Category Archives: Biological Sciences

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Yes, it’s true…you can be allergic to exercise!

“I’m allergic to exercise!!!”

I bet you’ve heard that phrase before or perhaps you even used it to get out of gym class in elementary school!

For the longest time, I thought it was just a figure of speech until last year when my friend was rushed to the hospital after running on the treadmill. In short, I learned that being allergic to exercise is a real condition known as exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

What is exercise-induced anaphylaxis?

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis is rare, affecting only 2% of the population; however, it can be potentially life-threatening. Although, this type of allergic reaction can occur either before or after physical activity, most cases occur after intense exercise, such as running. Nevertheless, don’t count light physical activity out. In fact, exercise-induced anaphylaxis can even occur after gardening!

What are the symptoms?

Although, the severity of exercise-induced anaphylaxis differs among individuals, the most common symptoms include: flushing of the skin, hives, swelling of the lips, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. A combination of several other symptoms, such as swollen tongue, difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing, feeling weak, and falling unconscious can also occur in more severe cases. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re allergic to exercise just because your face is beet red and you’re out of breath after a ten-minute run!

Image of hives. Image: Blausen Medical 

How does exercise trigger an allergic reaction?

The process is simple. Imagine the allergen (i.e. exercise) as a foreign invader. Once the invader enters your body, your immune system will produce immunoglobulin E antibodies to protect itself. The foreign invader will then bind to the antibodies causing mast cells to break open and release histamines. Histamines maneuver through your body to fight off the foreign invader and symptoms vary depending on where in the body histamines are released.  For example, mast cells reacting in your nose will cause a runny nose.

Animation of anaphylaxis (0:00-2:32). Video: offworld | design + motion

Do people out grow it?

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis only recently became recognized as a ‘real’ condition. As a result, not many people know about it and more cases still need be studied to determine if it is a long-term condition or not.

If you ever experience a combination of those symptoms listed above, your doctor may recommend an allergy test. Moreover, if you’ve been diagnosed with exercise-induced anaphylaxis but you enjoy exercising, try lowering the intensity of your workout to decrease the chances of having an allergic reaction. Finally, always carry an EpiPen with you and remember “Blue to the sky and orange to the thigh!”

 

 

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Posted on October 1, 2018 by in Biological Sciences

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Posted on September 24, 2018 by | Leave a comment

What are Telomeres?

Telomeres are like the plastic tips at the end of the shoelaces; they are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA and they protect our DNA from becoming damaged.

Telomeres were first distinguished in 1933 by Dr. Barbara McClintock. Recent research lead Dr. Carol Greider, and Dr. Jack Szostak to be awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by the enzyme telomerase and telomeres.

Diagram of Chromosome Showing Telomeres in Green Credit: Beauty Black Book

Telomeres Shorten as We Age

Each cell in our bodies replicates DNA and divides. DNA polymerase is the enzyme in charge of DNA replication, but it is incapable of replicating the entire chromosome strand.  Telomeres serve as a “scape goat” of dispensable DNA not needed for vital functions, so when DNA polymerase is ready to fall off the chromosome some of this dispensable DNA is lost.

How Much Telomeres Do We Lose in a Lifetime?

To put it in perspective, we are born with about 11 kb of telomeres, that’s 11,000 base pairs of DNA. By old age, we have approximately 4 kb or 4,000 base pairs.

This significant decrease in telomeres suggests that each cell has a maximum number of cell divisions before it must induce its own cell death. Dr. Leonard Hayflick extensively studied this phenomenon and concluded that each cell can only divide up to 60 times. The maximum number of cell divisions is now known as The Hayflick Limit.

Diagram Showing Decrease of Telomere Length with Age Credit: Defytime

Promising Study on Progeria Cells

Scientist are in hot pursuit to find the fountain of youth. Dr. John Cook and his team conducted an experiment with promising results and with the intentions of helping children with progeria, a rare genetic condition which speeds up aging.

In the study, the participants, aged 1 to 14 years-old, had telomeres lengths of a 69-year-old. Telomeres length was significantly increased in progeria cells as measured by expression of telomerase.

Video on Study on Progeria Cells by Dr. John Cook Credit:  Vimeo

Although this study is very promising, other scientists believe delaying the natural decline of telomere length could be harmful. Dr. Peter Lansdorp from the University of British Columbia explains that telomere shortening is a defense mechanism built within our cells to decrease the chances of developing cancers. Shortening telomere length of cancerous cells causes them to die. Halting this mechanism would allow cancer cells to continue to divide to create tumors.

What Speeds Up and Slows Down Aging?

Studies have shown that following a healthy diet, regular exercise, managing stress, and increase sleep is associated with longer telomeres, whereas higher body mass index, high stress, and smoking are associated with shorter telomeres.

Table of Factors that Affect Telomere Length Credit:  Indian Journal of Medical Research

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/telomere

Podcast on Telomeres as Marker of Aging Credit: US Science Today SOUNDCLOUD

Stress Less Live longer!

Studies suggest that any type of stress will have an effect on your telomeres and will in turn speed-up the aging process. It also shows that taking good care of yourself will  delay the aging process. So next time you feel stressed out, take a second to breath. Your biological clock will thank you.

Video of The Science of Aging Credit: ASAP Science YouTube

Maria-Fernanda Arcila

 

 

 

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science Communicators

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The Robotic Tail

Posted on September 24, 2018 by | 1 comment

Have you ever wondered why certain animals have tails? Did you ever think that a robot might need a tail as well?

Many disciplines of Science stress on the importance of observing the nature. Biomimetics, the process of imitating nature, can also be applied to the field of robotics. And so, the idea of a robotic tail was born. In fact, a robotic tail can be used to adjust the inertia of a mobile robot which in turn can enhance the robot’s stability and maneuverability. In reality, a reaction wheel can also be used to adjust the robot’s inertia. But, according to the research article prepared by Briggs et al. , a robotic tail can provide a greater moment of inertia than a reaction wheel within a given amount of space and time. Thus it safe to say that robotic tails are more appropriate for mobile robots.

picture courtesy: Daniel Koditschek

The following video demonstrates how the MIT cheetah robot maintains stability with the help of a tail when hit by a ball. Note that the left frame of the video shows the cheetah with a fixed tail whereas the right frame of the video shows the cheetah with a movable tail.

video credit: Biomimetics MIT

The MIT cheetah used a pendulum like tail. While it does enhance the balancing of the robot, the tail itself is quite rigid. It does not provide the complete movement that a tail would require to maneuver through its surroundings.
We need a tail that is more flexible. And this is where soft robotics, a relatively new subfield of robotics, comes in. With the help of soft robotics, flexible soft structures can be designed that are more identical to their biological counterparts, both by looks and by functionality.

The following video demonstrates an application of soft robotics.  The robotic fish shown in the video uses a flexible tail(also known as a continuum tail). A continuum tail facilitates the necessary bending that the tail requires to help the
fish easily navigate through its surroundings.

video credit: MITCSAIL

It is safe to say that a robotic tail has the capability to increase a mobile robot’s performance by enhancing it’s maneuverability and stability. By observing biological species more closely, scientists have shown advancements in technology through the implementation of more sophisticated  tail mechanisms that also mimic these species more meticulously.  Robotic tails is just one of the many applications of biomimetics. This game of mimicry has the potential to make a major breakthrough in the field of science. In fact, Thomas Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, said “The countries, communities, and companies that most closely [and] consciously mirror Mother Nature … are the ones that are going to thrive in what I call the Age of Accelerations. I’m a big believer in biomimicry.”

 

 

 

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Posted in Biological Sciences

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Humans- Built to Endure

Posted on September 24, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Survival in nature often depends on one’s physical capabilities. Predators generally have superior strength whilst prey have agility and cunning, but what about humans?  While we have our superior wits, we also have our own physical ability that we excel at: endurance. This endurance comes mainly from specific body features, but also from a gene of ours known as the CMAH gene.                  

 

Physical Feature

Humans have participated in endurance exercises for ages, cultivating ten-mile runs into marathons of a hundred miles. One simple reason for our great endurance is that we humans have lesser-hairy bodies than other animals. This allows us to cool off more easily, which in turn prolongs the time until exhaustion. Our legs have many spring like-tendons aiding in propulsion, and large glutes to help to maintain stability. We also have a greater amount of fatigue-resistant muscles which are better for endurance. All these physical features are aplenty, making almost any human built for endurance.

Man jogging – photo available for public use courtesy of www.fshoq.com

 

Still, where do all these endurance-advantages come from? Evolutionary-selection for certain physical features is certainly a contributor, but there are more factors at play. Our fatigue-resistant muscles, and many other abilities, may well be a result of our genes, specifically a gene of ours known as the CMAH gene.

 

The Silenced CMAH

The CMAH gene exists in many other creatures, but in humans, it has been inactive for about the past 2 million years. This inactivation coincides with the appearance of our ancestors in the Homo genus. So, what evolutionary purpose does this inactivation play? A study authored by Ajit Varki of The University of California aimed to find out.

Genetic Material – photo available to public domain courtesy of Vitaliy Smolygin / iStock

 

In the study, the CMAH gene was knocked out in mice who were afflicted by muscle dystrophy, a condition where some parts of muscle had wasted away. These mice were then bred over generations to keep this inactivation. The offspring mice’s physical abilities were later compared to mice whom still had said gene active by making both groups run.

CMAH-deletion mice became fatigued from forced-running much later than mice who still expressed CMAH. Post-inactivation mice also ran farther distances and faster than control group. This study on mice reflects on humans, whom also have an inactive CMAH gene and display similar abilities of increased endurance compared to our primate ancestors.

 

In Modern Times…

Humanity has retained many of it’s physical capabilities, despite our lifestyles changing drastically over history. While we no longer require our physical abilities as much as our ancestors did, it is comforting to know that maintenance of health is still promoted in society. Whether for aesthetic values or for well-being, many people still exercise regularly and keep their bodies strong. Moreover, humans are pushing the limits of endurance further and further through longer marathons spanning several days and hundreds of miles. As we continue to attempt greater feats of physical ability, it’s likely our endurance will not be diminishing anytime soon.

 

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Advances in medicine with technology: is it all good?

Posted on September 23, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Having any experience in the biomedical sciences,  the phrase “microscopy is a lost art” must have some meaning to you. It means biotechnology is taking over the medical sciences. Biochemistry and molecular biology have become so prominent that techniques of old are being replaced by all things molecular.

Recent advancements in biotechnology have revolutionized science. DNA experiments not only conduct replication, they incorporate automatic interpretation of the results. Protein science has been simplified to pouring samples in vials and running them in a machine, no further skills or education required. Even medical diagnostics are “going molecular”, using DNA and protein experiments to diagnose patients rather than the traditional interpretation of labs. But while molecular experiments sure make our lives (as a scientist) easier, haven’t we been taught that shortcuts are never the answer?

What’s wrong with going molecular?

A perfect example to illustrate this point is with the blood infection: malaria. Annually, an estimated 600 million people globally still suffer from this parasitic disease and over a million die from it. Current diagnostic methods involve blood smears under microscopy as shown in the photo below; the purple specks representing malaria parasites.

Picture by Teresa Lo, BCCDC

However, when presented to pathology residents of UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, not a single one of them could identify the illness. Even more astonishing, they actually thought that the patient was perfectly healthy. This incident occurred at the BC Centre for Disease Control, where technicians of the Parasitology department tested medical residents with confirmed-diagnosis patient samples.

How did this happen?

With advancements in science and technology, biotech companies have developed molecular tests for diagnosing patients. For malaria, a well-known device is called the Rapid Test shown below. Functioning like a pregnancy test with urine, the Rapid Test simply requires a drop of blood and some time before a positive or negative result is given. You might be asking “where’s the problem?”. While the Rapid Test IS very convenient, it has a relatively low success rate. This is further discussed on the CDC website for malaria diagnosis.

Picture by Benjamin Chang, BCCDC

For patients where the malaria parasite is not prevalent or perhaps has not replicated enough, detection via Rapid Tests would fail. This is why microscopy is so important in the field of parasitology, it can detect parasitemia at low enough concentrations that early intervention would be possible. A paper published in the Journal of Malaria found microscopy was a better method for diagnosis compared to molecular techniques:

Biomedical scientist Emmanuel Biney further demonstrates in this video that while the skill required for microscopy is high, it is most definitely required:

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Unfortunately, microscopy is truly a lost art as our generation is geared towards molecular techniques. Training in microscopy takes numerous years of practice and an experienced technician as an instructor. As the previous generation retires and our generation begins to enter the workforce, we will have to find some way to compensate for the loss of their skills.

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The Secret to Speed- Symmetry

What makes fast runners so fast? Sure, strong muscles, hard work, and good technique all contribute to speed- but so does symmetrical knees?

The Proof

Scientists have recently discovered the surprising and remarkable effect symmetric knees have on running efficiency. Robert Trivers, an evolutionary biologist, took a team to Jamaica to investigate if there is any correlation between elite runners and their body symmetry. In one study, the researchers asked the club track and field members to give their best times in their specific running events, such as the 100m dash, 200m, 400m, or 800m. They found that in every single event group the fastest times belonged to the athletes with the most symmetric knees, not with the most muscle mass, lung capacity, or best technique.

Photo by David J. Phillip of Usain Bolt             Source: Oregon Live

 

To further confirm these results, they performed another study in which the research team measured the knee symmetry of 73 elite sprinters, including Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. They compared their measurements with those of 116 local non-runners who were of the same age and sizes as the elite athletes. They found that the sprinters had much more symmetrical knees than the non-runners, concluding that it is indeed a significant contributing factor to running efficiency. “Among the very best sprinters in the world, knee symmetry predicts who’s going to be the best of the best,” Trivers confirms after analyzing these results.

The following is a video of Trivers explaining his study and results.

Source: TEDxUWCCR

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But Why Knee Symmetry?

One reason why knee symmetry could be such a dominant factor in predicting speed is because running is naturally a symmetrical movement, and therefore it will favour symmetrical traits. By not having to compensate for non-symmetric mechanisms, sprinters with knee symmetry are able to save energy and be more efficient in every stride. In addition, numerous studies have confirmed that body symmetry is positively associated with genetic quality and developing advantageous traits, which may also contribute to the correlation between knee symmetry and speed.

What’s Next? 

This study has significant value as the results provide the basis for further research opportunities in the evolutionary biology and sports science fields. Evolutionary biologists may be interested in the genes that develop these symmetrical traits, questioning if they provide any other advantages to humans other than speed.  The track and field community and sports scientists may be curious to explore if there is any way to specifically increase knee symmetry through training in the hopes of it increasing speed significantly.

Furthermore, this finding has prompted more research into this topic and has led Trivers to address further questions, like are runners so symmetric because of good genes or because of the amount of exercise they do? Is it a cause or an effect? Nonetheless, there is a clear correlation between a high degree symmetry and being of the fastest humans. So, if you have symmetrical knees, you might very well be the next Usain Bolt.

By: Olivia Campbell

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Posted on September 23, 2018 by in Biological Sciences

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