Category Archives: Science in the news

Perfect Pitch by Popping a Pill?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by monicaleslie | 1 comment

Have you ever wanted to win that karaoke contest on Saturday night, but just couldn’t seem to stay on key?

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Commons: Encore Entertainment

Well, you may be in luck! Researchers have recently found that you can learn how to detect and produce absolute pitch, even as an adult, with the help of a pill. In this study it was demonstrated that the ability to achieve absolute pitch could still be learned as an adult (with the aid of a pill) even though there is normally a critical period (usually early in life) for being able to learn this type behaviour.

Absolute pitch is the ability to identify or produce a tone without the aid of any reference tone and it is estimated that only 1 in 10,000 people actually have the ability to do this. Although it is believed to be a genetic trait, it was previously thought that if absolute pitch was not learned during the critical period (from birth until around age 7) that it could never be obtained. However, with the help of a medication this critical period can be reopened and allow us more time to learn absolute pitch.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Commons: Yngve Bakken Nilsen

Valproate, or valproic acid is normally used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and migraine headaches. However, in the study mentioned earlier it was individuals taking valproate that were able to learn to identify pitch significantly better than individuals taking a placebo. Takao Hensch, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, says:

“It’s quite remarkable since there are no known reports of adults acquiring absolute pitch.”

Valproate is thought to be able to achieve these results by modifying the brain’s plasticity to a more juvenile state. As we age, our neuroplasticity decreases and that’s what causes these critical periods to exist. So, a higher plasticity in adulthood allows us to learn things we were once only able to learn as a child. It makes the brain “young again”.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Commons: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy Poirrier

What does this mean? Well, being able to win that karaoke competition may only be the start of it. Critical periods exist for a wide variety of other things including language development. This discovery could also potentially enable us to learn new languages more effectively. The possibilities are truly endless.

However, Takao Hensch warns:

“…Critical periods have evolved for a reason and it is a process that one probably would not want to tamper with carelessly … If we’ve shaped our identities through development, through a critical period, and have matched our brain to the environment in which we were raised … then if we were to erase that by reopening the critical period, we run quite a risk as well.”

Although this finding seems to have incredible potential, would winning karaoke really be worth losing part of your personality?

1 Comment

Posted in Biological sciences, Outreach project, Science in the news

Tagged absolute pitch, critical period, medicine, neuroplasticity, pitch, valproate

The Future of Science: Organs on a Chip

Posted on February 2, 2014 by tonycaputo | 2 comments

With a future rooted deeply in technology, it is only a matter of time until sectors like medicine merge completely with technology. the ideas of half-human half-robot may seem distant in the future, however the technology is a lot closer than we imagine. Let me introduce you to the future of technology, organs on a chip.

The researchers over at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have found a way to intertwine technology and medicine, by creating the first organs on a chip.

A functioning lung cell system embedded in a chip Image courtesy: Wyss institute

By using a microfluidic chip as a “cell membrane”, they have been able to create the most realistic cell environment; far more accurate than petri-dish experiments and significantly less subjective than animal testing. Organs on a cell work by using small channels inside the chip as well as a porous membrane to simulate a cell environment.

For the example of a lung cell on a chip, capillary cells are inserted on one side of the membrane, while air sac cells are inserted on the opposite side of the membrane. Blood and air flow can be simulated through the chip, as well as rhythmic strains can be exerted on the chip to simulate breathing and moving. Different chemicals and particles can be administered through the chip, mimicking similar situations to drug dosages and chemical encounters.

Cross section of a lung on a chip
Image courtesy: Wyss institute

The benefits of having different functioning organ cells on a chip are numerous, even with the technology currently in its early stages. Drugs could be tested on real human cells and provide real human responses, all without the dangers associated with human testing. The toxicity of different chemicals could be tested on human cells and the responses could be watched in real time, something that cannot be done accurately today. A large issue with drug testing today is that drug tests done on animals and adults differ greatly when administered to children. By testing cells on a chip that are from a child, we can get a better understanding how the drug will react to children, opposed to the current ambiguities associated with how a drug will react.

Imagine the possibilities of using a system of different cell types on a chip, all linked together forming a network similar to the human body. A system like this could eliminate the need for animal testing, and be far more accurate than working with human cells on a petri-dish. Organ cells on a chip could revolutionize the drug industry.

For more information on how this system works:

-Tony Caputo

2 Comments

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

Tagged animal testing, Body parts on a cell, cells, drug testing, medicine, microfluidic cells, technology

Is the majority of heat lost through the head?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Leticia | Leave a comment

Imagine forgetting your fuzzy woolly hat at home today. As a result, would most of your body heat be lost? While many continue to think that the majority of body heat dissipates through the head, some people saying even up to 80% is lost this way, this has been found to be a myth.

If this myth were true, then wearing nothing but a hat would as sufficient in defending from the cold as wearing clothes and no hat. Dr. Richard Ingebretsen, a professor at the University of Utah, says:

“The real reason we lose any heat through our head is because most of the time when we’re outside in the cold, we’re clothed. If you don’t have a hat on, you lose heat through your head, just as you would lose heat through your legs if you were wearing shorts.”

Photo Courtesy of Flickr commons by sand_and_sky

In fact, with the head having about 7% of the total surface area of the body and keeping in mind that temperature change of any object is dictated by the ratio of its surface area to its mass, we can deduce that the head should not lose any more than 10% of total body heat, even with the assumption that the body is equally insulated. Therefore, even if you were to forget your favorite woolly hat, it would not make much of a difference.

While the amount of heat you lose is proportional to the skin exposed, it also depends on a variety of factors, such as the type of clothing you wear, type of physical activity being done, and the various bodily functions that govern temperature regulation. Although, it is possible to have a situation where you lose most of your body heat through your head (such as when it is the only part of the body being exposed) it is not true to say that the amount of heat loss is dependent on the head alone.

In conclusion, the head is not a significant area of concern for major heat loss, at least no more than if the equivalent amount of skin on other parts of your body were to be exposed.

For more information, check out this video by regarding how temperature is regulated by the body.

The Google Car

Posted on January 27, 2014 by justinsidhu | 1 comment

When people think about the future of transportation, they usually only consider advances in fuel economy or alternative fuels, but what about cars that can drive themselves?

: Source: Wikipedia Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jurvetson_Google_driverless_car_trimmed.jpg)

Autonomous cars is not a relatively new idea as the concept of a driverless car had originally came from the 1920s when Houdina Radio Control Co proved that they could remotely control a vehicle through the streets of New York. Although the car had to be manually controlled, it proved that cars may be able to drive themselves one day when the technology is there.

Nowadays most modern cars contain the usual GPS, parking sensors, cruise control and some could even parallel park for you, but car manufacturers and Google are taking that one step further and creating cars that can drive themselves without any assistance. The Google car was originally created from a Toyota Prius that had undergone numerous modifications to make it driverless. Currently it is not very cost effective as all changes total up to $150,000 including a $70,000 laser radar system also known as Lidar. This system provides the vehicle with nearly all the data it needs, it creates a three dimensional map of the vehicle’s surroundings. Also, maps of the world are combined with the laser system to create an even better depiction of the car’s environment.

So far the autonomous vehicles have driven over half a million kilometers nearly accident free. There has been only two documented accidents with the driverless car and they are both at human fault. The first accident was caused when it was driven by a person and the second was when it got rear ended. Other than that these cars could be the future of human transport, the only problem is when production models are made and if an accident happens who would be liable; would it be the car passenger or the car manufacturer?

In the above video you can see Nissan’s driverless car in action. This is an example of the potential benefits of a driverless car because they can park themselves rather than the owner having to waste time to find a parking lot.

With all new technology there are always pros and cons in the case of autonomous vehicles. By the year 2020 major car manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz, Nissan, and BMW plan to sell their own version of the self-driving car.

Posted by: Justin Sidhu

1 Comment

Posted in Science in the news

Tagged cars, future, Google, technology

The Re-awakening of the Sleeping Beauty Curse

Posted on January 27, 2014 by akoh | 2 comments

The Disney Princesses
Source: silentmermaid21 on deviantart.com

Imagine going back to your childhood days, frolicking around, having nothing better to do than to watch Disney movies. Who can forget those moments we relished as a child as we were engrossed with the melodic storylines and fuzzy feelings after a happy ending? Especially as a young girl, it was easy to fantasize being the princess and maybe young boys did the same imagining themselves as the prince. However, what about now? If we were given the chance to live the life of a Disney princess, who would it be? Would it be the curious and free-spirited Ariel, or the stunning yet cursed beauty, Aurora? Whoever it might be, we are just imagining this princess life as make believe… or are we?

In a recent interview, 17 year old Nicole Delien describes her life as a Disney princess – only for her it is nothing like what the movies portray. Who would have thought that the sleeping beauty could be seen in real life?

As mentioned above, the Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) or the Sleeping Beauty Syndrome is a rare disease characterized by repeated episodes of hypersomnia and to various extent, behavioural or cognitive disturbances, compulsive eating behaviour and hypersexuality. According to a study that reported 186 cases of KLS patients, each case proposed different variations of the above mentioned symptoms. Firstly, hypersomnia, the major indicator, was present in all cases with the typical sleep duration during episodes to be 12 – 24 hours a day. Secondly, a majority of patients had cognitive disturbances with concentration, confusion, attention and memory. Abnormal speech, such as being mute or use of childish language, was also common. Many patients seemed to have amnesia of the events that occurred during an episode but in between, patients were described to be normal. Lastly, frequent food cravings and hyperphagia symptomized compulsive eating behaviours and hypersexuality symptoms shown during episodes frequented more in men.

Food binge
Source: Josie Mai, VMfitness

Unlike the definite curse from the evil fairy in the Sleeping Beauty, diagnosis of KLS is very difficult since there are no distinct symptoms leading to this disease. Instead, KLS is a diagnosis of exclusion, where elimination from a long list of other conditions that could mimic the symptoms are crossed off one by one. Due to this ambiguity, people with KLS are often mistakenly diagnosed with psychiatric or bipolar disorder. On top of this, if KLS was able to get treated by a simple kiss from a “prince”, the Sleeping Beauty Syndrome would greatly be acknowledged for the rightful title of its name; however, not all relations go according to the storyline. Despite many treatment possibilities tested by drug studies, an explicit treatment still needs to be found.

Overall, Nicole’s story has yet to find a happy ending and until then, we can only hope that her princess life will not tire her out too much.

Posted by: Alice Koh

2 Comments

Posted in Public engagement, Science in the news

Tagged Beauty, Disney, health, Kleine-Levin Syndrome, multiple symptoms, sleep

A New Look at Diabetes

Posted on January 26, 2014 by vishavg | 2 comments

According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes affects more than 382 million people worldwide and by 2035 it is estimated to increase to a staggering 592 million people. Even with such a large number of people affected by this disease, there is still no cure. Patients must prick themselves on the finger in order to obtain a sample of blood, which can then be used to test their blood glucose level. As you can imagine this can become a nuisance for those patients that have to prick themselves almost ten times a day. However, a cure to avoid the constant pricking is coming in the near future.

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

Google Inc. the multi-billion dollar company that is in charge of the world’s biggest search engine, various cellular devices, computers and more is now planning on making a splash into the medical industry. Google Inc. recently unveiled its newest product: a contact lens that uses the tears in a patient’s eye to notify them of their blood glucose levels. The contact itself is made of two layers of “biocompatible” material, which feels similar to what is found in traditional contact lenses. The technology is found in between the two layers: the sensor, which detects the blood glucose level; the chip, which receives the power so the contact lens is constantly checking your glucose levels; and the antenna, which can send the information it receives to the wearer. See the following video interview the Telegraph held with Brian Otis, Google X engineer, about this new contact lens.

Although the contact lens is still in its’ early stages, the future holds great promise for those suffering from diabetes. The idea of having electronics in your eyes is something the world has never seen before and must be approached with caution. Having said that, I think that after rigorous testing by the engineers at Google Inc. and substantial input from the optometry world, this idea has the potential to make the lives of many people around the world much easier. We must also remember that in a world that is completely driven by advances in technology, a new idea such as this may open doors to many more life changing innovations.

By Vishav Gill

2 Comments

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

Tagged contact lens, diabetes, Google, insulin, vision

The truth behind the 5 second Rule?

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Kevin Lee | 2 comments

It is something that we’ve all said and used at least once in our lives: the five second rule. The official definition, as stated by Wikipedia, claims that “food dropped on the ground will not be significantly contaminated with bacteria if it is picked up within 5 seconds of being dropped.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Five_second.png

Are there any truth in the famous 5 second rule? Or is it simply an excuse to eat food off the floor? It is definitely a question that sparks interest in many, including a student scientist by the name of Jillian Clarke.

The studies revealed that 50% of men and 70% of women use the rule regularly. It also confirmed that in fact 5 seconds is more than enough time for bacterial transportation. The research found that 5 seconds of contact with the floor was sufficient for an average of 150 to 8000 bacterial transportations. This staggering finding coupled with the fact that some bacterial infections only need 10 bacterial units to infect the human body makes one wonder if it is safe to eat foods dropped on the floor.

So just how fast do you have to pick up your food to inhibit micro-scale bacterial transportation? Jillian Clarke states that the world might as well call the rule a 1 femtosecond rule.

1 Femtosecond = 10^-15 of a second

http://www.hyscience.com/5seconds1.jpg

It is widespread knowledge that bacteria are everywhere. After all, there are more bacteria on your body right now than people living in America. I invite you to take out your cellular phones and touch your fingers to the “V” key pad. Congratulations, you’ve just touched an average of 6281 bacteria.

Knowing that there are harmful bacteria everywhere, humanity’s tolerance of the 5 second rule is a true testament of the profound immune system humans carry. It is a evolutionary feat of constant exposure to bacteria and other microscopic harm. In a world where allergies are dominant because humans live lives that are too clean, perhaps we should thank the 5 second rule as it may have done humanity more good than bad by evolving our immune systems.

2 Comments

Posted in Biological sciences, Public engagement, Science communication, Science in the news, Uncategorized

Tagged 5secondrule, bacteria, femtosecond, folklore, Food, health, sickness

Surviving a Night on the Moon

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Julia | Leave a comment

Image source: @Doug88888 on Flickr

The moon, earth’s only natural satellite has long since fascinated scientists and astronomers alike. It should interest you too, because as of 2009 it has been proven that there is water on the moon. New information about these water deposits is continually being collected by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and its finding are summarized in this video:

Video source: NASA Goddard on Youtube

Naturally as a result, the interest in future manned missions has grown. However, if scientists want to plan a manned mission to the moon, one of their biggest challenges is ensuring the survival of both the astronauts and all their machinery during the long, dark and cold lunar night.

Days and Nights on the Moon
In order to understand the difficulties posed by the lunar night, one needs to know a little bit about how the moon cycles through day and night. The rotation of the moon around its axis is approximately the same amount of time as it takes for the moon to complete its orbit around the earth. The moon completes its rotation in about a month, thus the moon has roughly fourteen days of light and fourteen days of darkness.

Moonlight and Earthlight
However you might be wondering about how dark it really is on the moon. On earth, nights can be relatively bright due to due moonlight. Is the reverse true? The answer is yes, partially, as the moon does get some earthlight (also called earthshine). However as mentioned above the rotational period and the orbit of the moon are almost the same. Thus the same side of the moon is always facing the earth. So when it is night on the side of the moon facing earth, it will recieve earthlight. Yet the other side of the moon it does not receive earthlight so it will be much darker during its night.

Image source: Bluedharma on Flickr

Darkness is not the only challenge; temperatures can drop as low as -150°C! Such an extreme temperature coupled with the dust and high levels of radiation can prevent much of the lunar equipment from working.

New Scientific Developments
In a recent study published this month, scientists analyzed methods to generate electricity and store heat. This heat could be used to keep lunar apparatus above their minimum temperature, of roughly -30°C. In their research they compared two different approaches to overcome the nocturnal difficulties. They concluded that a reflector and thermal mass (a device to store heat energy) connecting to an engine was the most effective method. During the day, the reflector directs the the energy from the sun’s rays to store it in the thermal mass and concurrently run the engine. At night the stored energy in the thermal mass is used as a power source for the engine.

By utilizing these new developments in technology, it could facilitate future long term lunar manned missions.

Julia Brown

References:
1. Climent, B.; Torroba, O.; Gonzales-Cinca, R.; Ramachandran, N.; Griffin, M. Heat storage and electricity generation in the moon during the lunar night. Acta Astronautica. 2014, 93, 352-358.
2. Encyclopedia Brittanica Earthshine. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/176367/earthshine (Accessed Jan 20, 2013)
3. NASA Ice on the Moon: A Summary of Clementine and Lunar Prospector Results. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/ice/ice_moon.html (Accessed Jan 17, 2014)
4. NASA Imagine the Universe. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980302b.html (Accessed Jan 17, 2014)
5. NASA Imagine the Universe. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980309b.html (Accessed Jan 17, 2014)
6. Nine Planets org The Moon. http://nineplanets.org/luna.html (Accessed Jan 17, 2014)
7. Science Daily Producing Electricity on the Moon at Night. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131220113401.htm (Accessed Jan 17, 2014)
8. Wikipedia Thermal Mass. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_mass (Accessed Jan 18, 2014)

3-D Printers: Hope or hype?

Posted on January 19, 2014 by richellee | 2 comments

Over the past few years, hype over 3-D printing has continued to grow. With each new revelation comes increased anticipation of the industry’s potential, now including even the biomedical field. The media reports of printers designed to create almost unbelievable possibilities from live tissues, bone substitutes, to the potential of organs. However, how reputable are these claims? How is this technology even possible? Well to start, simply by changing the ink.

A Standard Public 3-D Printer
Source: Wikipedia Commons

The “Ink” is Alive

Genuine cells have been printed and successfully cultured into tissues through the use of “bio-ink”. This ink contains live cells in a formulation of matrix molecules. During printing, the cells are layered upon each other in an additive procedure, eventually resulting in a 3-D structure. Why bother “printing” out the cells? The appeal of 3-D printers is in the efficiency. They save countless hours of manual labour normally needed to layer a simple tissue, let alone an organ.

Beyond In-Vitro

The BioPen goes beyond the standard of printing tissues onto slides. The handheld printer literally “draws” a framework onto damaged or missing pieces of bone. Initially, the pen deposits modified ink, a gel made from biopolymers and live cells, onto the targeted area. The notion is that by combining this with regenerative stem cell therapy, the polymers will eventually degrade and be replaced by new tissue. The BioPen would allow surgeons to deliver cells instantly and accurately as a temporary substitute.

Below is a short clip showing the pen in action, courtesy of the Australian Research Council of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).

Tailor Made Organs?

3-D printing has large implications for the future of regenerative medicine, even if we are not quite there yet. This technology would reduce the demand for organ and tissue transplants, notorious for their long wait lists. Though it’s not near ready for clinical use, the bio-printing company Organovo claims that they will unveil the first 3-D printed liver by the end of 2014.

Cancerous liver cells: a common reason for the high demand of transplants
Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Hope

3-D printing continues to rapidly evolve as it becomes more readily available in many fields. The 3-D biomedical industry is still in its initial stages, as researchers will have to overcome barriers to make it more efficient and economically feasible. Regardless, presentations have already demonstrated its viability, from the printing of live tissues to the BioPen’s application into orthopedic surgery. Ultimately, the potential of 3-D printing is likely to have large further implications for not only the medical industry, but society in general.

-Richelle Eger

References

“BioPen to Rewrite Orthopaedic Implants Surgery.” University of Wollongong. N.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “Need different types of tissue? Just print them.” ScienceDaily, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Institute of Physics. “3-D tissue printing: Cells from the eye inkjet-printed for the first time.” ScienceDaily, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Mearian, Lucas. “The First 3D Printed Organ – a Liver – Is Expected in 2014.” Computerworld. 26 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

2 Comments

Posted in Science in the news

Tagged 3-d printing, bio-ink, biopen, live cells, medicine, organ, printer, regenerative, stem cells, transplants

Mythbusters: The Flu Shot

Posted on January 19, 2014 by nakisa kiai | Leave a comment

So, it’s flu season again, and who would want to get sick? Surely you are taking your vitamin C, bundling up in warm clothing and washing your hands regularly. But what is all this talk about getting vaccinated?

Flu Vaccine Image: Thomas Lohne, TheGuardian

There are many ‘myths’ surrounding the issue of flu vaccinations. Perhaps you have heard a few of these in the past few weeks. “Will I get the flu if I get the vaccination?”, “There’s no way it can’t be safe for children!”, “I got it once and I just don’t think it works.”

Myth #1: I will get sick if I get the flu shot.

This is not true. The flu vaccine is prepared using an inactivated form of the virus that is not capable of giving you flu like symptoms. People will mostly only experience a sore arm at the site of injection or maybe a little bit of redness. It is also possible to experience a minor head ache or muscle aches.

According to the CDC, when an experimental study was conducted and half the participants were given a salt-water shot and half were given the flu-shot, the only difference was the feeling of a sore arm or redness but there was no difference in symptoms of a cold or flu.

Myth #2: The flu shot isn’t safe for kids.

Kids are arguably the most prone to contracting illness, especially around cold and flu season. With everything that they touch and the number of other people they interact with each day in the school environment, surely every parent wants to keep them protected.

If you are someone who has kids or who works with kids, the best way to ensure that they don’t get sick is to get both them and yourself vaccinated. The CDC has specific recommendations for children and for those who are exposed to them and outlines such criteria, should you be interested.

Myth #3: The flu shot isn’t effective.

Some people claim that the flu shot must not work because they had the vaccination once and got sick anyways.

As an undergrad who’s taken a few microbiology courses, I know that the virus strain changes every year. I also know that it takes time for your body to build an immune response to a virus. This could mean two things- that someone didn’t get the vaccine for this season yet or that they got it too late in the season and contracted the flu anyways.

Hopefully I’ve helped you bust a few myths about the flu shot. Stay healthy, wash your hands and get vaccinated!

Blog post by: Nakisa Kiai

Category Archives: Science in the news

Perfect Pitch by Popping a Pill?

The Future of Science: Organs on a Chip

Is the majority of heat lost through the head?

The Google Car

The Re-awakening of the Sleeping Beauty Curse

A New Look at Diabetes

The truth behind the 5 second Rule?

Surviving a Night on the Moon

3-D Printers: Hope or hype?

Mythbusters: The Flu Shot

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