Author Archives: christina rayos

Predicting Marine Populations with Phytoplankton

Posted on April 3, 2019 | Leave a comment

View of Earth from space. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Did you know that the ocean is predicted to warm over 4°C  the next 100 years? There’s certainly more than meets the eye when it comes to understanding the effects of global warming, and knowing how ecosystems change in response to changes in temperature can help make our efforts more focused and accurate.

As a recent PhD graduate from the University of British Columbia, Dr. Joey Bernhardt is already making waves in the science community. Her most recent paper describes the use of phytoplankton to analyze growth rates among species under different temperature conditions. Most of the study’s work actually occurred just last September, and we were lucky enough to be able to meet Dr. Bernhardt to explore the bigger picture issues she’s addressing.

What’s so special about phytoplankton?

Green swirls of phytoplankton in the Baltic Sea. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

To debunk a common misconception: not all of the oxygen we breathe comes from trees. In reality, nearly 50% of the world’s oxygen supply is produced by phytoplankton. What’s more, phytoplankton serve as the basis of marine food webs, so it’s no surprise that they were the main subjects used in Dr. Bernhardt’s study. These remarkable organisms can actually help us make predictions about species populations in the context of global warming.

What issues are being addressed?

2070-2100 global warming predictions map. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

One of the most pressing issues in our global warming narrative surrounds how temperature changes affect species population. While it’s easy to measure population growth rates in the controlled conditions of a lab, Dr. Bernhardt explores whether we can apply these results to the unpredictable, fluctuating temperatures of the outdoor environment.

If we were to disregard the fact that in nature temperatures fluctuate, we will ultimately make inaccurate population predictions. To generate a more realistic sample, Dr. Bernhardt collected phytoplankton off the coast of Vancouver Island and placed them in lab incubators that mimic a natural environment using a variety of temperature settings.

To gain a better understanding of the methodology behind Dr. Bernhardt’s study, check out our video:

https://youtu.be/F5rC4PLMsds

Why should I care?

When a species find themselves in an environment outside of their normal temperature range, they will either die off or relocate to more habitable areas. This now presents an entirely new problem since it’s not always easy for the communities that rely on these populations to pack up and move as well. From an economic standpoint, there are whole industries built upon the reliance that these populations will return, year after year.

The Future of Global Economic and Climate Change Issues

These experiments allow us to see the range of temperatures at which a species can persist. We can then pair this with the knowledge of how temperatures around the globe will shift over time in order to build more sustainable communities.

We take a deeper look into the applications of this technology in our podcast:

Group 213-5: Danny Israel, Christy Lau, Christina Rayos

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

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Help! I can’t stop eating!

Posted on March 5, 2019 | Leave a comment

A child eating pizza. Image from Wikimedia Commons

One slice of pizza turns into five boxes of pizza and twenty hours later… you’re still eating! Imagine an insatiable hunger and a love for food turned deadly. When eating becomes your worst enemy, Prader-Willi Syndrome may be the culprit.

What is Prader-Willi Syndrome?

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder in which an individual feels hungry all the time. So much to the point where they are found constantly eating, and can continue eating even after they’re full. These individuals can literally eat to the point of death.

PWS was first described in 1956 by Swiss doctors Andrea Prader, Alexis Labhart, and Heinrich Willi. Anyone can develop PWS, and it was found that this disorder affects nearly 1 in every 15,000 births. As a result, PWS is one of the leading causes of childhood obesity.

Symptoms of a Deadly Appetite

The most common symptom of PWS is chronic hunger. Other symptoms can include: poor muscle tone during infancy, early-onset obesity, limited growth, delayed motor and verbal skills, behaviour and mental disorders, and curvature of the spine.

A 15-year-old child with typical PWS facial features. Note the presence of mild truncal obesity. Image from Wikimedia Commons

How does this happen?

PWS is a genetic disorder, which means that children inherit this disorder from their parents. Specifically, from an abnormality in a chromosome that comes from the father. This abnormality arises when a part of the gene is missing or malfunctioning. When this occurs, the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls hunger and thirst and releases hormones that promote growth) stops working which results in an inability to regulate food intake.

Is there a cure?

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for PWS. In fact, most of the research to date has only been targeted towards developing treatments for the disorder. For example, doctors may prescribe a growth hormone to treat PWS that not only increases height, but also decreases body fat, increases muscle mass, improves weight distribution, increases stamina, and increases bone mineral density.

Ultimately, the inability to regulate food intake remains one of the biggest obstacles that prevent individuals with PWS from living independently. There is still no effective medication that aids in regulating appetite. Nevertheless, those with PWS can still live a long and fulfilling life with the right guidance and support, as seen with Katie in the video below. Her documentary on living life with PWS gives us a better insight into the disorder, and presents a new meaning to the saying “you are what you eat”:

Documentary of Katie, a child living with PWS. Video from Youtube.

-Christina Rayos

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Posted in Biological Sciences

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Combating Climate Change with Robotic Jellyfish

Posted on January 21, 2019 | 1 comment

The backbone of any diverse ecosystem is a healthy coral reef. Image from Wikimedia Commons

A quick dive beneath the ocean’s surface can reveal a completely different world. Our ocean’s coral reefs house some of nature’s most complex, diverse, and lively aquatic life. Alas, with global warming increasing our ocean’s temperatures, most of this coral is actually dying at an alarming rate.

Be that as it may, within this bustling community you might come across a robotic jellyfish or two. Have no fear, these ones don’t sting! In fact, these devices may be our solution to combating climate change.

What are robotic jellyfish?

The robotic jellyfish is a device that was developed by Erik Engeberg and his team of mechanical engineers at Florida Atlantic University. This robot mimics the gentle movements of a real jellyfish and collects data on ocean temperatures via built-in sensors. Ultimately, this allows for the study of the hidden impacts of climate change at sea.

The robotic jellyfish propelling itself gently through the ocean. Image from JENNIFER FRAME, NICK LOPEZ, OSCAR CURET AND ERIK D. ENGEBERG/IOP PUBLISHING

Can this robot save our reefs?

Yes! In fact, the Great Barrier Reef recently experienced a widespread death of coral (a process known as “bleaching”). Consequently, the death of aquatic life whom depended on coral as shelter to protect themselves from predators followed suit. With that being said, the creation of the robotic jellyfish has allowed scientists to develop better measures to protect these reefs from further damage.

Coral reefs become lacklustre and dull after dying in a process known as “bleaching”. The bleaching of coral reefs no longer provide shelter for aquatic life. Image from Wikimedia Commons

How were coral reefs studied before?

In the past, drones were deployed to collect data on marine life; however, they were very destructive. For instance, drones produced a lot of noise which can scare off marine life. On top of that, their propellers take in ocean water quite forcibly, tearing off the coral which is an essential habitat for these animals.

The soft movements of wild jellyfish were what inspired Engeberg and his team to develop quieter technology to monitor coral reefs. The robotic jellyfish has allowed us to collect data without posing as a threat to animals or potentially destroying the reef.

Underwater drones were used in the past. However, their propellers were quite noisy and posed as a threat to the coral reefs. Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Future of the Robotic Jellyfish

Though the robotic jellyfish is still a work in progress, it has given scientists a better understanding of how to tackle the ongoing fight with climate change. To give you a better visual and understanding of the robotic jellyfish, this Youtube video summarizes the robot and all its technicalities:

-Christina Rayos

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Posted in Science Communication, Science in the News

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