Category Archives: Science in the news

Aerosols and Monsoons: a shorter relationship than previously thought

Posted on March 17, 2014 by | 2 comments

A man is seen walking in the heavy rains that happen during monsoon season. Source: Flickr Commons, Kamaljith K V

 

 

 

 

A team of researchers put together by V. Vinoj has recently discovered a short-term relationship between the amount of tiny particles in the air in West Asia, the Arabian Sea, and the Arabian Peninsula and the intensity of the monsoon rains over India. As people who live on the West Coast, we are very familiar with rain and lots of it; however we have no experience with monsoons and might not even know what it is.

A monsoon is changes in the wind and pressure systems that result in a dry and wet season. Many countries  including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar experience these monsoon seasons. These monsoons bring severe downpours in April to September and dry months the rest of the year. As you can imagine, the people in these countries count on the monsoons for important things such as watering their crops and running hydroelectric dams, which all affect the economy. The video below discusses the Effects of Monsoon Season on India in more detail and with maps.

YouTube Preview Image

Like all atmospheric and environmental science issues, there are many factors that can affect the monsoons. These include wind speeds, surface temperatures, the amount and type of aerosols, cloud type and the amount of clouds in the air. (Vinoj et al. ) As Andrew Dessler so eloquently explains, “Aerosols are particles so small that they do not fall under the force of gravity, but remain suspended in the atmosphere for days or weeks.” Aerosols can be anything from soot (black carbon) to sulfur liquid drops (Dessler 87-91).  In the recent study mentioned above, aerosols were solely studied and found to have a positive correlation between the intensity of the rain in India a week later.

The study by V. Vinoj found that two types of aerosols definitely have an effect on the intensity of the rain. These aerosols are more familiar, one being dust (picked up by winds in the desert) and the other being sea salt aerosols (picked up by winds over the ocean and/or seas).

Here is a sand storm passing over a road. It is easy to imagine how some of the sand can end up staying in the atmosphere after storms like these. Source: Flickr Commons, Jason Rogers

The research project, using a variety of both real life data of aerosol levels and rain levels (in relation to the region’s average) and computer simulations, found there to be a positive correlation between high levels of dust and sea salt aerosols over the Arabian Sea and the intensity of the Indian Summer Monsoon. A positive correlation means the higher the levels of aerosols, the more intense the rain will be. This is a short-term relationship as it found this relationship to take place over a week.

This study is unique as most studies that examine Monsoon-Aerosol relationships are interested in the longer-term effects. It reveals that on top of aerosols having a longer-term effect (due to their ability to change cloud composition), they also have a direct, almost immediate (a week is not very long when compared to months) effect on the monsoons as well.

~Claire Curran

Works Cited

Dessler, Andrew. “Aerosols.” Introduction to Modern Climate Change. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 87-91. Print.

Vinoj, V., et al. “Short-Term Modulation of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall by West Asian Dust.” Natural Geoscience advance online publication (2014/03/16)Print.

2 Comments

Posted in Science communication, Science in the news

Tagged , , , , , , ,

The sweet solution to antibiotic resistant bacteria

Posted on March 17, 2014 by | 4 comments

It has been known for some time now that honey has several antibacterial properties, having been employed by many ancient civilizations as a topical treatment for wounds. Honey is an effective treatment against antibiotic resistant bacteria because it effectively attacks bacteria on multiple levels having hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentrations and polyphenols in its arsenal to kill bacterial cells. This makes it very difficult for bacteria to develop resistance to all of the effects of honey simultaneously.

Honey (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Dr. Rowena Jenkins and her team from the University of Wales Institute – Cardiff looked at the antibacterial properties of honey on bacteria that infect wounds. They determined that it wasn’t only the sugar present in honey but other factors that helped kill the bacteria. In their experiment they noticed that one particular protein, called FabI, was entirely missing after the honey treatment. This protein was particularly responsible for fatty acid biosynthesis and without it bacteria couldn’t produce the lipopolysaccharides that are essential to build bacterial cell walls. However they could not isolate which particular element of the honey was responsible for completely destroying the protein.

Another research paper, published the year following Dr. Jenkins work, in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), isolated the protein which was responsible for most of the antibacterial properties  of honey as defensin-1. This protein, the researchers proposed, is added to the honey by the bees that make it and is part of their immune system. Further research into this protein could pave the way to finding treatments that bacteria cannot develop resistance to and even kill antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Honey Bee (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Additionally, Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff has experimented on the interactions between three types of bacteria and honey, concluding that honey could even have an effect that reverses antibiotic resistance. One of the bacteria she was studying, Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), was shown to become more sensitive to the antibiotic oxacillin when used together with honey. This brings about the proposition that antibiotics should be coupled with honey in treatments to increase their potency and also decrease the chances of bacterial resistance developing.

The research invested into the antibacterial properties of honey show that it is a very effective treatment that should be included into modern medicine in a larger scale. Currently certain medical grade honeys are used in the treatment of infectious wounds. These honeys are handled very differently to conventional honey to avoid contamination as they come in contact with exposed body tissue.

YouTube Preview Image

Further research should be carried out to determine ways in which to administer antibiotic-honey coupled treatments for a greater, less risky effect that has the potential to eradicate antibiotic resistant bacteria.

~Adil Cader.

4 Comments

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

Tagged , , , , , ,

Can Exercise Help to Prevent Cancer?

Posted on March 12, 2014 by | 7 comments

Many people have believed cancer is found in people’s genes and therefore cannot be prevented. It is a good thing to see that simple exercise is proving people wrong. However in as much as it is true that certain types of cancers run in the family; most cancers are not linked to genes we inherit from our parents. In fact, only a small portion of all cancers is inherited. Cancer is highly preventable and not just cancer, many other diseases too; such as heart attacks and chronic illnesses. These killer diseases can be prevented by a simple general change in a person’s lifestyle.

A large study in 2008 found out that a combination of four healthy behaviors could automatically improve your health or even help prevent killer diseases. These behaviors were: not smoking, moderating how much alcohol you drink, keeping active and eating five daily portions of fruit and vegetables everyday. The people who ticked all the four healthy boxes are more likely to gain fourteen years of life compared to those who do not follow what the healthy boxes require. At the end of the study, health doctors said that they were less likely to die from cancer or heart disease.

(image from: wikimedia)

Exercise is a good take to battle cancer with. Exercise even prevents people from being overweight, which is another cause for diseases like diabetes, heart failure and cancer. Exercise is simple to do and a God sent healer. Why don’t people just embrace it and do it wholeheartedly and eventually save lives. Furthermore, it is inexpensive; you do not need to have a gym instructor to discipline yourself in exercise. It is a matter of a decision – to wake up early in the morning and go jogging for a couple of hours. This will increase your blood circulation and make sure your body is fit and healthy.

This is a call for everyone who values their health, no matter what your weight is. A list of that can be prevented by exercising is: Being active boosts high density lipoprotein or cholesterol which in turn decreases unhealthy triglycerides. It prevents cancer, heart attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, depression, metabolic syndrome, falls and basically almost every single disease. So, worry no more about your health and embrace exercise.

Anti-cancer food (image from: wikimedia)

Eating right is the next big thing that anyone can engage in to save their lives. A study has shown that being overweight after completing cancer treatment was the cause of shorter survival times and a higher risk of cancer recurrence. People talk of eating a balanced diet but which foods really prevent cancer? Anti-cancer foods really work, yes; it’s being tried and tested. While you exercise your way to a healthy living, you can try these foods too to help prevent occurrence and recurrence of cancer: blueberries, green tea, garlic, broccoli, onions, cooked tomatoes, red wine, soybeans, turmeric and watercress. The delicious foods have also, in addition to exercise, been on the front line in battling prostrate, breast, lung, and colon cancers.

7 Comments

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

Tagged , , ,

It’s in the Blood

Posted on March 10, 2014 by | 7 comments

Breakthrough research was published on March 9th 2014 by Dr. Howard Federoff and a team of researchers in Washington DC. They developed a blood test that identifies 10 biological markers which has been shown to determine if healthy individuals will develop Alzheimer’s Disease within two or three years. This amazing stepping stone could help individuals receive treatment before developing symptoms of this horrible neurodegenerative disease.

YouTube Preview Image

35 million people all over the world have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, and this number is rising rapidly. The ripple effect of this disease touches many family members by having to care for them or put them in care-homes. Individuals with onset Alzheimer’s disease become confused, frustrated, and forgetful and eventually progress to where they cannot talk, feed, or even dress themselves. Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease affecting many innocent elderly people and hopefully in the near future, there will be tremendous progress in the treatment of Alzheimer’s; it may just start before symptoms even begin.

Visual representation of Alzheimer’s (Shuttershock)

“This is a very exciting time,” says Federoff, who leads the team. He states that the test could help patients at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and perhaps delay or even stop the progression. “We don’t really know the source of the ten molecules,” admits Federoff, but he suggests that they reflect the destruction of neurons in the brain, which ultimately leads to cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. When neurons are destroyed in the brain, they cannot come back online or be built again.

Simon Lovestone, a University of Oxford neuroscientist is also excited about the findings in this study. “We desperately need biomarkers which would allow patients to be identified – and recruited into trials – before their symptoms begin”, says Lovestone, who is also a coordinator of a European public-private partnership that searchers for new biomarkers for Alzheimer’s.

Blood Vials (Flickr: loscheiner)

Previous studies have emphasized treatment after diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but no one has ever been completely cured. This new and important research uses blood that is easily accessible, and it has the ability to identify potential risk factors before any symptoms arise. Stopping the disease before it even happens could be an incredible advancement in this field.

Federoff highlights that larger studies must be done exploring a more diverse range of individuals including different races and ages. When these large-scale studies show positive results, perhaps early diagnoses can prevent the disease from becoming aggressive and debilitating to controlled and stable. Overall, this is very promising research that I see possibly flooding the medical field.

By Danielle Marcoux

Sources:

  • http://www.nature.com/news/biomarkers-could-predict-alzheimer-s-before-it-starts-1.14834
  • http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3466.html
  • http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
  • http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-medications-fact-sheet
  • http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/treatment-overview

7 Comments

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

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Global Warming… and Smallpox?

Posted on March 4, 2014 by | 3 comments

    Heatwaves, droughts, freaky weather, and rising sea levels are just some of the extreme consequences we can expect as global temperatures continue to rise over the next few years. However, according to some scientists, we can add another potential disaster to that list: the introduction of new diseases.

    Researchers based in France and Russia retrieved and analyzed a 30,000 year-old permafrost core, in which was contained a sample of giant DNA viruses. These are viruses that are so big that some are visible underneath light microscopes. This giant DNA virus, which the researchers named Pithovirus sibericum, is believed to have been last active during the previous Ice Age.

The Chukotka region of Sibera, where the permafrost core was taken from. (Source: Wikipedia)

    Researchers were able to bring the sample “back to life” in the lab and believe that its protein coat was a factor in protecting it and ensuring that it could tolerate 30,000 years of being encased in permafrost.

 

    Although this virus only infects amoebas and is therefore harmless to humans, this does have grave implications for people: as permafrost begins to melt across the globe, more viruses with the same protective coating could be introduced again. Some of these viruses may in fact be able to infect humans and we may likely immunity to them (seeing as some have disappeared into the ground before Homo sapiens eventually came about).

Microscopic image of Pithovirus sibericum. (Source: Julia Bartolia and Chantal Abergel of UGS and CNRS-AMU)

    One concern expressed in the comments section is smallpox: although the last case of smallpox was in 1977, many smallpox victims of the 1800’s were buried in northern Canada, where they are encased in permafrost. As temperatures continue to rise and ice continues to melt, many of these bodies may be exposed to the surface. Could smallpox survive? Hopefully not. But in a worst-case scenario, we could see the re-emergence of smallpox and although it would be relatively brief (because of our access to vaccines), it would still be devastating to many.

    However, people must be wary of these alarmist attitudes. For example, we don’t know how likely it is that smallpox could survive. Even if it could, could it be re-animated? Pithovirus sibericum needed the help of a lab to start functioning again. So even if these viruses were exposed to the surrounding environment, could they function and infect people? The ability to infect people is an adaptation: many of these viruses would be older than us, so how would they have to ability to infect humans?

   Global warming is a frightening thought, but we don’t need to scare ourselves silly thinking about things that may be more suited for the script of a science fiction movie.

 – Nicholas MacDonald

3 Comments

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

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

If you build it, fuel will come: The newly-discovered method that will replace fossil fuels

Posted on March 3, 2014 by | 1 comment

Starting from the Industrial Revolution, mankind has depended on fossil fuels to produce power to operate our equipments. Of course, the dangers of utilizing fossil fuels and their finite amounts were found as time went by and afterwards, many have attempted to find ways that either lessened the impact from fossil fuels or extracted fuel from a different source. Fortunately, we were able to find a way through conversion of dead plant tissues from the crops to produce energy. We call this fuel, “biofuel.”

The crop field of dreams. Source: imgur.com

However, as with everything that is too good to be true, there is a catch. According to this article, biofuel production requires a large amount of crop fields as each crops have severely limited range of lights they can absorb, therefore providing small amounts of fuel. This is because plants have evolved to make sufficient amount of energy from light just to survive and not to be our fuel storage. Not only that, biofuel is based on crops that we also grow to sustain ourselves. In short, if we are to use it to power our machines and transportation, we must be prepared to eat less.

As luck would have it, Per Morgen and his colleagues from University of Baghdad and Al-Muthanna University in Iraq found a new, cheap method that still uses biofuel but keeps all the advantages while eliminating all negative aspects.

Their method does not use crops in their entirety. Rather, they use the parts of crops that we cannot eat. That’s right, the starting material used for this method is cellulose.

What is cellulose? It is a main component of plants made of sugar chains. In order to digest it, one would require an enzyme called cellulase that helps break it down into smaller pieces, which we do not have.

YouTube Preview Image

Moving on, they plan to convert cellulose into sugar and then convert the sugar into fuel with the help of an acid they extracted from treated rice husks to help move the process forward. The husks are generated in large bulk from global rice productions, therefore being cheap and easy to find.

Since this technique uses cellulose, there is no need to worry about cutting down food for fuels as we are using inedible, unusable portion of crops to make fuel while using digestible parts for food. Also, there is no need to cultivate separate fields of crops or worry about inefficiency of photosynthesis since cellulose can be extracted from crops we already have for food production and is found in large amount. Therefore, it is much more efficient and cheap than normal usage of biofuel and the output is high enough to replace fossil fuels.

The time when fossil fuels can no longer be used due to depletion will come and when it does, we will be ready.

-Harry Seo

1 Comment

Posted in Science in the news

Tagged , ,