Category Archives: Science in the News

Will it be a snow day tomorrow?

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | Leave a comment

As many students frantically refreshed the UBC website to see if classes (especially midterms) were cancelled due to the recent snow storms, it became apparent the importance of accurate and early weather forecasting systems. In both Eastern Canada and Vancouver, the powerful winter wind, snow, and freezing temperatures caused power outages, road delays, and many flight cancellations. Many emergency centres and snow action plans were in operation, even before the storm hit. The science used in weather forecasting needs to predict accurately and in advance, so that weather warnings can be communicated to the government and to the public efficiently. Without this technology, millions of dollars of damage can be done and public safety could be put at risk.

The January 2019 Snow Storm in Toronto, Ontario. Wikimedia Commons

A recent published study by Fuqing Zhang in the JAS (Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences) suggests that a 2-week predictability with fair accuracy could be possible in the near future, as compared to a current 10-day period. The increasing ability of supercomputers allow higher resolution models to be made when capturing information from satellites and weather balloons. Conditions that are captured include temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed.

A Canadian Radar Weather Station near Vernon BC. Wikimedia Commons

The 2-week period is believed to be the upper limit, as weather patterns follow “The Butterfly Effect“, discovered by Edward Lorenz. Minuscule disruptions, such as a butterfly flapping its wings can eventually snowball into a much bigger tornado far away. Even very tiny differences in starting conditions, over the course of two weeks, can turn into widely varying weather conditions based on the same predicting model. Uncertainty in the conditions observations and in the model can end up leading to a large variation in predicted weather. This makes anything beyond the 2-week period unlikely to be predicted accurately as the uncertainty grows over time.

The following video by Lloyd Treinish shows how weather forecasting systems work and how they can be used to prepare for the weather before they even happen.

Since these weather forecasting models help governments and business to determine how to keep the public safe and minimize financial losses, the science behind it is crucial and early forecasting allows more time to prepare for upcoming weather emergencies. So, if  you’re desperately hoping they cancel that midterm, you can trust that the weather forecast will not let you down.

Christy Lau

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Coffee Joints the Fight Against Cancer

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | 1 comment

You wake up early for school or work and find yourself yawning the whole commute, so naturally you go grab Starbucks or Tim Hortons to wake yourself up. Coffee is always associated with increased energy levels, however, have you ever wondered what other benefits it may impose towards your health? According to the Coffee Association of Canada, 72 % of Canadians reported drinking coffee yesterday. With coffee being the most consumed beverage by Canadians (even more than tap water), it is important to assess any potential health risks floating around.

Credit: Pexels

In the last couple years, many new researches have had a change of heart towards the effects of coffee on cancer. In 2016, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization removed coffee from its “possible carcinogen” list. On top of that, according to the World Cancer Research Fund, there is strong evidence that moderate consumption of coffee reduces liver cancer, and weak evidence in lowering other types of cancer. The reason behind this is that coffee contains a variety of phytochemicals, many of which have antioxidant properties.

Cancer cells Credit: Pixabay

Caffeine has become the most widely used phytochemical that is present in coffee. When consumed, it is absorbed into your blood stream where it then travels to your brain. This blocks the neurotransmitter adenosine due to the fact that that these two molecules have a very similar structure, allowing caffeine to bind to the adenosine receptors in the brain. This not only causes you to feel more awake but lowers your risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which is the most common type of liver cancer. HCC is associated with the adenosine3A2A receptor, which can be blocked with increased coffee consumption. G Wiltberger from the University Hospital of RWTH found that HCC was observed less frequently in patients with a coffee intake of three or more cups a day as opposed to patients who had less than two cups a day.

Credit: Wikipedia

When coffee is roasted, the chemical acrylamide is produced due to exposure of the coffee bean to such high temperatures for an elongated period of time. California’s  Proposition 65 suggests limits on daily consumption of certain chemicals, and they claim that consumption of 0.2 μg per day or higher of acrylamide may be correlated with causing cancer . The average cup of coffee contains 0.45 μg of acrylamide, therefore, research is being conducted to determine whether there is a positive correlation between acrylamide consumption and cancer. Nixon BJ conducted a study in 2012 and found that prolonged exposure to high levels of acrylamide can disrupt the DNA replication process by binding to DNA. This results in mutations and eventually cancer. However, his study was conducted on mice, and they metabolize acrylamide differently to humans. Therefore, the effects of acrylamide on causing cancer is still inconclusive.

Credit: Pixabay

For a food to go from the possible carcinogen list to now boast powerful anti-carcinogenic properties, is extraordinary. But, as the millions of people drinking coffee every day will tell you, when it comes to coffee, there’s nothing like it.

-Jonathan Raj

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Can Sharks Help Us Cure Cancer?

Posted on March 3, 2019 by | Leave a comment

There are very few things in this world that are more terrifying to humans than sharks are. After all, with their intelligence, size, agility and ideal anatomical features, they really are the perfect predators. They have dominated the ocean for over 400 million years, instilling fear in other animals and humans alike. But what if these fierce hunters actually hold the key to surviving some of our deadliest diseases?

A great white shark in Dyer Island. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (Olga Ernst).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_white_shark_Dyer_Island.jpg

Recently, scientists at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center characterized the full genome of a great white shark, essentially the genetic blueprint that maps the structure and function of the animal. Their studies revealed that sharks are just as resilient on the inside as they look on the outside.

Their research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, found that sharks can repair and alter their DNA, the material in our bodies that carry genetic information, in order to fight diseases and heal wounds efficiently as they age. Their built-in resistance to DNA damage increases their genetic stability and health, which is how they are able to thrive for millions of years.

A 3D-model of DNA strands.
Courtesy of Flickr Commons (Helen Carmody).
Source: https://flic.kr/p/R8JhxZ

Healing progression of a lemon shark over a three year period. Courtesy of YouTube (Ramon Llaneza Technical Diving). Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrn5AHipp8. 

Our cells, the building blocks of our body, along with our DNA, which provide the layout for the cells to function, breakdown as we age. This damage, termed genomic instability, is what makes humans so vulnerable to serious age-related diseases like cancer.

By studying the shark genome, the scientists hope to understand the mechanisms behind how these animals are able to preserve its stability, information that may potentially help us fight cancer and other serious human diseases. It may also help improve current flesh-healing treatments.

There is still so much to learn from sharks, both from a biomedical perspective and from an environmental perspective. Hopefully, this newfound research will heighten our appreciation for these evolutionary superheroes instead of feeling the need kill them.

– Justine Law

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The Fall of Sea Stars

Posted on March 3, 2019 by | Leave a comment

1986-014-01: Sunflower seastar

“1986-014-01: Sunflower seastar” by August Rode is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Once an abundant species of sea star, the sunflower sea stars have become harder to find on the West Coast of North America. A recent study co-led by the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University claims that the combination of ocean-warming and an infectious wasting disease has led to the declined population of these large sea stars.

The sunflower sea star is one of the largest sea star species, they can grow as big as manhole covers. Commonly found in the northwest Pacific, they were once regularly found from Southern California to Alaska and some of the largest sunflower sea stars could be found in Puget Sound, British Columbia and Alaska.

In 2013 and 2014, a disease called sea star wasting syndrome affected around 40 different species of sea stars, including the sunflower sea star, to die off along the North American Pacific coast. Symptoms of the disease would be lesions and tissue decay, which the body structure of the sea star would start to breakdown. For example, their arms may twist and fall off and the sea stars would become limp. Eventually, the sea star would disintegrate and melt away into a white, mushy blob and no longer be a sea star. It is unclear where this disease originated from but researchers believe ocean-warming might be the reason why this disease continues to affect the sea stars and why the sea star population is not recovering fast enough.

Dying sea star

“Dying sea star” by Oregon State University is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Ocean-warming is an effect of global warming. The ocean absorbs excess heat from the atmosphere which contains greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to rising ocean temperatures. Increasing ocean temperature can affect many marine species and ecosystems. Warming of the oceans have been linked to the increase and spread of diseases of marine species.

The sunflower sea star species has been detrimentally affected by sea star wasting syndrome. The study conducted by Dr. Harvell and her colleagues collected data over eleven years to show how the population of sea stars have diminished due to this disease. In addition, scientists also found that the ocean water has warmed almost 4 oC within a four-year span in some areas. Results of the study showed the population crash of sunflower sea stars from Southern California to Alaska whilst tracking patterns of unusual warming in the Pacific Ocean. The sunflower sea star is shown to be highly susceptible to this wasting disease because they do not have a complex immune system. As a result, the data showed an 80 to 100% decline over the period of the study.

“Sunflower Star Imperiled by Sea Star Wasting Epidemic” by Hakai Institute

If the sunflower sea star dies off, this should be an important indicator of the effects of ocean-warming and its impact on marine ecosystems. Sunflower sea stars are voracious predators in the deep and shallow waters of the northwest Pacific, and if these sea stars were to go away we could see an unbalanced ecosystem in our waters.

– Katherine Lam

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New Wireless Pacemaker Offers Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on February 11, 2019 by | 1 comment

In Canada, over 10,000 people currently live with Parkinson’s disease with an additional 6,600 new cases being diagnosed every year. The disease is caused by a loss of dopamine producing nerve cells. Without dopamine, the nerves are unable to control body movements efficiently. As Parkinson’s advances, movements such as walking and talking become heavily affected. Due to the complexity of this disease, the reason behind the nerve damage is very difficult to determine. Thus, researchers are focusing on ways to alleviate patients’ difficulty in movement. Most recently, UC Berkeley scientists have discovered a new neurostimulator, WAND, that could change the course of neurological disorder treatment, especially Parkinson’s.

What is a neurostimulator?

The most effective method of Parkinson’s treatment is the implantation of a neurostimulator device to the brain. This is very similar to a cardiac pacemaker, since it is able to maintain appropriate circuits in the brain. The dysfunctional areas of the brain are targeted by electrical signals that block any irregular brain waves.

What is Deep Brain Stimulation?

The most used neurostimulator is the deep brain stimulation (DBS) device. As seen in the video below, the DBS electrode is implanted near target areas, with wires passing under the skin down to the shoulders and connected to the neurostimulator in the chest. The patient after recovery is provided with a remote or magnet that allows for the stimulator to be turned on and off at home. While this treatment has been seen to be mostly effective, the surgery process and control of the device can be very strenuous, especially considering the advanced age of most Parkinson’s patients. Therefore, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a new neurostimulator, called WAND, that is smaller and much more advanced in capabilities.

Video of How Deep Brain Stimulation Works. Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal

What is WAND?

WAND or wireless artifact-free neuromodulation device, contains wireless and autonomous capabilities. This means that the device once trained to recognize signs of tremors or seizures, is able to adjust the stimulation parameters and apply electrical signals on its own. WAND is also able to record brain wave activity while applying the treatment. These recordings would allow doctors to see how the patient is reacting during and after the treatment. This is a large advancement from the typical DBS treatments which either stop recording or record away from the target region.

Newly Developed WAND Device. Source: Rikky Muller, UC Berkeley

Has WAND been tested?

To test its effectivity, researchers applied the device in a study that taught subjects to use a joystick to move a cursor. WAND was able to detect the neural signatures that preceded the joystick motion, and delay it by applying electrical stimulation. Thus, showing that the closed-loop system and neurological recordings worked more effectively in a demonstration done by previous DBS devices.

In all, WAND is a brilliant new technology that is cost-effective, time-effective, and saves patient’s the worry of having to apply their own electrical stimulations. The device is able to treat and record simultaneously, which builds an up-to-date record of treatment. While there is still much research needed to look at potential side effects, this technology gives hopes to Parkinson’s patients of returning to their former, healthy selves.

–          Arrthy Thayaparan

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Recording the Cell? New technologies further uncover mysteries surrounding the cell.

Posted on February 4, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Does anyone really know what life is like inside of a cell? Sure, we can all say that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, and we’ve learned mitosis more time than we can count, but do we really know about the intricacies of day to day cellular processes? Historically, answer has been an overwhelming no, but that is something the researchers behind CAMERA are hoping to change.

CAMERA, or CRISPR-mediated analog multievent recording aperture is a tool developed by David Liu and Weixin Tang of Harvard university to record the molecular interactions within a cell, all of which are stored on the cell’s DNA. This new discovery allows scientists to observe and therefore clarify the processes that contribute to such things as the emergence of cancer, aging, environmental damage, and even embryonic development. CAMERA is only one of the many developments based off of the gene cutting technology known as CRISPR-Cas9.

Thyroid Cancer Cell Line. Courtesy of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre and Flickr Commons. 

What is CRISPR-Cas9 you ask? Well, it’s basically a really small pair of scissors, so small that it can even cut DNA. CRISPR-Cas9, or CRISPR for short, is a technology based off of the natural defence mechanisms found in bacteria that have been reengineered for editing genomes. It has the ability to cut the double helix strand of DNA allowing for researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene expression. Some of the major implications of this include the possible correction of genetic defects, and the treatment and prevention of cancer and other diseases.

Video recreating a CRISPR-mediated genome editing. Courtesy of McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT .

So how did scientists develop a cellular recording device from this cutting tool? When CRISPR cuts a DNA strand to alter the sequence, the strand will naturally repair itself but in doing so can occasionally add in errors that make the targeted gene inactive. These random errors can sometimes be used as markers, mapping out the cell’s pattern of differentiation. Liu and Tang took this information and set out to regulate it thereby creating a more detailed, continuous record of a cell’s life, documenting not only its responses to external factors but the severity of the response and how long it lasts.

Flowchart of CRISPR mediated gene alterations. Image courtesy of Flickr Commons

At this point in time, CAMERA, is able to document cellular responses to light exposure, antibiotics, viral infections, and internal molecular interactions in as few as 10 cells. As well, it can record multiple events at once making it an impressive candidate for future medical technologies involved in screening embryos for a wide variety of mutations during development. Despite these impressive feats, Liu and Tang are still working towards pinpointing the recording down to one cell, allowing scientists to one day observe the processes of each cell individually and efficiently isolating any mutations. Another big step is proving it works to the same detailed extent when placed in the body of a living mammal as it does in a small cell group in a petri dish. There is still a lot to be done before we can confidently say we know how cells operate but CAMERA is a step in the right direction.

-Tenanye Haglund

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Immune Systems in Space

Posted on January 28, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Humans are getting closer to reaching their goal of becoming an inter-planetary species. NASA is under presidential orders to land humans on Mars by 2033.  However, will astronauts be able to survive such a long and grueling journey?  Little is known about the long-term effects of space travel on the human body. A one-way trip would take about seven months and a round trip could take well over three years, but the longest a human has continuously been in space is just over a year. Our bodies have adapted over millions of years to survive on earth and long-term spaceflight could weaken our immune systems, according to recent research led by the University of Arizona.

NK Cells and the Immune System

The immune system helps to fight infections and protect our bodies from illnesses. It is made up of many types of cells, including white blood cells which help destroy invaders and protect against diseases that can make us sick. One of these cells, called the NK (natural killer) cell, is especially important since it is responsible for killing infected/cancerous cells. NK cells are especially important during space travel since the body may be exposed to larger amounts of radiation and there is a possibility of increased cancer risk.

Astronauts in space will not be protected from radiation by Earth’s atmosphere. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

The research team tested the blood of astronauts who had been in space for at least six months and compared these test results to those of healthy individuals on earth. Results were taken before and after spaceflight, and even twice during the flight. What they found was shocking, the NK cells from blood taken during and after spaceflight were about 50% less effective than the NK cells from blood taken before spaceflight. Even blood samples taken 90 days into spaceflight contained NK cells that were much less effective. Richard Simpson, one of the authors of the study explained how NK cell activity decreased; “When we look at the function of the astronaut samples during flight compared to their own samples before they flew, it goes down. When we compare them to controls who stayed on Earth, it still goes down.”

Small Piece of the Puzzle

Safely transporting astronauts to Mars is no small task, and this highlights one of the many challenges faced by engineers and scientists. Problems that we consider small or things we take for granted have to be carefully thought out.  Engineers have to invent solutions for problems that we may not see as problems. It is amazing how many factors are at play and must be accounted for when planning a project of this magnitude. Nevertheless, countless individuals are hard at work tackling numerous problems such as this. Simpson and his team are actively working to find a solution, hoping that a combination of nutrition and fitness can be used to keep NK cells effective. If successful, their hard work will contribute to one of the finest achievements of the human race.

Render of an astronaut gazing across Mars.  Courtesy of NASA.

 

-Sukhman Bhuller

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