Category Archives: Issues in science

Cerebral Palsy: damage to the developing brain

Posted on March 10, 2014 by nakisa kiai | 1 comment

17 million people around the world face the challenge of constant, uncontrollable movement of their muscles, difficulty in perceiving sensation and difficulties in speech and language.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability. One to three of every 1000 born are affected. CP is a condition that primarily affects motor movement and muscle coordination. It is not hereditary, contagious, nor can it be considered a disease or a form of retardation. The variability of of the condition ranges from minor to very severe.

A young boy with Cerebral Palsy Image: Wikipedia commons

How does it occur?

Our brain is the power house of our bodies- it controls our ability to percieve sensation as well as our ability to move and speak. Oxygen is vital for the brain to function. When the brain unable to recieve oxygen, the effects are irreversible.

CP is caused by an impairment in brain development, such as suffocation at birth, or a complication during pregnancy or during the early years of life. The term for this impairment is called hypoxia, which means a lack of oxygen. This is where the condition gets its name. “Cerebral” refers to the cerebrum and “palsy” comes from the word for paralysis. CP specifically targets the areas of the brain responsible for motor movement, and therefore the brain’s ability to take control of movements and posture is hindered.

The area of the brain responsible for motor movement
Image: Wikipedia Commons

Is there a cure?

Cerebral Palsy is not a worsening condition and though there are minor therapies that can be done, such as physiotherapy, speech therapy and massage therapy, the condition remains permanent and without cure.

Children in particular benefit greatly from therapy because they are also battling the growth of their bodies. It is important that children with CP undergo therapy so that they can live more independent lives in the future.

Though there is no cure for Cerebral Palsy, there are ways to improve the quality of life of the patient. There are also preventative measures that can be taken during and prior to pregnancy. It is important to equip ourselves with the knowledge about this condition–it is more prevalent than we think.

Blog post by: Nakisa Kiai

1 Comment

Posted in Issues in science, Public engagement, Science communication, Uncategorized

Tagged brain, cerebral palsy, cerebrum, children, health, muscle, therapy

Baby Babble

Posted on March 8, 2014 by jastejsidhu | 2 comments

I love babies; this is a fact. I also bet that most of you reading this love babies. Their toothless smiles, drooling, and babble pull at the strings our hearts. Have you ever been curious as to how babies learn how to speak? What is that catalyst that allows them to say their first word?

Source Flickr Commons
http://flic.kr/p/gRkMFk

Babies have an amazing method of learning how to speak; unfortunately it is not a method that researchers have been able to pinpoint as of yet. A recent study has made a little step forward in trying to uncover this question that everyone has. Researchers from Texas A&M University, namely neuroscientist Dr. Thierry Lints, looked at the singing behaviour of baby finches. It is said that finches have the same way of learning how to sing their song as babies do with speaking—through imitative memory. After isolating baby finches from their fathers (who teach them how to sing), the researchers played the adult’s song to the babies for a few hours. They wanted to not only see how quickly the finches picked up the song, but also how quickly they made advances in their vocal changes. The researchers concluded that the baby finches that made the most progress each day typically learned the song the quickest. The finches that were exposed to the song at the youngest age also learned the song the quickest.

This says something about how human babies can also learn to speak in proper language. Another amazing factor of being able to predict and understand the learning of language is that we can try and detect developmental disabilities such as schizophrenia and autism. The video below talks about how early detection in autism is becoming a possibility.

It is amazing how just being able to understand how babies learn to speak can uncover so many different things. Hopefully the study with the finches will allow us to make more discoveries about the learning of language. It will enable humans to predict developmental disabilities as well as enhance how quickly babies begin to speak.

By Jastej Sidhu

2 Comments

Posted in Issues in science, Public engagement, Science in the news

Tagged autism, baby, bird, language, prevention, speech

Is Obesity Caused By Pollutants Around Us?

Posted on March 3, 2014 by madeleinet | 2 comments

If you are trying earnestly to maintain your weight, you may have the phrase “watch what you eat” in mind. Junk food and sweets are out, but the question you forgot to ask is: should you be wary of other foods on your plate as well? The answer is yes.

Studies have revealed that Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) play an indirect role in adding fat mass to the body. People are affected by the environment because all our needs ultimately come from the surroundings and these very pollutants are able to enter your diet to alter the endocrine system, organ function, tissues, as well as fat cells.

Where Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Come From

Predominantly used as pesticides, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are now under restricted usage. These chemicals were created for industrial processes and were also released as by-products.

Smog filled with pollutants created from factories easily reach neighbouring crop fields.
Source: Gustavo Madico, Flickr

Once exposed to the environment, POPs travel far and wide, made possible by its resistance to most chemical and biological processes in normal degradation. Naturally, animals consume available POPs, leading to its bioaccumulation in tissues. The problem is then amplified with biomagnification in food webs, and humans are, of course, at the top of the food chain.

This video by Sustainable Consumption and Production Regional Activity Centre summarizes the impact of POPs:

The Link to Obesity

Since POPs accumulate in fatty tissues of animals, we consume them when our meal includes fatty fish, meat, and dairy products.

Fatty fish are victims of POP bioaccumulation.
Source: Ivan Walsh, Flickr

An increasing number of studies are finding a strong link between POPs and body weight. POPs have been shown to affect key endocrine pathways in the human fatty tissue and there is a strong correlation between the expression of obesity marker genes (determinants of obesity) and POP concentrations. In another study, a group of mice tested with a high-fat diet containing high POP levels gained more visceral body fat then the group of mice with a low-fat diet. This indicated that metabolic processes were altered, leading to obesity and insulin resistance, which can progress to Type 2 Diabetes. In fact, diabetes poses a possibly even more harmful health problem than obesity itself!

Possible Solutions

Despite the fact that POPs are highly regulated to limit its toxic effects, they can still be found in many environments because of the movement within food chains. Does this mean you should lose all faith in the foods you eat? Hopefully not! As further research gives more evidence to support the causal role of POPs, awareness will increase and perhaps POPs will no longer be put in use.

It may be helpful to eat food grown with fewer pesticides, but a normal, balanced diet without excessive amounts of fatty fish and meat should be fine.

Post by Madeleine Tsoi

2 Comments

Posted in Biological sciences, Issues in science, Science communication, Science in the news

Tagged Diet, Environment, Food, health, Metabolism, Obesity, Persistent Organic Pollutants

Are your B-flat notes and Wednesdays green, as mine are?

Posted on March 3, 2014 by shamimhr | 2 comments

Until two years ago, I thought that Wednesdays are green and the number five and letter “S” are red for everyone. I presumed that for everyone, September is silvery and is located right in front of everyones’ left shoulder and it could be pointed at. I thought everyone would see the drift of shapes and colours when listening to Beethoven’s Pathétique sonata! However two summers ago, in the last minutes of a poem analysis session of an English literature course, I got introduced to this world that I have been living in for the last twenty years. The fantasy word to describe this characteristic would be Synesthesia (thanks to my English professor who mentioned it). In the world of neuroscience, it is a condition in which, stimulation of one sense will lead to involuntary stimulation of another sense. This is a genetically inherited trait and would be found in 2 to 5 percent of a general population.

There are two theories introduced so far in order to explain the physiological mechanism behind synesthesia. The first theory states that, communication between regions of the cerebral cortex in the brain that are not otherwise connected in non-synesthetes is responsible for the creation of such mixed senses. Based on this theory, the existing excess neural connections are typically removed during the brain development however in synesthetes, this cross-wirings remain intact and thus synesthetic neural pathways persist.

The other theory states that, in a normal brain there is a certain balance between inhibition and stimulation of neural pathways. However in syntesthetes’ brains, due to reduced inhibition of these normal existing neural pathways, excess communication between certain regions of brain causes the phenomenon synesthesia. This excess stimulation (or reduced inhibition) of neural pathways is believed to be due to the excess amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin S2A.

In the following video, Drs. Cytowic and Frakowiak will talk briefly about synethtesia and its different types among syntesthetes.

Grapheme->colour synesthesia. photo from the user whimperingpenguin: http://flic.kr/p/6yPN1a

Today, synesthesia is an active area of research focusing on finding any correlation between this genetic condition and other neuropsychological conditions such as Attention Deficiency Disorder (ADD), Autism and Schizophrenia due to its neurophysiological similarity to these conditions.

As the final word I would like to add Dr. Veronica Gross’s statement about people with synesthesia which explains that, synesthesia is a “condition” not a “disease” and it has its own benefits to those who have this condition:

“…Synesthesia is not a disease. In fact, several researchers have shown that synesthetes can perform better on certain tests of memory and intelligence… “

Synesthesia is a phenomenon that is largely a gift to those who experience it, since many synesthetes have an aptitude for the arts, a strong sense of creativity, and increased memory skills.

Here is a video summarizing the highlights of this characteristic:

-Shamim

2 Comments

Posted in Biological sciences, Issues in science, Public engagement, Science communication, Science in the news

Tagged academics, brain, Neurology

Death by Sitting

Posted on March 3, 2014 by icarion | 4 comments

Source: El Alvi from Flickr

Sitting too much is bad for you. Everyone knows that. As long as you follow the recommendation of 150 mins of exercise a week, you’ll be fine, right?

Nope.

Sitting is a great way to relax for people. Whether it be to rest during a car ride or to focus on some work, humans like to sit. This is quite notable with the availability of chairs almost everywhere — in restaurants, in theaters, in cars, at homes, in parks, at bus stops etc. It is a great way to rest the body when there isn’t much to do, without taking as much space as lying down.

Source: loop_oh from Flickr

With today’s modern lifestyle, many people are sitting pretty much all day everyday. For example, students sit to eat meals, sit during travels, sit during class and sit to do work. Sure, sitting is very useful and comfortable. But this comes at a cost. Not only are there problems associated with bad posture, its harmfulness to human health has earned it the slogan ‘sitting is the new smoking‘.

The British Journal of Sports Medicine published a paper which claims that each hour of sitting while watching TV will reduce a person’s lifespan by 21.8 min. The study suggests that someone who watches an average of 6 hr of TV a day throughout their entire life would die 4.8 years earlier than someone who has not watched any TV.

There is also a popular belief that sitting time can be negated by exercise time. But like I said at the start, that isn’t true. A recent study published by the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that every additional hour of sitting (after sitting for 9 hr) was correlated with a doubling of disability risk. This held true in the study regardless of how much the person exercised.

Example of a Standing Desk
Source: Simplified Building from Flickr

Studies from the Journal of American College of Cardiology and PubMed also found that the increased mortality rates due to sitting persisted despite high levels of physical activity.

Does this mean that we are all doomed to die under the hands of sitting? Worry not! There are solutions! People have come up with products such as standing desks or even treadmill desks…where you can walk while working. However, It would be much easier (and free) to just move around for 20 seconds for every 20 mins of sitting.

– David Ng

4 Comments

Posted in Biological sciences, Issues in science

Tagged Exercise, health, Sitting, TV

Lifestraw: An Innovative Way to Drink Water

Posted on March 2, 2014 by tonycaputo | 3 comments

Access to clean water is considered to be a universal human right, “a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life” as stated by the United Nations.

However, we often take drinking water for granted. 780 million people still lack access to clean water, more than 2.5 times the population of the United States. While the demand for clean water only grows as our population increases, one of the leading international companies in global health has developed a product to provide clean water in almost any situation. The Lifestraw, created by Vestergaard.

Lifestraw tested by Bear Grylls
Image courtesy: Mikeshouts

The Lifestraw, winner of the best invention of 2005, and 2008 winner of ‘World Changing Ideas’ is a simple straw that filters water from any source. Whether it is drinking out of a puddle on the side of the road, or a parasite invested river in Africa, The Lifestraw filters water right as you drink it.

By using a microfiltration system, Lifestraw technology uses small hollow fibres with 0.2 micron pores to filter water. As you suck in water, any parasites, bacteria, and dirt get trapped inside the fibres, removing 99.99999% bacteria, and 99.9% of protozoan cysts. The Lifestraw filters 1000 liters in its lifetime, without the use of any batteries, with a filter that is five times stronger than EPA standards. Once the Lifestraw has surpassed its lifetime, water cannot filter through the straw, rendering it useless.

Lifestraw used in contaminated water
Image Courtesy: American chillers

For the cost of only 20 dollars, Lifestraw can provide 2.7 liters of water for a year. Whether you are thirsty on a hike and need a quick source of water, or are in need of water in emergency situations, Lifestraw provides a cheap way to obtain clean drinking water.

Even if you found yourself trapped in a bathroom stall, you could drink out of the toilet like the guy in this video:

-Tony Caputo

3 Comments

Posted in Issues in science, Public engagement, Science in the news, Uncategorized

Tagged Bear Grylls, Lifestraw, Portable Water Filter, Vandergaard, Water Crisis

A Grip on Reality: The Future of Prosthetics

Posted on February 24, 2014 by vishavg | 1 comment

The human body has five basic senses: sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. Now take a minute and imagine your life without one of them. It’s easy to realize that we as humans rely on our senses for almost everything we do. Yet there are many people in the world, such as amputees, that do not have one or multiple senses.

Dennis Aabo Sørensen, a man from Denmark, became an amputee almost nine years ago when he lost his left hand in an accident. Although he was using a prosthetic hand, he had permanently lost the ability to feel anything from his hand. That is until recently when he became the first human to try the new bionic hand that allows you to feel what you touch with a prosthetic.

Image from Google Images
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5468/8760623250_a7d842b198_z.jpg

The scientists at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa (SSSA) designed the bionic hand prototype that will allow people like Dennis to feel objects in real-time using sensory feedback technology. The bionic hand works by measuring the force it takes for the tendons in the artificial hand to grasp an object. Once the measurement of force is identified, the tendons send electrical impulses through wires to the electrodes that have been surgically connected to the nerves of the actual arm. Although it seems like the impulse is not instantly sent to the brain, it actually happens in a matter of seconds to give the feeling of real-time. In the following video Silvestro Micera provides a more in-depth preview of the bionic hand and Dennis Aabo Sørensen describes his initial thoughts on this new technology.

Although this technology is still years away from being commercially available, it is still a great achievement in the medical world. I believe the next steps in this project would be to figure out how to make this technology available in portable prosthetics and how much it would cost for the general public. Having said that, this technology holds great promises for people like Dennis who have been unable to experience their life fully due to their lost sense. Many individuals can now look forward to a brighter future in the world of prosthetics.

Vishav Gill

1 Comment

Posted in Biological sciences, Issues in science, Science communication, Science in the news

Tagged amputee, health, prosthetics, senses, technology

Lightning never strikes the same place twice?

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Leticia | 1 comment

Suppose someone or something has been struck by lightning. In respect to this, would it be possible to be hit by another lightning bolt at the exact same location more than once? While many might carry on to believe in the expression that lightning never strikes the same place twice, this is not always the case. In fact, a strike in any location does not change the electrical activity in the storm above, meaning it will produce another strike as soon as it ‘recharges’. Thus, any location, including the one previously hit, will just be as likely to be hit for the next discharge as any other spot.

In fact, given enough time, it is almost inevitable that lightning will strike the same place more than once, as the number of lightning strikes per day is approximately 8 million.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Commons by Highway of Life

Other than sheer chance, it is also possible that there is something particular about the site that makes it more susceptible to being struck by lightning. In general, the behavior of lightning is such that when it strikes something on the ground, that object sends a faint channel upwards that joins the downward developing flash and creates the link to the ground. It is in this way that shorter objects, compared to taller ones are less likely to produce this upward channel and therefore, the chances of being hit by lightning would be lower. For example, lightning strikes the Canadian National Tower an average of 75 times per year.

Here is a video showing multiple lighting strikes on the CN tower:

While the height of objects can be a factor in attracting lightning, other factors have an impact on where lightning strikes as well. Some examples include but are not limited to the local effects on the ability of the ground to conduct electricity, such as the salt or moisture content of the ground, the presence or absence of rock, standing water, pipes or other metal objects in the ground, the terrain shape, or the shape of leaves and twigs.

In short, a lightning strike can strike the same place, not just twice, but multiple times. However, the statistical odds of being struck by lightning in the United States is 1 in 600,000, meaning it would be unlikely to get struck once in your lifetime, let alone twice. Unless you happen to be this extremely unlucky (or lucky, depending on your perspective) fellow who has gotten struck 7 times in his life.

For more information on this myth on lightning, check out the video by Mythbusters.

Leticia Munoz

1 Comment

Posted in Issues in science, Public engagement, Science communication, Science in the news

Tagged CN tower, Dickey Baker, lightning, myth, science

Addicted to Bad Habits

Posted on February 10, 2014 by jastejsidhu | 2 comments

Source: Flickr Commons
http://flic.kr/p/4r7j9x

I have always thought that getting addicted to something is only for the weak-minded or weak-willed. I thought this up until last year when I realized that I was going through a pack of gum a day. I got into the habit of popping a piece of Cobalt flavoured 5 gum into my mouth, chewing it vigourously for five minutes and spitting it right back out. The cycle would continue all day. I started searching the Internet for why I was addicted to gum and what I could do to stop this addiction. Google told me that what I was suffering from was a bad habit.

Bad habits and addictions can often be confused with each other . Medical News Today defines a bad habit as something that you choose to do and can stop doing if you want to, whereas an addiction is something that you are unable to stop doing without getting help. Bad habits can very often lead to addictions, but in the case of gum the only way it could lead to addiction is if it was pumped with cocaine.

Addictions are fuelled through receptors in the brain. They can be evident through cravings, impulsive actions, and continued usage with negative side effects. Drug and alcohol addictions can be dependent on the individual’s environment as well as their genetic makeup. For example, children of alcoholic and/or drug dependent males are three to four times more likely to have an addiction. With each pleasurable experience we have － whether it be alcohol, food, or sex － our limbic system, or the brain’s pleasure centre, gets activated. Neurotransmitters are released in our brain that make us feel good. Over time and with continued use our neurons do not release the same amount of neurotransmitters for every day things so we start to do more and more of what makes us feel good in order to feel pleasure. This is how people become addicted to substances and activities. Watch Hank from the SciShow Youtube channel break down the chemistry of addiction a little further:

Addiction can be a scary thing to undergo and as we see in the world around us it can also be a very hard thing to overcome. Nonetheless, it is still possible. As we always hear: the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. With countless resources like Alcoholics Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous just in Vancouver alone there is always a way if you have a will.

By Jastej Sidhu

2 Comments

Posted in Issues in science, Public engagement

Tagged addiction, alcohol, brain, drugs, habit

Omega-3: What’s “Fishy” about it?

Posted on February 10, 2014 by nakisa kiai | 1 comment

You may have heard of the importance of omega-3 fats into your diet and the numerous health benefits that come from it. Incorporating omega-3 fats into our daily diet has proven to have very notable results in decreasing risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, Alzheimers disease and depression. All of which sound like things every person would want to avoid!

So, what are these magical fats?

There are 3 types of omega-3 fats, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicasapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Surely it would be ideal to incorporate all of the three into our diet, but each can come from different sources. EPA and DHA are commonly found in fish– salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines etc. ALA can be found in soybeans, walnuts, flaxseeds as well as milk, eggs and margarine.

Sources of Omega-3 Fats Image: Mr-Ginseng.com

Wait, did you say fish?

For those of us on the West Coast who are fish fanatics, this should be no problem at all. What if you aren’t, though? Does this mean that you are doomed to an omega-3 deficiency?

The good news is that you can get your source of omega-3 fats from many other food sources besides fish! When you walk down the grocery isle, you will probably recognize labels that say “omega-3”, “ALA”, “EPA” or “DHA”. Many products in the dairy isle as well as some grains and cereals have these added benefits.

But what happens if you are a vegetarian or a vegan (on top of despising the taste of fish)? There are several omega-3 supplements available on the market that meet this dietary need. It may be smart, however, to consult with a health care professional before starting on a supplement.

Omega-3 Supplements Image: Jamieson Vitamins

Of course, eating fatty fish is a major source of omega-3 fats and many other health benefits, but this should also be done with caution- women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should be careful about their fish intake due to risk of higher levels of mercury.

Bottom line- eat healthy and know your options! Omega-3 fats do not need to be “fishy”!

Blog post by: Nakisa Kiai

1 Comment

Posted in Issues in science, Public engagement, Science in the news, Uncategorized

Tagged balanced diet, fish, health, heart disease, omega-3, supplements

Category Archives: Issues in science

Cerebral Palsy: damage to the developing brain

Baby Babble

Is Obesity Caused By Pollutants Around Us?

Are your B-flat notes and Wednesdays green, as mine are?

Death by Sitting

Lifestraw: An Innovative Way to Drink Water

A Grip on Reality: The Future of Prosthetics

Lightning never strikes the same place twice?

Addicted to Bad Habits

Omega-3: What’s “Fishy” about it?

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