Category Archives: Issues in Science

Artificial Intelligence: What, if anything, do brains and computer vision have in common?

Posted on October 30, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Did you know that artificial neural networks (which are computing systems) can process information in a similar way compared to the human brain? According to a study this month from the journal Current Biology, “artificial neural networks can perceive 3D objects in the same first-glance way our brains do”.

A diagram depicting the basic structure of an artificial neural network. Source: Wikimedia Commons

That being said, after all humans do use organic brains to model artificial neural networks. Therefore, it should not be groundbreaking news that such networks somewhat resemble natural brains. Well, at least not until they become similar in ways which we have not designed them to be.

Let’s start with explaining more about the human brain. It processes visual information through several sections, with each part combining different perceived properties of an object to create a full image. Scientifically, this is how we view and perceive objects.

However, the aforementioned study shows how neurons in the V4 area (the first section in the brain’s object vision) also represent 3D shape fragments, and not only 2D shapes as previously thought. According to TechXplore, this is a significant finding because it is opposite to the general scientific consensus for the last 40 years.

During this same research, scientists noticed something they did not expect: the same 3D patterns the brain utilizes to see are also used in an artificial neural network. As stated by Futurism, this was noticed upon looking further into the AlexNet algorithm (an advanced computer vision network).

Ed Connor, a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist, discovered very similar natural & artificial neuron image response patterns in AlexNet’s layer 3, and the V4 section in the brain. He was “surprised to see strong, clear signals for 3D shape” as soon as the brain’s V4 section. However, it was even more shocking that the AlexNet algorithm also had such signals for 3D shapes. That’s because the algorithm had been solely designed to convert 2D photographs to object labels.

This shows how visual information is transferred through different sections of the human brain. Source: Wikimedia Commons

According to Connor, artificial networks are currently the most promising models for learning about the human brain. On the flip side, the brain contains the most reliable source of strategies for bringing artificial intelligence closer to natural intelligence.

This latest research hints at the new standard for artificial intelligence research. Rather than taking the traditional method of utilizing information known about the brain to build computers, researchers now take a reverse approach.

This image depicts how there are growing similarities between natural and artificial intelligence. Source: Pxfuel

That is, they rely on computers to discover how our brains function. It is quite interesting, yet strange, to find out that artificial computer vision systems can resemble the human brain’s perception in unintended ways.

– Jacqueline (Wai Ting) Chan

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science in the News

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COVID-19: Could the common cold help protect you?

Posted on October 26, 2020 by | Leave a comment

A woman blowing her nose while sick with the common cold. Image: Mojca J / Pixabay

The common cold is never any fun to deal with, however a past cold might also provide you with some protection from COVID-19, a recent study suggests by the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Research from infectious disease experts at the University of Rochester Medical Center have also suggested that people who have had COVID-19 may be immune to it for a long time, possibly even for the rest of their lives.

What’s the foundation?

Even though the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is relatively new, it falls under a category of beta coronaviruses that cause about 15–20% of common colds.

Depiction of a coronavirus with crown-like spikes leading to where it got it’s name. Image: Daniel Roberts / Pixabay

When you catch a cold, your body fights against the virus through your immune system. While your body does this, the immune system “remembers” the virus for the future. This is so the next time that virus enters your system, your immune system will be able to fight back even faster.

Video:  How immunity defenders work against COVID-19

The evidence

The study is the first to focus on memory B cells — immune cells that can last for decades. Since memory B cells can survive for decades, they could protect COVID-19 survivors from future infections for a long time — but further research is needed to confirm this.

Blood samples being analyzed in the lab. Image: Ahmad Ardity / Pixabay

The researchers compared blood samples from 26 people who were recovering from mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and 21 healthy people who had their samples collected 6–10 years ago — long before they could be exposed to COVID-19.

The study found that B cells from the immune system that attacked previous cold-causing coronaviruses seemed to also recognize the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 as a result of memory B cells being activated.

“When we looked at blood samples from people who were recovering from COVID-19, it looked like many of them had a pre-existing pool of memory B cells that could recognize SARS-CoV-2 and rapidly produce antibodies that could attack it,” said study authour Mark Sangster.

The study authors believe this could mean that anyone who has ever been infected by a common coronavirus — which is almost everyone — may have some amount of immunity to COVID-19. This means that if you were to be infected with COVID-19, the severity of your symptoms would be lower compared to those without pre-existing memory B cells for a common coronavirus.

What’s for the future?

The researchers will “need to see if having this pool of pre-existing memory B cells correlates with milder symptoms and shorter disease course — or if it helps boost the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines,” said study co-authour David Topham.

What can you do now?

While a past common cold may help lessen the symptoms of COVID-19, it does not mean that you should be trying to catch a cold. Instead, health officials advise for people to get their flu shots this season to reduce serious health complications and an additional burden on the health care system.

 

– Amrit Jagpal

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

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Mental Health: The Undiscussed Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on October 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Image Description: A woman wearing a mask holding her head, struggling with mental health due to COVID-19 – Image: Engin Akyurt

The mental health consequences of COVID-19 receive less attention than the epidemiology, transmission patterns, and management of the virus. Policy makers have implemented several important measures to help mitigate the spread of the virus, but have provided less consideration to the mental health effects on individuals. 

Do you find yourself stressed and anxious as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, you are not alone: 

Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the research technology company Delvinia conducted a national survey with over 4000 respondents ages 18 and older, that revealed that 21.1% of Canadians experienced moderate to severe anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 21.2% of respondents reported feeling depressed, and 27.2% reported that they engaged in binge-drinking. The results were fairly consistent between men and women. 

Age & gender statistics of Canadians who reported feeling depressed – Taken from: COVID-19 National Survey Dashboard

Anxiety levels are shown to decrease with age as the majority of respondents experiencing moderate-severe anxiety were in the 18-39 age group. The percentage of respondents that reported feeling depressed and lonely follow the same trend, with individuals in the 18-39 age group having the highest percentage, followed by the 40-59, and 60+ age groups. 

38.8% of individuals who felt depressed reported feeling very worried about finances and 34% lost their jobs or are no longer working due to the pandemic. The closing of businesses due to COVID-19 has led to financial stress for business owners and employees. This worry associated with having decreased or no income leads to and may aggravate symptoms of depression.

It is clear that COVID-19 affects not only physical health, but mental health as well. The rapid direct contact transmission of COVID-19 resulted in the enforcement of lockdowns to stop the spread of the disease. Social distancing, isolation, and the closure of educational institutes, workplaces, and entertainment venues urged people to stay in their homes to stop the transmission of the virus. These restrictive measures and financial stresses have undoubtedly affected the mental health of individuals in Canada.

Mental Health Tips:

  • Self-care is very important. Reach out to your social supports, try to get enough sleep, eat healthy, and exercise, but be sure to use caution and follow health and safety guidelines.
  • Seek information from reliable news sources only. Limit checking in on the latest news to short, defined periods. 
  • Take the recommended precautions as outlined by Health Canada and other credible health agencies such as continuing to wash your hands, covering your mouth during coughs & sneezes, etc.
  • Consider reaching out to mental health resources. 

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had and will continue to have an impact on society. It is important to understand that mitigation measures are necessary to combat the virus, all while recognizing the mental health effects. The long term mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are still unknown, and only time will tell how this will impact society.

-Sarah Ghoul

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Posted in Issues in Science, Science in the News

Failure to Communicate

Posted on October 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Introduction 

Right now communicating science to the general public is more important than ever, and we are failing. Less than 50% of Americans say they would receive a vaccine for COVID-19. This shows the eroding trust that the public has for their once highly esteemed scientist. This is the result of breakdowns in the scientific method that have led to conflicting information being shared with the public.

Mask  Wearing

Perhaps the most notable slip up was the controversy surrounding masks.  While recommended now, it was not until April 3rd, three months into the pandemic, that the CDC began recommending the general public to wear a mask. This was in direct conflict with their earlier statements that only healthcare workers needed masks.  Scientists rushed conclusions that could not be properly verified before being shared with the public. The public demanded answers from a process that can take years, in a matter of weeks. By caving in to public demand, the CDC and World Health Organization were inevitably set up for failure as the pandemic progressed and more data was collected leading to new developments. Tweets from the U.S surgeon general like this

Tweet by Surgeon General Feb 29

only serve to fuel distrust when compared with tweets he makes a few months later.

Tweet by Surgeon General June 14

 

I do not fault scientists for changing their opinion as new data became available, but I do fault (some) scientists for stating their answers with confidence when the proper research and review had not been conducted.

 

Treatment

Image: flickr

Scientists have been under enormous pressure to find treatments for COVID-19 that can reduce mortality and infection rate. This has created haste in the scientific method and has allowed some treatments to receive emergency authorization from the FDA such as remdesivir. Even these emergency authorizations are accompanied by randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that assure treatments are safe. These methods for testing were not present in the study of Hydroxychloroquine that led to its eventual emergency authorization.  The original study involved only 26 patients treated with Hydroxychloroquine that were compared to 16 untreated patients at a different hospital. Later studies conducted on Hydroxychloroquine would question its effectiveness as a treatment for COVID-19 and thus the scientific process was able to correct itself and the FDA revoked the use of Hydroxychloroquine. However, the public once again lost its trust in doctors. This opened the door to rumors and conspiracy theories to dominate the public view. In a pandemic where time is everything the spread of misinformation costs lives

By allowing leniency in the scientific method, we have opened the flood gates to all types of information being thrust onto the pedestal once reserved for the conclusion from the scientific method. Your uncle’s Facebook post about the healing power of Clorox bleach carries as much weight as the cutting edge research on COVID-19. Scientists have lost credibility with the public. This is not the first time this has happened, but it may be the most damaging.

 

Dylan Chambers

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Posted in Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in the News, Statistics, Uncategorized

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COVID-19 and Alcohol Use: Why Managing Your Alcohol Consumption is Crucial During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on October 13, 2020 by | Leave a comment

The Now

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm, forcing whole countries to shut down and people to self-isolate. Whilst self-isolation and the shutdowns are effective methods of preventing the spread of COVID-19, they also have their collateral effects. A recent report published by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction found that 25% of Canadians (aged 35-54) are drinking more while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic because of either boredom, stress, and/or lack of a regular schedule.

Image: Nanos/Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

A similar increase was seen in Australia where there was an increase of around 30% in alcohol bought compared to last year. Alcohol while being a great way to relax also has many negative effects that in a time such as the COVID-19 pandemic can result in some very dangerous situations.

The Truth 

One misconception about alcohol that has been debunked by the World Health Organization (WHO) was that drinking alcohol can provide you extra immunity against the COVID-19 disease.

Image: WHO/Europe /Twitter

In contrast, a study concluded that alcohol might increase one’s vulnerability to the COVID-19 disease. Alcohol consumption has a documented role in disrupting one’s immune system. It can do so by disrupting physical, chemical, and cellular responses that are apart of the body’s first line of defense. Furthermore, alcohol can impair t-cell recruitment which means there is a lower number of total white blood cells that can go out and destroy the invaders, this results in a weaker immune system. This can be dangerous especially with COVID-19 looming as a strong immune system can help fight off COVID-19 with ease but with a weak one COVID-19 becomes a much greater threat.

From this, it can be understood that limiting the number of alcoholic drinks that you intake to a low-to-moderate amount will be beneficial for you.

Dr. Charity Baker states “Alcohol isn’t healthy and never was”

Alcohol can not only damage the immune system, but there is also a growing concern that the sudden increase in alcohol usage during the COVID-19 pandemic may result in greater cases of alcoholism. This is a concern as it can lead to many health problems that range from mental disorders to liver/heart problems; in a family setting, this can result in domestic violence and child negligence which can develop into many other long-term problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Future 

The future is dependent on what actions people decide to take now. The increase in alcohol drinking which is collateral of COVID-19 can become a problem if not addressed properly. The way to prevent an increase in alcoholism and all of the consequential problems is to lower your alcohol intake to a low-to-moderate amount, which is considered to be a maximum of 1 -2 drinks a day.  The societal and economical effects of COVID-19 are here to stay for many years. If alcohol drinking is not controlled during this COVID-19 pandemic, these effects will also persist for many more years to come.

– Harman Sandhu

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

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Video Image

COVID-19: Could the common cold help protect you?

Image: Mojca J / Pixabay

The common cold is never any fun to deal with, however it might also provide you with some protection from COVID-19, a recent study suggests.

Research from infectious disease experts at the University of Rochester Medical Center have also suggested that people who have had COVID-19 may be immune to it for a long time, possibly even for the rest of their lives.

What’s the foundation?

Even though the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is relatively new, it falls under a category of beta coronaviruses that cause about 15-20% of common colds.

Image: Daniel Roberts / Pixabay

When you catch a cold, your body fights against the virus through your immune system. However, as your body does this, the immune system “remembers” the virus for the future. This is so the next time that virus enters your system, your immune system will be able to fight back even faster.

YouTube Preview Image

Video:  How immunity defenders work against COVID-19

The evidence

The study focused on memory B cells — immune cells that can last for decades. Since memory B cells can survive for decades, they could protect COVID-19 survivors from future infections for a long time, but further research is needed to confirm this.

Image: Ahmad Ardity / Pixabay

The researchers compared blood samples from 26 people who were recovering from mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and 21 healthy people who had their samples collected 6-10 years ago — long before they could be exposed to COVID-19.

The study found that B cells from the immune system that attacked previous cold-causing coronaviruses seemed to also recognize the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 as a result of memory B cells being activated.

“When we looked at blood samples from people who were recovering from COVID-19, it looked like many of them had a pre-existing pool of memory B cells that could recognize SARS-CoV-2 and rapidly produce antibodies that could attack it,” said study authour Mark Sangster.

The study authors believe this could mean that anyone who has ever been infected by a common coronavirus — which is almost everyone, may have some amount of immunity to COVID-19.

What’s for the future?

The researchers will “now we need to see if having this pool of pre-existing memory B cells correlates with milder symptoms and shorter disease course — or if it helps boost the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines,” said study co-authour David Topham.

More information

The Government of Canada has more information and resources regarding COVID-19 .

 

– Amrit Jagpal

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Posted on October 5, 2020 by in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

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Mitigating Climate Change: Carbon Capture

Posted on October 5, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Climate change is the change of weather and the rise of sea levels on the planet Earth. Climate change is an extremely relevant global issue since it can lead to flooding and extreme weather conditions which can endanger life on earth. As a result, it is of utmost importance to find solutions that can help mitigate the effects of climate change. One of the main causes of climate change is the release of excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, due to the burning of fossil fuels.

Image: Climate Change
Source: CC0 Public Domain

A solution to climate change

One solution that scientists have proposed in order to reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide is to capture carbon dioxide in the air and use the captured carbon dioxide as a source of chemical carbon for other processes. This process is known as “carbon capture and utilization” (CCU). Although the potential benefits of CCU are very promising, changing the carbon dioxide into a different form and using it in other chemical processes has been proven to be difficult, mainly due to the thermodynamic stability of carbon dioxide. Although CCU has gained major traction over the past few years, it will still require a lot of time before it can be used industrially worldwide. Scientists are currently in the process of trying to find the least costly, and most efficient means of capturing carbon emissions to reduce climate change. 

YouTube Preview Image                                                      Video: Carbon Capture Plant in Squamish, BC

Carbon capture methods

One of the carbon capturing methods that has been showing promise in recent scientific studies, is the adsorption of carbon dioxide through the use of solid sorbents. Adsorption is the adhesion or the clinging of gas molecules onto a surface. In this case, the carbon dioxide molecules will stick to the solid surface of the sorbent, which leads to successful carbon capturing. The solid sorbents used in this method can be made of “porous carbonaceous materials, zeolites, alumina, silica, (or) metal-organic frameworks.” Adsorption of carbon dioxide can be categorized into two variations; physical and chemical adsorption. In physical adsorption, the transfer of carbon dioxide into the solid sorbent occurs due to the van der Waals interactions between the sorbent and the carbon dioxide. The issue with these physical sorbents is that they have “poor selectivity for CO2, and low CO2 adsorption capacities.” A means of improving both the carbon dioxide selectivity and the carbon dioxide adsorption capacities of these sorbents is by adding basic groups to the sorbent surface, which can strengthen its interactions with the acidic carbon dioxide. These sorbents primarily use alkalis to act as basic groups. In terms of alkali-based sorbents, scientists have been favouring the use of potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate. Although carbon dioxide absorption via solid sorbents is very promising, more scientific work needs to be done to improve the adsorption capabilities of sorbents.

Another carbon capturing method that scientists have been favouring is the separation of carbon dioxide via membranes. These membranes are selectively permeable to carbon dioxide which leads to separation of carbon dioxide from other chemicals.

All in all, the development of these innovative carbon capturing mechanisms is helping to mitigate climate change and scientists are working hard to refine these techniques. 

– Yoshinao Matsubara

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science in the News

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COVID-19: Environmental Impacts of the Masks

Posted on October 5, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Have you ever thought that the masks we are wearing everyday might be polluting the environment? With the rise of COVID-19 pandemic, usage of masks have become such a natural and crucial part of people’s lives. However, as production and disposal of masks increase, environmental consequences of used masks are starting to be observed.

Corona, Mask, Waste, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Pandemic

“Corona Mask Waste“, by Roksans96, licensed under Pixabay

Why are the masks being environmental threat?

Among many different types of masks currently produced, the most commonly used one are the surgical masks. High usage of surgical masks is due to safety provided by anti-droplet polypropylene filter layer of the masks. Since COVID-19 is known to be a droplet-borne disease, polypropylene filter layer became favorable feature to many individuals, especially to those working in hospitals and medical field. Given the fact the medical field workers are needed more than ever before with increasing number of infected individuals, production and disposal of surgical masks and polypropylene filter layer became inevitable.

File:Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.jpg

“Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic“, by Paladin Zhang, licensed under CC BY 2.0

The concern lies in that surgical masks are mostly disposed after a single use because of possible bacterial cross-contamination upon multiple usage. Polypropylene is not readily biodegradable, which means as its usage escalates rapidly, its disposal might end up being long-lasting environmental concern.

Impact on marine ecology

Some of the environmental issues regarding mask wastes are already observable in some parts of the world. One of the first countries to face the environmental consequences of mask litter was Hong Kong, which was one of the first countries to face COVID-19 outbreak.

YouTube Preview Image

Description: Soko Island in Hong Kong polluted with COVID-19 mask waste.

Video Credit: South China Morning Post

Many of masks litters ended up in the coastal areas, where the wastes appeared to be serious threat to the marine ecology. Many marine predators might swallow mask wastes confusing the masks with their preys, and birds that live near coastal area are often entangled by disposed mask wastes.

pollution drina plastic waste free photo

“Pollution Drina Plastic Waste Free Photo“, by geraldsimon00, licensed under Pixabay

How is this issue being addressed?

After direct environmental impacts of mask wastes were observed, the need for more eco-friendly masks was highlighted. Therefore, scientists started working on development of mask materials that can replace polypropylene while keeping the strong anti-droplet effect of the filter layer.

One of the approaches were made by BioProducts Institute at the University of British Columbia. The research team attempted using wood fibers from local trees to make filter layer. Wood fibers are easily biodegradable, so even if mask litters end up in the environment, it would not be an environmental threat.

Another approach was made by Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The research team in the university used laser to induce properties of graphene on the mask. Graphene is hydrophobic, which means that it is effective in repelling droplets. Also, graphene has photothermal property, meaning it heats up under extensive exposure to sunlight. In this process, mask can be sterilized, and this antibacterial activity allows multiple reuse of masks. In this way, the amount of mask disposed will decrease significantly.

“The ideal crystalline structure of graphene is a hexagonal grid.”, by AlexanderAlUS, licesned licensed under CC BY 2.0

However, all of the scientific technologies are still in developing stages. There are still some concerns in applying them to commercial masks yet. Still, with many scientist putting efforts to overcome this issue, I believe the solution will be found soon.

– Tae Hyung Kim

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