A debate is going on in Huntington’s research about whether the hallmark protein aggregates found in the brain of patients actually cause the disease. Now, a new “shortstop” may have found part of the answer. But this shortstop isn’t an infielder. It’s a new strain of mouse, one with a mutation expected to cause neurodegeneration — since it’s tailored to make large amounts of the above protein aggregates — only it doesn’t. Shortstop mice were recently created by Elizabeth Slow and colleagues at the University of British Columbia. And their unexpected ability to resist neurological damage is causing their creators…
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WEALTH AS A CANCER RISK
Wealth can bring a lot of things to a family and new research is suggesting such things are not always good. One of these is childhood leukemia. Although rare overall, leukemia is one of the most common potentially fatal illnesses that can befall a child, and a new study completed at the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver is revealing that a high socioeconomic status can raise the risk of this disease by as much as 14% in Canada. The reasons for the link between wealth and childhood leukemia are not yet clear, but knowing is important nonetheless, since it’s a…
DOLPHINS SHOW SOME CULTURE
See a dolphin swimming through the water and you’re not just looking at a sleek and playful marine creature, you’re also seeing an animal with culture. Indeed, dolphin culture has recently been spotted off the coast of Australia, says new research from a group of international marine biologists studying bottlenose dolphins. However, this dolphin culture isn’t fancy cocktail parties, visits to art galleries, or listening to contemporary jazz. It’s wearing sea sponges. This use of sea sponges is first description of potential culture—a skill or tradition that is passed down without the involvement of genetics—in a marine mammal and places…
THINKING ABOUT A BOOK NOW
In case you missed it, yesterday was our one year birthday and as such our thoughts are now more seriously directed towards our print edition. Here is what we are thinking: We don’t want to actually make money out of this, because when you do, things get significantly more complicated. They become high maintenance so to speak – with taxation, copyright and distribution logistics to worry about. Although some view us as a literary endeavour, we are in truth a covert educational project designed primarily to get non-scientists to immerse themselves a little more into this science thing. This, we…
TERRY SPEAKERS: THE SUMMARIES
This year’s Terry speaker series was great, and now the SCQ is pleased to announce that summaries are available for all three (as well as the audio of the entire speech). Follow the links, and seriously people – be inspired. Summaries by Peter Ottis from News 101, CITR 101.9FM – – – “The End of Education” by Dr. David Orr (January 13th, 2006) LINK TO SPEECH | SUMMARY Dr. David W. Orr is Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College. He is best known for his recent work in ecological design including his efforts to build a $7.2…
THANKS FOR ALL THE BLOOD
Blood donors around the world got a pat on the back last week, as the World Heath Organization (WHO) stamped June 14 “World Blood Day.” Everyday millions of people feel the jab of a donation needle, giving pints of blood that can help save lives, and last Tuesday was a chance to reflect on this generosity, said the WHO in their reasons for labeling the day. “Safe blood is a fundamental need for the health system of any country,” said Dr Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the WHO in a press statement. “WHO’s 192 Member States have recently agreed that World…
BREAKING THE CHAINS OF ADDICTION
The cost of addiction is high. In 1992 the estimated cost of substance abuse in British Columbia was $2.2 billion, but that is just money. It is difficult to know the full cost of lives eroded away by addiction because addiction is more than an addict. The price of addiction is also paid by all the lives that are touched by an addict as well. In a way we are all chained to the networks in the brain that cause addiction. But, a group of scientists out of the University of British Columbia are examining the biological chains of addiction…
DATING OILY ROCK
The giant oil sands of Alberta finally have a date. And it’s a lot older than anyone expected. David Selby and Robert Creaser, from the University of Alberta, recently put an age of 112 ± 5.3 million years ago for the migration and accumulation of oil in the Alberta oil sands – a date over 60 million years earlier than previously thought. Although, the date isn’t the first to be done on the sands, it’s the first in the world to be done with such accuracy. “This has only ever been done on a relative scale before with something like…
HUNGER IN THE MIDST OF HIV
New research suggests that British Columbians with HIV are more likely to be unsure of their next meal as compared to the rest of the Canadian population. This uncertainty is nearly 5 times higher than the general Canadian population, often leading to HIV- positive individuals not having access to adequate amounts of food. “We were not expecting this many people to be hungry,” says Lena Normén, from the Canadian HIV Trials Network at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC, and lead author of the new study. Wasting—loss of strength and weight in a person due to a chronic disease— from…