Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 20

C4 Albuquerque Journal Thursday, February 14, 2013 By Colin Barras ScienceNOW The appendix may not be useless after all. The worm- shaped structure found near the junction of the small and large intestines evolved 32 times among mammals, according to a new study. The finding adds weight to the idea that the appendix helps protect our beneficial gut bacteria when a serious infection strikes. Charles Darwin was one of the first scientists to theorize on the function of the appendix, which in his day had been identified only in humans and other great apes. He hypothesized that the distant ancestors of these animals survived on a diet of leaves, and so they required a large cecum, a portion of the gut that houses bacteria that can break down stubborn plant tissue.

Later, he speculated, these ancestors shifted to a largely fruit- based diet that was easier to digest. A large cecum was no longer necessary, and it began to shrink; today our cecum is tiny. Darwin thought the appendix, which juts off of the cecum, is one of its former folds that shriveled up as the cecum shrank. Consequently, he thought it carried no function. But some scientists have challenged the idea that the appendix serves no purpose.

been clear for about a century that the structure contains a particular type of tissue belonging to the lymphatic system. This system carries the white blood cells that help fight infections. Within the last decade, research has shown that this lymphatic tissue encourages the growth of some kinds of beneficial gut bacteria. more, careful anatomical study of other mammals has revealed that species as diverse as beavers, koalas, and porcupines also have a structure jutting off of their guts in exactly the same place as our appendix-in other words, the feature is much more common among mammals than once thought. Now, an international team of researchers that includes Heather Smith, an evolutionary biologist at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, and William Parker, a surgeon who studies the immune system at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, says it has the strongest evidence yet that the appendix serves a purpose.

In a new study, published online this month in Comptes Rendus Palevol, the researchers compiled information on the diets of 361 living mammals, including 50 species now considered to have an appendix, and plotted the data on a mammalian evolutionary tree. They found that the 50 species are scattered so widely across the tree that the structure must have evolved independently at least 32 times, and perhaps as many as 38 times. By plotting the dietary information onto the evolutionary tree, the researchers could work out whether the appendix appears when a particular group of mammals changes its diet. In most cases, there was no sign of a dietary shift, suggesting appendix evolution necessarily proceed as Darwin thought. He may have correctly identified the origin of the ape appendix, though, which the analysis confirms did appear when our ancestors switched diets.

The hunt is now on to identify what its function is. The research team may already have the answer. In 2007, Parker and his colleagues suggested that the appen- dix has an immunological role, acting as a for beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria help train the immune system and can prevent diseases by outcom- peting dangerous pathogenic bacteria but there are times when the dangerous microbes gain the upper hand and overrun the gut. The researchers reasoned that when this happens, the beneficial bacteria could retreat to the safety of the appendix, which remains unaffected.

Once the immune system has beaten the infection, the beneficial bacteria emerge from the appendix to quickly recolonize the gut. The idea makes sense, says Indi Trehan, a pediatrician at Washington University in St. Louis. WILLIAMS, VIRGINIA ECKHART knownasGinnyto herfamilyand athomeonFebruary terstrugglingwith pancreaticcancer. Throughoutherfinal tainedremarkablygoodspirits, thankstoherquietfaithintheafter- knowledgethatshehadledalong andgoodlifefilledwithloveand achievement.

willbeapublicmemorialservice Presb terianChurch 215Locust tobefollowedbyareceptionatthe Fellowship Hall at the church. GinnywasbornM.VirginiaJardine movedwithherfamilytoMerchant- newhighschoolfriendshipsthat lastedallherlife.Shegraduated porationofAmerica(RCA)granted herafellowshiptostudymechanical engineeringdraftinganddesignat commoncareerpathsforhigh school girls at that time. EckhartwhomshemarriedonNo- theEckhartsmovedtoAlbuquerque, wheretheybothobtainedjobsat whatisnowSandiaNationalLabora- tories.In1952,shetookleaveofher draftingcareertogivebirthtoher shehadintendedtoreturntowork, stinctstookoverandafteronelook toSandia.Forthenext23years,she birthtodaughterSylvia(in1955), anotherdaughterAudrey(in1959), andasecondsonCurtis(in1965). Onceherchildrenwereinschool, shefoundtimefornumerousside church. Sandiainvitedhertocomebackto work.Withmoneybeingtightand withallherchildrennowbeingin ceptedandresumedherdraftingca- nicalwriting.Sheretiredfrom help care for grandchild Chase.

lyproclaimsthatGinnywasthebest thingthateverhappenedtohim. Daveandseemedtofor etallabout ship.GinnyandDavesharedinnu- merablefamilyactivitiesaswellas anumberofadventuroustravels rangingfromAntarcticatoMachu PicchuandtheGalapagosIslandsto AustraliaandChinatoIcelandand Greenland, to mention a few. GinnyispredeceasedbyfatherJo- Jardine.Sheissurvivedbyherhus- Eckhart-allofwhomcherishGin- shehonoredherchildrenthem- selves.Sheisalsosurvivedbysix children(AudreyandArlenMoore grandchildrenareLandenEckhart, and Jackson and Logan Moore. AsGinn yg oestoherfinalhome itis yg, easytoenvisionaheavenlyhostwel- comingherwiththesalutationfrom and faithful servant! DonationshonoringGinnyinlieuof flowersmaygototheFirstPresby- Foundationforpancreaticcancerre- search.Toviewinformationorleave a condolence please visit www.danielsfuneral.com Daniels Family Funeral Services 7601 Wyoming Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87109 505-821-0010 ZAMORA, LARRY MARK age55ofAlbuquer- homeafterahard fightagainstcancer. Hewasprecededin deathbyhisparents FrankandEvaMarie O.Zamora.Larrywas fulloflifeanden- andfishing.HeworkedfortheCity Larryissurvivedbyhisfirstwife, DebbieZamoraofAlbuquerque; serviceswilltakeplaceatSacred AB NM FUNERALS from PAGE C3 OBITUARIES By Deborah Ziff Journal Staff Writer Rory Ogle, who represented the Far Northeast Heights in the state Legislature from 2003 to 2005, died on Saturday at the age of 58.

He died of pneumonia complicated by a bacterial infection, said Janice Arnold- Jones, a friend who served with Ogle in the state Legislature. Services will be held on Friday at 9:30 a.m. at French Funeral Home, 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE. Interment will take place at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.

Ogle, a Republican, decided not to seek re-election after one term because he was facing domestic vio- lence charges. He pleaded no contest to the charges, which stemmed from a 2004 incident in which he was accused of throwing a headboard and mop at his then- wife, injuring her arm. Jimmie Hall, who took seat in the state Legislature, said his biggest concern was the dollar being spent where it ought to be In 2004, Ogle questioned the purchase of a state airplane by then administration. The attorney general issued an opinion, upon request, that the plan to use $4 million in road funds to purchase the plane was unlawful. really was a stickler for making sure the rules were consistently Arnold-Jones said.

He also pushed for stronger meth-related penalties, drumming up support by telling reporters a personal story about family members who may have cooked meth around children. Ogle was very active in county politics, frequently volunteering to knock on doors, run errands or write op-eds, said Christopher Collins, chairman of the Republican Party of Bernalillo County. was the kind of person who would volunteer time and his energy to help out and there was never a quid pro quo or anything like Collins said. Ogle graduated from Heidelberg High School in Germany and the University of Northern Colorado. He attended The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina and then served as a captain in the U.S.

Army. Later, he worked as a defense contractor with SAIC. He was dedicated to his son, John, Arnold-Jones said. He was an avid Denver Broncos fan, a student of history and politics and devoted to his pets, according to his obituary. He is survived by his son, John Elliot Stermer Ogle, his mother, Gwen Ogle and brother, Kirk David Ogle.

Ex-legislator for rules and taxpayer money By Deborah Ziff Journal Staff Writer William Meincke, who was head of the Albuquerque FBI office and later helped clean up horse racing as executive secretary of the New Mexico Racing Commission, died in Albuquerque on Dec. 29. He was 87. Meincke was special agent in charge of the New Mexico FBI office in 1974 and 1975 before he was transferred to the Minneapolis division. He returned to Albuquerque in 1977 to which consisted of establishing a consulting business, directing a training academy and running the racing commission.

While he was head of the FBI office here, he helped organize the investigation into the killing of two FBI agents in South Dakota in 1975, according to news reports. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1925 and served in World War II as a nose gunner on a B-24 in the 461st Bomb Group, flying 56 missions over Germany. He graduated from Colgate University and got a of business administration from New York University. FBI career began in 1951. He worked in at least half a dozen cities before he was assigned to Albuquerque.

was very, very good at leading said his daughter, Linda Meincke. was very good at talking to people. He could get more information out of people than you could During his tenure as head of the New Mexico FBI office, his home was burglarized, prompting headlines in both the Journal and the Albuquerque Tribune. The Tribune called it wrong house to and the Journal wrote has bad days including The burglars were tracked down and arrested in short order. His last bureau assignment was as assistant director of the FBI and director of the educational facility in Quantico, Va.

is a big said Harris Hartz, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge, who served as chairman of the racing commission when Meincke was executive secretary. the premiere law enforcement training place in the He returned to Albuquerque at age 52, where he began a private security and investigations firm and then became the first general manager of the Department of Central Training Academy at Kirtland Air Force Base. In 1987, Hartz tapped Meincke to be executive secretary of the New Mexico Racing Commission when then-Gov. Garrey Carruthers called for stricter enforcement of racing rules and regulations. During his tenure, he doubled the number of investigators and, with the commission, upgraded testing procedures to catch horsemen suspected of administering illegal drugs to horses.

More than 50 horsemen were suspended for drugging horses, according to news reports at the time. think largely responsible for the success we had, because things really Hartz said. In 1988, he left to direct pari- mutuel racing in Texas, but he resigned after about a year to return to New Mexico. He was an avid outdoorsman and rode his horse on a daily basis until he was 81 years old, his daughter said. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; daughters Carol and Linda Meincke and their husbands; and two grandsons.

State official helped clean up racing seek 2nd term after plea OGLE Rory OgleWilliam Meincke Agent led FBI office in N.M. in MEINCKE Scientists study Earth rocks for alien life evidence By Carrie Antlfinger The Associated Press MADISON, Wis. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are helping search for evidence of alien life not by looking into outer space, but by studying some rocks right here on Earth. Some of the rocks are up to 3.5 billion years old. The scientists are looking for crucial information to understand how life might have arisen elsewhere in the universe and guide the search for life on Mars one day.

a story always hidden in said geoscien- tist Clark Johnson, the lead investigator for the Wisconsin Astrobiology Research Consortium. up to (geologists) to be clever enough to find the tools that we need to interrogate those rocks to find what story they The project is funded through NASA, which provided a $7 million, five-year grant that started in January. It was the second five- year, $7 million grant. The consortium includes about 50 staff, students and post-doctoral fellows from 24 institutions in five countries. About 25 of the participants are at UW-Madison.

The goal is finding footprints of biological activity, or biosignatures, which are substances such as elements or isotopes that show evidence of ancient life. The scientists are looking for microscopic signs of life, including microbes, which are bacteria, and other tiny, one-celled organisms that are much more adaptable than more complex organisms. The team is also sending microbes into orbit on the International Space Station to see how they react to radiation and a space environment. In the process, they are learning more about history. found new details of microbial life that dates back 2 billion to 3 billion years, before the atmosphere contained oxygen.

found that microbes then relied more on iron than sunlight for energy. Eventually their work will be used to interpret data beamed back from Mars by the six-wheel spacecraft Curiosity, which landed in August on a two-year mission to determine whether the environment was ever favorable for microbial life. Their work will also be used to prepare for future Mars missions. may be that planets spent a long time in a microbial life condition and then only rarely evolved to advanced multicellular complex Johnson said. one of the hypothesis we would Edward Goolish, acting director at the NASA Astrobi- ology Institute, said the project supports one of major goals to find life or the potential for life elsewhere.

The results will provide a quantitative understanding of how life is preserved, he said. the same time team is) contributing an immense amount to the understanding of life on Earth, which is equally important to astrobiology and science in he said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Geoscientist Clark Johnson holds what he says is a 3.5 billion year old rock. Johnson leads a team studying Earth rocks that are billions of years old. trying to understand how life might have arisen elsewhere in the universe and guide the search for life on Mars one day.

Data may help see if life is on Mars appendix has an important function, study finds Organ protects beneficial bacteria.