Author Archives: Harjot Gill

Butterflies and Climate Change

Posted on November 6, 2017 | 2 comments

The temperature outside is quickly dropping and winter is soon approaching. As humans we can bundle up to stay warm or turn the heat up in our homes however some insects such as butterflies don’t have that same luxury. As butterflies are poikilothermic organisms which means they cannot regulate their body temperature and depend on external factors for their body temperature to change. However, climate change is currently playing a key role for the lives of butterflies.

A study done from 1976-1990 by various researchers found that there was a relationship between the weather and population fluctuation in British butterflies. The also found that 28 out of the 31 species studied had trends that were associated with the fluctuating temperatures and rainfall. The warm weather, especially in June, was the best for the butterflies.

Thymelicus sylvestris. One of the butterfly species that were researched. Source: Wikimedia Commons 

 

The research began with 34 plots to study the butterflies in 1976 which then increased to over 10 sites from 1979. The Central England Temperature (CET) data was used to analyze the trend of the butterflies. Different analytical methods were used to analyze the data and future abundance predations were also made.

 

I find this research to be very important for now and the future as it tells us that climate change is having a big effect on the lives of current living things, such as the butterflies in this research. I believe decreasing greenhouse gasses and the emission of CO2 gas can significantly help organisms and insects using their body for normal functions. In the case of the butterflies, they are accurately using external temperatures to regulate their body.

Greenhouse Gasses. Source: Wikimedia Commons

-Harjot Gill

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Silk: Real or Fake?

Posted on October 16, 2017 | 1 comment

Do you have traditional dress or clothing item  handed down you from past generations? You may think that it is made of a special fabric or thread but imagine finding out, even though it has been kept safe for hundreds of years, it is actually made of a fake material.

 

That is what researchers at the University of Washington have recently discovered for “Buyid silks” thought to be from the Buyid period. They tested the many of the silks using various methods to determine the authenticity.

Buyid Silks. Source: Wikimedia Commons

By amino acid racemization (AAR), which is a recently discovered technique to date silks, that out of the 13 different specimens tested, only one was truly from the Buyid Dynasty. Other techniques that were used were iconography, weaving patterns and radio carbon dating. It was also found that the other 12 specimens showed high levels of AAC for other chemicals that are not consistent with the historical dating of the Buyid Dynasty. By using the other chemicals it was seen that “The result is a silk fabric that looks very similar to a historical silk…”. They concluded that AAC can be used as a biomarker to determine the authenticity of silks and if they date back to their historical time.

Amino Acid Racemization. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Keeping personal artifacts from your family is always an exciting thing however being able to test whether or not the piece is really from the said period can be beneficial for insurance or personal reasons. The next time you are handed a piece of ancient fabric, it is best to ask if it has been tested to determine its authenticity.

-Harjot Gill

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Discovering Life on Extra-Solar Planets

Posted on September 18, 2017 | Leave a comment

Imagine if Earths’ oceans were to suddenly rise at exponential rates and all land masses be covered in water, as depicted in the 2009 movie 2012. Where would we go to live the rest of our lives? One option is finding other extra-solar planets that could support life.

Researches from various background at different institutions around the world purpose a mission called Darwin to essentially search for like on other extra-solar planets. As the mission has not been carried out yet, there are not results to report. However, they plan on characterizing terrestrial extrasolar planets in terms of plants similar to earths rocky terrain at mid-inferred wavelengths. Darwin is a five-year mission, purposed in 2009, however this paper does not state a start date. This research will help discover other plants that can possibly host human life which I believe will be helpful if a disaster is to occur on Earth.

Extra-solar planets. Image by ESA/Hubble

So far this is only a purposed mission therefore there have not been any findings or results.

The plan is to carry out Darwin in two phases. The first phase, lasting about two years, will be to search for plants capable of supporting humans through spectral characterization. The second phase, lasting about three years, will be acquiring spectral data of each detected planet. Analytical chemistry techniques will be used to search for gasses such as CO2, H2O, CH4 and O3 and determine if the quantities are similar to those on earth at this moment. If quantities are similar, then this will be a major breakthrough.

Chemical Analysis. Source: Wikimedia Commons 

Although there has already been demonstrations of the technology needed for Darwin, the main goal of the mission is to successfully discover a plant that can maintain human life. The researchers hope that Darwin will address the question of “humankind’s origin, and its place in the Universe”.

-Harjot Gill

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