Category Archives: Issues in Science

Stress Not…

Posted on October 6, 2018 by | 1 comment

Nowadays, it is very common to hear phrases like “I’m stressed out ” or “I don’t know if I can handle the stress”. However, the prevalence of stress in our society should not be accepted due to the negative impact that stress can have on people’s health.

Stress  is an organism’s response to any environmental or physical factor that is perceived as threatening harm ,

Pathway for Cortisol release in response to stress. Source: Top 10 Home Remedies

where the body experiences biochemical changes such as the release of hormones to prepare the system to confront danger or avoid it . Although, some amount of stress can be expected in any healthy individual, prolonged  stress has become a damaging condition in modern environment.  

According to Statistics Canada, in 2014 about 73% of adults between 20 and 64-years-old suffer from some level of stress. These findings, are indicative of increasing stress levels that could have long-term consequences on people’s health.

Source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2014.
In 2014, 23% of Canadians reported that most days were “quite a bit” or “extremely stressful”. Additionally, females were more likely to report that most days were “quite a bit” or “extremely stressful”

According to the review Human behaviour: A cooperative instinct , stress in small doses enables people to adapt faster to unexpected changes in environmental conditions. Likewise, the presence of danger triggers a response called “fight-or-flight” where the body defenses increases: adrenalin secretion increases, blood flow to the brain and muscles increases. Nevertheless, the experience of being overwhelmed and in constant stress causes damage to health, decrease in productivity and life quality. 

What is the link between stress and the immune system?

According to the article published by GM Lewitus and M Schwartz, cells from the immune and nervous system interact together during stress episodes to secrete memory cells that will help people cope with stress-situations in the future. In other words, this mechanism is used by your body to protect you from possible danger. 

What are the causes of stress? 

When encountering a stressful situation, cortisol is released, it maintains bodily functions consistent. However, when stress is present for an extended period of time, high levels of cortisol inhibit some immune responses causing more susceptibility to infections and does not control properly inflammatory responses.

What are the effects of stress?

Some of the effects include: problems with the digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack  and stroke. In addition, a review article shows that stress can even rewire the brain, leaving people more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.

 The skin condition know as psoriasis appears to be linked to constant stress periods rather than medication or diet reasons. Researchers suggest that psoriasis is caused by the regulation of cortisol becoming dysfunctional leading to poor control of inflammatory responses causing this condition.

Therefore, being aware of the negative consequences that stress has on people’s health, will allow to reduce its prevalence in society.  

Effects of stress on the body Source: Live Love Fruit.

Mariana Paspuel

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

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Should I change my diet for the sake of the world?

My first impression about meatless Mondays 

It is hard to give up meat! Source: GIPHY

They were just normal Mondays at the Open Kitchen, the cafeteria of Orchard Commons Residence at UBC, but for me, they were the most unsatisfactory days during my first year at university. Mondays were the busiest days in my schedule and I used to get so hungry that all I wanted was a big hamburger. However, I got annoyed after reading a poster about the “meatless” Monday at Orchard Commons and found no hamburger or any meat-containing dish at all! Apparently, it was an alternative implemented to reduce meat consumption.

Should I go vegetarian?

Is it challenging to give up meat? Answer the questions in this flowchart to know if you can become a vegetarian! Source: Dining Out

Why should I care about meat?

Food security is a matter that concerns everybody. We are almost 7.4 billion people on Earth right now, but we will be 9 billion in 2050. According to a well-known paper in Science, the food supply will need to increase by 70% to 100% to feed this population.  The solution is not as simple as increasing the land for agriculture. The truth is that humans do not use the 100% of agricultural land exclusively to feed people, but roughly 36% of the total production is destined to feed livestock. Otherwise, this land would serve to feed 3.5 billion people more. Also, we gain fewer calories from the meat and milk we consumed than the number of calories we waste on feeding animals. We only get 3 calories from beef for every 100 calories of grain we feed on cattle.

Picture of corn piling up outside full silos in Brazil

“A bumper crop of corn piles up outside full silos in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state, which sends much of its grain to China and South Korea to feed their pigs and chickens. The demand for more crops to feed livestock is one reason experts say we’ll need to double crop production by 2050.” Source: National Geographic, May 2014 Issue

Is meat consumption increasing?

Meat consumption is increasing at an accelerated rate. The preference for pork and chicken has increased 4.5 times since the last 50 years, and an overall of 1.5-fold increase for all kind of meat. It is because of the change in the number of people who will eat meat. Economic prosperity has been observed to contribute the shifting from vegetables to meat. People with better income in countries such as China and India, that have a high rate of vegetarian population, will choose a richer diet, boosting the demand for cattle, pigs, and chicken.

The relative area of land occupied by agriculture and other human activities compared with the total Earth surface. Source: National Geographic, May 2014 Issue

Should I give up meat then?

If only Americans shift to a plant-based diet, 91 million cropland acres can be saved and 278 million metric ton of CO₂ would not end up in the atmosphere. Should I change my diet then? It is hard to give up beef. However, little steps can make the way we eat more sustainable. It is as simple as reducing the number of days you eat meat or buying chicken instead of beef. Why? Check this video or go to this link!

(Video: Why meat is the best worst thing in the world? We love meat, but we should make agriculture more sustainable.)

Mirkka Puente

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Posted on October 6, 2018 by in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science in the News

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The Calm Before the Flood: Glacial Lake Outbursts in Bhutan

Posted on September 26, 2018 by | Leave a comment

When you think of global climate change, what is the first thought that comes to mind? Species extinction? Rising ocean levels? Extreme weather events?

It turns out that all of these are possible, unfortunately! However, one that is often overlooked is the formation of supra-glacial lakes. As temperatures rise, the rate of ice melt has accelerated and has increased the amount of water in glacial lakes. Once triggered by an earthquake or ice fall, the lake will overflow. To make matters worse, the melting of ice-core dams can also destabilize the lakes, forming Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). This means that all communities downstream of glacial lakes are at risk of flooding! An example of this is Bhutan – a landlocked country in South Asia.

A map showing the topography of Bhutan and surrounding countries.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

As you can see, Bhutan consists of rugged land with steep mountains. Most of Bhutan’s population resides in large river valleys, making their lifestyles vulnerable to flooding. Bhutan’s society is not prepared to deal with flooding, since they rely upon their agricultural sector and hydropower as a source of employment and revenue.

A graph showing the recent trend in GLOF in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
Image Credit: Flickr, User GRID Arendal; published under the Creative Commons License.

To lower the risk of flooding, Bhutan’s first project is in the most dangerous glacial lake: Thorthormi Lake. The goal is to create a channel to drain water out of the lake, which is accomplished by releasing pressure on the dam and using tools to dig ice and remove boulders. So far, the lake has been artificially lowered slightly, increasing the safety for downstream communities. The importance of this project and the necessity for further glacial satellite observation is addressed in the video below.

A video about Bhutan’s melting ice, in the perspective of a world exploration challenge.
Video Credit: Vimeo, User Skyship Films, published under the Creative Commons License.

Bhutan is only one example of a community that is directly threatened by climate change. Therefore, we must invest more thought and research into climate change induced disasters, since preparation is key and can offset future damage.

 

Lexynn Kwan

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Are we putting ourselves at risk by driving without that extra hour of sleep?

Posted on September 24, 2018 by | Leave a comment

It’s no secret! We have all had those days when “I’m so tired” is the only piece of conversation we can contribute. But has being tired ever stopped you from driving your car? Recently, there has been an increase in research showing fatigue to be a major contributing factor in motor vehicle accidents. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the USA, there was 4,121 fatal crashes between 2011 and 2015 involving drowsy driving. This has led researchers to explore the idea of establishing methods for discouraging people from driving while in a lethargic state and for catching them in the act.

Driving Tired

Drowsy driving can be risky
Image Source: flickr
Photographer: Anna~Bee

 

Does being drowsy really affect me?

We can all relate to being tired every now and again, whether it is a busy week at work, a heavy class schedule, or even as a result of a sleeping disorder. What we do not always realize is the very real effects that even the smallest lack of sleep can have on our bodies. In fact, research done by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, shows that even just one or two hours of sleep less than the recommended within 24 hours, can double the risk of collision. Some of the effects of drowsiness are, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Trouble focusing
  • Heightened risk-taking
  • Impaired attention
  • Changes in mood

Accident

Fatal accidents caused by drowsy driving
Image Source: flickr
Photographer: Thomasjuh-b

 

Wait! How do you know how drowsy I am?

Now, what if I told you that police officers could test your sleep level, as they would alcohol levels, if they saw fit? Would you think twice about getting behind the wheel? This is the end goal for researchers from the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey, who were working towards developing a biomarker capable of assessing an individual’s sleep level. A study was conducted where 36 participants were subjected to a 40-hour period of sleep deprivation. During this time, researchers drew blood from participants in order to observe any changes their lack of sleep would have on the expression levels of their genes. This study resulted in a major breakthrough in the form of an algorithm, which can be used to test blood samples for sleep deprivation with 92 percent accuracy. This breakthrough not only paves the way towards a future with a test capable of checking for sleep-deficient drivers, but also emphasizes the extent of the physiological impact a lack of sleep can have on our bodies, made evident by the fact that these biomarkers are present in the subject’s blood only after a 24-hour period.

Observing driving behaviour of drowsy drivers
Posted By: Mobilegeeks.de

 

Evidently, lack of sleep can have major influences on our bodies and is a serious contributing factor to fatal car accidents. While researchers are working towards methods to help society enforce regulations on sleep level while driving, we can all do our part by being more aware of our state of well-being before taking the wheel.

 

Shadi Elmi

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