Communicating Science (210)

The Midway Project

Posted on February 13, 2012 by c.lee | 4 comments

: Photo by: Midway Journey @ Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/midwayjourney)

How does an albatross and a piece of plastic relate to one another? The connection isn’t obvious, but to those who are part of The Midway Journey, it is. I recently came across a haunting image of what appeared to be a bird of some type with plastic pieces inside of it. At first glance, I thought the pieces had been placed their for some unknown purpose, but after some research I realized this was not the case. The image I saw is linked here (photo cred: Chris Jordan @ Midway Project), just in case there are some who are wary with these kind of things (I know I am).

You are probably wondering what is happening. These birds live on a series of islands called the Midway Atoll. For those who are familiar with the Battle of Midway, this is the very place the naval battles occurred. Presently, these islands serve as a home for a large population of the world’s albatross. It is unfortunate to know that human habitation has altered the living conditions of these islands and parts around it. The most notable development is probably the huge amounts of garbage being dumped into the Pacific Ocean, at such a great calibre that a plastic belt extends from Hawaii to Japan. This extensive area of garbage has now been coined the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” and was brought to light by an oceanographer by the name of Charles Moore. This increase in garbage has forced the residing albatross to unknowingly feed their young pieces of plastic, mistaking them as food.

Studies have shown a negative correlation between plastic ingestion and albatross chick survival rate. It has been suggested that due to the increase in plastic digestion, the chicks are not actually consuming food and therefore die of emaciation and dehydration. The Midway Project aims to document the reality of our consumption of plastics and its detrimental effects on the environment around us. By taking pictures of the Midway Islands, they aim to share their journey and increase awareness. This is a real concern as plastics are insoluble in water and their durable properties make them very resilient to degradation. Not only is this a problem in the Midway Islands, but scientists have also discovered other areas like in the North Atlantic Ocean where our plastic debris is accumulating, similar to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I’ve included a short video below for more information about the Midway Project. I highly recommend checking out them out!

References

4 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Happily Ever After

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Jenny Ito | 4 comments

Design by Viktor Hertz

With St. Valentine’s Day fast approaching, whether you are celebrating it, resenting it, or simply ignoring it, I thought it would be appropriate to research on the phenomenon of online dating.

A recent study on online dating lead by Dr. Eli Finkel from Northwestern University examines studies carried out by groups of psychologists as early as 1995, when the infamous Match.com opened for business. Online dating may sound silly to you (and me), but it is a multi-billion-dollar industry that provides the platform for spending even more money on days like Valentine’s day.

Photo from Frederick Basket

For guys out there, it may come to no surprise that according to the Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada, Men spend $158 on gifts on this day alone.

But before you move to spending money on gifts, let’s focus on the portal to happily ever after.

Data cited from Dr. Finkel’s paper suggests that 78% of North Americans have access to the internet in 2011. Thus, internet has now become the optimal platform for a third party intervention for match-making.

The resources for offline dating transfers directly to online dating.

Access: diverging from the traditional offline matchmaking, we now rely on the profiles generated by the online dating site. Another study by Dr. Catalina Toma and Dr. Jeffrey Hancock published earlier this month presents scientific evidence on how writing styles are directly correlated with trustworthiness for online dating profiles. This attributes the falsehood already present in the pool of potential partners. Not only might they have pro Photoshop skills, they might also write beautifully to further deceive you!
Communication: this refers to the various computer-mediated communication such as Skype or MSN to interact with potential partners before meeting face-to-face.
Matching: this is accomplished by the site’s use of mathematical algorithms to select the potential “soul mates” for their users. However, Dr. Finkel states that there is no scientific proof that the outcomes of these algorithms will provide a route to lasting relationships.

While online dating with its downfalls and falsehoods may still prove to be a supermarket of love, there is a hefty price for quality service. Different sites may claim to provide unique portals to finding a potential partner, but there will be no guarantees (just like in offline dating, of course, minus the fees).

But if you, or your friends, really do not want to celebrate Single Awareness (or Appreciation) Day tomorrow, here is a video on tips to online dating to get started! Happy fishing!

—
To see where all your money went on Valentine’s Day, click here.
The trend on average Valentine’s Day spending per consumer, by year, here.
Read the full article on The Economist, here.
Read the full paper on the review of online dating studies (as hyper-linked above), here.
Read the full paper on how online profiles are a lie, here.

4 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged internet, love, online dating, relationships, socializing, spending money, Valentine's Day

History of Science

Posted on February 13, 2012 by yusraq | 3 comments

I recently took a journey—a “staycation” you may call it. It was an eye-opening experience enriched with history, with mathematics, with architecture, with various other aspects of knowledge. And science, you may ask? Definitely.

Intrigued by the lone black and white poster surrounded by blurring splashes of colour in Buchanan D, I stepped closer to read “Islam Awareness Week at UBC! Visit our booth in the SUB from Feb 13-17 and find out about… Islam and Science!” Curiosity piqued, I rushed to a computer and that’s where it all began.

My very first stop on this journey was the United States Library of Congress — it’s ceiling, to be exact. This famous ceiling contains the names of all the previous nations that have been prevalent in the spread of knowledge through history. Amongst the names of numerous countries such as Italy, Greece, Germany, Spain, and Britain, was one religion: Islam.

Islam? How could this be? I delved into the literature, sprinted across fields of research and came across gem after gem. Here are a few:

Gem #1: Muhammad Ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi, a Muslim mathematician, invented algebra, arithmetic and introduced Arabic numerals. His method was deemed to be far more superior than the current European system of arithmetic of the time, which was based on Roman numerals. (Imagine doing this on a math test: CXXIII x XI = MCCCLIII. Aren’t you glad we use this instead: 123 x 11 = 1353?) His work was first referenced by Fibonacci, the Italian mathematician in a book titled Liber Abaci.

Gem #2: Ibrahim al-Uqlidisi, a Muslim scholar in the 10th century, created the decimal system to describe fractions. This is such an integral part of our everyday life that it seems impossible that we once existed without this concept.

Gem #3: Al-Zahrawi (known in the West as Abulcasis), a Muslim physician, is regarded as the father of modern surgery. He was the first physician to describe surgical procedures such as one for an ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy in which the embryo grows outside the womb.

Gem #4: Ibn Sina, one of the greatest Muslim legends of the Islamic golden age, compiled an encyclopedia over a million words long which became the standard European medical reference work. This work included a description of the six motor muscles of the eye and the various types of hepatitis as well as their causes among many other medical concepts. Today, his portrait adorns the hall of the School of Medicine in the University of Paris.

The one thing these great scientists had in common was their religion—Islam. Their motivation and determination for seeking knowledge was encouraged by Islam. Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and blessings be Upon Him) to whom the message of Islam and Quran was revealed stated that

“For him who embarks on the path of seeking knowledge, Allah (God) will ease for him the way to paradise.”

and

“Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim”

3 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Science Communication, Uncategorized

Tagged History, Islam, Medicine, numbers, Religion and Science

Ancient martial arts fights Parkinson’s disease

Posted on February 12, 2012 by jckim | 6 comments

Man performing tai chi (Photo by Ponto de Cultura Vila Buarque on Flickr)

A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that tai chi helps improve strength, balance, and physical function of those that suffer from Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease in which nerve cells in the brain that produce the chemical dopamine begin to die. The decrease in the production of dopamine results in movement impairments, loss of postural stability and many more problems that affect function and quality of life. According to Parkinson Society Canada, nearly 100, 000 Canadians have Parkinson’s disease and 1 in 300 people in Canada and the United States has Parkinson’s.

Tai chi is an ancient martial art that is characterized by slow, flowing movement and meditation that is practiced for both defense training as well as many health benefits.

The latest research recruited 195 patients who suffered movement and balance problems caused by Parkinson’s disease from four Oregon cities and randomly assigned them into three groups: tai chi, resistance training, or stretching. All patients in all three groups underwent two 60-minute sessions twice a week for 24 consecutive weeks. After 24 weeks, the patients in the tai chi group performed much better than the other two groups in many measures related to strength, balance, movement control, stride length, and functional reach.

What makes this finding more significant is that tai chi improves what current medications do not. Fuzhong Li, the study’s lead author, quoted in an interview with the New York Times, “Current medications do not work well in terms of providing impaired balance or postural instability.” Li added, “In fact, patients suffer a great deal of medication side effects which may lead to further deterioration in balance control.”

Tai chi may help your walks last longer. Photo by C. Frank Starmer

For those of you that are interested and have a few minutes of extra time, you may want to take a look at the short video of instructor Dr. Fuzhong Li, taken from “Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance”, posted below.

6 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Science in the News

Tagged Dr. Fuzhong Li, Parkinson's, Parkinson's disease, tai chi

Video creation tutorials

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Eric Jandciu | Leave a comment

As you start thinking about your video and podcast projects, I thought I would post a couple tutorials about making videos from the Vimeo Video School. There are a lot more to be found if you follow the link, but here are a couple embedded right here on the blog that I think I particularly important. The first one includes some shooting basics and the second one discusses general video editing.

Video 101: Editing Basics from Vimeo Staff on Vimeo.

Depending on which piece of software you are using for the editing, you can watch a more detailed video about using Microsoft Movie Maker (on a PC) or iMovie (on a Mac).

It seems to be a little more advanced, but Lifehacker also has a series of tutorials about video editing.

Finally, there is also a page on the UBC Wiki about video production that includes tutorials and a whole bunch of links to other resources.

Happy shooting!

Juice Contents: Natural Sugars, Fruit Concentrate, Arsenic?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by ldeluca6 | 7 comments

Image by: Pediatric Dentistry

Million’s of kids each day are fed juices, like apple and grape, in little boxes. But would parents be giving these to their young ones if they knew they were contaminated with toxic poisons? Consumer Reports recently published a headlining story on apple and grape juices containing levels of arsenic – a harmful poison and contaminant.

My first question upon this realization is one, I am sure, that is shared with thousands of juice consumers worldwide. How were these arsenic levels not dealt with by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? Is there no standard level of arsenic that is deemed acceptable for consumers? The shocking truth is that the FDA does not regulate arsenic levels in fruit juices. In fact, there is no such federal arsenic threshold –not only for juices, but for most foods. The only form of limitation for this poison is enforced in bottled water –a standard of no more than 10 parts per billion (ppb).

Image by: Consumer Reports

An investigation by Consumer Reports showed that out of 88 tested samples of grape and apple juices, all contained detectable Arsenic. Roughly 10% had arsenic levels exceeding the bottle water limit of 10 ppb. These same samples were tested for lead contamination, 25% of which showing levels exceeding the FDA’s 5 ppb lead standard for water. High controversy and speculation arose about toxic arsenic levels in fruit juices when similar results created headlines from a 2011 study on “The Dr. Oz Show”.

Since then, the FDA has stated to be “seriously considering” creating a standard limit for levels of arsenic that will be allowed in juices, and is “collecting all relevant information to evaluate and determine an appropriate level”.

So, is there reason to be concerned?

The affects of long term exposure to poisons like arsenic are chronic and detrimental. A 2004 study at Columbia University showed that when exposed to drinking water with arsenic levels above 5 ppb, children showed a decreased intellectual function. A similar study conducted by Texas researchers in 2011 showed the same results, that even low-level arsenic exposure over a long period of time “significantly relates to poorer scores in language, global cognition, and immediate memory”.

Well, how is the arsenic entering these beverages in the first place? Although it is difficult to pin-point one cause, the main source is thought to be from soils tainted with arsenate pesticides, which have been banned for decades in the US, but somehow seem to reside in its soils.

So why isn’t anything being done? The fact that there currently is no set standard for arsenic levels in juice is baffling. The FDA must step up the monitoring of this poison in our juices and foods, and needs to immediately enforce limits that are appropriate and make sense.

References:

7 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Tagged Arsenic, Contaminants, Juice

Is Animal Research Necessary?

Posted on February 5, 2012 by aali | 4 comments

According to the Canadian Council of Animal Care, in 2010 roughly 211,604 animals were involved in scientific research at UBC. This accounts for only 6 percent of the total animals involved in animal research in Canada. Why are so many animals used in scientific research? What purposes are they used for? How relevant is research done on animals compared to us humans? Is it necessary to use animals in research?

Image by: Jane Ray

These are the questions that were circling in my mind as I pondered upon these numbers on the UBC website based on animal research. It gave me some insight as well as to other members of the community, the importance of animals in scientific research. It explains how the Canadian Council of Animal Care divides animals up into five categories based on invasiveness. For example, category D uses animals such as mice, rats, fish and toads and causes them minor to severe distress or discomfort, but does provide them with proper anesthesia. This includes sampling of blood or minor operations. Not only are they divided into categories, but also in terms of the purposes they are used for. One of the purposes that intrigued me was Purpose 3 since it involved drug testing. It stated that,

“Under Canadian Law all potential drugs, medical products…including vaccines used for both humans and animals must be [first] tested out on animals before clinical trials are allowed.”

I was quite shocked at this fact as it left me wondering about the production of potential drugs. For example, how would a potential drug, only being produced for human purposes was being tested in a study. According to the law, since testing is always done on animals first, how would this provide any insight as to how this drug would work on humans? I was left unanswered with this thought after reading many articles.

What I came across was this interview of Dr. Simon Festing discussing why animal research is necessary. Although Dr. Festing did say that “we share over 90 percent of our genes with a mouse…and many of the biological systems found in animals are found in human,” he never explained what differences we have and how those may account for the possible side effects found in humans. What I found most shocking was how he compared animal cruelty to how doctors mistreat their patients and how some older people in nursing homes are treated.

I had also come across the Stop Animal Research at UBC webpage and it stated that the UBC Animal Research webpage was created in 2011 for the first time releasing information about animal research done at UBC as well as relevant data and the types of animals they use (not specifying species type). Even though there is more data and information being put out for society to look at, there needs to be much more specific information for animal research so that people can understand its importance in scientific research.

Image by: Animal Connections 2009

4 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science in the News

Tagged Animal Care, animal research, animal testing, Government of Canada, UBC

Developments in Nanotechnology: Diagnosis within minutes

Posted on February 4, 2012 by gmiller91 | 1 comment

Doctors and scientists all over the world have fought an uphill battle with cancer and infectious diseases for numerous years. Each time a drug is developed to fight them, they manage to grow a little bit stronger, a little more persistent, and way more determined to evade these treatments and survive within the human body.
Dr. Shana Kelley and her team of researchers from the University of Toronto have developed a portable device with a disposable chip that could detect cancer at the molecular level, in its earliest stages of development.

Science and Technology

This would allow doctors to provide a treatment before the disease becomes malignant or terminal. Its design unique in that doctors would only need to take a sample of blood, urine or just a simple swab from the cheek to perform the test. Also, since cancer usually starts localized one particular area, early detection at this stage would allow more people to receive help when the disease is easily treatable.

As Dr. Kelley states, this new development will completely revolutionize the way diagnostic tests are completed. Currently, it takes patients days or even weeks to get diagnosed with certain diseases or cancers from a quite painful and invasive biopsy. Statistics show that 29.6 percent of all deaths in Canada are attributed to cancer, so this new technology could potentially be able to lower that rate significantly. Furthermore, it would save the healthcare system millions of dollars.

Canadian Cancer Statistics

However, since this development is still in the early stages, I have to wonder just how accurate this test is and how will it be received all around the world. There are probably many developing nations who could use this type technology so it not only could potentially impact the medical field in the Americas but also around the world.

References
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tag/dr-shana-kelley
youtube.com

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News

Tagged Cancer, Infectious disease, Shana Kelley, technology

Dear 16 year old me

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Miss. K | 4 comments

Melanoma! What comes to mind when you read this word? Do you think of it as a deadly disease? In fact melanoma is the most dangerous and the number one fetal type of skin cancer. It is a meligmant tumour of melanocytes. Melanocytes are a type of cells that line the outer layer of our skin. These cells produce pigments which add colour to our skin. When we tan, we expose our melanocytes to the sun’s UV rays and cause them to become more active. This is why we get tanned. However too much exposure to the sun can cause the over activation of these melanocytes which results in rapidly dividing cancerous cells.

Melanoma can affect not only the skin, but the eyes and mouth. It spreads fast unless caught early. If it spreads it can affect the liver, heart, and the brain. In 2010, 5,300 people were affected resulting in 920 lives lost by melanoma. This type of cancer can affect everyone, however teens of sixteen years of age are very prone to this deadly type of cancer.

One of the major causes of melanoma is the use of tanning beds or exposure to to much sun. Scientists of the article ‘‘A Sunbed Epidemic?’’ conducted a study when the reported number of melanoma cases increased in Iceland. Scientists investigated that the number of sunny days had increased and individuals who reported cases of melanoma had been traveling outdoors on those sunny days. Furthermore the number of people who used tanning beds were more likely to report symptoms of melanoma than those who did not use tanning beds.

We have all heard the saying “Don’t forget to put on sunscreen;” many times. What if I told you that by just taking 5 minutes out of your day before you head out to rub sunscreen on your skin, you can protect yourself from this deadly disease. Now I know what most of you are thinking, we live in vancouver where is the sun?

The reality is that we don’t see many sunny days here but that doesn’t mean that we are still not exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. Even on cloudy days sun rays can have a harmful effect on our skin.

After reading this blog and watching the video, please take these messages. Forget the healthy glow and avoid the tanning beds. Rub sunscreen on every exposed part of your skin and check your skin for irregular signs of moles and spots. It you catch it early you can stop the spread.

4 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement

Tagged Cancer, Melanoma, Sunscreen, Teenagers

Water: The Healthiest Beverage?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by tkang | 4 comments

There is no harm in drinking water, right?

Most of us would probably not think twice about the contents of our drinking water. The water that we get out of the tap actually contains added fluoride to help prevent tooth decay by protecting tooth enamel against acids. However, we can obtain fluoride naturally through eating various foods. Many of us may also use fluoride containing products, such as toothpastes, mouth gels, dental floss, and dietary supplements.

http://youtu.be/tSKToTFitd0

The Government of Canada first introduced water fluoridation in 1968. However, since then, the government has reduced the optimum level of fluoride four times. The most recent cutback was in 2008, where the optimum level was lowered to almost half the initial recommended amount in 1968.

Larger doses of fluoride may causes serious health issues, including dental fluorosis, weakened bones, or even bone cancer. Too much fluoride causes bone structure disturbances, decreases fertility, and accumulates in certain areas of the brain, which will affect behaviour and learning.

Browning and marked wear on biting surfaces. CREDIT: FINALGAMER

There is an ongoing debate about whether or not water fluoridation is the cause of the decline in tooth decay. However, many studies have shown that tooth decay have actually started to decline before the fluoridation of water. Furthermore, tooth decay in children who have used fluoridated water all their lives continues to decline, which means that there is probably another factor involved.

The safety level of fluoride in our drinking water remains questionable, and with so many health risks associated with excess levels of fluoride, as well as the exposure of so many fluoridated products, I believe that water fluoridation is both unnecessary and risky. Although fluoride does help prevent tooth decay, the possibility of excess fluoride intake outweighs the benefit.

The Midway Project

Happily Ever After

History of Science

Ancient martial arts fights Parkinson’s disease

Video creation tutorials

Juice Contents: Natural Sugars, Fruit Concentrate, Arsenic?

Is Animal Research Necessary?

Developments in Nanotechnology: Diagnosis within minutes

Dear 16 year old me

Water: The Healthiest Beverage?

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