ISSUE 13
Science And Technology News And Views Magazine
EDITOR'S LETTER From various doomsday theories to the many myths about space, there are several long-held misconceptions surrounding science, making this theme both difficult but captivating to cover. In a world of alternative facts, communicating science both effectively and efficiently is critical to relaying scientifically accurate ideas. Our articles cover a broad range of common concepts to the lesser well known, exploring counter-intuitive and surprising myths, while also discussing the dangers of believing them. This 13th edition of the magazine is packed with reviews, news articles and opinions on scientific news. Across the university, we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by rich exemplary research and equally brilliant staff and alumni. The magazine has tried to capture that this year through covering the EPS distinguished lecture series. This
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semester we had the opportunity to interview the Computer Science and Electronics alumnus, Osman Kent. As an EPS Society, we were also able to build contacts within the college and a future goal is to develop this further; this semester we held a writing workshop with Liz Bell, from the universities’ press office, where she gave an insight to science communication and media. Next year, we hope to continue to do the same. We would like to take this time to thank everyone who has written an article or submitted artwork, without which the issue would not exist. We are also grateful to the University of Birmingham Robotics society and the Astronomical society who have contributed to the magazine. After a successful year, we have managed to print 3x more copies of the magazine than last year and double our membership.
Every year, the society elects a new committee to run the magazine. All roles are open to all students across campus. The committee consists of students from a range of disciplines. You don’t have to be doing a degree with a background in science - just have an interest to take part. Congratulations to the new committee who have been recently elected! We are always welcoming new members and input so please don’t hesitate to contact us if interested. Have thoughts on our next theme or would like to share your ideas? We are always open for article submissions and would love to hear from you.
Sara Jebril Chair and Editor of SATNAV Physics, 2017
CONTENTS THE SATNAV TEAM: Chair Sara Jebril SMJ472@student.bham.ac.uk Vice Chair Marion Cromb MXC414@student.bham.ac.uk Treasurer Mel Jack MXJ505@student.bham.ac.uk Secretary Daniel Thomas DXT439@student.bham.ac.uk Layout Editors Marion Cromb MXC414@student.bham.ac.uk Federico Abatecola FXA551@student.bham.ac.uk Life Sciences Editor Joanna Chustecki JMC430@student.bham.ac.uk Physical Sciences Editor Kitty Morelli-Batters KIM481@student.bham.ac.uk Technology and Review Editor Philippa Jefferies PAJ390@student.bham.ac.uk Copy Editor Isabelle Hayden ILH600@student.bham.ac.uk Publicity Editor Amy Cunningham AXC527@student.bham.ac.uk Website Manager Matt Scourfield MRS493@student.bham.ac.uk
Issue 13
ARTICLES
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10 11 12 14 16 18 19
Biometric Data Zane Ali
MSG: The Facts Mel Jack
STEM Society Spotlight UBRobotics
Trophy Hunting Daniel Thomas
Seahorses Chyi Chung
Delusions of Gender Marion Cromb
Deadly Pennies? Stephen Ashlee
10% Brain Capacity Anna Pitts
Chemtrail Conspiracies Bethany Rothwell Osman Kent Interview by Philippa Jefferies, Joanna Chustecki, and Sara Jebril Return of the Leeches Philippa Jefferies
My Momma Always Told Me A poem by Jade Sadler
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MSG: The Facts
How Safe is Your Biometric Data? Recently, Japanese researchers at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) have managed to recreate fingerprints based on photos taken up to three metres away from the subject. High profile members of public, such as celebrities, would likely be at greatest risk of their biometric data being stolen this way, however, NII researcher Isa Echizen suggested that anyone’s fingerprints could be made widely available “just by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera”. As mainstream camera technology becomes more advanced, the practice of uploading pictures to social media will make more people susceptible to biometric data theft. The NII has proposed a thin titanium oxide film which would hide the prints of anyone wearing them, but will still allow users to interface with fingerprint security systems. However, this film will not be available for at least two years and requires users to know when they are going to be photographed in order to protect themselves. Traditional security systems have always relied on identifying users based on either what they know (passwords) or what they own (cards and tokens). If compromised, these can easily be replaced, but how do you change your fingerprint or retina pattern once stolen? Zane Ali
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Monosodium glutamate (or MSG as it is more commonly known) has long been slated as a dangerous food additive, having been speculated to cause the famous nausea and headache-inducing ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ that some individuals suffer after eating Chinese food. But, is MSG really as bad as it’s been made out to be? Like sodium chloride, monosodium glutamate is a salt, but of the amino acid glutamic acid rather than chlorine. MSG is used in food to give it an ‘umami’, or savoury taste. As an additive, it isn’t used too widely in western cuisine. In Asia, it is far more widespread, so it isn’t uncommon to see it as an ingredient in Chinese restaurants or snacks. MSG can be found naturally occurring in many foods. It probably isn’t surprising that MSG aids in giving steak its meaty flavour, but it can also be found in tomatoes and cheese. Even if MSG isn’t listed on the labels of food, the natural abundance means that it would be difficult to choose a diet that was free of MSG. In fact, the average person will take in about 13 grams of
glutamate each day just from their natural protein intake. Many studies have been done into the effects of MSG on humans and on animals, but no real conclusive results have been gained. Dr John Olney of Washington University ran tests on both mice and monkeys, with huge doses of MSG causing the development of brain damage in both cases. However, it should be noted that the MSG was injected into the mice, and the results in monkeys have failed to be reproduced by 19 other research studies. Studies in humans showed that taking MSG orally before a meal didn’t cause any difference in the development of ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ compared to placebo. Since glutamic acid is naturally present in our bodies, it seems a little ridiculous to think that it would be the root cause of this ‘Chinse Restaurant Syndrome’, much less the more outrageous claims of it causing cancer or brain damage. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why we should strive to cut down our MSG intake, so both steak lovers and Chinese cuisine enthusiasts can rest easy. Mel Jack
Issue 13
STEM SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT
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he University of Birmingham Robotics Club (UBRobotics) is just celebrating its second birthday. The club provides the opportunity for students from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences to learn more about robotics, electronics and programming, and gives its members the chance to experience lots of varied robotics activities. This year the club was kindly invited to participate in the work now being conducted with new industrial robot arms, recently installed in the School of Engineering Robotics Laboratory. Two of the four arms installed are cutting-edge 7-axis collaborative robot arms from KUKA, a leading manufacturer. These valuable robots have great flexibility and can carry up to 14kg of weight. Some of the sophisticated features that they include are torque sensors on all joints, and the ability to work alongside a human operator, in a collaborative manner. Previous generations of industrial robots have always been contained within sturdy safety screens, as they move with great speed and power and could easily cause injury. Collaborative robot arms are designed to be sensitive to external forces and this, when coupled with other more sophisticated sensors and control systems, allows the robot to function alongside a human in total safety. Club members have assisted other students in configuring and testing the new robots. Much of this time has been spent learning how to operate and program with the KUKA ‘Sunrise’ control cabinet and operating software. The arms will ultimately be used in
A CUTTING-EDGE KUKA ROBOT ARM PICTURED WITH TWO UBROBOTICS MEMBERS PHOTO: UBROBOTICS
major research projects and, as part of demonstrative labs for undergraduate students. We are grateful to have been given the chance to contribute to the robotics work in the School. Previously, the club has been heavily involved in the ‘Eurobot’ robotics competition. This international competition attracts hundreds of competitors from universities across the world. Last year the UBRobotics team were proud to take 3rd place in the United Kingdom, and to attend the International Finals in Paris, an exciting experience, and our first taste of international competition. The students who played a part in this project gained an excellent appreciation of many skills including project management and had a fantastic time in Paris, representing the University and meeting many enthusiastic people from many other countries. Technology that the club has applied to Eurobot includes Arduino microcontrollers, ultrasound and infrared for object detection, colour sensing, optical flow sensors, Raspberry Pi, servo and stepper motors, and motors with rotary encoders. This academic year the club has also run weekly tutorials for new members. Covering topics ranging from Arduino programming to amateur electronics,
these have been well received and it is hoped that they will ensure that skills and knowledge are transferred from the more experienced students to the newcomers, and help the club to develop. The establishment of a club workshop room in the School of Engineering was another major step forwards. Equipped with two 3D printers, two PCs, a workbench and many tools, it has become the home of the club, and has already proven to be of great utility. 3D printing has been a major interest of our members, and we have experimented extensively with this remarkable technology. UBRobotics is very grateful to the support we receive from the School of Engineering staff, in terms of encouragement, interest, and financial help. Thank you also to the Alumni Hands Up Fund, which has generously donated to the club this year and last. If you are interested in joining the club, or learning more about what we do, please have a look at our Facebook group facebook.com/groups/brum.robotics/, and come along to one of our meetings, we look forward to meeting you.
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ARTWORK: MARION CROMB
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The Troubling Truth of Trophy Hunting Daniel Thomas explores the surprising potential benefits of trophy hunting
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here are many factors responsible for the dwindling populations of certain animal species, such as poaching and loss of habitat. Similarly, trophy hunting (the act of paying an agency to legally kill specific animals) can be a huge risk to animal populations, and has been known to receive a lot of attention in the media. It is particularly shocking, then, to find out that certain cases of well-organised trophy hunting have in fact helped the population of animal species. Of course, killing animals is not ordinarily an effective method of helping animals. However, if the end result is a consistent increase in population, could it be defined as such? A 'good' process for animal conservation must first be defined: if the population increases consistently as a result of a process, it could be considered beneficial. Of course, there are other factors to consider, such as the animal's quality of life, but that is a whole new can of worms. If only a handful of animals were left of a certain species, an increase in population is usually the top priority. So, are there examples where trophy hunting has had a measurable, positive impact? In South Africa, a portion of the proceeds from trophy hunting is given directly to landowners, which incentivises the protection of local wildlife. Currently, one third of white rhinos in South Africa live on private property, and their population has increased from around 100 to 18,000 in the past century[1]. Although this is the result of a large combination of factors, it is thought that the well-managed trophy hunting has played a significant
part. Also, in Namibia, revenue from trophy hunting is the main way in which new wildlife conservancies are funded[2], by giving 100% of concessions to the local communities. A lot of conservation schemes currently rely on the revenue from trophy hunting, and so if it were banned, there would have to be an immediate and significant increase in revenue from alternatives. These alternatives include eco-tourism, such as safaris. As stated by Jason G. Goldman, animal behaviour researcher and science writer: "Current economic and
"If Westerners wish to ban trophy hunting, then it seems they need to put their money where their mouth is, and pay a lot more for their photo safaris than they do now." – Jason G. Goldman | 23 October 2015
social circumstances seem to necessitate at least some trophy hunting if local communities are to tolerate t he presence of wildlife".
However, trophy hunting should not be absolved of its wrongdoings. Despite some countries doing it well, there are many who do not. This means that overall, trophy hunting is having negative effects of populations of endangered species. Also, there is no way of forcing the companies or governments to put the money into local communities and conservation efforts, and so these schemes will not be effective wherever corruption occurs. In short, the process of controlled trophy hunting must be improved, or alternatives found. However, banning trophy hunting would most likely be detrimental to animal populations, as it currently stands—a tough pill to swallow. Efforts must instead be focused on eradicating poaching and habitat destruction, if we are to continue to live alongside these animals. [1] [2]
CONSERVATION MAGAZINE, JAN. 12, 2014. BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION, OCT. 27, 2006.
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Seahorses: Riding on Myths Chyi Chung reports on the mysterious and misunderstood seahorse
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oseidon, god of the sea, rides upon his chariot of hippocampi, fantastical creatures that possess the head and torso of a horse but the belly and tail of a fish. Their name mirrors their physique: a portmanteau of horse (hippos) and sea monster (campus) in Ancient Greek. Aptly so, hippocampus has been adopted as the genus of their real-life inspiration. Seahorses are not an archetypal fish. From their equine appearance to upright swimming (as propelled by a small dorsal fin whilst steered and stabilised by even smaller pectoral fins), their uniqueness has been captured in their mythical counterpart. To date, 54 species of seahorses have been classified. They are found in shallow, tropical to temperate waters across most continents. Denise’s pygmy seahorse (H. denise), one of the newer species identified in 2003, favours the warm waters of the Indo-Pacific and measures less than an inch (2.4 cm); whereas the big-belly seahorse (H. abdominalis), found among the coral reefs between Australia and New Zealand, can grow up to 14 inches (35 cm). Native to Britain are the longsnouted (H. guttulatus) and shortsnouted seahorse (H. hippocampus); both species and their habitat have received protection from the UK government since 1981. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) drawn in 2004 imposes a ban on trading seahorse less than 10 cm in length worldwide. Despite this deterrent, a conservative estimate states that 15 to 20 million wild seahorses still find their way into the trading
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market every year, with many more unaccounted for caught by commercial fishing trawlers. Although a small fraction is sold to meet the rising demand for exotic pets and curios, it is undeniable that the majority enters the traditional Chinese medicine trade, where the misconceptions in the science of seahorses are a long cry from the seas of Greek mythology.
"Traditional Chinese medicine believes that consumption of pregnant male seahorses can cure impotence and improve virility" It is common fact that male seahorses undergo pregnancy; this biological role-reversal is also observed in other members of the Syngnat hidae family including pipefish and leafy seadragons. The male seahorse fertilises eggs deposited by a female in his ventral pouch during a courtship dance that lasts up to 8 hours, featuring the entwining of tails and morphing of body colour. After 10 to 25 days, the eggs are hatched within the pouch followed by the expulsion of up to 2,000 fry (baby seahorses) which have less than a 1 in 200 chance of survival. The Seahorse Trust reports that 90% of mature male seahorses harvested from the wild are also pregnant, which renders the situation doubly worse. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that consumption of pregnant male seahorses can cure impotence and improve virility. In addition to this, it is also offered as treatment to a plethora of illnesses from asthma and
atherosclerosis to skin ailments and goitres, none of which have any scientific basis. Dried seahorses that were once purchased in their whole form from traditional stalls have been replaced with crisply packaged bottles of ground seahorse pills. The source of the latter is almost impossible to track, which in turn makes the ban on undersized seahorses increasingly difficult to implement. It is easy to dismiss traditional treatments as pseudoscience and their efficacy as a placebo effect, guaranteed by cultural beliefs that have prevailed over centuries. However, in light of today’s wealthier and consumerist society, it is important to re-evaluate traditional practices that are becoming increasingly unsustainable. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports that 41 seahorse species are under threat, highlighting the adverse effect of the wild seahorse trade on its population. Fewer than 20 scientists are studying seahorses worldwide; there is a dearth of information on 27 species, with many more species yet to be identified. But in order to do so, seahorses will have to break free of their myth as miraculous cures.
"Dried seahorses that were once purchased in their whole form ... have been replaced with crisply packaged bottles of ground seahorse pills"
Issue 13
ARTWORK: CHYI CHUNG
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Cordelia Fine: Delusions of Gender Marion Cromb reviews the book that reveals the neurosexism all around us
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ender stereotypes are extremely pervasive, but is there any truth to them? In ‘Delusions of Gender’, psychologist Cordelia Fine picks apart the notion that different behaviours of the sexes are somehow innate. With a comprehensive review of the scientific literature (over 80 pages of references!), Fine wittily debunks the essentialist notions found in pop science books with titles such as ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ and ‘Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps’. She takes a three-pronged approach, firstly focusing on how the mind is intimately influenced by its social environment, secondly taking a close look at ‘neurosexist’ claims about differences in the brain, and thirdly examining how gender is thrust upon us from childhood (and even before birth!). Fine attacks, with characteristic sarcasm, the current trend she terms “Gender Equality 2.0, a revised version of equality in which men and women are not equal, but equally free to express their essentially different natures”. As legal barriers to equality have fallen and arguments that different sexes lack the same basic abilities become increasingly socially unacceptable, arguments that (justify sexual inequality by claiming) different genders just have inherently different interests have sprung up. One of the most enlightening aspects of the book is in how it exposes
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just how big an effect context has on stereotypically gendered behaviour. When gender is made salient in the environment (even by small cues, such as the mix of people in a group, the use of pronouns, the sign on a toilet) it can ‘change self-perception, alter interests, debilitate or enhance ability and trigger unintentional discrimination’ without us even being aware. Simply checking a gender box on a test will skew the results towards conforming to stereotypes; men suddenly get worse at communication skills and better at maths, and women vice versa. With effects such as these resulting from the subtlest, most everyday things in our gendered culture, it is no wonder that external limitations are so often falsely identified as inherent. Going one step further and reinforcing this unequal gender status quo with flawed neurosexist science is nothing new, emphasises Fine. While laughable now, it was once seen as
acceptable- even correct - to say that women had inferior intellect because of their smaller brains and the ‘delicacy of the brain fibers’. These historical examples allow us to conceive that the gender differences justified with modern science might be perceived as equally ridiculous in the future. The brain scan studies we might have unquestioningly accepted beforehand
"Simply checking a gender box on a test will skew the results towards conforming to stereotypes; men suddenly get worse at communication skills and better at maths, and women vice versa." as proof of the inherent nature of different genders are masterfully scrutinised by Fine. She points out how significant results from small study samples can often be from pure chance, and even reproducible findings can easily be over-interpreted and extrapolated in order to misinform. This book is a highly recommended read. It will challenge your own biases, encourage your scepticism, and make you more aware of how the brain is transformed by its environment. The book is somewhat limited in that it focuses on Western, white middle class gender stereotypes, and the examples can get a little repetitive sometimes, but on the whole the book is an accessible, often laugh out loud funny, look at how gender stereotypes are constructed and perpetuated by society. IMAGE: ICON BOOKS
Issue 13
Are Pennies Deadly if Dropped from a Skyscraper? Stephen Ashlee dispells a common misconception and alerts us to the danger of killer pens
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oney falling from the sky seems like everyone's dream doesn't it? But I bet opinions would change if it started falling in coins and not notes. It is a fairly popular notion that if someone were to drop a single penny off the very top of the Empire State Building, it would gain enough speed that it could kill someone at the base. But is there any truth to it? If the sky spontaneously started raining pennies, would they be deadly? The simple answer is no. The worst you would get is a slight headache, but to be honest, a penny falling from that height would be going nowhere near fast enough to cause lasting damage. However, that’s not to say the myth is without scientific reasoning though. If you drop any object, it’s going to be pulled towards the centre of the Earth by gravity, and all the time it’s doing so it’s accelerating. By doing a bit of simple maths, you can work out that dropping a penny, from rest, off the highest point of the Empire State building (443m), will eventually reach a speed of around 208mph. It sounds
swift perhaps, but because a penny is so light, even this speed wouldn’t be fatal. It would probably damage your skull, but it would be survivable. In reality though, the penny would never even reach this speed. The one thing that the myth fails to take into account is air resistance, or drag. As the penny is careering down the side of the building, it’s going to be constantly colliding with all the air molecules in its path. This produces a force which opposes gravity, labelled drag. As the penny gets faster and faster, this drag force gets bigger and bigger until a certain point where the drag force is large enough that it equals the gravity pulling the penny towards the Earth. At this point, the penny is going to stop accelerating and start falling at a constant speed. This is termed its terminal velocity. Louis Bloomfield, a physicist at University of Virginia, decided to simulate falling pennies using wind tunnels and helium balloons. His findings were that it really only takes
around 15m for the penny to reach terminal velocity. It’s such a short distance because of the flat disc shape of the penny, so instead of dropping straight down, it is more likely to flutter side to side like a leaf. Furthermore, the highest speed Bloomfield recorded was only around 25mph.
"Although this still sounds quite quick, the weight of the penny makes this speed completely harmless" As described by Bloomfield, “I think one bounced off my face”. Although you may no longer be worrying about falling pennies any time soon, the real danger you should look out for is ball-point pens; their aerodynamic shape gives them barely any drag. So if one falls from the height of the Empire State Building and hits you, you may end up with a bit more than a headache…
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The 10% Brain Capacity Myth Anna Pitts addresses the pervasive cognitive conundrum head on
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t is a well-known opinion that humans only have access to around 10 percent of their true brain capacity, according to the popular media and urban legend. This idea has had a resurgence of interest in the past few years with the popularity of films such as "Limitless" in 2011 and "Lucy" in 2014. "Limitless" is based on the premise that if science was advanced enough, there could be a nootropic (cognitive enhancing) pill that opens up your brain capacity over the normal level (in this case they cite 20%) for humans. The film "Lucy" follows a
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similar story of a novel drug giving the protagonist psychokinetic powers; one of the main taglines of the film being: "If the average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%". The presumption widely being that if only humans could work out a way to access these apparently untapped areas of the brain, then we all would have vastly higher levels of intelligence and be able to reach our own unlimited potential. The exact origin of this
concept is widely disputed and some people even wrongly credit Albert Einstein with the claim.
"However, despite the popular theory often stated as "fact" or "common knowledge"; scientists have long disregarded this statement as nonsense" But what gives them such certainty in their disdain for this myth? Firstly, technological advances such as PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans and fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) enable researchers to monitor brain activity in real-time in living subjects. These advanced imaging techniques have shown that, even when the person is sleeping, all areas of the brain are active to varying degrees. Also, neurologist Dr. Barry Gordon (of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) has stated that: "We use virtually every part of the brain, and that (most of) the brain is active almost all the time". It is only in extreme examples of brain damage that researchers observe "silent areas" in the individual's brain.
Issue 13
Moreover, in cases of brain damage, if only 10% of the brain is normally used then injury to other regions of the brain would not have any impact on the individual's ability to function. However, research has shown this is not the case. Almost no area of the brain can be injured without in some way affecting the person's capabilities. Scientists have spent years trying to successfully map the regions of the brain to discover if certain areas have specific purposes. To date, there has been no part of the brain that has been found to have no function. In fact, the brain is a very complex network with some regions appearing to be responsible for multiple functions and abilities. Therefore, although research into localization of function has come a long way in helping scientists understand which regions of the brain perform different tasks, it has also revealed the true complexity of the brain. This means scientists are still decades away from being close to fully comprehending how the brain works and how its structure relates to this. In more recent years it has been discovered that only 10% of the brain cells are neurons while 90% are glial cells. Glial cells are believed to surround neurons and aid them in
their functions. But the exact capabilities of glial cells are still widely unknown. There are nootropic drugs in the real world but these are highly controversial and the long-term effects are still not clearly defined. The most common form of nootropic drugs are stimulants such as caffeine. Attention has been drawn to these drugs recently due
to an apparent trend of increased use in students to improve efficiency. So, while films and books based around this myth are entertaining and intriguing, the premise remains fictional. It would be more accurate to state that, though it is a myth that humans only use 10% of our brains, currently researchers only fully comprehend around 10% of the brain’s capabilities.
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Chemtrails: Is the Government Trying to Poison Us? Bethany Rothwell takes to the sky and assesses the supposed impact of jet plane 'chemtrails'
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t’s a gorgeous sunny day. You hear a plane passing overhead, look up at the sky and what do you think about? The pretty patterns of white streaking across the blue sky? Plans for your next summer holiday? Or the government’s ruse to shower us with psychologically-manipulating or weather-modifying chemical agents? The term “chemtrail” is a clever combination of the words “chemical” and “contrail”. What’s perhaps not so clever, is the belief that these trails left in the sky by aircraft are anything more than simple condensation. The reason contrails are produced can be easily explained. Jet engines emit very hot, humid air. At high altitudes, the surrounding air is very cold – usually
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lower than -40°C – and at very low vapour pressure. When the hot air comes into contact with its surroundings, the water vapour quickly condenses to form visible clouds, which trail off the back of aeroplanes as they streak through the sky. The theory argues that, while normal contrails should dissipate from the sky fairly quickly, harmful chemical compositions cause the observed trails to linger for much longer. However, the duration of contrails in the sky depends on a large number of atmospheric conditions. For example, if the atmosphere is almost saturated (if it contains nearly the maximum amount of water vapour it can hold at that temperature and
pressure), the additional vapour from the contrail will take a long time to dissipate, while if the atmosphere is dry, dissipation will be much faster. The persistent trails are really just the result of the atmospheric condition, and nothing at all to do with added chemicals. Chemtrails are also supposedly characterised by the way they spread out across the sky, perhaps to block out sunlight, or to ensure the full population beneath receive a dose of the chemical poisons. This is another absurd claim that has a simple, logical explanation. Vertical spreading-out is the result of different-sized ice crystals in the contrails descending at different rates. Horizontal spreading across the sky is caused by wind, with variation in wind velocities at different altitudes causing contrails to spread several kilometres across the sky.
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"Under certain atmospheric conditions, and with lots of air traffic, it is common that contrails can entirely overcast the sky – this really is nothing to worry about!" Images and videos claiming to show evidence for the toxic trails have been circulating the internet in the last decade, with entire websites dedicated to spreading the theory, and the fear. For example, photos of the inside of the prototype Boeing 747 plane showed large barrels in the passenger area—it was claimed that these were for aerosol dispersion purposes. In reality, these were simply used to imitate the weight of passengers or cargo on test flights, with water being pumped between the barrels to simulate different centers of gravity. Another completely logical explanation for a completely illogical claim. A 2011 study showed that in the UK, Canada and the US, 16.6% of people either fully or partially believe the conspiracy theory, and it is no surprise that this theory would cause fear and anxiety amongst its believers. The fact is that every characteristic linked to chemtrails has been disregarded by atmospheric experts as completely normal features of contrails under different atmospheric conditions, and so they pose no direct threat to public health. Spreading this fear and anxiety around is simply unnecessary, and potentially dangerous. Sure, our governments may be corrupt and dishonest in a number of ways, but don’t these crazy theories just seem a bit too extreme?
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Osman Kent: An Improbable Journey Interview and article by Philippa Jefferies, Joanna Chustecki and Sara Jebril With thanks to the EPS Community and Alumni Relations Office
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n Wednesday 8t h March Osman Kent, computer science and electronic engineering alumnus, returned to t he University of Birmingham to inspire a whole new generation of technologists and entrepreneurs. He was cited by Business Insider magazine as one of t he top 15 technologists in t he world in
2012. However, as he discusses in his EPS distinguished lecture, it hasn’t always been plain sailing.
Whilst at university, you invented a real-time graphical music transcription device. What motivated you to do this? Well, I’m a musician but my sight reading was terrible. So I said, if I could find a way of improving the feedback loop between what I’m playing and what would be notated, I could improve my sight reading and other people’s as well. This was an audacious project but in those days, we were very free to choose any final project we wanted. I decided to design the hardware and the software to make this happen. The hardware took ten breadboards - all lovingly wired by me. I put all this together and amazingly it worked, but the most important part of it wasn’t any of this. In 1980 bitmap graphics didn’t exist so, unbeknown to me, to display musical notation, I happened to invent some of the fundamentals of bitmap graphics. Many years later, I realised that start in bitmap graphics charted my path for the rest of my professional life.
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What was it like going from being a student to an entrepreneur and starting your own company, Benchmark Technologies Ltd? When I first came to England I had no intention of becoming an entrepreneur. In fact, after the second year when my father went bankrupt, I said “I don’t want to be an entrepreneur, I just want to have a secure job, go 9 till 5”. Many years later, two years after I graduated, I was giving a training course in Vienna about a robotics camera that I had developed at the time. The Austrian agent said, “That’s strange. Are there many Turkish engineers in England?” I said, “Well I’m the only one I know”. He said, “Well two weeks earlier, there was this other Turkish guy giving us a training course about a lighting system he’d
designed”. So I took the phone number, I came back and I gave this guy a call. Dr Yavuz Ahiska was seven years my senior but luck would have it that he was also a University of Birmingham Electrical Engineering graduate. He was a bit of an entrepreneur and he said “Can you design me a high-resolution graphics PC?” Not having designed one before, I said “Sure! Yeah I can”. He said, “I’ll give you £500 now and £500 when the project is sort of running”. Many months passed and in the end this thing came sort of limping along and working. “Osman” he said “to tell you the truth I don’t have the other £500, so why don’t we start a company instead and you be a shareholder?” That was my entrée into entrepreneurial work. Along your journey have there been any particularly memorable characters who have inspired you? Hundreds. One of my inspirations was actually Pedja Jovanovic, my boss in the CERN research department during my internship. He taught me so little and so much at the same time and it was one of the best summers of my life. I had a mentor during the early days of my business life, who was actually one of our investors too, and he taught me this: “Osman” he said, “you need to be wise to be wisely advised”. I heeded that because I would go to all these advisors, accountants, lawyers, and what have you, and I wouldn’t have a clue what they were talking about because I hadn’t researched that particular aspect. I changed that and became an expert in tax, law, IP etc.
IMAGES: GRACE SURMAN
Issue 13
Interestingly, in all my companies, many of my employees were inspirations for me because of one thing, again, this mentor taught me: He said, “Osman, when you are building a company, one of the things you need to focus on is how to make yourself dispensable”. This was very contrary career advice because you would think that the normal thing would be that you would try to make yourself indispensable. But, especially at the top of a company, if you make yourself indispensable, when the company is sold you have to stay with it. Whereas if you make yourself dispensable, the company is sorted and you can go out to your next thing. As a result, I always recruited people more or less who were better than me. They were, for that reason, sources of inspiration. You have been part of a lot different ventures, what gives you the motivation to keep trying new things and how do you know when it is right to move on? It’s all about making a difference and pushing the envelope, that gives me the motivation. And time to move on? You realise this: there comes a time when you feel you can no longer make a difference and that’s the time to move on. During your career, you must have reached many decision points where things could have gone either way, if you could go back would you have taken a different path at any point? That’s a very tough question and I have two separate answers for you.
On the professional front, I would not dwell on the past decisions because they probably felt right at the time and it’s difficult to know what the different outcome would be. The tougher question for me is the personal choices I have made and one of the dilemmas every entrepreneur I know faces is balancing family life and entrepreneurial life. You need to have someone around you who will always put up with your absence. So, with hindsight, I wish I could have spent more time with my three sons. In fact, I missed all their time preteen. In 2002 I fixed it and we started being together again, but by that time they were all in their teens and in their bolshie phase. So, that’s what I would change. Where do you see yourself and your ventures moving in the next 10 years? One thing I have learned is that I will not stop. I’ve retired twice already and it was so overrated. The first one lasted a month, I did lunches all the time and I got very bored. For me personally, it is very important that I keep thinking, inventing and coming up with things. If not, I’ll just become very demotivated and there’ll be nothing to pick me up. I want to write at least one book and release at least one personal album, which I have started doing and is a combination of poetry over improvised piano. I would also love to discover something in biosciences.
If you had just one piece of advice for current computer science or electrical engineering students who are about to leave university, what would it be? That’s an interesting one. I would say, find a cofounder that you can trust and just go for it. Don’t be afraid of failure along the way because failing in an entrepreneurial endeavour is just part of the course and it’s essential on the way to success. It’s so important to enjoy the journey as well because, as someone who had these high expectations on my potential success points, what I realised was, by the time I reached these points, they were actually hollow. So, enjoy the journey. SATNAV is t hankful for t he opportunity to interview Osman and gain an insight into his incredible career. We have especially enjoyed his lecture on how to learn from failure and t he importance of t he journey. Missed t he lecture and want to know more? There is an online copy of bot h t he lecture and interview. Osman’s achievements have also been featured separately as an article on our website.
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Philippa Jefferies draws out the truth behind the leech's comeback in modern medicine
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sually, when someone mentions leeches and bloodletting, images of medieval physicians forcing leeches on their patients for any ailment are the first to jump to mind. Whilst it is common knowledge now that this is probably not the best way to relieve every symptom, leeches aren’t without their uses in modern medicine. In 2004, the FDA approved the sale of leeches for medical use in the USA and they are vital in many surgeries - particularly skin grafts and reconstructive surgery. They were first used for medicinal purposes in ancient Egypt, about 2,500 years ago, and became a popular remedy for the Ancient Greeks and Romans as well. Bloodletting, the removal of blood for medicinal purposes, was used to balance the humours: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. It was thought that an imbalance of these was the cause of illness, therefore getting rid of some of the dominant humour (blood) could be a cure. Leeches were popular through to the start of the 20th century when they stopped being used as frequently, as antibiotics and other treatments became prevalent. However, they made a comeback in the mid-20th century as their specific benefit in surgeries and
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treatment of vascular diseases became apparent. So what service can leeches provide that modern medicine can’t? It has all to do with the ‘saliva’ the leeches produce when they are drinking blood. The substance contains strong anticoagulants, i.e. blood thinners, which stop the blood clotting or congealing within the leech. This is useful for them as they can then retain mobility after feeding.
"Leeches are vital in many surgeries - particularly skin grafts and reconstructive surgery." How does this help us humans? Well, one particular area in which leeches are frequently used is maintaining blood circulation after reconstructive surgery. Arteries are relatively simple to attach, due to their thick walls, however the same cannot be said for veins, which are difficult to suture, especially when they have been damaged. The circulation through the newly joined veins can become impaired, resulting in the congestion of the blood flowing through the veins. Without a good flow of blood through the tissue, the new appendage could be
lost. This is where leeches come in. They are there to essentially buy time for the veins to open up and proper circulation to be restored. The leech creates a puncture wound, which is left to bleed. Their ‘saliva’ dilates the blood vessels and keeps the blood flowing, preventing any congestion or clotting. Leeches are also preferable for this kind of treatment as the small Y-shaped mark they cause usually heals quickly, without leaving a scar. Ken Dunn, a consultant at Manchester Burns and Plastic Surgery Service, told BBC News “The treatment simply buys time for t he venous drainage to open up and improve, usually 3-5 days. If t his is not done t he tissue will die from t hat congestion of blood” and that "On average, t he tissue bleeds about 10 times t he volume of blood t hat t he leech actually removes to feed on, making it a very efficient and effective treatment.”
Leech therapy is also gaining popularity. The mixture of substances in the leech's saliva can be used to help treat vascular disease, by promoting blood flow to various areas, as well as a whole range of other conditions from cardiovascular diseases to arthritis and ear problems. It is used often because it has a lower risk of side effects than other treatments. So despite their off-putting appearance, it seems leeches aren’t leaving hospitals anytime soon.
Issue 13
ARTWORK: FEDERICO ABATECOLA
My momma always told me
My momma always told me, Lightning never strikes twice, But it finds the Empire State Building, 25 times a year, As I will always find you.
My momma always told me Diamonds last forever. But they are only stable, When they are first formed And you have left me.
My momma always told me Follow the North Star, It’s the brightest in the sky. But Sirius is the brightest, And I always follow you.
My momma always told me Houseflies live for just 24 hours. But they can live for 2-3 weeks Or even up to a couple of months, And this pain will never fade. My momma always told me Science was a fact. Jade Sadler
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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 provide 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: @Satnavmag See our previous issues: issuu.com/satnavmag Read our website: tiny.cc/satnav