific research these young ladies did.

[liberalla]

3. Bravo ladies ! That's fantastic !

From left, Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose and Naomi Shah.

I'm so impressed. Congratulations!

[liberalla]

4. The other two entries

"Naomi Shah of Portland, Ore., won the age 15-16 category with a study of the effects of air quality on lungs, particularly for people who have asthma. Ms. Shah recruited 103 test subjects, performed 24-hour air quality measurements at their homes and workplaces and had each blow into a device that measured the force of their breath.

Lauren Hodge of Dallastown, Pa., won the age 13-14 category for research on whether marinades reduce the amount of cancer-causing compounds produced by the grilling of meat. She found that lemon juice and brown sugar cut the level of carcinogens sharply, while soy sauce increased them."


ATTN: Grillers!

"She found that lemon juice and brown sugar cut the level of
carcinogens sharply, while soy sauce increased them."

[Le Taz Hot]

5. WooHoo!!!!

:applause: :woohoo: :party:

[midnight]

7. Science is important... Having world class scientist being able to do their work will

improve our world... But this young women has demonstrated that even at early ages, if provided with support great thinking can blossom..

[Enrique]

9. where's the Creationist exhibit?

tell me that, Google! ;-)

congrats to the kids. :toast:

[BNJMN]

10. First-Place Prize goes to all boys spider killing team. n/t

:(

[WorseBeforeBetter]

12. K&R!