Category Archives: Science in the News

Posted in Public Engagement, Science in the News

Tagged 1.618, bronchi network, bronchial tree, divine, divine proportion, DNA structure, Egyptian pyramids, Fibonacci, Fibonacci Numbers, fractal physiology, golden ratio, Leonardo da Vinci, mathematical beauty, Mona Lisa, phi

Video games are good for you!

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Derrick Lee | 4 comments

The topic of whether or not video games are good for you has always been in murky waters. Are they really good or bad for your health? They are both good and bad actually, as it depends on what situation you are in. Just to throw in some examples, too much may lead to addiction, and also bad grades, if you are playing hours on end right before a final exam. However, playing games can improve problem solving, multitasking, hand-eye coordination, etc. Of course, that’s why moderation is vital here to prevent negative effects from taking over the positive ones. Alcohol is a great example of why moderation is good and this concept can also be applied to video games.

However, despite knowing the obvious negative effects of video gaming are, what are the positive effects of playing them in moderation? As a person playing video games since age 5, I have always wondered what life perks I have gotten from playing games. In Dr. Bavelier’s TED Talk, she focuses on some of the misconceptions of the gaming and the benefits of what ‘training’ in gaming can do for one person.

Here are some of the main ideas of her talk:

Gaming does not have a detrimental effect on your vision, but it actually improves your eyesight.

Some parents may believe staring at a TV or computer screen for long periods of time is the cause of their children having nearsightedness, but this is false. Gaming helps you distinguish small details in clutter and different shades of grey. For example, being able to read small print and driving in the fog easily are examples of how your vision is better.

Gaming improves your ability to pay attention.

By comparing gamers and people who don’t play video games, and using brain imaging, Dr. Bavelier’s study shows that areas of the brain which control your ability to pay attention are much more efficient in gamers than those who are not.

Gaming improves your multitasking skills.

Gamers are able to deal with many tasks and filter out unnecessary information to perform their tasks well. This idea is completely different than multi-media tasking, where you listen to music, text a friend, check your e-mail at the same time. Multi-media taskers are actually worse when tested for multitasking than with gamers.

These are not the only positive effects of gaming but it should shed some light that gaming is not totally bad. The skills developed from gaming even made a boy save his sister from a moose (if the story is true)! If you’re a gamer, you will enjoy this multitasking game and should try to compete with your friends. If you’re not a gamer, compare your score with a gamer. Start casually gaming and you may start developing skills you never had before!

Derrick Lee

4 Comments

Posted in Science in the News

Tagged brain, gaming, moderation, multitasking

Insulin – Spreading The Cure

Posted on February 3, 2013 by grattin | 1 comment

Prior to the discovery of insulin, diabetes often resulted in fatalities. The disease is considered much less serious now that extractable insulin is well-established as an effective treatment for diabetes; however, it is important to analyze the historical methods in which the cure was globally implemented in case something similar occur. Imagine if a cure for cancer was discovered – I can picture the news making global headlines that very same day. But how would such groundbreaking news spread to the most isolated communities? Or would it at all? Who would have physical access to such a cure first? Using insulin as an example, I can deduce why it is too quickly assumed that such a cure would automatically reach everyone in the world with cancer.

Insulin As a Cure – Patients with type 1 diabetes can’t produce insulin by themselves, so insulin can be extracted from animals and injected into the patient to stabilize blood sugar levels (which if unstable could lead to toxic effects.) Insulin stops the catabolism of fat into energy by inhibiting the release of glucagon and removing excess glucose from the blood. The structure of insulin protein is shown below:

Insulin (click on images to view source)

The following is a short animated video about Insulin, Glucose and You:

Discovery

Insulin was extracted from the pancreas by Frederick Banting and Charles Best in 1921 at the University of Toronto. They tested the anti-diabetic qualities of the pancreatic extract on a dog before their first human test subject, a 14 year-old boy, in 1922 – the results were “spectacular.” The two went around the diabetic ward of the Toronto General Hospital injecting comatose and dying children. “Before injecting their last comatose patients, the first started to awaken from their comas.”

How did the discovery spread globally?

Banting and his laboratory director John MacLeod received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery in 1923 and both immediately shared credit (and prize money) with other individuals involved including Best. This news made headlines all over the world.

A historical newspaper clipping during the time of the discovery of insulin.

Banting and Best made the patent available without charge and didn’t try to control the commercial production of insulin. This played a huge role in the rapid spread of insulin as a cure. Also, prior to insulin, a strict diet was the best way to increase life-expectancy of diabetics (American Diabetes Association 2012). Insulin surely allows diabetics a less restrictive lifestyle (another reason for the increased demand); unfortunately the dietary freedom has caused the percentage of the US population diagnosed with diabetes to increase since 1980 (Polonsky 2012).

There is very little analysis of the physical spread of insulin at its time of discovery. It was such a major discovery that improved and saved the lives of many, yet how it became this way has been taken for granted, all we remember is that it happened. It is popular belief that the cure was in such a high demand and was so dramatically effective that it would find its own way around the globe. I argue that this isn’t exactly the case – many poorer countries in Africa still suffer fatalities from diabetes today because they lack access to insulin (Cohen 2011).

Grattin Cox

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged Diabetes, Discovery, Health Sciences, Insulin, Medical Sciences, Spread the Cure

A Man loses his colon in pursuit of acne-free skin?

Posted on February 2, 2013 by ds0314 | 3 comments

Adult acne sufferer

Just how far are people willing to go for cosmetic enhancement? Apparently, very far, as a New Jersey man had to have his colon removed due to a severe inflammatory bowel disorder, which was caused by an anti-acne drug called Accutane. This raises the question of when personal responsibility is required, instead of relying on the expertise of pharmaceutical companies and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Accutane, manufactured by Roche

Acne affects 85% of people between the ages of 12 and 24 and can cause embarrassment and depression. Although acne may clear up – or at the very least diminish – by age 25, millions suffer from acne even into late adulthood. As a result, anti-acne drugs are a multi-billion dollar industry. Accutane, which is manufactured by Roche, is considered the miracle drug, as it can dramatically clear up acne. However, as with many prescription drugs, this comes with severe side effects including stomach pain, bone and muscle pain, persistent fever, depression, suicidal thoughts, and dry skin to name a few. For many years, the public has been divided on Accutane’s presence on the market; some heavily advocate against it due to the severe side effects, which can be permanent, but acne sufferers simply believe that Accutane is their only hope for clear skin.

Due to countless lawsuits similar to the man in New Jersey, who won a 25 million dollar verdict, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the prescription drug has pulled the drug off the market in 12 countries, including the US. In other countries, they have quietly stopped marketing the drug. However, numerous generic forms of Accutane exist, going under the names of Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret. As a result, this “miracle drug” is still circulating among acne sufferers, some who have faced devastating consequences, including miscarriages, psychosis, mental problems, hepatitis, night blindness, and even death. Where does personal responsibility take place in deciding to take such a dangerous drug? Why are pharmaceutical companies oblivious to such problems and knowingly continue to sell dangerous prescription drugs, where the side effects far outweigh the benefits?

This article, along with a similar article discussing the presence of generic Accutane drugs, is particularly intriguing, as both raises the question of when personal responsibilities are necessary in deciding to undergo extreme oral medication for cosmetic reasons. As well, the article warns us that the public must do extensive research, instead of heavily replying on the expertise of pharmaceutical companies. After reading this article, I began to wonder when I ever questioned the advice of a doctor regarding prescription drugs and their side effects. I myself was on this particular drug for a year due to severe acne and experienced plethora of side effects, including depression. The ironic thing is that I never questioned whether the benefits outweigh the negative side effects, being oblivious to the negative impact on my overall health and well-being. Now that I am no longer on this extreme drug, I have become wary of prescription drugs and have begun to ask whether the benefits of prescription drugs outweigh the negative side effects. I would like to end my blog with the video below; Dr.Neal, a licensed dermatologist, discusses the dangerous side effects and educates the public about whether Accutane is the right solution for acne sufferers.

Derek Song

Online references:

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

http://www.naturalnews.com/028611_accutane_side_effects.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/037552_generic_Accutane_acne_drug_health_risks.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITQQx4ATu80[/youtube]

3 Comments

https://eldorado.tu-dortmund.de/bitstream/2003/28936/1/10.pdf

Tagged Accutane, acne, FDA, Law suit, prescription drugs, side effects

Is The Data on Your Smartphone Safe?

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Gagan Gill | 2 comments

Most people are very cautious when using their credit card online as credit card and internet fraud seem to be increasing exponentially. In fact, Scotiabank estimates that the amount of money being stolen via credit cards in Canada alone has risen from $266 million in the year 2005 to just under $395 million in 2009.Although we are cautious when giving away our credit card numbers, most people don’t think twice when making payments on their smartphones. We simply tap the “buy app” button in the apple app store and readily press the “confirm payment” button on the eBay website. After all, viruses and hackers only target computers right? Wrong!

With the world shifting towards a more smartphone dependent lifestyle, so have hackers and scam artists. The story doesn’t end there. It seems that the hackers are getting better at the tricks of their trade. They are getting so good that a recent study conducted at Georgia Tech University found that even trained smartphone cyber-security experts fail to recognize when they have landed on a potentially dangerous site.

smartphone showing Google wallet, a new way to pay with your smartphone. Credit: justinpickard

The study found that even though attempts have been made to encrypt data, most mobile web browsers fail to satisfy the security standards of the World Wide Web Consortium, meaning that hackers can easily lure victims into their traps. In some cases, you do not even need to give a fraudulent website your credit card information. Just visiting such a site can open up a doorway, allowing hackers to see what you are doing on your smartphone. They monitor your phone’s activity and when you use payment options on a legitimate website, they strike and steal all your data.

The researchers focused their study on the top 10 mobile browsers, which make up approximately 90% of all mobile browsing in the United States. They found that none of these browsers had security indicators to warn users of hazardous sites. The researchers believe that limitations may be due to small screens and limited processing power of smartphones. Despite this, they still believe that new policies need to be formed that more carefully define the security standards of mobile devices and warn users to be much more alert when browsing the web on their mobile phones.

Below is a small news report that describes some of the signs of an infected phone and the steps that one can take to secure your personal data.

So, next time your browsing the web or making a payment on your smartphone, don’t think that you are perfectly safe. Use extreme caution and don’t trust websites that you are not sure about. With new electronics and devices being added to our lives day by day it can sometimes be very easy to get lost in the world of technology, but we need to realize that security threats are very real and that we need to take all the steps necessary to secure our information.

-Gagandeep Gill

Online References:

http://www.scotiabank.com/ca/common/sites/ccrc/pdf/fraud.pdf

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205112829.htm

http://www.newswise.com/articles/mobile-browsers-fail-georgia-tech-safety-test

Posted in Science in the News

Tagged credit card fraud, cyper-security, Georgia Tech, Internet, Smartphones

Prostate cancer screening harmful to men?

Posted on January 28, 2013 by andybyun | 1 comment

Would you be surprised to know that one in 7 men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime? Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men and, on average, 73 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer every day. Imagine that you are just diagnosed with prostate cancer. Your life will flash before your eyes, and try to handle the verdict in the midst of the flashbacks. But don’t be scared yet, gentlemen. And let’s look at how prostate cancer is commonly tested and see if it is necessary as part of normal checkups.

Cancer
Image: http://healthydebate.ca/opinions/we-should-aggressively-screen-for-cancers-early-right

There are mainly two ways of testing for prostate cancer: PSA screening and digital rectal exam. PSA, also known as prostate specific antigen, is often used by doctors and healthcare practitioners to detect the presence of prostate tumor. Because PSA level in the blood generally goes up with the presence of prostate tumors, it is generally thought that early detection can be achieved by PSA screening.

PSA testing no longer recommended
Image: http://alvinblin.blogspot.ca/2012/05/uspstf-recommends-against-psa-for.html

However, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (PSTF) concluded that PSA screening for prostate cancer are unreliable and do not offer men any tangible benefit in lifespan or quality of life. PSTF found that there are many more men who were injured by PSA tests than are helped by it. But, why?

First of all, PSA blood levels can be increased by many other factors, meaning that the test has a high chance of producing false-positives. Prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and even rigorous physical activity can contribute to the increase in PSA blood levels. According to the ten years’ worth of comprehensive data on PSA screening, PSTF determined that, while at least 100 will receive false positives, only one in 1,000 men will derive any potential benefit.

A: increased diagnose of prostate cancer
B: minimal reduction in deaths by prostate cancer
Image: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0810696

Secondly, PSA screening has serious side effects, thus does more harm than good. According to the study, Mortality Results from a Randomized Prostate-Cancer Screening Trial: it was concluded that the rate of death from prostate cancer was very low and did not differ significantly between the two study groups with over 76000 men: one that had PSA screening for 6 years and the other that had usual care as the control. Why did the PSA screening test fail to reduce the death from prostate cancer? Despite the early detection of prostate cancer, PSA screening led to other medical complications such as infection, bleeding, clot formation, and urinary difficulties. Treatment-related complications, which are generally more serious, included infection, incontinence, impotence, and other disorders.

Most men develop prostate cancer if they live long enough. However, prostate cancers are very slow growing and usually do not kill the patient. Long before the prostate cancer becomes life-threatening, it is more likely that a man with prostate cancer generally dies of some other cause. It questions us whether PSA screening is really necessary for healthy men. It is still a very controversial topic, but I cautiously suggest avoiding PSA screening as part of normal checkups, and I recommend digital rectal examination which is sufficient to detect prostate cancer without any medical complication. PSA screening should be done on patients only when there is an enlarged prostate or other related symptoms.

Andy Byun

Green Coffee Bean Extract for Weight Loss on The Doctors TV Episode

Tagged digital rectal exam, DRE, Prostate cancer, prostate specific antigen, PSA screening

Does Green Coffee Extract Really Change Your Life?

Posted on January 28, 2013 by si20 | 2 comments

One day when I was on the phone with my cousin, she suggested that to take green coffee extract to lose weight. Since then, I was wondering what green coffee is and how it would help me to lose weight. So, I did some research. Green coffee is simply coffee bean that have not been roasted. Chlorogenic acid in those unroasted beans decreases the absorption of glucose by small intestine after eating a meal, and this seems to help in losing weight. The reason why the regular coffee doesn’t have the same effect as green coffee is that unfortunately, roasting process causes the loss of chlorogenic acid in coffee beans.

Green coffee extract is taken in capsules that aren’t that cheap. The average monthly supply costs 20 to 30 dollars.

The market for this notion of weight lost has been growing since DR. OZ show has been suggested the medical of green coffee extract in September. Does this really work and at what cost? To prove the effectiveness of green coffee extract on weight lost, DR. Mehmet OZ conducted an experiment on 100 volunteer women and found out that those individuals who took the green coffee extract on average have lost 2 pounds in two weeks. Another double blind study by specialists at the University of Scranton shows significant weight lost in 16 overweight individuals who lost an average of 17 pounds in 22 weeks without altering their calories intake and life style.

This extraordinary effect of green coffee extract has not been able to hide from the sharp eyes of critics. Even though the results of these two studies have been published widely, experts are concerned over the validity of the result since this have been tested only on small group of people. DR. Arya Sharma, a professor of medicine and chair of obesity research and management at the University of Alberta, said “Clearly there’s nothing magical about it.” Many critics believe that it is impossible to lose weight without any alteration in daily calories intake, and the weight lost during this studies might be the effect of monitored diet plan offered as part of these studies.

Study done by Igho Onakpoy and his colleges confirms the short-term effectiveness of green coffee extract on weight loss but it also suggested that the significance of green coffee extract is too small between those who took the green coffee extract capsule and those who took the placebo version of it.

As we know obesity is one of major problems in our modern world, and as time goes by, there would be more increase in average weight of human population. In my opinion, taking green coffee extract is not a bad idea if it would at least mentally encourage one to loss weight and be healthier.

As a result, many of us would like to believe that green coffee extract is the best thing that science has found to answer our hopes for losing weight so fast, but there are still some controversies about it; thus, we have to wait and see what it would happen in the future of green coffee extract.

Simin Yahyavi

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Knees: A New Form Of Identification?

Posted on January 27, 2013 by kleask | 2 comments

Computer scientist Lior Shamir of Lawrence Technological University will be publishing his idea of using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to scan people’s knees as a form of identification in the International Journal of Biometrics. After scanning the person’s legs, the bone structure of their knees will be matched to a biometric record for identity confirmation; the software capable of this was developed by Shamir. During initial tests, Shamir found that of 2,686 people tested, his software could recognize 93% of the individuals by their knee scan.

Image By John Rensten (corbisimages.com)

Shamir is targeting his software for moving lineups of people. This way office buildings and airports can quickly identify and register the people as they walk past the MRI system. This software could not be used to replace identification such as a passport. Instead it is to be used along with other forms of biometric identification, such as fingerprints or iris scans. Although these other forms of biometric identification can be deceived by wearing coloured contact lenses or making fingerprints unrecognizable by sanding them down, altering one’s bone structure would be more difficult to do without record. I think that this may seem like an inconvenience to people when going to work or travelling, but overall it would be in everyone’s best interest as it has the potential to prevent identity fraud.

“There is a distinct problem with the implementation of MRI scanning in a security setting in that MRI scanners are very large machines that take a long time to acquire an image of even a small body part such as the kneecap” the researchers admit. Although these seem like major issues, technological advances will ensure that smaller , faster MRI systems are developed.

Image By Todd Gipstein (corbisimages.com)

One of the main problems that people associate with idea of an MRI scan is radiation. Fortunately MRI scans do not have the risk of ionizing radiation that X-rays so infamously have, so there in no health risk involved. This simple scan also would not raise any privacy issues, such as with tetrahertz scanners which are used in order to ‘view’ under the scanned person’s clothing as a security measure.

Despite some skepticism from the public, Shamir believes that his new software will be worthwhile once people realize how much more secure their identity would be from fraud for the small inconvenience of walking past the scanner on their way through security.

Kathleen Leask

Tagged airport, biometric, identification, knee, MRI, scanner, security, technology, unique

A Top Scientific Discovery: Would You Want To Know Your Baby’s Genetics?

Posted on January 22, 2013 by ashleyd | 1 comment

Genome Sequencing For Fetuses

Can you imagine being able to know more than just the gender of your baby before it is even born? You may soon be able to learn personality and physical traits of your unborn baby!

A discovery in 2012 was made by researchers at the University of Washington when the successful sequencing of a complete fetal genome was made. This sequencing is unlike any previous techniques because it does not pose any risks to the baby. The technique is noninvasive and can create a genome sequence of the developing fetus from as early as the first trimester.


Fetus. source: flickr.com

Today’s common prenatal genetic tests include amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. These tests require a needle inserted into the amniotic sac to test for certain genetic diseases and chromosomal abnormalities. They are invasive and pose a 2% risk of miscarriage.

The newly discovered technique is possible because there is circulating cell-free DNA. A portion of which, in a pregnant woman’s blood, is derived from the fetus. This can be isolated and further sequenced. The test requires a sample of blood from the mother and blood or saliva from the father. Once the parents’ genomes are determined, one can determine which DNA comes from the fetus.

The main benefit is early medical warnings that were previously unknown. Importantly, scientists are interested in identifying conditions that can be treated before birth. Is there a limit though to how much genetic information parents should know?

Not all genetic irregularities are expressed. Whole genome mapping merely predicts the possibility of disease. Consequently, parents could be living in fear or even abort the baby that may never actually have the disease appear.

In just five years time this testing could be clinically available. I think this topic is so interesting and controversial, and the future debates on this topic will be fascinating.

By Ashley Dolman

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science in the News

Tagged Discovery

Manly Meats: Why Vegetables Just Don’t Cut It

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Alan Lam | 1 comment

Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach once said “Der Mensch ist, was er ißt”; “you are what you eat”. But what does meat eating have to do anything with manliness? According to a recent study at UBC, Matthew Ruby and Steven Heine polled 273 local individuals and concluded that although vegetarians were considered more virtuous and moral, meat eaters were seen 16% more masculine than their vegan counterparts. But wait a sec, where is this all coming from?

Meat eaters are percieved more masculine. Photo credit: Shuttershock http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/meat-men-masculinity_n_1524224.html

The Journal of Consumer Research attempted to unravel the reasonings behind this phenomenon. Interestingly enough, out of all the gender assigning languages, they found 23 associating the male gender to the word meat. They also found that in Western culture, manliness correlated with meat intake, especially “meatier” cuts like steak. Even advertisements today capitalize on such social values; that manly men must be on a “Guy-et“, or are “Meatatarians“.

This meat association to manliness may be a reflection of historically macho activities like hunting, but today’s society largely agrees a pure carnivorous diet is an absurdity for any human being. But contrary to common belief, people who only eat meat exist, and such a diet may have its roots earlier than you might think. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, a Canadian ethnologist, reaccounts his all-meat diet during his arctic exploration. In his article published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine, January 1930 Edition, he explained a typical Inuit diet in detail, including the different types of meats he ate, from basic fish, to penguins and seals. Of the decade he spent with the Inuits, nine of the years composed of a pure carnivorous diet, with no signs of major health problems throughout the entire endeavor. It was also concluded from his observations that Inuits did not show any signs of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or obesity, albeit their lack of vegetables in their diet.

An Inuit meal of raw fish. Photo Credit: Arctic Photo http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/gallery2/arctic/peoples/inuitcan/ba0929-08.htm

But before you consider to purge yourself of vegetables and eat like an Inuit, it should be noted that this kind of high fat, high meat diet that Stefansson followed reflects on the extreme living conditions during the process. Even North American versions of exclusive meat diets, like one from the Livestrong Foundation, consider the additive effect of animal fat ontop of the caloric contents of starches and carbohydrates from other food groups, and suggest to consider low fat meats, like fish and turkey or leaner cuts of beef like top sirloin, or round roasts. Heck, if I had the option, I would whole-heartedly try a pure meat diet and live like the Inuits, if I were manlier and could handle the cold frosts of the Artic, or had triple the grocery budget to switch meats for veggies.