Just Another Seal? A look at the Northern Fur Seal

Posted on April 9, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Climate change is a looming reality that we are all faced with. We are all aware that the earth is warming, but what you may not have considered, is how animals and their habitats will be affected. In this article we will look at how the results of climate change may influence Northern Fur Seals and their conservation.

So what is a Northern Fur Seal?

Northern Fur Seal

Northern Fur Seals are marine mammals who differ from other seals in that they have a thick fur coat. They eat mostly squid and fish such as pollock, herring, and anchovies. Their habitat ranges in the North Pacific from the coast of California, up to the Bering Sea and over to Russia and Japan. They spend their winter at sea, while during the summer they migrate to islands such as the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea to breed.

In the past the population of Northern Fur Seals has faced many challenges. They were commercially hunted for their fur which resulted in almost wiping out the species. Here an audio clip of our podcast which explains the how Northern Fur Seals were affected by the Fur Trade.

Seal FM Radio Podcast

 As you have heard in the podcast, despite the fact that Northern Fur Seals are no longer hunted, their population is still declining. It has been estimated that since 1998 there was has been an annual decrease in their population by about 6%.  One possible factor which may greatly affect their ability to survive is climate change. Northern Fur Seals are only able to live in a specific temperature zone, without expending energy. This ability to convert stored energy into a warming or cooling mechanism is called thermoregulation. We interviewed Dr. Rosen, a researcher at the UBC Marine Mammal Research Unit to learn a bit more about how thermoregulation works:

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As you have learned from our video, thermoregulation is a factor essential to the survival of Northern Fur Seals. However, in view of the changing climate they may be forced from their natural habitat. This would additionally affect the distribution of their prey, potentially making it much harder for them to obtain food. Can you imagine how difficult it would be if your grocery store kept moving to a new location without you knowing?

Julia, Vishav, David and Rubeen

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DNA Barcoding: The Blueprint for Fungi and Beyond

Posted on April 9, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Whether it is taking antibiotics to combat bacterial infections, relaxing at home sipping on drinks like wine or beer, or simply baking a delicious loaf of bread, we have fungi to thank.

At the University of British Columbia, Anna Bazzicalupo and her team are hard at work uncovering the mystery that are fungi. The importance of Anna’s research on fungi cannot be understated. Some of humanity’s most important innovations have utilized fungal research. One critical example is the discovery of the antibiotic Penicillin, perhaps the greatest innovation of the modern medical world. Anna’s research is crucial in finding new species and even lineages of fungi that we’ve never before stumbled upon. Applications of fungal research do not end there, as right in our classroom another Scientific Outreach team is studying the ways in which fungi might be the key to solving malaria.

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Check out this podcast to learn more about Fungi:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ofn134

A class of life we know very little about, fungi are gold mines for researchers like Anna. So what is it that Anna and her team is doing to mine these mines?

Anna Bazzicalupo at work. Photo by Jessy Duhra.

To dig into the specifics of the research, Anna and her team of researchers are studying fungal communities by examining the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)  of fungal samples through what is known as next generation sequencing. To fully appreciate the value of this technique, we must recognize that DNA, the specific fingerprint for every form of life on Earth, is perhaps the best way to identify an organism. Next generation sequencing works by gathering a test sample and getting in return the entire collection of DNA strands that are in the sample. The video below gives a more detailed overview of the research:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5EcBE3WLZM&feature=youtu.be

Anna Bazzicalupo, armed with the weapon that is next generation sequencing, is on a mission to open the floodgates of fungal applications. With over five million species of fungi and many new species yet to be discovered, the possibilities of its applications are essentially limitless. We are headed in the right direction thanks to Anna and her team’s hard work on digging the fungal gold mine.

 Jessy, Kevin, Shamim, Sydney

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The Sharp Truth of the Hook

Posted on April 9, 2014 by | Leave a comment

An alien planet lives closer than we ever would’ve expected. Not far beneath the surface of the water lies a mostly undiscovered world, complete with its own set of aliens.

Leafy Dragon (Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons)

Coral reefs may look like they don’t belong on our own planet, but this world is not as isolated as we may think. In fact, our actions, above and below water, can have drastic consequences on their world.

 

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The Giant Clam is only one of many species being affected by human activity. Coral reefs and their marine inhabitants around the world are in serious danger of being lost forever. Unfortunately, it has already begun to happen. Reefs face

Giant Clam (Photo Courtesy of: Monica Leslie)

many challenges today, including increasing sea temperatures due to climate change as well as increasing ocean acidity. In addition, pollution and larger sediment loads on the reefs are also causing stress to the ecosystem. However, according to Krista Greer, it is overfishing of these reef ecosystems that often push them over the edge. Greer, a researcher for The Sea Around Us Project says:

“There are all sort of outside stresses, [and] maybe the reef can handle one or two of them, but when you also add overfishing, there’s a breaking point.”

We often think of commercial and industrial fishing as being the major cause of overfishing, but even smaller scale fishing practices can impact the ecosystem.  Due to this manner of thinking, many places around the world are unaware that they’re fishing to a point beyond what is sustainable for the reef. This is the case with many island communities, such as Cocos (Keeling) Island.

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Although not every species is affected by human fishing activity, the loss of even a single species can lead to an overall decline of ecosystem health. Overfishing is the final straw that can cause the delicately balanced ecosystem of coral reefs around the world to collapse.

Cocos (Keeling) Island Locals (Photo Courtesy of: Saripedia)

The first step in remedying this situation is implementing appropriate management of fisheries throughout the world. However, it is not enough to simply create laws and policies regarding fishing. Education is crucial, especially in small island communities as the local people need to understand the consequences of their actions. Krista Greer says,

“In order for it to actually work … they need the local population to be on board. They’re not going to be there to watch and regulate and enforce, so they need … the local population to do that.”

A global effort is needed if we are ever to start on the road to recovery. If our current actions don’t change, we risk losing this mysterious and enchanting world forever, before we have a chance to fully discover it.  Can we really live with the sharp consequences that our hooks cause? 

-Monica Leslie, Richelle Eger, Justin Sidhu

Audio Credits:
Sound Effects/Music Courtesy of:  iMovie, Garage Band                                   Narrated By: Richelle Eger

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The End to Expiration Dates

Posted on March 24, 2014 by | Leave a comment

We have all had the experience of rummaging through the fridge, only to realize that the package of food has passed the expiration date. Or we may even neglect to discover this fact until after eating the food and our taste buds do the job our eyes did not!

There are countless perishable foods part of our daily consumption.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

This may all come to an end, as a colour-coded programmed tag is among the newest technology to detect how fresh perishable products are.  This tag is called a Time-Temperature Indicator (TTI), and a new version has recently been developed by researchers in China.  It is the size of a corn kernel and once placed on a jug of milk or a can of tomatoes, can change colour to indicate whether the product is fresh or already past the optimal edible duration.

Different colours correspond to different magnitudes of bacterial growth.
Source: American Chemical Society

This tag is gel-like and undergoes sharply contrasting colour changes to represent product quality due to temperature change as well as from microbial growth.  Over time, colour changes from red for “fresh”, when there are very few microbes, to green for “spoiled”, after temperature-dependent microbial growth has occurred.

This Time-Temperature Indicator is constructed with nanocrystals, which allow perishable products to be tracked and the deteriorative processes taking place to be mimicked in time with colour change.  The accuracy of its indicator colour to microbe activity has been tested in the study with E.coli growth, with successful results. The “programmable” part of the tag is the adjustment of its chemical properties to be tailored to the energy range that the food processes happens in.

The green colour of the tag shows that the contents of the bottle are spoiled.
Source: American Chemical Society

This video from the American Chemical Society (ACS) shows how the tag is used:

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The Time-Temperature Indicator is not a new invention, but low cost (less than one cent!) and increased sensitivity of nanocrystal technology in this version may lead to its availability to the general public in the near future.

By identifying when products are nearing or past the safe consumption period, TTIs can benefit society by reducing the amount of food waste if marketed for widespread use.  Food waste is a major issue in developed countries and the top reasons for throwing away food are all associated with food spoilage.  Sometimes shelf-life of perishable food is not accurate if there is improper handling, so this marker can minimize such risks to public health. On the flip-side, food may still be edible past the expiration date marked on the container, and the tag would be able to tell that.

Despite its small size, simple technological advances like this Time-Temperature Indicator can prove to have a large impact on our daily life, or at least help us eat our food in time.

Madeleine Tsoi

 

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Beard Implants: A Growing Trend?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Hipsters are known for their trends. From thick-rimmed glasses to flannel plaid, they always strive to be unique. However, none of these trends are as elusive as the full, thick beard so many hipsters strive for.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons

Although hair transplantation surgeries have been available for years, beard transplants are becoming increasingly popular due to the latest male fashions. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, facial transplant surgeries have increased 14.2% from 2008 to 2010 and it continues to be on the rise.

A beard transplant is historically done by a series of micrografts and minigrafts; harvesting the hair follicles from the back of the scalp and inserting them into incisions made on the face with a 0.8mm scalpel.  However, these techniques are very meticulous, time consuming and require quite a long healing period. In addition, these old techniques limit the surgeons to only harvesting 500-700 hair follicles in one surgery. Most patients require the harvesting of between 500 and 1000 follicles to complete their beard transplant, so this number is less than satisfactory.

The latest technique is called a NeoGraft Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplant. This technique still collects the hairs from the back of the scalp and implants them in the necessary regions on the face. However the Neograft device improves the accuracy and speed of a FUE hair transplant while being less invasive, and requiring significantly less healing time. Using Neograft, a surgeon is able to harvest and transplant over 1500 hair follicles in one surgery making it more desirable for those individuals who require more hairs to be transplanted.

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After the surgery one can expect the hairs that have been transplanted to grow as any normal hair would. A man will have to shave this hair like they would a normal beard. Dr. Bauman, the first plastic surgeon to routinely use the Neograft device says,

 “It takes about a week to heal from the procedure. It takes 6 to 12 weeks for hair to start to grow. Half of the transplanted follicles have visible growth after 6 months. The rest fill in after a year.”

Although the latest techniques make a beard transplant surgery a more minor procedure it is not without its costs. A typical beard transplant surgery costs $10 per follicle. This equates to a cost of anywhere between $5000 and $10000. In addition, it should be noted that the hairs that are removed from the back of scalp never grow back.

FUE hair transplant, similar to FUE beard transplant. Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons

With less invasive procedures becoming available and the trend of a thick, full beard being more prominent than ever, it’s no wonder that beard transplants are becoming more popular. So, to all hipsters out there, you are not alone if you choose to embrace this growing trend.

Monica Leslie

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Miracle Material

Posted on March 24, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Carbon. What ideas are associated with that word? Coal? Diamonds? CO2 pollution? Organic Chemistry? How about miracle material?

Carbon in its diamond form
Source: Lac16 on Flickr

Carbon atoms can be arranged in different ways. If they are arranged in a specific way, they are known as diamond. If they are arranged in sheets, they are known as graphite (pencil lead). As you know, there’s a huge difference between diamond and graphite. Diamond is transparent and super hard whereas graphite is soft and black. So how does this have anything to do with miracle material?

A single sheet of carbon atoms is known as graphene. Since it’s an atom thick, it’s the world’s first two dimensional material. Graphene used to be very difficult to make. Scientists had to slowly remove layers of carbon from graphite until it became graphene (known as exfoliation). However, two scientists accidentally discovered a cheap way to make graphene. After cleaning some graphite rock with scotch tape, they found graphene on the tape. Their resulting work on graphene won them the Nobel Prize in Physics.

So what if graphene is 2D? Well being 2D is not the only special property of graphene. A paper published in nature describes how it is super strong, flexible, transparent and super conductive. Graphene is harder than diamond, stronger than steel, and is many, many times more conductive than copper. What does this mean?

Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms
Source: CORE-Materials on Flickr

Due to the many properties of graphene, it can be used in many different ways. Since it is transparent and highly conductive, it can be used to improve touchscreens in our electronic devices. It can also be used in the development of small sensors for detecting glucose levels or cholesterol in the human body. Since graphene can hold electrons, it can also act as a battery that charges in a few seconds. All in all, it has a huge amount of potential. Plus, it’s biodegradable.

Recently, graphene has been found to absorb infrared light. This means that it can function as a night vision light detector. And what’s more, it can be placed into contact lenses! With all of these properties, graphene really deserves the nickname miracle material.

– David Ng

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