#science corner

What is it?

           The seasonal flu is usually caused by two influenza viruses, type A and type B.  Influenza type A can also be broken down into subtypes depending on the surface proteins of the viruses. This year’s flu epidemic can be attributed to a type A virus called H3N2.

How is it spread?

         The flu is contagious and most experts think that it is spread through droplets formed when people cough or sneezed. These droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people who are up to 6 feet away and may even be inhaled. People may also get the flu from touching a surface that has the flu virus on it and then touching their mouths or nose (this happens less often though).

How can it be prevented?

           !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GET THE VACCINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear friends.  Vaccines are actual lifesavers. Many of us cannot receive vaccines but most of us have no medical reason not to get them. (If money is a reason you aren’t getting yours then obviously that’s a whole different problem and I don’t even want to start on my thoughts on the American healthcare system. If I’m not mistaken though, most county health departments will give out flu shots for free or low cost if you don’t have health insurance.) Look, I know this year the flu vaccine has a low rate of efficiency but they are still reducing your chance of catching a really nasty flu virus that’s putting thousands of people in the hospital and even if you do catch it it’s likely that your symptoms won’t be as severe as those who haven’t received the vaccine.

To prevent getting the flu you also should make sure to wash your hands with SOAP AND WARM WATER. Hand sanitizer will do in a pinch (there are a lot of reasons why I hate hand sanitizer and why I don’t think you should use it unless it’s absolutely necessary but that is a whole other post).

IF YOU start presenting flu-like symptoms (definitely go to the doctor as soon as possible this H3N2 strain is gnarly and the sooner you get in the sooner they can help you get better) or you know you have the flu --STAY THE FRICKITY-FRACK HOME—there is no need to be out and about with a highly contagious disease. No one wants you spreading your flu droplets everywhere, Karen. Also if your kids or some you live with has the flu you probably have it, it’s really god damn contagious and can spread up to 1 day before you start presenting symptoms and up to 7 days after getting sick (in kids it can be even longer than 7 days).

Links for more information because it’s 3am now and I wrote this mostly because I couldn’t sleep and partly because I saw an ignorant facebook comment about flu vaccines:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/index.html

Science Corner: The Thing You Didn’t Know About Mole-Rats…

Are they the world’s strangest animals? Undoubtedly yes, and not only for their appearance. The naked mole-rats have recently proved to be the only cold-blooded mammals to survive up to 18 minutes without oxygen - a condition which would kill a mouse in less than 15 minutes. Shocking as it is, the wrinkled pink animals with overlarge front teeth had no problem switching back to their normal state. So how did they do that? First, the rodents live in a dense underground burrow community, ranging in size from 75 to 200 individuals. Since the entire colony sleeps in piles, gathered in one narrow chamber, the animals had to quickly adapt themselves to the weird alien atmosphere, in which carbon dioxide reaches the level seven to ten percent higher than in surface air. As Thomas Park, a neuroscientist at the University of Illinois, points out “It’s like we’re working with an animal from another planet.” Due to living in that oxygen-deprived environment, the mole-rats effectively become plants, altering their metabolism so that cells are powered by fructose rather than glucose, a process which requires no oxygen. This surprisingly remarkable method of reducing energy demand could, in theory, be applied to humans in the near future, as we do have similar abilities in some of the tissues. If the scientists find the clues for preventing cancer and heart attacks in the mole-rats’ bizarre biology, that will surely revolutionise the world of medicine. Until then, we must wait patiently, hoping one day we could accomplish it and who knows, maybe beat the naked mole-rats’ record...

Science Corner: Bumblebees Are Smarter Than You Thought

Less than a month ago scientists from Queen Mary University of London proved that we should never underestimate the power of insects’ brain, and the fact that it’s small, doesn’t make it simple. In the latest experiment, bumblebees, whose brain is in size of poppy seeds, were challenged with something they normally would never do in nature. These little buzzing insects had to push a ball to the center of a platform in order to gain a sugary reward. Surprisingly, they did it much better than it was anticipated. So how did it all look like? At first bees were pretrained to know the correct location of the ball. While one of them was rolling it, the others were steadily watching the action. After this sort of observation, 10 of 10 bees solved the problem on the first try. On later tries, they continued to improve, taking less time. Although the whole process was very demanding for the insects, as it required a brand new behavior and some kind of general ability to learn, it showed that bumblebees are capable of doing remarkable things. They are indeed smarter than we thought. Therefore, next time you see a bumblebee, don’t drive it off. Try to look at it closer. Who knows what else they can do…

Science Corner: The Frog’s Secret

Recently two scientists, Alexis Noel and David Hu, from the Georgia Institute of Technology found out why frog tongues are so sticky. For almost four years, they have been eagerly observing and analaysing various frog species to learn that these amphibians can launch their tongues at an insect with an incredible speed and precision - just five times faster than a human blink. And now you could think: how is that even possible? The answer seems to be quite simple, let me explain it to you. According to the research, frog tongues are around 10 times less stiff than ours. Some of them turned out to be among the softest biological materials ever measured. “But the very soft tissue is just half of the story,” says Noel. The other half is the frog’s saliva. After hours of scraping off the viscous substance from accumulated tongues, the scientists were shocked to discover that the frog’s saliva is actually a non-Newtonian fluid. That means it reacts differently depending on how much force you apply to it. Thanks to it, a frog can easily catch a prey - when the speeding saliva reaches an insect it sticks to it tightly (seeping into every crack and gap), and when it goes back it automatically thickens. You could ask: why do they care about such things? Don’t they have anything else to do? Kissa Nishikawa, from Northern Arizona University, perfectly answers the questions, “Because inspiration from biology can be applied to practical human problems. Frog tongues seem pretty esoteric, but remember that antibiotics came from bread mold.”

Science Corner: One of the ways we destroy our planet

While you’re reading this article, thousand of unique monuments, relics and species are being annihilated forever. Obviously, for at least half of the things you are not responsible at all but  there are still many small things which you could do to protect the precious environment around you. I bet that you do not recycle bottles, batteries or plastic cups and that’s why the shocking amount of garbage on our planet is rapidly growing and no one really knows what to do with it. Huge plastic bags of lighters, tyres and everything that we don’t need any more does not simply break down but causes death to myriad animals or what’s worse, is flown by the ocean and accumulates on the islands’ beaches. This is something that has happened to one of the most gorgeous islands on earth. Midway atoll is located just in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s covered around with coral reefs and inhabited by birds and sea animals such as albatrosses and Hawaiian monk seals (which are critically endangered). Every year, it receives tons of substantial marine debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch*. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that some days there are more colorful plastic caps in water than fish. This clearly shows how horrifying effects the human impact can spawn. Additionally, only one-third of all chicks on the Midway island survive, the rest are found to have plastic rubbish in their digestive system. Sadly, albatrosses are not the only species to suffer from the plastic pollution; sea monks and turtles also consume the debris. The example of Midway Atoll is surely one of the most nightmarish, however, you must remember that lots of similar things happen daily on the planet. Now, think how YOU can change your lifestyle to help the environment. Recycle plastic caps, turn off unused light, use a disposable bottle more than one time? These may seem to be little steps, but gathered together can change the future. Remember, it all depends on you!

Science Corner: What is coral bleaching?

Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystem on earth. They consist of coral colonies which are made up of hundred of thousand of polyps - sea animals that have their bodies shaped like tubes. Every coral has a symbiotic relationship with tiny marine algae (called zooxanthellae) that live in its body tissue. These algae are the coral’s primary food, and give it its brilliant color.

Fragile and sensitive corals, which have a very limited temperature range within which they can live, get easily stressed out - mainly because of overfishing, tourism, pollution and climate change. As a result, they expel algae, which in turn produce toxic compounds because of high ocean temperatures. “If these algae aren’t reabsorbed in the near term, the corals die,” says Stephen Wear, a marine ecologist and spokesperson at The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environmental organization. Additionally, Australian scientists’ research shows that almost 90% of Great Barrier Reef is suffering from coral bleaching and that may have serious consequences in the near future. Coral reefs are essential to humans as they provide food, protect shorelines and are used as medicine to treat cancer.

Therefore, is there anything we can do to reduce our impact on coral bleaching? The answer is yes. We can save energy by turning off unused lights, use public transport instead of driving a car and recycle products whenever we can. If we waste less energy, we won't need so many power plants. Also, If we use public transport, the air will be less polluted. All of this may help corals recover successfully. By taking small, effective actions, we may save beautiful coral reefs. The decision belongs to you, so choose wisely!

Science Corner: A Perfect Place For Family Trip Or Incredibly Dangerous Hot Spot?   

Being the first established (the Park Service turned 100 this year) and the largest National Park in the U.S., Yellowstone attracts thousand of people every year who come to breathe fresh air, marvel at the unique landscape and spend time with their families in nature. The park is primarily located in Wyoming, although it extends into Montana and Idaho. It is mostly known for its wildlife (for example, grizzly bears and buffaloes), geysers and colorful thermal areas like Mammoth Hot Springs. Yellowstone is bounded on all sides by mountain ranges, mainly the Rocky Mountains, and covered in always green forests. There are also many campgrounds and lodges specially designed for tourists near meadows and creeks. While travelling visitors may explore rumbling waterfalls as well as see various kinds of trees such as aspen trees and whitebark pines, although it is always the Old Faithful geyser they want to watch the most. Not only are colorful the hot water spring a tourist attraction, but also a strong warning of a still active caldera lying just under the National Park and capable of wiping out half of North America. Fortunately, the whole park area is carefully monitored by different technical devices informing scientist of every major process taking place underground. Therefore, families and those who are eager to discover the beauty of nature have nothing to worry about and are always welcome to visit this magnificent place.