SCIE 300 Communicating Science – Page 2 – Communicating science starts here

Robot suits put to use in countering radiation in Fukushima

Post author By Maki
Post date November 10, 2011
4 Comments on Robot suits put to use in countering radiation in Fukushima

Not many news stations talk about Fukushima any more. After the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Northeast Japan, I remember being glued to the computer for hours and hours trying to get the most recent news on the situation in Japan. What is happening now? A quick search turned up a news headline on robot suits in Fukushima. A robot suit that reads signals from the brain seems to be the most recent solution to Northeast Japan’s nuclear radiation problem.

How do robot suits tie into this event? A major concern still is the radiation leak from the Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima prefecture. To fix the damage done by the earthquake and tsunami, power plant workers and rescue teams need protective gear against the high levels of radiation around the plant. However, the required metal suit can weigh up to 15kg—a significant hindrance to movement. A solution to this problem was a “robot suit.” Just by thinking “walk,” the robot motor helps move the legs for you.

HAL assists walking for people with physically weakened limbs. Photo by Katsumi Kasahara.

The robot suit was actually invented three years ago at the University of Tsukuba in Tokyo. It was initially meant for elderly and handicapped people to assist in walking. They named it HAL, for “Hybrid Assistive Limb”. When the wearer tries to walk, nerve signals are sent to the leg muscles. Such signals are detected by the suit through the skin, and triggers the robot limb to move along with the leg. This battery-powered movement and firm structure of HAL enables it to offer extra support for movement.

After 3 years, further developments on HAL added support for the arms as well.

2011 Exhibition of HAL. Photo from Center for Cybernics Research.

This video from the International Forum on Cybernics 2011 introduces HAL.

Here are photos from the same event.

Researchers are now investigating a new application for this technology. Tsukuba University suggested that the robot will be useful not only for the disabled and care for the elderly, but also for heavy labor and rescue work. Last week, Japanese news station NHK (link to original Japanese news) reported the use of this novel technology to solve the problem of radiation in the earthquake-struck nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

Simulation of the use of HAL at the nuclear site. Photo from NHK.

Experimental tests showed that this robot suit could carry weights up to 60kg. The inventor, Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai, hopes that implementing HAL at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant would make possible previously risky recovery work and allow longer hours of rescue efforts.

At the time I saw this news on NHK, I could not find information about this initiative in English. However, only two days later, the Telegraph picked up on this. Thought-controlled robots–what a way to bring back attention to Fukushima.

Tags energy, health, Japan, Robotic Leg, technology

Biological Sciences Issues in Science Science Communication Science in the News

Are YOU a snake-lover or an ophidiophobia (snake-phobia)?

Post author By cha56
Post date November 8, 2011
2 Comments on Are YOU a snake-lover or an ophidiophobia (snake-phobia)?

A picture of Burmese Python. Source: CBC News

Are snakes one of your favourite animals or are they your least? Although some may adore them, I am among the people who are terribly afraid of them, or what people call an ophidiophobia. Who would have known that, “pythons’ big heart [could] hold clues for human health[?]” (The Associated Press). Scientists now learned that when the pythons undergo digestion, their hearts expand to the size similar to that of an Olympic athlete. How is this relevant to human? Scientists now look for clues from the pythons’ powerful heart muscles that could potentially benefit human’s hearts. A molecular biologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Leslie Leinwand, found that the pythons’ hearts expand because they are building up more muscles.

There have also been studies done on the pythons’ digestion pattern. For instance, reptile biologists observed that Burmese pythons could survive for almost a year without food. Furthermore, once they resume the meals, their metabolism would increase up to more than 40-fold. After digestion, their organs, except the brain, would grow larger in size. Leinward notices this distinct observation and tries to make a connection to human heart diseases. For people with chronic high blood pressure, their hearts are not able to circulate the blood as well as normal hearts. However, vigorous exercise might be able to enhance the recovery and strengthen heart muscles just like those of the pythons.

Dr. Leinwand working with the Python. Credit: Thomas Cooper

How is the research being conducted? Dr. Leinwand and her team worked with baby pythons to study their internal organs in details. Dr. Leinwand came to a conclusion that for these pythons, the fatty acids increase up to as much as 50 times during digestion. Theirs cells grow bigger, thus resulting in a larger heart size. Python’s blood is also full of fat, mainly three specific fatty acids in a particular combination, that enables this capability. Do these fatty acids have negative impacts on their hearts’ conditions? No, instead, they act as the heart protection. The pythons can rapidly burn the fat, turning it into fuel for energy. In contrast, humans’ metabolisms are not that efficient so the cells would accumulate fat and the accumulation might contribute to various heart diseases. As for the pythons, they already have enzymes to protect their hearts from damages during digestion.

A video on Dr. Leinwand’s interview in her laboratory.

One of the main researchers, Cecilia Riquelme, studied the applications of this knowledge. First, she bathed a rat’s heart cells with the plasma, blood cell, from the snake. The result turned out that the content of the python’s blood made the heart cells grew bigger and stronger. Researchers now continue to study that if putting fatty acid from the pythons’ blood into the rats would lead to any beneficial growths.

This is relevant to us because if these rats could benefit from the fatty acids and have their heart muscles strengthen, it implies that the pythons could be the key in helping human with heart diseases. Pythons may after all become our heroes!

Further Resources:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21099-a-shot-of-snake-blood-makes-the-heart-grow.html

References:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/10/28/python-heart.html

http://cen.acs.org/articles/89/i44/Fatty-Acids-Heart.html

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/health/132940113.html

Tags Burmese Python, Human Heart Disease, Snake, University of Colorado Research

Environment Issues in Science Public Engagement

Biodegradeability: (Bio)Plastic and its (re)use

Post author By Shirley
Post date November 8, 2011
4 Comments on Biodegradeability: (Bio)Plastic and its (re)use

Plastic Bags and Landfills: A Perspective from SJSU NEWS on Vimeo.

Even though plastic, which is present in many aspects of our lives, has many applications and usages, it is not biodegradeable. The reason of the continuation of manifacturing plastic is that it “only takes up 5 percent of the world’s oil supplies and, in doing so, provides us with an exhaustive supply of material”. You might think “what about replacing plastic with biodegradeable material?” Aluminum and glass are more expensive and not as versatile as plastic. Wood processed products also have their downsides, such as the chemical treatment and clear-cutting.

Today, researchers are working on the synthesis of bioplastics that are based on “renewable biomass resources”. Some of the bioplastics are made to be biodegradeable, and their main applications are: packaging, easily-discarded items (e.g. utensils, bottles), and storage (e.g. food containers). The other that are produced to be nonbiodegradeable are used in areas that need endurability.

While bioplastics will eventually provide a clean, recyclable, nontoxic alternative, energy and environmental analyst Christopher Flavin, author of “The Future of Synthetic Materials” insists that oil-based plastics aren’t going anywhere just yet. He predicts that the next 20 years will see bioplastics absorb a mere 5 percent of the global plastic market [source: Kahn].

Meanwhile, we can use daily plastic products in an environmental friendly manner. For example, we can re-use plastic bags. I recommend you to read “10 Smart Uses for Old Plastic Bags” and “5 Unusual Uses for Plastic Bags” for ideas of re-using old plastic bags.

According to 2007 estimates, most plastic bags are only used an average of 12 minutes and then discarded. Consider that the world uses a staggering 1 million bags a minute and you begin to see how big the problem is [source: Batty].

Take action and conserve the world!

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One Plastic Bottle Can Light Up My Life

Post author By Andrea Wan
Post date November 7, 2011
2 Comments on One Plastic Bottle Can Light Up My Life

One of the goals of education is to teach students to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom to solve problems that exist around the world. Inspired by the Appropriate Technologies Collaborative principles, students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) took heed to this concept and developed the “solar bottle bulb.”

In Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, there is a remarkable contrast in the quality of life between the rich and the poor. Specifically, there are millions of homes in the poorer areas without a single light source because very few of these homes have connections to electrical grids, and even fewer families have the resources to pay for lighting and electricity. In addition, the metal roofs of these homes block out all the light.

An illustration demonstrating the capabilities of the solar bottle bulb.

To combat this problem, students at MIT developed a solar bottle bulb to be inserted into the roofs of these homes. It is a one-liter, plastic bottle filled with water and three tablespoons of bleach. In contrast to developing a single hole in the roof that would supply light to a single spot – picture shining a flashlight onto a wall in complete darkness – the water diffracts light 360° and is capable of illuminating an entire room. The solar bottle bulb is able to emit as much light as a 55-Watt light bulb. Furthermore, the added bleach prevents algae, mold and bacteria growth within the bottle.

Because the materials to build a solar bottle bulb are readily available in these communities, installation is simple. It requires sealant, one sheet of metal with a hole (of the same diameter of the bottle) cut in the middle and an equivalent hole cut in the metal roof it is to be installed in.

To make this sustainable innovation accessible, Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), a Philippines-based organization, plans to supply indoor lighting to one million homes throughout the country by 2012. They have currently installed over 10 000 solar bottle bulbs. Moreover, the Manila city government has helped fund the expenses of lighting homes in their city respectively.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ms-oX-kdb8&w=640&h=385]

A video by Isang Litrong Liwanag reposted by SaurabhMore introducing the solar bottle bulb.

Although one of the cons of this innovation is its inability to store energy and generate light at night, we need to recall that many of these homes do not have access to light during any time of the day. To this end, any illumination is helpful. Also, this design does not create any harmful pollutants and prevents electrical fires due to the faulty electrical connectors that exist in some homes.

Overall, we should remember not to take lighting and electricity for granted. If it is possible for countries overseas to find sustainable resources and limit their carbon footprint, we should follow in their footsteps and stay green as well! Next time you are the last person to leave a room, turn off the lights and save some energy!

What Are You Doing Right Now? Get To Sleep!

Post author By stevenxianjy
Post date November 7, 2011
3 Comments on What Are You Doing Right Now? Get To Sleep!

Everyone has adjusted their watches, clocks, phones and laptops an hour earlier on November 6^th. It may be that we all got “25” hours on the day, but let’s face it and allow me to ask, what have we done with the extra hour? With all the assignments and projects from different courses, social events with friends, schedules working times, most of us probably were not in our bed, sleeping.

Sleep-deprived individuals are usually associated with 10 out of 11 health risk behaviours, including smoking, drinking alcohol, lower physical activities, sexually active, feeling sad or helpless, suicidal thoughts, etc. Dr. Lisa Shives mentions “Chronic, partial sleep deprivation affects our ability to think straight, make good decisions, and impacts our behavior”, and that is the reason why we were always told to get a good night’s sleep before a test or exam.

In fact, researches had proved that lack of sufficient sleep means we are prone to increase our risk of high blood pressure, explained Dr. Susan Redline, Professor of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston. When we have inadequate amount of sleep, especially with the lack of deep sleep, we tend to be tired during the day and wake up frequently during our sleep. Not getting enough sleep, i.e. at least six to eight hours of sleep every day, could also reduce our efforts in losing weight, even if we are on a diet and exercising regularly and properly.

Now, we might just assume that if we sleep-in on a weekend, we would make everything up during the week. However, Banks et. al. (2010) proves to be not enough to recover the effects of sleep loss. Just because we sleep 12 hours on a Saturday, it does not make up for the sleep debt accumulated during the weekdays.

So the next time you plan to stay up for whatever reason, have a second thought about it, because what is lost is lost, and there is no way to recover that.

For those of your who wish to improve your quality of sleep, please refer to this blog post by Dr. Lisa Shives. (http://nssleep.com/blog/sleep-disorders/insufficient-sleep-makes-losing-and-keeping-weight-off-more-difficult/)

References:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/27/sleep-deprived-teens-take-more-risks/
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/29/study-lack-of-deep-sleep-raises-blood-pressure/
http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=2332
http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=1817
http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=27855

Tags health, Sleep, Sleep debt, Sleep deprivation

Uncategorized

Invisibility Cloaks: Fact or Fiction?

Post author By Matthew Wagstaff
Post date November 7, 2011
2 Comments on Invisibility Cloaks: Fact or Fiction?

The idea of invisibility has been around in mythology and fiction for thousands of years but the Harry Potter books and

Invisibility Cloak in Action (Photo Credit: Warner Bros.)

movies brought the idea of an Invisibility Cloak into the public eye. Everyone has thought at some point about what possibilities being able to make themselves invisible would present. But invisibility is only the stuff of fiction.. right?

Well, right now researchers haven’t quite got to the level of Harry’s cloak but they’re certainly getting there. There are many different approaches that are being taken towards this technology and I’m going to give an insight into a few of them.

The first and currently most effective technology is called optical camouflage technology. This involves a camera filming what is behind an object and this image is then projected onto the front of the object, in effect allowing you to see ‘through’ the object. This is similar to blue screen technology used in Hollywood but in this instance what you are wearing acts as the blue screen rather than you standing in front of one. It is just like the technology seen on James Bond’s Aston Martin in the movie Die Another Day.

'Invisibility Coat' (Photo Credit: howstuffworks.com)

Researchers at the University of Tokyo are leading this field and have created an ‘Invisibility Coat’ that resembles a rain jacket but is made out of retro-reflective material (that reflects and refracts the light back at the source) . It is made from 50 micron beads that are lined up and tightly packed together. Because the beads are so small, you can still project an image onto it regardless of how it is wrinkled. There are many potential uses for the technology such as using it in car interiors to eliminate blind spots and be able to see right ‘through’ to the surroundings.

News Article on the Invisibility Coat

One Step Beyond: New Camouflage Technology Video

Adaptiv technology, created by BAE systems is designed to conceal military vehicles. It allows the vehicles to mimic the temperature outline of it’s surroundings. This can make the vehicle invisible to both night vision systems that see infrared light and heat seeking systems which is clearly a major advantage on a battlefield. The technology works by projecting temperatures onto the special outer layer of the tank. A database of recognizable outlines has been created and a tank can be made to look like anything from a cow to a truck when seen through an infrared camera. Researchers are now working on making this technology work in other wavelengths, especially visible light, so as to create ‘true’ invisibility. BAE estimate that the Adaptiv technology could go into production within 2 years. Further reading and video can be found here.

Finally, the technology that is most likely to be able to create the effect of Harry’s invisibility cloak are ‘meta-materials’ with negative refractive indexes that are being worked on by many researchers. Meta-materials have the ability to manipulate light and can in effect bend light around them. Last November Scientists managed to create flexible meta-materials that bent visible light for the first time. Currently they can only be made on a small scale but this was a huge step forward. Interestingly these meta-materials may also be used to create lenses that “can zoom to the micron level, making it possible to spot germs, chemical agents and even DNA, using basically a pair of binoculars.”

Further reading: BBC article on this finding, Wired.com article

References:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/invisibility-cloak.htm#mkcpgn=fb6

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/invisibility-cloak-tanks-cows/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamaterial

Other references as links in the article above.

General

Blame Education

For my blog, I wanted to share with you some of Ken Robinson’s views on how education kills children’s creativity.

We all know how important it is to get an education. After all, we are raised to believe that we will not obtain a job without one. Our every step seems to be already planned out: first, go to school and then begin a career. But we do not know what the future will bring. Then why should we plan for the next 40+ years of our lives when realistically we do not know how the world will look in five years?

Schools are teaching children to meet the future by what they did in the past. Mathematics, languages, and humanities were considered more important than the arts. However, this method is not practical anymore, for the world has drastically changed. The arts such as music, theatre, and dance now rival the once important subjects. Also, in the past kids went to school because they knew they would get a job afterwards. But nowadays, kids do not believe that they will secure a job once they finish high school or university. This is largely due to the struggling economy and thus observing how unemployment rates have sky rocketed. Therefore, what is the point of going to school if the probability of getting a job is not very high?

Robinson defines creativity as the original ideas that have value. What happened to adults’ creativity? The saying “making mistakes helps you learn” seems to be lost in adults. This is because today’s society penalizes people’s mistakes so harshly that adults are afraid to be wrong. And as a result their pure sense of creativity is lost. On the other hand, have you noticed what a child does when they are uncertain the answer? They will say something, anything that they believe to be correct. They are not afraid to take chances.

At birth, every parent has big dreams for their child. For example, they may want their child to achieve the highest academic standing in school. However, they fail to realize that children are naturally very creative and innovative. If a child is struggling in school, many parents think that they have a medical problem. For example, many of these children are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Often times, they are required to take potentially harmful medications like Adderall and Ritalin to help them focus and calm down. But is this the solution? Is it their fault for being so distracted? Probably not. Children are surrounded by a flood of exciting things to do, like watching TV, going on the computer, or playing with iPhones; as such, to them, the subjects they learn at school are boring and pointless. And yet society is still penalizing children for getting distracted during school. Instead they should be reworking how the curriculum is taught. These medications deaden children’s senses, making them unable to fully be themselves; thus their creativity is being killed.

In addition, the structure of the education system restricts the potential of some children. For example, children learn in a variety of ways. Younger children may be smarter than older children, yet they are strictly placed into grades based on their age. Also, some children learn better at night than in the morning, and some children learn better on their own as opposed to working in groups. Our education system requires a strong level of conformity from children. Furthermore, children spend ten years in school programmed to think that there is just one answer to a problem. They steadily lose the ability to think outside the box.

Whether it is trying to find a quick fix for a distraction problem or the basic structure of how schools are run, children are not getting the individual attention they require. Robinson says that it is time for us to “…[see] our creative capacities for the richness they are and [see] our children for the hope that they are.”

You Tube Video:

How Can We Nurture Creativity In Educational Contexts?

Reference:

Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity? Retrieved November 2, 2011, from

Tags children, creativity, education

Course Reflections Issues in Science Public Engagement Science Communication

“A tablet a day, and I was limitless.”

Post author By deanthestudent
Post date November 6, 2011
3 Comments on “A tablet a day, and I was limitless.”

If someone approached you claiming their product would allow you to use 100% of your brain, would you buy it?

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

You are probably familiar with this scenario if you watched the thriller ‘Limitless’, released earlier this year, starring Bradley Cooper. The plot of ‘Limitless’ is based on one of the most commonly perpetuated ideas in society, that we use only 10% of our brains (this number varies depending on who you ask). But is this science fact or science fiction? Before you aspire to become an all-encompassing genius like Bradley Cooper in the film, let’s let science speak for itself.

The human brain is the most complex organ of the body and controls every aspect of our lives. It weighs roughly 1.4 kg, and uses a whopping 20% of all the food energy we take in. Scientists have divided the brain into many sections based on the functions they perform. These are some of the major brain lobes and their function:

-Frontal Lobe: reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving.

-Parietal Lobe: associated with movement, orientation, recognition, and perception of stimuli.

-Occipital Lobe: associated with visual processing.

-Temporal Lobe: associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, as these lobes contain several sub-divisions, which are known to perform even specific tasks.

Evidently, these divisions compose the entire brain, not a mere 10% of it. What is true then, is that we may not use all parts of our brain at the same time, but every section of the brain is necessarily used at some point to perform certain tasks. We know this to be true by studies of brain damage. When almost any part of the brain is damaged, there is always a loss of abilities. Furthermore, brain-imaging technologies have shown several areas of the brain (more than 10%) to be active at the same time under many circumstances, such as during sleep. This fact alone is enough to debunk the notion of using 10% of our brains as a myth by default.

So, despite how much science has progressed in studying the brain, most people still dwell in ignorant bliss. Perhaps because advertisers and the media prey on them by stating this phrase as scientific fact. Shockingly, even people who profess scientific background take part in spreading this misinformation. The truth is, this is a misquote that has gone viral, and is absolutely misleading people as science.

Let’s focus on the opening question.

There do exist substances, such as certain drugs or functional foods that can improve or enhance mental functions. One such substance that you may be familiar with is the caffeine in coffee or energy drinks, which improves memory and concentration. Nonetheless, based on the claims of the person, it would be wise to refuse their offer, because truly humans already use 100% of their brains.

“Doomsday” Pushed Back: Comet Elenin Desintegrated

Post author By Kenneth
Post date November 4, 2011
1 Comment on “Doomsday” Pushed Back: Comet Elenin Desintegrated

A large comet spanning 3-5 km in width, large enough to have severe consequences if it had crash landed on Earth’s surface. Theorists hypothesized that it would be similar to the events that led to the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. These events may include unnatural drop in Earth’s atmospheric temperature, nuclear winters, and decreased sunlight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_event

A comet is made of rock, ice, dust, and organic compounds and can be several kilometers long in diameter. However, comets are fragile and can be broken into smaller pieces fairly easily. NASA noted that comet Elenin flew within 75 million kilometers of the sun and broke apart. As the comet approached Earth, it was only a cloud of debris, only visible through a telescope.

Don Yeomans of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program says that the comet won’t be back for another 12,000 years. He noted that there has been hype on the internet about the comet and the consequences of it entering Earth. Yeomans said that in scientific reality, the comet is incredibly miniscule to have any impact on Earth’s gravitational pull to affect any environmental changes on Earth. The comet passed Earth at a distance that is ninety times the distance of the moon, and its mass was one-hundredths the size of the moon. If anything, the moon is currently exerting significantly more environmental changes than Elenin.

Maybe this event was nothing we should’ve been scared about in the first place. Only time will tell if the next space matter heading towards Earth is large enough for the hypothesized phenomena that were attributed to this comet.

Comet Elenin heads towards Earth

Fish are smarter than we think

Post author By angelale
Post date October 31, 2011
5 Comments on Fish are smarter than we think

Scientists have captured videos showing that primates, birds and other mammals are not the only organisms that utilize tools; the newest addition to this list is fish! The Blackspot Tuskfish has been filmed to pick up a clam and repeatedly throw it against a rock until it breaks open. Even though the ability to use tools has been identified in a wide variety of animals such as crows and octopus, this is the first time that evidence has proven that fish are just as intelligent.

Blackspot Tuskfish (Choerodon schoenleinii) are found in coral reefs located in the South China Sea as well as Southeast Asia including Australia. They are typically one foot long and weigh an average of about 14 kg.

Professional diver Scott Gardner took the first ever photo of the tuskfish using a rock to crack open a shellfish off of the coast of the Great Barrier Reef. Even though this appears to be very simple task, the mental process that the fish must go through to associate throwing clams at rocks with cracking the shells is phenomenal and unexpected of typical wild fish. Gardner found many fragments of shells close to nearby rocks which indicate that this behavior was not a result of mere coincidence.

In 2009, evolutionary biologist Giacomo Bernardi from the University of California provided definitive proof of this process by capturing a video from the Pacific island of Palau. Experts who analyzed the video said that the fish are very “forward thinking in their hunt for sustenance.”

Below is the video that is taken by Dr. Bernardi:

Tags Australia, Clams, Coral Reef, Diver, Fish, Hunting, Intelligent, Marine, Rocks, Tools, University of California