Barbie Thomas is hatching chickens for the first time. And she can't help but be excited that one of those in her flock is a Delaware Blue Hen. Thomas graduated from University of Delaware and having her college's mascot in her classroom is a perfect fit.

Once again, the peep show is alive and well in kindergarten classes throughout the county. "I taught Pre-K and now I'm teaching kindergarten so this is my first time (hatching chickens). It has been amazing. I was really scared yesterday but it was so cool. We saw cracks (in the incubated egg) and in 25 minutes we had a chick. I am as excited as the kids. It's really cool," said Kenmore Elementary kindergarten teacher Barbie Thomas. Through Maryland Extension and grant funds, Cecil County 4-H is providing an incubation and embryology project at all the local elementary schools and at a few community sites. For chickens, the incubation period takes about three weeks until they hatch. Each classroom has received or will receive the pre-incubated eggs two weeks into the incubation period. Students and teachers care for and monitor the eggs. After hatching, the newborn chicks remain in classrooms for observation for up to three weeks. Extension staffer 4-H program assistant Victoria Stone was in all three kindergarten classes at Kenmore last week teaching the second lesson in the embryology unit. These were the practical lessons of feeding, bedding, and warming the peeps. Stone explained that about 60 classrooms are receiving these lessons. Teacher Amanda Hobson said the snow impacted the hatching process. The students watched for signs of hatching all during the school day. She then set up a time lapse camera to capture any action that happened after school. That's when one decided to hatch. "This is a really good learning experience for the kids. This teaches them to be caregivers. This is amazing and one of my favorite things in kindergarten. We began talking about it in October," said Hobson. Once the lesson is over, Hobson will give the chickens a permanent home at her house. She can then provide students with updates.

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New pecking order in kindergarten - HeraldandChronicle.com

Stokes County 4-H presented an Embryology School Enrichment program at King Elementary.

Courtesy photo

4-H is the nations largest positive youth development and youth mentoring organization, empowering six million youth people in the U.S. In partnership with 110 universities, 4-H life changing programs are research-backed and available through 4-H Clubs, camps, after school & school enrichment programs in every county and parish in the U.S.

Youth who participate in their county 4-H program focus on opportunities that involve citizenship, leadership, community service, agriculture, S.T.E.M. and much more.

Stokes County 4-H currently has seven 4-H Clubs offered in the county. Our clubs focus on topics such as agriculture and livestock, dogs, horses, shooting sports, and community awareness. For more information, to become involved please contact Taylor Furr at 336-593-8179.

Stokes County 4-H provides Summer Fun educational classes beginning June 13th until August 11th. Summer Fun activities include: Zip Lining, Horsemanship Camp, Dog Camp, Cake Decorating, Canvas Painting, Popcorn Farm Tour, Robotics, Crime Scene Investigation and many more. Summer sign-ups will be distributed to the schools beginning the week of April 17.

Stokes County 4-H just wrapped up a round of the 4-H Embryology School Enrichment program at King Elementary and London Elementary. We had seven classes at King Elementary participate and two classes at London Elementary participate. Another round of this program will begin after Spring Break, April 19th, in the schools of Germanton Elementary, Pine Hall Elementary, and King Elementary. 4-H Embryology provides great exposure to the students and teachers of the life cycle of chickens. The classes house eggs for three weeks in incubators and on the 21st day on incubation, they watch the eggs hatch into baby chicks.

For more information on the Stokes County 4-H Program, please contact Taylor Furr at [emailprotected] or 336-593-8179.

Stokes County 4-H presented an Embryology School Enrichment program at King Elementary.

http://thestokesnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_-H.jpgStokes County 4-H presented an Embryology School Enrichment program at King Elementary. Courtesy photo

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What is 4-H? - The Stokes News

At the Christ and Creation conference last Friday morning Dennis Venema and Scot McKnight gave back to back talks based on their new book Adam and the Genome. The major points in 25 minutes each. Both excellent talks followed by a joint (but brief) Q&A time. Both talks were excellent and inspired many in attendance to buy the book. (Baker ran out of the supply on hand well before the afternoon sessions were over.) I am slowly working through the book, starting with the evidence for evolution in general and human evolution in particular. Whatever you think of the pathways for integrating the evidence with Christian faith, it is important to take the evidence seriously. If you are not a biologist and wonder why biologists and most other scientists find the evidence compelling, buy this book and read Denniss overview. This is an excellent introduction to a complex topic.

Analogy to Language. In Chapter 2 of the book Dennis uses several different illustrations to help the lay person understand the basic principles of evolutionary biology. None of the analogies are perfect, as Dennis makes clear, but each is helpful. We can understand elements of the evolutionary process better if we step back and consider the case of language. Consider six English versions of John 14:6:

Over the course of 1000 years there was a clear change in alphabet, spelling, and word choice. We can consider the translations above akin to fossils. They provide snapshots of various states of language. Dennis takes this example and uses it to illustrate the process of evolution.

As we know, these various translations are not instantaneous changes from one to the next. Rather, they are samples drawn at intervals from a continuous process. All along the way they remained the same language in the sense that each generation could easily understand their parents and their offspring. Over time, however, changes accumulated that gradually shifted the language. Word spellings, grammar, and pronunciations changed. Given enough time, it becomes more and more of a stretch to say the languages are the same such as Anglo-Saxon and Modern English. Despite the striking differences we see now, the process that produced them was gradual. Additionally, there is no convenient point where we can say Anglo-Saxon became Modern English; the process was a continuum.

In the same way, average characteristics of a species can shift over time. (p. 21)

No individual living in any of these times, from 990 to 1982, felt that language was evolving and yet it was. No creature observes its species evolving, yet it does.

When communities are separated, by a large body of water, a mountain range, a difficult to cross river, or mere distance, one language can gradually morph into two or three or more. In isolation, the changes are distinct. Each will retain evidence of the common ancestry, even if clearly different. But again, there is no one time when it can clearly be claimed the languages are now different. At every step in the gradual process each generation could understand both parents and children and would claim they all spoke the same language. Nonetheless, after enough time, the incremental changes add up, making the languages distinct.

This is how evolution works. Each generation is the same as its parents and as its offspring. Most effective mutations are mild, and changes accumulate gradually over many generations. Red in tooth and claw is a flawed image. Transitional forms are abundant but we only recognize them when we consider a well defined starting and ending point. Like Anglo-Saxon and Modern English. Yes, mutations that afford an advantage will accumulate, but many changes are neutral. They accumulate by chance. The pattern of accumulated changes allow us to draw conclusions regarding the evolutionary bush that led to the current diversity of life on our planet. There are fossils in our genome and the genome of other animals that point to an interconnected past.

New features develop out of old features. One of the things evolution predicts is that seldom will any feature in an evolutionary lineage be truly new. (p. 37) It is the accumulation of minor changes that lead to new features. The gradual migration of a nasal opening to the top of the head over generations produced the whales blowhole. In this case each minor variation produced an advantage for the aquatic mammal and the changes accumulated. Function can change as well, a reptilian jaw bone gradually becomes a key structure in the mammalian ear.

Denis provides a number of examples, looking at specific regions of mammalian genomes for similarities and differences, whale evolution from land dwelling tetrapod to ocean dwelling mammal, and the genes and gene remnants for the production of egg yolk.

Converging lines of evidence point to the same overall pattern paleontology, embryology, and the genome. Evolution is not a theory in trouble. It continues to be refined and developed, but the overall framework has been secure for more than a century. The genetic evidence has refined and corrected some details of the bush of life proposed on the basis of embryology or paleontology, but by and large it has confirmed prior conclusions and advanced our understanding of the evolutionary process.

Given the abundant lines of DNA evidence that support the hypothesis that humans are the product of evolution, it is no exaggeration to say that (the very, very few) trained biologists who reject common ancestry do so because of prior religious commitments, not for scientific reasons.

So where do Adam and Eve fit into this picture? In the next post on the book, we will look at the evidence for human evolution and the emergence of our species Homo sapiens.

If you wish to contact me directly, you may do so at rjs4mail[at]att.net

If interested you can subscribe to a full text feed of my posts at Musings on Science and Theology.

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Evidence For Evolution (RJS) - Patheos (blog)

Elise Franco Senior reporter efranco_star

For 21 days, students at Springmore Elementary gained hands-on experience caring for chicken eggs as a lesson in life cycles.

Wendy Turbyfill, youth development agent with 4-H of Cleveland County, said 4-H organized a school enrichment program and worked with Case Farms to have 125 eggs donated for use in five second-grade classrooms.

"The classes were studying life cycles, and embryology fit perfectly with this program," she said.

Second-grade teacher Anna Ramsey said the program not only taught students about life cycles, but also about responsibility.

"The kids were in charge of turning the eggs three times per day for 21 days in order for them to hatch," she said. "They were so excited, and they got so motherly, even the boys."

On Thursday, 4-H staff, along with Springmore students and teachers, wrapped up the project with a "chick birthday bash" to celebrate the hatching of 96 of the 125 eggs.

"You could ask any of the kids a question about the life cycle now, and they'll all be able to tell you about it," Ramsey said. "We love that they got the hands-on experience and got to take part in it."

Turbyfill said that hands-on learning is the reason why 4-H hosts these type of programs.

"They'd never understand how embryology works the way they do now," she said. "Hopefully it's something they'll always remember."

Turbyfill said 4-H has also worked this year with students at Bethware and Washington elementary schools. She said the goal is to eventually host the program in every second-grade class in Cleveland County.

Elise Franco can be reached at 704-669-3337 and efranco@shelbystar.com.

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Students mother chicks - Shelby Star

In the summer of 2015 three Stanford scientists took a class in embryology at Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove and found themselves transfixed by a bat star larva that moved water around itself in swirling patterns. Using a microscope with video capacity, the scientists could see vortices of water slowly rotating, merging, and splitting apart around the millimeter-long larva.

We were totally surprised, says Vivek Prakash, a bioengineering postdoctoral scholar. They were so beautiful, and we were never expecting to see a really complex pattern of fluid flow around the starfish larvae, so that really got us hooked.

As the baby starfish waves its ciliathe small hairlike structures covering its bodythe water begins to swirl. The linear bands of cilia drape around its body like necklaces; its a common structure found across various types of aquatic invertebrate larvae.

But, the researchers wondered, Why would it be that all of these animals develop the same structure, this sort of way of stirring the water with these cilia? William Gilpin, an applied physics graduate student, recalls. By looking at the fluid dynamics, we think that we have an idea. Gilpin, Prakash, and bioengineering assistant professor Manu Prakash (no relation) detailed a potential evolutionary explanation in the December 2016 issue of Nature Physics.

The first two months of a bat stars life are spent floating through the ocean, constantly alternating between feeding and moving. And as the researchers found through observation and mathematical modeling, the ciliary bands are an ideal structure for maximizing the larvaes ability to do both. Algae particles pulled into the vortices swirl toward the larvas body, and once a particle touches the body, the cilia move it toward the larvas mouth. Meanwhile, the vortices also propel the tiny larvae through the ocean.

In their study, Gilpin, Prakash, and Prakash observed that the ciliary bands changed the patterns of vortices depending on the density of algae in the water around the larvae. If a larva sensed an abundance of food, then the ciliary bands could create more vortices to trap the food, while in lower-nutrient areas the ciliary bands would decrease the number of vortices for more efficient movement.

The complex dual-purpose action hadnt been observed before, Gilpin says. The starfish have found a new trick that we didnt know about; it was hiding right beneath our noses the entire time. Its always exciting to see that nature has found a solution that we havent.

After their larval stage, bat stars grow to an average diameter of eight inches and can be found in Bay Area tide pools.

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by Eric Simons | March 20, 2017

If you look closely at the California Coast exhibit next time you visit the California Academy of Sciences, you'll see a bunch of small black sea snails. Are they there on purpose? Wildlife: Invertebrates, Reptiles, Amphibians

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The Efficient Beauty of Starfish Larvae - Bay Nature

A fertility watchdog has warned that women paying for IVF treatment are being pressured to pay for additional products. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has said that clinics are selling unneeded add-ons, but it is unable to prevent this.

Extra treatments being offered to women include drugs to prevent rejection, screening to choose the best embryo and procedures to result in better implantation. IVF treatment costs around 4,000 per course and these add-ons can cost between 100 and 3,500.

However, many of these treatments are ineffective, meaning clinics are getting women's hopes up about having a better chance of the process working. Oxford University research that was presented on BBC's Panorama at the end of last year showed that just one of the 27 treatments had any effect.

Sally Cheshire, chairof the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, told a fertility conference in central London on March 29th that clinics offering these add-ons put more pressure on women who are already experiencing a lot of stress.

She said that the authority is concerned about the use of add-on treatments, but it cannot stop clinics from offering them or control the pricing.

Professor Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society, also spoke at the conference. He highlighted the fact that there is confusion for women over what is an actual add-on as many treatments that are being sold as add-ons are actually part of standard treatments, causing more confusion.

Originally posted here:
Fertility clinics selling 'ineffective' IVF add-ons - International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

There is insufficient evidence to say whether acupuncture helps women conceive when undergoing fertility treatments, British researchers told a conference.

A review of 13 studies showed there was not enough evidence to say acupuncture boosts pregnancy rates during in vitro fertilisation treatments, said Sesh Sunkara, a researcher at Guy's Hospital in London.

"The current available evidence is not conclusive," she told reporters at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting.

Her analysis included nearly 2 500 women who received acupuncture in hopes of boosting their chance of pregnancy after in vitro fertilisation - the procedure known as test-tube baby treatment.

Sunkara said several studies suggested that women who used acupuncture were less tired and needed fewer painkillers after in vitro fertilisation but her review focused only on pregnancy rates.

Acupuncture is based on Chinese theories of energy flow through the body, or qi, and has been scientifically shown to work to help patients with nausea caused by anaesthetics during surgery or caused by chemotherapy or to relieve dental pain.

It involves inserting thin needles into specific body points.

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Unclear whether acupuncture helps fertility | IOL - Independent Online

PRINCETON, Ill. If it aint broke, dont fix it, the old saying goes.

Some might argue that change is good, but organizers of the Bureau County Ag Fair, now in its 23rd year, have stuck with what works to educate county fourth-grade students on farming and agriculture.

What were doing is a lot of demonstrations and hands-on stuff, and it seems like fourth-grade students are really into that, they are really interested, said Chuck Read, a Bureau County farmer who was volunteering at the station on corn.

Read has been volunteering at the fair for as long as the event, organized by the Bureau County Farm Bureau Womens Committee, has been presented.

It seems like its a wonderful age to teach them about agriculture, which is getting lost in our culture because there are fewer and fewer of us, he said.

375 Visitors

This year, 375 students from 20 fourth-grade classrooms across the county participated in the Ag Fair.

The presenters at the corn station took turns talking about different types of corn and their uses. They held up bags of corn chips, crayons, corn starch and other products made from corn byproducts.

Corn can be broken down into a lot of products in a couple different ways, the starch, the oil and the syrup. Corn syrup is used in a lot of products, the starches are used to thicken products and weve got corn oil, which is used as a cooking oil, Read said.

Its a combination of hands-on activities and connecting students to agricultural products they use and see every day that has stood the test of time.

There are a couple that play games, theres one station where they watch a video of pigs, theyre making butter at one station and they get their hand milked at the dairy station to see how that feels. They get to hold a chick, they get to pet a horse and a cow and a baby goat and a lamb. Theres always something we try to do thats interactive, said Jill Frueh, the Bureau County Farm Bureau manager.

The format features 13 stations, each on a different farm-related topic, from ag technology to embryology, to ag equipment and live animals and crop production. Presenters have seven minutes to talk to students, and then students have a minute to switch to the next station.

The fair is an effort of 75 volunteers long with agribusinesses and groups throughout the county.

Frueh said the length of the sessions holds students attention.

We thought about changing it and making the sessions longer because people say thats not very long, but the good thing is you have their attention. For seven minutes, you have their attention, Frueh said.

Ags Story

For Rob Sharkey, who farms near Bradford, talking to students about the crops they see, but may not know about, is important.

Im really glad they have a station on corn and one on soybeans because those are probably the most interaction a lot of these kids will have with agriculture in this area. They need to know what that is. They need to know what a GMO is, he said.

The event has become a generational event for both the students attending and the presenters.

Sharkey started presenting on embryology, using live baby chicks to talk about eggs and egg products, when William Sharkey was doing an embryology project for 4-H.

William, now a senior, will graduate in May and attend Northern Ohio University. His younger sister, Anita, and younger brother, Eian, are on deck to take over the presentation.

I havent done much here. I did the first one, and the kids said weve got it from here, Rob Sharkey said.

Fruehs husband, Jared, and daughter, Payton, also volunteer. Payton, 8, was a volunteer presenter with her moms horse, Lilly, at the equine station, and Jared is a volunteer presenter at the pork station. Son Parker wasnt at the fair, but Frueh said he likely will be in a few years.

For Frueh, seeing students who went through the program as fourth-graders return as presenters is satisfying.

The last couple of years, weve incorporated 4-H and FFA members to come and teach because kids learn better from other kids, I think. Weve done that for so long now that students who went through the Ag Fair as fourth-graders are able to volunteer and teach the kids who are coming through now, she said.

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Bureau County Ag Fair marks 23 years - Agri News

Posted: Friday, March 31, 2017 11:07 pm

Biology lecture at BGSU By Sentinel-Tribune Staff Sentinel-Tribune

Dr. Scott Gilbert, professor of biology at Swarthmore College, will discuss his research about ecological developmental biology for the 2017 Jean Pasakarnis-Buchanan Lecture on campus Tuesday.

Ecological developmental biology brings together aspects of embryology, medical physiology, ecology and evolution. Gilbert will present Eco-Evo-Devo: The Synthesis of Epigenetics, Medicine and Evolution at 7 p.m. in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater (Room 206). Gilbert, who is the Howard A. Schneiderman Professor of Biology, is known for his work in developmental genetics, embryology, and the history and critiques of biology. During his public presentation, he will discuss his research, which includes the origin of evolutionary novelties, history of biology and its social functions. The lecture is free and open to the public.

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Posted in Community on Friday, March 31, 2017 11:07 pm.

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Biology lecture at BGSU - Sentinel-Tribune

A surge in sperm donor applicants has been reported by north-east health chiefs thanks, in part, to the Press and Journal.

At the beginning of last month, we reported that NHS Grampian had launched a fresh drive to recruit male donors, because stocks in the regions only centre were being rapidly depleted.

It was understood there had been little or no improvement since it emerged in a 2013 freedom of information request that only two men regularly attended the Aberdeen Fertility Centre, based at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.

However, since the article appeared, more than 40 men have joined the initiative.

Hazel McBain, donor programme co-ordinator at Aberdeen Fertility Centre, said: Weve had a good level of extra interest and we are really grateful to the Press and Journal for helping raise awareness and to the readers who have come forward so far.

Every year, we see a decline in the number of donors, so we really hope campaigns like this will help stop that trend.

Weve had around 40 potential donors contact us recently which is simply fantastic and will be welcome news for couple hoping to conceive.

NHS chiefs are offering healthy men between 18 and 41 up to 350 for donations.

In November 2013, the Press and Journal reported that couples were facing delays of up to two years to start fertility treatment because of the ongoing lack of sperm and egg donors in the Aberdeen area.

It is thought much of the downturn in numbers was due to a controversial change in the law in 2005 which stripped men of their anonymity after a child turns 18.

The law means children conceived using donor eggs or sperm will be able to trace their biological parent if they choose to.

Ms McBain added that not everyone would be a successful applicant.

She said: We are bound by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority regulations, so not everyone will meet the criteria.

That means we still really need men who are considering donating to come forward.

You can become a real hero by donating you are literally giving the gift of life. If you are unsure, have questions or want to have an informal chat about it, I would strongly encourage you to give us a ring at the Aberdeen Fertility Centre on 01224 553582.

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Surge in sperm donors after P&J highlights issue - Press and Journal