Category Archives: Science communication

Next time you drink too much, maybe you can blame your genes.

Posted on February 24, 2014 by | 3 comments

Figure 1. Drinking too much can cause alcohol dependence. (Courtesy Wikipedia commons)

Do you know that an average of 2.5 million people die from harmful use of alcohol every year?[1]  Alcohol dependence is a serious problem that can place burden on individuals and families, and even on the society. If you think that only ignorant people would allow themselves to drink excessively, you may want to think again.[2] Researchers are now suggesting that the trigger to alcohol dependence is likely due to genetic mutation.

Study led by Professor H. Thomas from Imperial College London compared two groups of mice – one group were normal, and the other group had two single base-pair point mutation in Gabrb1 gene. When the mice were given a choice between water and 10% ethanol, the latter group showed strong preference of alcohol by consuming it 85% of the time. This is equivalent to drinking one glass of wine a day! Alcohol dependence in these mice were so strong that many of them would drink sufficient alcohol to become intoxicated in an hour, and would continue to do so even after they were observed to be tipsy and had trouble moving.

Figure 2. Different types of point mutation. (Courtesy Wikipedia commons)

So why does this happen? Well, study showed that point mutation altered a series of mechanisms in the brain. To begin, Gabrb1 codes for beta1 subunit, which is an important component of GABAA receptor. Normally, GABAA receptor is activated only when GABA, a chemical messenger, is present. However, mutation to Gabrb1 causes GABAA receptor to be activated spontaneously, even when GABA is not present. These changes occur in nucleus accumbens, the brain region that controls pleasurable emotion and reward. Therefore, as more signals were sent out by GABAA receptor, mice would have increased craving for alcohol because their brains told them that alcohol consumption gave them pleasurable feelings. The study also showed not only did the mice enjoyed this feeling, they also wanted the feeling to last longer, and they did so by putting out extra physical effort, such as pushing lever for longer periods of time, in order to obtain more alcohol.

Figure 3. Location of nucleus accumbens in human brain. (Courtesy Wikipedia commons)

Professor Thomas’ study allowed researchers to gain better understanding of the mechanisms that monitor alcohol dependence in mice. Researchers believe similar mechanisms operate for humans, and are currently attempting to modify the mechanisms to human brain. GABA system is of particular interest because it controls human alcohol intake.  If similar processes are found to operate in humans, this would allow doctors to screen individuals that are likely to be at risk, and ensure that early treatment can be administered.

By Kelly Liu

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

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Reasons why we should not schedule ourselves for 8:00 a.m. classes

Posted on February 10, 2014 by | 8 comments

Image: Katherine Squier via Flickr – Creative Commons License

As children, many of us were designated early bed-times by our parents. For the most part, it was easy for us at that age to go to bed accordingly, but in the process to becoming adolescents, we find ourselves struggling to abide by these schedules and likely ended up abandoning them. As a result, we also struggle with waking up early and performing optimally for those early morning classes.  While some adults may blame that on a student’s lack of discipline, multiple studies have shown that biological factors are at play, and why shifting our school schedules can be beneficial for us.

As most of us know, sleep is crucial for children, but what is often underestimated is the amount of sleep required for optimal functioning in adolescents as well. Most professionals in the field, including Mary A. Carskadon, Ph.D., director of Sleep Research at Bradley Hospital, agree that adolescents and young adults require the same amount of sleep that children do, which ranges from about 8.5 to 9.25 hours a night. The problem, however, is that due to their increased responsibilities, school workload, and extra-curricular activities, adolescents rarely are able to obtain this amount on a regular basis. In her article, “When Worlds Collide: Adolescent Need for Sleep Versus Societal Demands,” Dr. Carskadon outlines the societal demands that conflict with adolescents’ biological clock for optimal sleep times, including early school starting times competing with our circadian rhythms.

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In this short video, Dr. Katrena Lacey discusses the main points of how teenagers’ sleep habits differ from that of children and adults. All the factors listed by Dr. Lacey contribute to the problem with adolescents’ lack of sleep.

One research study attempted to solve the issue regarding adolescent sleep deprivation. The recent study was performed by psychologist and sleep expert, Julie Boergers, Ph.D., on 557 adolescents at a coeducational residential school by shifting their school’s starting time from 8:00 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. These students filled out the School Sleep Habits Survey (SSHS), a widely used survey in the US and other countries, at three equivalent time points in their school terms to compare the effects on their sleep-wake behaviours, functioning, school participation, physical and psychological health, and even caffeine use.

What they found through statistical analysis of the SSHS was an increase in sleep duration by 29 minutes, which makes logical sense due to the later start-time for school. The significant statistical finding, however, is an increased number of students obtaining over eight hours of sleep per night (from 18% to 44% of students). Overall, these students noted reduced daytime sleepiness, feelings of depression, and caffeine consumption.

Although this study showed no substantial improvement in grades and academic performance, it puts a strong case forward for shifting our school schedules just about half an hour later to reap the benefits of a good night’s sleep. For those of us who feel that sleeping earlier is nearly impossible, this study gives them good reason to start school later, mitigating sleep deprivation that seems to be such a big problem in our college lifestyle.

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Shivering can help lose weight!

Posted on February 3, 2014 by | 6 comments

Losing weight may not be an easy task as it requires great self-discipline and motivation on going to the gym and eating healthy; however, a new study shows that you can now lose weight in the comfort of your home.

Dutch researchers from Maastricht University Medical Center have now proved that you can lose weight by simply turning down the heat at home and allowing your body to shiver.

 

Turning down the heat is a possible way of losing weight

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3122/2365962270_e98cb8f904_o.jpg

The study known as “cold thermogenisis” shows that most household kept their temperature around 21 degrees Celsius. If you drop the heat down to about 16 degrees Celsius, your body temperature will drop at a more rapid pace and your will brain respond by telling your muscles to starts shivering to maintain a stable body temperature. By doing so, the rapid movements of the muscle is not only keeping your body warm, but it is also increasing your metabolic rate by up to 30%. When the involuntary movement of shivering occurs, your muscles are moving so fast that researchers are comparing it to as if you were performing cardiovascular exercises. By shivering for one straight hour, you are able to burn up to 400 calories, which is equivalent to a 40 minute run at a moderate pace.

This is something very interesting because my previous knowledge to this technique had been either working out in cold weather or taking ice baths; thus, still quite time consuming as it still requires you go out of your way to do this. The new of shivering to lose some weight seems like a much simpler; however, it does not mean it is a treat either. Many must agree with me that feeling cold is a very tough to cope with and would not want to be in a cold environment for a long period of time.

In the end, if you are brave on a cold night like tonight, it is the perfect opportunity to turn down your thermostat  and shiver some of the weight off of your body.

Here is a video that shows the testing of “cold thermogenesis”:YouTube Preview Image

References

Cannon, P., & Keatinge, W. (1960). The metabolic rate and heat loss of fat and thin men in heat balance in cold and warm water. The Journal of Physiology, 154(2), 329-344.

Craig, A. D. (2002). How do you feel? interoception: The sense of the physiological condition of the body. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(8), 655-666.

Gagge, A. P., Fobelets, A., & Berglund, L. (1986). A standard predictive index of human response to the thermal environment. ASHRAE Trans.;(United States), 92(CONF-8606125-)

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Molecular Gastronomy-the next generation of food

Posted on February 3, 2014 by | 1 comment

 Figure 1. Coke Spherification

Nowadays, scientific technology is not only applied to analytical laboratories, but also used by some creative chefs. This new method of cooking is called molecular gastronomy, which was named by a French chemist Hervé This, and a Hungarian physicist, Nicholas Kurti in the 1980s. This special discipline investigates the physical and chemical changes of ingredients during cooking, and the chef aims to make the food more artistic, technical and healthier. For example, coke spherification, is a dessert made by coke. Also, Chef Fung, who designed the dish “Steak-tartare” which made by chopped watermelon with a sphere of mango juice and mints said he liked to trick people’s eyes and minds. “Customers may think they know the dish well, but they will be surprised when they taste it”.

Figure 2. Kitchen as a laboratory

The main purpose of developing molecular gastronomy is that scientists (or cooks) can use new ingredients, tools, and innovative methods to produce amazing products. In the ordinary kitchen, cooks use spices and herbs; similarly, in the laboratory, chemists also use fragrant organic chemicals such as 1-octen-3-ol. If you don’t have mushroom when you are cooking, chemists will add some benzyl trans-2-methylbutenoate instead, because it has a taste just like mushroom. Many chemicals can be used to reinforce the taste of our food, or change the texture so that they will become more attractive and artistic. Also, laboratory apparatus is useful in the culinary preparations. For example, cooks can use a reflux column to keep the flavor of ingredients. There are some other cooking techniques including capsule technique, liquid nitrogen, and low temperature cooking. Treating the kitchen as a laboratory is one of the key ideas to succeed in molecular gastronomy.

The video generally introduces the basic and common techniques used in molecular gastronomy.

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Using molecular gastronomy as a different style of cooking will increase the public’s interest in understanding science, especially chemistry, and inspire people to appreciate their food. Advanced technologies in molecular gastronomy provide more possibilities in culinary art, and people will be more satisfied with tasty and delicate food. Many top chefs around the world are taking the challenge to create fabulous dishes on a molecular level, and with their effort, more people will get to know and try the new way of cooking.

References:

This, H. (2006). Food for tomorrow? How the scientific discipline of molecular gastronomy could change the way we eat. EMBO reports, 7(11), 1062.

This, H. (2002). Molecular Gastronomy. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 41(1), 83.

http://www.ssgastrogrub.com

-By Qianhui Sun (Tianna)

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Multivitamins: Helpful, harmful, or just harmless?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by | 1 comment

Although the idea of vitamins (initially “vitamine” from “vital amine”* (1)) was conceived in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until the 1930s that scientists discovered that they could be artificially synthesised (2). Twenty years later, multivitamins and multimineral complexes (called MVMMs) would be widely consumed based on the belief that they were beneficial for one’s health (3).

Nowadays almost everyone takes MVMMs, and the nutraceutical market has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Despite their popularity, MVMMs have received a significant amount of flak in the past year due to the documented inefficacy in healthy individuals. There are several research papers documenting MVMMs ineffectiveness, and some recent findings indicate that MVMMs can be harmful (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

It’s not unexpected that high doses of some vitamins are harmful; after all, “the dose makes the poison” and anything – including water – in a high enough dose can kill. However it is unexpected that taking moderate doses of certain vitamins can be harmful. Some ingredients in MVMMs that can harm more than help are vitamin A, folic acid, iron with vitamin D, and possibly vitamin D.

The negative effects of beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) on smokers has been known for two decades, and gave scientists the first inkling that vitamin supplements could be harmful. There is a well-established correlation in the scientific literature between beta-carotene supplementation (by smokers) and lung cancer (12). Most non-smokers ignore this, but this finding was only the beginning.

Folic acid, the synthesised form of B9, is well-known by women who are trying to conceive or pregnant. After the finding in 1964 that folic acid supplementation reduced neural tube defects, the pill became widely prescribed to pregnant women (and mandatorily added to food) (13, 14, 15).

Despite its supposed benefit, an increased susceptibility to multiple cancers has been associated with folic acid in recent years. Excessive folic acid – especially when it is unmetabolised, as happens often with synthetic B9 – can stimulate tumour growth (16, 17, 18, 19, 20). Some researchers chalk this up to folic acid being inherently different from the naturally occurring form in food, tetrahydrofolate.  The research is still unclear, but it’s probably a good idea to avoid MVMMs with folic acid (unless you’re pregnant).

Regular doses of vitamin D have recently been correlated with increasing the severity of cardiovascular disease (21, 22, 23). The proposed mechanism involves   vitamin D increasing calcium levels (which can contribute to plaque calcification) (24). (Excess can build up after taking a low dose of vitamin D over the long term**.)

Perhaps the most surprising finding on the harmfulness of some vitamins was on vitamin C and iron. Vitamin C is believed to increase the absorption and uptake of iron in the gastrointestinal tract, so many doctors will advise iron deficient patients to take a hefty dose of vitamin C alongside iron supplements. Apparently, this has been linked to a drastic increase in risk of cancers in the GI tract (25, 26, 27).

If you’re a relatively healthy individual, it’s best to avoid supplementation of a number of vitamins and/or minerals. Some people consider MVMMs “health insurance”, although there is clearly a dark side to some complexes.

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(Don’t take MVMMs; if you’re going to supplement, it should be targeted.)

*The “e” on “vitamine” was dropped when scientists realised that not all vitamins contain amines.

**The “long term” is apparently “three months or more”.

– Jennifer Labrie

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A ROCKY START: James Hutton and the Age of the Earth

Posted on January 27, 2014 by | 1 comment

It’s easy to mistake rocks as static objects.  You could stare at a rock for a few hours, and generally, it will do nothing interesting.

But the truth is, rocks are anything but static; it’s just that their dynamics are hidden by the long spans of time required for them to transform.  They erode, they shift, they change, and ultimately, they tell stories.  Rocks are the record keeepers of the Earth.  As we look downwards, through layer after dusty layer of sediment, we can, in a sense, travel backwards through time.

Rocks provide an extremely revealing way of examining the history of our planet, but it took until the late 18th century for scientists to fully grasp this concept.

In 1785, Scotland was at the forefront of Western science and philosophy, during a period of time later dubbed the Scottish Enlightment.  Despite recent advances in naturalism, chemistry, and medical science, people still thought that the earth 6000 years old, an estimate derived from the book of Genesis in the Bible.  Most scientists of the time agreed with this.  Even Isaac Newton (who died in 1727) accepted the idea of a young Earth.

But not everyone was convinced.  One man, James Hutton, had a very different idea.

James Hutton was a Scottish farmer, born in Edinburgh.  He had a degree in medicine, but by all accounts, never practiced medicine.   Hutton was an amiable and insatiably curious man, and initially applied his mind to developing and optimizing new farming techniques. At the same time, he had a much more ambitious pet-project on his mind – developing a geological theory of the Earth.

Hutton’s theory was based on observations, and asserted that rocks are constantly being formed, shifted and eroded; Hutton further concluded that these natural process likely behave in the same way now as they did thousands, even millions of years ago.

One of the primary pieces of evidence that Hutton used to support his theory is a rock on the east coast of Scotland called Siccar Point.   Siccar Point has an unusual structure – it is made up of two distinct layers of different types of sedimentary rocks (Devonian red sandstone, and Silurian greywacke) that contact each-other at a definitive angle.

Hutton concluded that Siccar point could only have been formed by a long sequence of sedimentation (formation of sandstone from small particles), folding and uplift (the buckling and lifting of rock masses over time) and erosion (the breakdown of rock surfaces by weathering), requiring extremely vast amounts of time – amounts far exceeding the mere 6000 year timeline proposed by biblical scholars.

Today, scientists have a variety of tools at their disposal for determining the age of the Earth, including the radiometric dating of fossils.  Although Hutton had no access to these types of techniques, he was still able to conclude that the 6000 year idea was incorrect using observations of modern sediments, and deductive reasoning.  It is a powerful example of one person’s curiosity and logic overcoming centuries of well-entrenched religious and scientific dogma.

 

Text and illustrations by Sam MacKinnon, 2014

 

REFERENCES:

Carruthers, M. W.  (2014).  Hutton’s Unconformity.  Natural History.  108(5): 86.

Repcheck, J.  (2003).  The Man Who Found Time:  James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth’s Antiquity.  Boulder, Colorado: Perseus (Basic Books). 

 

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Snow Science!

Posted on January 27, 2014 by | 1 comment

Photo taken from snowcrystals.com

We are all taught at a very young age that every snowflake, much like a zebra or a fingerprint, is unique. However, despite being told that no snowflake is like another, we are never told why. In order to determine why each snowflake is unique, let’s look at snowflakes with more detail, and let’s discuss how a drop of water is transformed into a snowflake in the first place.

Through the observation of close-up photographs, it can be seen that snowflakes come in many different shapes and sizes; needles, columns, dendrites (the “perfect” snowflake) are among the many forms that they can take. The key factors that determine the final geometry of a snowflake are the temperature and relative humidity of the air. Data compiled by the Alaska Satellite Foundation plots just how a snowflake’s form varies due to these factors.

Now that we are beginning to understand some factors determining the variation of snowflakes, we can start to explore the formation of the crystal itself. The first ingredient to a snowflake is its nucleus. The snowflake nucleus is essentially a dust or pollen particle, or ice crystal that resides high in the atmosphere.

Geometric patterning of snowflake formation due to variance in temperature and humidity.
Photo from http://www.thenakedscientists.com

As it passes through a nimbus cloud, water molecules begin to aggregate onto the nucleus and form the familiar hexagonal shape of a snowflake. As the young snowflake descends, water molecules continue to condense onto the flake, creating the branches.

 

The following video from the popular YouTube channel “It’s Okay To Be Smart” illustrates the geometric reasoning behind the hexagonal shape of a snowflake on a molecular level.

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Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUot7XSX8uA

It is evident that there is a great deal of structure and order in a snowflake, but there is also a random, almost chaotic, influence in its design. The understanding that scientists have gained from snowflakes has been a valuable asset in many studies. For example, this study published by the American Physical Society (AMS) in 2004 compares the growth of a macromolecule by sedimentation with the formation of a snowflake.

So, next time you are out for a peaceful walk in the snow and a snowflake lands on your hand, you can truly appreciate what goes into its formation.

By: Kia Sanjabi

References

  1. Westbrook, C. D., Ball, R. C., Field, P. R., & Heymsfield, A. J. (2004). Theory of growth by differential sedimentation, with application to snowflake formation. Physical Review E, 70(2), 021403.
  2. Zentile, C. (2007). The Science of Snowflakes, Are no two ice-crystals alike? Retrieved 01/27, 2014, from http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/science-of-snowflakes/

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Using nano-particles to protect teeth against bacterial damage.

Posted on January 26, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Teeth are a very important part of our bodies. They play a significant role in the primary breakdown of food. But if not properly treated several complications can arise and cause deterioration or severe damage to our teeth. To protect our teeth from damage it is recommended to brush our teeth twice a day and floss on a regular basis. But sometimes despite taking precautions problems can arise, and dental problems often begin with plaque forming on the surface of teeth.  Biofilm formation also known as dental plaque has been identified to be the cause of many dental diseases such as dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, cavities etc.

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/cartoon-tooth-dental-cavity-3234654.jpg

As a solution to protecting our teeth against damage scientists have discovered that coating the teeth with a layer of silver nano-particles, prevents biofilm formation on dentine surface as well as inhibits bacterial growth in the surrounding media.

Several different metal nano particles were compared in this study and various experiments were conducted to find the best metal nano particles. The results of the experiments suggested that silver nano particles are the most effective against pathogens as the silver coatings are found to be most susceptible to bacterial adhesion on the dentin surface.

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Video Showing Nano particles in action

Furthermore it was discovered that silver nano-particle coatings do not affect the color of the dentine, unlike other metal coatings, which cause the dentine to appear discolored. Silver nano-coatings are also found to maintain their integrity (shape and chemical makeup) over time. Preventing the need for frequent re-coatings over a short period of time.

http://www.scielo.br/img/revistas/bdj/v20n4/v20a03f01.jpg

Dentin in teeth has several openings of dentinal tubules on its surface.  These openings are what that allows for dental plaque to form easily and bacteria can stick/adhere to the surface easily. Coating the dentin surface with silver nano particles fills these dentinal tubules,  which in turn prevents plaque formation.

Dentin Surface after the coating has been applied.

 http://www.jdentlasers.org/articles/2012/6/2/images/JDentLasers_2012_6_2_51_106653_u4.jpg

Thus the silver nano particle coating is the best way to protect our teeth. Not only is it safe, but it also does not cause implications such as changes in teeth color and nor does the coating have to be frequently reapplied. Lastly, to ensure that our teeth last us a lifetime it would be great to invest in such a procedure.

References:

Besinis A, De Peralta T, Handy RD. Inhibition of biofilm formation and antibacterial properties of a silver nano-coating on human dentine. Nanotoxicology. 2014, 8, 745-754.

By : Nitish Khosla

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Bisphenol A (BPA)

Posted on January 19, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Recently, I came across this acronym, BPA, and thought to myself, “what is BPA?” To my surprise, it turned out to be an industrial chemical I was being exposed to everyday and I didn’t even know! Similar to myself, there are many people in our society who are unaware of the use and exposure of this chemical. Therefore, the purpose of my blog is to familiarize students of Science 300 and our society with what BPA is, its use in industry, and the possible health risks it poses to human health.

Bisphenol A (BPA), is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate and epoxy resins which are used in many consumer products.

Chemical Representation of BPA (from http://neuroamer.wordpress.com/page/4/)

Polycarbonate is used in a variety of products because of its unique attributes. It is a light weight, high performance plastic used by industries to make consumer products such as infant bottles.

Epoxy resins are also used in a variety of consumer products, such as paints,  because they maintain the quality of the canned product. Many canned foods and beverages have epoxy resins used as liners to maintain food quality.

Canned foods contain BPA which leaches out into the product. (from http://inhabitat.com/the-dirty-dozen-guide-reveals-12-hormone-disruptors-other-than-bpa/)

Over the years, BPA has been one of the most extensively researched chemicals.  Safety assessments have concluded that the exposure level to humans “is more than 400 times lower than the safe level of BPA set by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.” Then why is BPA still a topic of debate?

Many people are still worried about BPA exposure because this chemical mimics the hormone estrogen. It is also widely known to be an endocrine disruptor. Research studies have indicated that the tiniest exposures to the chemical can increase risks for cancer and disrupt the hormone system. Other studies have shown high levels of BPA in urine samples of six year old children.

The question which arises now is, “what has the government done to prevent BPA exposure?” According to an article published in New York Times, Canada has banned the use of BPA for infant bottles. Additionally, many industries are making BPA-free products available to people. Nevertheless, the controversy which still remains is whether or not these substituted chemicals are safe?

The video below further discusses this issue:

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In conclusion, there is a lot of debate over the topic of BPA exposure to humans as well as its health consequences. Daily news reports are being published on this issue which keep us updated on what the government is doing in regards to using this chemical in the industry. Furthermore, researchers all over the globe are continuously experimenting with BPA on rodents to provide concrete evidence about the health risks it may cause. As for now, to avoid BPA exposure, consumers should avoid using plastic containers which have recycle codes 3 or 7 on them as they may contain BPA as well as not use plastic bottles for hot liquids.

 

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