Scientific Breakthrough and Its Implications - Research Paper Example

Scientific Breakthrough and Its Implications Introduction: Scientists and engineers across the world are known to make new breakthroughs and discoveries for the ultimate benefit of the world, for making the lives of the general masses of people more comfortable and easier. For this purpose different scientists and engineers can be found to continuously put their tremendous efforts and practice to come up with solutions to the different problems that individuals face in their day-to-day lives. Such activities might take long periods of time that such scientists or engineers devote to their work and hence bring out effective outcomes resulting from their hard work, dedication and commitment. One such everyday life’s problem is the shortage of Type O blood for the individuals of blood group O. It is the blood group lacking the chemical molecules present on the surface of the red blood cells. The individuals possessing the O group of blood can donate blood to all other types of individuals but can receive blood only from an individual of Type O blood. This is the reason that the individuals having O type blood are referred to as universal donors (Blood Types: What’s your type?, 2011). This clearly reflects the fact that the unavailability of O type blood when in need can even take the lives of individuals as other blood types cannot be donated to them. It is in this context that a discovery made by Professor Henrik Clausen seems to be providing a way out to the shortage of O type blood. This report studies the discovery and its implications on the American culture as well on the lives on human beings and relates the discovery to the notions of science and its aspects. Scientific Breakthrough: Blood of Type O has been observed to be in a crisis and always in shortage when in need for an individual. It is of high demand for individuals having Type O blood since although such individuals are known to be the universal donors, they cannot receive blood from any individual having blood of any other type. Thus it becomes highly essential that O type blood is available for serving individuals with this blood group. Considering these issues and realizing the importance of the availability of Type O blood, Professor Henrik Clausen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark made a breakthrough in the year 2007 by discovering a manner in which blood of any other type can be converted into the O type blood. It would be tolerable for every individual and is expected to solve the problem of shortage of the O type blood (Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007, 2007). The need for the discovery was arisen out of the crisis at the National Institutes of Health all across Georgia. It was also of a major concern since in case blood of wrong types could get transfused to the body of an individual, it would prove to be highly fatal for him and the person might even die. Professor Clausen conducted detailed research and discovered certain enzymes that can remove the sugars that create problems from the exterior of the other types of blood, that is, A, B and AB. The enzymes discovered are produced by bacteria whose mechanisms of the molecules have the ability to convert the other types of blood in to the O type. The discovery was published in magazines as well as following this breakthrough a new company in Massachusetts has been found to manufacture a tool that can be used by different hospitals or nursing centers during stages of blood (Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007, 2007). Impacts of the Discovery on the American Culture and the Implications on Everyday lives of Individuals: Professor Clausen and his team attempted and discovered the enzymes that can convert the other types of blood into the O type blood. The discovery can be expected to not only solve the problem of shortage for the nation’s individuals requiring the O type blood but can also be understood to prove to be economical, saving money of the nation, keep the blood supplies available at any points of time, and avert from the occurrence of any lethal death owing to the shortage of the blood type. The discovery can thus be considered as one of the excellent discoveries in the world. It can be understood that each and every nation including America needs to make huge financial investments for the gathering and collection of the O type blood and keep them as reserves for the nation’s population. Since it is always in a shortage, the O type blood has always been difficult to obtain. The primary reason behind this is that the O type blood can be transfused to other blood groups, but an individual having O type blood cannot take blood from the other types (Blood Alchemists, n.d.). Studies have obtained that the mistakes leading to wrong transfusions of blood are more dangerous and tend to occur during times of emergencies. This is crucial for countries like the USA where the population is huge, and different groups prevail in the population. This leads to the cases of where different groups might actually possess different blood types and in cases of emergencies the health centers might make the mistake of overlooking the correct requirement of the patient. All these factors have been considered by Professor Henrik, who wanted to make out a way that could solve the shortage and hence relieve the entire population of the anxiety that could lead to mistakes (Blood Alchemists, n.d.). If the implications of the new discovery can be considered both in terms of the American culture and the individuals as a whole, it can be understood that the discovery has proved to be more beneficial as it considers the removal of risks in relation to blood transfusions. The supply of the blood type O becomes easier with the breakthrough thus preventing the loss of both time and money for the entire country and the population. Moreover, the different blood banks would also not require wasting any blood that was earlier wasted owing to the ability of shortage for few days. It can be expected that the blood banks providing the nursing centers with the new discovered blood supplies would be made available within the next few years solving huge problems for the nation as a whole (Blood Alchemists, n.d.). Other studies and news reports reflect the need for trials on patients before the enzymes could actually be used for the purpose of blood supply to the Type O blood. However, experts like Geoff Daniels, Stephen Withers focus on the fact that such a discovery was waiting for the nation and its population and could actually surmount the problems prevailing for such a long period of time. One negative effect of the new discovery that has been obtained is that the new technique is not capable of taking any measure in regard to the presence of other antigen that performs for the trigger of immune response within an individual. Individuals carrying such blood types are termed to be rhesus positive. This focuses on the fact that in order to produce the O type blood according to the new discovery, only the rhesus negative blood types can be used (Blood groups ‘can be converted’, 2007). Thus if the overall impacts and implications of the new discovery can be studied, it can be understood that the new discovery is bound to provide the entire nation of the USA and its populations with huge benefits with the supply of the O type blood. The O type blood being in huge shortage and creating difficulties for the patients who need them, the new discovery would solve the problems of shortage to a great extent. This would save money not only for the population individually but also for the nation since large supplies of the O type blood made available in the hospitals would provide the nation with the life savings of several people, solving the problems of supply, as well as storage. In the individual lives of human beings, the discovery proves to be a huge advantage for those who possess the type O blood, as well as those who have other types of blood since blood O is a universal donor. Thus human beings would receive the discovery as a present to their lives. Professor Henrik Clausen: The discovery of the enzymes from the bacteria that could convert the different blood types into the O type blood was achieved by Professor Henrik Clausen. Although his team of scientists involves a group of another fifteen scientists that include Qiyong P Liu, Gerlind Sulzenbacher, Huaiping Yuan, Eric P Bennett, Greg Pietz, Kristen Saunders, Jean Spence, Edward Nudelman, Steven B Levery, Thayer White, John M Neveu, William S Lane, Yves Bourne, Martin L Olsson, and Bernard Henrissat, the main discovery was the achievement of Professor Clausen (Universal Red Blood Cells Could Relieve Blood Bank Shortages, 2007). Henrik Clausen is a professor in the Copenhagen University working in the department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. His original qualifications have been in Dentistry and he was highly interested in the studies of Glycobiology. He continued his studies on glycol-biological processes. He took concern on the shortages of the O type blood and started his studies for the discovery of enzymes that could convert other blood types into O type blood. He also continued his interest in further research works relevant to a doctor’s research and presented several researches and studies on the processes of glycosylation. His intentions involve making new discoveries for the understanding and cure of different diseases and finding solutions to several issues that have been of the concern of different scientists over the years in regards to diseases and their treatments (University of Copenhagen, 2008). Relation of the New Discovery with the popular Notions: Formal Science: Formal sciences are researches that focus much ahead of only the use of mathematics or logic in the discovery of new benefits or uses for the general population of any nation. Such experiments are different from the others and have a lot to tell the world in regard to the benefit of the world by the invention. Thus they are not general in character. However the applications of mathematics are also relevant in the formal sciences. In the modern times, such formal sciences overlook the use of mathematics and determine newer ways to make newer discoveries (The Formal Sciences Discover The Philosophers’ Stone, 1994, pp.24-25). Thus the difference of the concerned discovery with the formal sciences can be understood in regard to the use of mathematics of logic. However, in regard to the thinking beyond the general rules of science, the new discovery seems to make an association with the formal sciences. History of Science: If the nineteenth and twentieth centuries of the scientific experiments can be counted in the USA and the world, it would be observed that over the years scientists and engineers have been providing their tremendous thinking processes, knowledge and efforts in the continuous discoveries of newer advances for the benefit of the world. Each and every experiment and discovery has been extremely useful and meant to deal with the problems of the population of the world as a whole (History of Science, 1971, p.44). In relation to this notion of the history of science, the new discovery can be understood to follow the similar intention of providing the world with a better facility and opportunity to live a better life as well protect and saves lives of many. Scientific Communities: The formation and development of scientific communities in the performances of different scientific experiments has a long history. Such communities have been found to be essential ever since the discoveries and inventions by different scientists have been prevalent on earth. Scientists have formed groups to combine their thoughts, ideas and knowledge together towards development of newer advances. These can be obtained through the studies on the earlier American cultures of sciences and the performances of the scientists in the country (Kevles, 1995, pp.3-4). The discovery concerned in the present study relates to the notion of the scientific communities in the way it has involved a team of scientists working under Professor Clausen thus forming a team or a community towards the discovery of the enzymes beneficial for an entire nation and the world population as a whole. Popular Science: Gradually over time the science and the scientific discoveries have proved to be modified to a great extent and becoming highly popular in its terms of relating the needs of the population with the available possibilities of science trying to bring out solutions to such problems prevailing in the lives of the human beings. Newer discoveries have been focused on the social values of the society and bringing new varieties in the field of the study of science. The knowledge of science and the advancements have improved over the years and have let the common masses of people to enjoy every benefit to the utmost extent possible (Science in the Marketplace, 2007). The new discovery by Henrik Clausen has proved the popularity notion of science more meaningfully as he along with this team produced the new discovery for the benefit of the world. Science Fiction: Fiction in relation with science is associated to the extreme levels of dependency of human beings on the scientific techniques and advancements improving and producing newer advancements over the years and in every aspect of life. However fictions are not something in real. They are what are derived from the actual occurrences in the world. For instance the advanced development in the scientific measures in the current world can be expected to lead the common masses to expect more and hope for more advancement in the field of science in the betterment of their lives (Definitions of what Science Fiction is and is not, n.d.). The notion of science fiction is however related to the discovery of the new enzymes by Professor Clausen and his team in the way that the need studied among the population led the team to work on the possibilities and discover a way out. Had the need been not there and if humans had not greater expectations from the development of science, this could not have been possible and successful. Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology involves the use of and control of small elements of an experiment or a study having distinctive characteristics and makes use of advanced technologies towards controlling those elements at a smaller scale or level. Thus very small scale measures are involved in the nanotechnology advancements (Allhoff, Lin & Moore, 2010, pp.5-6). The process of nanotechnology has a relation with the new discovery that is taken into consideration of the current study. This is in the way the entire discovery is dependent on the enzymes obtained from bacteria that is very small in size and character and hence the measurements required for them had to be very small as well. Conclusion: A scientific breakthrough or a new discovery has a lot to contribute to the lives of the common masses since such discoveries are meant to solve the problems encountered by the different individuals living on earth. The above study focused on such a breakthrough that occurred in the year 2007 in the discovery of two enzymes that could convert the other types of blood into the O type blood. This discovery had and has a great significance in the human lives since O type blood is such a blood type that has a huge shortage in its availability. Thus the discovery can be expected to solve the problems that were earlier encountered by the patients who required O type blood, as well as aid the nation and the population with economical benefits and allowing the availability and storage of the O type blood far more efficient and possible. The study has also reflected on a brief overview on the professor who led the team and performed the discovery and proved it to be great successes as other scientists believe it to be. Moreover, the relation of the new breakthrough with the notions of science and their communities, and the advanced technology has also been determined through the study. References 1) Allhoff, F., Lin, P. & D. Moore (2010). What is nanotechnology and why does it matter?: from science to ethics, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons 2) Blood Alchemists (n.d.). University of Copenhagen, Research, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://research.ku.dk/outreach/research_stories/blood_alchemists/ 3) Blood groups ‘can be converted’ (2007). BBC News, BBC, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6517137.stm 4) Blood Types: What’s your type? (2011). The Franklin Institute, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/types.html 5) Definitions of what Science Fiction is and is not (n.d.). Treitel, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://www.treitel.org/Richard/sf/sf.html 6) History of Science (1971). New York: Ardent Media 7) Kevles, D.J. (1995). The physicists: the history of a scientific community in modern America, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press 8) Science in the Marketplace (2007). UChicago, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo5457455.html 9) The Formal Sciences Discover The Philosophers’ Stone (1994). Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 25(4), pp.18-35, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/philosophersstone.pdf 10) Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007 (2007). Wired, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/YE_10_breakthroughs 11) Universal Red Blood Cells Could Relieve Blood Bank Shortages (2007). Medical News Today, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/66786.php 12) University of Copenhagen (2008). Glycomics, Retrieved on November 10, 2011 from: http://glycomics.libsyn.com/dr-henrick-clausen-specialist-in-o-glycosylation Read More