Category Archives: Issues in Science

Benefits of Eating Insects

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Bowen Zhao | 3 comments

Have you ever been disgusted by a cockroach or a spider? Of course you have! You may find the sight of a bug disgusting but for many cultures eating bugs is considered normal. In fact, there are 2 billion people worldwide who regularly eat bugs as part of their diet. Below is a video of some of the delicious dishes you can create with bugs.

Credit: darrenb3

There are many benefits to eating bugs. They are a cheap food source, they provide important nutrients, and eating them is environmentally friendly.

Bugs are everywhere. They can be found in your own backyard. However, bugs in urban areas are not safe to eat due to the possible contamination from pesticides. Still, many bugs in the wild are edible and pose no risk. There are also farms which specialize in raising bugs for consumption. Since bugs can be found everywhere and are abundant, they are a cheap source of food. Insects make up most of the biomass of terrestrial animals and represent 80 percent of the world’s species. What makes them even cheaper is the low cost of raising them. They do not require the specialized care of normal livestock. Of course not all types of bugs are edible but there is still a huge variety to choose from.

Even though bugs are small, they can be very nutritious. Bugs contain almost no cholesterol and are chockfull of protein. Bugs also contain fat but that fat is mostly the unsaturated kind which is healthier. Another added bonus is the absence of pesticides and growth hormones commonly used in raising livestock.

This chemical is Roxarsone which is used in chicken feed to increase growth. Credit: wikipedia

Eating bugs is also beneficial for the environment. Since bugs are so abundant, eating them is unlikely to pose a threat to their survival as a species. The following chart shows the percentage of species in each animal group and how endangered they are. From the chart, we can conclude that insects suffer the least from being endangered.

A huge amount of other animal groups are endangered compared to the insect group. Credit: eoearth

These three benefits may not be enough reason to convince people to try eating bugs. This is understandable so in order to convince you here is a video that gives more reasons to switch to a diet of bugs.

Credit: AsapSCIENCE

-Bowen

Commented on “Is It Safe to Take Expired Medications?” by Amir Jafarvand, “The Vaccination Debate” by Chelsea Cayabyab, and “Infectious Felines” by Danielle Marcotte.

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science

Tagged bugs, eating, food, insects

Stress can do what to your body?!

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Ravjot Ahluwalia | 3 comments

We have all experienced the pressures associated with being a university student. It can be quite difficult to balance working, exercising, sleeping, maintaining relationships with loved ones and excelling academically. For many students, living in constant stress has become a lifestyle. Stress for a small period of time can be a positive because it keeps us alert and focused. However, when stress becomes overwhelming and lasts for a prolonged period of time, it can cause detrimental effects on overall health and well-being.

Human stress by Becky Wetherington via Wikimedia Commons

According to the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, stress is defined as anything that causes the body to deviate from homeostasis. In other words, a defence mechanism triggered by some form of threat, which causes the body to behave abnormally. Under this situation, the nervous system and adrenal glands release stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol that prepare the body for a “fight or flight” response. This causes the heart to beat faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens and senses become sharper. If this process is working correctly, it can provide the strength and agility needed to defend us in an emergency situation, for example if someone tries to hurt us.

Bath Melancholy by N. Renaud via Wikimedia Commons

Although this emergency response is crucial to our survival, it is necessary for the body to return to its normal state otherwise it takes a toll on various systems. Firstly, if the nervous system is not normalized, chronic stress symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, depression, insomnia and headaches persist. These symptoms can cause overeating or not eating enough, excessive intake of drugs or alcohol and social withdrawal. Secondly, chronic stress can also affect the respiratory and cardiovascular system because the heart works too hard. This can potentially cause problems such as hypertension and increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Thirdly, the digestive system is affected which results in heartburn, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting or stomachaches. Stress may additionally affect the intestinal tract causing diarrhea or constipation. Fourthly, the muscular system is affected since the muscles are constantly tightened without relaxation. This causes numerous aches all over the body. Fifthly, the reproductive system is affected causing abnormal menstrual cycles for women and a decrease in testosterone levels in men. Lastly, the immune system is drastically compromised causing people to become more prone to infections.

Yoga by Kennguru via Wikimedia Commons

There are many causes of stress other than university, such as sudden life changes, negative attitudes or financial problems. However, there are few ways to deal with symptoms of chronic stress and to ensure that stress does not take over your life. Relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation can cause the body to alleviate stress. Exercising is also an excellent tool to relieve stress because it releases hormones that uplift spirit. A healthy diet and sleep promotes better coping mechanisms for stress and clear thinking as well. Additionally, it is important to continuously be kind to ourselves, be confident and have a positive outlook on life. If you believe you can overcome any obstacle, then you will definitely be able to.

Credit: TED-Ed

– Ravjot Ahluwalia

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged chronic stress, health issues, medicine, peace

Uncharted territory: how big is the universe?

Posted on October 26, 2015 by trevor tsang | Leave a comment

How far is too far? On groggy Sunday mornings, the gym may seem “too far”, while for two long-distance lovers separated by circumstances, they are always “close enough”. For some, distance is relative to our motivation. Space, however, does not care what you think.

Voyager 1. Image from NASA.

It’s been over 35 years since NASA’s launch of Voyager 1, and since then, it has travelled almost 20 trillion kilometers from home. You might think that that’s far, but in the grand scheme of the universe where distances are measured with respect to light, it has travelled a mere 18 light-hours. To put that into perspective, the nearest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.24 light-years away.

So how big is the universe then?

Before we address that, we need to know how old the universe is. Based on measurements of the cosmic microwave background, which is basically leftover radiation from the Big Bang, astronomers are confident that the universe is about 13.8 billion years old. Since Distance = Velocity × Time and nothing can travel faster than light (?), the universe must have a radius of 13.8 billion light-years, right? Wrong!

The Doppler effect on the pink sound waves. Image from user Charly Whisky from Wikipedia.

The short answer to the size of the universe is that it is at least 93 billion light-years in diameter. The reason that the universe is larger expected is because the universe is expanding. This can be determined by the apparent redshift of distant stars due to the Doppler Effect. So an object emitting light from 13.8 light-years away would have moved to a position much farther away.

One thing to note, is that this measurement is only what we can observe. The observable universe from another planet billions of light-years away is likely different from our reference frame of the Earth. Is the universe infinite? Perhaps. But for now, we can appreciate that even though our paradigm of the universe is limited, there is still much to explore; we have observed billions of galaxies, and in each are billions of stars, each hosting their own worlds much like ours. Despite the uncertainty in the true size of the universe, we know that space is vast. As the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh had once said, “for my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

If you have 45 minutes to spend exploring part of our Solar System, check out Alphonse Swinehart’s video below, where you travel from the Sun to Jupiter at the speed of a photon! Do yourself a favour and enjoy the video in full screen mode.

– Trevor Tsang

Possibility of Life in Mars

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Kamyar Kazemiashtiani | Leave a comment

Mumma, Michael J. in the article “The Search for Life on Mars” states that because of considerable similarities of earth and mars, it may be possible that life exists in some forms in Mars. Although, up to now, there has been no evidence to prove the idea of existence of life in Mars, recent discoveries propose that Mars was once habitable.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Mars_Valles_Marineris_EDIT.jpg

Mars
Credit: Wikimedia

Scientists have conducted several investigations and researches in order to prove the possibility of life in Mars. Finding factors that are vital for the possibility of life, has been the most important goal for NASA. For example, NASA has done many studies by “Mars curiosity rover” and “Mars opportunity rover”.
For this purpose, scientists use an approach that includes 19 or 20 abiotic factors, with an emphasis of availability of liquid water, presence of nutrients, temperature, sources of energy and protection from cosmic radiation.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Mars_Rover_Curiosity_in_Artist’s_Concept,_Wide.jpg

Curiosity Rover
Credit: Wikimedia

Some liquid water may flow on Mars surface, this can happen only under very specific conditions. Due to the atmospheric pressure of Mars water evaporates or freezes quickly. Therefore, it is very hard to find liquid water on Mars.

Water Flowing on Present-day Mars
Credit: NASA

As we know existence of elements including: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorus and sulfur are necessary for life. Many. Studies have shown that these elements are present in surface of Mars in some rocks. In turn , this can lead to an increase in possibility of life.

Another parameter that contributes to the possibility of life Mars is energy needed for metabolism. This can either be met by solar energy or geochemical energy.

Temperature also plays an important role in possibility of life. Because of loss of atmosphere in Mars, temperature has decreased significantly during the time.

Finally, because there is no global magnetic field in Mars to protect the planet from the life-threatening cosmic radiation, existence of life may not be probable.

Wind and radiation on Mars
Credit: NASA

To sum up, because there is lack of factors that are essential for existence of life in Mars, the idea of existence of life in Mars has a long way to go. However, with advancements in technology, we can hope to discover more evidence needed for life in Mars.

Kamyar Kazemiashtiani

The Next Technological Revolution

Posted on October 26, 2015 by ori nevares | 3 comments

Every so often a huge technical development comes along that revolutionizes the way we operate on Earth. In the 1800s that was the development of the coal driven engine pushing us into the industrial revolution. In the late 1900s the internet came along and propelled us into the information age. What might be next you may ask? Its almost impossible to guess what the next great innovation of our time will be but one prospect that has huge potential is under way right now, the autonomous car (driverless car). Currently, Google is leading the way with their work on the autonomous car.

Image From: Wired

The first thought many people have when thinking about the benefits of an autonomous car is the safety aspect. It is well known that humans are not perfect and are often the primary liability in any process that contains some risk. For example in 2010 there were a total of 170,629 reported injuries related to driving accidents in Canada. Google has had a prototype of its car in operation now for a number of years and reported a grand total of 14 minor traffic accidents. The most interesting part about this statistic is that Google claims all 14 accidents are from human error of other drivers such as rear end hits, or cars disobeying stop signs and traffic lights. Therefore that puts Google’s car at zero accident faults. Autonomous cars also eliminate the possibility for impaired drivers to cause harm to others. Imagine if all cars on the road had this level of safety. The amount of lives that could be saved as well as stress taken from social services like hospitals or police could be immense.

Video from: Google Self-Driving Car Project

Any driver knows the frustration of road congestion when trying to make it to a destination on time. Believe it or not there are some who study traffic congestion and conclude that it too is a result of human driving errors. Often when you are on the highway a bizarre traffic jam occurs that clears up shortly after. This is due to a traffic wave from someone suddenly pressing their brakes and causing a growing domino effect. The implementation of autonomous cars has the ability to reduce congestion and increase fuel efficiency to the point of decreasing our road infrastructure needs.

Video from: Google Self-Driving Car Project

The autonomous car has the potential to revolutionize they way we operate in our society. Our level of safety on the roads can reach unimaginable heights reducing costs in areas such as healthcare, policing, infrastructure damage and social damage. The elimination of human error also opens the possibility for an unimaginably new level of car efficiency dampening our growing dependence on fossil fuels as well as saving valuable time and expenses in road infrastructure. When will this revolution come? Google anticipates to have a fully working prototype with all their current kinks solved by 2020!

3 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged autonomous car, congestion, efficiency, google, new ideas, Safety, Science in the News, self driving car, technological revolution

The Dark, Dangerous & Deep Web

Posted on October 19, 2015 by khemanh | 2 comments

I’ve often wondered if there was a version of a black-market, online. A location or network that was accessible to an international audience. My research began with searching different phrases in Google, and I stumbled onto something called the Deep Web.

The Surface Web is what most search engines like Google index, however the Surface Web is estimated to only be 16% of the total online content; the rest is hidden thus, we have the Deep Web.

After poking around a little more, I found a guide on how to access the Deep Web. Using the rough outline provided, I began searching through different forums and was astonished with my findings! I could do anything, from hiring a hit man, to purchasing customized forged passports. I found manuals on operating military vehicles and weapons, hacked bank accounts for sale, drug delivery services, and to my ultimate disgust a forum discussing the best method to kidnap a child ( I didn’t have the guts to open it, just read the title. It appeared to be frequently commented on).

Some screenshots of my visit to the Dark Web:

Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 6.12.03 PM

Website advertising drugs and paraphernalia for sale.

Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 6.15.11 PM

Website advertising fake UK Passports for sale.

Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 6.35.34 PM

Directory for different services including assassins for hire, or purchasing guns.

The reason the Deep Web is so valuable to many crooks and thieves is because of the level of anonymity involved. In fact, just to access the web pages I had to download software that would mask my location. There are many different websites that have been set up by enforcement officers to trap wrong-doers, however the amount of illegal content posted and available is unquantifiable.

My question is, what can you really do about this?

The US government took a crack at it, and introduced the MEMEX search engine. It’s function is essentially to identify the source behind different instances of child-related abuse posted on the Deep Web. That’s one way to crack down on it, as well as the aforementioned website traps created by enforcement officers, however could it ever be enough? It’s like fighting Hydra, cut one head off and two more pop up.

My approach is perhaps a bit more simple; ignore it until it goes away. I’ve brainstormed and have not been able to come up with a way I could personally help. Although if I just forget about discovering it and pretend it never existed, I can’t be held accountable for only speaking and not doing… after all, ignorance is bliss. Right?

Take a peek at this video that explains it all in an overly serious, almost comical fashion (you’ll see what I mean) :

2 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Uncategorized

Tagged Black Market, Deep Web, illegal, Internet, Safety

Metal Can Sit on Dandelions?

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Maureen Lai | 4 comments

Boeing, one of the world’s leading airplane manufacturers, along with the help of HRL laboratories, University of California, and Caltech has developed the lightest metal structure on earth. It is called the “ultralight metallic microlattice” and it composed of 99.99% air. So far, this structure can be made of any material, but it is easiest made with nickel. Remarkably, this new material is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and it is so light it can sit atop a dandelion without crushing the delicate seeds!

The delicate seed heads of the dandelion.

Delicate seeds of the dandelion. Credit: Greg Hume

How can this material be so light? It is all related to the structure of it. The architecture of the ultralight metallic microlattice is created by hollow-tubed microlattices that are arranged to resemble the honeycomb structure of the human bone. Is human bone not dense and rigid? The outer casing of bone (compact bone) may be dense and rigid; however, inside the bone (spongy bone) is mostly hollow with an open cellular structure, much like a kitchen sponge, which allows it to be airy and lightweight.

The cross-section of a bone. Notice the special structure of the spongy bone.

To create this product, researchers created thin, hollow struts with a diameter of only 100 to 500 micrometers and a wall thickness of only 100 to 500 nanometers to mimic the architecture of the spongy bone. To give a comparison, this wall would be 1,000 times thinner than a human hair.

As well as being lightweight, this material is also one of the strongest in the world. It can be designed to maximize energy absorption which makes it a useful insulator. As an insulator, it can dampen shock, vibrations, and acoustic energy and therefore this material can be widely used across many fields of technology. Furthermore, this material is able to completely recover from a compression of over 50% strain.

With this discovery, Boeing has been investigating possible ways to implement this material in planes. This would create lighter airplanes which would create more fuel efficient flights. Boeing has created and sold many Boeing 787, Dreamliners, which already consume substantially less fuel and with this new material, optimistically there is a possibility that Boeing will soon be creating the world’s most fuel efficient flights!

Here’s a video from Boeing which summarizes the “world’s lightest material”:

Lightest Metal Ever
Credit: Boeing

– Maureen Lai

4 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Uncategorized

Tagged environment, Innovation, Materials Engineering, Science in the News, Technology

3D-Printing is Changing the World

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Iris Liu | 4 comments

About 30 years ago, the first desktop printer was made. Since then, 3D printers have undergone extensive modifications to become the tool that turns ideas into real, solid objects. These printers can print objects from digital files created with 3D-modelling software or 3D-scanners. The objects are built by placing each layer, a cross section of the finished product, on top of one another.

Entry-level 3D-Printing Kit
Source: Timothy Leung

My friend Timothy owns a simple 3D printer (photos above) which he uses to print novelty items or parts for his creations. What amazes me is the increasing accessibility for 3D printers as you can now find them in laboratories at UBC or even in people’s homes.

Since 3D printers, especially those capable of printing in good quality, are expensive, the Shapeways team created an online store for 3D-printed items and services to print almost anything imaginable. Shapeways provides a platform for people to bring their own product to the market without any risk because the three-dimensional items are printed from digital files which take up no inventory.

Source: Shapeways.com

While 3D printers can print out personalized trinkets, professionals have taken 3D-printing to the next level. With the advancement of 3D-printing technology, engineers and researchers have designed life-like prosthetics such as bionic fingers, bionic ears and prosthetic hands. The Open Hand Project aims to provide robotic prosthetic hands that offer functionalities of a human hand at a fraction of the cost of leading prosthetics.

Open Hands Project: The Dextrus Hand
Source: Joel Gibbard

Three years ago, Lee Cronin, a chemist and professor, presented a Ted talk to introduce the idea of a 3D printer that can print medicine. A mere two months ago, the first 3D-printed drug, Spritam (levetiracetam), was approved by the US Food and Administration (FDA). Spritam (levetiracetam) can reduce seizures for people affected by epilepsy and this unusual way of producing medication by building the pills layer by layer is actually advantageous to patients. Not only is each pill more potent than traditionally-made pills, but the dosage can be controlled for individual patients. This technique of 3D-printing medication definitely exceeds my expectations for personalized medical care.

Finally, with the increasing waitlists at hospitals for organ transplants, scientists have developed 3D-bioprinting. As researchers Sean Murphy and Anthony Atala described in their journal article, 3D-bioprinting is used in medicine to construct tissues and organs, such as skin grafts and bones, for transplantation. Additionally, Selimovic and colleagues created Organs-on-a-chip where a single chip, enabled by miniaturized 3D-printed tissues, can produce organ functions.

Source: The National (CBC)

Currently, the BioBot 1, the first desktop 3D bioprinter, is turning heads as it builds three-dimensional living tissues from just human cells. What impresses me most is, on top of the functionality, the BioBot 1 is designed to be accessible for the world, easily sterilized and to be used in small, enclosed laboratory workspaces.

BioBot
Source: Juliana Reyes

Evidently, 3D-printing is changing the way industries work, the accessibility of medication and ultimately, our lives.

Iris Liu

4 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Uncategorized

Tagged 3D Printing, Drugs, health, Industry, medicine, Pharmaceutical, Prosthetics, Science, Science in the News, Technology, Transplant

I have two mommies and a daddy

Posted on October 12, 2015 by doris stratoberdha | 4 comments

You are probably now wondering if you read that title correctly. Well I assure you that you did. Science has yet again found a way to surprise us all by creating in vitro fertilized babies that have genetic material from two females and one male. The process is called ” three-parent in vitro fertilization” and it will be used as a technique to save the lives of millions of newborns.

By MartaFF (http://www.lainfertilidad.com) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The main reason why scientists have even thought of creating such a method is due to defectuous mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that some women have. Since every embryo receives mitochondrial DNA only from the female parent, these women pass this DNA to their embryo. Thus, the fetus becomes vulnerable to many life-threatening diseases which can cause massive harm to vital organs such as the heart, liver, brain and central nervous system. Up till now the only fertility options for these women have been either adoption of a child or in vitro fertilization with an egg donor.

By Martin Strachoň / Wikimedia Commons.(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Imagine what could happen if scientists can remove this faulty mitochondrial DNA and replace it with a healthy kind. The child would live! This is exactly what three-parent in vitro fertilization does. This mini transplantation process involves taking the nucleus of the mother’s egg and putting it in a female donor’s egg cell that contains healthy mitochondria. Then this egg cell is fertilized with the father’s sperm. Although the embryo does contain donor DNA apart from parent DNA, the phenotype of the embryo does not change. This method allows the baby to be healthy and live a normal life. It also gives parents the chance to have their own child who is genetically related to them.

By MyName (Imperfect chaosimperfect_chaos) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Unfortunately there are ethical issues which are delaying the incorporation of this technique in fertility laboratories. Many people debate that transplanting mitochondrial DNA into an egg can also lead the way to other possible genetic modifications that parents want to make to “improve” their children such as higher IQ, a certain type of eye color etc. This argument fails to make a strong point as to why the three-parent in vitro fertilization should not happen considering that it could save many fetus lives.

All in all, scientific discoveries have enabled a way for mitochondrial diseased fetuses to live and grow into healthy babies. Check out this short video which sums up the way the procedure is performed and the benefits of this method.

Credit: NMANewsDirect

By Doris Stratoberdha

4 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science

Tagged Disease, Egg, Embryo, In vitro fertilization, Mitochondrial DNA, Transplantation

Image

Can High Protein Foods Prevent Heart Disease?

After astonishing statistics about heart disease morbidity and mortality from the Heart and Stroke Foundation were released in the last few years, many at-risk individuals have made changes in their dietary, exercise, drinking and smoking habits. In order to avoid heart disease caused by lifestyle choices, individuals have gone as far as consuming entirely plant-based diets and spending a majority of their time participating in vigorous exercise. Watch the video below to learn some basic changes you can make to prevent heart disease.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia found that eating high protein foods could benefit women’s heart health as much as quitting smoking, getting exercise, eating a low-sodium diet and reducing alcohol consumption. They found that eating large amounts of amino acids from a combination of plant and animal sources could prevent conditions such as high blood pressure and arterial stiffness. In this study, seven amino acids were under study. Researchers found that glutamic acid, leucine and tyrosine, which are commonly found in animal sources of protein, have the ability to lower arterial stiffness. All amino acids found in plant sources have the ability to lower blood pressure.

Amino Acids in Zwitterionic Form| Joel Meredith

In my opinion, this research is insightful but individuals should remember that saturated fat, which is commonly found in high protein red meats, can contribute to plaque buildup and ultimately, heart disease. I would include a variety of plant-based high protein foods such as legumes and tofu to obtain the benefits outlined by this study but to also minimize the amount of saturated fat consumed.

Artherosclerosis | NIH: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

I think that this research is important to pass on to your family members as many people think they have to go to an extremity in order to prevent heart disease caused by lifestyle choices. I think it is important to remember that even small changes in your diet such as incorporating more wholesome, high protein foods into it can make a large difference. In many cases, heart disease is preventable and I strongly believe that if everyone supports each other in making good lifestyle adjustments, heart disease will no longer be the number one killer in Canada in generations to come. Here is a look at some differences in dietary habits over time which may provide hints as to why heart disease is so prevalent in this generation.

Celebrate Those Viking Dinners | Steve Jurvetson

Rosalyn Desa

4 Comments

Posted on October 12, 2015 by rosalyn desa in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement

Tagged amino acids, arterial stiffness, cardiovascular disease, health, Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart disease, high blood pressure, plant based, protein, Science in the News

Category Archives: Issues in Science

Benefits of Eating Insects

Stress can do what to your body?!

Uncharted territory: how big is the universe?

Possibility of Life in Mars

The Next Technological Revolution

The Dark, Dangerous & Deep Web

Metal Can Sit on Dandelions?

3D-Printing is Changing the World

I have two mommies and a daddy

Can High Protein Foods Prevent Heart Disease?

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