Science And Technology News And Views Magazine
We explore Science in Film and TV + interviews with Simon Singh and Professor David Phillips!
In the last issue of SATNAV, we looked at Science in Nature, and the ways in which humankind is interfering. The theme was chosen partly in the wake of Planet Eart h II whose success was a wonderful surprise, showing us how much we truly care about our planet. It also demonstrated how powerful the media is, for better or for worse. Film and television are highly consumable and highly influential media, so it is vital that we use them to propagate accurate, meaningful science. With this in mind, we challenged our writers to tackle the complexity of Science in Film and TV. Having incredible explorations into the science in both fiction and non-fiction, this issue will be a tough one to put down. As the current committee’s year draws to a close, I’d like to reflect on our time. Our biggest aim this year was to collaborate with a range of societies on campus, and I can proudly say that we did that. Last semester, we collaborated with the University of Birmingham
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Linguist Magazine, and also took part in
organising the first annual Media Ball, which was an extraordinary night. This term, we have covered AstroSoc’s Tea, Talk and Telescope event, the very first EPS Trophy, and worked with the Beyond My Et hnicity Magazine to put on a film screening and discussion for International Women’s Day. SATNAV has also had the chance to cover both the EPS Annual Christmas Lecture and the EPS Distinguished Lecture, given by Simon Singh and Professor David Phillips. You can find coverage of these lectures in this issue, both alongside a round table discussion and exclusive SATNAV interview! I would like to take this time to thank those who contributed to this issue of SATNAV. The fantastic range of articles are the backbone of the magazine, and they are what have led us to so many other opportunities. I’d also like to thank the Beyond My Et hnicity Magazine for collaborating with us to do an article swap in this issue of SATNAV, where we both
examined stories of discrimination in the scientific community. Make sure you take a look at Beyond My Et hnicity to see their amazing work. If you'd like to get involved in the magazine, let us know. As well as writing articles for each issue of SATNAV, we are publishing onlineexclusive articles that are not bound to a theme. You could interview an academic on campus, cover a scientific event, or anything else you can think of that relates to science. As always, don't hesitate to drop us an email or Facebook message if you have any thoughts or suggestions—we'd love to hear from you. Finally, best of luck to the new SATNAV committee. I’m excited to see where you’ll take the magazine! Please enjoy SATNAV: Science in Film and TV.
Daniel Thomas Chair of SATNAV
Issue 15
Chair Daniel Thomas DXT439@student.bham.ac.uk
The day, the week and even the year... Hannah Stephens
Vice Chair Bethany Rothwell BCR462@student.bham.ac.uk
Society Spotlight Beyond My Ethnicity Magazine
Treasurer Matt Scourfield MRS493@student.bham.ac.uk Secretary Isabelle Hayden ILH600@student.bham.ac.uk Layout Editors Dawid Hampel DXH565@student.bham.ac.uk Federico Abatecola FXA551@student.bham.ac.uk
Blood Flowers Chyi Chung The Blue Planet II Effect Anna Pitts Beyond Tinder: Black Mirror simulates true love Jonny Wise SATNAV's Evening With: Simon Singh
Life Sciences Editor Chyi Chung CWC420@student.bham.ac.uk
EPS Trophy 2018
Physical Sciences Editor Bethany Rothwell BCR462@student.bham.ac.uk
Genetic Determinism in GATTACA Jayde Martin
Technology and Review Editor Jahan Hadidimoud JXH759@student.bham.ac.uk Copy Editor Isabelle Hayden ILH600@student.bham.ac.uk Publicity Zane Ali ZXA507@student.bham.ac.uk Website Manager Ayesha Hashim AXH728@student.bham.ac.uk Front cover artwork by Luke Kurowski-Ford.
How deep is your learning? Jahan Hadidimoud How slow can you go? Federico Abatecola SATNAV's Evening With: Professor David Phillips
Diagnosing Edward Cullen Haneef Akram AstroSoc present: Tea, Talk and Telescope AstroSoc Space Travel & Exploration in Popular Culture Nicholas Folidis
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The day, the week, the month, or even the year for neurotechnology Hannah Stephens discovers that the absurd futuristic tropes suggested in Friends aren’t far from reality after all
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ith the prospect of the looming summer exams, the news of the American hit sit-com, Friends, finally appearing on the UK Netflix is one of very few things to be thankful for. Being broadcast around the turn of the millennium, there is no getting away from some of the more dated aspects of the show, but one feature that seems eerily ahead of its time is some of the ideas that crop up about futuristic technological advances. In S6E7, Ross’ description of uploading the human consciousness onto a computer to enable immortality seems ludicrous, and yet now it is a very realistic possibility. Take myoelectric prosthetic limbs, for instance; although certainly not on par with brain emulation, it is a very real example of scientists both linguistically and physically attempting to bridge the gap between the nervous system and sophisticated computers – and they are succeeding. A paper published in September last year [1] described the successful attachment of prosthetic hands to amputees, which not only allowed limb mobility, but also provided some sensory feedback including pressure sensations and paraesthesia (“pins and needles”). This bidirectional communication between the organism and what is essentially a computer is a huge breakthrough. Examples can also be found that lie slightly less within the everyday eye; a paper published in Japan has described a novel neural decoding approach whereby a computer uses magnitude and sub-organ location of brain activity
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at night to compile an image: essentially computationally reproducing and visualising your dreams. It detailed how individuals were exposed to multiple stimuli whilst monitoring their brain activity for responses. This allowed mapping of the locations of various scenarios and emotions at a cerebral level, and then reversal of this translation. These highlight training computers to work in a similar syntax as the human brain, is no longer uncommon.
“…scientific ideas written into TV shows 20 years ago under the premise of being completely and utterly ridiculous are suddenly very real possibilities. It begs the question of how much of today’s futuristic dystopia in TV…will be surrounding us by 2040.” Another unnervingly, and at the time unknowingly, futuristic event occurs in S7E15, when Joey’s Days of Our Lives character is seemingly brought back from a deep coma following a brain transplant. Whilst this was almost certainly put in as a completely ridiculous and impossible event, it is not a far cry from the human head transplants that Italian neurosurgeon, Sergio Canavero, has devoted almost his entire career towards. Until very recently, this had only been successfully carried out on mice, but as of just 2 months ago, Canavero successfully performed a head
transplant on a human cadaver, including successful fusion of the two cleaved spinal cords [2]. This potentially presents a new treatment for otherwise incurable peripheral nervous system conditions. Of course, the 36 year mark is not the finishing point for Canavero and his team; a major problem with transplants is the immune considerations with the physical attachment of a foreign body, considerations that were not necessary in corpses. As one can imagine, there are also huge social and ethical complications with the procedure. The key point is how scientific ideas written into TV shows 20 years ago, under the premise of being completely and utterly ridiculous, are suddenly very real possibilities. It begs the question of how much of today’s futuristic dystopia in TV (for instance Black Mirror, famous for terrifying viewers with a society commanded by utterly inhumane technology) will be surrounding us by 2040. Or perhaps in another 20 years we’ll all be eating beef trifles and having our brother’s babies. Who knows? [1] E. D’Anna, F. Petrini, F. Artoni, I. Popovic, I.Simanić, S. Raspopovic, S. Micera (2017). Sci. Rep., 7, 10930. [2] X. Ren, M. Li, X. Zhao, Z. Liu, S. Ren, Y. Zhang, S. Zhang, S. Canavero (2017) Surg Neurol Int., 8:276.
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Beyond My Ethnicity Magazine SATNAV and BME Magazine have collaborated for an article swap! Here, Ayesha Hashim discusses the Human Taxonomy and the Consequences of Subjective Science
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ost would agree that taxonomy, the practice of classifying living creatures based on shared characteristics, is not inherently a morally objectionable, or otherwise ‘bad’, thing. In biology, it forms the organisational basis for the detailed study and analysis of organisms. Taxonomy isn’t by any means a new practice: evidence of wall paintings from circa 1500 B.C. depicting plants implies the use of basic taxonomies; the creation of animal groupings such as vertebrates/invertebrates and sharks/cetaceans can be traced back to Aristotle; the Middle Ages oversaw the infusion of logical and philosophical thought into organism categorisation (re: The Great Chain of Being). Thus, it wouldn’t be incorrect to see taxonomy as the inevitable manifestation of the human need to rationalise, to analyse, to dissect, our environment. Carl Linnaeus’ system of biological classification is an invaluable hierarchical system, whose categories form the basis of classification today. However, its perversion lent itself to the creation of a distinct hierarchical system for humans across Britain and North America, which is certainly morally objectionable. During the 18th century, thinkers such as Voltaire and Blumenbach matched phenotypical characteristics (facial features, build, skin colour) with unscientific descriptions of intelligence and character in order to justify the
institution of white supremacy. Furthermore, Philadelphian physician Samuel Morton went on to make unfounded conclusions about cognitive capacity based on skull measurements across different ethnic groups—this capitalised on the misconception that brain size correlates with intelligence. Meanwhile, anthropometry, which involved meticulously collecting the body measurements of military conscripts and those in the navy and marines, was used to calculate effectively meaningless averages. These relied on the false assumptions that such measurements do not vary from generation to generation, and are not subject to factors such as diet and wealth. Arguably the most profoundly devastating consequence of the human taxonomy system was the establishment of eugenics. This went on to give segregation a toxic ‘scientific’ legitimacy via the Nuremberg Laws in Germany, and the South African apartheid era. The inexcusability of these developments is obvious, but the rationale behind them is disturbingly coherent: it appeared to be the only way to justify a prosperous western society built on the labours of African slaves, and to continue to reap the benefits of slave ownership. Genetic studies in the ‘70s were partly conducted in the spirit of proving racial superiority/inferiority against a backdrop of liberal
empowerment, minorities gaining political rights and socio-economic status, and a redefinition of race rooted in cultural, geographic and linguistic similarity—factors that were perceived as destabilising. Today, the ‘alt-right’ demographic in the west largely constitutes poorly educated, socioeconomically marginalised males who cling onto the ‘science’ of white supremacy. The pattern of selfpreservation is clear, and the tragedy rooted in the sacrifices made for it does not go unnoticed. The abuse of scientific practice involved in the creation of the human taxonomy system helped to offset the mistreatment of racial minorities that darkens the pages of our history books today. Whilst the crux of our focus tends to be on social issues of injustice and discrimination (and rightly so), their horrific roots in scientific practice in the wrong hands, under the wrong circumstances, under the wrong mindset, shouldn’t be dismissed. Perhaps in the current climate, where falsified information of any kind can generate profit, and incendiary ideas become social media trailblazers, it deserves particular attention.
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Blood Flowers Chyi Chung traces the roots of cut flowers unearthed in Ton van Zantvoort’s documentary film A Blooming Business
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ake Naivasha sits atop the Great Kenyan Rift Valley. It is unique in having freshwater (the only other in the valley is Lake Baringo to the north), and for its elevation of 1,884 metres (the highest point in the valley). The sun shines heavily down, reflecting off clusters of greenhouses surrounding the lake. Within them are trimmed gardens where flowers bloom in perfection, and like clockwork. Lilies. Roses. Carnations. Bound for Europe by sunset, on the very same day they are cut. Arrays of attractive bouquets are spilling off wire racks in supermarkets, beckoning to be bought and admired. Lilies. Roses. Carnations. Spoilt for choice year-round, in a world seemingly far away from Lake Naivasha… Agriculture contributes to a quarter of Kenya’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Hence, it comes as no surprise that the country has the third largest cut flower industry in the world, at a global trading value of £502 million in 2016. Kenya produces more than 1 in 3 cut flowers sold in the EU [1], most of which are flown in 6,000 km from Lake Naivasha, where the country’s flower farms are concentrated. Higher altitudes give Lake Naivasha a cooler climate (particularly suited to rose planting) yet still warm enough not to require excessive heating; and its proximity to the capital, Nairobi, is vital for connectivity to Europe and beyond. In 2009, Ton van Zantvoort released ‘A Blooming Business’, a harrowing documentary on the industry based on the anecdotes of its (former) labourers.
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“…half a million livelihoods are entwined with the cut flowers of Lake Naivasha...” The Kenya Flower Council (2013) estimates that half a million livelihoods are entwined with the cut flowers of Lake Naivasha; 20% of them are low-wage flower farm labourers. Usual sexist dynamics pervades: around two-thirds of labourers are women, despite few at senior managerial levels. They are subject to long working hours (up to 15 hours during peak Valentine’s season), sexual harassment and frequent direct exposure to toxic pesticides; the latter could potentially lead to seizures, blindness, and infertility. As with the golden Californian fruit orchards in ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, most labourers are migrants who are lured in search of a better living. Instead, they find themselves trapped in a cycle of low wages and temporary contracts allowing for quick dismissal. “You can’t even go back home…because the salary is too low, you just end up staying here”, said Agnes who swore never to return to a flower farm in face of unemployment, after sustaining chemical injuries and losing her job as consequence. Interestingly, a flower is 90% water. To quench the thirst of flowers growing in greenhouses, 20 million litres of water [2] is syphoned daily from the lake at a greater rate than can be replenished. However, due to the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, compounded with direct leaching due to poor or non-existent irrigation in the
greenhouses, worst off is the contaminated water being returned. Today’s population of 300,000 in the surrounding area is ten-fold of that listed in the 1969 census. Lack of investment in infrastructure equates to poor housing with no access to clean running water (as that available from the lake is polluted), and native Acacia and Euphorbia trees being felled quickly for firewood and to make land for agriculture and poultry farming. The Maasai people, indigenous to the Great Rift Valley, increasingly find their pastoral lifestyle stifled by dwindling resources and land around the lake, which has fallen by 75% since the 1970’s. Local fishermen lament the loss of their catch due to poisonous waters and overfishing to feed the growing population. ‘A Blooming Business’ portrays Lake Naivasha as an unsustainable development, fuelled by corruption and exploitation. Nine years from its release, numerous awareness campaigns have followed suit, raising the pressing need to invest in people and infrastructure. In 2013, the Friends of Naivasha NGO, opened a women’s health centre, using 60% of funds donated from Fair Trade flower farms. It provides for 600 mothers and their new-borns every month; as a result, birth mortality rates from asphyxia have halved. A requisite in the science of a good documentary lies in its ability to challenge the audience to think beyond face value–with A Blooming Business, beyond the aesthetic beauty of cut flowers, and down to their bloody roots in Lake Naivasha.
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[1]
GEOGRAPHICA EOGRAPHICAL C L PROXIMITY IS KE CA K KEY Y: A SIMILAR COLOMBIA AND TH T THE E US, S WITH S, T TH THE PROVIDING THE LATTER T TH E FIRST PROVI V DING TH VI T E LATTE T R WITH TE T 65% OF ITS TH T CUT TS FLOWERS IN 2013. [[2]] [2 DUBBED “VI VIRTUAL V RTUA U L WATER UA W TE WA T R”, TH THERE T ERE IS A INDUSTRY INDUSTR T Y EXISTS TR E ISTS EX T BETWEEN TS
CERTAIN CERTA T IN IRONY IN ITS TA T EXPORT TS E PORT UNDER THE EX T E GUISE OF CUT TH FLOWERS S, FROM A DROUGHT-PRONE COUNTR COUNTRY T Y LIKE TR K KE KE ENYA NYA Y . YA
ARTWORK: CHYI CHUNG
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The Blue Planet II Effect Anna Pitts rides along the waves of impact following David Attenborough’s latest documentary series
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n recent years, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of TV programmes focussing on conservation and the natural world; one of the most noteworthy of these shows in 2017 being Blue Planet II, which received an average audience of 10.9 million per episode. However arguably the greatest success of Blue Planet II is not the stunning cinematography, nor the high viewing numbers, but instead the impact of the show on its audience's consciousness. Hosted by the legendary presenter, Sir David Attenborough, it is perhaps not surprising that Blue Planet II has achieved such success among viewers. Blue Planet II took viewers on a breathtaking journey to explore the world’s oceans, weaving scientific understanding with storytelling to engage new audiences and defy the preconception that you need to be knowledgeable about science to have an interest in conservation. The show goes one step further than other wildlife documentaries to tackle political issues head on, and explicitly challenge perspectives relating to conservation and the impact humans, as a global society, have on the planet.
“Blue Planet II took viewers on a breath-taking journey to explore the world’s oceans, weaving scientific understanding with storytelling to engage new
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audiences and defy the preconception that you need to be knowledgeable about science to have an interest in conservation.” One of the stand-out topics that the Blue Planet II team focused on was the impact of plastic waste on ocean wildlife. The significance of plastic pollution in oceanic environments cannot be overlooked, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters the ocean every year; by 2050, scientists have predicted there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. The creators of the show highlighted the issue in various ways from seabirds mistaking tiny pieces of plastic for food to the shocking extent of the presence of microplastics in marine organisms. Microplastics consist of polyethylene and polyester which are present in plastic shopping bags and clothing, and as demonstrated in Blue Planet II can prove fatal for marine wildlife. Attenborough ended the final episode of the series with this poignant message: “Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about that. Surely, we all have a responsibility to care for our blue planet. The future of humanity and indeed all life on earth now depends on us.” By TV companies making scientific shows about the importance of conservation
part of mainstream viewing, this has already began to have an impact on various areas in society, particularly regarding tackling plastic waste. In recent months, more businesses have been considering their environmental impact and reflecting the growing interest of their clientele in reducing their plastic waste. This can be seen with: major coffee chains giving discounted prices for customers using reusable cups, cafes offering free refills of water bottles, pubs using biodegradable straw alternatives, cosmetic brands creating packaging-free products and even Iceland aiming to be the first major supermarket chain to be plastic-free by 2023. Moreover, the issue of damaging microplastics has received further recognition in politics courtesy of Blue Planet II. The current UK Government has been discussing the show in debates, pledging to ban the manufacture of microbeads and proposing plastic-free supermarket aisles as part of a 25-year environmental plan. Further evidence of the influence of Blue Planet II can be seen with the show winning the ‘Impact’ Trophy at the National Television Awards. Yet even if TV shows like Blue Planet II simply promote discussion by making audiences think deeper about their impact on the environment, and thus putting pressure on businesses and the government to do the same, then their importance in driving conservation forward cannot be dismissed.
Issue 1
Beyond Tinder: Black Mirror simulates true love Jonny Wise explores Black Mirror's exposure to the modern world of digital dating
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mmediately after watching a show, it’s quite rare to find yourself totally unsure of whether to feel gloomy and depressed, or wholly uplifted. After all, these rather polar emotional responses surely have correspondingly distinct triggers, right? And yet, ‘Hang the DJ’—Episode 4 in the latest series of dystopian anthology Black Mirror—has caused many viewers to feel exactly this sort of emotional conflict. In typical Black Mirror style, the story is inspired by a real aspect of our high-tech society—in this case: Tinder. The society depicted appears to be solely focussed around matchmaking. Nobody works or has friends; you just eat, exercise and date. An artificially intelligent orb, ‘Coach’, harvests data regarding your emotional reactions to organised relationships, with the ultimate promise of finding, with 99.8% accuracy, your ‘perfect match’. The two protagonists, Amy and Frank, spend 12 hours together, before moving on to other more prolonged relationships, placing all their trust in Coach’s ability to find their match. However, it becomes more and more apparent that they wish to be together. In the episode’s climax they decide to rebel against the technology pushing them apart, and attempt to escape over the gargantuan walls enclosing the community. It is at this point that the viewer is treated to one of those slackjawed, head-spinning, stupefying twists, as the landscape appears to fall away. Amy and Frank appear, surrounded by 997 versions of themselves that have
all just lived through the same simulation. It turns out that 998 of 1000 simulations resulted in the couple’s escape, giving a success rating of 99.8%—a reference back to the perfect match accuracy promised to the virtual characters. The final layer of mystery is shed in the final scene, set back in the real world, as Frank checks his smartphone to identify his 99.8% match, Amy, who appears across the bar. The whole episode was just a showcase of what went on inside a phone (perhaps in a fraction of a second) in order to set two people up on a date.
"Despite this episode showing humanity’s abandonment of the spontaneity and uncertainty ever-present in traditional love stories, I was left feeling optimistic." The application of cold statistics and predictability to love may seem like a bleak indictment of today’s techobsessed world, but at least the purpose was to enrich people’s real-world experiences. There is also a compelling irony built into the concept: the willingness to rebel against a machine being used as a metric for a perfect match is indicative of the common feeling that technology can be stifling. However, this feeling is built-into the virtual versions of the people
themselves; the technology is designed to resent its own existence, and real people (perhaps begrudgingly) accept its utility on the basis that the result is genuine realworld happiness. Whilst some aspects of the technological capabilities in the episode are left open, ‘Hang the DJ’ brings many relevant philosophical questions to mind. For example, as also seen in the season’s first episode, ‘USS Callister’, viewers are left wondering how to feel about the 1000 versions of Amy and Frank, who are born from ‘sentient code’ and forced to live out their lives essentially as prisoners—their paths may vary, but will always stay within certain constraints. Whilst this concept is slightly far-fetched, the recent surge in development of machine learning, virtual (and augmented) reality and artificial intelligence makes it seem believable. With this, ‘Hang the DJ’ goes from being merely entertaining, to truly thought-provoking and reflective.
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SATNAV’s Evening With: Simon Singh
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imon Singh is a scientific journalist and aut hor, known for his books such as “Fermat’s Last Theorem” and “The Simpsons and t heir Mat hematical Secrets”. Simon has received an honorary doctorate from t he University of Birmingham and has worked wit h companies such as t he BBC and Channel 4. SATNAV Magazine had t he opportunity to not only attend his EPS Christmas Lecture, but also to participate in a roundtable discussion, and have an exclusive interview. Join us as we share wit h you our evening wit h Simon Singh!
Roundtable Discussion Simon Singh joined our SATNAV representatives, along with 7 other keen science and maths students at a roundtable discussion. We were all eager to meet Simon, and ask questions to find out about his career, his books, and his thoughts and opinions on a few topics.
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This conversation kicked off with a delve into Simon’s background, with questions about what inspired him to do maths and science as a child. Simon’s answer was simple: “I t hink I
just grew up in a time when science was a really exciting t hing!” In an era of new
exciting technology, great leaps in particle physics and astronomy, and man’s first landing on the moon, Simon made it clear how enticing science was for him as a child. His love and talent for maths was put down to his fantastic teachers, who he said really stretched him to the best of his ability, allowing him to take on a career in science. This led to a discussion about the apparent divide between maths and science; how maths may be considered a necessary evil by science students, or something to simply struggle through to get to the cool science. Simon spoke about his concern that this can be a very divided community, particularly in schools, when in fact scientists and
mathematicians “are more alike in our interests t han 98% of people out t here!” After we’d covered Simon’s background, the conversation quickly turned to more contemporary topics, including climate change, homeopathy and “bad science” which, Simon explained, “if you don’t challenge, just grows”. He then talked about the responsibility of scientists who do choose to communicate science to the public, arguing that, “if you’re going to devote your precious time to engaging wit h t he public, t hen really take t hat seriously and t hink about who you’re talking to, why you’re doing it, and t he impact you’re having.”
Finally, we wondered if Simon had any words of wisdom to pass on. As someone who has turned such complicated maths into accessible and entertaining books and documentaries, one key question on all of our minds was…how? Simon explained that, because he was not a mathematician, he
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had to learn about it all too, and experienced all the ‘wow’ moments along the way. The discussion ended with some advice for those of us considering going into scientific communication. Simon encouraged that, in an era of YouTube and podcasting, there are no barriers to getting started—“If it works, if you enjoy it, if you learn somet hing from it—great! If not, you haven’t lost anyt hing.”
Exclusive Interview After the roundtable discussion, we were whisked upstairs to the beautiful Elgar Concert Hall, where Simon’s lecture would take place later in the evening. Simon greeted the crew enthusiastically, and we didn’t waste any time getting the cameras rolling so that we could begin chatting. We began by asking Simon about his journey from when he first discovered his love for science to his current career. Hi Simon, t hank you so much for joining us today. We're grateful for t he opportunity to interview you on behalf of SATNAV and EPS. When you first decided to study physics, did you have any
clue t hat it would take you where you are now?
When I was at school I knew I wanted to do physics, and when I did a physics degree I knew I wanted to do a PhD. While I was working on my PhD I could just see other people who were a bit quicker and a bit brighter, and they were the people who were going to go and make great discoveries or do fantastic physics, and I was always going to be trying to catch up---that’s kind of how I saw it, anyway. So, I started thinking towards the end of my PhD: “what else do I like doing?” what else could I do that’s related to science, that could use some of my skills? One of my skills is watching television. So I started thinking about working in television, and was lucky enough to win a BBC traineeship. You just get a sixmonth traineeship, but that’s great--once you have the opportunity to prove that you can tell a story, then six months becomes a year, a year becomes two years, and before you know if you’ve been there six or seven years and had a fantastic time making TV programmes. We then went on to discuss his
career, particularly his popular book “The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets” as well as his other exploits, and eventually found ourselves talking about today’s society and its relationship with science. In a previous issue, SATNAV explored some of t he myt hs and misconceptions t hat have been perpetuated by t he media. What are your t houghts on how scientific communication has developed in an age where people have access to such a range of information and misinformation?
I worked in the media, in the BBC, for years and years. I think science journalists care about science, and we want to be critical about science if necessary, but we want to do our best at reporting it. I think the problem occurs when the non-scientists start getting hold of a story; people who don’t understand statistics, people who want to grab an audience, or be sensationalist, or scaremongering—because that’s what’s going to get people to phone in, or click on their website. There’s also this whole issue of false balance, whereby a scientist who has worked on this topic for twenty years is set against someone
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from a lobby group who takes the opposite view. It looks like it’s a 50:50 debate, like it’s a really controversial question, whereas in fact the science is often settled. There is this idea that the media always needs to have a bit of argy-bargy, but this misrepresents the balance of evidence and misleads the audience. So I think our media does not necessarily serve us very well at the moment. Simon’s response is both refreshing and sobering. Our generation needs to challenge these issues that arise with advances in technology, allowing information to spread like never before. We must ensure that technology is being used to its full effect by spreading facts, and educating people on important matters, rather than perpetuating harmful myths and allowing bad science to flourish. As daunting as that might sound, Simon also speaks of how, unlike any generation before us, the internet can be used as an incredible resource for scientific communication. Do you have any advice for aspiring scientific writers?
The great thing today, which wasn’t the case when I was in my twenties, is that you can just write. Nothing stops anybody writing—you can blog, you can make funny cartoons or animations, you can make YouTube videos. If you’re good, and if there’s an audience for what you’re doing, that will grow. When I wanted to get into television, ITV did a few science programmes, Channel 4 and the BBC also did some, but essentially there may have been 50 jobs in science television, and that was it. Now, whoever has a chance to show what they can do will get an increasingly large audience and become increasingly influential. I think that’s fantastic. Thank you so much for talking wit h us, and we're really looking forward to your lecture.
Thank you. If you would like to see the full interview, in which we discuss Simon’s books and much more, go to www.birmingham.ac.uk/eps/christmaslecture/simonsingh
EPS Christmas Lecture: 'From Theorems to Serums, From Cryptology to Cosmology... and The Simpsons' Simon discussed all his books, with a particular focus on his most recent publication: “The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets”. He began by presenting a snippet from his documentary, Fermat’s Last Theorem, showing mathematician Sir Andrew Wiles crying, revealing the oftenoverlooked emotion behind mathematics. After years of struggle, he had found the solution to Fermat’s Last Theorem, a conjecture that had puzzled mathematicians for centuries.
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Simon then discussed a rather unlikely place for Fermat’s last theorem to show up: The Simpsons. That’s right, the wellknown cartoon comedy show—it contains a vast amount of science and maths. Simon gave a very interesting and informative insight into the show that perhaps many of us hadn’t even considered before. He first noticed the mathematical element in the episode titled “Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” when Homer wants to be an inventor, and he scribbles down a “near-miss” solution to Fermat’s Last Theorem. There’s also a prediction for the mass of the Higgs Boson (fourteen years before it was discovered), references to Schrodinger’s Cat, Euler’s identity and Gauss’ equation describing the distribution of prime numbers. Another topic Simon discussed was the power of suggestion. He explained how this could be a huge reason why people are so drawn to ineffective, and potentially dangerous, alternative medicines and homeopathy. With reference to his book “A Code Book”, Simon first talked about the supposed cryptology hidden in The Bible, with claims of over 3000 predictions of future events subtly arranged within the text which, once pointed out, many people were ready to believe. But after a similar number of predictions were found in a different book—Moby Dick—Simon explained how this is simply down to the sheer number of letters (and human imagination!). Simon reaffirmed this power of suggestibility by playing an extract from “Stairway to Heaven”—first forwards, then backwards. While most of us hadn’t heard any distinct words when first hearing the backwards version, after Simon showed us some supposed satanic references that seemed to fit quite well, we could suddenly hear them clearly. It goes to show not only the extent of how our brains are so evolved to identify patterns but additionally, how susceptible we are to seeking out things not really there. This is why scientists have to be sceptical of unfounded or deceptive science. However, a final thought from Simon was, despite what some may think, “scientists are the most open-minded people in the world. They will believe in incredible things—if you show them the evidence.” We'd like to extend our gratitude to both Simon Singh and the EPS team for giving us the chance to cover this inspiring event. We hope that you can take as much away from this as we did!
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EPS TROPHY 2018
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n Saturday 17th February, the first multidisciplinary sports event in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences took place at UoB. The day consisted of tournaments in football and netball, with trophies awarded to the winners in each as well as an ultimate EPS Trophy for the combined winner. Societies across all of EPS competed, including BUMS, PPS, MathSoc, CivSoc, WISE, EESE, UBRacing, MechSoc, NucSoc, BUCES and UBEco.
FOOTBALL Despite average temperatures of 5°C at the Metchley 3G pitches, 13 teams from 9 societies competed for the title of football champions in a heated competition which left players and spectators forgetting all about the cold. After emerging victorious from the knockout stage, PPS II earned themselves a spot in the quarter-finals. However, any celebrations were short-lived, as their first match was against none other than their companion team: PPS I. In an exhilarating match that pitted coursemate against coursemate, the score remained even throughout—even a tiebreaker penalty shoot-out failed to break the stalemate! The match was finally decided in sudden death, with PPS I stealing a goal, drawing one of the closest matches of the day
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to a nail-biting close. The highly anticipated final between BUMS and EESE did not fail to entertain. After an undeserved own goal which put EESE ahead, the game opened up and chances were flowing. BUMS clawed back an equaliser before half-time with a longrange strike. The second half had equally as many chances but both teams failed to convert, so it went to a dramatic penalty shoot-out. BUMS appeared to be on their way to winning before blundering their 4th and 6th penalties, allowing EESE to clinch a victory. Mohammed, one of the winners from EESE, told SATNAV: "We played [BUMS] in group stages, and they were the toughest opponents we had."
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NETBALL Meanwhile, in the UB Sports and Fitness arena, 7 teams were battling it out for the netball trophy. After winning their first match against CivSoc, MechSoc were confident going up against BUMS. But despite starting off on equal footing, BUMS quickly began to dominate. Throughout the second half, all the action was around MechSoc’s goal post, where they put up a brave defence against BUMS’ goal shooter. But the attack from BUMS proved to be brutal, who managed to secure their place in the semi-finals with a record-breaking 10 goals! Under the euphoria of victory, one of their members exclaimed: “We are the champions—we’ll definitely be back next year!” The day ended with a thrilling final between BUMS and CivSoc. BUMS didn’t hold back, scoring in the first minute
with a fantastic shot from their goal attack, but CivSoc took back control just seconds later and sunk an equaliser. This close fight lasted most of the first half, with complete to-andfro action between the two teams. But after a few near misses from BUMS, we witnessed an incredible quick-play from CivSoc as they scored four consecutive goals in just a few minutes. With strong passes from their centre player and some fantastic distance shots from their goal attack, it was clear CivSoc were starting to dominate. The final minutes showed every player on the court at their best, but CivSoc ultimately claimed a fierce victory of 7-3, making them EPS Trophy netball champions!
As finalists of both the netball and football matches, the ultimate winner of the EPS Trophy 2018, taking the honours as sporting kings and queens of the college, was BUMS! BUMS told SATNAV:
“It’s been really fun. This is the first time the EPS Trophy event is running, so it’s exciting to be part of something new! It’s been great to hear the collective cheer from the people watching—it’s always good to feel supported.” The whole day saw a fantastic celebration of the college and a great coming-together of the EPS societies. SATNAV had the chance to speak to some of the terrific organisers, Curtis Collins, Bee Rich and Zak Viney: “We’re so glad everyone’s come together, it’s nice to see such college spirit. The most rewarding thing has been hearing how much everyone has enjoyed the day and how they can’t wait for next year—I hope we’ve set a legacy! It’s been a lot of effort to organise, and we’ve definitely learned a lot for next year, but it’s been absolutely worth it!”
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Genetic Determinism in GATTACA Jayde Martin challenges the deceiving depiction of genetic determinism in GATTACA
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ATTACA portrays a dystopian society governed by scientific truths; however, its genetic science is more of fictive speculation. The only truth one can find in the film is that GATC are the initials used for the base proteins that code for DNA. In the world where Vincent (our protagonist conceived without the influence of genetic engineering) is raised, all genetically inherited conditions can be determined with a simple heel prick test at birth. This test, also known as Guthrie’s test (after its pioneer, an American microbiologist) has real-life medicinal basis; it is known to detect inherited diseases, such as phenylketonuria (PKU), MCADD, congenital hypothyroidism, sickle cell disorder (SCD) and cystic fibrosis (CF). However, GATTACA’s rendition of the Guthrie test is manipulated to be a catch-all conditions test, capable of finding all probable (and somewhat vague) genetic disorders and diseases; for Vincent, neurological conditions, manic depression and congenital conditions apparently occur at a likelihood of 60%, 80% and 99% respectively. In reality, congenital and neurological conditions are far too vague to test for. Additionally, the likelihood percentage given (especially that of 99%) is ridiculously misleading; this is obvious through looking at the ways in which genetic scientists study inheritance. Genetic expression is extremely dependent on environmental factors. The politics of understanding the causation of some conditions, such as manic depression, mean physical susceptibility to the illness cannot be its sole consideration. A person who develops a genetically determined
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condition has both genetic predisposition through the defective alleles they possess and exposure to an environment that caters to its genetic expression. An array of tests to best account for multi-factors is required for this speculation of genetic science to hold any remote resemblance to actual post-natal diagnostic procedures. The fundamental construct of the society within GATTACA relies heavily on what two science philosophers, Resnik and Vorhaus, have debunked as falsely assumed “strong genetic determinism”. This is the belief that genetic science can predict the expression of genes within a person to 95% or above. When Vincent’s parents create their second child through the intervention of their local geneticist, the geneticist describes the “removal” of any probabilities of obesity and other apparent genetic conditions the child is likely to have. This would assume that such probability is high enough to warrant the interference of an engineer—something that genetic science cannot currently do, and most likely due to the nature of genetic inheritance, will not be able to predict.
“…critical analysis on the genetic science in GATTACA should rule it out as irresponsibly fictitious. It communicates bad science to a wider audience; one that may not be specifically trained within genetics to fully understand the potential of post-natal gene therapy.” On the basis of science fiction,
should we let this representation of genetic science slide? I would argue that no, we should not. Unlike string theory in Rick and Morty or time travel in Dr. Who, genetic science is used as a therapy to help disabled people. It touches the very life experiences and identities of individuals, and possibly creates misconceptions around gene therapy treatments that could ease serious illnesses. Therefore, critical analysis on the genetic science in GATTACA should rule it out as irresponsibly fictitious. It communicates bad science to a wider audience; one that may not be specifically trained within genetics to fully understand the potential of postnatal gene therapy. GATTACA does, however, pick up on the eugenics ethics currently underpinning the practices of genetic counselling for those carrying affected alleles and the selective abortion of possibly disabled children. These issues have resulted in what is termed as “designer babies”. GATTACA is a good example for the worst case scenario if such an “art” of discrimination were made a science, although the portrayal of its medical diagnostics has questionable real-life implications with regards to the representation of medical treatments for genetically disabled people.
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How deep is your learning? Jahan Hadidimoud explores the possibility of artificial intelligence as the next digital revolution.
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he movie 'Her' stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly; a man living in the near future, who purchases an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) as easily as purchasing any other electrical item. The AI system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) names herself Samantha, and quickly learns how to communicate with Theodore. As the film progresses, Theodore finds himself falling in love with Samantha, as she provides a nurturing presence that his life has recently lacked. The film questions the possibility of AI that is so human-like that the line between real and virtual becomes blurred. AI has recently grown huge in interest due to speech assistants such as Apple's Siri, Google’s Assistant and Amazon's Alexa, which help to provide information in a much more casual way than conventional web searches. Progress was made in early stages when assistants could reply to questions based on information previously given, creating a sort of short-term memory which improved customer satisfaction. These systems, however, are purely built for consumer use. Much more advanced AI systems have been developed that have beaten many world champions at their own games, for instance, Google's 'AlphaGo' defeated Ke Jie at the ancient Chinese board game, Go. As with many things, there are people for and against AI. Arguments in
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support range from economic reasons, to pure scientific curiosity. The reasons against are just as obvious; AI could take over entire sectors and leave millions jobless, or perhaps we, as mere mortals, shouldn't be playing god. Will AI take over the world? Will it ever pull the plug on mankind in the same way some of mankind hopes it can pull the plug on it? Maybe it's the branding of AI as an "artificial brain" that scares people when they hear of superadvanced systems that can make decisions. Will these potentially evil, soulless entities travel down through their power cables, into the national grid, and onto our computers where they'll hack the mainframe (whatever that means) and destroy the planet? No. I don't think so. The future possibilities of AI's use are endless, but one particularly hyped venture is producing intelligent driverless cars. Although driverless cars are already in production, with a current system from market leader Tesla being very successful, there are still improvements to be made. Advanced AI car systems will go further than simply determining when to turn, or apply the brakes, they will also have the ability to make crucial decisions for the driver—a well-debated topic that raises philosophical questions about how we programme AI to think. For example, if some pedestrian jumps onto
the road, who should the car prioritise? You or the pedestrian? These questions have no objective right or wrong answer, but seeing how companies face these problems will be interesting. Possibly the scariest form of AI we're familiar with are those like Hanson Robotics’ Sophia—the human mask covering a metal skeleton, with the brain area left exposed, can leave us confused on how to feel. Sophia has appeared on TV shows and conducted interviews where she's asked questions you would only ask a non-human. Maybe it's her 8-bit facial expressions, or her awkwardly long pauses before the punchlines to her “dad jokes”, but Sophia certainly doesn’t feel like the finished article to AI droids, particularly after hearing Scarlett Johansson’s AI character speak so fluently. It looks like AI's going to be very popular in the near future; the more it learns, the better it'll get and the more popular it will become. Even if AI isn't the 'Ex-Machina'-looking droids we see in movies, it will certainly have uses in our everyday lives more practical than stabbing us, or making us fall in love with its voice.
"AI could take over entire sectors and leave millions jobless"
PICTURE: KAANENORI NENORI
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How slow can you go? Federico Abatecola unravels the mystery behind the slo-mo phenomena
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he slow-motion effect is a film technique which often occurs in modern cinema and is based on the concept that, by increasing the frame rate at which a film is recorded and maintaining the same playback speed, the viewer will perceive time to slow down. This technique lends itself to a variety of uses: from the comical purposes during the early years of cinema; to Scorsese’s alienating scenes in which slow-motion serves to detach the characters’ view from the world surrounding them. A prime example is Taxi Driver, where De Niro’s alienation and incapability to reintegrate into society is visually represented in the opening credits. In Raging Bull, the slow-motion effect has two meanings: when combined with Point-Of-View (POV) shots it helps to communicate a character’s altered emotional state (sometimes paranoid or a heightened state of awareness); while the effect is also integrated into boxing scenes to highlight and immerse the viewer into the sport’s violence and intensity. The latter is probably the most common use of the technique nowadays and, since the release of The Matrix, slow-motion has become extremely popular in action films to show impactful, yet rapid, moments in greater detail. However, can these ‘slowed down moments’ be experienced in real life? Reports of slow-motion-like experiences are actually quite common.
"While in films, the viewer is given more frames to observe and process,
similarly in real-life there can be situations in which the brain, driven by the danger of death, processes more information than it normally would, creating a similar effect." Noyes and Kletti (1976, 1977) concluded in two different studies that 75% and 72% of participants experienced external time slowing down during an accident. These situations were characterised by two key factors: the element of surprise; and the threat of imminent danger. In addition to altered perception of external time, the participants’ experiences were accompanied by increased mental sharpness and clarity. These abilities, however, are only useful in a life-threatening scenario because, even if in some cases they can be vital for survival, they are highly energyconsuming. From a neuroscientific point of view, studies have revealed that the enhancement of cognitive processes originates from the locus coeruleus, where noradrenaline is synthesised, which causes us to be faster and more attentive. Therefore, the anomalous input of new information will lead to an anomalous temporal experience. There are also rarer cases in which time slows down or freezes in unthreatening situations.
Injury to the V5 and V1 regions (two of the over thirty specialised processing areas of the visual cortex) can lead to Akinetopsia: a disorder which causes patients to see objects but not their motion. This fascinating disorder is extremely rare, as such an injury would most likely interfere with more than one visual function. In conclusion, the brain’s view of the world is similar to films in some respects. It has been demonstrated that the brain does not observe the world continuously but rather in rapid snapshots, like frames in a film. Slowmotion perception can be considered a circumstance in which our brains input a higher number of snapshots. Moreover, it is possible to see a loose similarity between these real-life situations and the use of slow-motion in some films. Its use in Raging Bull and hundreds of other motion pictures depicting violence, shootings, car crashes and other terribly dangerous scenes, might portray what we would actually experience in real life.
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SATNAV’s Evening With: Professor David Phillips
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for joining us today. As a University of Birmingham alumnus, what’s it like being back, and are t here any noticeable changes?
Exclusive Interview
The biggest change of all, of course, is the size...and I think the quality of the university. It is 10 times larger than when I was here in terms of number of students—there were only 3500 when I was here. And I think the international reputation of the university, as it is now, is incomparable—it is a top university in the world, and you sense that when you’re on the campus. So it’s good to come home, as it were, but to a much larger home.
rofessor David Phillips CBE FRS, Past President of the Royal Society of Chemistry and University of Birmingham alumnus, gave this year’s EPS Distinguished Lecture. Starting his journey as a Birmingham undergraduate in 1957, he went on to have an extremely successful and fulfilling academic career in photochemistry. Here you can see SATNAV’s coverage of the Distinguished Lecture and round table discussion, as well as our exclusive interview.
To kick off the evening, SATNAV met with Professor David Phillips for an exclusive interview. To see the video interview, go to www.birmingham.ac.uk/eps/distinguish ed/davidphillips Professor Phillips, t hank you so much
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Do you have any memories of your time at t he University of Birmingham t hat really stick out in your mind?
On the evening of 22nd November 1963, I visited the union bar, which was normally a very lively place. As I went over that evening, I heard the news about the assassination of John F.
Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. The atmosphere was like I had never experienced before, or since…it was very subdued, and people were weeping. He was such a popular president, and represented hope for young people across the world. It had added poignancy for me because I had, by then, accepted to do a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas. Was t here anyt hing in particular t hat drew you to t he field of photochemistry?
In Texas, I was particularly concerned with what happens to a molecule when you excite it with light, and how the energy that it gains could be dissipated. One way is chemical decomposition, which I’d been studying in Birmingham. Luminescence is another—giving out of light as fluorescence or phosphorescence—that has come to have enormous significance in areas like microscopy. Also, intriguingly, some molecules
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absorb light…and then do nothing. The energy is dissipated as heat, and so you see no obvious sign of it having absorbed light. This intrigued me: why would some molecules do that, and others do interesting things, like decompose or fluoresce? Understanding the structure of the molecules, which dictated their fates, became a kind of obsession for me. You've previously expressed views about t he public's scepticism on nuclear power. How do you t hink its reputation could be improved in a time when t he eradication of fossil fuels is becoming increasingly vital?
I gave those views at a time when I firmly believed the hole in our generation capacity could only be filled by nuclear power. However, other renewable forms of power have progressed much faster than we thought. If we could crack the energy storage problem, we could store electrical energy from sunlight, or wind and wave power, and then we’d have no need for other generating forms. In 10 or 20 years’ time I don’t think we will still be looking into nuclear power, but
in the short term, we should be. But how do we convince people we need to do this? Well, running out of energy would be one way, and we are in danger of doing that! The other is to engage with the public in a way that recognises their fears but gives potent reasons for why we should be doing this. For our next issue, SATNAV are focusing on 'The Science of Film and TV'. Have t here been any science films or TV shows t hat you've found particularly influential?
I’m very old-fashioned in my views on this. Until 1967, I didn’t have a television set, so radio broadcasts were the most influential for me. But what were a must for me when I was younger were the BBC TV Horizon programmes. I thought they were a model for what we should be doing—the presenters were usually behind the scenes and conducted things out of the limelight. The modern style is that most of the programme is about the presenter rather than the science they’re trying to get across. Personally, I’d rather know about the science!
Do you have any career ambitions you're still hoping to achieve?
I would like to see an appreciation of chemistry amongst the general public, and for it to regain the position it had in the 1950s. I think that we as a subject haven’t worked hard enough to get across the general utility and beauty of chemistry. It’s something I try to do by giving public lectures. I have also had some wonderful people working for me over the years. Seeing my students succeed is something I have enjoyed, and I look forward to even better things in the future.
Roundtable Discussion A group of 11 science and engineering students sat down with Professor Phillips to find out more about his illuminating life and career. The roundtable discussion focused on David’s opinion of the changing landscape of higher education and his time spent working abroad (especially in the USA and USSR). As a proud Birmingham alumnus and longstanding academic, David began by reflecting on his time as a chemistry
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student 60 years ago. He acknowledged the differences between then and now: only a 5% minority of young people held a university degree, compared to 45% nowadays. As advice to the current generation of young adults, David emphasised the importance of “selling yourself well” and “not to neglect other attributes that you have—be it sportsman, musician or linguist—as assets that should come to the fore”. Moreover, he remarked that “the UK has lost sight of the role of technicians within its scientific community”, highlighting that the skills of a scientist and a technician are very different, complementary and equally important. He feels passionately about the issue, and had campaigned for better promotion of technical careers (alongside scientific ones) when he was President of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Recalling his time in the Soviet Union he gave the unique perspective of a westerner in Russia during the height of the cold war. When asked about the similarities and differences between studying in the UK and in Soviet Russia, he addressed the lack of equipment available to academics (due to sanctions) and how institutions suffered as a result—an often overlooked side-effect of living in a politically tense era. David also described some of the more unexpected aspects of his time in the USSR. For instance, being taught Russian, using the Russian State library despite their strict policies on checking out books, and more daunting aspects such as being "the only Westerner working in an institute of 2,000 people". It was more-so these cultural changes that he had to become accustomed to, as he found the science itself to be fairly universal with few differences in practice. Despite these difficulties, David spoke highly of his time abroad and gave the overwhelming impression to the students that these rare opportunities shouldn't be missed.
Lecture: Light up Your Life As Professor Phillips began setting up for his lecture, familiar faces began filing in. The front row of the theatre was soon filled by the Class of 1961; David’s peers from his time at the University of Birmingham. Surrounded by old friends, David began the lecture by reminiscing about his time at Birmingham with old photos of the campus and community. He gave both heartfelt and amusing anecdotes; for example, as dedicated chemists David and his peers used to sneak back into the Haworth Building in the evenings through an open window to work on their experiments! His career in chemistry took him from Birmingham to Texas, and then to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Moscow where he worked on producing light from dyes.
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To demonstrate a modern application of this, David began throwing glow sticks to members of the audience! Having completely immersed himself in the Russian culture, David told us stories of dancing with Bolshoi ballerinas, and of colleagues with impressive tolerances for vodka! He then returned to the UK to work as a professor at the University of Southampton, before moving to the Royal Institution and finally to Imperial College London where he has been for 28 years. David went on to demonstrate some of the applications of photochemistry. He showed the fluorescence induced by electrical current by holding a fluorescent light tube against a plasma ball lamp, causing it to glow only up to where he was holding it. He also talked about his work in medicine, particularly in photodynamic therapy cancer treatment where dye is injected into the body and irradiated, causing it to become toxic and kill cancer cells. A particularly amusing demonstration involved a glass baby filled with the yellow chemical bilirubin that, in excess, is responsible for jaundice. David showed that it is not normally water soluble by filling the baby with water and shaking vigorously, noting that the liquids didn’t mix. However, after irradiating it with blue light, the bilirubin dissolved in the water and was able to be flushed out. This is how jaundice is cured in newborns. He then gave us an insight into some of his career highlights including being invited to lunch at Buckingham Palace, signing the Royal Society Charter Book and giving a lecture to over a thousand people in Berlin. David ended the lecture with some words of inspiration: enjoy life, do what you’re interested in rather than taking the safe options, and seize the opportunities that come your way. The lecture then drew to a close and both lecturer and attendees filed down to the Haworth Building foyer for a reception and a chance to discuss the lecture. The space was buzzing with energy from David's exploration into his life, and he had clearly struck a chord with scientists and nonscientists alike. Towards the end of term when students were starting to feel the stress of impending deadlines, it was amazing to see how David had reinvigorated their love for science. He made his field of work sound accessible, fascinating and truly fun! One attendee told SATNAV the following: "When he told stories of his life it felt like I was there with him. It's made me so excited to see where science might take me."
SATNAV would like to thank David Phillips and the EPS team for the opportunity to get involved with this incredible evening, as well as the interview and the roundtable discussion. May 2018 | SATNAV | 23
Diagnosing Edward Cullen Haneef Akram explores the biomedical mechanism underlying vampirism
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he Twilight movies offer exposure to the supernatural world of vampires and werewolves. The idea of vampires has been around for centuries, across many cultures including the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria in the 18th century, which resulted in corpses being staked and people being falsely accused of vampirism. However, was this superstition a result of misunderstanding a debilitating genetic disease? And if so, was Edward Cullen a sufferer? The disease in question is called congenital erythropoietic porphyria, also known as Gunther's disease. This is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to a faulty enzyme. The defective enzyme is unable to catalyse efficiently, leading to the accumulation of toxic metabolites known as porphyrins. This causes symptoms that are characteristically vampire-like, and could perhaps explain the hysteria surrounding vampires in early Europe. One of the symptoms of Gunther's disease is photosensitivity. While Edward's skin sparkles upon exposure to sunlight, sufferers of Gunther's disease exhibit scarring on the skin that’s exposed, such as on the face and hands. This is because porphyrias can absorb UV light which causes damage to the skin. In the long term, structures such as the eyes, ears and fingers undergo progressive mutilation—could this explain why vampires tend to avoid sunlight, and prefer the cover of the dark? Edward, like other vampires, has an ill-looking, greyish complexion. This
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could be explained by the damage porphyrins cause to the haemoglobin in our red blood cells—the reddish pigment responsible for our skin’s vibrant complexion. In combination with a rational fear of sunlight, perhaps this is the reason for a vampire’s iconic lifeless appearance.
"Gunther's disease sufferers are known to be hypersensitive to strong smells, which could explain why vampires are warded off by garlic." Those with Gunther's disease often display red or reddish-brown teeth. This could give the impression that the 'vampires' drink blood, when in reality it is due to the build-up of red-coloured porphyrins. Despite this, Edward does, in fact, need to consume blood to sustain himself. The movies show how his eyes darken, and bruises appear under his eyes, after long periods without feeding. These symptoms are similar to, but significantly milder than the ulcers and cornea scarring that sufferers of Gunther's disease experience from exposure to sunlight. Furthermore, as is typical of most vampires, Edward has a heightened sense of smell. Gunther's disease sufferers are known to be hypersensitive to strong smells, which could explain why vampires are warded off by garlic. On the other hand, Edward’s superhuman strength questions whether he was truly a sufferer of Gunther's disease. His ability to crush
cars and have muscular tissue equivalent in strength to granite would be severely compromised if he were a sufferer. Gunther's disease causes osteoporosis, a condition which weakens the bones over time and can cause severe fatigue even from minimal physical exertion. The Twilight movies featured Edward in some pretty dramatic fight scenes, which is completely atypical of Gunther's disease sufferers. Nervous manifestations are also common in sufferers of Gunther's disease. This ranges from mild hysteria to manic-depressive psychoses and delirium, and was a major factor to instil fear into the superstitious communities of Europe. Edward, however, is known to be quick-witted, and has maintained a relatively stable mental state throughout the Twilight movies, negating the fighting he has endured for love. It seems that Edward does display some of the symptoms of Gunther's disease, such as the pale complexion, heightened sense of smell and sensitivity to light. He does not, however, exhibit the more debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, disfigured body parts and osteoporosis. It could be proposed that he suffers from a milder form of the disease, along with inherited supernatural capabilities. It would also be fair to say that perhaps he suffers from vitamin D deficiency due to inadequate exposure to sunlight. The confirmation of this diagnosis would, however, require him to provide a blood sample—something Edward would be unlikely to agree to.
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AstroSoc present: Tea, Talk and Telescope
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n Thursday 8th February, AstroSoc held one of their much-awaited Tea, Talk and Telescope evenings. These are a series of termly public lectures organised by AstroSoc, with a friendly reception and refreshments, and the chance to observe the night sky with their telescopes—weather permitting! This time, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Sarah Matthews, head of the solar group at the Mullard Space Science Lab at UCL. Dr. Matthews’ talk was titled “Living in the Atmosphere of a Star: Studying the Sun from Space and the Ground”. While she mentioned that the sun could be considered the most mundane astrophysical object, Dr. Matthews made a strong case for why so many researchers study it. Firstly, our Earth’s atmosphere is heavily influenced by the
Sun, so it’s crucial we understand it. Secondly, Dr. Matthews urged that “the Sun is our laboratory for astrophysics”. Being so close to the Sun means we have the opportunity to study it with unprecedented resolution. Simply put, understanding the Sun’s activity allows us to better understand other stars. After explaining why we should study the Sun, Dr. Matthews continued by describing how. She talked about both ground and space telescopes, and showed us some of the phenomena they’ve captured, from solar prominences to ‘sunquakes’. She also discussed the Solar Orbiter, a Sunobserving satellite which will launch in the next couple of years. With the ability to orbit closer to the Sun than ever before, it is amongst the most scientifically ground-breaking telescopes created. As Dr. Matthews
quite rightly put, “it’s a great time to be a solar physicist!” "AstroSoc's TTT is always a successful event and this term was no exception. Dr. Matthews' talk on solar physics was fascinating, and our members enjoyed a hands-on experience with the telescopes (despite the cloudy weather)" - Alice Perry, AstroSoc Events Officer
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Space Travel & Exploration in Popular Culture Nicholas Folidis explores space travel in popular culture: yesterday, today, and tomorrow
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pace travel and exploration is a subject that never ceases to amaze and that is apparent in popular culture. The birth of the Space Age, after the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1, kickstarted the science fiction industry and subsequently led to the production of hit, spacerelated movies and TV series. Neil Armstrong shook the world by taking a “giant leap for manking” by setting foot on the Moon for the first time back on July 20, 1969. Yet, it was visionary filmmakers and directors that managed to travel farther into space. Director Stanley Kubrick's profound and futurist film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ is a prelude to the Apollo 11 mission. It is a film of space travel and the discovery of extra-terrestrial intelligence, that predicted a lot of the technologies currently in use. In the movie, Kubrick foresees the moon landing and the creation of a Space Station that constantly orbits the Earth. One could even say that he in a way envisioned NASA’s New Frontiers Program –a series of space exploration missions within the Solar System. In Kubrick’s world, nuclear-powered spacecraft Discovery One (XD-1) is sent on a mission to Jupiter, manned with five astronauts and an intelligent AI computer, HAL 9000. In ‘Star Wars’, smuggler Hans Solo and his mate Chewbacca travel and fight through space on their Corellian light freighter, Millennium Falcon. Comparatively, in ‘Star Trek’, space
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explorer Captain Kirk and his crew, go on interstellar adventures travelling at faster-than-light speeds aboard starship USS Enterprise in places “where no man has gone before”. Even before all that, in BBC’s perennial show ‘Doctor Who’, renegade Time Lord from planet Gallifrey, simply known as
“The Doctor”, travels through time and space to defend the Universe together with his companions in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space). In more recent years, following the birth of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, a new interest sparked around space travel and exploration. Musk’s audacious plan involves sending the first humans to Mars as early as 2024, with the intension of colonising and terraforming Earth’s neighbouring planet, i.e. engineering its environment
by deliberately modifying its climate as well as surface, thus making the planet hospitable to humans. Christopher Nolan depicts a similar idea in his film ‘Interstellar’, where a team of astronauts
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and scientists along with robots CASE and TARS, as part of NASA’s Project
Endurance, embark on a voyage through a space wormhole –the passage to a distant galaxy near the black hole
exploratory missions to Mars. In the movie, marooned astronaut Mark Watney, of the Ares III mission to Mars, has to survive in the inhospitable red planet relying solely on his intelligence and creativity in order to signal to Earth that he is alive. When it comes to space travel and space exploration, popular culture not only entertains but it has also helped to inspire, in times where inspiration was needed. It has reflected –and keeps reflecting– the ever-growing public interest in space, which motivates and drives the politics behind space exploration. That same interest has stimulated the imagination of scientists and engineers who made spaceflight possible and still continue to advance aerospace science and technology at a pace that could even turn Elon Musk’s vision of “making humans a multiplanetary species” into a reality, within our lifetimes. One thing is for certain, the future of space travel and exploration is an exciting one!
Gargantua– in order to identify a planet that can sustain human life, and ultimately establish a colony there, to ensure humanity’s survival. Nevertheless, it was Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian’ that took NASA’s Mars Exploration program one step further by imagining a series of manned
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What is SATNAV? SATNAV is the student-led bi-annual science magazine at the University of Birmingham. If you have an interest in scientific writing then this is a great opportunity to get some experience and practice. We cater to a wide range of scientific tastes from psychology to quantum physics! The committee provides editors and feedback aiming to create an informative, factual and interesting magazine, with an issue published at the end of the Autumn and Spring Terms. At SATNAV, we encourage creativity in expressing our interests in science. As well as accepting written submissions to the magazine, we also accept artwork submissions!
How can I get involved? Enjoy writing about your favourite science topics? Want to give it a go? We want to hear from you! Get in touch with us at satnav@guild.bham.ac.uk or alternatively, any of the committee members. Join our society at guildofstudents.com Join our Facebook group and like our page: S.A.T.N.A.V. Magazine Follow us on twitter: @satnav See our previous issues: issuu.com/satnavmag Read our website: tiny.cc/satnav