Can We Program Our Brains?

Posted on November 16, 2018 by | 1 comment

Imagine a world where altering memory, never being blind and downloading skills into our brains exist. Well, science isn’t as far off as you think! As farfetched as the idea of programming our brains seems an area of research in neurosciences called optogenetics works with neurons (brain cells) and light in order to mimic our natural brain wave patterns and send “fake” signals to the cells. Research done with optogenetics uses altered cell proteins to make them respond to light. This allows us to control specific reactions that take place in targeted parts of the brains quickly that things like drugs just cannot do since they lack the precision and take time.

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Light hitting the neuron By: Julie Pryor

 

Research Being Done

Researchers in a 2007 study used mice and placed a wire into their brain then flashed a super fast blue light into a relatively large area of the brain where control over motor skills are known to be. They were able to get the mice to walk in circles meaning this stimulus allowed the researchers to change the rodents’ motor behaviour!

Image result for optogenetics mice

Optogenetics on mice  https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1280&bih=579&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=54jvW8S_Ef-60PEPqOK50AU&q=optogenetics+mice&oq=opto&gs_l=img.3.0.0i67l2j0l8.13955.14510..15840…0.0..0.43.165.4……1….1..gws-wiz-img…….35i39.8xqXwVvFP-8#imgrc=dcCvQgMIcXmp8M: 

But research hasn’t stopped there, with further understanding of brain wave patterns a recent study (still done on mice) was able to control the light better and use holograms. They used a specialized technique called 3D-SHOT that mimicked the natural brain wave patterns which, when measured by the amount of calcium consumed by the brain, found that this light probably caused the mice to believe what they were seeing, hearing or feeling was real. Calcium was used because it was a good indicator of how much the neurons were firing, the more calcium used means there were more neurons firing and vice versa.

Future Implications

While this research for humans is still ongoing, one day it might be possible to program our brains and treat diseases that do not currently have cures such as Parkinson’s disease or blindness. For example, if we could mimic how eyes send signals to the brain we could use prosthetic eyes with these copied signals and cure blindness!

Inspiration 

By: Fatima Syed

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Let’s make it rain. Literally.

Posted on November 13, 2018 by | 3 comments

Droughts, arid land, and losing farms have been major concerns for humanity for all of history. Before the industrial revolution, people starved to death if there was a drought season because farms could not grow crops. However, today we have something called “cloud seeding” and as the words suggest, we can sow clouds with seeds that will sprout into rain – another phenomenon we can add to the list of things humans can create.

Cloud seeding has been around since the 1940s but it hasn’t been proven to work since recently. Researchers in Idaho flying two planes have shown that cloud seeding does indeed work by flying through banks of clouds and “sowing seeds” in them. What do they sow the clouds with? Silver Iodide. Particles of Silver Iodide enable water molecules to align themselves into a crystalline structure which means the water molecules freeze. The water particles then get bigger and heavy enough to fall to the ground. A scientific perspective would be to say, Silver Iodide speeds up the process of making rainfall.

Clouds drop heavy rainfall

photo credit: mother nature network

Another way to sow clouds is to use dry ice. When adding dry ice to the clouds, the water vapour in the cloud would drop to very low temperatures. Ice crystals would form in the process. The ice crystals allow neighboring water vapour molecules to attach and create rain droplets – and ultimately rainfall.

Cloud seeding is not just used for making rainfall. It can also be used to disperse fog, tiny water droplets suspended in air. For example, airports may use salt to seed the clouds. The salt lowers the freezing point of ice and which stops the tiny water droplets from forming. Snowfall can also be created with cloud seeding and some ski-resorts use it during the winter season.

The downside is, cloud seeding isn’t yet perfect. The right conditions of cool moist clouds must be met. And some research shows that cloud seeding only increases rainfall by 15 to 20%. There is also much controversy surrounding seeding clouds, as well as public concern of Silver Iodide, a harmless chemical yet poorly explained to the public. However, many countries are still developing more efficient ways of cloud seeding. And I think we can all agree on the benefits of producing rain and snow especially in times of drought.

 

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To Drive, or Not to Drive? Definitely Not to Drive.

Posted on November 12, 2018 by | 2 comments

My favorite technological advances are those that make life easier by eliminating tedious tasks such as driving through traffic. All I want to do is sleep when I’m in transit, luckily the folks at Google, Tesla, and Mercedes are working on making that a reality by 2020. These companies are making driverless cars mainstream. These vehicles serve not only to facilitate my laziness, but to make driving safer. Currently, 1.2 million deaths occur on the road annually. To reduce this number, driverless cars will eliminate mistakes made by drivers that are caused by both limitations in human information processing speed, and poor decision making. Additionally, like fine wine, the cars will improve over time, fixing their software and hardware limitations.

Interior of Mercedes Benz F015 retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/

Drivers are human, unlike machines, there are major limits to their ability to compute information. Distractions inside and outside the car impairs driving. This can result in unsafe driving and accidents. To test the effect of distractions on driving, researchers performed an experiment where data were gathered on test drivers being distracted. They determined that distractions increase the amount of time that the eye is fixated, and not paying attention to everything else that is happening on the road. This is unsafe, can lead to crashes, and is a problem that driverless cars will not have. The limitations that sensors in a car have can be reduced by fusing information from multiple advanced censors and processing it with ever improving ‘big data’ analyzing algorithms.

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Driverless cars on public roads in Texas

video: https://www.youtube.com/

Driverless cars are not human, they are incapable of making decisions as poor as driving under the influence. After ingesting enough alcohol, a person’s reaction time, coordination, judgment, and senses will be incapacitated. Alcohol is a factor in over 40% of accidents on the road. In comparison to annual road death rates, there have been 18 crashes involving Google’s autonomous cars. For all but one of these, one without injuries, the self-driving cars have not been at fault. So far, there have only been two fatalities involved with self-driving cars. These accidents have led to reworks and more rigorous testing. Driverless cars would not be limited by poor decision making and reaction time will only vary based on the technology used.

 

The lack of driver error based on human limitations in capacity and some drivers’ liability for poor decision making outweigh current sensor and program limitations. However, until all cars on the road are driverless, we should drive carefully.

Alex Ponomarov

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Could this be the reason why your hands are always cold?

Posted on November 11, 2018 by | 3 comments

I’m sure you’ve noticed that winter is fast approaching, the air is getting colder and the temperatures are dropping! Does the cold weather ever cause your fingers or toes to become blue and numb? If so, Raynaud’s phenomenon may be the reason why!

What is Raynaud’s phenomenon?

Raynaud’s phenomenon, also known as Raynaud’s disease occurs when blood cells in your finger tips or toes overreact to the cold, causing your fingers to turn white, blue, and finally red.  This disease is typically diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 30; however it is quite rare, affecting less than 10% of individuals in the United States. Furthermore, females and individuals who live in colder regions are more likely to be afflicted by this disease.

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Image: Tcal at English Wikipedia

Types of Raynaud’s Disease

Raynaud’s disease can be classified as either primary or secondary. Anyone can develop primary Raynaud’s; however, chances are heightened for those with a family history. On the contrary, secondary Raynaud’s is uncommon. In fact, only individuals with an underlying medical condition that makes them more prone to the disease (e.g. nerve damage) are at risk for developing secondary Raynaud’s.

0:30-2:30 A more detailed explanation of the major differences between primary and secondary Raynaud’s disease

Video: Johns Hopkins Rheumatology

Symptoms and Causes

The most common symptoms include: numbness, tingling, and sometimes even pain in the fingers and toes. In most cases, symptoms will subside after about 15 minutes when your body warms up and blood flow returns to its normal rate. Additionally, Raynaud’s is triggered primarily by the cold, but other potential triggers include: emotional stress, smoking, caffeine, and certain medications.

How does this happen?

When temperatures drop, your body conserves heat by reducing the rate of blood flow to your hands and feet (i.e. the network of arteries that carry blood to these parts of your body narrow). If you have Raynaud’s disease, however, these arteries narrow more than necessary, causing your fingers and toes to feel numb and turn blue.

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An image showing regular blood flow to the fingers (A) versus constricted blood flow to the fingers (B & C)

Image: National Heart,Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart & Vascular Diseases: Raynaud’s: What Is Raynaud’s?

How dangerous is this disease?

Raynaud’s is not dangerous; however, individuals with this condition are more prone to frost bites and spasms in the fingers and toes. Furthermore, in extreme cases, blood flow to the fingers and toes may be completely blocked resulting in potential deformities and tissue damage.

Is there a cure?

There are no known cures for Raynaud’s; however, symptoms typically improve over time. Simple measures, such as covering exposed skin can be taken to prevent any symptoms. However, if you do happen to experience any symptoms, soaking the area in warm water can help relieve them.

Sami Ko

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Microplastics: A Pollution Worse than Plastic?

Posted on November 10, 2018 by | 3 comments

Source: Providence Trade

As detrimental as this photo looks, today’s plastic pollution is unfortunately not limited to these plastic bags and bottles that line the ocean surfaces. Recently, plastic has begun to affect ecosystems and species in ways we did not ever imagine; in the form of microplastics.

What are Microplastics?

Microplastics are small, barely visible pieces of plastic that ultimately enter and pollute our oceans, streams, rivers, soil and air. They can enter our environment from a variety of sources including cosmetics, textiles and industrial settings, or simply from the plastics we pollute each day. According to a recent study done by researchers in Japan, the abundance of microplastics within the world’s oceans has raised growing concerns amongst environmentalists globally due to their detrimental effects on ecosystems and living organisms, including humans. Unfortunately, due to the small size of microplastics, ranging from 5mm to the diameter of a red blood cell, it is difficult to report the exact amount found in our oceans. Researchers estimate that with around 300 million metric tons of plastic produced each year, trillions of degraded plastic bits may be lurking in the environment, largely unseen.

Source: Andrea Thompson via Scientific American

Microplastics in our ecosystem and in our bodies:

Source: Dr. Marcus Eriksen of Gyres Institute

Since microplastics are, as the name suggests, microscopic, they can be ingested by a wide variety of creatures, including plankton (the basis of the marine food chain). Real harm can be done if microplastics in fish and other species move from their gut into the bloodstream and other organs. A study done by Mark Browne shows physical signs of damage, as the particles jabbing and rubbing against organ walls can cause inflammation, while leaching of hazardous chemicals cause liver damage. These hazards can disrupt the immune functions, growth and reproduction of organisms. Even if individual species do not seem to suffer, their ingestion of microplastics can have a ripple effect when they accumulate within a food chain, as another study shows how the fish do not necessarily excrete the microplastics once ingested.

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Not only are these microplastics found in wildlife species, according to a recent study, we actually ingest them everyday. In addition to being present in packaged food and bottled water they are found in tap water and even in the air we breathe, making it virtually impossible to avoid them.

According to Browne’s research, the amount of microplastics in lakes and soils alone could rival the more than 15 trillion tons of particles thought to be floating on the ocean surface. Before we can make any progress on curbing this pollution, we must first understand how much is concentrated in which places, where exactly it is coming from, and how it is moving around.

For more information listen to this interview done by Kate Nielson from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Atmosphere:

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Intermittent Fasting

Posted on November 5, 2018 by | 2 comments

Intermittent Fasting – A Simpler Way to Eat

Most of us grew-up hearing ” breakfast is the most important meal of the day” but what if that isn’t the case?

Intermittent fasting has gained a great deal of attention in the past years for the benefits in weight loss, overall healthier-eating, and a way to simplify our lifestyles. Popularized by Martin Berkhan, a nutritional consultant from Leangains, the success of intermittent fasting lies in the fact that it is not a diet but a lifestyle change. Intermittent fasting is divided into two stages, fasting and feeding. The most common type of fasting is the 16:8 known as the Leangains method, consisting of a 16 hour fast followed by an eight hour feeding period with no dietary restrictions.

16:8 Intermittent Fasting Pattern Credit: StayWow

Fasting and Our Ancestors

Our ancestors did not have the luxuries we have today, they had to hunt their food and this could lead to not finding anything to eat for hours or days at a time. This is the basis of intermittent fasting, going back to our old roots. By allowing our bodies to function as they are intended to do. Studies have shown, intermittent fasting protects against diabetes, obesity, cancers, heart disease, hypertension, neurodegeneration, and many more benefits.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting Credit: Fitness Junction

OUR BRAIN AND FASTING

One of the biggest misconceptions is that our brain can only use glucose for energy, but this could not be further away from the truth. In reality, while in the fasting state, our brains can utilize ketone bodies as a source of energy.

While fasting, brain proteins increase as the stress of fasting causes the body to preserve this very important organ. One of the most important brain proteins is a brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF. This protein works by growing neurons and as a natural antidepressant. In addition, it has been shown to help neurons stay healthier and resist brain diseases like dementia.

A study conducted by Dr. Bredesen consisted of ten patients with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The patients started to fast for 12 hours a day and were tested for cognitive improvement or decline. Within 3-6 months, nine out of the ten patients had shown a reversal in cognitive decline. Studies on the cognitive benefits of fasting are booming and more research is being invested to show the benefits of fasting on the brain.

Video of What Intermittent Fasting Does to Your Brain Credit: Gravity Transformation – Fat Loss Experts

OVERALL BENEFITS OF FASTING

As we’ve seen, fasting is great for brain health, but the benefits do not end there. Fasting has been proven to increase levels of human-growth hormone, HGH, which is essential for cellular regeneration and decrease in body fat. It has also been shown to reduce insulin resistance and in this way decreases the chances of type-2 diabetes.

With all of the benefits of fasting, it is no wonder why this new lifestyle is gaining popularity so fast.

https://soundcloud.com/atpproject/episode-116-intermittent-fasting

Podcast on Intermittent Fasting Credit: The ATP Project on SOUNDCLOUD

Maria-Fernanda Arcila

 

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Fecal Transplants- A Possible Autism Treatment?

Posted on November 5, 2018 by | 1 comment

We’ve all heard of heart transplants, or kidney or liver transplants, but feces transplants? While it may sound gross, recent research has found promising results in the benefits of fecal transplants on children with autism.

The Reasoning

Autism is a brain disorder typically characterized by certain behaviours, such as hyperactivity, repetitive actions, and irritability. Children with autism also suffer from multiple stomach problems as they tend to have fewer types of microbes, which are microorganisms like bacteria, living in their intestines. In fecal transplants, the children with autism receive new microbes from other peoples’ feces, and recent studies have seen improvements in their stomach distress as well as in behaviours linked with autism.

Millions of microbes are present in the intestines, creating the gut’s microbiome. Source: https://medium.com/

The Evidence

Rose Krajmalnik-Brown, an environmental engineer at Arizona State University, and her research team found a large difference in the microbes of children with autism, in fact they completely lack one bacteria called Prevotella. These results prompted the team to do further research into microbes and their potential affects on autism.

The research team conducted a clinical trial with 18 children with autism to investigate if having more diverse microbes might improve any stomach or behavioural symptoms. The first step was to give the patients antibiotics to kill all of the bacteria currently in their intestines. Then, the researchers isolated the microbes from healthy peoples’ feces and each patient was treated with these fecal bacteria for 8 weeks. It was delivered either as a liquid injected in the patient’s rear or orally mixed in with chocolate milk.

After two months of the treatment ending, they found that most children reported less stomach problems. Even after two years, their gut symptoms were 60 percent better than before treatment started and their microbes were even more diverse. Furthermore, the feces transplant didn’t just affect the gut; they also found significant improvements on behaviours associated with autism. The childrens’ levels of hyperactivity and repetitive actions tended to be lower two years later than before the treatment started.

The following video provides more information on how the gut microbes affects autism.

Source: Nutrition Facts

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What Does This Mean?

While these results are promising and exciting, researchers don’t want to get too hopeful yet. This study was quite small and might not work for everyone, so future research is definitely on the horizon. As of now, scientists only know confidently that a correlation between receiving new fecal microbes and improving autistic behaviours exists; they do not know that fecal transplants themselves cause the changes in behaviour. Neuroscientist Michael Hylin states that these findings “are a long way from saying there’s a cure for autism. I think it’s a promising approach. It’s one that’s worthwhile.” Although this is just one small study, the results are exciting and have sparked a lot of optimism and interest in the field of autism research. Stay tuned- fecal transplants may very well be the next big thing!

By: Olivia Campbell

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