Category Archives: Science Communicators

Origion of The Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi Man Inferred Through Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

Posted on April 6, 2018 by jasmine hyun | Leave a comment

Just imagine, a group of hunters comes across a mummified ice body aged hundreds of years old and you might just be related to this ancient artifact. One may be skeptical about how this unknown body can possibly be related to, but in this day and age science and technology have opened the doors to many extraordinary phenomena, including the analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to trace the descendants of unknown bodies like the famous Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, also known as the Canadian Iceman.

Excavation of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi in BC. Source: Sarah Gaunt (CAFN)

Maria Monsalve, a senior instructor for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, completed her post-doctoral training at the University of Cambridge on ancient remains. Her interest and love for mummies allowed her and her colleagues’ proposal from being the first to be chosen to study the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi’s tissue samples. Dr. Monsalve’s breakthrough using mtDNA analysis of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi was used to trace back many of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi’s common descendants.

We had the opportunity to interview Dr. Monsalve about her research on the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi to clarify some of the complex concepts and techniques that were used during her study. In this video, Dr. Monsalve describes how she was able to come across working with the tissue samples of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi as well as the advantages of using mtDNA analysis for investigating ancient preservations.

It is well known that DNA can provide a variety of information regarding the past and present history of one’s family tree but the testing of mtDNA for the analysis of forensic samples is quite striking and unexpected. Mitochondrial DNA has multiples copies, unlike nuclear DNA which only has a single copy. This allows mtDNA to be incredibly useful for forensic analysis of ancient remains since the probability of mtDNA from being degraded from weather factors such as UV radiation and humidity is much lower than nuclear DNA. Not only does having several copies of mtDNA allow it to be highly useful when investigating ancient tissue samples, but the maternal transmission of mtDNA allows the common mtDNA lineage to be used to trace back the common descendants of ancient mummies.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Source: Wikipedia

Through this podcast, Dr. Monsalve thoroughly describes the precautions and steps that were used when extracting and sequencing the mtDNA lineage of the tissue samples of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi in the UBC pathology lab.

Although Dr. Monsalve has limited time, the phenomena of mtDNA allowed her and her committee to find 17 descendants in the BC area that was related to the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi. It is technology and breakthroughs like this that allows us to investigate the past and present wonders of life and give a glimpse of what life might have been like hundreds of years ago.

Project by: Jasmine Hyun, Linjian Li and Ran Bi (Group 6)

Leave a comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Outreach Project, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in News

Tagged Ancient remains, biology, Canadian Iceman, Family Tree, Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi, Mitochondrial DNA

Usage of mathematics for an understanding of how the brain functions

Posted on April 5, 2018 by ji yoon park | Leave a comment

When a tree falls in the middle of a forest and nobody heard it falling, can it be considered as a sound? Well, to answer this question, mathematics can guide us to understand how our vision and hearing works.

Priscilla Greenwood, a mathematicians and Lawrence Ward, a neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia worked together on a research that explains how we perceive the things that occur around us as a part of our brain receives signals. Based on the enough patterns of the signals that occur when we use our senses, it is possible for a computer to imitate a real brain.

A part of our brain that lights up when we perceive things around us
Photo Credit: Flickr

To understand the pattern of the signals that our brains receive, we first need to encounter the shape of a Mexican hat, which is a shape of a tiny area of nerves that changes when we see an image. The pointy part of the diagram below shows the area of focus where the nerves respond the most and the dented area represents the area that we mostly ignore when encountering an image. In other words, as we pay more attention to a specific area, we automatically pay less attention to other areas.

A diagram of the Mexican Hat.
Image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Spontaneous_symmetry_breaking#/media/File:Mexican_hat_potential_polar.svg

We had the opportunity to interview Dr. Ward about the research for the better understanding of the concepts. Dr. Ward elaborated more on the activity of the tiny neurons in our brains in patterns, which matches with a shape of sombrero (similar to the Mexican hat shape). Listen to the explanation of their research in the following podcast.

Podcast credit: Kang Zhihao

Why did they choose the Mexican hat equation particularly to explain how we perceive the randomness of things? It is because it is a most suitable way to describe the aspects of brain activity and the pairing of the neurons and to calculate how we perceive sights around us. In the video below, Dr. Ward describes how a form of wave of neural activity exist in our brain that varies according to the level of activity based on the activity of our senses.

Video Credit: Huanxin Zhang, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHORreeISC4&feature=youtu.be

What can we do with the information from this research? The important findings of this study may help us to construct a model that has a similar level of intelligence that a real brain consists. Also, the mathematics can be applied to recreate brain simulations possibly in the future, but the real brain still outlasts the machines. The answer to the question that was asked in the beginning, is that in order for us to hear the tree that falls in the middle of the forest depends on how high can the Mexican hat of our brain be.

-Group 5: Aaron yen, Zhihao Kang, Huanxin Zhang, Victoria Park

Video credit:

o Pattern Dynamics of Reaction Diffusion Equation: ak0amay Published on Oct 10, 2015 o Brain model: Growing a Brain Pattern: Particle Skull, Published on Jul 9, 2014 o What Are Brain Waves?: MinuteEarth, Published on Nov 7, 2017 o The brain waves when noised involved: Relaxing White Noise, Published on Feb 10, 2015 o Brain patterns in math: École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Published on Jun 12, 2017 Thanks to Dr. Janet Ochola and Dr. Andrew Trites for guidance and advice during the project. Thanks to Dr. Priscilla Greenwood for the insight and Dr. Lawrence Ward for the explanations.

Audio credit:

The background musics are public domain and licensed from y.qq.com

Leave a comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Outreach Project, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in News

Tagged brain function, mathmatics, perception, time

Video

Stephen Hawking and the ALS disease

Dr Stephen Hawking Physics professor and author at Cambridge University

Less than a week ago, beloved cosmologist and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, science’s brightest star, died at the age of 76 in the morning on Mar.14. His brilliance and persistence has inspired people around the world. People who are not specialist in physics may have not heard of his four laws of black hole mechanics or the Hawking radiation, but often have heard of his courageous story and lifelong battle with the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease (ALS).

While studying at Oxford, the young Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS – a disease that causes death of neurons and gradually paralyses voluntary muscles – at the age of 21, in 1963. The doctor gave him a life expectancy of less than three years, but Stephen Hawking have defied the odds and coped with the daunting disease for over half a century. He spent 30 years as mathematics professors at the University of Cambridge, published the world-renowned The Universe in a Nutshell and A Briefer History of Time, which introduced cutting edge findings in theoretical physics to millions of readers. While Lou Gehrig and other people that suffer from ALS usually succumb in less than ten years, why has Hawking beat the odds and lived with the formidable disease?

Illustration of a normal nerve structure (left) and an ALS affected nerve cell (right)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a highly variable disorder and can be classified a few different ways: by where the motor neuron is first affected, and by how fast the disease progresses. Hawking was an outlier, the neurons that control the diaphragm and swallowing muscle are not severely deteriorated, that means breathing muscle functions properly, malnutrition and dehydration which are often found in other cases would not be seen on Hawking.

The disorder progression also tends to be slower in people with onset at less than 40 years old, the reason behind this remains unknown. Hawking’s case is very similar to juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which progresses very slowly and have a life expectancy of more than 30 years. And like his mind, Hawking’s illness seems to be singular. Hawking’s longevity is partly due to the excellent care that he received, and more importantly – the biology of his form of the neurodegenerative disease. Stephen Hawking’s case is a unique example of the variability of the disease, he not only gives hope to patient who also suffer from the ALS disease, but also inspires millions for his determination to fight against the odds.

Stephen Hawking’s contribution to physics and cosmology will live in the annals of science forever.

Leave a comment

Posted on March 19, 2018 by ran bi in Biological Sciences, Science Communicators, Science in News

Tagged ALS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Health Science, Neurodegenerative disease

The Benefits of the Consumption of Dark Chocolate

Posted on March 17, 2018 by ji yoon park | 4 comments

Have you ever heard about having chocolates before exams helps you to write the exams better? It has been proven that the contents of dark chocolates provide benefits to human brains.

Source: Flickr Commons by Kitty

For most people, they become very anxious and nervous before the exams or even become more nervous during the exams. Chocolates have shown to improve anxiety symptoms and help people to enhance the feeling of calmness. From one of the components of dark chocolate called polyphenols, people can be helped by improving depression and anxiety. However, no changes in mood results in the consumption of chocolate drinks, which do not contain polyphenols.

Source: Flickr Commons by Adam Abu Bakar

In addition, the components of dark chocolate help to boost memory and problem-solving skills. Dark chocolates contain a high percentage of cocoa, which contains flavanols which is beneficial for your memory ability. Flavanols may act directly on our brains to protect neurons from injury, improve metabolism and their interactions with their molecular structures that is responsible for memory. The absorbed flavanols from the consumptions of dark chocolate are accumulated in the regions of a brain which is associated with learning and memory. They protect neurons by the increase in blood flow to the brain and improve the functions of neurons. For those who have consumed high percentage of flavanol dark chocolate, they have been shown to improve their performance on memory test.

It is important to know that only consumption of 70 percent or more can provide benefits towards your better memory functioning and the improvement in anxiety. Drinking low percentage of flavanols-containing chocolates or drinks would not have much therapeutic value; it would only have placebo effects.

For more information on the benefits of dark chocolate:

-Victoria (Ji Yoon) Park

4 Comments

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

Tagged anxiety, benefits, calmness, dark chocolate, memory, nervous

The Effects of Alcohol and Memory Formation

Posted on March 12, 2018 by jasmine hyun | 3 comments

It’s Friday night, school is over for the weekend and if you are a university student and over the age of 19, you may be planning to meet up with some friends to have a drink or two.

Source: Flickr Commons by Simon Leloup

You may be aware of the term ‘drunk’ and ‘tipsy’ but the science behind why so many young adults turn to alcohol consumption after a long tiring day is that alcohol releases the brains ‘feel good’ chemicals called endorphins that produces the feeling of pleasure in certain areas of the brain. Although its evident that drinking can bring some temporary pleasure, it can have some severe negative consequences, especially when one consumes heavy doses of alcohol for a long period of time.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse when a person drinks heavily over a long period of time may be susceptible to have damaging effects on the brain such as the ability for the brain to form new long-term memories. Long-term alcohol consumption specifically can lead to significant inhibition of neuronal activity in the hippocampus, which is the area the of the brain that plays an important role in the formation of new memories.

Anatomy of the brain: The Hippocampus. Source: The Brain made Simple Website

Alcohol’s influence on memory appears to have a primary effect during the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory storage (see figure below). The modal model of memory originally proposed by Alkinson and Shiffrin (1968) state that intoxicated test subjects are able to recall information immediately after it is presented and are able to keep it active for 1 minute. Subjects are also able to recall long-term memories formed before they become intoxicated; however, once alcohol was consumed, test subjects began to show impairments in the ability to transfer information into long-term storage. When consumed for long periods of time even when subjects were sober again, they were unable to recall critical elements of events or the entire event while they were intoxicated.

A general model of memory formation. Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse website

Although occasional drinking can release some built up stress and bring temporary happiness; when consumed for long periods of time in heavy doses, it can severely hinder the brain’s ability to store long-term memories. So the next time you plan to binge drink, it may be worth considering the long-term consequences that chronic drinking can have on cognitive function.

For more information on the effects of alcohol on the brain:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fBG8xcZoF4

-Jasmine Hyun

3 Comments

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

Tagged Alcohol abuse, Alcoholism, Binge drinking, Chronic Drinking, Memory loss, Memory storage, Physical health

Kepler: A look into the past to focus on our future

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Ryan Berg | 1 comment

Where would modern astronomy be without scientists like Galileo Galilei, Nicolaus Copernicus or Johannes Kepler? We probably would not be scanning the stars of the Milky Way Galaxy for exoplanets only 450 years later. We owe a lot to these scientists for their ingenuity.

NASA Exoplanet Exploration

We have moved on from handheld telescopes in the 1600’s to ones that now orbit the Earth and our Sun. More specifically, I am referring to the Kepler Space Telescope which has been operated by the National Aeronautical & Space Administration since its launch in March 2009. In the earliest days of astronomy, scientists exploration of the cosmos was limited by the technology at the time. The first handheld telescope was created by Hans Lippershey in 1608, and it wasn’t until 1990 when the Hubble Space Telescope was launched that we could begin to learn more about our past. Kepler took to the skies 19 years later for a precise mission to understand more about our Milky Way Galaxy.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Kepler’s job is simple. Launch up from Earth and orbit around the Sun where it will scan the same 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellations. In doing so, NASA is hoping to confirm the existence of exoplanets orbiting stars outside of our solar system. It is remarkable, to think that in just over 400 years we have progressed from an Earth-centric model of our solar system; to understanding and accepting that we revolve around the Sun and finally to confirm the existence of thousands of planets orbiting hundreds of thousands of stars. This is just the tip of the iceberg to discovering life on other planets.

Kepler uses what is known as the transit photometry method to discover exoplanets. This means that Kepler stares at the same 150,000 stars looking for a decrease in the amount of light produced by any star in its field of view. When these dips in light have been recorded various times astronomers can confirm the existence of an exoplanet using data analysis. The following video demonstrates the transit photometry method at an accelerated rate.

Youtube NASA Video Channel

The transit photometry method is currently our best opportunity for discovering more exoplanets. We have seen a tremendous increase in confirmed discoveries since its launch, and Kepler is consistently delivering more confirmed exoplanets every day. Unfortunately, Kepler encountered technical difficulties in 2014 and its mission was restructured and released as K2. Its mission has been altered but currently remains in service.

The scientific advancements made by the Kepler team at NASA are on the cutting edge of astronomical discovery. Due to low federal funding in space exploration, I believe this is a subject that deserves more of the public’s attention. There was a time when we thought we were alone in the universe, it is becoming abundantly clear we may have had neighbours the entire time.

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” – Arthur C. Clarke

Author: Ryan Berg

1 Comment

Posted in Outreach Project, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in News, Uncategorized

Tagged astronomy, exoplanet, kepler, NASA, Physics, space, Technology, telescope, UBC, UBCscience

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Aron Ha | 1 comment

Do you own a pair of runners that haven’t been worn in a while and is now collecting dust on your shoe rack? Science suggests – you may want to put them to use again.

Emerging studies shown that aerobic exercise can slow down aging of the brain and have positive implications on cognitive abilities such as memory retention. Several studies shown that individuals who regularly exercise occupy larger volumes of the brain involved in memory compared to individuals that do not exercise.

What exactly is it about physical exercise that has such an impact you might ask?
Upon light to intense levels of aerobic exercise, the body produces a spectrum of signalling chemicals. One of the chemicals that gets released yields the production of a very important protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which gets released in the brain and muscles. When produced in the body, BDNF maintains existing brain cells, promotes the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and encourages growth of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is associated with memory.

Figure 1. Anatomy of brain. Source: Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site

Why this should concern you.
The size of the hippocampus decreases with age which often leads to memory decline and decrease in mental efficiency. In many older adults, cognitive deficits are commonly associated with old age. Researchers estimate that by 2050, there will be more than 115 million people that will suffer dementia globally. However, evidence shows that memory decline and aging of the hippocampus can be reduced and ultimately lower chances of dementia by exercising regularly.

Is one form of exercise more beneficial than the other?
As of now, researchers have not yet found an answer. The reason being is that most of the studies conducted only experimented with walking and/or running. However, it is suggested from the studies available that any type of exercise that would be able to elevate the heart rate to a certain level would produce these cognitive benefits.

As someone who enjoys being physically active and mainly weight trains, I was astonished about the benefits of aerobic exercise – all of this was new information to me. Ever since I learned further about these benefits of aerobic exercise, I have incorporated running to achieve a healthier, more cognitively efficient brain.

Figure 2. Man running. Source: Kyle Cassidy

If you are physically able to exercise and do not currently do so, I hope this post encourages you to reach for your pair of runners, go out, and “jog your memory”.

It is never too late to start exercising.

– Aron Ha

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in News

Tagged biology, brain, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, Cognitive function, dementia, health, neuroscience, physical exercise

REVISED: Our Modern Silent Pandemic: Social Media Effects and Prevalence

Posted on January 22, 2018 by aaron yen | Leave a comment

For millenials, the driving force behind entertainment and productivity is social media. Canadians’ growing usage of mobile phones is reaching wider audiences, but as with all good things, is too much dangerous?

Source: Shutterstock Image Library

Habits are what define us. As smartphones become more convenient and available to us, so does the itch to check every few minutes. But why are we so inclined to see a screen, even solely as an impulse? Harvard scientists answered the discussion with a groundbreaking discovery: “individuals place high subjective value on opportunities to communicate their thoughts and feelings to others and that doing so engages neural and cognitive mechanisms associated with reward”. Though we are social beings, the proof of our intrinsic feelings of reward when showcasing ourselves means our lives are dependent on approval, whether we want it or not. Social media amplifies the reward while conveniently placing public metrics to invoke a deeper dependence. The article implies that as social media becomes more integrated with our lives, our dependence could potentially be on the level of necessities, such as food or shelter, to sustain our lives. As news of the study came out, social media usage transformed from an activity to a concern.

Source: American Marketing Association

Research spawned from social media like wildfire into the neuroscience community, with experts piecing together the science behind the effects. Brain imaging directly relates viewing photos on Facebook with activity across the amygdala and striatum, which hold control over our emotions and impulses. These sections are most active when our nerves receive rewards in the form of dopamine, which codes for happiness. Although there is nothing wrong with feeling happy, continuously feeling this way will polarize how you may normally act, whether with greater motivation or less. Just think of dopamine as a drug; in natural amounts, dopamine allows us to be more active and positive, but when taking too much, we can become so overloaded with emotion that we may become too euphoric or too depressed.

Source: Huffington Post India

Alongside neurological changes, behavioural changes are just as prevalent. When we are locked into needing the attention of others, we are locked into a cycle of wanting to feel happy and feeding our emotions. With each successive post or comment, meeting the dopamine needs becomes more challenging. In between intervals, the lack of engagement can lead to depression and loneliness.

Source: Statista Analytics Portal

Social media is here and it is spreading. Statista puts the pandemic in perspective. The number of social media users worldwide from 2010 to 2021 will grow from 0.97 billion to 3.02 billion within a decade. If you can just imagine what one billion means, multiply that by three. The spread, the growth, and the scale means you can guarantee the world is affected in a major way.

As prevalent a problem as social media addiction is in our world, there is no recognized treatment. Research in the past year has spiked to address the issue, including formally defining the problem as a start. There are more questions than answers, but for now, all we can really do is hold tight and keep our real friends close.

– Aaron Yen

One longer inspirational seminar about this topic can be found below. Simon Sinek approaches the societal problem of social media in much greater detail, and addresses everyone with “the millenial question”.

Leave a comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communicators, Science in News, Uncategorized

Tagged neuroscience, psychology, social media

Category Archives: Science Communicators

Origion of The Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi Man Inferred Through Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

Usage of mathematics for an understanding of how the brain functions

Stephen Hawking and the ALS disease

The Benefits of the Consumption of Dark Chocolate

The Effects of Alcohol and Memory Formation

Kepler: A look into the past to focus on our future

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention

Add Users

Recent Posts

Categories

Authors

Category Archives: Science Communicators

Add Users

Recent Posts

Categories

Authors

Tags