Communicating Science (2012w211)

How to stay warm through the long winter months

Posted on January 30, 2013 by alyshamorden | 5 comments

Do you sit in your house every night wrapped in blankets because it’s so cold? I know I do. Especially with the cost of heating these days, who has the money to heat a whole house ? Also, there is the problem that heating a house in the most common ways, such as gas and electric, can not be very sustainable. There is good news though! There is a way you can be saved from the long winter months without breaking the bank or killing the environment. It’s called geothermal energy.

A Geothermal energy facility in Iceland.
via Wikkimedia Commons

Geothermal energy is thermal energy that is stored inside the earth. This energy is partially from the formation of the earth and partially from radioactive decay inside the earth. This form of energy is important to us because we can actually pull it out of the earth and use it to heat our homes. Here is a simple video that explains how this happens:

via youtube user newgroundwork

This is helpful to us in today’s world because it is renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. It is said to be renewable because there is an unbelievable amount of thermal energy inside the earth which is already cooling slowly. Therefore, the amount that we extract is so small in comparison that is doesn’t have much effect on the earth. It also has very low emissions which is why it is said to be environmentally friendly. This could help the serious problem of global warming.

In addition, Geothermal energy use is also cost efficient. Pumps are used to get the energy; therefore, no fuel is necessary. This helps the cost because you do not need to worry about the rise or fluctuations in the price of fuel.

Upon the review of the evidence shown, it is seen that all hope is not lost. Geothermal energy can be an excellent way to keep you and your family warm this winter.

5 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science

Tagged cold winters, environment, geothermal energy, global warming, heating, keep warm, save money, sustainability

St John’s Wort: A Natural Way to Combat Depression

Posted on January 28, 2013 by narissam | 2 comments

Nearly everyone has been prey to it: the “rainy day blues”, or feeling “down in the dumps”, but for some it can be much worse than others. For a growing population of individuals, these usually short-lived bouts of sadness can last weeks, months and may even stretch into years….terrifying! This horrible culprit, depression, has the tendency to make simple everyday tasks, like getting out of bed, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest, and has the strength of entire armies to keep out happiness, which makes it all the more difficult to combat.

Uploaded from thechangeblog.com

University students, especially, are extremely susceptible to suffer from episodes of depression. Many of them are away from home for the first time, they may feel themselves unable to fit in, and also may be weighed down by their many responsibilities. On top of it all, they may find themselves so busy they don’t notice their mood changes until its too late to easily fix or they be be worried about the stigma associated with antidepressants.

A very simple solution to all this are antidepressants: they are proven to be extremely successful and have revolutionized the treatment of depression. The only problem is that they don’t have the same effect on everyone and some people may experience harsh side effects while other’s may feel no change at all.

So what can we do to fight this without suffering from various side-effects? Here comes nature’s very own Prozac: St. John’s Wort.

What is it?

St. John’s Wort is a natural herb commonly used to treat depression and various other conditions that go along with depression such as anxiety, tiredness and loss of sleep. Also known as Hypericum perforatum, the yellow flowering tops of this plant have been used for centuries to treat a variety of “nervous conditions” and its use has even been dated back to the ancient Greeks!

Retrieved from WikiMedia Commons by Anne Burgess

Does it really work?

Well yes, and no. There is strong scientific evidence from clinical research that shows that it is effective for treating mild to moderate depression, while some studies, such as one founded by the National Institute of Mental Health, have not shown the relationship.

In one study conducted, taking St. John’s Wort consistently was shown to reduce symptoms such as sadness, hopelessness, exhaustion and poor sleep. Also another benefit to taking St. John’s Wort is that it is free of many side effects that are common to antidepressants such as allergy, fatigue, and sensitivity to light.

Video uploaded by iHealthTube on youtube.

When it comes down to it, it is a personal choice on what method of action you’re going to use to treat your depression. There are studies currently being conducted on the true effectiveness of it, so until then, the choice lies in your hands!

-Narissa Mawji

2 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement

Tagged Antidepressants, Depression, medicine, Natural medicine, Science, St. John's Wort

An Arbitrary Anniversary of Science

Posted on January 28, 2013 by chloebocker | 2 comments

We always seem to be looking forward in science. The fact that everyone is excited about the next robot venture on mars or breakthrough in medicine is what drives research and innovation in the first place. However, I think it a pleasant idea to look back at some of the memorable moments in science that have shaped our world and brought us here to these exact circumstances. So, here is a little retrospective of science on January 28th, going back as long as four centuries ago.

And what’s so special about January 28th, you ask? Nothing! That’s what makes it fun to look back. So, enjoy!

1613:Galileo records observing a “star” which is actually (most likely) the first viewing of planet Neptune.
via Wikimedia Creative Commons

1807: Pall Mall, London, England, is the first street in any city to be lit by gaslight, courtesy of entrepreneur Frederick Albert Windsor.
1903: Birthdate of Kathleen Yardley Lonsdale, a crystallographer who proved the flatness of the benzene ring.
1922: Birthdate of Robert W. Holley, joint recipient of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Medicine for describing the structure of alanine tRNA.
1958: Buchanan, New York sees construction begin of the first private thorium-uranium atomic reactor to supply power.
1960: the U.S. Navy bounces the first wire photograph transmitted by radio waves off of the moon at a 400-MHz frequency.

1986:The tragic Challenger space shuttle explosion kills seven astronauts after a mere 73 seconds after liftoff.
Space Shuttle Challenger via Wikimedia Creative Commons

1999: Element 114, Flerovium, is reported by Russian scientists at Dubna (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research).

With these events and discoveries, we can celebrate January 28th as an arbitrary anniversary of science.

-Chloe Bocker

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged Astronomy, discovery, history, medicine, scientists

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

Mindful Eating!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by candyf | 2 comments

In the 21st century, it seems that everything must be done quickly and we lose out on some things we enjoy to do, such as eating! It is quite difficult to eat properly if we are piled up with school-work and errands or just busy going on the internet and using our smartphones. As a result, we may go on autopilot during our meals, caring less about our consumption of food which leads to obesity, hypertension, diabetes and even bowel problems.

Obesity in U.S. by saraohmy via Flickr Creative Commons

How can we easily prevent these problems?

We can incorporate a method called Mindful Eating during our meal times. It is a very effective way to allow us to become actually aware of the food that we consume.

What are some benefits of mindful eating?

1. It allows the body to become in sync with what we are eating and helps to regulate our hormones and saliva, maintaining the health of both our mind and body.

2. We can reduce our overeating if we are more aware of what is included in our meals.

3. There is an increase enjoyment of food which helps to relieve our stress.

4. We can more readily control our feelings of hunger and satisfaction from the food we eat.

What are some steps to approaching mindful eating?

1. Start appreciating the appearance, smell and taste of our meals.

2. Pay attention to how our internal digestive system is responding while we eat.

3. If we must multi-task, we should take a few moments away from our tasks to focus on chewing our food before returning back to our tasks.

4. Finally, we can talk and share with our friends and loved ones about our meal experiences in terms of flavour and textures.

So let’s stop the autopilot to enjoy our delicious meals!

Fire-grilled Sirloin Steak with tiger prawns by closari via Flickr Creative Commons

-Candy KT Fu

2 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science Communicators

Tagged Diabetes, Mindful eating, obesity

DARPA Foam – A Foam That Can Save Lives!

Posted on January 26, 2013 by martinlee | Leave a comment

“OH GOD! THERE SO MUCH BLOOD! HE’S GOING TO DIE!”

Internal bleeding. This type of injury is one of the most troublesome injuries due to a limited time frame a person has before they are treated. However, thanks to advancement in medical science, the Defence Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has launched its Wound Stasis System to develop the, “DARPA foam“.

The “DARPA foam” is a special injectable polymer foam that slows internal bleeding in the abdominal area of the body by having the foam mould around the internal organs to slow the bleeding long enough to have the patient seek professional medical treatment.

– The image above shows how the DARPA foam is inserted into the abdominal cavity, and how it moulds around nearby internal organs
– Images by Dennis Sinyakov, via technologyreview

Above, the video shows how the foam works. (Username: DARPAtv)

The foam works by first injecting it in the abdominal cavity in its two liquid phases. As the liquids mix, it will form two chemical reactions. The first reaction will make the foam expand thirty times its original volume and surround nearby internal organs while conforming to the surfaces of injured tissues. The second reaction will then harden the foam so that blood flow will be restricted, and will slow down blood loss. After the foam has been properly formed, the next step would be in removing it, which based on previous tests, is remarkably easy. Surgeons were able to remove the hard foam from their patients in less than a minute.

– U.S. Soldiers preparing medical supplies.
– Image by Dennis Sinyakov, via technologyreview

This new life saving technology that can reduce blood loss by six-fold and increase the life expectancy of a patient to three hours post-injury, should be given full support from everyone within the medical field. Even though this technology was originally developed for military use, hopefully after more tests and more positive results, this technology can one day be found in every ambulances in the world.

– Martin Lee

Pest Control – How Far is Too Far?

Posted on January 21, 2013 by sydneyschnell | 3 comments

When asked to think of the most dangerous animals on Earth, we often imagine large creatures like sharks, bears, or lions. However, you may be surprised to discover that the most dangerous creature in the world is actually… a mosquito!

Anopheles stephensi mosquito, a known carrier of Malaria. Rsabbatini via Wikimedia Creative Commons.

Mosquitoes are summertime pests; those annoying and unwelcome guests at a family barbecue, picnic in the park, or day at the beach. While the itchy bumps they cause are irritating, bites are rarely fatal here in North America. However, in tropical and sub-tropical regions, mosquitoes act as transmitters for potentially fatal diseases, such as Malaria and Dengue fever. Causing over one million deaths each year, mosquito transmitted diseases kill more humans than any other animal-related incident.

A child being treated for Malaria. Ashley Jonathan Clements via Flickr Creative Commons.

This has prompted scientists to consider proactive options for fighting these diseases – namely, to prevent people from becoming infected in the first place. As common insect-reducing methods (such as insecticide spraying) often kill other species within the ecosystem too, controlling mosquito populations through genetic modification is becoming more popular. While similar strategies have been used before – the sterile insect technique (SIT) was developed in the 1950’s, whereby genetically-engineered sterile insects are released into the environment – a new technology developed by Oxitec laboratories is at the forefront of the mosquito combat.

(TEDtalksDirector via YouTube)

Above, Hadyn Parry (CEO of Oxitec) discusses disease transmission by mosquitoes, and how Oxitec proposes to alleviate this issue.

Oxitec is a British biotech company that, under the leadership of Luke Alphey, has produced the RIDL method, by which mosquitoes are genetically modified to carry lethal alleles.

What does this mean?

Essentially, male mosquitoes are engineered in a laboratory and then released. The concept here is simple – the mutations inflicted have no direct impact on the mosquitoes’ fitness (that is, the genetically modified males compete for female mates equally as well as wild-type males), but the mosquitoes will die if not given tetracycline during development. Therefore, when these RIDL males mate, all offspring will receive one dominant lethal allele. Over time, without the presence of tetracycline, all mosquitoes carrying this allele will die, effectively diminishing the mosquito population. Luke Alphey explains these concepts in the video below.

(WorldEconomicForum via YouTube)

While the RIDL method shows promise for controlling mosquito populations, many parties contend that there are unintended side effects. For example, the removal of mosquito populations threatens to disrupt surrounding ecosystems, as many species, such as bats and spiders, rely on mosquitoes for nourishment. Furthermore, it has been suggested that mosquitoes could develop resistance to the lethal allele, resulting in a stronger subsequent generation and thereby amplifying disease transmission.

However, Oxitec scientists seem confident that the RIDL technique will provide a safe, effective way to manage mosquito populations. If true, we may be about to witness a new era of disease prevention.

– Sydney Schnell

3 Comments

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

Tagged disease, engineering, environment, genetic, health, malaria, modification, mosquito, pest, Sydney Schnell, transgenics

Turritopsis nutricula: The creature that evaded death.

Posted on January 21, 2013 by tkhan003 | 2 comments

Do you ever feel like your getting old? Do u ever wish you could just turn back time and go back to when you were five, ten, even twenty years younger? Well, believe it or not, a living organism in today’s world is capable of just that!

LucasRaurich via wikimedia

The Turritopsis nutricula, which is more commonly referred to as the ‘immortal jellyfish’ is capable of this unbelievable feat. Discovered in 1988 by a German Biologist, the Turritopsis nutricula is able to revert back to its youthful form- a polyp, after becoming sexually mature. Researchers believe that it is as a result of this extended life period, that these jellyfish are now appearing all over the world instead of being isolated to their native home of the the Caribbean.

This amazing jellyfish is able to achieve this highly coveted characteristic by carrying out a process known as Transdifferentiation, in which it converts one type of cell to another. You may have heard of different animals such as salamanders for example, re-growing limbs in a process called limited transdifferentiation. Turritopsis nutricula, however is the only known organism that can regenerate its whole body. This seemingly impossible event can be thought of as a process similar to a butterfly turning back into a caterpillar. For this reason, scientists are calling Turritopsis nutricula, biologically immortal.

Above:Video footage of the Turritopsis nutricula; Credits : ‘FactsUniverse’

On tests performed in the laboratory, the jellyfish reverted back into its youthful polyp state 100 % of the time. At this point it is ready to begin a new life- literally. Applying the same regeneration mechanisms used by this jellyfish, scientists have been able to create a healthy beating heart cell in a mouse.

: Nicolasuba via wikimedia

There seems to be endless potential for similar achievements when it comes to human beings, such as work on brain cells, heart cells, and spinal cord cells for spinal cord injuries. However, the idea of ‘immortal humans’ proves to be a highly debated and uncertain topic (as can be seen in this video), and any significant process in this field has yet to be made.

-Tabish Khan

2 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged immortal, jellyfish, nutricula, polyp, Transdifferentiation, Turritopsis nutricula

300 million year old plants for sale: $100,000 !!!

Posted on January 21, 2013 by dianemuta | 3 comments

Unaysaurus tolentinoi eating a cycad by FunkMonk via Wikimedia commons

Imagine having survived mass extinctions dating back to 300 million years ago and now becoming extinct in 2013. This is the story of cycads, the oldest seed plants. They resemble a combination between a fern and a prehistoric palm. Their ancient characteristics have given significant insights to scientists about the origin of plant species. Unfortunately,today,these plants have become a valuable prey to poachers, similar to other endangered animals around the world. Cycads are now on the global conservation agenda as their preservation is key to the development of plant biology.

Cycads from Flicker by Steve Williams

Cycads have helped determine the age of flowering plants. For example, experimenters hypothesized that the reproductive structure of the cycads were wind pollinated. Subsequently, they compared several other cycads and concluded that most species were actually insect pollinated by beetles. Thus insect pollination is much older than the wind pollination of flowering plants. Without the discovery of these seed plants, the maturity of insect pollination would not have been determined.

World distribution of species belonging to Ordo Cycadales by Esculapio

Luckily their decline has now come to the attention of scientists. Philip Rousseau, a botany researcher at the University of Johannesburg, fears that wild cycads could become extinct. As shown on the map, South Africa is one of the many regions with a high distribution of cycads but now 31 percent of the species are disappearing. The current poaching rate could make them extinct in the wild by next year. Poachers have found malicious ways to find the plant by hunting at night and selling them during the day. Each tree can be sold for as much as $100,000 to various collectors in the black market. Farmers and landowners have called for bans and regulations for cycads before it gets out of control and existence.

Funding boost for DNA barcoding in South Africa
“Scientists and botanists at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) will benefit from a $2.2 million grant to fortify the research…”
Copyright University of Johannesburg

In order to regulate and preserve the cycads, the University of Johannesburg funded a scientific project in which they identified rare species using a DNA barcoding system. Researchers would take less than 1 gram of the plant’s DNA, crush it, treat it with chemicals and record its barcode. This would allow custom officials to check smugglers with a device reading the plant’s DNA. Lastly, the project would help the University of Guelph complete their International Bar Code of Life Project. Once again, the cycads would help determine the earth’s biodiversity.

The prehistoric age of Cycads is very valuable to science. However, it is now a valuable commodity to poachers like ivory or rhino horns. For this reason, a conservation plan is important to protect one of the key species to the history of plants. For sale or for history?

-Diane Mutabaruka

3 Comments

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

Tagged conservation plan, cycad extinction, cycads, Cycadsociety.org, DNA barcoding project, philip rousseau, poaching

Communicating Science (2012w211)

How to stay warm through the long winter months

St John’s Wort: A Natural Way to Combat Depression

An Arbitrary Anniversary of Science

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

Codeine: Should we continue prescribing it?

Mindful Eating!

DARPA Foam – A Foam That Can Save Lives!

Pest Control – How Far is Too Far?

Turritopsis nutricula: The creature that evaded death.

300 million year old plants for sale: $100,000 !!!

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