BPA health risks beginning to be better understood

Posted on February 25, 2013 by | Leave a comment

I’m sure at one point or another you’ve heard someone say that plastic water bottles are bad for the environment and that all they do is create landfill waste. Then i’m sure you thought well if i recycle the bottle then it won’t be creating waste. Well it turns out the environment effects of plastic bottles may not be all you have to worry about. Research started coming out Back in 2007 that showed BPA (Bisphenol A) may be causing a variety of unwanted health risks to humans. Regardless of the finding of these early studies, it took the FDA 5 years until it banned the use of BPA in some plastic containers back in 2012. At first it wasn’t well understood how BPA was causing these problems, but a new study that was published in Proceeding of the National Academy of Science may have found at least one mechanism of how BPA is effecting the development of our young.

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What is Bisphenol A? by riskbites

BPA is a manmade organic chemical that is a major component of polycarbonate plastic as well as epoxy resins that are used to coat the insides of many containers  such as food cans and plastic water bottles. The main purpose of BPA is to prevent corrosion of the container itself by its contents. The problem with BPA is that it can mimic estrogen and disrupt our endocrine system.

Pocari Sweat by srowdrowa via Wikimedia Commons

During our development our neurons contain high levels of chloride ions, but as we mature the levels of chloride inside the neurons drops because of a chloride transporter called KCC2. When the developing neurons are exposed to even small levels of BPA these KCC2 transporters don’t work as well and chloride concentrations remain high inside the neuron. As a result of this the developing neurons suffer damage caused by the abnormal chloride levels. Although both male and female neurons are affected, female neurons seem to be more susceptible to BPA’s toxicity. This requires further research to be more certain, but it could could a possible factor in neurological disorders such as Rett syndrome among others that tend to plague females more so than males.

It may be time to start second guessing the use of those disposable plastic water bottles and consider replacing them with a BPA free reusable water bottle. Since the results of the many studies that preceded this one have come into light these more health friendly metal water bottles have become a very popular substitute. And hey it helps reduce a little waste at the same time….win win.

-Alex Gibson

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Let’s Facebook!

Posted on February 25, 2013 by | 2 comments

Have you blamed Facebook for distracting you from studying for an exam? When exam time comes many students prefer to study in the library hoping to focus better, but most of them actually end up on Facebook! As “harmful” as Facebook use may seem to young people, the psychology researcher Janelle Wohltmann shows that Facebook may have social and cognitive benefits to elderly people!

Facebook as weapon of mass distraction via Flickr creative commons

Wohltmann’s study involved three groups of 14 participants of age between 68 to 91. The participants have either never used Facebook or used it less than once a month.

(Group 1)

Wohltmann provided training on how to use Facebook to the older adults in the first group. Participants were asked to befriend each other on Facebook and post on the website at least once every day.

(Group 2)

The second group of participants were taught to use Penzu.com, an online diary site. Participants in this group were asked to post at least one entry per day containing no more than five sentences, which are the typical lengths of Facebook posts. However, unlike on Facebook, the diary entries were private and not shared with anyone.

(Group 3)

The third group of participants were told that they were on “waitlist” for Facebook training but the study subjects did not actually complete the training.

Elderly people on Facebook via Flickr creative commons

Prior to the actual experiment, the participants completed questionnaires and tests to measure their level of social connectivity and cognitive ability. At the end of the study, participants completed the same tests and the performance differences were measured and analyzed.

Study results show that participants in the group who learnt how to use Facebook performed approximately 25% better on the assessments than the other two groups, who did not really show much improvement. Hence Wohltmann concludes from her study that teaching older people to use Facebook could improve their cognitive functions and also make them feel more socially involved. A possible explanation to the cognitive benefit of Facebook is that on Facebook there is always new information coming in so people need to constantly shift their attention and re-focus. 

Although more research is needed to further confirm and expand on the results of Wohltmann’s study, Facebook seems to be a rather promising way to improve old people’s cognitive ability and make them feel more connected!

-Stella Meng

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Sonic Booms

Posted on February 25, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Many people are aware of the meteorite that recently crashed into Earth in Russia. With the availability of video recording hand-held devices, as well as, dash-cam cameras on cars, videos of the meteorite sweeping across the sky are everywhere on the web.  There are reports of over 1000 injuries, many of which was due to the after effects of the sonic boom that took place from this meteor travelling at 33,000 miles per hour.

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Youtube Username: RussiaToday

So what causes a sonic boom? A sonic boom is best understood by the waves/wakes made by forward movements in water. When a pebble is thrown into the water, small circular waves form and move away from the center, as seen in the figure below. A slow moving boat in the water, causes the same waves to form and move away in front and behind the boat.

If the boat travels faster than the movement of the waves, then a wake is formed from all of the concentric circles coming together.

Image from howstuffworks.com

When a meteorite travels through the air, it forms sound waves similar to the last illustration of the above diagrams. A sonic boom takes place when the object travelling through the air moves faster than the speed of sound, which is 700 miles per hour (approximately 47 times less than the speed of the meteorite). The sonic boom can be considered as the wake that forms from the sound waves since all of the waves that should be in front of the moving object are joined together behind the object causing the sound to occur after the passing of the object.

-Maral Altanbadralt

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Praising the power of pee

Posted on February 24, 2013 by | 5 comments

A full bladder is full of surprises. It really is. You might think I’m referring to a child’s unexpected “accident” or the overwhelming number of bathroom breaks one would make after a night at the bar, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. What most people don’t realize is that there is actually more to urine than what meets the eye as that yellow, waste-filled liquid we excrete every, single day. While most of us think of it as merely something to get rid of, its involvement in a variety of uses proves that it is much more valuable than we think.

Hidden value lies within this urine sample.
By painassist via Flickr Creative Commons

Because urine is sterile, it is perfectly fine to drink. This method, more so known as urine therapy, is a popular Asian practice for good health as drinking the first stream of the day will not only boost your immunity, but will also cure ailments such as colds, the flu, and even hangovers due to the antibacterial characteristics of urea. This nitrogenous waste is a common component of urine that happens to be a good antiviral and antifungal agent.

Chemical structure of urea
By NEUROtiker via Wikimedia Commons

Furthermore, drinking urine is a good alternative when water is scarce since it satisfies the body’s need for fluid. In fact, following an earthquake in Egypt, a man was found in excellent condition after surviving off his own urine while trapped within the debris for three days. In addition, Native American tribes used fresh urine as an antiseptic, and mixed urine with mud to make a reliever for insect bites.

Have you ever wanted a tattoo under your parents’ objections? Well in reference to an old cultural practice, it turns out that all you have to do is mix some coal dust with some urine and voila! You have yourself some homemade tattoo ink. Similarly, stale urine was a key component of munitions. Urine was set aside for over a year to undergo fermentation, and the sediment formed was washed and mixed with ash. Once dry, the addition of sulfur and charcoal would produce your very own gun powder.

Still not convinced by the power of pee? Here is a short news clip by YouTube user CNCWorldChannel promoting the use of urine as an alternative for fossil fuels, therefore reducing the cost of energy.

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It turns out that approximately 300 mL of urine could supply a lamp with two hours worth of light energy! The power of urine is bound to awe you now, literally.

In conclusion, I obviously don’t urge you all to start drinking your urine or to tattoo yourselves with some homemade ink, but I hope you’ll realize that something like urine which is often perceived as waste, really isn’t waste at all. So upon the next time you urinate, perhaps it might be wise to think twice before you flush it down!

– Clarissa Ngui

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Posted in Science Communication, Science in the News

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Organic Foods: Worth the Hype?

Posted on February 22, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Unfortunately there is no simple answer. Many consumers believe that if something is more expensive, the better it must be for you. This may not necessarily be the case when it comes to organic produce.

BC has emerged as a leader in organic farming in Canada. Over half of BC consumers are buying organic. A 2003 opinion survey showed that 53% of BC consumers purchase organic food at least occasionally. Consumers are willing to pay double for food with an organic label.

Canadian Organic Seal via Wikimedia Commons, author Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

In organic farming, farmers often use the phrase “Feed the soil, not the plant”. Produce by organic farming is grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.  Farmers create healthy soils by promoting biodiversity, growing a variety of crops instead of just one single crop. Biodiversity allows the soil time to rest and replenish nutrients. These methods allow for the reduction of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, prevention of soil erosion, improvement of soil fertility, protection of groundwater, and conserves energy.

One of the main differences between conventional farming and organic farming is the use of pesticides. Many people don’t realize that organic farmers spray their produce with non-synthetic chemical pest-killers. Many of these “natural” chemical killers can be toxic. Natural pesticides can be just as harmful as synthetic pesticides.

Organic products are not necessary better and more nutritional than products made by conventional farming. Both are actually equally likely to be contaminated by bacteria. A study done at the University of Minnesota looked at the presence of E.coli in organic and conventional farming produce. E.coli is a large group of bacteria that can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. Deadly strains of E.coli can actually lead to kidney failure. Results of the study found that organic produce contained approximately six-fold greater concentrations of E.coli than conventional produce.

E. coli bacteria via Flickr, author NIAID_Flickr

Health Canada, United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency and France have stated that there is no evidence to support that there is greater safety or nutrients in organic produce.

Maybe you aren’t buying organic food for the “nutritional” value but for taste. Time.com food writer Josh Ozersky along with New York city chefs went out to see if there was a taste difference between organic and non-organic foods.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/04/is-organic-food-more-nutritious-and-healthier-than-conventional-varieties/

Josh Ozersky and New York chefs for Time.com went out to test conventional and organic eggs, carrots, and cheese.

Although buying organic may not be worth it, there may be some foods where it might be beneficial to buy organic. Apples and leafy greens such as lettuce are foods that contain one of the highest levels of pesticides. Eating berries in the winter means that these berries are shipped from warmer climates that may not have strict regulation of pesticide use. Meat and dairy is also recommended to buy organic. In conventional farming, more animals are concentrated meaning that there is a higher risk of disease and more antibiotics which eventually ends up in the food we eat.

Apples via Wikimedia Commons, author Scott Bauer.

Buying organic is a personal choice. It is all up to consumer’s preference.

Christine Wong

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Sleepwalking: Are you sleeping or not?

Posted on February 11, 2013 by | 5 comments

Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family, which can be defined as any abnormal activities or events happening at any point of sleeping.

Sleepwalking via Binside TV

According to the National Sleep Foundation, it is estimated that 1-15% of population has this disorder.  Sleepwalking is more common in children and it often disappears by adolescence as amount of deep sleep decreases. A study shows that 16.7% of children between age of 11 to 12 years old experience sleepwalking.

As ages of people who have sleepwalking vary, symptoms are various ranging from simply sitting up and walking around to committing homicide.

sleepwalker via hughkretschme

There are interesting stories of sleepwalking episodes. 

For example, a 55 years old chef Robert Wood cooks while he is asleep. For four to five times a week, he goes to the kitchen while asleep, and makes omelettes, stir fries and chips. 

However, sleepwalking is not always funny. Several extreme cases of sleepwalking  involving crimes have been reported.

ABC news reported a guy who was arrested for violently attacking his wife while he was asleep.

Except sleepwalk is more common in childhood, it is not relevant of sex, race, or  specific environment. Then what causes sleepwalking?

Direct causes of children are unknown. Anxiety or lack of sleep likely to bring sleep disorder. According to The New York Times, alcohols, sedatives, medical conditions, side effects of medication or mental disorders can cause adults’ sleepwalking.

Furthermore, a research reported that sleepwalk can be associated with genetic problem or hormonal problems, too.

Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for sleepwalking unless it is directly caused by medication. For adults, hypnosis may be involved and actually a study shows some cases successfully treated sleepwalking with hypnosis alone.

 

There are numerous ways to prevent sleepwalking. General ways of reducing probability of having sleepwalking are: getting adequate sleep, mediation or relaxation exercises, avoiding stimuli prior to bedtime, and etc.

Also, if a person has sleep disorder, a family member of him/herself should prevent possible accident by keeping a safe sleeping environment and locking the doors and windows.

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