Category Archives: Issues in Science

Bamboozled

Water, water in the air but not a drop to drink.

No, this isn’t just word play on an old cliche, but a natural phenomena which has perplexed scientists and engineers for centuries. You see, there’s a lot of water stored within in our atmosphere. The only problem is figuring out how to get it.

Condensing water out of thin air to quench our thirst might sound like science fiction, but it’s actually not as far-fetched as you might imagine. Anyone who enjoys morning strolls can tell you that dew is the result of moisture condensing onto cold surfaces, and bamboo plants have evolved to take advantage of this occurrence. Humans have been trying to harvest condensation on a large scale since the 20th century with fog nets and other, more amusing structures, but the bamboo plant literally has a trick up its leaves (pun intended) that puts all our best designs to shame.

Credit to Wikipedia Creative Commons

Huangshan bamboo forest in China. Image Credit: Wikimedia

Young bamboo leaves display a characteristic known as dual wettability, covered in-depth in our video below. Through strategic placement of its water repelling and water attracting regions, bamboo leaves are able to effectively collect dew and channel the droplets off their surface and onto the ground below. Bamboo plants have been watering themselves for millennia thanks to the dual-wettability of their leaves, but it was only recently that a team of scientists from the University of British Columbia have figured out how. With the help of an electron microscope, UBC researchers were able to determine that the leaf’s microscopic surface played a key role in attracting or repelling water.

Current fog harvesting methods operate under the same principle of condensation, but use nets instead which lack the dual wettability characteristic of bamboo leaves. Fog harvesting projects are located worldwide, and a single fog net produces an average of 200 liters of water per day. Dr. Reinhard Jetter, leader of the UBC research team behind this discovery, believes that the microscopic surface structure of bamboo leaves can be recreated through modern technology and applied to fog nets in order to improve their efficiency.

Accessible on the public domain

Fog harvesting nets provide a source of clean water. Image Credit: emaze.com

The atmosphere holds 12,900 cubic kilometers of water and every day another 1,170 cubic kilometers of water evaporates into the atmosphere thanks to the power of our Sun. Though this is literally and figuratively a drop in the bucket compared to water sources worldwide, this is more than enough to provide clean water for human consumption in areas of the world where other sources of fresh water are inaccessible. Perhaps in the near future, bamboo poles sporting artificial bamboo leaves will provide water relief to parched regions. Just when we thought that we couldn’t find another use for bamboo, nature surprises us again.


SCIE 300-211 Group 4
Blog – CK Wong
Video – Kevin Chao, SiZhen She, Anna Tam
Podcast – CK Wong, edited by Kevin Chao

Seven New Earth-like Planets Discovered: Time to Migrate?

Recently, NASA announced in a press-release conference confirming that there are seven Earth-sized planets which could potentially support life. This discovery gives hope for future colonization and the possibility for intelligent life forms, or aliens!

An illustration showing what the TRAPPIST-1 planets might look like
Source: Wikimedia Commons

“This gives us a hint that finding a second Earth is not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’.” – Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate

Although many other planets are said to be habitable as well, such as Kepler-186f, this is the first time scientists found so many Earth-sized planets, ranging from 25% smaller to 10% bigger than Earth, revolving around the same star. This gives us an increased chance of finding a “Second Earth”.

This image shows the similarities between the TRAPPIST system and our solar system (green regions represents habitable zones)
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Very much like our solar system, these planets orbit around a star called TRAPPIST-1, which resembles our sun but is younger, smaller, and less bright. The TRAPPIST system is around 378 trillion kilometers away from us. It would only take us 40 years to get there if we can travel at the speed of light!

Scientists are still looking for more evidence to determine if it is possible for us to live on those planets. Currently, NASA is using the Hubble Space Telescope to scout for the presence of atmosphere and signs of life, such as oxygen.

“There are many more life-supporting planets out there waiting for us to be discovered.” – Royal Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer

Furthermore, this discovery gave promising hope in finding life forms in three of the seven Earth-sized planets. These planets meet some of the basic requirements to support life: a solid planet that orbits around a star that serves as an energy source and the right distance away from the sun so liquid water can run on land. The possibility of aliens existing isn’t zero after all!

(Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

Imagine if all the resources on Earth had been used up and no longer habitable, where will we go? Now we have a target destination, we just need to figure out how to get there.

Although we are still a long way from colonizing a planet, we are certainly on the right track. We are also one step closer to answering the ultimate question that we all wonder, “Are we alone in the universe?”

By: Kevin Chao

Making Mars Home: Becoming an interplanetary species.

Imagine living on Mars. Experts have made many cases for why humans should become an interplanetary species. The video below discusses some of the reasons why we should go to Mars. From survival of our species to advancing science, the reasons are plenty. But is it possible to colonize Mars?

(Source: National Geographic, YouTube)

Unlike the moon, humans have never actually set foot on Mars. On this dry, desolate planet, the average surface temperature is -55⁰C. This is attributable to the planet’s thin atmosphere, which is too thin to retain heat, not to mention breathe. A good analogy for living on Mars is that it would be similar to living in Antarctica, but worse.

As arid, frozen and desolate as it may be, Mars is the only known planet besides Earth that could be considered remotely habitable for humans. Recent evidence has proven that there was once water on the planet and that at one point Mars’ climate was similar to that on Earth. Below is an image of Mars proving that there was once flowing water on the planet.

The dark, narrow streaks are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water and are roughly the length of a football field. (Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona)

Although it’s atmosphere is thin, it still offers protection against the Sun’s radiation and the day/night rhythm of Mars is very similar to that on Earth. A day on Mars measures 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds. In addition, gravity on Mars is 38% of that on Earth, which is believed to be sufficient for the human body to adapt to.

The presence of methane gas on Mars means we could create fuel. The planet’s oxidized soil means we could potentially grow food, and although it’s temperature is frigid, it’s ice means there would be a water source.

Even still, humans won’t be able to live on Mars without the help of technology. It would require complex life-supporting measures and living in artificial environments. NASA believes this is possible and has already selected companies to develop prototypes for deep space habitats. These would be airtight habitats that would allow colonizers to grow food and live in a breathable environment.

Artist’s concept of a planned colony on Mars (Source: Bryan Versteeg, Mars One)

It seems entirely possible that humans could sustain life on Mars. With NASA and SpaceX’s continued research and development of technology to send rockets filled with cargo and astronauts to space, it’s only a matter of time before a colony is established on Mars. NASA released a plan outlining the next steps in the journey to Mars.

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has said that he wishes to colonize Mars in the next 40 to 100 years. As he has revealed, this won’t be an easy feat and many challenges lie ahead. Below is a video of Musk discussing what will be needed to successfully colonize Mars.

(Source: The Verge, YouTube)

I think the prospect of establishing a colony on Mars is exciting and the fact that we may see it our lifetime is astounding. I would be open to considering a life on Mars but for now, it’s just a possibility.

Would you live on Mars?

By: Ami Patel

Canadian Seafood Fraud

What if you were told the “tuna” you’ve been eating all this time isn’t actually tuna?  In fact, 59% of tuna sold in the Canadian markets are mislabeled, making it the second most commonly mislabeled seafood, with red snapper sitting at the very top of the list (87% mislabeled).

As seen below, compared to Europe and US, Canadian seafood labels are very much misleading and uninformed for consumers. Luckily, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently reviewing the laws and regulations for proper Sea Food labels.

image from: http://www.seachoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Are-you-Eating-in-the-dark-FINAL.pdf

As alarming as “mystery meat” sounds, it’s not too far off to use as a description for Canadian seafood. “Rockfish” as seen above, is nothing but a common name used for over 100 different species. David Suzuki Foundation is currently holding a petition for seafood labels to include the Scientific name, geographic origin, production methods, and additives used.

image from http://action2.davidsuzuki.org/seafood-labelling

A study conducted by University of Guelph found that 84% of fish sold as “white tuna” were actually a closely related species called escolar. However, it is known that escolars are unable to digest gempylotoxin (type of wax, similar to mineral oils found in escolars’ diet), which means that when it is consumed, it can cause various digestive problems such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Enforcing regulations on seafood providers to have proper labeling will not only help us make healthy choices for ourselves and our families, it will also help us to make environmental and economical friendly choices by supporting locally farmed seafood. Sign the petition today!

Lisa Liang