Tag Archives: research

Laughter: The Mysterious Stress Reliever?

Posted on March 7, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Laughter. As human beings, it’s something that most of us are bound to experience. Whether it’s from browsing YouTube and finding a ridiculous dog fail compilation, or when your friend cracks out a joke that you just find funny for some apparent reason, the feeling of laughter is a common occurrence in our lives.

Laughter is something that we take for granted. If we find something funny, then we’re going to laugh. However, scientists to this day are unable to figure out the reasoning behind laughter. In fact, the results from the many studies that do exist out there further confirm that laughter is much more complex than we think. A recent study conducted by Dr. Zander-Schellenberg and others were able to attribute this strange phenomenon as a way to relieve stress.

 

Check out the video below by YouTube user Life Noggin, which does a great job of going over the origins of laughter.

YouTube Preview Image

 

laughter can help relieve stress?

In order to test the effects of laughter on stress in daily life experiences, Dr. Schellenberg and others collected data from 41 psychology students, 33 of which were female, from the University of Basel in real-life settings for 14 consecutive days. Through the usage of a smartphone application, a sound queue that triggered randomly throughout the day would remind participants to answer questions related to laughter, as well as any details regarding their current levels of stress and stressful events.

The results of the study were astonishing; it was found that increased laughter weakens the effects of stressful events, while also dampening certain symptoms that may arise from stress.

By investigating the effects of laughter on stress outside the laboratory, the study was able to be more closely related to real-life experiences. However, as the sample consisted of mainly female students, recreating the experiment with a sample that more closely represents the general population is something that could solidify their findings.

A photo of two people laughing, by Emanuele Spies from São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

To take away from all this, think of laughter as a cheap and effective form of medicine. If, for whatever reason, you’re having a bad day, go and watch your favorite comedy show, or crack jokes with one of your friends for a quick laugh!

Here is a video by YouTube user keees121 that I recommend if you’re feeling down:

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-Aaron Yoon

 

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Baby Sharks Face a Gloomy Future

Posted on March 6, 2021 by | 1 comment

Sharks are considered the lions of the sea, but due to climate change they are losing their glory. With global warming causing the rise of ocean temperatures, one particularly tough and beautiful species, the epaulette shark, sometimes referred to as the walking shark, may be heading towards disaster.

An Epaulette Shark

An Epaulette Shark: Source: flickr.com/Richard Ling

The epaulette shark is typically 70 – 90 cm in length and has dark spots running up and down its slender body. This shark notably has a large black circle outlined in white on each of its sides. It lives in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and finds its food in shallow puddles between the coral. This shallow environment is dangerous; leaving most fish stranded out of the water, left to die under the hot sun. This amazing animal is not so easily defeated and is able to conserve its breath and march back towards the sea. The impressive survival mechanisms of the epaulette shark are shown and described in the video below created by PBS in 2017.

Video Source: Nature on PBS| Youtube

The epaulette shark has proven itself to be resilient in low oxygen environments. Previous experiments even found that their eggs and newborns are tolerant to ocean acidification. Regardless of this resilience, rising temperatures still pose a serious threat, especially to its offspring.

A new study carried out by Ph.D. candidate Carolyn Wheeler on the eggs of epaulette sharks, showed that increasing ocean temperatures significantly affect the development of its young. The researchers analyzed the growth of epaulette shark embryos until they hatched, at temperatures of 27°C, 29°C, and 31°C . It was found that the embryos grew faster at the higher temperatures, as in the warmer water the sharks tended to consume their yolk-sacks quicker, which is their only source of food before they hatch. This in turn caused them to hatch sooner, and due to the reduced time in their embryos, they were born smaller and lacking in energy. The newborns which hatched at higher temperatures struggled to survive and needed to eat significantly sooner after birth compared to those at 27°C. Other studies have additionally observed, that at 32°C the likelihood of epaulette shark eggs hatching becomes very low.

Epaulette Shark Embryo: Source: flickr.com/CLF

The average temperature of the Great Barrier Reef is currently at 28°C during the period of embryo development in the wild, but with climate models predicting that average temperatures in this region will rise to 32°C by the middle or end of the century these animals are in trouble. As we explored earlier, epaulette sharks are known to be tolerant to acidic conditions and are more resilient than any other shark to low oxygen environments.

Since the increasing temperatures will likely have a detrimental impact on the epaulette shark – which is considered a tough and resilient species – we can only imagine the negative impacts it will have on other more vulnerable wildlife.

– Adam Soliman

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Itching Towards a Solution to Eczema’s Problem

Posted on March 1, 2021 by | Leave a comment

For those who are living with atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, it’s not always fun.

Imagine that one minute you’re going on about your day, then suddenly your skin flares into an itchy, dry and blistering rash. The skin irritation becomes agonizing as soon as you start to feel your skin throb and burn, almost as if a million fire ants endlessly crawl all over your skin.

According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, this is what 17 percent of Canadians deal with throughout their lives. 

Source: flickr.com

The video below summarizes on eczema and provides further detail on its condition:

Source: Medical Centric (Youtube)

Recent Research

A recent study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology examined the relationship between an enzyme (a protein that increases metabolic reaction rates) known as Granzyme B and the symptoms associated with eczema. According to Dr. David Granville, UBC’s Faculty of Medicine professor and researcher, increased Granzyme B secretion causes the enzymes to “eat away” cell-adhesion proteins that function in holding skin cells together. As a result, the skin barrier is weakened which increases skin sensitivity, thereby introducing symptoms like skin inflammation, dryness and itchiness. 

So what would happen if these enzyme levels were decreased?

Granville and his team discovered that by lowering Granzyme B secretion levels with inhibitors, skin cell layers were more likely to remain intact as fewer cell-adhesion proteins were eaten by these enzymes. Symptoms such as inflammation and lesion growth were shown to be greatly reduced compared to such increasing symptoms associated with high Granzyme B secretion levels. As these observed symptoms contribute to dryness and itchiness, these findings ultimately introduces a newer approach towards treating eczema.

A Step Closer to Newer Treatments

How can these findings be implemented into future treatments for individuals who have eczema?

Former UBC postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study Dr. Chris Turner, suggests that with further research and clinical trials, these findings can potentially introduce topical creams or lotions that can inhibit Granzyme B levels in the future, ultimately reducing symptoms of itchiness and inflammation on affected skin. This potentially brings in treatments that avoid damaging the skin such as corticosteroid creams – a common topical steroid cream applied on the skin to reduce eczema symptoms.

“Corticosteroid creams are a common treatment for individuals with AD who experience more severe itching and rashes. However, these can thin the skin when used over a prolonged period of time, which can make skin more prone to damage and infection.”  VCH Research Institute, 2020.

Source: med.ubc.ca

As further research opens up more information about eczema and the enzyme that aggravates its symptoms, hopefully it’ll help researchers get closer towards developing potential treatments. Perhaps one day a Granzyme B-inhibiting cream will become available in the market.

After all, no one likes to have itchy, dry skin.

– Tina Huynh

Reference:
Turner, Christopher T., et al. “Granzyme B Contributes to barrier dysfunction in oxazolone-induced skin inflammation through E-Cadherin and FLG cleavage.” Journal of Investigative Dermatology 141.1 (2021): 36-47.

 

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From Recreational to Pharmaceutical – A Promising Psychedelic in Research

Posted on February 27, 2021 by | 1 comment

Current research on the use of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic applications is showing a lot of promise, building on the potential first demonstrated by studies  conducted in the 1950’s. Humphry Osmond, the psychiatrist who coined the term “psychedelics”, is considered one of the pioneers of psychedelics research. He believed hallucinogenic drugs could be used to treat mental illnesses, and his research findings supported his beliefs. His study on the use of LSD to treat alcoholism found that at the one year follow-up, almost half of study participants who suffered from alcoholism didn’t return to drinking. As such, Osmond’s seminal studies paved the path for the emerging field of psychedelics research. Fast-forward to today, research studies are demonstrating that under controlled conditions, psychedelic drugs like LSD, psilocybin (the active compound in magic mushrooms), and ketamine hold the potential for treating an array of mental illnesses – from alcoholism, to PTSD, to depression, anxiety, and OCD.  As the newest addition, MDMA is joining the rest of its peers in psychedelics research and may hold great potential.

Humphry Osmond, Source: Jeremy Leung

MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy, E, M, or Molly, is an infamous psychoactive drug often associated with nightclub and rave scenes. Hours of partying are fueled by intense feelings of pleasure, emotional warmth, and an abundance of energy owed to this little pill with so many names. The negative stigma attached to recreational drug use has given MDMA a bad rep, but research studies from an organization called Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelics Studies (MAPS) are challenging these stigmatized views.

A team of MAPS researchers in California are repurposing MDMA to treat the psychological distress experienced by people suffering from life-threatening illnesses (LTI). People living with, or that have lived with an LTI can experience anxiety, depression, anger, and despair associated with their traumatic experiences. In one of the first clinical trials of its kind, Dr. Philip Wolfson and his team explored how using MDMA during psychotherapy sessions impacted participant’s distress levels. The team found that the study participants who took MDMA had improved mindfulness and a more positive outlook towards their traumatic experiences. Also, depression, sleep quality, and anxiety levels  improved, but these improvements couldn’t conclusively be attributed to the MDMA. The findings of this pilot study suggest MDMA could still have the potential to reduce psychological distress associated with LTI and that it may also have positive long-term effects.

Although current studies like Dr. Wolfson’s show promising results, could the stigma surrounding “hard drugs” like MDMA deter patients from taking them once/if they become approved for clinical use? Or would the existing stigma dwindle once they get a doctor’s stamp of approval? Or maybe it’s simply why the drugs are used that give recreational use a bad name. Whatever your beliefs and convictions, scientifically, “hard drugs” may have a place in medicine in the (potentially near) future.

Source: GoodRx.com

By Maya Bird

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Protein Folding: Solved

Posted on February 26, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Just as the turmoil of 2020 was coming to a wrap, a scientific breakthrough came about. On November 30th AlphaFold, coming out of Google’s DeepMind, claimed to have solved the protein folding problem using artificial intelligence.

The Problem

From making our DNA to getting rid of waste, proteins are like small machines that perform the majority of work done in cells. In fact, within our bodies there are an estimated 80,000 to 400,000 unique proteins each playing their own role. And, just like the way a building is built determines its use, a protein’s structure decides what tasks it performs. Yet, although it is easy to distinguish an apartment from an office, according to UCONN Health, it can take scientists between a few weeks to a few months to piece together what a protein looks like.

The Game Changer

This is where AlphaFold sneaks in. Although, as seen in the video above, the task was not easy, AlphaFold chose a different approach to this problem: artificial intelligence. 

Nowadays, the word artificial intelligence pops-up everywhere from self-driving cars to artificial voices, but what is most important is how it works and how it can be applied to the protein folding problem.

General scheme for developing an artificial intelligence model.

 

For the computer it all starts with data. As seen in the diagram above, once given data the computer looks for patterns between points. These patterns can then be used to make predictions on new data. Before in their final structure, proteins begin as a simple string of amino acids, or the building blocks of proteins. Given a dataset with the original string paired with the protein in its final form, the computer looks for patterns between the two. Using these patterns it can then predict what a protein might look like from just its string.

The Importance

Just one of the many protein folding predictions generated by AlphaFold’s model.

To the left you can see one prediction Alpha Fold’s model created. In comparison to the time it takes in the lab, this model is able to make a prediction in a mere half an hour with 90% accuracy according to their statement. In fact, it has already helped a biologist named Andrei Lupis with piecing together a protein his team has been stuck on for a decade. In an interview with Nature, Lupis even said: 

This is a game changer, this will change medicine. It will change research. It will change bioengineering. It will change everything.

With this new break-through, not only will scientists save time and money by not having to experimentally determine a protein’s structure, but research will accelerate at a pace never seen before. 

Beyond AlphaFold

While AlphaFold may be a hot-topic, beyond protein folding AI has also been used for a variety of tasks including interpreting MRI images or even predicting climate change. The applications seem to be limitless so make sure to keep an eye out, the next breakthrough could be coming up just around the corner!

Jessica Petrochuk

 

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Treating Depression: Personalized Deep Brain Stimulation

Posted on February 8, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Source: flickr.com

How would you feel if the treatment or medication you were taking had little to no effect in suppressing your symptoms? Unfortunately, this is the case for 1 in 3 patients diagnosed with depression. These patients fall under a category known as treatment-resistant depression. Personalized deep brain stimulation, a promising alternative to conventional treatments, has the potential to solve this problem by allowing physicians to tailor treatments to an individual’s needs.

The Problem

Depression, which is characterized by low mood, is linked to an imbalance of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain. It is a common mental illness that affects the way someone feels, thinks, and acts. However, it is important to note that depression varies significantly among individuals and many other factors play a role. As stated by Ben Paul from USC Viterbi School of Engineering,

“Mental disorders can manifest differently in each patient’s brain.”

There is no one single treatment that is able to effectively treat the symptoms of depression among all diagnosed individuals. This makes it hard for physicians to provide the best treatment for their patients.

What is deep brain stimulation?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure where electrodes are implanted within specific areas of the brain. By electrically stimulating these parts of the brain, physicians can reduce the symptoms associated with depression. The amount of stimulation is controlled by a pacemaker that is placed under skin on the chest.

The video below explains this procedure further and contains an interview with Edi Guyton, a patient who had this surgery: 

Source: CNN | Youtube

Promising Alternative: Personalized Deep Brain Stimulation 

Even with deep brain stimulation, each patient’s response to treatment will be different. However, one of the pros of deep brain stimulation is that it results in immediate changes. This is the key component that allows physicians to personalize treatment.

Research led by Maryam Shanechi and her team at USC Viterbi School of Engineering have figured out a way to predict and see how an individual’s brain responds to stimulation. This allows physicians to monitor brain regions in real time.

How is this done? 

           Two tools have been designed: 

  1. Electrical stimulation wave to map brain activity
  2. Machine-learning techniques that are able to learn the mapped brain activity which is collected during stimulation 

The stimulation wave designed by Maryam and her team randomly changes amplitude and frequency of the electrical impulse over time. A change in amplitude and frequency would be the equivalent to changing the milligram dose of a pill. Analysis of brain activity during these changes will allow physicians to arrive at the correct stimulation doses.  As a result, physicians will be able to personalize and tailor the deep brain stimulation for the individual. 

This treatment can be used to find an effective approach for almost all patients diagnosed with depression.  Success within this field of personalized deep brain stimulation will hopefully lead to more application for other mental disorders. 

– Samantha Nalliah

 

 

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Need to Sober Up? Just Breathe Out the Booze!

Posted on February 7, 2021 by | Leave a comment

With regard to alcohol, many of us have previously reached the so-called point of no return: a moment where the pleasant buzz is replaced by a throbbing headache (and massive amounts of regret). If only there was a simple way to quickly sober up…

Alcohol! Source: awee_19, Flickr

A simple overview of ethanol breakdown

First, let’s dive into the details as to how our bodies break down alcohol. Once ethanol arrives at the stomach and small intestine, it is absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, it can travel to various organs in your body, or end up in the liver. The liver is responsible for detoxifying 90% of the ethanol that we consume; the remaining 10% is eliminated through sweat, urine, and breath.

However, the rate at which the liver breaks down ethanol is zeroth-order: meaning that the breakdown rate is always constant, no matter how much ethanol is in your system. This explains why we haven’t been able to develop techniques to speed up the rate of ethanol breakdown in our livers.

The next natural step would be to see whether we can speed up the elimination of the remaining 10% of ethanol in our bloodstreams. Turns out, we can! Remember how we said earlier that some ethanol is removed via breathing? This works the same way that we breathe out carbon dioxide: because the concentration of ethanol in our bloodstream is higher than in the air that we breathe in, some ethanol diffuses into our lungs and we breathe it out!

A breathalyzer uses the fact that we breathe out ethanol to determine our blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Source: Dave Shea, Flickr

So can I just hyperventilate until I start to feel sober?

In theory, you could… but you really shouldn’t. Hyperventilating will reduce your ethanol levels, sure, but it will decrease your CO2 levels as well: causing your brain’s blood vessels to narrow, and ultimately depriving your brain of oxygen. Thankfully, a recent study published just last year has found a simple and effective solution, utilizing isocapnic hyperpnea.

Isocapnic hyperpnea: what is it?

To put it simply, isocapnic hyperpnea (IH) is when you deeply (and sometimes rapidly) breathe in air that has an equal concentration of carbon dioxide as present in your bloodstream. In the study, participants consumed diluted vodka, then were connected to an apparatus which supplied air of CO2 concentration similar to levels found in normal blood vessels. This allowed the subjects to breathe out ethanol at a higher rate while maintaining steady CO2 levels in their blood. The results of the study showed that the participants who underwent IH showed an ethanol elimination rate which was more than three times greater than participants who breathed regularly!

A demonstration of the IH apparatus. Source: UHN

Deaths caused by alcohol poisoning are far too common. In the future, IH could help paramedics in clearing the alcohol out of a patient’s system in a timely manner, which could ultimately save their lives. Remember to always drink responsibly!

 

– Sam Jung

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Microalgae Used to Create Biodiesel: An Organism That Can Save Our Planet?

Posted on February 6, 2021 by | Leave a comment

It is quite obvious by now that if we don’t change our ways of living, our planet is doomed. Due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, there is an increased amount of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere that are slowly damaging the earth. In today’s society, most of the energy production is coming from fossil fuel combustion and this is the key source of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. The primary energy demand will continue to increase and as of right now, fossil fuels still contribute to 82% of the global demand of energy.

Source: bbc.com

An article written by Ashokkumar Veeramuthu and team describes the potential use of microalgae to produce biodiesel. You may be asking, what are microalgae and what the heck is biodiesel? Let’s jump straight into it.

What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is made from materials such as plant oils and animal fats. It’s an alternative to petroleum diesel and has a more favourable combustion profile as it emits much less CO, CO2 and SO2 into the atmosphere. Since we are slowly killing our planet, replacing our non-renewable energy sources with green alternative sources doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

Why Use Microalgae?

You may be wondering, what is so special about microalgae? Why can’t we use some type of terrestrial plant like corn to produce biodiesel? Studies show that the use of microalgae is the best option for the production of a renewable and sustainable source of energy. Microalgae are unicellular photosynthetic organisms living in aqueous environments that convert sunlight, water and CO2 into algal biomass. The reason why there has been a shift of attention towards microalgae to produce biodiesel is because microalgae provide a large range of advantages compared to terrestrial plants. The benefits of microalgae include high lipid concentrations (which can easily be converted to biodiesel through a process called transesterification), rapid growth and minimal nutrient requirements. The table below compares values of the biodiesel productivity of microalgae and other plants.

Amount of biodiesel productivity for different feedstocks. Source: intechopen.com

Microalgae also tend to grow 10 times more rapidly than terrestrial plants and less than a tenth amount of land is required to produce the same amount of biomass. Additionally, microalgae don’t require immense amount of fertilizers to grow unlike terrestrial plants. The cultivation of microalgae can be carried out by using wastewater, since it is rich in key nutrients. Furthermore, the use of wastewater decreases costs of cultivation greatly and makes biodiesel production commercially viable.

This video showcases the whole process in a nutshell:

 Source: David T. Kearns (YouTube)

In today’s world, there’s a shift of attention to deal with the issue of climate change. From Elon Musk creating fully electric vehicles to Joe Biden rejoining the Paris climate accord within hours into presidency, we as humans are finally taking initiative to save our planet. The future of creating fuels from microalgae sounds promising and having a range of renewable sources of green energy will be beneficial to us in the coming time.

– Parwaz Gill

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“A drink a day keeps reality at bay”: Atrial Fibrillation

Posted on February 1, 2021 by | Leave a comment

This happens quite often: people come home after a long, tiring day and look forward to cracking open a beer, making a cocktail or pouring themselves a glass of wine. Sure, this may be an evening ritual for many, but at what cost? A recent study led by consultant cardiologist, Professor Renate Schnabel, at the University Heart and Vascular Center determined that people who regularly enjoy small amounts of alcohol develop an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). 

What is atrial fibrillation?

In simple terms, atrial fibrillation is when a person has an abnormal heart rhythm. The two upper chambers of the heart, the atria, beat out of sync from the two lower chambers, the ventricles. The irregular heartbeat caused by atrial fibrillation can lead to problems such as strokes or heart failure.

Atrial Fibrillation vs. Normal Sinus Rhythm on Electrocardiogram. Source: Clearvue Health

Here is a video which gives an overview of atrial fibrillation:

Developing the study

Researchers followed a sample size of 107,845 people (age range of 24-97 years) with no history AF participating in one of the five studies in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark or Italy. Participants joining the study between 1982 and 2010 were given medical examinations which assessed their medical history (ie. details regarding body mass index, hypertension, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, total cholesterol, tobacco consumption, history of heart failure (HF) and/or strokes, and alcohol consumption). For information on alcohol consumption, the participants were asked to share how often they consumed alcohol (ie. beer, spirits, wine) as well as their drinking pattern (participants that never drank were the control group). Average alcohol consumption was analyzed as grams consumed per day. During the follow-up with the study participants, which occurred after approximately 14 years, they were observed for any link between their alcohol consumption and the occurrence of AF. 

Key findings from the study 

Right off the bat, researchers from the study observed a positive correlation between consumption of alcohol and AF cases after following up with participants after 14 years. This was evident even for individuals consuming low amounts of alcohol since researchers determined that 1.2 drinks/day were linked to an increased risk of developing AF. Specifically, a person’s risk for AF increased by 16% in 14 years just by drinking one alcoholic beverage a day. In fact, 5854 people actually ended up developing atrial fibrillation after 14 years.

Hazard ratio for atrial fibrillation cases for alcohol consumption (g/day). Source: European Heart Journal

What this means for alcohol consumers 

This was one of the largest studies researching the link between alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation, according to Professor Schnabel. Even low amounts of alcohol consumption can lead to developing AF which is a stepping stone for other problems such as heart failure and strokes. The risk of developing AF can easily be prevented by proper management of drinking habits. After all, protecting your heart in this manner will only benefit you in the long run.

– Ramdeep Dosanjh

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Baby Sharks Face a Gloomy Future

Posted on February 1, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Sharks are considered the lions of the sea but due to climate change they are losing their glory. With global warming causing the rise of ocean temperatures one particularly tough and beautiful species, the epaulette shark sometimes referred to as the walking shark, may be heading towards disaster.

An Epaulette Shark

An Epaulette Shark: Source: flickr.com/Richard Ling

The epaulette shark lives in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and finds its food in shallow puddles between the coral. This shallow environment is dangerous and would leave most fish stranded out of the water left to cook and die under the sun. This amazing animal is not so easily defeated and is able to preserve its breath and march back towards the sea.

Video Source: Nature on PBS| Youtube

The epaulette shark has proven itself to be resilient in low oxygen environments but rising temperatures may not be handled so well, especially by its offspring.

A new study conducted by PhD candidate Carolyn Wheeler on the eggs of epaulette sharks showed that increasing ocean temperatures significantly affect the development of its young. The researchers analyzed the growth of epaulette shark embryos until they hatched, – at temperatures of 27°C, 29°C, and 31°C – measuring the growth, development and metabolic performance of the animals. It was found that the growth rates of the embryos increased at the higher temperatures, as in the warmer water the sharks tended to consume their yolk-sacks faster which is their only source of food before they hatch. This in turn caused them to hatch sooner, and due to the reduced time in the embryonic stage they were born smaller and lacking in energy. The newborns which hatched at higher temperatures struggled to survive and needed to feed significantly sooner after birth compared to those at 27°C. Other studies have additionally observed that at 32°C the likelihood of epaulette shark eggs hatching becomes very low.

Epaulette Shark Embryo: Source: flickr.com/CLF

The average temperature of the Great Barrier Reef is currently at 28°C during the period of embryo development in the wild, but with climate models predicting that average temperatures in this region will rise to 32°C by the middle or end of the century these animals are in trouble. As we explored earlier, epaulette sharks are known to be tolerant to low oxygen environments and are more so than any other shark. Additionally, in other experiments it has been found that their eggs and newborns are even tolerant to ocean acidification.

Since the increasing temperatures will likely have a detrimental impact on the epaulette shark – which is considered a tough and resilient species – we can only imagine the negative impacts it will have on other more vulnerable wildlife.

– Adam Soliman

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