Science Journal 12: 2012 - Horrible Truth or Pseudoscience?

2012 - Horrible Truth or Pseudoscience?

   

          In spirit of the supposed upcoming “doomsday”, I decided to watch 2012, an apocalyptic movie that takes place during the predicted events of 2012.  This movie was an action/sci-fi film, and the plot was based on a lot of science.  A lot of the facts seemed quite believable, and some were explained so fast that the average viewer would not have had time to understand and reflect on what was being said.  The movie begins with a geologist meeting with an astrophysicist to discuss the issue of a large solar flare sending neutrinos to Earth, and causing its core’s temperature to rise significantly.  It is indicated that this increase in temperature would have a significant effect on the planet.  The film then cuts to the building of large ships in a mountainous area of China, and the hiding of valuable cultural pieces, such as painting and sculptures, deep in the Alps.  Then, we are introduced to the main characters:  a science fiction writer and his family, who try to escape the natural disasters that 2012 brings their way.  In the end, the main characters reach the now-constructed ships in China, and are looking forward to rebuilding their future. 

     Though there were many scientific facts and theories mentioned in this movie, the main one was a about a solar flare sending neutrinos to the Earth, and heating it up.  This caused pole shift and Earth crust displacement to occur resulting in massive earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity.  While analyzing the scientific facts in the movie, I found that it was easier to move backwards, and go from the consequence to the cause rather than from the cause to the consequence.  For example, the end result of all this activity was a significant change in the ocean levels and the decimation of most civilization on Earth.  Would this be possible through enormous amounts of volcanic activity, earthquakes, and tsunamis?  Probably.  The Japanese earthquake in 2011 was the 5^th most powerful earthquake in the world since they have been recorded, and caused more than 25 000 people to become dead, missing, or seriously injured.  It also caused a major crisis for Japan’s nuclear power program.  By looking at previous events, it isn’t too far-fetched to imagine that many earthquakes and eruptions could destroy civilization. 

     The earthquakes, tsunamis, and other horrific natural disasters were the result of earth crust displacement and polar shift.  Popularized by Charles Hapgood, the theories of earth crust displacement and polar shift go hand in hand.  The theory states that the earth’s crust has gone through significant changes throughout time.  As well, changes in the magnetic and geographic poles in the Earth can be caused by this Earth crust displacement.  A character in the movie states that Hapgood said that this would happen because of a certain planetary alignment, and that Einstein had supported Hapgood’s theory.  By doing my own research, I found that planetary alignment has nothing to do with Hapgood’s theory (and therefore, Einstein hadn’t supported that part of it), and that the theory of crust displacement was made to explain some things that plate tectonics can now explain better.  Furthermore, NASA scientists have said that even though polar shift is possible and does happen, it happens extremely gradually and will not cause any major effects.  The North and South poles will not “flip” instantaneously.             

     The cause of the polar shift and crust displacement was the heating of the Earth’s core because of neutrinos from a solar flare.  In the movie, the neutrinos had an electric charge that caused them to heat up and liquefy the Earth’s core, resulting in the displacement of the Earth’s crust.  A few minutes of research breaks the plot this movie was based on.  Solar flares do occur, and send out coronal mass ejectons, which consist of many particles travelling through space.  Particles from a CME usually reach Earth in 24-48 hours, and don’t do much damage other than to electrical communications devices, and devices in space.  Neutrinos have no charge since they are neutral.  They also pass harmlessly through matter, and are not known to cause damage or a radical increase in temperature to the Earth.  Any harmful effects of neutrinos haven’t been proven, and exist only in theories that suggest that enough exposure to neutrinos can cause cancer.  Another thing I noticed during 2012 is that to melt the Earth’s core, you would need an amount of energy that doesn’t seem to be present in the film.  Though extremely hot, the Earth’s core is solid, largely because of the amount of pressure put on it.  You would need huge amounts of heat energy to melt the core.  Wouldn’t the energy cause massive destruction to the Earth’s surface before it did so to the core? 

     

       Overall, one can safely conclude that the science in this movie is merely pseudoscience, designed to entertain rather than educate.  The credibility of the science in this film isn’t very high, since it was designed to make profits.  The majority of viewers might at first be convinced that the events of 2012 could be a possibility, but once they look back and think about the movie, they will know it was just another passenger on the “2012 apocalypse” bandwagon.   

       I chose to watch and reflect upon this movie because of its relevance in current media and popular belief.  Many people believe that some sort of apocalyptic event could take place in 2012.  Many of these beliefs are being spread by the media, which is now almost omnipresent thanks to advances in technology.  We are constantly being spoken to by thousands of very convincing voices telling us that the Earth will end because of cosmic rays or planetary alignment.  Having even a little bit of scientific literacy and general knowledge will quickly help us realize that many of these predictions are based on fiction rather than fact.

 The amount of people that believe what the media says is slightly disturbing, since it shows how easily we can be fooled into thinking something that is false.  A lot of the media is also politically inclined, and might present to us biased news because of this.  Though it may seem bad, and maybe even evil, it is just a result of people trying to reach their own goals, and it can be avoided by taking on a responsibility to be informed, and not believe everything you hear.   

      Personally, I believe that on December 21^st we will be just as prone to dying suddenly as we are on any other day.  Many people base their beliefs on religion or other’s experiences, which is an extremely personal choice.  I think that I will be able to survive best if I base my choices on science, since it has been proven to work many times.  If many other people and I are wrong about the world not ending on 2012, then at least we don’t have to worry about the consequences!  But it will also mean that I wrote this science journal for nothing... :P  Hopefully, all deathly cosmic rays will occur after I eat the food at the class parties! 

Bibliography:

http://news.discovery.com/space/the-2012-sells-tickets-sells-out-science.html

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Shifty-Science-Behind-the-Movie-2012-128465.shtml

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/159838,movie-tech-the-science-behind-the-film-2012.aspx

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2009/11/13/in-2012-neutrinos-melt-earths-core-and-other-disasters/

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html

Science Journal 11: Asteroid Mining

Asteroid Mining

For our grant proposal, our group is doing asteroid mining.  We chose asteroid mining because it is something we do not know much about, but that seems possible.  Larry Page, one of the founder of google, and James Cameron have decided to try and make asteroid mining into a business venture.  Many of the Earth’s precious metals are believed to have reached the Earth through asteroid impact.  Because they weren’t formed naturally on Earth, their supply is limited, making them very expensive.  As well, asteroid impacts tend place these metals in areas that are hard to reach.  An example of one of these minerals is platinum.  Earth does not have very much of it, making it very expensive.  However, many asteroids near Earth contain a large amount of platinum.  James Cameron plans to mine these minerals by first launching a telescope in outer space.  This telescope will orbit the Earth, and identify asteroids that have minerals that are in demand.  Once the asteroids have been identified, they will launch a ship to the asteroid, which will not be manned.  Cameron and Page have predicted that in time, asteroid mining will become extremely popular, and it will be feasible to place things such as refuel stations and repair stations in advantageous locations throughout space. 

Another precious resource that Page and Cameron plan to extract from asteroids is water.  Fresh water is an extremely valuable resource, since it isn’t just a want, we need it to survive.  Many people predict that the next major war will be fought over our fresh water resources.  Whether or not people believe global warming is an actual crisis, climate change is occurring.  The Earth is gradually increasing in temperature, and this is having drastic effects on not only the environment, but on our fresh water resources. Only about 3% of the total amount of water on Earth is fresh water.  Of that 3%, around 70% of the water is made up of glaciers and ice caps.  Because of climate change, these glaciers are melting, and our insubstantial percentage of freshwater on Earth is shrinking even more.  Unless we find a way to stop this climate change, the price of water will keep going up, and it will soon be a luxury. 

Page and Cameron have calculated costs, and have estimated that mining for platinum on asteroids will cost less in the long run than mining for it on Earth.  As the resources on Earth decrease, it will become harder and more expensive to mine them.  It is thought that an asteroid about 500 meters is capable of holding the same amount of platinum we have ever mined on Earth.  This is quite a large amount of platinum, and will definitely be an advantage in the long run.  Devices that use platinum will become cheaper and more accessible.   Around 100 out of the 8900 near-Earth asteroids are thought to contain water. As I mentioned before, water is an extremely valuable resource, and it would be extremely beneficial to the world if we are able to get more of it. 

One of the best advantages of asteroid mining is the significant impact it has on improving the state of the environment.  Mining right now has many negative effects on the environment, and many people feel as if we’re consuming more energy than we’re getting.  Though launching rockets will affect the environment at first, it will have a much lower impact than mining does. We will have to use a lot of fuel, which will take up a lot of natural resources.  As well, we will have to use resources to construct rockets.  Once we get enough infrastructure in space, we can completely transfer all mining activities out of Earth, and experience no environmental effects of mining except for the use of the resources we mine.  

Bibliography:

http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/asteroid-mining-backed-by-google-james-cameron-1077565

http://www.unwater.org/statistics.html

Science Journal 10: The Power of Cute

The Power of Cute

I have to admit that I’m a stereotypical teenage girl when it comes to cute things.  I talk in a “baby voice” to fluffy little puppies, and I melt every time a baby smiles.  The factor of cuteness is unique because unlike attractiveness (some people like black hair, some people like brown hair, etc.)  something that is considered cute by one person is generally considered cute by a vast majority of the population.  I wanted to investigate a little more on cuteness.  Is being cute maybe something that animals and babies have developed through evolution in order to help them survive during their early years, when they are at their most vulnerable state? 

Many scientists are intrigued by cuteness as well, and have decided to do some research.  An experiment was conducted in which people were asked to look at cute and not-cute images, and complete a task involving fine motor skills.  After looking at the cute image, people tended to perform better, showing that cuteness causes more focus in humans.  But why does cuteness cause such a large reaction in humans?  Cuteness is a characteristic known to scientists as pedomorphism.  Humans tend to think of young things, or things with the characteristics of being young, as cute.  This is because as organisms, our genes have been programmed with the instinct of survival.  We will do what it takes to continue the race and ensure that we do not die out. 

Babies are loud and smelly and take a lot of work, so why would we want to take care of them?  The answer to this is cuteness.  Because of their pedomorphism, babies have large eyes, large heads, and small noses, traits which almost every human finds cute.  Our genes and survival instinct cause a sense of protectiveness to invoke in us at the sight of this cuteness, which is why we feel so motivated to protect the young.  This reaction to pedomorphism extends beyond humans, and can be seen when observing other animals with large eyes, heads, and small noses.  For example, puppies and kittens are considered to be extremely adorable by most of society.  These traits for cuteness have not gone unnoticed by artists and animators. 

It is quite common to see cartoon characters that have extremely large eyes, heads,  and small (or sometimes, none at all).  An example of this is during Shrek, when Puss in Boots uses his large, sad eyes to convince people to do things for him.   I have experienced the effects of pedomorphism first hand, because of my dog.  When he was a puppy, I was enamoured by his large puppy eyes and soft ears.   Though the instinct to protect creatures with pedomorphism is strong, is it starting to wear off?  As technology and society advances, people are straying further and further away from what used to be thought of as traditional, or normal.  People who  might have previously wanted a baby because of their cuteness and their urge to protect and raise a child now might also want to wait until later in their lives to start a family, so that they can pursue a career or live their lives in a way they wouldn’t be able to while taking care of a family.  This trend is starting to come out, but it is still growing very slowly, and it is likely to be a while before it has an effect on society.  

After looking at how cuteness affect behavior, will we be able to use this information to our advantage?  Some companies are already, by using cuteness as a factor in their advertisements and marketing schemes to convince you to buy their products.  We could also use the results from the study that showed that cuteness improved focus by employing cuteness while studying for tests or activities that require a lot of attention.  

Bibliography:  

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedomorphism

http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/babies.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/10/looking-at-photos-of-baby-animals-improves-productivity-study-finds.html

Aaaaaand just a few more pictures for fun :D 

Science Journal 9: The Bitter Side of Sweet

The Bitter Side of Sweet

Article Link:  http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

A study done by Princeton University researchers has found that different types of sweeteners have different effects on your body.  The researches decided to test out their theory that not all sweetners have the same effects using rats.  One group of rats was fed high levels of sugar, while the other group was fed high levels of high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener found in many soft drinks, candies, and processed foods.  The rats eating the sugar were receiving a dose that had a similar concentration to that of a soft drink.  The rats eating high-fructose corn syrup were drinking it at a much lower concentration that what is normally found in most soft drinks. The rats that were ingesting a high level of sugar had some signs of fat accumulation, but there were no severe signals that their weight was getting out of control.  The rats that ate corn syrup, on the other hand, were almost all obese, and showed major signs of fat accumulation.  Their fat followed known patterns of obesity, such as gathering around the stomach and the thighs.

During the experiment researches found out that the rats being fed the  high-fructose diet were 48% more overweight than the ones eating normal rat food.  The scientists believe that one of the main reasons for these results is that normal sugar, sucrose, must be processed by your body more than the corn syrup, while corn syrup was processed, and is made for easy consumption and absorption.  I think that these findings are very relevant to problems we are facing in society today.  An overwhelming amount of the population is overweight or obese.  During the 1970’s, the American obesity rate was 15%.  When corn syrup was introduced to the market, the number of obese citizens living in America greatly elevated, and now obese people make up around one third of America’s adult population.   

Not only does being obese make it harder to perform basic tasks during the day, but it also makes you prone to many serious diseases, such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cancer.  In fact, many of the rats who were consuming the corn syrup exhibited signs of the aforementioned diseases.  This study aids us in our battle against obesity, since it shows us one of the possible causes for such an increased obesity rate.  People can use this study to influence their decisions on what to eat.  They will be able to make more informed decisions, and won’t be unknowingly contributing to the obesity crisis. 

Though obesity might seem like a fair consequence for a bad choice, many adults base their (and, commonly, their children's) eating decisions based on the marketing around them.  A lot of products claim to be sugar free or low in fat, when they might actually harm you.  Another reason I think that citizens shouldn’t be held fully responsible for the rising obesity rate is because when corn syrup was first made, researchers didn’t determine whether or not there were any long term effects of it.  They might have tested it thoroughly for diseases that were common a few decades back, but something like the obesity epidemic probably hadn’t crossed their minds (or, if it did, then they just thought it would have a simple solution, such as exercise, or were very motivated by profits).  This situation can be seen now as well, since we are developing a lot of new technology, and are more commonly eating food that has been genetically modified.  We do not yet know what the long term effects of GM food are.  Even though we have tested a lot of this food, there is something that we’re still not seeing, which might come back to hurt us.   

Reading this article has made me think about what I eat, and just how little I think about my nutrition.  As a teenager, I find my attention taken by things that I consider interesting, which are not necessarily always important.  Usually, I eat things if they taste good, and pay little mind to what is in the food.  With this new information about corn syrup, I can easily cut out a large part of my diet that is unhealthy.  I can also use this information to make more conscious choices about what I eat.  While reading this article, it was important to ensure its credibility.  The author of this article is Hilary Parker, a writer for the Princeton website.  Because the main research team is affiliated with Princeton University, the article was published on the Princeton Website.  This website has a “.edu” ending, which adds credibility to it.  

Science Journal 8: Evolutionary Biologist

Career of Interest:  Evolutionary Biologist

        Two subjects that greatly interest me are biology and history.  The idea of organisms evolving and changing in order to adapt to their environment and situation amazes me, and I am interested in learning more about the different time periods the Earth went through, and how organisms have evolved throughout them.  The career of evolutionary biologist seems to be a great mix of my two interests, and involves a lot of what I just mentioned. 

        An evolutionary biologist conducts research on how evolution has caused so many different species to emerge from just a few types of organisms.  Evolutionary biology is a large field; so many biologists choose to specialize within the field somehow.  For example, they might be concerned only with the evolution of a certain family or class.  Another biologist might be looking at a certain ecosystem, and be focused on the evolution of the species in that area.  Usually, no matter what specialized field an evolutionary biologist goes into, they will be working a lot with behavior and history.

        I greatly enjoy animals, so having a career based on analyzing animals, their behavior, and their history seems very exciting to me.  By looking at how animals have evolved, and how different species are related to each other, we’ll be able to get a good overview of their behavior and their environment.  We’ll be able to gain insights about the time periods in which they evolved, and from those insights we can make further theories about the history of the Earth.  This “bigger picture” intrigues me, since I, as well as countless others, am interested to know how life formed, and how the Earth shaped life.

        To become an evolutionary biologist, you need a degree from a post-secondary institution, since a biologist’s area of study goes far more in depth than what is covered in high school.  Most often, biologists get a bachelor’s degree in biology and then go on to get their master’s degree in a more specialized field.  Most universities have their biology courses categorized under “life sciences”.  In order to be accepted to most well-reputed universities for biology, you should take 6 grade 12 courses, including English, calculus and vectors, biology, and chemistry. 

        Once their education is completed, an evolutionary biologist can find work in many different areas.  They might work for a non-profit organization, private research companies, a university research group, or a government research project.  Even if an evolutionary biologist doesn’t get a job in their specialized field, the amount of education they have received is so thorough that with a small amount of training, and a little bit of adaptation (pun intended), they can work in a field that is different than what they were aiming for.  I believe that what an evolutionary biologist does is important, since looking at how life has changed throughout history is a great way to deal with the present and prepare for and predict the future.   

Bibliography:

http://www.princeton.edu/eeb/

http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/adm-awards/admissions/info/admissionsIndex.action?selections.domain=ADM&selections.name=SUBPAGE1&selections.studentType.key=2A222222222222222222222222222222&selections.status.key=222A2222222222222222222222222222&selections.province.key=&selections.country.key=&selections.educationLevel.key=&selections.institution.key=&selections.program.key=222222222222222222D2222222222222&selections.studentType2.key=

Science Journal 7: I.Q. ... It's Questionable?

I.Q. ... It's Questionable? 

Article:  www.uwo.ca/its/brain/iqmyth/

This week I read an article about how scientists at Western University have reached the conclusion that standardized IQ tests provide only a very narrow view of a person’s actual intelligence.  The study is one of the largest online intelligence studies ever completed, and it has yielded many results that might change the way we look at how people think, learn, and perform.  During the study, scientists asked participants to complete 12 different tests/games that measured different areas of thinking, such as memory, planning, reasoning, and attention.  The test also required participants to fill out some information about their lifestyle, and certain behaviors that they might perform.  The results of the test were very good, due in part to the great response the received by many people from all over the world.  The results showed that once the ways of measuring intelligence went past the standard IQ test, you needed at least 3 headings to display the results:  short term memory, reasoning, and verbal performance. 

The study showed a few interesting results.  People who frequently played computer games usually performed above average, while people who smoked consistently scored below average.  As well, people who had anxiety disorders usually got a lower score in the short term memory games. 

These results are very interesting, since they both validate what we already think, while making us consider new possibilities.  The results stated that smokers performed below average compared to non-smokers.  This isn’t very surprising, since smoking is known to do major damage to your organs.  The results also stated that people who played computer games regularly performed better than people who didn’t.  This is very interesting, since there is an ongoing debate about whether or not video games are debilitating to our intelligence.  I believe that video games might improve the abilities of people because one of the main areas of testing in the study was reasoning and short term memory.  While playing video games people have a goal in mind, and are often very driven towards achieving those goals.  This would force their short term memory and decision making skills to improve, since they are in situations where quick choices must be made, and you have to remember which dungeon you turned into, or what button brings up your inventory.   Many people consider video games to lower academic performance, but this test contradicts those opinions. 

 Another attention-grabbing point the results showed was that practice didn’t do much to increase a person’s performance.  The phrase “practice makes perfect” has been ingrained into almost every one since the start of their lives, and the thought that this might not be true is slightly shocking.  I think that this test will greatly affect the way we learn, the way we perceive intelligence, and the way we conduct studies.  By acknowledging the fact that there is more to intelligence than our IQ tests reveal, we can improve our methods of teaching, and find better ways of conveying information to students.

Since this test was the largest online one of its kind, it changes the way we traditionally conduct studies and experiments.  Technology is slowly changing the way we do things.  By doing the study online, researchers are able to reach more people easily for a lower price.  They can use the internet to overcome cultural and geographic barriers that would have otherwise been very expensive to overcome.  Though the internet greatly assists us in completing studies, it also has possible negative side effects.  Anonymity has always been one of the most appreciated features on the internet.  How do the researches know that the people are actually who they say they are?  What is they provided inaccurate information about their lifestyles?  Did everyone try their best on the tests?  For online studies such as this, there are many variables that the researches are unable to control, which makes the information less reliable. 

While reading this article, I made sure to check its credibility.  Though the article lacks a credited author, it is posted on the Western University website, ensuring its reliability.     

Link to Cambridge Experiment Website:  http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/challenge/introduction

Science Journal 6: Cancer

Cancer

        Personally, I think that one of the most important topics we studied this year was cancer.  Almost everyone we know has been affected by cancer in some way, and it has taken the lives of too many people.  It’s quite discouraging when you look at how much money and time we have spent on cancer research, and how little progress we have made to finding a cause and cure for cancer.  In class we learned that though we have spent over $200 billion on cancer research just in the US, the rate of cancer cases has increased by 55%.  This increase in cancer cases might be due to the rising population, and the better technology.  We can now scan more people more accurately, and maybe that is why are identifying so many more cancer cases than before.  However, these two factors alone are probably not large enough to make such a significant impact of the amount of cancer cases. 

        The money spent on cancer research hasn’t been fruitless.  Researchers have identified several carcinogens:  chemicals or substances in the environment that are known to play a part in causing cancer.   One of the things that surprised me the most was learning that many of the household products we use are dangerous to us.  Companies that produce these products know that they are dangerous, but they are more concerned about their profits than the well-being of their consumers.  The area of products that I could relate to the best was cosmetics.  Many of the hair products I use contain sulfates, which are used to make products foam and lather.  Sulfates can be easily contaminated by a chemical known to cause cancer.  Sulfates are used so often in cosmetic products because many people believe that their shampoos and soaps need to foam in order for the product to properly clean their bodies.  Curious, I decided to check the internet, and found that lather does not indicate the quality of cleaning you will receive.  Furthermore, sulfates are actually bad for your hair, and they can dry it up.  After learning about the negative effects of sulfates, I decided to try out a sulfate-free shampoo.  It actually made a pleasant difference in the quality of my hair.  I was surprised by the fact that I can use science for applications that seem superficial and simple. 

        During our discussion on cancer, we learned about a couple of methods of treatment.  Most of these methods, such as chemotherapy and radiation, resulted in severe side effects for the patient.  One of the treatments that caught my attention was biophotonics, which is when you use light rays to try and get rid of the cancer.  It has very few side effects, and is more accurate than most other treatments.   

Another thing that caught my attention was the fact that we have very little ideas has to what causes someone to have cancer.  This is important because once we find out what causes cancer, we can think of ways to stop it from doing so.  Though very few causes have been found, scientists have been able to determine that exposure to UV rays plays a major role in contracting skin cancer, especially in red heads.   People with fair skin, more specifically red heads, are known to be more susceptible to getting cancer from UV rays. 

        Scientists have recently found evidence that suggests that the cause for skin cancer in red heads might lie in their pigmentation itself.  In the study they conducted, scientists compared two groups of mice with eachother.  One group’s genes had been programmed to have eumelanin, the type of melanin found in darker skinned people, while the other group had been genetically modified to have pheomelanin, which is found in red heads.  The scientists found that even without any exposure to UV rays, the mice with pheomelanin were more likely to develop malignant skin tumors than the mice with eumelanin.  Baffled, the scientists remodified the  redheaded mice so that they didn’t have any pigmentation.  These newly albino mice had far fewer cases of cancer, which suggests that the reason for the frequency of skin cancer in red heads might lie in their pigments. 

        I found this study interesting because it shows me a different perspective than what I have normally seen from science sources.  Usually, I hear about certain carcinogens in cosmetic products, or waste from energy production/usage.  These findings give me a new point of view in the quest to find a cure for cancer, by showing me that the cause for cancer isn’t always external.  That being said, UV exposure is still a major factor in skin cancer, and it is best the wear sunscreen or stay out of the sun when possible.    

Bibliography:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=redhead-pigment-boosts-skin-cancer-risk

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252365.php

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2010/10/19/suzuki-dirty-dozen.html

         

Science Journal 5: Wrinkle Creams Be Warned!

Wrinkle Creams Be Warned!

Book:  La Machine a Rajeunir

        In French class, we are reading a book about a teenage boy who discovers that after coming back from their vacation, his parents are growing younger!  The parents, who are around 40 years old, soon realize that they feel healthier and look thinner and better than they did before.  Their happiness turns to horror as they realize that not only are they growing younger physically, but they are growing younger mentally as well.  They soon begin to forget who their son is, and who they are to each other.  Through a series of adventures, their son realizes that they had sat through an age reversing machine that had been marketed as a silly museum attraction.  The machine used microwaves to make his parents younger, and can do the opposite as well.  In the end, the son manages to figure everything out, and all is well.  This book is very basic, since we wouldn’t be capable of understand much more. 

        Because of the easy to follow nature of the book, the science in it is understandably shaky, and is classified as science fiction.  Though the science in this book doesn’t even come close to pseudoscience, and is used playfully, I found two interesting concepts in the book that I wanted to look into a little bit further:  microwaves and age reversing. 

        Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation, like visible light.  They have a long wavelength, a low frequency, and are commonly used for communication devices and heating food items.  Microwaves are very functional, but can they change us physically like they did to the parents in the story?  Microwaves heat food by making the water and fat particles in the food to vibrate, causing friction.  Recently, we had a discussion in science class about cancer and its connection to cell phones.  Generally, cell phone companies recommend that users keep cellphones at least a few centimeters away from them while they are talking on them.  Cell phones use microwaves, which are known to cause cataracts if exposed to them for too long.

        The Food and Drug Administration has approved microwaves, and has placed certain safety standards on them that microwave oven manufacturers must meet in order to sell their product in the US.  On the FDA’s website, it states that the long term effects of low exposure to microwaves have not yet been determined, but that there is very good evidence to suggest that the amount of microwaves you are exposed to while using a microwave oven (a maximum of 5 milliwatts throughout its lifetime) is too low to do any immediate harm.  As a child, I had always been told by others older than me to not stand too close to a microwave, and to not look directly into them.  By doing this research I am able to clear up for myself some of the rumors and “mystery” surrounding microwaves.  Though these people had my best interests at heart, I no longer am unable to show them proof as to why looking at my food very often while it’s in the microwave (which, due to my low level of cooking skills I need to do to ensure the food is edible), will not cause my eyes to burn out.

Another aspect of the book I found interesting was the age reversal of the parents.  This brings up many questions for me.  Though I know this is not yet possible in real life, are ideas being tested?  Scientists writing for the Nature science blog have found an enzyme, telomerase, which strengthens the telomeres:  “junk” lines of DNA that are found on the ends of chromosomes.  By controlling the telomerase activity, scientists were able to prematurely age rats.  They were also able to reverse some of the effects of this aging by manipulating the telomerase again.  Though this research is very interesting, it will take a long time and a lot of hard work for scientists to be able to transfer this knowledge onto humans.  During the testing phases, who will scientists test on?  Will there be any long term effects of becoming younger?  Will people be able to choose when they want the process to stop?  What if this process is used for harm?  With age reversing, many questions also arise in regards to managing population.  People will live longer and have more time to reproduce, so the population of the world will drastically increase.  Also, managing people might be a problem.  It will be difficult for governments to set legislation is regards to new age laws.  For example, can a 40 year old who has become 15 legally drive?  It is very interesting to see how society reacts when new technology is invented.  We have been through problems like this before, and are currently going through them.  For example, the internet and computers aren’t very old yet, and many governments and companies are having privacy issues, and intellectual property issues.    

Bibliography:

http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/ResourcesforYouRadiationEmittingProducts/ucm252762.htm#4

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/11/29/age-reversing-drugs-on-the-horizon-not-so-fast/#.UNEpmG-CmP0

Science Journal 4: Taste the Rainbow

Taste the Rainbow

Link to Article:  http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/05/french-bees-produce-blue-honey/

       

        A very interesting news article I read recently stated that there are bees in France making blue honey.  Upon further investigation, I found that the bees not only made blue honey, but were producing red and green honey as well.  The bees are located in France, which is one of the world’s leading honey producers.  After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the bees were producing this eccentrically coloured honey because of the biogas plant located 4 km away.  This plant left residue from its M&M candy packaging, as well as from the M&M candies, in an open area around the factory.  Attracted by the sugary scent, the bees chose to pick up some of the waste from the biogas factory along with their usual nectar, causing the honey to turn blue.

        This article caught my eye because it makes us think about a lot of things we might be taking for granted, the first of which is bees, and the honey we get from bees.  There are over 20 000 species of bees, but not all of them produce honey.  The most popular bee, the European Honey Bee, is one of the few species of bees that are capable of creating honey.  Bees are essential to the pollination of plants and flowers, which is the process of fertilizing plants using seeds.  When a bee lands on a plant, they extract nectar and pollen.  They do so using their proboscis, a long tube-like tongue that sucks up the nectar and puts it in their stomachs.  During its time in the stomach, the nectar mixes with different proteins and enzymes, and starts to become comparable to the honey we use.  The nectar is then placed in honeycombs, small hexagonal pockets that, together, make up a large portion of the beehive.   Not only do bees extract nectar from plants, they extract pollen from plants as well.  This pollen gets spread out as the bee goes from flower to flower, greatly assisting the plant community.  Not all the pollen on a bee falls off on the flowers it lands on.  Some of this pollen is stored in the beehive, along with the nectar that they have collected.  The nectar, along with some pollen, and other flower juices, become mixed together, and are stored for long periods of time by the bees.  

        The tediousness of the honey-making process amazes me, and also slightly alarms me as well.  These bees work extremely hard, and must go very far for long amounts of time in order to produce even a small amount of honey.  In the article I had read, it was mentioned that France is experiencing a honey shortage because of the harsh winter they recently had. As well, there is a world-wide phenomenon occurring involving the drastic decrease of the bee population.  Scientists are confounded as to why the amount of bees is declining at such an alarming rate.  This flamboyantly coloured honey is not helping the bee shortage situation.  The owner of the bee farm says that even though the honey tastes good, it is so visually affected that it will be unsellable.

        Some of the effects of this event as well as the disappearance of bees might be that the price of honey will go up a lot because there might not be a lot of honey available.  This is similar to what is happening with our other resources.  Things such as natural gas and oil will only get more expensive as they continue to run out.  Though honey, unlike gas, isn’t very “necessary” for society to function, there will still be major negative results of a honey shortage.  Millions of people use honey as a substitute for sugar, as a flavoring, and as a form of natural medication. 

        Another reason I find this article so interesting is because of the fact that humans have caused a change in nature.  Because of the (unintentionally) irresponsible actions of the biogas company, the bees and the bee farmer nearby have experienced a lot of loss, and have been greatly affected.  This brings up a lot of interesting legal and ethical questions.  Will the bee farmer ask for monetary compensation because he lost so much honey?  Will the biogas company refuse to pay because the bees were on their property?  So far, the two businesses are being friendly and cooperative by trying to find a way to prevent the bees from gaining access to the residue, which is very encouraging.  This shows that though money is important, people are willing to sacrifice a little money in exchange for community respect and responsibility. 

This situation also brings up a lot of questions in the science area.  Are the bees affected by this residue?  Are there any effects from eating the coloured honey?  Can this method be used to intentionally produce coloured honey?  Can it also be used in other organisms whose products we use?  For example, could we influence the colour of milk in the same way? 

        While reading articles, it is very important to keep in mind the credibility of the source.  The website I read this article from was www.time.com.  The ending of the website is “.com”, showing that this is a public address. Time is a respected news source, and I am able to find this same article on many other well-respected news websites (such as nytimes), showing that the facts in this article are accepted, and are most probably true.  Most of the advertisements on the website are for other articles on the website itself.  The article quotes the people that it talks about, and gives their full information, showing that these people do exist and would show up if someone were to perform an in depth search.  The author of the article, Juju Kim, seems to be a student studying journalism at university.  Though this article isn’t written by a professional, it is written by someone who is studying journalism, which adds to its credibility.  Overall, I feel that the source for this article is reliable.   

Bibliography:

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/how-do-bees-make-honey.html

Science Journal 3: Twin Town

Twin Town

In this episode of the National Geographic, a team of scientists and doctors explore the unique situation in the town of Kodhini, India, where the amount of twins born per year is almost 6 times the average rate.  The documentary starts off by stating that Kodhini is an average community in terms of population and lifestyle.  However, though there are only 2000 families in the village, there are over 250 pairs of twins.  The twins are all quite young, showing that this unique characteristic of the village is quite young, a fact which is supported by the elders of the village.  Out of the 250+ pairs of twins, 60 were born in the last 5 years.  Many families have more than one pair of twins. 

I found this documentary to be very interesting because I am an only child, and I have seen very few twins in my lifetime.  As well, I am from India, which helps me relate well to the people being featured in the documentary.  One of the major topics discussed in this documentary was the superstition being used to explain the occurrence of so many twins.  Many of the villagers believe that this phenomenon is very lucky, and that this means their prayers are being heard and they are being blessed.  However, there are also many doctors in this documentary that believe the reason behind the large amount of twins is scientific.  This brings up the class we had about scientific literacy.  Because of the lack of education in some parts of rural India, many people rely on superstition to find reasons for things they cannot explain.  Usually, there is a scientific explanation for things.  However, this situation is interesting because there is not enough evidence to give either side a strong advantage.  Doctors are at a loss to explain why and how there are so many twins in Kodhini.  Because this situation is local, scientists think that there is something in the environment that has caused so many twins to be born.  Researchers have tested possible factors, such as the air, water, and crops, with no success. 

This documentary encouraged me to look into how twins were formed.  Twins are formed in 2 possible ways.  The first is when one egg becomes fertilized, and then splits into two.  The second way to have twins is for two eggs to be fertilized separately, but at the same time.  Twins produced from the first process of forming twins are known as identical twins, since they usually look very alike.  Twins that come from the second process are known as fraternal twins, and might have more diverse features.  It is more common for older mothers to have twins, however, the mothers in Kodhini are young compared to most mothers.  Females with a family history of fraternal twins are more genetically likely to have fraternal twins as well. 

During the show, doctors state that the twin tidal wave first started around 65 years ago.  This might mean that new technology might be the cause for so many twins to be born in that area.  For example, a factory might be using some sort of chemical that only became widely used after a certain type of technology was invented.  This might account for the fact that the mothers in Kodhini do not match the typical traits of other mothers with twins worldwide.  As well, the localness of this twin phenomenon is supported by this theory because the chemical might have spread to only one area.  If this is the case, it brings up the question of whether or not this chemical is safe, and if it has any long term effects. 

Once the cause for the abnormal amount of twins has been identified, scientists can use it for many positive efforts.  If the cause is genetic, then they will have gone one step further in the vast field of human genetics.  If the cause is from external factors, such as the environment, then scientists can use this information in order to help parents who might want (or not want) to have twins.

While watching this documentary, I had to ensure its credibility.  It was created by National Geographic, which is a trusted source of scientific news.  The researchers, scientists, doctors, and other professionals it employs are extremely competent, and are trusted worldwide by their colleagues.  National Geographic has released many informational series for kids and adults, is widely accepted by the public, and is even in partnerships with certain government agencies.  These facts lead me to believe that the information presented in this documentary is legitimate, and that National Geographic is a trusted source of information.

Bibliography: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Twins_identical_and_fraternal

Science Journal 2: Drowning in Health?

Drowning in Health?  

      A few days ago, the class held a discussion on whether or not drinking too much water was bad for you.  This discussion made an impact on me since I have always been told that I do not drink enough water.  As well, I have been in countless situations where someone complains of a headache or pain, and they are recommended to drink water.  Coming from India, where it is extremely hot, water has always been the “go-to” solution within my family and friends when our bodies are in discomfort.  Water is vital to the existence of life.  For thousands of years certain civilizations have prospered because of the abundance of water near them.  Even now, many towns and cities are positioned along with bodies of water.  It is this huge importance that water has in our lives that causes my interest on the topic of the possibility of drowning yourself by drinking too much water. 

        Water is a major component of our bodies.  Around 60% of our body is comprised of water!  However, our bodies use water for more than building ourselves up.  When cells convert chemical energy from the vitamins and nutrients in food to other forms of energy, a lot of waste is produced.  In order to get rid of this waste, the human body must have enough water within it to dissolve the toxins and dispose of them.  As well, the body takes out certain toxins within foods, and uses water to dispose of them.  Some of the ways we can see these toxins leaving our bodies are through urine and sweat.  If there isn’t enough water in our bodies, then these toxins will not be able to exit our bodies, and can harm us.  Having stated the necessity for water, there are serious consequences for drinking too much water. 

        Our cells let objects pass through their semipermeable membranes in a process called osmosis.  Because of diffusion, which is when particles move to form an even concentration, solvents in our cells will flow from an area with a less concentrated solution to an area with a higher concentration.  When excess water enters our bodies, the concentration of sodium within our tissues drastically decreases.  The process of osmosis will occur, and the solvent (in this case, water) will flow from the tissues and into the cells in an attempt to diffuse the concentration of sodium within the cell and its surroundings.  The extreme dilution of sodium within one’s body is called hyponatremia, and can have serious effects on humans.  

Some of the effects of hyponatremia include irregular heartbeats, seizures, and death.

     This class discussion interested me because I could relate to it from my personal experiences.  I had always wondered if constantly drinking water when your body experiences pain would have any negative consequences.  This also ties in to the discussion the class had earlier about scientific literacy.  People might unknowingly cause harm when advising others to drink more water.  It is important for us to be able to take suggestions, opinions, and facts that have been given to us and look at them with a critical and scientific perspective.  People often twist things in order to get what they want, or give detrimental advice with good intentions because of the scientific illiteracy of others.  By being aware and taking the effort to double check facts and figures, we can prevent being cheated, and find easier and more efficient ways of doing things.  This knowledge will now help me out when (inevitably) I am in a situation where water is being recommended to make someone feels better.  Instead of blindly following suggestions, I can now provide proof to support my argument that drinking too much water can possibly have negative consequences. 

        When learning about hyponatremia, I made sure to check the credibility of all of my sources.  The class discussion we had was a trusted source of information, since the information came from a certified educator.  When doing some more research on the topic of hyponatremia, I ensured that I checked more than one source, and I looked up the author of each website that I used to gather information.  The majority of websites I used ended in a “.gov” ending, showing that it is a government website and can be trusted.  The About.com article I used was written by Annie Helmenstein, who possesses a Ph. D in biomedical sciences.  This high level of education means that she knows a lot about biomedical science, and shows that the information she has put into the article about hyponatremia is most likely credible.  

Bibliography: 

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm

Science Journal 1: DNA information Storage

  DNA Information Storage

Link to Article: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134672-harvard-cracks-dna-storage-crams-700-terabytes-of-data-into-a-single-gram

        In short, this article discussed how a team of two scientists at Harvard, George Church and Sri Kosuri, have successfully been able to store 5.5 petabits of information onto a single gram of DNA.  The article then goes on to provide several comparisons in order to gain a better view of just how big of an achievement this is.  To attain the same level of storage, one must use 233 harddrives with 3 TB of storage, which, at a weighty 150 kilograms, would make DNA storage look atomic!  DNA storage is quite useful because it is very dense and long lasting.  Also, the whole process of putting information onto DNA takes less than a day, which is useful for huge corporations, such as Microsoft, who have thousands of bytes of information that they need to store in databses.  Upon first discovering this article, I looked at it to find any signs of bias.  Though bias may be unintentional, it can also be quite detrimental to the reader since it gives them an impression of an idea that might not be true.  The website I found this article had a “.com” ending, making me slightly suspicious of the trueness of its content.  However, upon further investigation, I found that the author of the article had done many things to increase the credibility of the article such as quoting the researchers in many places and providing a link to the full research paper.  I think that the article was slightly biased in that in mainly provided advantages of DNA storage.  This might be due to the fact that the name of the website is “extremescience”, so they would try to make the science seem more “extreme.”  I found another copy of this article on a Harvard website, with the ending “.edu”.  This article was slightly more detailed than the first; however it too promoted the achievements of the scientists. This is probably because the website is affiliated with Harvard, and so are the scientists.  

        One of the things that I really enjoyed about the article was that it provided many points of comparison in order to help readers gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the researchers’ achievement.  To many people, the words “5.5 petabytes” don’t mean a lot.  I myself had to use Google to see exactly how a petabyte compares to the other units of information.  Being an IBT student, information storage comes up a lot in my everyday life, and so this article had a really big impact on me.  It amazes me to think of how far scientists have come in the field of information storage.  I remember using floppy disks to store information, and having those slowly change to CDs and then to USBs.   Around 21 Exabytes (1 million petabytes) of information goes through the internet daily, and with the improvement of DNA storage, people could store massive archives of information.  Every piece of media, books, movies, music, etc., can be stored for later usage and, at the current rate, probably not take up more than a small room.  This article was quite easy to understand, but it required me to do some more research in regards to how DNA is organized.  This DNA storage looks to be one of the early attempts at mass information storage, and I am eager to see the advancements that will be soon made. 

        This new capacity of information storage can be both negative and positive. Though it will reduce the amount of resources used, it will also decrease the amount of privacy people have and increase the amount of information that passes in front of us each day.  Retrieving footage from video cameras used to be an issue since companies would get rid of tapes due to storage issues.  Now, people can store thousands of hours of video on a single gram of DNA.  This might result in every street corner being monitored, causing some people to feel that their privacy has been violated.  Another issue with DNA storage is that it might cause an increase in information.  Though information isn’t bad, being bombarded by stories, ads, and interesting articles cause attention spans to shorten.  People might develop issues with focus, though focus is what the scientists at Harvard needed in order to achieve DNA information storage.  The problem of information storage reminds me about the problem of electricity storage.  Many types of energy sources provide a lot of electricity which goes to waste since there is no way of storing so much power.  Like information, we might be able to find the solution to electricity storage in something basic and fundamental, such as DNA.