The Healing Power of Nature

Posted on October 31, 2017 by | 2 comments

Shinrin-Yoku, Japanese for “Forest Bathing” (Photo Credit: Teamsamuraispain)

One of my favourite ways to de-stress is being with nature. Whether it’s having lunch by a creek, meditating with essential oils, or hiking in the woods, nature brings me comfort and clarity.

Many of us have heard of these anecdotes or may have experienced it ourselves. Did you know that there is now scientific evidence for the health benefits of nature?

Retreating to nature is especially well-studied in Japan. In Japanese medicine, meditating in the forest is a form of therapy called shinrin-yoku. Japanese for “forest bathing,” shinrin-yoku is proven to reduce stress, strengthen the immune system, improve mood, increase focus, and even speed up recovering from illness.

Are there chemical mechanisms behind the healing power of nature?

One interesting finding showed that just breathing in nature can be beneficial. Plants emit volatile organic compounds known as phytoncides to protect against harmful insects, bacteria, and fungi. Studies in Japan have shown that more white blood cells that fight against tumours or viruses are produced when people are exposed to phytoncides in the forest. Moreover, the same studies in Japan and also in Taiwan have found decreased levels of stress hormones in those exposed to phytoncides. By being around nature, we breathe in the phytoncides of nature and receive their benefits.

Another study showed that a common bacterium found in soil can improve mood and relieve stress. Known as Mycobacterium vaccae, this microorganism increases the expression of an enzyme that synthesizes the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin. Mycobacterium vaccae can potentially prevent and treat mental disorders by buffering the effects of chronic stress.

Studying with Nature (Photo Credit: Pxhere)

Ultimately, there is no one chemical or one microorganism that cures all. It’s the synergistic effect of chemistry, biology, and psychology that makes being in nature so rejuvenating.

Now that the weather is colder, visiting the forest may not be as appealing. However, we can use the concepts of forest bathing in the comfort of our home.  Whether it’s meditating for ten minutes, using essential oils, having a potted plant on our desk, or having wood in our working space, bringing shinrin-yoku indoors can make all the difference.

~Shanna Wang

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Your Brain in Love

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | 3 comments

Have you ever rejected someone who was madly in love with you? Have you ever been rejected by someone you really loved?

Neuroscientist, Helen Fisher, asked these two questions 20 years ago, both to which 95% of men and women said yes. Determined to understand this magic, she began a multipart project in 1996 to investigate the neurochemistry involved in romantic love.

She studied couples who had just fallen madly in love with each other, individuals who were dumped by their partners that day (talk about a rough day, huh), and couples who have been married for 20+ years. The fMRI scans revealed that people in love show brain activity in the same regions, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area (VTA), as those addicted to hard drugs such as opioids and cocaine. Both of these areas are associated with dopamine production and distribution. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) associated with the brain’s reward system, primarily involved in addiction, cravings, energy, and motivation.

Brain areas associated with dopamine.             Source: Wikimedia

Dopamine. Source: self

Essentially, this means that lovers and drug addicts show similar behaviour. I think that perhaps romantic love is an even stronger addiction in a sense that everyone experiences it at some point but the same can’t be said for other addictions such as substance abuse or gambling. Those in love show the same fundamental symptoms of addiction: craving, tolerance, emotional dependence and when they get dumped they experience withdrawal and relapse.

Another neurotransmitter involved, according to Fisher, is serotonin which regulates mood, anxiety, and depression. Interestingly, she found that new lovers and long-term lovers had the same basic reward systems, with one exception. The fMRI scans showed that new couple had more activity in brain regions linked with anxiety; whereas long term couples showed activity is regions associated with calmness and pain suppression.

Serotonin. Source: self

With 20 years of research on the brain in love, Helen Fisher is a household name in Neuroscience. She nicely summarises her major findings over the years in this TedTalk. Dating platforms such as Match. com, Tinder, and others use her research on what attracts people to each other in their algorithms.

I think love as a positive addiction is certainly an interesting perspective. I believe that the scope of this can go far beyond just algorithms. Perhaps this means that building strong and healthy relationships can help people recovering from addictive behaviours such as substance dependence, binge eating disorders, gambling, etc. by acting as a reward replacement. Additionally, with rising divorce rates cross-culturally, understanding the mechanisms involved in love and how we form relationships, can help us become more empathetic and build long-term relationships as a society.

 

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Trees within Trees within Trees!

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | 2 comments

I’m sure many people, whether scientists or just the average person have always wondered about what kind of creatures or what the environment was like over 300 million years ago, before the dinosaurs roamed. So, specifically, the question  to be answered today is: what were the trees like 374 million years ago? The answer: most definitely different from today’s tree!

Recently, scientists have discovered silicified trunks containing hundreds of tree-like structures in Northwest China. The team led by Hong-He Xu of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology travelled to Nanjing, China in order to study this amazing discovery. They studied the thick transverse and longitudinal sections of the trunk.

The researchers named this species the Xinicaulis lignescens, which translates to “new stem becoming woody”. What they found when they cut open the trunk was hundreds of xylems which is defined as a type of transport tissue in vascular plants that transports mainly water and nutrients. Today, in most trees, the xylem goes up through the center of the tree, and a new xylem grows around the old one, which is typically called the “growth ring” where this is used to estimate the age of the tree. The image below shows the comparison between X. lignescens (top) vs. today’s tree (bottom).

Picture on top shows top view of trunk. The black dots represents each individual xylems with exploded view to show the “growth rings”. Picture on botton shows the xylem or “growth rings” of a regular tree.

From the top picture above, the xylem are arranged on the outer area of the trunk compared to today’s common tree that have xylem filling the entire trunk. Hong-He Xu also discovered that the middle of the X. lignescens trunk was hollow and that the xylem strands were interconnected to each another like a web. Each of these xylems had its own set of “growth rings”. The tree therefore grows by continuously tearing the specific xylem apart and repairing it to allow the big parent tree to grow in size. This is a very complicated process!

Currently, Hong-He Xu and his team are studying how much carbon these trees could capture from the atmosphere as well as how this could have impacted the climate. By studying these rare fossils, we gain a piece of the puzzle of what the world was like in the past.

 

Ziyi Wang

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MSG – Is it Really a Silent Killer?

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | 1 comment

By now everyone has heard of the controversial debate surrounding MSG – whether or not is it harmful to eat. Without all the information easy to find on the internet, it can be difficult to truly answer this question.

 

Figure 1. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) shown in chemical form. (Image Source)

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the salt version of an amino acid. Amino acids are molecules in your body that bond together to create proteins. They are also known as the building blocks of life.

 

 

Why does MSG taste so good? It uses the fifth taste sense called umani. The amino acid section of MSG is detected by this taste bud, and tricks your mind into thinking the food tastes heartier and more savory. Because of this, MSG is used as a food additive in many restaurants, most commonly in Chinese food.

Figure 2. A Chinese restaurant, typically associated with the use of MSG. (Image Source)

MSG was thought to create short term symptoms when eaten such as heart palpitations, general weakness, and numbness around the face and neck. These symptoms were previously known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, because the symptoms generally arose after eating in Chinese restaurants, places known to use this additive. Restaurants were told to promote that they did not use MSG, and the public were encouraged by the media to avoid it.

 

However, most studies done have reported no correlation between the symptoms and the use of MSG. Experiments on both humans and monkeys showed that when given MSG or not, the two groups would still experience the same symptoms on average. The only case where some individuals would respond badly, was when they were fed three grams of MSG or more with no food (an average person would only consume 0.55 grams of added MSG in a day in real life). Because of the unlikeliness of this situation, it wasn’t seen to prove any of the negative correlations.

Figure 3. Caption of a Chinese Restaurant stating no MSG is added. (Image Source)

Even the FDA, while approving the need to label food if it contains MSG, state that it is “generally recognized as safe”.  There is no direct evidence yet for a link between MSG and the negative symptoms it has been associated with.

So, why then do so many people believe that it is bad? This is because the media controls a large portion of the general public’s knowledge. We need to find new ways to form a connection between the public and science, to give people unbiased knowledge of new research. With this connection and availability of information, the public would be able to understand both views of the controversy and form their own opinions.

Author: Thryn Irwin

 

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Read This Before Having A Banana Milkshake!

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | 4 comments

When you type ‘milk banana’ in the Google search bar, you will probably get millions of recipes of banana milkshakes. Banana milkshakes are made of many healthy ingredients with essential nutrients. Blending with skim milk, it becomes a great snack with low calories. More importantly, it tastes so good, especially in a hot summer. Although banana milkshakes seem quite healthy and beneficial to human body, yet they may cause illness. Yes, you read that right. Mixing banana and milk together may harm our health.

Credit: Shelly Antol

For years, whether the combination of banana and milk benefits human body or not has been in debate. Both banana and milk help strengthen our body, such as gaining weight.  However, combining two kinds of health food may have the opposite effect. According to Harish Kumar, an expert Dietitian and Psychologist from Care For Life, banana milkshakes actually can hinder the digestion process and disturb sleeping patterns.

Ayurveda claims that every single food has its own taste, post digestive effect and a heating or cooling energy. And how well food is digested mainly depends on agni or gastric fire. Banana and milk are on the top of the list of incompatible foods. Even though bananas taste sweet, they have a sour post digestive effect while milk has a sweet one, which confuses our digestive system and leads to some imbalances. In addition, different digestive effects create such a negative reaction in human body that may generate extra water, clog body channel or even contribute to heart diseases.

More and more researches indicate that banana and milk do not go well together. If you really want to consume both of them, try to consume them separately rather than having a banana milkshake. Bananas and milk both have their own properties to strengthen our body but mixing together may cause ailments instead.

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A Clear Solution for Green Energy

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Researchers at Michigan State University have redefined the future of solar power applications. Unlike conventional solar panels, this light harvesting technology is transparent and nearly as efficient in converting light into electricity.

The need for effective and cost efficient technology has never been higher.  As global energy consumption moves away from fossil fuels, solar powered energy has become a key player in the green energy sector. Solar cells can supply a substantial amount of energy, but they need to be deployed over a large area. Theoretically, a solar installation that covers 20% of Nevada could power the entire United States.

Schematic of current solar panel use.

Solar panels work by using the energy from light rays to bump electrons from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Typically, solar panels comprise of many photovoltaic cells, simply meaning they convert sunlight into electricity.

Traditional panels are not enough to produce sustainable energy.

Traditional solar panels have been integrated in many areas and are often found on top of homes or tall buildings. Although this have proven to moderately effective, MSU researchers believe that this new technology will drastically expand photovoltaic applications. The thin, plastic-like material can be used on building facades, windows, cell phones and other devices with a clear surface.

As the direct pathway of sunlight varies temporally and spatially, increasing the possible areas in which energy can be harvesting also increases the absorption potential. Researchers from the University of Lisbon find that having photovoltaic cells on two or three building facades and windows could significantly increase the amount of electricity produced.

It is estimated that there is 5-7 billion square meters of glass surface area in the US. With this amount alone, solar technologies could supply almost 40% of the United States power demand. When combined with traditional solar panels, solar energy could become a major global producer of energy.

See-through solar-harvesting technologies are pioneering the expansion of solar powered applications and their implications could have a huge impact on clean energy in the future.

-Mya Dodd

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Zika Virus…a Cure for Brain Cancer?

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | 2 comments

 

A summary of ZIKV Photo from: Google Images

ZIKV is a virus that is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes. The infection mostly causes very mild symptoms similar to Dengue Fever. Babies in the womb can have slightly more adverse effects such as brain malformations and birth defects. Researchers studied how ZIKV was causing these problems for babies. One main concern that arose was that ZIKV was causing the death of stem cells which are in high abundance in babies.

Recently experts have been studying how to use ZIKV to treat brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is a type of brain cancer that is very common in adults and can grow and spread quickly. Due to its rapid growth, glioblastoma is tricky to treat and the common treatments, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, are unable to fully remove it.

Taking the knowledge that ZIKV targets stem cells in babies, researchers investigated whether or not ZIKV would target cancer cells in adults as they have relatively few stem cells. An article published in The Journal of Experimental Science reports the findings of this experiment. In living mice and donated human brain tissue samples, ZIKV was seen to kill the cancer cells. This is a huge step forward in the research.

Human trials are still some way away but so far the results look promising. The next step before human trials is to try and modify the virus to make a tamer version with the same effect on the cancer cells. This ensures that patients will be safe from other symptoms when treated.

For a general summary of the research conducted, the following YouTube video is informative:

YouTube Preview Image

Although the research is still in its early stages, I feel that it could have a lot of potential once human trials begin. This could lead to a treatment for cancer that is more effective than what we have today.

~ Sajni Shah

References:

1) Zhe Zhu, Matthew J. Gorman, et al. “Zika virus has oncolytic activity against glioblastoma stem cells.”  Journal of Experimental Medicine Oct 2017, 214 (10) 2843-2857.

2) Roberts, Michelle. “Zika virus used to treat aggressive brain cancer.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Sept. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/health-41146628.

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Noise Pollution: Is it as dangerous as chemical pollution for our ocean’s giants?

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Ocean pollution has a large impact on the whales that fill our oceans. Most research has focussed on pollution involving oil spills and the addition of plastics to the ocean, but the concept of noise pollution has been relatively ignored until the past few decades. Recent research suggests that excessive noise may even lead to hearing loss in whales, and cause stress that impacts their reproductive success. The question still remains: How much does noise pollution impact wildlife? And is it as dangerous as chemical pollution?

Noise pollution refers most commonly to the sound produced by cargo ships, seismic research, wind turbines and pile driving, since the noise they produce has the greatest effect on marine wildlife. Smaller boats and jet skis produce sound at a higher frequency that doesn’t impact marine wildlife as much.

Cargo ship – A large source of noise pollution

Whales rely on hearing to navigate and communicate as much as we rely on our ability to see. Beluga whales use a technique called echolocation to navigate using sound. Male humpback whales sing long and complex songs to impress potential mates. When large amounts of noise pollution interrupt the sound that whales use to communicate with each other, they can get lost or separated from their family. Noise pollution can also interfere with the mating of humpback whales if other whales can’t hear a male humpback’s song.

Chemical pollution of the ocean, which often occurs through oil or chemical spills, has a huge impact on whale health, since whales ingest whatever chemicals as added to the ocean. Whales can develop chronic health problems or even die from chemical and oil spills. Accumulated plastics or gear that isn’t “whale-safe” often leads to entanglements and injures whales, as well as death. Noise pollution on the other hand, can’t be linked to individual deaths of whales, but its impact on their reproduction is significant.

Even though the chemical pollution kills whales, while they are living, they are still able to reproduce and contribute to furthering the species. Noise pollution has the potential to impact living whales and decrease their ability to reproduce. Without reproducing, the whales can’t help their species develop, so noise pollution has the potential to be more problematic than chemical pollution when it comes to the impacts on whales.

-Sydney Inthof

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If you feel stressed by school: drink coffee!

Posted on October 29, 2017 by | 4 comments

Source: Flickr

As a student, getting close to the end of the semester can be quite stressful. Assignment deadlines and exams are building up in all the courses so you get overwhelmed and feel extra tired all the time. Then, this stress evolves into anxiety and feeling so down that the motivation to get good grades is lost. You reach a point just want to get over with the semester alive. Does this sound familiar? I bet you’ve felt like this at least once in your life, I know I have! Well, an easy solution to help you feel better is drinking coffee. I know, we usually think of coffee only as a source to keep us awake. Even some of us might have grown up with the idea that drinking coffee is bad for your health, but turns out it is actually beneficial to our mental health.

Coffee has been shown to help decrease depression and stress by boosting your mood and sense of well being. Consuming coffee, inhibits the adenosine hormone in the brain, which is the one responsible for making you feel sleepy and down. This inhibition leads to a state of alertness and it is related to increased dopamine, which is a stimulant in the brain that is responsible for making you feel good. Moreover, that feeling of enhanced alertness is what helps to keep us awake and feel more energized. This also has been proven to increase memory, attention spam and cognitive functions. Drinking coffee can improve our mood and feel help us feel more energized, thus, it reduces stress which helps us be more productive to excel in our courses.

However, everything in excess is bad for your health. Taking excessive amounts of coffee can be detrimental to your well-being. Caffeine is considered a drug, meaning that we can create an addiction to it and if not taken in moderation. If this happens, a day without coffee can actually make us feel worse by producing withdrawal symptoms, which ultimately makes us feel more stressed. Essentially your body gets used to the benefits coffee gives you and stops moderating these hormones naturally since caffeine does it for our organism instead. To avoid this, parameters of the amount of caffeine that can be safely consumed daily have been stablished. For healthy adults the recommended amount is no more than 400g of caffeine per day, which is about 240 ml or three 8oz cups of coffee per day.

As we know, student life can be very stressful and so we need to take care of our mental health if we want to be productive, have good grades, and be happy. Drinking coffee can help make us feel better and also keep us energized and focused in school. But, as everything in life, moderation is key to get all the benefits and avoid the disadvantages.

Andrea Olaizola.

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New Bioinspired Polymer

Posted on October 28, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Materials chemists have designed a polymer that is both stretchy and strong. This polymer could lead to a new family of biomaterials which are able to heal themselves upon sustaining damage, along with being able to disparate materials such as metals and wood.

Linear Polymers – Taken by Yurko – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Creative Commons

The most common approach to polymer synthesis is to covalently link monomers – the building blocks of polymers – together into long chains. These polymers are typically stiff and not too strong. Another approach involves ionically linking charged polymer chains together to create loosely-linked, flexible materials. Due to the electrostatic interactions between these polymers, they will reattach or “heal” upon separation.

Saltwater mussels naturally create polymers using a combination of these two methods, which result in polymers with both covalent and ionic bonds. Scientists have been trying to synthetically replicate these polymers by adding negatively charged groups called catechols to a gel containing covalently linked polymers. Upon adding positively charged iron atoms to a solution of this, the catechols, located on the polymer strands form ionic bonds with them. This results in strong polymers which are able to heal themselves. The problem with this method is that the salt water in which the reaction takes place causes the gel to expand, thus limiting the stretching ability of the resulting polymer.

Saltwater Mussels – Taken by Mark A. Wilson (Department of Geology, The College of Wooster). Public Domain

Valentine and a team of researchers were able to adapt this strategy to work in a dry environment. They added catechol groups to a gel containing covalently linked polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers. Capping reagents were added to the catechols during the reaction to prevent their reaction with oxygen in the air or water. Before spritzing in iron, these capping groups were removed with acid. The iron atoms diffused through the PEG to react with the catechols to form additional linkage. The resulting polymer was found to be 100 to 1000 times stiffer than the polyethylene glycol, yet very flexible.

Given that this new polymer forms materials that can withstand forces that would rupture normal PEG-based materials, it might lead to a new family of biomaterials which are able to heal themselves upon sustaining damage and could be used in artificial tendons or joints for prosthetics to help minimize wear and tear.

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