Category Archives: Science in the news

Just Another Seal? A look at the Northern Fur Seal

Posted on April 9, 2014 by icarion | 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:

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

Tagged climate change, fur trade, Northern Fur Seal, thermoregulation

Saving the Reef: A new Method for an old Problem

Posted on April 9, 2014 by tonycaputo | Leave a comment

Naturally as humans, we tend to abuse any resource we can get our hands on. We exploit most of our planets natural resources (but that’s another story), as well as over consume many species that benefit us. Currently it is estimated that over 75% of the world’s fish stocks are being fished faster than they can be replenished, and that if we fail to change our ways we could be facing a global fish collapse by the year 2050. Looks like we could be eating jellyfish before we know it.

Indonesian fishing boats
Image courtesy: Dr. Divya Varkey

However, in light of this dooming news, there may be a solution. Recently Dr.Varkey, a Postdoc working on resource management from the University of British Columbia, has developed a method to help solve this issue. By analyzing coral reef communities in Raja Ampat (Indonesia), she has created a model that analyzes a bunch of different local factors and produces an outcome that is suited for both the community, and the fish.

Simplified version of the Bayesian Decision Network model
Image courtesy: Dr. Divya Varkey

To understand how this model works, we have a podcast performed by Dr.Varkey. She will help simplify the different complications of the model, so we can get a better grasp as to how this model works.

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Now that we understand how this model works, we can begin to see its many capabilities. Especially for smaller communities that rely heavily on fishing as a means of revenue, being able to balance the peoples needs and conservation can be extremely difficult. Like we heard Dr.Varkey explain, it can take everyone’s interests into account, and produce a result that is equally fair to everyone, while also conserving fish populations.

Local fishing boat in the community of Raja Ampat
Image courtesy: Dr. Divya Varkey

To understand more as to how this affected the community of Raja Ampat, as well as the conflicts between fisheries and conservation, feel free to watch this video to learn more about the community of Raja Ampat.

Now that we have seen how this model works, and how it can solve conflicts between different groups in a community, we can see the potential of this model in different ecosystems. Not only are the capabilities of this model powerful, but essentially it can be applied anywhere. Simply by deconstructing the model and recreating it for the desired ecosystem, we could apply it to any community where conservation is an issue. Locally, we could apply this model to sockeye populations, which reached populations so low in 2009 that salmon fisheries ended up closing.

Failure to change our current ways of exploitation could lead to a future without fish. Applying Dr.Varkey’s model could prove to be a simple method in reducing our over consumption of fish, leading to a more sustainable future.

Otherwise, we may be enjoying a lot more jellyfish in the near future.

-Raymond Quan, Madeleine Tsoi, Leticia Munoz, Tony Caputo

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

Tagged Dr.Varkey, fish, Indonesia, Overfishing, Raja Ampat, Resource Management, UBC

The Battle Against Malaria

Posted on April 9, 2014 by jastejsidhu | Leave a comment

Roughly half the world’s population is at risk of malaria. Children, under the age of five, account for 86% of malaria-related deaths in 2010. It is imperative that we find a solution to this mosquito-borne infection.

Malaria is found everywhere throughout the world, but sub-Saharan Africa, and tropical regions are most affected. In a World Health Organization (W.H.O.) report there were 207 million reported cases of malaria in 2012, with an estimated 3.4 billion people at risk.

Mosquito feeding on a human host.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Malaria is a parasitic infection. Transmission of malaria begins with a single mosquito bite from an infected female Anopheline mosquito. With this exchange of malaria parasite for the victim’s blood, the parasites travel to the liver via blood cells. From there, the infection takes hold and the production of thousands of new malaria micro-organisms will begin. These mature malaria parasites make their way to the circulatory system where they invade red blood cells and eventually cause the red blood cells to burst. In short, malaria kills the blood supply to vital organs.

Symptoms of malaria range from headaches to fevers, to swelling of the spleen and death. These symptoms are due to the toxins released from ruptured red blood cells.

This podcast discusses the impact of malaria on a communal level, including causes for concern, as well as a malaria survivor’s ordeal.

Podcast

There are many reasons why malaria research is important. Preventative measures such as anti-malarial medicine has proven to be ineffective because malaria parasites are so complex. In fact, there is no effective vaccination against malaria. These parasites are capable of becoming resistant to anti-malarial drugs through point mutations, which are slight changes in its DNA. Their ability to evolve hampers prevention efforts and further complicates the mission for malaria control.

Researchers are looking into other ways to eliminate malaria. A few researchers from Maryland modified a fungus called Metarhizium anisopliae and discovered that it was able to combat the malaria parasite in female Anopheline mosquitoes. This fungus stops the transmission from mosquito to human by killing the malaria parasite in the mosquito.

Metarhizium Anisopliae
Source: Dan Johnson, University of Lethbridge

Dr. Daniel Coombs
Source: UBC Department of Mathematics

Dr. Daniel Coombs, a Mathematical Biologist, and his research team at the University of British Columbia used this finding and developed a mathematical model.

“The question is do you then start treating with the fungus and what you’re basically doing is changing the infected compartment of the mosquitoes and if you’re just curing the malaria, you’re just decreasing that,” says Dr. Coombs, adding that this is what his team set out to determine.

This video discusses Dr. Coombs’ research.

While this research is still in its infancy, this mathematical model could also be used to improve and develop other methods of controlling malaria. Knowing that these parasites can develop resistance to treatment and insecticides, it is crucial that we continue to find or develop affordable, effective methods to either control or eliminate malaria.

By: Gregory McMaster, Brenda Nguyen, Jastej Sidhu

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

Tagged fungus, health, malaria, mosquito, world

The End to Expiration Dates

Posted on March 24, 2014 by madeleinet | 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:

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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Posted in Science in the news

Tagged Food, Perishable, Safety, technology

Beard Implants: A Growing Trend?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by monicaleslie | 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.

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

Tagged Beard transplant, Beards, Follicular Unit Extraction, Hair follicles, Hair transplant, Hipsters, medicine, Neograft, Plastic surgery

Miracle Material

Posted on March 24, 2014 by icarion | 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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Posted in Issues in science, Science in the news

The Dark Side of Electric Vehicles

Posted on March 21, 2014 by tonycaputo | 3 comments

When we think of electric vehicles we think of positives. We think about helping the environment, reducing emissions, better fuel economy, and making a difference. However, just like Newton quoted almost 400 years ago, “for every action there is also an equal and opposite reaction”.

Let us look at the darker side of electric vehicles, the side we often overlook.

Tesla’s electric car
Image courtesy: Wikipedia commons

Although it is true that electric vehicles have better fuel economy than conventional vehicles, as well as zero tailpipe emissions, there are also many downsides to electric vehicles, both environmentally and economically.

Environmental downsides

Use of electric cars may be environmentally friendly, however the production of electric car batteries is far from clean. With almost 110 pounds of graphite needed per electric car battery, graphite pollution has raised health concerns, as well as polluted both rain and local crops. In response to the pollution associated with graphite production, major processing plants have closed to reduce emissions. China, one of the largest exporters of graphite, has recently been under “unbearable smog” as a result of graphite processing. A push for reducing graphite production has seen the cost of graphite increase over 30% just this year.

Current smog over China
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia commons

Economic downsides

If the environmental disadvantages associated with electric vehicles were not enough, electric cars also pose a large economic risk. Although it may be hard to see at first, many states are already imagining a world run solely on electric vehicles, and have reacted accordingly. Recently New Jersey has banned Tesla’s electric vehicles state-wide, something other states have already begun to do as well.

But why?

Without an internal combustion system like conventional cars, electric vehicles are basically just large batteries. No spark plugs, fuel pumps, air filters, timing belts. No need to change the oil either (because it doesn’t have any). Essentially Tesla has created an “app on four wheels“, and this is something that both car dealers and repair shops fear. A future full of electric cars means a future without automotive repair. Despite the benefits of not needing to worry about servicing your vehicle, automotive repair plays a significant role in providing jobs, something that is currently in high demand.

So next time you or someone you know is looking at purchasing an electric vehicle, know that to everything good there is also a downside. If you want to hear more about the economic impacts of electric vehicles, Elon Musk describes just how it all works at the Tesla 2013 shareholder meeting.

Tony Caputo

3 Comments

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

Tagged combustion, electric batteries, electric cars, Green, motors, Tesla

The Return of the Woolly Mammoth?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by justinsidhu | 3 comments

What if it was possible to bring back the woolly mammoths? Should we do it, or would it be unethical to bring back a species that went extinct thousands of years ago?

From Wikipedia Commons

Woolly mammoths first appeared over 200,000 years ago and are similar to modern elephants but were adapted to the cold environment of the last ice age.

Recently scientists have found a female woolly mammoth that was about 2.5 years old buried in ice in Russia. This specimen was extremely well preserved due to the ice, which is remarkable since it was alive 39,000 years ago. The mammoth that they found still had fur and its internal organs mostly intact, most importantly scientist were able to extract mammoth blood.

The cloning process can only begin if the DNA is found to be useable and undamaged. Also since cloning is a relatively new process, methods would have to be created to do so and if scientists are successful in cloning the mammoth this could revolutionize the field of cloning. Also if it is possible, it could even be used to bring back endangered species.

The main problem is whether or not we should do it because woolly mammoths had their chance and evolution selected against them. If scientists are successful in cloning the mammoth then that would be the only one of its entire species alive and in an environment that it is hardly even adapted to.

3 Comments

Posted in Biological sciences, Science in the news

Tagged Cloning, Ethics, medicine, Woolly Mammoths

Does frequently cut hair grow faster?

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Leticia | Leave a comment

Let’s say there were some light marks of facial hair on your chin. Would shaving this hair (or trimming any other hair) make it grow back quicker and thicker? Although this is a common belief, cutting your hair every week would not make hair grow back any quicker than cutting your hair every month. In the case of the hair on your head, while removing your split ends does promote healthier hair, it does not increase hair growth, which is predetermined genetically.

The myth might have originated from the observation of shaving facial hair during puberty. As many people start shaving at an early age, their hair is still lightly coloured or not growing at the rate it will eventually reach. Since hair is actually darker and rougher at its roots, removing the tips may give the look of coarser hair. As a result, this creates the illusion of faster growth and increased thickness.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr commons by Illusive Photography

If this myth were to be true, then getting regular trims, as suggested by your stylist, would be a sufficient method to ensure speedy hair growth. Paradi Mirmirani, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California contradicts this and says:

“Cutting the ends of your hair doesn’t affect the follicles in your scalp, which determine how fast and how much your hair grows. Hair grows an average of a quarter-inch every month—whether or not you cut it.

While choosing to shave or get that haircut more frequently might not affect hair growth rates, there are other factors that do have an effect. Elizabeth Cunnane Philips, a trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Clinic, supports this by saying,

“The rate of growth can be influenced by any number of variables, including general health, dietary habits, and endocrine function including thyroid, low iron or anemia. All of these have the capacity to influence hair growth and loss cycles.”

However, it does not mean one should not get a regular trim. On the contrary, such trims get rid of split ends, which reduces bre akage and prevents hair from becoming frayed. This is important because getting rid of breakage makes hair to appear thicker and longer.

In short, cutting hair on any part of your body only makes it shorter, does not affect the future growth rate or even change its texture. So for you guys out there, shaving your facial hair won’t help you grow out your beard. For the ladies, cutting your hair regularly won’t help your hair get any longer faster either.

For a short clip that has Philip Kingsley himself summarizing everything:

Leticia Munoz

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

Tagged hair growth science myth Philip Kingsley Shaving, health

Marfan Syndrome: tissue disorder in tall people

Posted on March 16, 2014 by duhraj | Leave a comment

Are you tall, thin, have flexible joints, flat fleet and crowded teeth? You may be a victim of Marfan syndrome. Marfan Syndrome is a genetic tissue disorder that affects the connective tissues of the body, specifically long bones. People with this disorder are born with it but the features are usually present later on. This disorder affects 1 in 5000 people worldwide although not many people are familiar with it, such as myself. An article I came across on this subject caught my attention because I have physical features such as a tall, thin build with flat feet, similar to the symptoms. There is however, many tall people with the physical features of the disorder but are not diagnosed with it, which is most likely my case.

Source: Flickr Commons Author: Michael Dorausch
https://flic.kr/p/87KL9Q

The tissue disorder is caused by a mutation or defect in the gene that produces fibrillin-1, the protein involved in Marfan syndrome. This defect results in an increase in production of a protein known as transforming growth factor beta (TGF), which initiates defects in the connective tissue of the body. This disorder can affect many areas of the body since connective tissues are found throughout the whole body. Commons areas infected are bones, joints, the heart, blood vessels and the eyes. Because of this, it can be life threatening. Most deaths are cardiovascular related.

This videos goes over some physical signals of Marfan Syndrome:

An eight grader from Urbana, Illinois was diagnosed with the disorder at six-years-old. At the age of 13, she was just over 5 feet and 10 inches. Luckily for her, she began treatment at a young age to prevent any serious complications. Treatment of this syndrome involves daily intake of beta-blocker medication and an echocardiogram once year. Unfortunately, her father was diagnosed in his late 20’s and after years of strenuous activities such as playing basketball and football, his heart had experienced too much damage to be treated. When undiagnosed and untreated, there is up to 250 times the risk of a tear or rupture of the aorta. The effects of this syndrome are therefore serious and should be better communicated to people in order to be aware of the condition.

So if you know anyone that is young and has any of these features, it might be worthwhile to mention the tissue disorder as it could possibly prevent further damage and save a live.

Jessy Duhra

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Posted in Biological sciences, Science in the news, Uncategorized

Tagged anatomy, connective tissue, flexible joints, long bones, phalanges, tall people, tissue disorder, x-ray

Category Archives: Science in the news

Just Another Seal? A look at the Northern Fur Seal

Saving the Reef: A new Method for an old Problem

The Battle Against Malaria

The End to Expiration Dates

Beard Implants: A Growing Trend?

Miracle Material

The Dark Side of Electric Vehicles

The Return of the Woolly Mammoth?

Does frequently cut hair grow faster?

Marfan Syndrome: tissue disorder in tall people

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