Category Archives: Science Communication

Food for Thought: Can Eating Breakfast Make You Smarter?

Posted on February 25, 2013 by narissam | 3 comments

Now, we’ve all been told this time and time again, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but how many of us actually find time amidst our busy mornings to eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast?

Extra sleep instead of breakfast. Image taken from Photobucket, uploaded by ratetherandom3

I know that many of us are guilty of skipping this crucial first meal of the day and have many excuses for doing so, including myself, but there are numerous benefits that come from eating this often neglected meal, aside from the fact that breakfast foods usually taste pretty good. Along with the fact that eating breakfast can improve your mood and your choice of foods for the rest of the day, another benefit is that eating breakfast can make you smarter and there are studies that prove it.

Breakfast should come before almost everything. Image taken from Photobucket, uploaded by 1lucillelane

A study conducted by the University of Kentucky surveyed a total of 251 undergraduate students to see if there was a correlation between eating breakfast and higher academic achievement. This study validated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it was shown that students who ate breakfast, on average, had a higher GPA (3.30±0.46) than those who did not (3.06±0.58). Being a student, it may be difficult to make the traditional breakfast of eggs and toast, but simple meals such as grabbing a granola bar to go or making a quick bowl of cereal can be just as effective!

A healthy breakfast. Image taken from Photobucket, uploaded by cstvrt

Skipping breakfast is much like driving a car without fuel – at a certain point it will stop working when you need to use it. As a student, this makes you less focused, decreases your concentration and makes it even more difficult to remember what your professor talked about just 2 minutes ago. After an entire night of fasting, it only makes sense that eating breakfast serves the purpose of re-fuelling your brain and will help improve your short term memory and academic performance.

If you didn’t eat breakfast today, perhaps try it tomorrow. The benefits will speak for themselves. Eat up!

-Narissa Mawji

3 Comments

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

Tagged #breakfast, #nutrition, #smarter, health

Melatonin’s Effects on Sleep

Posted on February 25, 2013 by bonniet | 3 comments

Over the past reading break I decided to go on vacation rather than actually doing any reading. During this time, I messed up my sleep cycle and had a very difficult time falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning. Of course, I realized that this was partly due to my rowdy roommates and their will to stay up until the wee hours of the night. Being in the states, it was easy to go to the nearest drug store and grab some over the counter sleep aid, and in this case I chose melatonin.

Melatonin 3D Stick Structure via Wikimedia Commons by Sbrools

Light’s Effect on Melatonin Levels via Life Enhancement by Dr Rosick

Melatonin is a chemical and hormone which is naturally produced in the body to promote and control our sleep cycles. It is produced in the pineal gland within the endocrine system in humans. Melatonin is released into the bloodstream and is usually affected by light and dark surroundings throughout the day. For example, melatonin levels will tend to increase as the day goes on until night time to promote sleep. Near the end of the night, melatonin levels will start to decrease to help us wake up in the morning.

In recent years, melatonin has become increasingly popular as a natural remedy compared to the use of sleeping pills to aid people with sleeping difficulties or people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). So the question is, how effective is melatonin pills in addressing these issues? According to a study published by the British Medical Journal on the effects of melatonin in cases of jet lag, results did positively reinforce our hypothesis.

Of course, it is recommended to take as little medication as possible if unnecessary. But this has become such a popular aid and a solution to to seriously consider if you are experiencing difficulties sleeping. I highly recommend speaking with your physician first. I personally will definitely be able to see for myself whether or not these melatonin pills are effective after tonight.

Wishing you all a good night’s sleep,

Bonnie Tam

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged Light, Melatonin, Natural medicine, Sleep, Sleep quality, Sleep quantity

Lenticular Clouds – Not a product of Photoshop!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by tkhan003 | 2 comments

Jackiemu via Wikimedia Commons

Look at the picture to the left, and you may think it is fake, photoshopped, or perhaps even a strange UFO sighting. These are amongst the most common things that that Lenticular clouds are mistaken for.

Lenticular clouds, or Altocumulus lenticular, are lens shaped clouds that form at high altitudes due to specific interactions with wind flow. These clouds get their name due to their flat, pancake-like shape from the word ‘lenticularis’, which in Latin means ‘lens’.

So, where do they come from and how exactly do they form?

Fig.1 : Lee Waves Author: Dake via Wikimedia Commons

These fascinating clouds form when stable moist air comes into contact with, and flows over mountains or other barriers. This causes waves known as as lee waves to form on top of the mountain, as well on the leeward side of the mountain or barrier. Lecnticular clouds form at the crest of each of these waves (points A and B in Fig. 1) provided that the air contains enough moisture, and the temperature drops to, or below the dew point of water. These two conditions are crucial to their formation! Once these conditions are met, the moisture condenses, and results in the formation of these amazing clouds!

As harmless as they look,they serve as a reminder that looks can be deceiving. This is because great turbulence is generated from rotor waves, which form in the vicinity of lenticular formations, specifically around lee waves. Rotor waves are a sure indication of high velocity, extremely turbulent air circulation, and very unstable conditions. Therefore, flying near these clouds is usually avoided.

Brandy Jenkins via Wikimedia commons

Lenticular clouds are classified into three categories primarily based on the height of their formation. The lowest forming Lenticular cloud is known as Stratocumulus Standing Lenticularis (SCSL) which is found at elevations of about 8000 feet.

Between 8000 to 20,000 feet high, the Altocumulus Standing Lenticularis (ACSL) is found, which is the most common type of Lenticular cloud. One of the distinctive features of ASL that separates it from the two other types, is that it tends to be stationary. The lenticular clouds shown in the video below are most likely ASL clouds as they appear to be frozen, as other clouds pass by them.

Above: Video showing a time-lapse of Lenticular clouds (Credit: Soaring Nv)

Finally, the highest forming Lenticular cloud is the Cirrocumulus Standing Lenticularis,(CCSL) which form at elevations above 24 000 feet. These are very rare however, as few mountains exist as such high altitudes.

Usually mistaken for being a product of photoshop, Lenticular Clouds represent one of our worlds most extrodinary phenomenons, and continue to fascinate thousands of people with their presence, marked by uniquely defined beauty.

-Tabish Khan

2 Comments

Posted in Admin, Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged Altocumulus lenticular, clouds, lee waves, lenticular clouds, rotor waves, ufo

From Toy Soldiers to Convicted Criminals

Posted on February 11, 2013 by dianemuta | 3 comments

Vintage Toy Lead Soldiers by USA Direct To You via Flicker

What if someone told you that if lead is found present in your bones, you are more likely to be a delinquent? In 2007, you may have encountered a report or read an article on lead poisoning due to lead containing toy products and households.

Following such reports, the general public understood the effects of lead poisoning as a toxin. In 1996,USA had banned the use of the element as an additive to gasoline. However, minimal amounts of lead were still used in the production of batteries, jewelry,toys and paint products. After the 2007 Mattel recall , customers around the world looked carefully at the lead label when purchasing house and toy products. In 2008, Henry Clement, Canadian Health Minister, announced that the government would increase the number of inspections with an increase in a maximum fine of $5 million if high levels of lead were detected in children’s jewelry and other products.

The public and government then understood that lead has a dangerous effect whether a child was breathing or swallowing it. Children exposed to high levels of lead can suffer from kidney and brain damages. While low levels of exposure is a health hazard to all.This knowledge resulted in lead safety campaigns and sites such as www.leadfreekids.org. , which offers support and advice about lead inspections and protection techniques. In 2010, the federal government decided to effectively ban lead from toys for children and other home products.Health hazards such as kidney damage, brain damage, hyperactivity, headaches,hearing problems could be prevented with precautions.However, lead exposure could result in more than these physical health problems but behavioural problems such as delinquency.

More studies have now been developed on lead poisoning. In 2013, Summer Miller pointed out data from US Centre for Disease (CDC) and suggested that high levels of lead exposure lead to juvenile delinquency. They have now diagnosed that 10 micrograms per deciliter of lead can cause lead poisoning. Subsequently, this small amount of lead can be identified with signs of headaches and abdominal pains. As informed in 2007, lead exposure impacts the human brain.Miller states that studies now find higher levels of lead in delinquents and how it affects their intelligence, communication skills and behaviour.

Kids play with toy guns – Wadi Nisnsa – by Dror Miller via Flicker

This was observed in a 2000 study in Allegheny County. It concluded that 216 youths in a Juvenile Court had a higher high bone-lead level in comparison to 201 non-delinquents control in a Pittsburgh high school. Children with cognitive and behaviour problems are more likely to have higher blood concentrations due to lead exposure.

Sometimes it is not just about what children swallow or touch or symptoms we physically see, sometimes just that exposure can change the way things play out.

From Toy Soldiers to Convicted Criminals

-Diane Mutabaruka

3 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged environmental pollutants, health canada, lead, lead in toys, lead poisoning, leadfreekids, mattel

Uncovering the Secret Sexual Side to Our Favorite Fungus!

Posted on February 10, 2013 by sydneyschnell | 1 comment

With Valentine’s Day only a few days away, love is definitely in the air. As it turns out, even fungi are in the mood!

Valentine’s Day Cupcakes. Sugar Daze via Flickr Creative Commons.

A recent study has discovered that Penicillium chrysogenum (P. chrysogenum) have a sexual side. While you may not recognize the name P. chrysogenum, it is likely that at some point in your life you have depended on this fungus to help you feel better. P. chrysogenum is popularly known for its production of the antibiotic penicillin, which has been used for treating bacterial infections since it was discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928.

Penicillin works by preventing bacteria from building cell walls. Lacking this external support, the bacterial cell is very fragile and bursts, resulting in death of the cell (click here to watch this process). As we do not possess the same cell wall components as bacterial cells, penicillin is an effective treatment for human bacterial infections, as the antibiotic interferes with bacterial cells but not our own cells!

Penicillium Growing on Bread. Logan Sakai via Flickr Creative Commons.

Previously, it was thought that P. chrysogenum only underwent asexual reproduction. In this reproductive strategy, fungal cells duplicate their genetic material and divide, resulting in two identical clones called daughter cells.

However, researchers suspected that P. chrysogenum would be able to sexually reproduce if provided with the right conditions, as the genetic sequences required for mating could be found within the DNA of this species. Supporting this belief, a recent experiment by Bohm et. al has shown that when proper conditions are met, P. chrysogenum fungi will sexually mate to produce new genetic strains of offspring.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Image of P. chrysogenum Fungus. Engineering at Cambridge via Flickr Creative Commons.

This discovery has been dubbed the “secret sex life” of P. chrysogenum. So, light the candles, turn on some romantic music, and spread out the rose petals?

Not quite; these fungi require a special “love potion”. After testing a variety of light and nutrient conditions, experimenters found that P. chrysogenum engaged in sexual mating when grown in darkness, in an oatmeal base supplemented with biotin (a vitamin).

Fungi Love Potion? Oatmeal! Nillerdk via Wikimedia Creative Commons.

Furthermore, researchers found that fungi engaging in sexual activity also produced more penicillin than asexual fungi. These findings are important on an industrial level, as sexual strains can be used to maximize penicillin output when synthesizing this antibiotic for medical usage. While high antibiotic-producing strains have been engineered before, they are genetically unstable and have short lifespans. However, knowing that sexual reproduction in P. chrysogenum occurs, engineered strains can be sexually mated with normal strains to produce offspring that are both genetically stable and produce large quantities of antibiotic.

While I can’t promise that oatmeal and biotin will help you get lucky this Valentine’s Day, it appears that you won’t need to worry about a penicillin shortage in the near future!

– Sydney Schnell

1 Comment

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

Tagged Alexander Fleming, antibiotic, asexual, bacterial, Bohm, chrysogenum, fungi, genetic, infection, mate, penicillin, Penicillium, reproduction, sexual, Sydney Schnell, Valentine

Owls; Their Amazing Head Turning Ability Solved

Posted on February 4, 2013 by christinab | 6 comments

Owls are known for their ability to turn their heads “All the way around”, but have you ever wondered why?

Owl perching by Peter Trimming

Well first off, contrary to popular belief, owls are not able to turn their heads the full 360 degrees. Most owl species, but not all, can turn their heads up to 270 degrees. The reason why they have adapted this ability is thought to be linked to the fact that unlike humans, with movable oval eyes, owls have tube like eyes that do not have the ability to swivel much.

If a human snapped their neck at the speed and angle that owls are able to do, there would be severe trauma to the neck and arteries, or completely stopping the blood flow to the brain. To test how this works, researchers, led by Fabian de Kok-Mercado, injected dye into the blood stream of dozens of owls, and used a CT scan to track the flow of dye throughout the bloodstreams of the owls.

After the CT scans were completed, they then injected a plastic like substance into the blood stream, let it harden, then dissected the owls to find out how the arteries were oriented.

Northern spotted owl by user USFS Region 5
Via Flickr

It was found that the owls neck bones, or vertebrae, contain holes that are much larger than those found in humans. In humans, the holes are just about as big as the arteries, whereas in owls they are about 10 times larger. These likely contain air sacks meant to cushion the twisting motion of the neck. This may explain why the blood vessels do not break during the rapid head turning motions of the owls.

The researchers also noticed that the artery slightly enlarges as it gets closer to the head. This is thought to allow blood to pool so that the brain has extra blood to work with as the head swivles.

Above is a video explaining the details of how owls are able to turn their heads up to 270 degrees. [By user SciFri via Youtube]

And there you have it, the science behind how owls can turn their head at great angles. Wouldn’t that be cool if humans can do that to?

…

Okay, maybe not. Lets leave this to the owls.

-Christina Bell

6 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged #arteries, #owls, #vertebrae, SCIE300

Deconstructing the Aurora Borealis

Posted on February 4, 2013 by seanmac | 3 comments

If you are lucky, there may have been a moment in your past (perhaps recent or many years ago) where you where able to glance up at the evening sky, and gaze upon an incredible spectacle of vibrant lights – seemingly more magical than a creation of the physical world.

These displays of mesmerizing color and intensity – called an aurora – generally occur at high latitudes, and are known as either the aurora australis (the ‘southern lights’) and the more recognizable aurora borealis (the ‘northern lights).

Aurora Borealis in Greenland II
photo credit: Taraji Blue

The aurora have intrigued people for centuries, as seen by their presence in numerous traditional texts and stories.

These often provide an explanation for their existence – like the Algonquin people of eastern Canada, who feel the aurora borealis are giant bonfires created by their creator as a warming reminder of love – and are typically beautiful in essence and design.

Aurora-Borealis-41, taken from photobucket
uploaded by franemtnurse

However, even today, many of the thousands that travel north and south simply to catch a glimpse of this natural phenomenon, do not fully understand how the aurora actually come to be.

What causes an aurora event?

Chemists and physicists might tell you it is actually quite simple.

In reality, the light display one observes is produced by the collision of charged particles and atoms, high up in the sky, in a part of the atmosphere called the thermosphere.

Sunset Over the Indian Ocean (NASA, International Space Station Science, 05/25/10)
photo credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

These particles – usually electrons – originate from solar winds entering Earth’s atmosphere, after traveling from the sun.

These winds flow along the magnetic field lines of the earth, allowing the particles to interact with gas atoms in the atmosphere.

It is these interactions – between charged particle and gaseous molecule – which give off the light we observe during an aurora event.

The video below gives a much more in-depth view of the astronomical nature of the aurora:

SeanMac.

3 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged Astronomy, computing science, environment, physics

More human than just another Artificial Intelligence

Posted on February 4, 2013 by jaejoon | 3 comments

Ask your (grand) parents: had they, 30 or 40 years ago, anticipated to live in an era where people carry cell phones, do face time, or shop via the Internet? Some may had imagined to witness today’s technology and some may had not. One of the most debated future technologies that many scientists feel skeptical believing we won’t ever achieve is human-like artificial intelligence. However, new software made last year may bring us closer to creating computers that operate like human brains.

So far there has been a number of artificial intelligences (AI) so smart that one of them has won the quiz show Jeopardy (IBM’s Watson) and another makes video games on its own (Angelina). Artificial Intelligences are programmed to think like people so that if one asks it and a real human a question, he cannot distinguish whether answer is from the real human or an AI. However, AIs do not at all work like human brains do; they are computers pre-programmed only to perform tasks with the data they store.

This time, a team of scientists of the University of Waterloo made an artificial brain that works more similar to ours. Its name is Spaun, acronym for Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network. Spaun is a supercomputer with 2.5 million simulated neurons (average human brain has 80 – 100 billion), an eye, and an arm. With its 2.5 million neurons, Spaun processes what it sees with its eye and performs tasks like a human brain would. Below is a video and a summary of some stuff Spaun can do:

it can recognize, write, count, and remember numbers as well as forgetting them. via Youtube user: CTNWaterloo

The abilities of Spaun may not seem as impressive as AI Watson or Angelina, and even stupid in comparison, taking 2.5 hours in real time per 1 second in the video. However, the importance of Spaun’s birth is that it works like a human brain. With this, scientists can run experiments unethical to perform on human subjects such as killing neurons and observing brain degradation. Now that we have an artificial model of human brain, I think we are a little closer to the future where computers will think and make decisions on its own like humans.

3 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Tagged AI, Aritificial intelligence, Artificial brain, Spaun

A child with three parents: scientific marvel or mad science?

Posted on January 28, 2013 by shaunong | 3 comments

A typical happy family by Vera Kratochvil via Wikimedia Creative Commons

Our typical image of a family photo with a newborn baby includes a mother, father and well…the baby. You could possibly throw a sibling, a close uncle or aunt, or some eager grandmother into the mix…Or maybe even a god parent. But the buck would stop there. Or would it?

An Oregon Health team has begun modifying our views of a typical family photo in North America — with the advent of the clinical trial success of three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF). The new procedure they tested makes it possible to create children with genetic material from three parents instead of two.

An artist’s rendition of mitochondria (red) in a cell (left), accompanied by a microscopic image of an actual mitochondria (bottom) by Countincr via Wikimedia Creative Commons

A question you might ask is why? Even though this process is bizarre, it has a good purpose. Three-person IVF prevents transmission mitochondrial diseases from mother to child. Mitochondria, the little engines of the human body, produce energy for the body. We need mitochondria to survive, as they need us to house them. Sometimes, mitochondria do not serve their function well, and this results in mitochondrial disease. Three-way IVF allows a mother to select an egg from another woman which has healthy mitochondria, instead of giving faulty mitochondria to her children.

The process of three-way IVF involves taking an egg from a woman willing to act as a donor and removing the core genetic information from it. This empty egg is then filled with the genetic information of the intended mother and fertilized by the father’s sperm. The result is a child with healthy mitochondria and the genes of the appropriate mother and her partner!

Below, Drs. Turnbull and Murdoch of Newcastle University talk about their work in three-person IVF.

From wellcometrust via Youtube.

With this new scientific marvel does come some madness. Imagine the negative implications that come with the use of this technology. What if, someday, you were to find out that a part of your genetic makeup came from someone other than your parents! Furthermore, what if you decide to donate your eggs to this cause, and then decide that the eggs with the genetic information of the recipient was rightfully yours? Would it be right to design your own baby? The list of problems go on and on. Personally, I believe that the prevention of terrible diseases justifies the legalization of this technology, in spite of all the problems it could cause.

A past technology which was also under controversial was in vitro fertilization, which helped couples which were infertile have children. Ethical issues as to whether it should be publicly funded in Canada remain to this day, because the process is not cheap, and only a few couples would actually use it. Furthermore, some have speculated that this technology allows humans to ‘play God’.

For now, the choice of opening Pandora’s Box is in the hands of the public and the government. Of course, Pandora’s Box also gave rise to hope.

-Shaun Ong

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged baby, child, designer, designer baby, disease, egg, embryo, ethics, family, fertilization, gene, genetic, genetic engineering, genetics, in vitro, in vitro fertilization, inheritance, IVF, legalization, mitochondria, mitochondrial disease, Newcastle, oregon health, ovum, person, three, three person in vitro fertilization, three-person IVF, University

Codeine: Should we continue prescribing it?

Posted on January 28, 2013 by bonniet | Leave a comment

Little boy not enjoying his cough medicine
From Mediconews by Satish

Flu season, it’s that time of the year where everyone around you is coughing, sniffling, or sneezing. Sadly, this time around I am once again one of those victims. For me, it all started out with a cough. And now what’s the one thing that people take when they have a bad cough? That’s right, cough syrup.

I took 1.5 tsps of something labelled as Ratio-Cotridin Expectorant. In the morning it did significantly reduce my cough but the drowsiness remained. Doing some quick research showed that the cough syrup in fact contained something that stuck out to me: codeine.

Codeine’s Molecular Structure
From Wikimedia by NEUROtiker

Codeine is an opiate which is known to act as a cough suppressant and narcotic analgesic. The most common side effect of codeine is drowsiness. However, codeine is also addictive and can cause dependence, which is why its circulation is strictly controlled in certain countries.

A study published by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in 2009 showed that the risk of being involved in a traffic accident with personal injury was two times as high in the period after having a codeine prescription dispensed.

Cough syrup aka “purple drank”
From coughsyrup.ecoffeeonline.com

Codeine has also been known to have varying results dependent on unpredictable genetic variations. There have been attempts to restrict age distribution and the amount that is able to be consumed. However, a simple search online shows that cough syrup with codeine is easily available. There are even tutorials that teach you how to make “purple drank” or “sizzurp” online, a recreational drug consisting mainly of codeine and Promethazine.

So should such a drug like codeine be so widely available to the public? It has been shown to contain significant risks and be pretty ineffective as an analgesic according to an editorial by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Their solution is to phase out codeine altogether and only use morphine. This may be a good alternative for a painkiller, but what about for a cough suppressant? Recent studies using the placebo effect show that codeine is not such a necessary ingredient in cough syrups anymore. Perhaps doctors should no longer consider prescribing codeine to patients with a bad cough altogether.

–Bonnie Tam

Category Archives: Science Communication

Food for Thought: Can Eating Breakfast Make You Smarter?

Melatonin’s Effects on Sleep

Lenticular Clouds – Not a product of Photoshop!

From Toy Soldiers to Convicted Criminals

Uncovering the Secret Sexual Side to Our Favorite Fungus!

Owls; Their Amazing Head Turning Ability Solved

Deconstructing the Aurora Borealis

More human than just another Artificial Intelligence

A child with three parents: scientific marvel or mad science?

Codeine: Should we continue prescribing it?

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