Article Analysis
#1 Title: E-cigarettes: Good news, bad news
Source:https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/electronic-cigarettes-good-news-bad-news-2016072510010
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/vitamin-e-acetate-found-in-all-lung-fluid-samples-tested-from-injured-vapers/
Summary: Nicotine is a chemical stimulant found in tobacco plants used in Cigarettes, Dip, Cigars, and Vape. E-cigarettes also known as vape are battery operated devices to deliver nicotine with flavouring and other chemicals to users in vapour instead of smoke. The reason people have a hard time quitting smoking is because of nicotine. Nicotine disrupts the relationship between the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the receptors acetylcholine binds to. Acetylcholine carries messages related to respiration, heart rate, memory and muscle movement. Nicotine is similarly shaped to acetylcholine and act like it. The changes in the brain cause the nicotine user to feel abnormal when not using nicotine. When someone intakes nicotine by smoking it releases dopamine in the brain. Drugs and alcohol can resemble the dopamine hormone by latching and activating the neuron releasing more neurotransmitters giving the pleasure sensation. This is why dopamine is also known as the “feel good hormone”. This is why E cigarettes can be highly addictive to users. E-cigarettes are usually only effective if trying to quit cigarettes not starting from vaping. Recently an article was released on Daily Mail about the dangers of E-cigarettes. The article included that the E-cigarettes are having the same effect as normal cigarettes, causing similar negative changes in health. Scientists are unsure of this reason knowing that E-cigarettes contain fewer harmful chemicals. Scientists are advising users to quit using E-cigarettes due to the “lack of information on long term safety and a growing data on their negative effects”. An article on Ars Technica states that “Vitamin E acetate, or alpha-tocopherol acetate is a cause of illnesses linked to vaping”.
#2 Title: China’s two-child policy is having unintended consequences
Source:https://www.economist.com/china/2018/07/26/chinas-two-child-policy-is-having-unintended-consequences
Summary: In 2016 China established a two child policy which consists of a limit of two children allowed per family. If a family plans on having another child they would have to pay a fine of ¥2000 which is about $540 in Canada. The two children policy was enacted to address the growth rate of China’s population. The population of China is over 1 billion, with the policy being in act it prevented 400 million births. Without the policy the growth rate in China would be overpopulated. The drastic growth rate in China lead to urbanization, this is when people migrate to towns and cities in the hope of getting a better standard of living. Since there are so many citizens they have to create more apartments and buildings because there’s not enough surface area if China only builds houses. When urban populations interact with the population they change their environment through consumption of food, energy, water, and land overuse . The result creates a polluted environment. When the policy was created a decrease of population growth rate occurred which meant urbanization was less and less waste was generated compared if those 400 million people were to be born. In the early 2000‘s China was in the top 10 most polluted countries and now it’s in the top 12 in the world.
#3 Title: Where Canada's emissions come from and what are we doing to reduce them
Source:https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/reduce-emissions.html
Summary: In Canada the government has been taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gases produced from fossil fuels and land use is far more than our ecosystem can handle . The CO2 gases are responsible for the climate change we’re already experiencing. Climate change increases natural disasters, mass extinctions, and changes in our ecosystem/natural resources. The government has been reducing the use of coal and diesel in the Northwest Territories, Edmonton and some locations in Quebec buy using natural powered gas. This will reduce climate change, improve our health and save money. Instead the government has been using alternatives for electricity like wind and solar on buildings in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. Nuclear power has been a main energy source and an efficient supplier for energy in Ontario. Nuclear energy is not however without consequences. For energy-efficient buildings the Canadian government has been focussing on the design and construction of the buildings. Some of the new installations include passive solar heating and cooling. Even if solar energy panels aren’t as efficient for big buildings it helps bring down the consumption of how much energy is being used. The Canadian government has also made improvements to our transport systems funding public transport infrastructure like the OC Transpo buses, the LRT and the O-train in Ottawa. Recently in Ottawa the federal government is purchasing electric motorized vehicles when needed compared to internal combustion engine models. . The combination of these methods in the works of are eliminating greenhouse gases. The funding is from sources like sales taxes, general revenues, development fees and additional funds from the federal government.
#4 Title:Ford government files appeal to Supreme Court over carbon pricing ruling
Source: https://globalnews.ca/tag/federal-carbon-tax/
Summary: The federal government acted on it goal to reduce pollution by having a carbon tax which is making people and organizations pay the cost of pollution. A Nobel Prize was in fact awarded to the economists who had done work on the Carbon Tax. They discovered that using the Carbon Tax was an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses and consumers will try to reduce their emissions by switching fuels and adopting other techniques to reduce or eliminate paying their carbon tax. Another incentive the government does to reduce pollution is putting up the “no littering” signs in public places. The fine for littering can be as much as $1000. The better solution is having carbon tax. It’s the most effective because they have to agree to run their business and pay their carbon tax and if they don’t they will be paying an increased carbon tax while if there’s no evidence you littered you wouldn’t get fined for it so it’s easier to get away with littering then not paying your carbon tax. Luckily there are people that voluntarily or workers that pick up garbage on the streets.
#5 Title: Reactor turns greenhouse gas into pure liquid fuel
Source: Rice University (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903084035.htm)
Summary: An electrocatalysis reactor is a catalyst that participates in electrochemical reactions. Catalyst materials modify and increase the rate of chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. This machine was built at Rice University it recycles carbon dioxide to produce pure liquid fuel solutions using electricity. The scientists behind the invention hope it will become an efficient and profitable way to reuse greenhouse gases and keep it them out of the atmosphere. This will have a great impact on reducing the rate of increase in climate change.
#6 Title: Major environmental challenge as microplastics are harming our drinking water
Source: University of Surrey (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190909081800.htm)
Summary: Research from the University of Surrey and Deakin's Institute for Frontier Materials found that Plastics in our waste streams are breaking down into tiny particles, causing potentially catastrophic consequences for human health and our aquatic systems. Approximately 300 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year and up to 13 million tons of that is released into rivers and oceans, contributing to approximately 250 million tons of plastic by 2025. Since plastic materials usually don't decompose by itself, this accumulation of plastic pollution in the aquatic environment creates a major concern. Due to their small size, nano and microplastics can easily be ingested by living organisms and travel along water and wastewater treatment processes. In large amounts they impact the performance of water treatment processes by clogging up filtration units and increasing wear and tear on materials used in the design of water treatment units.
#7 Title:Breakdown in coral spawning places species at risk of extinction
Source:American Friends of Tel Aviv University (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905145336.htm)
Summary: Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on our planet. Due to climate change and other human stressors, reef-building corals that reproduce by means of broadcast-spawning are being destroyed or negatively impacted. Once a year, thousands of corals along hundreds of kilometers of a coral reef release their eggs and sperm simultaneously into the open water, where fertilization will later take place. Since both the eggs and the sperm of corals can persist for only a few hours in the water, the timing of this event is important. Signs of such reproductive mismatches will contribute to directing a future in research and the efforts towards the species that are at potential risk of decline.
#8 Title: These gut bacteria prevent mice from becoming obese what could that mean for us?
Source: University of Utah Health (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190725150401.htm)
Summary: Researchers at University of Utah Health have identified a specific class of bacteria from the gut that prevents mice from becoming obese, suggesting these same microbes may similarly control weight in people. The beneficial bacteria is called Clostridia, are part of the microbiome collectively trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit the intestine. Petersen and colleagues found that Clostridia prevents weight gain by blocking the intestine's ability to absorb fat. Mice experimentally treated so that Clostridia were the only bacteria living in their gut were leaner with less fat than mice that had no microbiome at all. They also had lower levels of a gene, CD36, that regulates the body's uptake of fatty acids.
#9 Title: Bacteria made to mimic cells, form communities
Source: Rice University (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190812140351.htm)
Summary: Scientists have found a way to make single-celled bacteria behave like stem cells, differentiating into genetically unique individuals as they divide. Scientists from Rice University have created a genetic circuit able to produce genetically distinguished cells of Escherichia coli as the bacterium divides. By controlling this process, it is possible to create diverse communities of microbes that exhibit complex, non-native behaviors.
#10 Title: Scientists can now manipulate brain cells using smartphone
Source:University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190805143525.htm)
Summary: A team of scientists in Korea and the United States have invented a device that can control neural circuits using a tiny brain implant controlled by a smartphone. The device could speed up efforts to uncover brain diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, addiction, depression, and pain. Qazi said this technology significantly overshadows conventional methods used by neuroscientists, which usually involve rigid metal tubes and optical fibers to deliver drugs and light. Apart from limiting the subject's movement due to the physical connections with bulky equipment, their relatively rigid structure causes lesion in soft brain tissue over time, therefore making them not suitable for long-term implantation. Though some efforts have been put to partly mitigate adverse tissue response by incorporating soft probes and wireless platforms, the previous solutions were limited by their inability to deliver drugs for long periods of time as well as their bulky and complex control setups.
#11 Title: 80% cut in antibiotics entering the Thames is needed to avoid surge in superbugs
Source:Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905103010.htm)
Summary: Research has shown that 80 percent of antibiotics entering the River Thames need to be cut to avoid the development and spread of superbugs. About three quarters of antibiotics is present in the River Thames due to effluent discharge. Because of this it's more likely for us to develop a superbug bacteria.
#12 Title:AI learns the language of chemistry to predict how to make medicines
Source: University of Cambridge (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903111250.htm)
Summary: Researchers have designed a machine learning algorithm that predicts the outcome of chemical reactions with much higher accuracy than trained chemists and suggests ways to make complex molecules, removing a significant hurdle in drug discovery. Machine learning algorithms can have a better understanding of chemistry because they distil patterns of reactivity from millions of published chemical reaction. Using this machine our studies achieves 90% accuracy in predicting the correct product of unseen chemical reactions, whereas the accuracy of trained human chemists is around 80%. The model and human chemists working together would become extremely powerful in designing experiments.
#13 Title: Most-comprehensive analysis of fentanyl crisis urges innovative action
Source: RAND Corporation (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190829081407.htm)
Summary: The sudden appearance of the drug fentanyl in the US has driven up overdose deaths dramatically, even as the abuse of heroin and other opioids has shown signs of stabilizing. In the most-comprehensive analysis yet of the crisis, researchers urge that innovative new strategies be pursued because the epidemic is unlike others that have struck the nation. Evidence from abroad suggests synthetic opioids may be here to stay. The study found no instance where fentanyl lost ground to another opioid after attaining a dominant position in drug markets.
#14 Title: High-tech gel aids delivery of drugs
Source: University of Illinois at Chicago (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190828145504.htm)
Summary: There are drugs that help prevent the formation of unwanted or harmful proteins that are currently being developed to treat a number of diseases, including cancer. The drugs are based on small interfering RNA, or siRNA, which are pieces of nucleic acids that work by interfering with the production of proteins. But getting these drugs to the right target, such as a tumor, remains challenging because siRNAs can degrade rapidly in the body -- making systemic delivery inefficient. They also can have some difficulty entering cells where they do their work.
#15 Title: Liquid biopsies reveal genetic alterations linked to cancer drug resistance
Source: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190909143333.htm)
Summary: Liquid biopsies taken from blood provide a more complete picture than traditional biopsy of both the genetic diversity of a patient's cancer and how tumors evolve drug resistance at the molecular level. Many patients use medication methods that shrink their tumors but only to have them come back worse trying to be resistant to the medication. Oncologists want to learn how to detect cancer drug resistance as it emerges in their patients and identify another drug the tumors will still respond to. The results could explain why cancer is so hard to defeat even when using medication. The study also suggests possible molecular mechanisms underlying drug resistance, which could point the way to new and more personalized therapeutics.
#16 Title: Gold nanoparticles shown to be safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer
Source: The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190827123513.htm)
Summary: Biocompatible gold nanoparticles designed to convert near-infrared light to heat have been shown to safely and effectively ablate to intermediate-grade tumors within the prostate, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This treatment could offer patients a targeted therapy option that would preserve critical structures within the prostate, thus avoiding side effects associated with whole-gland treatment such as prostatectomies.
#17 Title: Key enzyme found in plants could guide development of medicines and other products
Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-key-enzyme-medicines-products.html
Summary: Researchers from the Salk Institute studying how plants evolved the ability to make these natural chemicals have uncovered how an enzyme called chalcone isomerase evolved to enable plants to make products vital to their own survival. The researchers hope that this knowledge will inform the manufacture of products that are beneficial to humans, including medications and improved crops
#18 Title:Making sustainable polymers from fragrant molecules
Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-sustainable-polymers-fragrant-molecules.html
Summary: The technique, developed for 3-D printing applications, could lead to a new generation of sustainable materials for use in biomedical applications or prototyping.
Called terpenes, the molecules are found in the essential oils of a wide variety of plants and are often used in fragrances, cosmetics and other household products. Because they are tricky to extract and process, synthetic versions are often substituted. Different terpenes produce different material properties and the next step for the team is to investigate those properties more fully to better control them.
#19 Title: Stretchy plastic electrolytes could enable new lithium-ion battery design
Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-stretchy-plastic-electrolytes-enable-lithium-ion.html
Summary: Researchers are trying to find alternative designs for lithium-based batteries with reliance. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new cathode and electrolyte system that replaces expensive metals and traditional liquid electrolytes with lower cost transition metal fluorides and a solid polymer electrolyte. In the future, the researchers aim to develop new and improved solid electrolytes that are fast charging and also to combine solid and liquid electrolytes in new designs that are fully compatible with conventional cell manufacturing technologies introduced in large battery factories.
#20 Title: India becomes world's largest emitter of sulfur dioxide
Source:https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/india-becomes-worlds-largest-emitter-of-sulfur-dioxide/3010917.article
Summary: India is now one of the countries in the world to create the most sulfur dioxide, overtaking Russia and China. India now accounts for more than 15% of global anthropogenic emissions. The Greenpeace study shows that the thermal power plants in India are the main resource in producing SO2 emissions. Results also show that two-thirds of all anthropogenic SO2 emissions come from power plants and oil refineries.
#21 Title: Military-grade jet fuel made cheaply from plant waste instead of coal
Source:https://www.newscientist.com/article/2213081-military-grade-jet-fuel-made-cheaply-from-plant-waste-instead-of-coal/
Summary: Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China have come up with a way of producing the superfuel known as JP-10 from a chemical called furfuryl alcohol. Furfuryl alcohol is extracted from plant waste like sugar cane residue, cotton stalks, and forestry off-cuts. Using plants to extract fuel can save the government lots of money and reduce our carbon footprint.
#22 Title: A New Method for Making Brilliant, Organic Dyes
Source:http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2018/08/15/sustainable-dye-coloring-organic/#.XXjz Pj bYrnE
Summary:
Researchers at the Technische Universität Wien in Vienna, Austria, have replaced toxic solvents to make dye with plain water. The dye is unfortunately hydrophobic which is water repelling but the group of scientists discovered a novel way of changing the usual properties of water by using special pressure vessels that heat the water to extremely high temperatures while still leaving it in liquid form. By ionizing the water, the dyes dissolve and crystallize without any additional chemicals. This way we can use non hazardous dyes and make them as well. A better alternative way to create dyes for the future.
#23 Title: Phosphorus is Vital for life, and Were Running Low.
Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2017/03/15/phosphorus-supply-low/
Summary: All life needs phosphorus and agricultural yields are improved when phosphorus is added to growing plants and the diet of livestock. Phosphorus is used globally as a fertilizer that we use to grow our food. The fact that more than 70 percent of the global supply comes from this single location in Morocco is problematic. Scientists have announced that we are approaching “peak phosphorus”. Peak phosphorus does not mean that phosphorus will disappear, rather that the reserves with mineable high concentrations are depleting. In the worst case scenario, mineable reserves could be exhausted within as little as 35 years. Because of the decrease in phosphorus we may no longer be able to feed the world at an affordable price. One of the solutions to this issue is to promote composting. This way we can reduce the use of phosphorus as our fertilizer and reduce the amount of garbage ends up in our landfills.
#24 Title: New, Healthier ‘Butter’ Spread Made Mostly of Water
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/new-healthier-butter-spread-made-mostly-of-water/
Summary: Cornell University food scientists have created a new low-calorie ‘butter’ spread that consists mostly of water. A tablespoon of this low-calorie spread has 2.8 grams of fat and 25.2 calories. Butter, on the other hand, which is 84% fat and about 16% water, has about 11 grams of fat and nearly 100 calories. The scientists have figured out a new process to emulsify a large amount of water with minuscule drops of vegetable oil and milk fat to mimic butter, at approximately one-fourth the calories of real butter and without artificial stabilizers. This could be beneficial for a healthy alternative used by people wanting to consume less calories but getting the same taste of butter.
#25 Title: Scientists Synthesize New Compound Effective Against Drug-Resistant Pathogens
Source:https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-synthesize-new-compound-effective-against-drug-resistant-pathogens/
Summary: Researchers from North Carolina State University have studied Lipoxazolidinone. This is a small molecule that is effective against drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA. This molecule, a new synthetic compound inspired by a natural product, could be a useful chemical tool for studying other Gram-positive infections and may have implications for future drug creation. While more work is needed, Pierce hopes that JJM-35 and similar compounds can be used as tools to study other Gram-positive bacteria and provide a platform for the development of a novel class of anti-infective agents.
