Guru Magazine: Issue 13

#SCEPTICISM #HEALTH

ISSN 2048-2590

#POLITICS #MIND #MEDIA

I S S U E 1 3 • AU G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3

#TECHNOLOGY

#ART

DON’T LET THEM FADE AWAY

#SCIENCE

#FOOD

BATTLING EXTINCTION IN THE RAINFOREST PLUS...

REVEALING THE MIND OF A STRIPPER • IT’S A BABY BOY! IT’S ALSO A CLONE...

• THE ASTEROID IMPACT SURVIVAL GUIDE •

THE GURU TEAM Stuart Farrimond realdoctorstu.com Jon Crowe

Editor / Science Guru @realdoctorstu

Deputy Editor/ Molecular Guru @crowe_jon

Ross Harper

Deputy Editor @refharper

Lucy Huang

Guru Intern

Matt Powell

Guru Intern

J. N. Lloyd

Photographer jnlloyd@gmail.com

Ian Wildsmith

Design Guru ian@gurumagazine.org

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE Leila Wildsmith Guru Opinions www.writingonthewall0612.blogspot.co.uk Becky Martin Autumn Sartain autumnsartain.com Julie Webb stuffiwriteaboutscience.wordpress.com Daryl Ilbury www.darylilbury.com

Sceptic Guru @darylilbury

Kim Lacey kimberlylacey.com Ben Veal benvealpr.com

Mind Guru @kimlacey Media Guru @benvealpr

Simon Makin News Guru simonmakin.me.uk @SimonMakin James Lloyd thesoftanonymous.com

Physics Guru @jbb_lloyd

Shambralyn Baker

@sevvy09

Ansel Oomen behance.net/Ansel Lewis Pike James Crewdson Matt Linsdell

@JamesCrewdson1

(texture #47) Flickr • Asja Boroť

Fitness Guru @smartfitmatt

CONTENTS #ARRIVALS LOUNGE

If you see a link or web address anywhere in Guru, it’s probably clickable!

Where you see the

Page 6

at the end of an article, use it to click back to this contents page.

#SCEPTICISM QUIZ

Page 22

HOW MUCH OF A SUCKER ARE YOU?

#GURU OPINIONS

Page 7

SWEETNESS AND LIGHT We’re all victims of nostalgia. A couple of decades are long enough to make almost anything seem wonderful and irreplaceable. Leila Wildsmith tells us to put our rose-tinted glasses back in their case: the summers are getting wetter, a fact we’ll eventually have to accept. Thankfully, Leila has some advice to make the transition easier.

#LIFE

Think you can’t be fooled by pseudoscience?

Our Sceptic Guru Daryl IIlbury tests your ability to spot fraudulent ‘science’ by seeing if you can separate the quackery from the reality. Good luck, fellow sceptic. Answers on page 24.

#THE NEWS IN BRIEF

Page 23

New to this issue, Guru gives you an easily digestible roundup of the news you probably missed. We’ve got stories about prehistoric birds, telescopic contact lenses, and plenty more too.

We just don’t want to ruin the surprise.

Page 9

THE ASTEROIDS ARE COMING!

#MIND

What is the best advice for staying alive when a flaming ball of interstellar debris plummets into the Earth? We’re going to have to believe in a divine author and pray, pray, and pray some more. Never fear though! Becky Martin has an asteroid impact survival guide.

PEEPING INSIDE THE STRIPPER’S MIND

#NATURE – COVER STORY

#GUREVIEWS

Page 14

FEATHERS AND MUDDY BOOTS Evolution can do some pretty strange things.

Autumn Sartain takes us on an adventure to Madagascar to discover the alien-like bird species that live there. However, foreign animals and local residents are now threatening their existence on these secluded islands.

#BIOLOGY

Page 19

IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL? Human cloning: ethically abhorrent, or the driver for a medical revolution? Julie Webb weighs up peril against promise in this fiercely-debated topic.

Page 26

Does stripping down to your ‘party suit’ for a living change the way you view yourself? Mind Guru Kim Lacey explores the ethical and psychological impacts of parading around in a G-string. We’re still wondering why the Guru team weren’t born with any ‘erotic capital’.

Page 30

GOLD Missing the euphoria of London 2012? Here’s a timely pick-me-up. Read Ben Veal’s review of GOLD: a fictional tale of two Olympic cyclists battling for a place in the Games. Written by bestselling US author Chris Cleave, it just might get you rising off your seat and cheering once more…

#GUREVIEWS

Page 31

TIME REBORN Ross Harper plunges into Lee Smolin’s new book, Time Reborn – a mind-bending tome that addresses some heavy philosophical issues. But does it make for a triumph in popular science writing, or an unreadable muddle?

#GUREVIEWS

Page 32

PANDORA’S PROMISE Pandora’s Promise is a documentary that follows four influential environmentalists as they campaign for nuclear power. Bravely tackling atomic energy misconceptions, they try to get their fellow brothers and sisters of the Earth to believe them

#GUREVIEWS

Page 34

#ASKAGURU

Page 44

Ever wondered why the room spins after too many martinis, or why plants never get sunburnt?

We’ve opened the vaults of the last two months of Guru answers and picked some of the best ‘Ask a Guru’ questions. Keep your questions coming!

We wouldn’t want the Gurus getting lazy, would we?

#INTERVIEW

Page 48

AMAZON SOULS

EVOLUTION OF A STORY

We’ve heard the stories of loggers bullying rainforest natives to steal their land. It’s an issue alive and well today. Amazon Souls is a documentary that tracks 21-year-old Sarah Begum as she lives with the Huaorani people in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Following issue 11’s review of BioPunk, Kim Lacey interviews one of the book’s writers, Adam Marek.

Read the exclusive excerpt from An Industrial Evolution, a story that depicts a future world of plantations worked intelligent, talking orangutans. Kim finds out about the real meaning behind the story.

#FOOD

Page 35

I’M A SCIENTIST… AND I HATE GM FOOD

#INTERVIEW

With the population of the Earth rising, sustainable food supplies should to be top of the menu for the ecologically-minded. Genetically modifying food appears to be one of the best solutions – but Lucy Huang shares her concerns about GM food and the agricultural industry’s dirty little tricks.

GURU SPENDS QUALITY TIME WITH LEE SMOLIN

#NEWS

Page 40

If you thought ‘Google Glasses’ were cutting edge, you’ve not seen anything yet. Join Simon Makin as he delves into new technology that lets you move objects with your mind and explains a potential cure for tinnitus that will leave you feeling sorry for ‘partied-out’ lab mice.

#ASIDES

Page 43

THE PHYSICS GURU’S SCRIBBLEPAD Get your geek on with us! We’ve travelled the four corners of the world and studied under the four joke masters. Well maybe we didn’t, but James Lloyd did spend a lot of time finding the best geek jokes – just for you.

Page 52

Being nicknamed the ‘New Einstein’ should turn a few heads. And physicist Lee Smolin certainly turned ours. We sat down to talk with him to find out what goes on inside the mind of a man with a planet-sized intellect. Smolin has some crazy ideas about the Universe, so prepare to have your mind blown.

#FITNESS

Page 54

THE DAY I NEARLY DIED IN THE OUTBACK Our Fitness Guru, Matt Linsdell, shares his terrifying tale of wandering lost and without water in the Australian Outback. Despite being superfit, his scrape with death offers some hard-hitting lessons. It’s a story that shows how smart people can do very stupid things, and brings a new appreciation for H20.

#DEPARTURE LOUNGE

Page 59

ARRIVALS LOUNGE

C

ulture shock is a terrible thing to suffer. In 2005, I travelled to West Africa to spend two months working in a rural hospital. My experience wasn’t what I had expected. The locals weren’t the skeletal, starving creatures I had seen on news broadcasts, neither were the ‘natives’ overawed by my presence as a Western doctor. Rather, the Africans I met were charismatic, witty and – at times – rude. My experiences were so utterly at odds with my expectations that I spent those eight weeks in a mixed-up daze.

review on page 34) to the backstreet strip joints (Peeping inside the Stripper’s mind on page 26). We challenge stereotypes about atomic energy (Pandora’s Promise, page 32) and ‘Franken-foods’ (I’m a Scientist… and I hate GM food, page 35), and authors Lee Smolin and Adam Marek also make an appearance, each with their own quirky take on reality. Fitness Guru Matt Linsdell rounds off the show with a gripping please-don’ttry-this-at-home story from the Australian outback. It’s not to be missed.

Today, I take great pleasure in looking at the world in new ways. This is a theme that runs all the way through this issue: from the Amazonian rainforests (Amazon Souls

Let this issue of Guru Magazine challenge and entertain. I truly hope that it will leave you looking at the world through a new-found prism of intrigue, rather than a haze of confusion.

Contents Pages: (Summer feeling) Flickr • Alfonso Salgueiro Lora

Dr. Stu GURU 12 • August/September 2013 • ISSN 2048-2590 © 2013 Guru Magazine Ltd.

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This work is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, click the link above or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94105, USA. Advertising & letters info@gurumagazine.org Press & marketing enquiries press@gurumagazine.org

The opinions expressed herein are of the individual authors and do not represent the views of Guru Magazine Ltd. Text and picture material is sent at the owner’s risk.

Cover images: (Feathers) Flickr • Wilerson S Andrade Follow Guru on Twitter •

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Next issue released: 1st October 2013.

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Please consult a qualified medical professional if you have any personal health concerns.

URU OPINIONS

Sweetness and Light For most of us, the word ‘summer’ evokes childhood images of blissful freedom and endless days playing in the sun. We fondly remember trips to the beach, swimming in cool, blue seas, building sandcastles, getting sticky from ice-creams and, most importantly, not being at school.

However, far from this picture of ‘sweetness and light’, the reality of today’s summer is altogether different. The recent UK heatwave aside, summer now is epitomised by wet camping holidays, relentless rain, and desperate attempts to warm up with a cup of tea. All of this leads us to ask ‘What has happened to summer?’ Rather

than putting on our sunglasses this year, many of us are donning rose-tinted specs and looking back on summers past with an exaggerated sense of nostalgia (and heaving deep sighs).

There is definitely some truth to the feeling that our weather is getting colder and wetter. The UK’s Met Office Chief Scientist, Professor Julia Slingo, writes in her research paper Why was the start to spring 2013 so cold?, “March 2013 was the second coldest March in the UK record since 1910”. What’s more, it was not just the moaning British that saw an unusually cold and snowy spring – the British weather was part of a much wider pattern across the northern hemisphere: The cold temperatures during March were part of a hemisphere-scale pattern of temperature anomalies. This was orientated across the pole with large anomalies over North America and across Asia. Extreme cold and snow has affected Russia and the Ukraine, and over the eastern and northern USA temperatures were more than 3°C colder than normal over very large areas. [read her full report here] The weather “anomalies” that are sweeping the globe are part of a wider pattern of unusual or ‘extreme’ weather, which, due to its frequency, is becoming less ‘abnormal’ and more normal.

In her article of January 2013 Heat, Flood or Icy Cold, Extreme Weather Rages Worldwide, Sarah Lyall confirms these changes: “the unpredictability of [the weather] turns out to have been all too predictable: Around the world, extreme has become the new commonplace”.

Good or bad, the weather is definitely changing.

However, whilst we may believe that it is only in recent years that the weather in the summer has become cold and wet (perhaps because of the

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(Ice Lolly) Flickr • norio_nomura, (On Pearblossum Highway, 66) Flickr • Vegan Feast Catering

Where has the summer gone?

(Dark rain) Flickr • Héctor García

GURU OPINIONS

relatively recent developments in monitoring and recording weather systems and patterns), Shakespeare himself wrote of the British weather, “For the rain it raineth every day.” It is therefore wise to remember that our memory of the past (especially in relation to the weather) is not necessarily accurate.

The ‘myth’ of summer being a time of ‘sweetness and light’ is perpetuated not only by our faulty, selective memories, but also by the expectations we now have as a result of tourism and advertising. The increase in availability and affordability of travel to warmer climes means that there is a cultural expectation of a hot and sunny summer. In addition, television and magazine adverts related to the summer season (be it for food, clothes or sun protection), use images, colours and sounds that we associate with sunshine and clear blue skies – even to the extent that the models have a healthy sun-kissed glow.

Rather than just being a harmless fantasy, this selective memory – reimagining, rather than remembering the past – is a dangerous thing when it leads us to believe that the present is not as good as the past. In her recent article for the New York Times, Beware Social Nostalgia, Stephanie Coontz writes, “In personal life, the warm glow of nostalgia amplifies good memories and minimizes bad ones […] It always involves a little harmless self-deception, like forgetting the pain of childbirth”. This ‘Golden Age nostalgia’ leads to a constant sense of dissatisfaction that our current situation will

never live up to the imagined history we have created for ourselves.

And it’s not just a problem in relation to the weather, although that is often where the pattern starts. Our obsession with the ‘Good Old Days’ can pervade every aspect of our lives – jobs, houses, relationships – and we find ourselves longing for something which never really existed. Advertisers know that we will pay hard cash to try to relive an imagined past; they effectively use the phenomenon to market retro phones, time-worn furniture and VW camper vans. Coontz continues, “nostalgia can distort our understanding of the world in dangerous ways, making us needlessly negative about our current situation.” When we look back fondly on our imagined pasts, we overlook the positives in our present or, worse, only look at the present through a critical eye.

Instead of believing that the past was perfect, or that we can only enjoy the summer if the sun is shining, we need to learn to make the most of every situation, come rain or shine.

So remember to keep smiling underneath your umbrella this summer.

Leila Wildsmith is an English teacher in a secondary school and, in her spare time, loves writing and reading a wide variety of different books. She occasionally blogs about writing at www.writingonthewall0612.blogspot. co.uk and intensely dislikes misplaced apostrophe’s.

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#LIFE

THE ASTEROIDS ARE COMING! HOW TO SURVIVE: ARMAGEDDON

BECKY MARTIN

THE ASTEROIDS ARE COMING! Previous Page: (Asteroid Family’s Shattered Past) NASA/JPL-Caltech, (Meteor falling to Earth) Flickr • State Farm

NASA chief Charles Bolden recently gave some advice of what to do if there was an impending asteroid collision. His guidance was simple: we should “pray”. Now there’s a cheerful thought. But just how likely is this doomsday scenario and what – apart from praying – can we do to survive?

It’s a lottery and there’s a good chance we’ll lose Our planet is being continually pelted by solar system debris. Yet we are rarely aware of this daily galactic pummelling: most objects fizzle away high in the atmosphere where they are too distant for their shock waves to reach us.

(The exceptions are the ‘falling stars’ that we wish upon – though these aren’t actually stars but fiery lumps of space rock or metal that vaporise as they plummet through our atmosphere.) Sometimes, however, projectiles can

survive their journey through our atmosphere and reach the ground – at which point they are termed ‘meteorites’. It is estimated that over 500 meteorites reach the surface of the Earth in this way every year. In the world of interstellar projectiles, it’s survival of the fittest, as only the strongest iron rocks reach the Earth in one piece.

So, when have asteroids really made an impact here on Earth? Well, how about the Tunguska event of 1908? Tunguska was an ‘airburst’ event, during which the asteroid or comet disintegrated in the lower atmosphere. Although there was no collision, it created a shockwave that was sufficient to fell trees across an area of 1000 km2 (250,000 acres) and the blast yield has been estimated at 10-20 megatons – 1,000 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb used over Nagasaki in the Second World War. But we should perhaps be more concerned about a recurrence of whatever caused the 180 metre wide Chicxulub crater over 65 million

How to save the Earth from asteroid Armageddon (Bruce Willis optional) Despite the lack of a current threat, there are a number of techniques for impact mitigation that have been proposed. Some are ingenious while others are more than a little impractical! NASA’s verdict is that our only feasible option at the moment would be to nuke the asteroid. Here’s the lowdown on some of the more interesting techniques that have been proposed.

Use a ‘tractor beam’: A ‘gravity tractor’ is a spacecraft that positions itself near to an asteroid to create a constant gravitational force upon it in an attempt to change the asteroid’s orbit, and so avert disaster. Termed a ’slowpush-pull gravity tractor’, it could be very effective for small asteroids that are decades away from impact. However, this method is impractical because it needs a mission lead time of over ten years.

Hit it really hard: The ‘kinetic impact’ strategy crashes an enormous spaceship into the asteroid at colossal speed (over 11,000 miles per hour!) Such an impact should change the asteroid’s velocity and orbit and so save the world. Kinetic impact could protect the Earth from moderately sized asteroids (several hundred metres to 1km in diameter). The kinetic method is relatively robust, and has even been tested in space as part of NASA’s deep impact mission in 2006. However, hitting small asteroids at high speed could be rather tricky and a warning time of forty years would be needed to deflect an asteroid of 1km diameter.

Nuke it: Nuclear explosions have been proposed to eliminate asteroid threats by destruction or by knocking it off course. A ‘standoff’ or ‘impact burst’ would heat the asteroid’s surface on one side, forcing it to travel in the opposite direction. This is the preferred nuclear method, as there would be no need to fly alongside the asteroid at a low speed and the asteroid’s composition doesn’t matter. Alternatively, a surface or near-surface explosion could be attempted, but it would be technically more difficult to hit an asteroid dead-on. However, this could be the only means to prevent an impact from a large asteroid (greater than 1km in diameter).

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years ago, which coincided with the start of the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction event.

The Chicxulub meteorite disrupted the global ecosystem and wiped out half the species on Earth, including the dinosaurs (although thankfully it ultimately resulted in our dominance in the food chain). Unlike the reptiles, we have large brains and a space programme and therefore really shouldn’t succumb to the same fate. (Well, that’s what we’re hoping.)

So are we likely to experience an apocalyptic impact in the near future? The NASA nearEarth Object monitoring programme has identified 1,408 near-Earth Objects that represent potential hazards thanks to their size and trajectory. The Torino scale is used to rate the impact hazard associated with asteroids: a negligibly small chance of collision is rated 0, while a certain impact and impending global disaster is given a 10.

To give you some perspective, the most dangerous asteroid is the fearsomely-named VK184, which is coming close to us sometime between 2048 and 2057. It has a gargantuan Torino rating of 1. The Apophis and AG5 asteroids have also whipped up concern in the media, although there is currently little scientific evidence to back up scaremongering (but a lack of scientific evidence hasn’t stopped impacts in the past!)

So, while the odds of an apocalyptic asteroid strike causing massive casualties and destruction of our existence are currently infinitesimally small, the potential consequences of such an event would be enormous. So let’s get prepared for catastrophe, just in case…

How to: survive an asteroid impact The scientific community has developed some interesting tools to investigate what would happen if an asteroid strike actually happened.

Top scientists have also come up with some rather unconventional strategies to mitigate for disaster. Imperial College and Purdue University work with a simulation called the Earth Impact Effects Programme to assess the risk of a ‘moderate’ asteroid impact. It offers potentially hours of fun. You can select a projectile, its final destination, its speed, and the angle of impact, and the website will tell you if you will survive, or if you will be squashed by debris, killed by an earthquake, or burned alive.

Current scientific strategies listed by NASA to evade the impending doom of an asteroid colliding with Earth include deflecting the asteroid using slow-push-pull ‘gravity tractors’, kinetic impact, nuclear bombardment and other explosives, as shown in the side box .

But what would be the consequences of a colossal and un-deflectable asteroid hitting the Earth? The strength of the initial impact would devastate the surrounding environment and uncontrollable wildfires would rapidly spread.

The immediate event would be followed by an ‘impact winter’, as enormous clouds of ash and dust enter the atmosphere, blocking out the sun. This loss of sunlight would kill photosynthetic plants and algae that hadn’t already been obliterated by fire or extreme cold. Essentially, any animal larger than an alligator would probably starve.

The Committee to Review Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation strategies recommend a civil defence plan for preparation and recovery that is based upon the standard ‘all-hazards’ protocols for evacuation, shelter, response and recovery for asteroid impact survival. They also consider the implications of possible asteroid events, as shown in the next section.

Even if an asteroid is too large to be destroyed or deflected there should still be time to prepare for the impact. Options for the individual survivalist include developing one’s military knowledge and hoarding food within an old nuclear bunker before the impact. Following the impact, one should remain within the bunker for six months, be wary of bandits upon emerging, and ensure a useful supply of guns and ammunition for hunting and bartering within a post-apocalyptic world. So, given all this, perhaps the most useful survival strategy might be to settle in for a night in front of Mad Max to pick up tips...?

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(Circling Meteor Crater) Flickr • Steve Jurvetson

THE ASTEROIDS ARE COMING!

THE ASTEROIDS ARE COMING!

The asteroid impact survival guide

The following guide is adapted from the Committee to Review Near-Earth Object (asteroid and comet) Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies emergency management approach: A low-probability impact is reported.

Governments and safety organisations should announce the low probability of an impact to avoid widespread panic.

A very small asteroid (1-10m diameter) is on impact trajectory. Imminent impact!

It is probably harmless so you needn’t to do much.

Anyone near ‘ground zero’ should stay indoors and away from windows.

A small asteroid (10-25m) is on collision course. Impact in days to weeks.

Such an event may occur during this century and the impact could cause significant, and potentially lethal, damage to a zone of about 10 km wide. Evacuation of the predicted impact site is essential and the emergency services should be on standby.

A modest-sized asteroid (10-100m) impacts. Imminent impact!

This scenario is rather unlikely to occur without any warning. It could result in severe local consequences: building collapse, fires, injuries and death at distances up to 50 km away from impact site. Anyone living near ‘ground zero’ should immediately evacuate as soon as the news gets out. The emergency services will also need to launch a response-and-recovery plan for those caught in the blast for at least 72 hours after impact.

An unlikely, but possible, impact of a dangerously large asteroid (30 to 100m) is reported. Warning time: over ten years.

If there is ample warning, there is no need for immediate panic. Should the probability of the impact increase and ‘ground zero’ be identified, then preparations to minimise losses to life and property should be made. If orbit-change measures fail, then you should get ready for the worst by preparing shelter, medical care, food, and stockpiling water and other provisions. Advanced planning for communications and evacuation is essential.

a dangerously large asteroid (100 to many hundreds of meters diameter) is inbound.

Imminent impact!

The nature of such a disaster would be similar to large natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami.

Similar disaster response strategies would be required. Governments and international organisations need to carefully communicate the risks; misunderstandings based on popular culture may have negative repercussions – for example, the emergency services could get inspired by the movie Deep Impact and get a little over-excited...

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THE ASTEROIDS ARE COMING! A civilisation and species destroying asteroid (greater than 1km diameter) is due to hit in the next couple of decades

Your best chance of survival is to hope that the orbital change strategies work. Consequences of the impact could include collapse of the entire social structure and mass fatalities. Or even worse.

Attempts should be made to warn and inform; store provisions for medical care, food, water and shelter; and for international bodies to improve global infrastructure for financial, electronic and law-enforcement.

A civilisation destroying Don’t worry. If attempts to knock the asteroid asteroid (greater than 1km). off track haven’t worked then you don’t stand a Imminent impact! chance.

Start doing all those things on your ‘bucket list’. And start praying.

References: • • •

Chapman, C. R., & Morrison, D. (1994). ‘Impacts on the Earth by asteroids and comets: assessing the hazard’.

Nature, 367(6458), 33-40.

Committee to Review Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies. (2010). Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies: Final Report. National Academies Press.

Mumfrey, W. H. (2010). The Official Underground 2012 Doomsday Survival Handbook. HOW Books.

Further reading: • • • • • • •

The Earth Impact Effects Program NASA Asteroid and Comet Watch Guardian Data Blog map of every known meteorite fall on earth, back to 2300 BC WikiHow instructions to Survive a Super Comet Hitting Earth Neil Degrasse Tyson, expressing fears about the lack of public expenditure on asteroid defence technology (VIDEO) Wikipedia: The Deep Impact mission NASA: The Deep Impact mission

Becky Martin worked as an emergency planner before deciding to live dangerously and do a PhD in disaster management at the University of Southampton instead.

Occasionally she stops contemplating potential impending doom and bakes some cupcakes. Tweet all your catastrophe questions to her @CalamityCake.

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#NATURE

FEATHERS AND MUDDY BOOTS SAVING MADAGASCAR’S BIRDLIFE FROM EXTINCTION

AUTUMN SARTAIN

A hook-billed vanga flies with precise movements through the understory of the rainforest, flashing white on his otherwise black wings. A chameleon hangs from his strong, black bill, as his eyes focus on a favorite branch where he perches. He wedges the chameleon’s head into a fork between two branches, leaving its body dangling, and begins to pull it apart systematically.

In the distance, two white-throated oxylabes sing in duet from the dense understory; the first whistles loudly up and down a scale through her long grey bill: whit-treet tirooet teeoo whireeet!

The other waits until this song is half-finished then adds his own loud, rattled call. Meanwhile, in the lowlands, a scaly ground-roller, with reptilian-looking breast feathers, quietly rummages through deep leaf litter and fallen logs. The ground-roller then returns to the little slope where she digs her nest burrow with long pink legs.

The hook-billed vanga, white-throated oxylabes and the scaly ground-roller are among the 193 bird species found in the rainforests of Madagascar, the dominant vegetation type on the island. With a closed canopy and multiple understory layers, trees reaching up to 35 meters high, and annual rainfall exceeding 1.5 meters, it provides a home for plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth. Even with soaked equipment, tired legs, and swarms of biting mosquitoes, researchers are drawn to these forests for the multitude of new discoveries waiting within.

Dr. Frank Hawkins, the current director of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Washington, D.C.,

spent almost 20 years living in Madagascar.

While there, he undertook extensive fieldwork to study the wildlife through various organisations such as Conservation International and BirdLife International. Dr. Roger Safford, Senior Programme Manager of BirdLife International based out of Cambridge, UK, went to Madagascar in the late 1980s and fell in love with the area. “There was this tremendous diversity in the region and a certain charm seems to be found wherever you go. I enjoyed every minute that I spent there,” he explains.

Dr Safford worked on the nearby island of Mauritius for 4 years, where he explored the region and helped BirdLife International to establish a local conservation organisation in Madagascar.

When Hawkins first arrived in Madagascar, he joined an expedition that found a small primate called an aye-aye that was thought to be almost extinct. “I was amazed at how little was known about the wildlife,” says Hawkins.

The fact that their group found several of these little primates surprised many people: “The more you dig into it, the more you realize there are absolutely astonishing things to discover in Madagascar about the wildlife….and the more we discover, the more we realize that the wildlife of the island is really completely out on its own.

Many of the species that are there – the families – have been there, isolated on their own, for a very, very long time. So they don’t really look or behave like anything else on Earth.”

‘There was so much swearing – everyone was so excited!’

Of all the interesting and unique birds, one of Safford’s favorites is the Mauritius fody, a sparrow-like bird with striking red plumage on its head, chest and rump, which weaves intricate nests high in trees. Much like the Galapagos finches – the birds Darwin discovered

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FEATHERS AND MUDDY BOOTS

BELOW: The particular Mauritius fody (Foudia rubra) that Safford watched more than any other. Seen here in a display posture in the dark, soggy forests on Mauritius.

(Staff of the Malagasy conservation NGO) • Roger SaffordFávera

FEATHERS AND MUDDY BOOTS

RIGHT: Roger Safford (right) at Tsitongambarika, Madagascar, shown with the staff of the Malagasy conservation NGO, Asity Madagascar. According to Safford, “Organisations like this must (and will) be a big part of the future of conservation in Madagascar.”

– the islands surrounding (and including) Madagascar each host a different species of fody, the plumage of each containing a characteristic amount of red. While working on the island of Mauritius, Safford studied the Mauritius fody in an effort to discover the cause of its decline: “Mauritius fody had the rather antisocial habit of living in areas where the rainfall was about 3.5 to 5 meters per year – fantastically wet areas full of mosquitos.” Undeterred by the less than hospitable conditions, and after many long days in the field, it became apparent that the main reason for their decline was predators such as rats, and the long-tailed macaques brought from south-east Asia by early settlers; “...they can’t cope with [these predators]…in this case mammals that can climb trees…when they’ve evolved for thousands or millions of years without them. [The fodies] just don’t know what to do – they’re defenseless.”

Due to this discovery, a handful of fodies were relocated to an island off the coast of Mauritius without rats or monkeys. Once there, the birds thrived, and now over one hundred Fodies live on the island.

Hawkins also made some discoveries of his own about the bird species in the region. While looking through specimens of red-tailed vangas in a Paris museum, he noticed that a couple of them were visibly different than the others: female red-tailed vangas have brown-grey shoulders, yet there were two females amongst them with red feathers on the shoulders, in addition to longer tails and shorter wings.

Intrigued, he spent four years searching in the area where the specimens were originally found, until he finally found this bird alive in the wild. It was confirmed to be a new species, the red-shouldered vanga; despite being only 20 km from one of the largest towns in Madagascar, no-one had previously known about it. To find this rare species caused so much excitement that, when Frank recorded the bird’s song, most of the tape was unusable: “there was so much swearing involved… because everybody was so excited about it.”

Not just Madagascar Madagascar is the largest and most well-known of the islands in the Malagasy region. Hawkins and Stafford’s conservation work stretches across all of the islands. there and about 40% are endemic – they don’t occur anywhere else in the world. According to Safford, “If you go into a [primary] forest… practically every species you see will be only found on the island [or archipelago] you’re in at the time. That’s how unique the bird life is.”

This uniqueness is due in part to the process of evolution on islands. Cut off from a larger population, species on islands evolve in response to the local habitat and available niches. For example, the classic example of island evolution, Darwin’s finches, all evolved from one species that colonised all the islands in the Galapagos. Over time, the habitat and food available on the islands began to drive the emergence of different species from the original founder species – a process called ‘adaptive radiation’. While Darwin’s finches are the best-

Charles Darwin: wish you were here…

Through this and other research, Hawkins and Safford contributed to the knowledge of bird species throughout the Malagasy Region, which includes the islands of Madagascar, Seychelles, Rodrigues, Mauritius, Comoros, Aldabra and Reunion. Almost 500 species occur G U R U • I S S U E 1 3 • A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3 • PA G E 1 6

ABOVE: Malagasy villager at Lake Bemamba, Madagsacar. According to Safford, he “knew all the birds, and having described them all, found them for me, showing he wasn’t making it up.”

known example of adaptive radiation in action, the vangas family is an equally impressive example: it has radiated out into 22 separate species with drastically different bill shapes and foraging strategies since it first colonised Madagascar 25 million years ago. These ‘radiations’ demonstrate the strong evolutionary pressure on islands that can create many unique species that are different from their ancestors.

Such adaptive radiation on Madagascar and the surrounding islands is why so many species don’t exist anywhere else on Earth. According to Hawkins, “You see things that are really remarkable and often marked by their extreme ancientness. They are things that have been on their own and have gone their own way for such a long time.”

Tasting the modern-day Dodo It’s not just the animals that adapt to the Madagascar islands; the people do as well.

The inhabitants of Madagascar are a mix of Southeast Asian, Indian, Arabic, and African descent – a mix that has created a unique culture that grows rice (Indonesian influence), raises zebu cattle (African influence), and has belief systems with origins in Arab and Indonesian BELOW: Frank Hawkins culture. As a whole, they all speak Malagasy, a holding a wattled sunbird asity (Neo- language with its closest relative to a language drepanis coruscans). in the highlands of Borneo. This language unites the people of the island, but can be difficult for

visitors. According to Safford, speaking French can get you through: “Some people in even the remotest village will generally speak French, but not English.” Being able to communicate with local people is vital to successful research endeavors, Safford points out. “In Madagascar, you have a predominately rural population, frequently with an intimate knowledge [and] connection to nature – and often a dependence on the natural resources. They know every tree, they’ll have their own name for it, and they can tell you all about it. And so you would naturally involve local people in any expedition.”

For Hawkins and Safford, interacting with the locals also meant diving into an exciting new culture and tasting new delicacies. Hawkins was adventurous in his culinary pursuits: “When you have great swarms of locusts, a lot of people eat [them in] large amounts, and in some parts of the west they eat things like mole crickets... I’ve eaten cockroaches and a range of other kinds of crickets and things. They generally taste pretty much the same – they’re kind of nutty.”

While Hawkins was eating invertebrates on the mainland, Safford was enjoying more typical fare on the islands, “I do like the zebu cattle, even though it doesn’t seem to be highly rated in the rest of the world… in Mauritius, many of [the people are] of Indian origin so they have wonderful curries and Creole cookery.”

Even if not wholly appetising, the culinary pursuits of Malagasy people have an important impact on the forest around them. Hawkins believes that hunting and the loss of habitat are the biggest conservation concerns in Madagascar today. “People depend almost entirely on natural resources to survive. They have very few options for growing crops, other than occupying land that’s currently forest. And for producing protein, there [are] few options available for them to use other than hunting lemurs and birds.”

One species in particular demonstrates the devastating impact that hunting can have.

The Madagascar pochard, a beautiful brown diving-duck, was previously known from many lakes on the high plateau, but it was hunted ferociously – thanks to being both easy to catch and tasty. This hunting pressure, along with habitat destruction and often being caught in fishing nets, has led to (what was thought to be) the last of its kind being caught in a bird trap in 1991. It was only four or five years ago that the species was seen again – on a lake without

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(Malagasy villager) • Roger Safford, (Frank Hawkins holding a wattled sunbird asity) • Raoul Mulder

FEATHERS AND MUDDY BOOTS

FEATHERS AND MUDDY BOOTS any hunting. The population is tiny, with only about 20 birds. “It’s probably the rarest bird in the world. There’s a very concerted effort under way to serve that population,” according to Hawkins. He believes other birds are equally vulnerable, such as colonial nesting birds like herons, storks and ibises.

There are some animals that the local people won’t hunt however (termed ‘fady’ in Malagasy). One bird that is a hunting no-no is the hamerkop, a medium-sized, brown wading bird whose appearance suggests someone has blow-dried its feathers straight back from its head. It’s unclear why this bird is protected, but people not only won’t hunt them, they won’t even disturb them. There are also a range of other taboos. For example, if someone’s ancestor was saved from enemy attack by the call of a bird, then that person will not hunt the bird, even if others do.

(White-breasted mesites) • Frank Hawkins

The battle to stop extinction begins With such unique wildlife and a unique people dependent on them for their survival, we must question how to properly conserve the species, habitat and culture. According to Hawkins, this is a development issue closely related to governance: “There’s very poor governance of natural resources in Madagascar. There was a coup a few years ago which really reduced the ability of the government to oversee the use of natural resources. So local people don’t see any other option than to use up the natural resources… as quickly as they can before somebody else gets to them and steals it away from them.” He believes the key to saving the environment is to increase the ability of people to look after these resources over the long term, “and for conservation organisations to work with them to do that… but also to ensure that the investment that comes into the country is respectful of these natural resources.” This way, the economy can be developed without destroying the islands’ wildlife, Hawkins believes.

With this impressive amount of combined experience and knowledge, Hawkins and Safford have acted as editors on a new

‘handbook’ on the birds of the Malagasy region.

With seven volumes covering mainland Africa, The Birds of Africa series was first published in the 1980s, but never covered the Malagasy region and all of its unique birds. Hawkins and Safford have spent the last ten years assiduously filling in this gap. They have also added a conservation section (which is not present in the original series) because so many Malagasy birds are at risk. After so many years of work on this guidebook, while they both had full-time positions at conservation organizations, Safford claims a “slight feeling of disbelief that it’s all over.” Published by Bloomsbury in July 2013, the guidebook is large-format, with over 1,000 pages and beautiful paintings by Brian Small and John Gale. Their next project: a smaller guide that’s easier to pack into the field.

As Hawkins says to anyone interested in visiting this amazing place to see the birds, “Go…as soon as you can, and get very excited before you do go because it’s a very exciting place to be. And buy a copy of the book so you are well informed about what you see. And spend as much time as you can in the rainforest. It’s an incredibly rewarding place to be ... and there’s still an awful lot to know about the birds... Mysteries [are] out there that I’m guessing will be of interest to many people to solve in the future.”

Citation: Jønsson KA, et al. 2012. Ecological and evolutionary determinants for the adaptive radiation of the Madagascan vangas. Proc Natl Acad Sci. Doi:10.1073/ pnas.1115835109.

Autumn Sartain writes about biology, conservation, and the environmental / outdoor lifestyle.

She holds a Master’s degree in Biology and has worked in the science world since 2004 on various ecosystems and species. She also loves travelling, yoga and rock climbing. Read more or just say ‘Hi’ at autumnsartain.com

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ABOVE:

White-breasted mesites. According to Hawkins, “I followed this group in the evening until they decided to sleep. They walked up some diagonal lianas, and perched on a horizontal branch like this, then decided that it was no good so they walked down again, up another set of lianas, down again, for about half an hour until they found the right place. Then they quietly fought amongst themselves to be the one in the middle. Once they had settled down, the one on the outside decided he needed to be in the middle so he climbed over and squeezed himself in. This went on for another half an hour until they finally settled down to sleep!”

#BIOLOGY

IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL? ACTUALLY, MY BABY’S A CLONE…

JULIE WEBB

Previous Page: (Test Tube Baby (bottle) Flickr • Brendan Dolan-Gavitt, (Dolly face closeup) Wikimedia • Toni Barros

IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL?

BELOW: The taxidermied remains of Dolly the Sheep on display at the Chambers Street museum in Edinburgh.

My first experience of dealing with cloning was from my devoutly Catholic aunt. An opinionated lady, she was adamant that any notion of cloning creatures was morally wrong because, “There is no place in science for playing God.” For her, the idea that a scraping of skin could be used to create a new, genetically identical human being was utterly abhorrent.

In sharp contrast, at a debate in London in 2005, I met the leading thinker and bioethicist Peter Stringer.

He argued that human cloning should be approved because of the benefits it would give to childless couples.

I often wonder whether society will ever be able to resolve these conflicting opinions. In reality, we don’t need to reconcile the ethical poles just yet, because these arguments are only relevant in some hypothetical future where cloning is a well-established and safe procedure. The practicalities of getting cloning to work well in the first place could mean it won’t ever be an option – at least for making babies.

The perfecting of any scientific technique such as cloning involves an element of ‘trial and error’. It is hard to see how human cloning could ever become routine without this: it took two hundred and seventy attempts to clone one sheep that made it to adulthood (Dolly). Of the rest, most miscarried and a few were born with life-threatening deformities. In 2009, Spanish scientists reported they had successfully cloned an extinct species of goat – but it died shortly

after birth due to lung defects. All sane scientists know only too well that cloning embryos is fraught with difficulty. A clone able to survive to become a normal adult, without any defects or deformities, is the exception rather than the rule.

Assuming technical hurdles will be overcome, another issue surrounds the prospective parents of a cloned child. A baby clone has three parents: one who supplied the genetic material, one who supplied the egg, and one who supplied the womb. If the chances of success for human cloning were the same as in sheep (and there’s no reason to believe otherwise) then to set up a human experiment researchers would need: • one genetic donor • approximately 300 surrogate mothers • approximately three hundred human eggs (to insert the genetic donor’s DNA into) It is hardly ethical to ask one woman, never mind three hundred, to get pregnant in the name of scientific research when the pregnancy is likely to end in a risky miscarriage.

Eminent scientific institutions, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and pioneering scientists including Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, the leader of the group who cloned Dolly the sheep, have publicly announced that cloning to make new humans is not safe. For these reasons, among others, cloning for ‘reproductive purposes’ is banned in the UK and in most other countries, including the US. I believe that any country that values the safety and rights of the individual isn’t going to approve this kind of research in the foreseeable future.

But who can predict what will happen in those countries where the rights of the State, or a despotic dictator, are regarded as more important than those of the individual? It has happened before – there is little doubt that the Nazis attempted to clone an race – and atrocities could feasibly happen again.

Cloning for a cure “Well,” says my aunt when I went to visit one lunchtime, “why bother doing this type of research at all?” What she didn’t realise was there is another field of research using this technology that could be very important for future medicine: stem cell therapy.

Stem cells have the amazing quality of being

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IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL?

ABOVE: A colony of human embryonic stem cells.

able to grow into nearly any kind of tissue, such as liver, heart and blood. As such, they have the incredible potential to reconstruct just about any tissue in our body. Currently, researchers are using stem cells to develop treatments for heart disease, muscle damage, coeliac disease, leukaemia, diabetes and a host of other disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, dementia and brain tumours.

One of the long-term goals of this research is difficult to believe: to take cells from a person who needs a treatment, convert them into stem cells, and then transplant them back into the same person so the cells can reconstruct the damaged or missing tissue. It is easy to see the incredible advantage this would have over existing treatments: there would be no need for donated organs and, since the new tissue is derived from the patient’s own cells, the immune system wouldn’t reject it.

Until recently, stem cell therapy was something my aunt definitely didn’t approve of because the stem cells were derived from aborted foetuses or embryos made by the IVF (‘test tube baby’) method. Aunty believes a life becomes human, with full human rights, at the moment sperm

meets egg, so destroying an embryo is a life ended. Nowadays, scientists can create these ‘magical’ stem cells from adult cells so these ethical minefields can be avoided for at least some research.

A team at Oregon University have recently reported a new way to obtain stem cells. They took a woman’s unfertilised eggs, removed the DNA, and replaced it with DNA from another adult donor. They then allowed them to grow until they could collect stem cells. It still remains to be seen if these ‘ethical’ stem cells will make more effective treatments than other stem cells. And even if this advancement fails to give useful treatments, scientists point out that this research helps us to better understand the process of early human development.

When I explained, my aunt understood that this new method involves no act of conception; life is neither being created nor destroyed. She grasped the technology’s potential uses but decided to leave discussing cloning humans for another day. “Interesting conversation.” She said, her eyes twinkling, “So what shall we have for lunch – boiled eggs?”

Read a summary of the research here.

A lab scientist for many years, Julie Webb switched to science communication after working with her late father, Tom McGrath on Safe Delivery – an award-winning play about gene therapy. Since then she has got pretty good at translating research papers into English, organising events and walking on custard. Julie lives in the backwaters of Cambridgeshire, UK, with her husband, son and a small flock of chickens. Find Julie on the blogosphere here.

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#SCEPTICISM

QUIZ

HOW MUCH OF A SUCKER ARE YOU?

(Stockholm) Flickr • Metro Centric

Craniosacral therapy is at the very frontier of a branch of neurology that hopes to find cures for many of the debilitating neuromuscular diseases that still challenge medicine, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Except it’s not. It’s actually a non-scientific, so-called ‘alternative’ form of ‘healing’ that believes that gently massaging the skull and the sacrum – the large triangular bone at the base of the spine – will align harmony within the body. It’ll make you feel good – as any good massage would – but it can’t cure you of any neuromuscular disease. The proof is in its own claims: “[it] works with the whole person and changes may (my italics) occur in body, mind and spirit during and after sessions”.

And there’s that key phrase: ‘mind, body and spirit’ – the ringing bells that warn that scepticism need to be employed.

But don’t feel embarrassed if you did believe – even if only for a minute – that craniosacral therapy was a development within neuromuscular medicine. It’s an easy trap to fall into. After all, pseudoscience wouldn’t be called ‘pseudo’ science if it didn’t take on the appearance of science in some way – and the easiest way to appear scientific is to use a scientific-sounding name. That way only a trained – or sceptical – eye would dig deeper and find the cracks in the claims.

For example, declaring that a person’s character can be determined by examining the contours of their head is preposterous. But if you were to hear that

‘phrenology’ could do the same, you might be more open to the idea. You’d assume that it was scientific, perhaps even a development within psychology.

Perhaps you wouldn’t, because your sceptic radar would have picked it up. Or would it? If there was a quiz in which you were presented with, say, 20 scientific-sounding terms – a mix of real science and pseudoscience – would you be able to spot which were pseudoscience? Good, because that’s just what we’ve put together. And because we know that everyone loves a quick quiz (except those who don’t!), we’re confident you’re going to have a lot of fun testing yourself. We’re also pretty confident that we can fool you.

All you need to do is examine the 20 terms we’ve listed on the next page. Write down the numbers 1 through to 20 on a piece of paper (or on a smartphone, you tech-heads), and put ‘S’ if you think the term is science, or ‘P’ if it’s pseudoscience. Once you’ve done that, look at the answers and score yourself out of 20. Then check out where your score puts you on our sceptic-o-meter, and find out what your sceptic title is.

DARYL ILBURY • SCEPTIC GURU

QUIZ – HOW MUCH OF A SUCKER ARE YOU?

SO… TAKE THE QUIZ: science (S) or pseudoscience (P)?

1.

Rhinology

2.

Rumpology

3.

Alphabiotics

4.

Dermo-optical perception

15.

Ectoplasm

16.

Psychokinesis

9.

Iridology

17.

Nosode

Craniometry

10.

Precognition

18.

Graphology

5.

Metoposcopy

11.

19.

6.

The Quadro Tracker

Morphic resonance

Anomalous cognition

12.

Reiki

20.

13.

Psychometry

Intelligent Design

14.

Bioharmonics

7.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming

8.

Now tap or click here to find out how you did.

THE NEWS IN BRIEF Click on the headlines to find out more!

A growing resistance: malaria is outwitting the best brains.

Coming soon to a store near you: a Harry Potter invisibility cloak

Scientists are discovering that malaria is becoming immune to their best drugs. So, what are the plans for attacking the deadly parasite?

Well, perhaps… Prof John Pendry has developed and led the way in research towards materials that makes light bend around them. Some day he may be remembered as the ‘invisibility cloak’ creator.

Prehistoric songbird felt our pain.

A recent paleovirology study has discovered evidence of Hepatitis B infection within a 65 million-year-old fossil. Hidden away in the DNA of an ancient bird, there is hope that this new finding will lead to a better understanding of this viral infection, which can cause serious liver damage.

Your very own superpower: new contact lens offers telescopic vision.

It’s not clear what motivated such an awesome piece of tech, but we think it’s something to do with watching too many Bond movies. It could be the perfect gift for a peeping Tom!

The HIV cure could be in your bones.

Two HIV infected men in the US have undergone two weeks without any anti-HIV drugs – and without any sign of the disease – having both received bone marrow transplants. The world is waiting with bated breath to see if it is the long anticipated cure.

Something to tweet about: new bird species flies in the face of researchers While making checks for avian flu in 2009, researchers were surprised to find an entirely new species of bird living under their noses – on a city construction site. It has now been Christened ‘Orthotomus chaktomuk’ (or known as the Cambodian Tailorbird to their friends).

What seems more important to you, clean energy or a fast train?

With ecological disaster sitting uncomfortably close, should we be considering how our leaders spend money? In the UK, £50 billion pounds ($76 billion dollars) is being spent on a high speed train system that shaves 35 minutes off a 120 mile journey. But couldn’t this money be better spent on building a sustainable future?

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QUIZ – HOW MUCH OF A SUCKER ARE YOU?

QUIZ ANSWERS Here’s the scoring: 1 – 5 ‘Pseudoscience Sucker’ – You assume the best in everyone. That’s very nice of you, but it does mean you’re easily fooled. We suggest you examine all the past editions of Guru and start questioning more.

6 – 10 ‘Wobbly Sceptic’ – Oh dear, you need to seriously sharpen the sceptic in you.

You’re still quite easily fooled, and there are forces of deception that will find the chink in your armour.

11 – 15 ‘Serious Sceptic’ – To paraphrase Yoda, “The science in you, strong it is… aahmmm.” You are committed, and have the makings of a Jedi Knight Sceptic, but you sometimes rush to judgement. You still need to be wary of pseudoscience.

16 – 20 ‘Jedi Knight Sceptic’ – The dark forces of pseudoscience better beware, for you have the power to seek them out and defeat them with your light sabre of science.

(Eye) Flickr • Harald Hoyer

ANSWERS: 1. Rhinology (S) – the branch of medicine that examines diseases associated with the sinus and the anterior skull base.

2. Rumpology (P) – simply put: the art of reading someone’s butt to determine his or her personality. Appealing, but completely unscientific.

3. Alphabiotics (P) – the realigning of ‘Life Energy’ by neck manipulation…all in approximately 15 seconds.

4. Craniometry (P) – the measurement of cranial features on the belief that it can be used to classify people according to characteristics such as criminal intent, intelligence, etc.

5. Metoposcopy (P) – interpretation of wrinkles, especially on the forehead, to determine a person’s character.

6. The Quadro Tracker (P) – a box that, according to the manufacturer’s blurb, contained “tuned frequency chips” that could help locate just about anything that was lost. Thousands were sold, including those to various US enforcement agencies. None of them worked, apparently.

7. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (P) – a

scientifically unproven, supposed personal improvement/training programme that claims to link thinking, communication and behaviour to do everything from curing personal phobias to transforming multinational corporations. For a fee, naturally.

8. Dermo-optical perception (P) – the alleged ability to see without using the eyes; presumably, given its name, through the skin instead.

Illusionists with dubious blindfolding techniques use it.

9. Iridology (P) – a form of ‘alternative therapy’ that claims patterns and colours in the eyes of a subject can be used to get a clearer picture of his or her systemic health. There is no scientific evidence to support it.

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10. Precognition (P) – the apparent psychic knowledge of future events, obviously before they happen. Science has another term for it: coincidence.

11. Morphic resonance (P) – the apparent telepathy-like connection between all living things on the planet, and the collective memory of entire species. Basically, when you cut a flower, the flower knew beforehand that you were going to do it.

12. Reiki (sorry, but it’s a P) – a quintessential New Age ‘therapy’ that claims practitioners exude universal ‘energy’ – called reiki – through their palms and into a subject, from whence it can be correctly channelled.

Think Star Trek’s Spock. It has, however, been claimed to treat everything from cancer to brain damage and diabetes.

13. Psychometry (P) – The supposed ability to make associations simply by holding an object. TV programmes about psychic detectives will have you believe that it’s real. This is not to be confused with psychometrics – a field of psychology that examines the measurement of factors such as personality traits, abilities and attitudes.

14. Bioharmonics (P) – yet another New Age concept that juggles ‘energy’, ‘energy fields’, ‘harmonics’, etc. within a vague wash of other such terms, then sells the ‘methods’ or equipment necessary to correct it; because, remember, it always seems to be broken.

15. Ectoplasm (P) – the oozy, sticky stuff that ghosts are supposed to be made of. Possibly now available in a can at your local novelty store.

16. Psychokinesis (P) – the movement of objects

using, supposedly, thought alone – or the ‘power of the mind’. The bread and butter for many illusionists, but without any verification by science.

17. Nosode (P) – a type of homeopathic solution with a pathological sample as its base – such as pus, blood or tissue – taken from a diseased person. Nice one.

18. Graphology (P) – the use of handwriting to determine a person’s personality or character; not to be confused with forensic document examination that looks for evidence of forgery in handwriting.

19. Anomalous cognition (P) – A term used by SAIC – an American defence company that toys with integrating science, engineering and technology to provide ‘solutions’ to the military – for ESP (extra sensory perception). You see, the company also dabbles in the paranormal, and this sounds more scientific and therefore more suitable for attracting funding. If you’ve seen the film The Men Who Stare at Goats, this will all sound wonderfully familiar.

20. Intelligent Design (P) – the claim that all life was made purposefully – by design and by a supernatural being – as opposed by random mutations (evolving) over long periods of time.

It is an attempt by creationists to invoke some semblance of science in order to derail the theory of evolution.

That’s right! With the exception of the first term – the rather quaint-sounding Rhinology – all the others are forms of pseudoscience!

Daryl Ilbury is a multi-award winning broadcaster and op-ed columnist based in South Africa. He has a passion for science that has burned since he was a child. You can see an archive of his work on his website www.darylilbury.com or follow him on Twitter at @darylilbury.

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(Jane receives the Reiki treatment from Proletina) Flickr • Simon Berry, (reiki cat) Flickr • anomalous4

QUIZ – HOW MUCH OF A SUCKER ARE YOU?

#MIND

PEEPING INSIDE THE STRIPPER’S MIND THE TRUE COST OF TAKING YOUR CLOTHES OFF

KIM LACEY • MIND GURU

PEEPING INSIDE THE STRIPPER’S MIND

‘Stephanie’

In March 2012, upon the discovery that footballer Mario Balotelli was busted visiting a strip club, the British press went wild debating the ethics of gentlemen’s clubs. This media frenzy prompted Dr. Stu, Guru Magazine’s Editor, to address the blogosphere with his post ‘The psychological cost of being a stripper.’ His blog post sparked a lot of conversation – more than 40 lengthy comments!

Now, although I’ve never been an exotic dancer, all of this heated talk got me wondering about the motivations and experiences of this oftendismissed profession. And while you might fundamentally disagree with stripping, please keep an open mind – I’m more interested in why they do it and how they approach it.

A G-string full of greenbacks

Previous Page: (WOMEN...) Flickr • Mills Baker , (Strip Club Bouncer) Flickr • Thomas Hawk

“Being a ‘dancer’ certainly does change your outlook on life.”

One of the first things I realised was that Googling the term ‘stripping’ yields dozens of results – but probably not the ones you’re interested in if you plan to write a serious article on the subject. What I did find, however, was a fascinating book by Catherine Hakim titled, Erotic Capital: The Power of Attraction in the Boardroom and the Bedroom. Hakim defines ‘erotic capital’ as “a mixture of social and sexual attractiveness” – a trait you immediately align with strippers. Despite my lack of experience of disrobing for strangers, I have waited tables – and one of the most sought after qualities was social attractiveness: the ability to entice others with your conversation and charm. Combine social attractiveness with a sensual striptease and you have yourself a real moneymaker!

According to an article by Susannah Breslin on Forbes.com, strippers earn on average $30 (£22) an hour. It’s usually not a steady income; the day of the week (weekends are primo) and the clientele both affect your take-home pay. Breslin notes that strippers usually work approximately 82 hours per month and earn an average of $2,500 (£1,600) for their time.

With these numbers, it’s pretty obvious that strippers know how to play up erotic capital very well: there’s a huge market for it, after all.

“…I feel so much empathy for the girls who work in this industry. I didn’t like many aspects of what I knew I was going to have to do – so I walked out. I’ll take the non-stop collection calls any day. But many dancers feel exactly the same, and don’t quit. They are working so hard for so little respect, money (yes, money: after the house gets a cut its insane how little you can go home with), and balance in life, sometimes for YEARS. It’s a draining job in every way.”

‘Wildcard’

The mind of a stripper There’s certainly a lot more to think about beyond the cash. Considering that a growing number of teenagers and young adults are being identified as having body image issues,

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PEEPING INSIDE THE STRIPPER’S MIND

many will wonder what effect this has on the self-esteem and the emotional well-being of (specifically female) strippers. In one study (referenced in the original blog post), researchers compared a group of females who were employed as exotic dancers with undergraduate females who were not. The two groups were asked several questions about how they perceived their own body, their awareness of ‘objectification’ (being seen as a ‘thing’ instead of a person), and their comfort level in a sweater versus a swimsuit. Admittedly, it was small-scale research – but the results were nevertheless revealing.

These Californian researchers found that female strippers were much more aware of how their appearance affects others’ perceptions

of them. As a result, the exotic dancers were more likely to place more importance on taking care of their hair or nails, or hitting the gym.

The women also had less satisfaction in their personal relationships and were more likely to think their romantic partnerships would fail.

As you might expect, the exotic dancers’ confidence was also hooked into what they thought about their looks – and would more often “be ashamed if people knew what I really weigh”.

One of the most surprising findings from the study is that when it came to body shaming – ‘an internalized aspect of body consciousness’ – there were no differences between the two groups. And even more remarkably, overall selfesteem was the same between the strippers and the non-strippers.

We can’t know for certain whether these findings would be true for all strippers: researching the sex industry is tough because few men or women agree to take part. It may be some time until we see the full picture of the emotional state of women in the striptease industry. Until then, we are forced take such findings with a little pinch of salt – or rather, a pinch of glitter.

The seduction of the sex industry So why would someone go into the profession?

One of my favorite examples can be found in Melissa Febos’ memoir Whip Smart: The True Story of a Secret Life. OK, so the writer isn’t technically a stripper – she actually chronicled her experiences earning money as a dominatrix during grad school. A self-described cultural anthropologist, Febos explains how every preconception she had about ‘erotic capital’ was wrong, and thus changed her perspective completely. She repeatedly notes that medicine is the only other profession that observes the

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PEEPING INSIDE THE STRIPPER’S MIND “From a young age I began dancing. As soon as I turned 18, I was [exotic] dancing.

At 24, I am still dancing. However, this is two children later. I am educated, have graduated from college and now must take my boards, but yes, it took me this long to finish [dancing]. I must say, at first it started out as fun and games. Coming from no family I have always worked hard, but one night a friend told me to try it so I did. I made [lots of money], thus I stayed.”

Nadine Strossen’s Defending Pornography for an in-depth argument.)

Whether you agree with it or not, there’s a whole lot more to stripping than you’d imagine (no, now stop imagining that).

“Stripping is not worth it. I may have made a good amount of money but I’ve come to my own conclusion that I would rather have my mental well-being then be financially at ease.

Please girls, every moment in your life, every experience, molds you to who you are now.”

‘Dancer_RN’

‘Ariel’

human body with such intimacy (pun intended).

I wonder what Dr Stu would make of that…

Before I sign off, I want to point out one final thing: the feminist perspective. Many of the commenters on the blog argue whether or not stripping is degrading to women. (There was a lack of people discussing male strippers, and I don’t see how they’re immune from that argument either.)

It’s tough to agree or disagree with these arguments; many of them have valid points about using the body for ‘erotic capital’. Others have suggested quite the opposite – that carnal industries are actually liberating. (See All quotes used in this article are taken from comments placed on Dr. Stu’s Blog.

• •

• • • •

Breslin, S. (2011) “How your journalism sausage gets made, part nine: How much do strippers make?” Forbes.com Downs, D, James, S, & Cowan, G. (2006). Body Objectification, Self-Esteem, and Relation­ship Satisfaction: A Comparison of Exotic Dancers and College Women, Sex Roles, 54 (11-12), 745752 Farrimond, S. (2012) “The psychological cost of being a stripper” Dr. Stu’s Blog.

Febos, M. (2010) Whip smart: The true story of a secret life. New York: Thomas Dunne Books.

Hakim, C. (2011) Erotic capital: The power of attraction in the boardroom and the bedroom. New York: Basic Books.

Strossen, N. (2000) Defending pornography: Free speech, sex, and the fight for women’s rights. New York: NYU Press.

With a PhD from Detroit’s Wayne State University, Kim Lacey from Detroit, USA knows a thing or two about memory studies, digital media and digital humanities. She also has a serious addiction to combo plates at restaurants. You can read about Kim at kimberlylacey.com or follow her on Twitter at @kimlacey.

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References

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GUREVIEWS

Book Review

GOLD Author: Chris Cleave Publisher: Sceptre Price: £7.99, $16.00 (Kindle version available) Available from Amazon (UK / USA) Rating: Last year’s Olympic Games was a sporting event that few of us here in the UK are likely to forget in a hurry. Preempted by years of cynicism, the overwhelming success of London 2012 stunned critics and united the nation in jubilant fashion, as eyes across the globe turned to our nation’s capital to see the very best athletes in the world compete for the chance to be immortalised in history – by winning Gold.

It is this quest that serves as the backdrop for Chris Cleave’s third novel Gold (Sceptre, 2012), the author’s follow-up to New York Times bestseller The Other Hand (or Little Bee as it was marketed in America).

Gold is the fictional tale of British Olympic cyclists Zoe Castle and Kate Meadows – but don’t let the two-wheeled subject matter put you off. Having trained and raced against each other for fifteen years, these two athletes are among the fastest in the world – a fact that will be put to the test when the ICO declares a rule change stating that only one of them can represent their country in London. Now, that’s an Olympic-sized pickle for you.

The two lead protagonists couldn’t be more different from one another, at least on the face of it: Zoe is a relentless, self-destructive, man-eating celebrity cyclist, seemingly destined for the win from the outset. Kate, meanwhile, is the mother of Sophie, a brave eight-year-old battling with leukemia. Kate is struggling to keep on top of the rigorous training

regime alongside husband, and fellow Olympian, Jack.

Bolstering the two females together is veteran coach Tom, whose withering frame has just about one more Games left in it.

The contrast between Zoe and Kate makes for some truly absorbing reading, as the two rivals-turnedfriends push towards victory, and battle to keep on top of their respective personal demons. But Gold is about much more than the sport of cycling.

“Gold is about what we choose to put first: our ambition, or the people we love ... which is a heartbreaking human dilemma.

We call it work/life balance, and I chose to pose the dilemma to athletes because in sport there’s nowhere to hide. Failure and success are absolute and the human choices are very hard.” – Chris Cleave, author of Gold.

In one of the story’s pivotal moments, a sportscaster comments on the action taking place before his eyes.

He astutely observes: “We can easily forget, underneath all the glitz and the glamour of an Olympics, that these are real people, real families like yours and mine”.

Much like Cleave’s last book, which tackled the hard topic of immigration, Gold uses the world of professional cycling merely as a setting for what is a sublime and richly-written character piece, revolving around an engaging central cast and with a plotline that will keep you guessing right up until the very last page. It’s an emotional read, to say the least.

As Gold confirms, when it comes to the problems of real people placed in extraordinary circumstances, few can tell their story quite like Chris Cleave.

Gold is now available to buy from all leading book‑ shops and online. To find out more about the author, visit www.facebook.com/ChrisCleaveBooks and www.twitter.com/chriscleave.

Ben Veal is a PR and Digital Marketing professional based in Wiltshire, UK. Ben studied Film at university, and in his attempts to escape from the real world spends most of his free time with his head buried inside a book whilst listening to obscure – and often terrible – bands. Find out more about Ben’s work at benvealpr.com.

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Book Review

TIME REBORN Author: Lee Smolin Publisher: Allen Lane (23 April 2013) Price: £12.80, $19.07 (Available from Amazon UK/USA; eBook versions available) Rating: Now and then, we all come across a book that makes an impression on us. However, rarely do we get caught up in whether we came across it now or then. In Time Reborn, Lee Smolin neatly blends philosophy and science to provide a detailed account of time, and the multiple cases for and against its reality.

He argues that time is not an illusion, but real, and is essential to us understanding the fundamental laws of nature.

Smolin writes for a general audience, skillfully condensing complex scientific concepts into bite-size pieces, without distorting them beyond the point of accuracy – a big achievement for such a tricky subject. However, while the book is accessible to readers from any background, you’ll need a certain level of academic interest to get through the more physics-heavy chapters. But don’t let that put you off.

For a book that advocates the importance of time, it is conveniently structured, moving chronologically from the ancient Greeks, through Galileo, all the way up to the physicists of today. Smolin begins by making us aware of the current scientific consensus – that our perception of time is an illusion. He then takes us on a voyage through history, where we hear how space and time can be unified into a single ‘fabric’ of ‘space-time’ (of which the time element is just another dimension – on top of the three dimensions in which we see the world around us). This destroys any absolute notion of time, and leads to even bigger claims that there is no real distinction between past, present, and future.

From there, things only get more outrageous. I reached for the pillow during the disturbingly reasonable suggestion that our universe is in perpetual flux between different moments in history. If this is the case, everything that will ever happen is already mapped out; we are simultaneously carefree children and decrepit seniors – and both are equally real! When the universe ‘adopts’ a moment in which we exist, we gain the illusion of time passing from the last moment we remember. But it’s all a trick of the mind because the Big Bang – or a catalogue of alternative moments in history – may have happened in between. Wait... what?

Just when our minds begin melting away like something out of a Salvador Dali painting, Smolin intervenes. By pointing out areas of physics that remain conflicted, he calls for time’s rescue. He asserts that time should be central in a new universal ‘theory of everything’. He then poses a controversial idea whereby the laws of nature are not timeless and set in stone, but evolve over time. According to this idea, there exist multiple universes that ‘reproduce’ through black holes, each ‘child’ operating under a slightly different set of laws. The most virile universes are those with the most black holes, creating a competitive system where a universe will out-perform others if its laws favour the creation of black holes.

Smolin’s scenario flips upside-down what physicists believe, making time fundamentally real and leaving everything else to exist within it. Laws of nature are not fixed, but ever-changing. He summarises this most powerfully in the statement, “E may equal mc squared now, but that was not always the case”. Take that Einstein!

For me, Time Reborn was an emotional journey. First, my perception of the world crumbled around me; then, I became lost in the void; and finally, everything was restored in a curious new context. The book is packed full of information and will give any reader a well-rounded knowledge of the field. It is an absolute must-read for the philosophically inclined, and academically interested – but with a strong warning to anybody who already has difficulty sleeping at night.

Ross Harper recently graduated from Cambridge University having studied Biological Natural Sciences. He spent the last year running his somewhat unconventional advertising business, BuyMyFace.com, and is now trying his hand at app development with his new company, Wriggle Ltd. No matter what crazy scheme he’s currently working on, Ross makes sure to devote a bit of time to keeping with the latest in science news. Feel free to say ‘hi’ to Ross on Twitter (@refharper).

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GUREVIEWS

Documentary Review

PANDORA’S PROMISE Director/Producer: Robert Stone Released: 18 January 2013 (Sundance Film Festival); now on general release.

Running Time: 87 mins Official website: pandoraspromise.com Rating:

Pandora’s Promise is a documentary of uncomfortable truths. Directed and written by Oscar nominee Robert Stone, it follows the attempts of high profile environmental activists who have abandoned anti-atomic campaigning to become the world’s most outspoken advocates for a nuclear-powered future. It’s seemingly a self-contradiction: how can people who care about the Earth support an energy source that has the potential of wiping cities out? Modern environmentalists rail against nuclear power like it’s the bane of humanity; Pandora’s Promise suggests it’s high time they re-evaluate.

The documentary follows four environmentalists as they explore popular preconceptions about nuclear power, why it is considered dangerous and – importantly – why it is one of the only energy options left open to us. Interviewees Stewart Brand, Gwyneth Cravens, Mark Lynas and Micheal Shellen Berger each explain how they became pro-nuclear, all four having had a drastic change of mind when confronted with the cold, hard facts.

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The makers of Pandora’s Promise don’t leave it solely to these activists to challenge the ideas that have been cemented into our psyche since the bombing of Hiroshima. The documentary takes us on a journey through time to explore why nuclear power has gained so many negative connotations. Our fears stem from our first encounter with nuclear power during the Second World War, when the Japanese cities, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, were destroyed in a day. Later, disasters such as Chernobyl, which saw a nuclear reactor meltdown in 1986, resulted in a chain reaction of worldwide public hysteria.

Pandora’s Promise powerfully highlights how the media has used our ignorance as a weapon to mislead and frighten. Did you know that nuclear power is statistically a safer energy option than the use of solar panels (thanks to the incredibly toxic process used to make them)? Furthermore, coal is the most dangerous and harmful energy source used to date, having caused more fatalities per unit of energy produced than any other source. By contrast, nuclear power is the second safest source of energy (only being pipped to the top spot by wind power). Surprisingly, all the nuclear waste generated to date would only be enough to fill an American football field to a height of 3m, which is a relatively small amount – especially when compared to fossil fuels. The length of time that nuclear waste stays radioactive concerns many of us, but the apologists argue that this threat it is easily contained.

My stereotypical response to nuclear power is ‘it must be bad’ – a misconception that this documentary spends an hour and thirty minutes systematically dismantling. Remarkably, some nuclear power stations can reuse nuclear waste to produce even more energy, making it a remarkably clean source of energy.

Like many of us who are wary of atomic energy, I approached this movie as a sceptic; I didn’t believe I would ever support an energy source that has the power to wipe cities from the face of the Earth. But Pandora’s Promise forcefully challenged my misgivings; to make any serious positive impact on climate change, modern environmentalism will need to incorporate nuclear power into its agenda. Robert Stone’s film makes the case that solar and wind power won’t be

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enough to power our society – particularly when we’re constantly finding more ways to consume energy.

The pace of the movie allows you to learn the ins-and-outs of atomic energy terminology without being bored to your teeth. Information is presented in an easily understandable and entertaining – even exciting – way. It feels like you’re being given a tour of forbidden knowledge. Cutting between interviews with nuclear engineers to anti-nuclear rallies, and from visits to nuclear power stations to nuclear disaster sites, the pace of the movie is fast. Stone also uses a Geiger counter, held in front of the camera in different cities across the world; the digital readout highlights the level of background radiation in each – and the results aren’t what you might expect. (Just don’t ask what the radiation levels are on an airplane.)

You’ll learn that everywhere is affected by radiation and that nuclear power has very little bearing on

worldwide levels at present. The clicking, screen-sized Geiger counter is a powerful cinematic device that left me wondering why I believed the cynical ‘facts’ about ‘nuclear radiation’.

Who is this documentary for? Well, it’s for all of us.

Environmentalists, sceptics and anyone concerned with the future of the world should also consider taking a look. The pace of the documentary does start to wane by the end, almost as if the environmentalists had resigned themselves to the difficulties facing them. But ultimately a documentary should be judged on the point it gets across. On this basis, Pandora’s Promise is a brilliant documentary; it threatens to challenge all but the most closed-minded viewer’s view of nuclear power. If you’re still unconvinced, watch the documentary.

Matt Powell is a graduate from Oxford, obsessed with all things space orientated. Besides being the meanest ukulele player to grace the English countryside, Matt spends his time reading, writing and walking. He’s also the intern…

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PANDORA’S PROMISE

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GUREVIEWS

Short Film Review

AMAZON SOULS Director/Producer: Sarah Begum Released: 15 May 2013 (Cannes Film Festival, France); 12 June 2013 (Sheffield International Documentary Festival,UK) Running Time: 40 mins Official Website: facebook.com/sarahbegumtvarahBegumTV Rating: There is no better way to learn about a culture than to completely immerse yourself in it. That is exactly what Sarah Begum did in 2010. 21-year-old Sarah spent several months in the Ecuadorian Amazon to learn about the Huaorani people’s way of life.

Begum’s experience was documented in the short film Amazon Souls, shown at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner this year. Amazon Souls not only documents Begum’s “greatest expedition”, but the production of the film also made Begum the youngest female Documentarian.

In the film, Begum travels deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon to observe and learn how the modern world has impacted the Huaorani tribe’s way of life.

Isolated from modern civilization, the tribe lives off the natural resources of the rainforest and has a culture that extends back thousands of years. Amazon Souls portrays the tribe’s way of life as being under continual threat from modern industries looking to

exploit their land and natural resources. However, some of the younger members of the tribe are starting to take advantage of the modern world, giving tours to tourists and selling hand-made goods.

As Begum’s journey in the rainforest continues, you see her gathering food with the women, hunting monkeys with the men, and even getting ‘married’ to a member of the tribe; the Huaorani people’s willingness to accept Begum is utterly amazing. It is even more surprising, then, to learn how the tribe resorts to violence to protect their land from unwanted foreigners.

Although enjoyable, the Amazon Souls narrative is somewhat clichéd. It reminds me of every movie I was forced to watch in my anthropology class in undergraduate college: a person from a highly developed nation goes to visit a ‘primitive’ and scantily clad indigenous tribe, to learn about their culture and extravagant rituals. It’s a story that isn’t new, and I confess I did roll my eyes a little at the start of the movie.

However, Begum’s relationship with the Huaorani people is truly endearing: she makes an honest effort to join in their traditions, even stripping down to her ‘birthday suit’ for a drinking ceremony!

As a short film, Amazon Souls packs in a lot in 30 minutes. Sometimes, however, less can be more. The cinematography at the film’s start is stunning: close-up shots of the river Begum traveled on, contrasting with wide angle shots of the rainforest. Thereafter the visual beauty is sidelined for the narrative. The film’s editing gives the impression that the expedition took place over a matter of days. Only later did I learn that Sarah had been staying with the Huaorani tribe for months; she even taught English to children in some of the Amazon schools. Sixty minutes would be a better length to absorb more of the tropical wonder.

Besides feeling rushed, I initially had reservations with the ending. Sarah wants the viewer to internalise the feeling that deforestation is a real threat and that we all have to do something about it. It is an uncomfortable and unsettling conclusion. But given that the Huaorani tribe may cease to exist in 10 years, this is probably no bad thing.

Lucy Huang has a degree in molecular biology from Skidmore College and is Guru’s first official intern. When she isn’t interning for Guru, she is busy rehearsing for dance performances and making cups of tea at David’s Tea shop in New York City.

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#FOOD

I’M A SCIENTIST… AND I HATE GM FOOD UNEARTHING THE FOOD INDUSTRY’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

LUCY HUANG

Previous Page: (Canola cultivation, Binalong, NSW.) Flickr • Jan Smith, (Cotton Harvest) Flickr • Kimberly Vardeman

I’M A SCIENTIST… AND I HATE GM FOOD As a child, while my friends and classmates were all busy watching cartoons like Pokémon and Pinky and the Brain, I would watch shows on the Food Network. My love affair with food went beyond eating: I loved everything about food, especially watching people cook. I was mesmerised by shows like Two Hot Tamales, Calling All Cooks and The Two Fat Ladies; I was especially fond of the original Iron Chef that had been dubbed in English for American viewers. Up until high school, I was convinced that I was going to be a chef – but at high school it was science that began to steal my attention.

I wasn’t aware that my two love affairs did not always see eye-to-eye until the subject of genetically modified (GM) foods came to my attention. My inner foodie cringed at the idea of using fruits and vegetables that had their genetic information altered. My ‘chef friends’ on the Food Network had always advised me to use only the best produce in my cooking – using fresh fruits and vegetables over frozen or canned varieties. But this advice only applied if the produce were in season – so I developed a habit of letting Mother Nature decide what was on the menu. So why alter crops when we could just let nature do its job?

It was not until my dad suggested that I go to a college with a strong biological engineering program that I even thought of the possibilities

of GM foods. Having grown up in a relatively impoverished part of China during the height of communism, my dad was acutely aware of the issue of world hunger – an issue he hoped I would one day solve with my combined love of science and food. But even knowing that genetically modified foods might one day solve the global food problem, I was still against them.

But when I went to college things did not seem so simple, and I became increasingly conflicted over the GM food debate.

Fiddling with nature’s beauty – for good reason My initial reaction to GM foods was one of science tainting a beautiful and natural process by tinkering with genetic information. My great aversion stemmed from the genetic engineering process seeming so strange and novel. But as I continued my career in biology, I realised that genetic engineering was a way of giving nature a helping hand. I was converted! And I wanted to convince people who were against GM foods that the science behind it had been long established and was completely safe. But it was not that simple. The debate on GM crops doesn’t just involve biological concerns but economic and legal ones too.

That there were economic issues surrounding the use of GM crops came as little surprise: one of their key features is their ability to produce a higher yield – making them more profitable for farmers. One modification that can improve yield is a crop that is engineered to be resistant to certain insects, making it less susceptible to damage. For example, 94% of the cotton produced in the US in 2012 had

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I’M A SCIENTIST… AND I HATE GM FOOD

The sweet taste of profit In 1992, a GM crop finally arrived on the public scene when the FDA approved the FlavrSavr

tomato, developed by Calgene to ripen without getting soft. Calgene was able to make this modification by adding a gene that interfered with the enzyme that normally degrades the cell wall of the tomatoes, which would normally cause the fruit to soften. These tomatoes would retain their shape and prevent them from becoming damaged during shipping. But this new breed of tomato was short-lived: it was taken off the market 1997 because the high cost of production was not profitable.

Despite the failure of the FlavrSavr tomato, other GM crops have remained on the market.

In fact, the land globally used to grow GM crops has mushroomed from 4.2 million to 420 million acres since 1996. In the United States, commercially grown GM plants include the soybean, corn, canola, cotton, papaya, sugar beets and zucchini, with soybeans, corn, cotton and canola being the most popular. Today, 93% of soybeans, 94% of cotton, 93% of canola, and 88% of corn produced in the United States is the GM form.

The voice of the Christian farmer Even though 165 million acres of land in the US was used to grow GM crops in 2010, there is still controversy over whether or not we should continue to use these crops commercially. I was able to get more insight to the arguments against GM crops when I went to the farmers market in Saratoga Springs, and was introduced to Michael Kilpatrick from the Kilpatrick Family Farm – a 100-acre farm located in Middle Granville, NY. The Kilpatrick Family Farm’s growing practices are certified by two organizations: NOFA

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(Rotten tomatoes) Flickr • Donald Lee Pardue

been genetically modified to be pest-resistant using a technique called gene insertion. Gene insertion is like copying a sentence from one piece of writing and putting it inside another – but it is a piece of DNA, and instead of a piece of writing, it is an organism’s genetic information – its ‘genome’. So it’s like copying a sentence from The Catcher in the Rye and pasting it in the middle of To Kill a Mocking Bird.

The process of genetically modifying an organism is not new to scientific research, having originally been discovered in the 1970s. Today, scientists insert pieces of DNA into bacteria or yeast every day in order to ‘engineer’ desirable characteristics. For the pest-resistant cotton, a fragment of a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which is naturally found in soil, was inserted into the cotton’s own DNA. The bacterium makes a protein that disrupts the digestive system of certain insects, ultimately killing them – and it is the gene for this insectkilling protein that is grafted into the cotton’s DNA. The method of genetically modifying an organism may not be new, but the commercial production and distribution of GM crops has only been around for a few decades. Before genetic engineering (GE), farmers would use ‘natural’ techniques such as selective breeding, crop rotation, irrigation and pest control to increase the size of the harvest. It might not be obvious, but selective breeding is way of manipulating plant genes – but in a way quite different from genetic engineering. Instead of altering a plant’s DNA in the lab, farmers will try to figure out how the characteristics are inherited – to one generation from another – and mate the plants accordingly. But inheritance patterns aren’t always predictable and growers often get unpredictable results: for example, a farmer wanting taller wheat can try to mate two strains of tall wheat – but because height is controlled by many genes, some of the wheat will still be short.

In theory, genetic engineering guarantees that the desired trait will be present in the crop because the gene has been artificially inserted; other traditional agricultural techniques simply manipulate the forces of nature.

I’M A SCIENTIST… AND I HATE GM FOOD NY’s Farmer’s Pledge and Certified Naturally Grown. When talking to Michael, his passion for farming and for providing the best food possible was obvious. Michael has been farming since the age of five and has regularly attended conferences to speak about farming.

As a Christian farmer he believes “it is about being a steward of God’s great earth, of care taking and nurturing it.” He is morally against the core methods behind genetic engineering and what could be perceived to be the general tampering with an organism’s DNA. He also has reservations about the process of commercially producing GM crops being fairly new. It is a challenge to foresee biological risks: how do we know whether GM foods are safe in the long run, and how can we tell for sure whether or not GM plants might have a negative impact on the environment? Because genetic engineering introduces a foreign gene into an organism, could unforeseen issues arise within the organism resulting from the gene insertion?

THE CASE FOR GM FOOD The

European

Commission

Directorate-

General for Research and Innovation 2010 says “the main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25

of biodiversity in the US since the introduction of GM crops for commercial use.

In fact the opposite appears to be true: some GM plants are beneficial to the environment. For example, the use of Bt-cotton, a pest-resistant GM cotton, has brought about a decrease in the use of pesticides, with a 2006 study of the global impact of GM crops, published by the UK consultancy PG Economics, concluding that the global use of herbicides and pesticides had decreased by 15%.

The great GM conspiracy Even with the benefits of increased crop yields and decreased pesticide use, there is still controversy that goes beyond biology. On the face of it, GM crops hold the promise of a solution to world hunger. On average, GM crops produce a higher yield than their non-GM crop counterparts: farmers in developed countries saw a 6% increase in yield while in undeveloped countries the increase was a whopping 29%. But it’s not all good news.

The genetic engineering research is being carried out by private companies who hold patents on their GM crops and decide who gets to use their invention. The only way to get a hold of this technology is to purchase it from them – a cost BELOW: that puts the crops beyond the reach of poorer Those most in need of GM crops are developing nations. denied it.

years of research, and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that [GM foods], are not per se more risky than

(Malawian farmers) Flickr • Jessica Ridgewell

conventional plant breeding technologies.”

Given Michael’s concerns, I decided to research whether there was any data to suggest that GM crops were bad for human consumption. The outcome? At present, no significant evidence exists to suggest GM foods pose any threat to human health.

But could GM crops have an unforeseen impact on the environment? Since genetic manipulation essentially introduces a form of an organism that cannot be found in nature, could there be a risk that existing species are killed off? The answer appears to be ‘no’. The National Environmental Policy Act requires the FDA to consider the environmental impact before approving any GM crop – and I was unable to find data to suggest there has been a decrease

Those for whom GM crops offer the greatest benefit are the ones least likely to reap the rewards. Even when a purchase has been made, the benefits are short-lived: the seeds have been designed as ‘terminator seeds’ that only last for one season. After harvest, farmers must again purchase the premium priced seeds.

Patent protection has another sting in its tail.

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Any farmer using these seeds without paying for them may be sued for violating copyright laws – despite there being uncontrollable forces of nature at play. The thing about seeds is that they are able to travel: wind can pick up seeds and move them to a different field. So some farmers have accidently grown crops that they do not own the rights to – only to be technically guilty of copyright infringement.

Ominously, by March 2011, Monsanto had filed lawsuits against 60 farmers who had unintentionally produced GM crops designed by them.

Many of my initial feelings about the safety of GM crops have now been replaced with concerns over the practices of the private genetic engineering research companies.

Although I support genetic engineering in the spirit of scientific advancements, I have begun to change my shopping habits at the supermarket because I do not support the industry that exploits this technology. So, while I let out a small whimper out when I pass the frozen novelties at the grocery store, I feel a lot better about eating my homemade strawberry popsicles instead of ones containing corn syrup from GM crops.

References • • • • •

• •

Barfoot, P, 2007, ‘Global impact of biotech crops: Socio-economic and environmental effects, 1996-2006’, AgBioForum, vol. 11, pp. 21-83, viewed 17 May 2013 Bruening G & Lyons J 2000, ‘The case of the FLAVR SAVR tomato’, California Agriculture, vol. 54, pp. 6-7, viewed 17 May 2013 Carpenter, JE, 2010, ‘Peer-reviewed surveys indicate positive impact of commercialized GM crops’, Nature Biotechnology, vol. 28, pp. 319-321, viewed 17 May 2013 James, C 2012, Global status of commercialized biotech/GM crops, 2010, ISAAA, Ithaca, NY. Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, A decade of EU-funded GMO research: (2001-2010), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxemburg.

National Agricultural Statistics Service, Acreage, USDA, viewed 17 May 2013 Profiles in Science, Recombinant DNA Technologies and Researchers’ Responsibilities, 1973-1980, National Institutes of Health, viewed 17 May 2013 Lucy Huang has a degree in molecular biology from Skidmore College and is Guru’s first official intern. When she isn’t interning for Guru, she is busy rehearsing for dance performances and making cups of tea at David’s Tea shop in New York City.

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(Better Living through Genetic Modification) Flickr • Orin Hargraves

I’M A SCIENTIST… AND I HATE GM FOOD

IN THE NEWS

www.gurumagazine.org

August/September 2013

Reporting the news you might have missed...

TECHNOLOGY In a true display of mind over matter, a team of biomedical engineers from the University of Minnesota trained five volunteers to pilot a remote controlled helicopter through an obstacle course using only the power of thought. (Their results were published in June.)

The electrical activity of the trainee ‘telepath’s’ brains was detected by a cap fitted with 64 sensors, and used to wirelessly control a four-rotor ‘quadcopter’. By imagining the use of their hands, the pilots could control the quadcopter in the left/ right and up/down directions while it flew forward at a steady speed.

It may sound like science fiction, but braincomputer interfaces (BCI) are nothing new. A number of groups around the world are working on similar projects, and we have already seen electric wheelchairs and robot arms controlled via BCI systems. Moves to commercialise the technology are underway with headsets from companies like NeuroSky having already been released, and

(Quadcopter) & (Pilot with BCI cap) • University of Minnesota, (Cat ears) • NeuroSky

LEARNING TO USE MIND POWER TO FLY

Samsung reportedly working on a BCI tablet controller. Among the commercial offerings are mind controlled games (such as ‘Jurrasic Golf’) and cat ear headsets!

This kind of technology isn’t just a gimmick – it could be put to valuable use in helping people with disabilities whose movement is impaired. Teaching someone to move something with their minds may not be all that straight-forward (as any young Jedi knows – Ed). Imagine learning to ride a bicycle without being able to sense the wobble or feel the pedals under your feet: experiencing this kind of sensory feedback is crucial for learning such motor skills.

Looking inside ‘telepath’

the

mind

of

a

Because controlling a BCI device does not necessarily involve moving, learning to use such devices might be quite different to learning other skills.

But a study published less than a week after the quadcopter report reveals some important similarities between learning to use a BCI device

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and learning ordinary ‘motor ‘skills, such as riding a bike: Jeremiah Wander and colleagues recruited seven epilepsy patients who had electrode sensors implanted in their brains to try to locate where their seizures originated. The University of Washington researchers monitored patterns of brain activity as the patients learned to control the position of a cursor on a screen with their mind.

They realised that many brain regions were active, even though the task should only require a small group of brain cells; this network of regions was remarkably similar to those used when learning ordinary physical skills.

People learning to use a BCI device commonly

report moving from a phase of deliberate control, during which they need to concentrate on the thoughts required (such as imagining making a fist to move the quadcopter), to a more automatic mode, where they just think about what they want to happen (such as turning left or right). We also see this transition during ordinary learning, reflecting a shift from conscious to automatic control as we master a particular skill.

For the next experiments, the researchers think that being able to see brain activity in real-time could help people to perform more complex tasks using BCI devices – including being able to control multiple dimensions of movement, as would be needed for a truly useful prosthetic limb.

MEDICINE DRUGS TO MAKE THE Imagine a noise in your ear that never goes away NOISES STOP – like a party in your head that you’re not invited to. For people who suffer tinnitus, this can be a daily reality. A solution could be on the horizon: scientists have managed to prevent tinnitus developing in mice exposed to excessive levels of noise using a drug that’s usually used to treat epilepsy.

Tinnitus affects about one in ten adults; for some it can be a truly debilitating condition for which there are few effective treatments, and no known cure. In fact, there are on-going disagreements between some experts about what tinnitus even is.

The symptoms vary enormously, from a whisper to a roar, constant to intermittent, temporary to permanent, in one ear, or both. Tinnitus can be triggered by repeated exposure to excessively loud noise, certain prescription drugs, middle ear

infections and old age, among other things. The most common trigger is loud noise, which seems to bring about more permanent symptoms than when it is induced by medicines.

Researchers have recently begun making sense of some of the biology behind tinnitus. An important process behind noise-induced tinnitus is thought to be over-activity of cells in a specific part of the brain (called the dorsal cochlea nucleus (DCN)). Like a rock concert mixing desk, this is the first relay station in the processing pathway from the ears to the brain: it is at the DCN where the auditory nerve, carrying signals from the inner ear, first connects with brain cells. These cells are normally activated in response to real sounds, so the experience of the phantom sounds in tinnitus could be due to over-activity in this region.

A faulty mixing desk Exploring the DCN further, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine looked at molecularsized channels covering the surface of the nerve cells there. These special ‘pores’ (called KCNQ ion channels) transport potassium into and out of brain cells. KCNQ channels normally

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(Tinnitus…) Flickr • erik forsberg

IN THE NEWS

IN THE NEWS You may be wondering how we know whether a mouse has tinnitus. That’s a good question and we can never be certain, but we can get a good idea from animal ‘models’. The researchers at the University of Pittsburgh used the most common method, known as the ‘startle’ model. Mice startle at a sudden loud sound – especially when it comes out of the blue. However, when a background sound is played as well, and the background is interrupted shortly before the loud sound, the mice are warned and don’t startle as much.

The assumption is that animals with tinnitus won’t hear the silent interruption, and so will be more startled than mice without tinnitus (as measured by how often they stop drinking). It’s not exact, but it seems to work! have a calming effect on the DCN – inhibiting the activity of the cells there. So the scientists reason that tinnitus could be due to these channels not working normally.

And sure enough, the epilepsy drug retigabine, which is already known to increase KCNQ channel activity, prevented tinnitus developing in mice exposed to excessively loud noise. Untreated mice exposed to the noise behaved as though they had tinnitus.

Although this study seems to have identified a new process involved in noise-induced tinnitus, it is not the first time a drug has been used to treat the condition.

One probable factor involved in tinnitus is overproduction of glutamate, a chemical messenger produced by the special ‘hair’ cells in the inner ear. Glutamate transmits the hairs’ movement from the inner ear to auditory nerves, where it is converted into electrical impulses that travel to the DCN, and ultimately the brain. Loud noise can cause too much glutamate to be made, and it

is this excess that destroys the vital connections between the inner ear and the auditory nerve – an effect known as ‘excitotoxicity’. The connections that regrow to replace those destroyed become overactive, and this is thought to cause tinnitus.

Finally! Something that sounds like a cure A paper published in 2007 found that ifenprodil, a drug which blocks certain glutamate receptors, not only prevented noise-induced tinnitus when put directly into the inner ear, but could reverse the effects, providing it was administered within four days.

How these two mechanisms are related (they could be different stages of the same tinnitus for instance, or be due to different types) is not clear, but the team behind the recent study now plan to develop a drug specifically designed for tinnitus. They say such a preventative drug could be useful for soldiers or people who have to work in very noisy conditions. Excitingly, the work may even have implications for other phantom sensations such as the phantom limbs experienced by amputees.

Simon Makin is an auditory researcher turned science journalist. Originally from Liverpool, he has a degree in electronics, a Masters in speech and hearing sciences, and a PhD in auditory perception. He worked as a post-doc in the psychology deptartment at Reading University for several years, before recently taking the leap into journalism.

Tweets as @SimonMakin. Blogs as Heisenberg’s Hamster.

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#ASIDES

THE PHYSICS GURU’S SCRIBBLEPAD MY 10 BEST GEEK JOKES Think science can’t be funny? Well, here are my favourite science in-jokes that should bring a smile to your face - especially if youre a bit of a geek like me...

How many Microsoft programmers does it take to change a light bulb? Two. One to change the bulb, the other to close any windows.

Why are quantum physicists so poor at sex?

Because when they have the position, they can’t find the momentum, and when they have the momentum, they can’t find the position.

Why was the scarecrow so happy?

Because he was outstanding in his field.

What do you do with a dead chemist?

Barium.

Did you hear about the biologist who had twins?

She baptised one and kept the other as a control.

My physics teacher says my understanding of forces is the worst he’s ever known.

Personally, I think he’s just pushing my leg.

Do posh ducks emit quarks?

Schrodinger’s cat walks into a bar.

And doesn’t...

A Higgs boson walks into a church, and the priest says: “What are you doing here?" The boson replies: “What do you mean? You can’t have Mass without me!"

What’s the difference between a seal and a sea lion? One electron.

If any of the jokes had you stumped, let us know on Facebook and Twitter, and we’ll endeavour to provide explanations. Oh, and we’d also love to hear your favourite geeky gags, so get in touch!

James Lloyd studied physics at university and recently finished a climate science PhD. He’s now swapped semiconductors for semicolons, writing about science and blogging at The Soft Anonymous. James enjoys music making, hill walking and trying to find the perfect flapjack. Find him on Twitter @jbb_lloyd.

(At Least the Clowns are Laughing) Flickr • Michael Coghlan, (Vintage Memo Notepad) Flickr • Calsidyrose

ASK A GURU Every Friday our team of Gurus accept your

Our diverse team of writers and Gurus will research

questions about (pretty much) anything. To

and find you the answer. If we can’t, then we’ll

ask a question, simply send it via the app (tap

search far and wide until we find an expert

the question mark), post it on our Facebook

who can. Unfortunately, we can’t answer every

wall or tweet it to @GuruMag with the hashtag

question we receive – but, hey, life isn’t always

#AskAGuru on any Friday. You can also send your

fair…

head-scratcher via email.

Does the Human Heart have Memory?

Asked by Samantha Whiley.

There are stories of heart transplant patients taking on characteristics of the donor. In one case, the recipient developed a craving for the donor’s favourite snack. This has been called ‘cellular memory’ or ‘body memory’: a pseudoscience with no basis in rigorous scientific testing.

However, even though there isn’t any hard evidence of ‘cellular memory’ in humans, it may exist in other species, as suggested by this news article in Nature. A slime mould is a single-celled organism (and therefore without brain) that is often found on the forest floor. They occasionally group up to search for food, and there is one species charmingly named the ‘dog vomit’ slime mould, which looks exactly as you’d picture it In the Nature experiment, slime moulds were given electric shocks at regular intervals. Remarkably, the scientists found that the slime actually began to anticipate the shocks. Even after a few hours of being left alone, the slime seemed to remember the exact pattern in which the shocks were

applied. (They were shaking their fists at those damned scientists - Ed.) Clearly, cellular memory does exist in some form, but it probably can’t explain the strange phenomenon of hearts passing on personality traits from their donors.

But as the Nature experiment shows, slime mould memory may help us better understand the evolutionary origins of our own memory.

Answered by Shambralyn Baker

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ASK A GURU

Why don’t plants get sunburnt?

Asked by @Winbiology via Twitter.

It’s no secret that we humans are vulnerable to UV radiation (a known cause of skin cancer). But while the sun is cooking us like lobsters, plants just seem to shrug it off. That’s because they’re equipped with a special enzyme called ‘photolyase’ which can repair DNA damage.

At a molecular level, when UV light hits DNA, it breaks some of the bonds that hold the DNA together. When these broken bonds repair, they can form incorrect linkages, or ‘dimers’. In turn, these dimers prevent the cell from replicating properly, potentially resulting in a cancer-causing genetic mutation.

Plants, however, nip the issue in the bud (pun intended) with their use of photolyase. The enzyme binds to the damaged DNA site and harnesses energy from sunlight to remove the dimers and re-correct the bonds again.

But plants aren’t unique in this feature. In fact, marsupials, birds, fish, amphibians, bacteria, viruses, and even yeast, all possess it. Most mammals on the other hand – including us – lost the ability to make photolyase some 170 million years ago (blame it on our genes). You can find out more here.

Answered by Ansel Oommen

Can humans afford to mine in space?

As the human race rapidly continues to grow larger, not only are we running out of space, but we’re also short on resources. Sooner or later, as we outgrow our planet, we will have to start branching out towards space. One idea is to start mining on asteroids.

Earth and asteroids came from the same starting materials (they’re like brothers but Earth was far more successful, depending on what you measure success on!) If humans were to mine asteroids, they would find a wealth of resources like gold, platinum, cobalt and ice water.

At present, it would cost tens of billions of dollars to set-up a mining facility in space, as there is no affordable way to supply and launch a rocket into space. In fact, we currently have the technology needed to mine asteroids; we have spaceships that can orbit and land on asteroids. The problem lies in making this technology faster and cheaper so as to make mining worthwhile.

There are a great variety of ways to make the venture cheaper. All cosmic mining missions will concentrate on near-Earth asteroids which, quite obviously, fly near Earth’s orbit. Most resources would not be brought back to Earth – the process most asteroid mining projects would follow is called ‘in-situ resource utilisation’ (I wouldn’t want to have to say that often).

‘In-situ resource utilisation’ is the biggest way of keeping costs down, and involves using all mined resources on facilities specifically in-space. It would mean cosmic mining companies would be able to finance themselves with what they mine. To put it into perspective, a metallic asteroid about 200 metres across could be worth $30 billion dollars. You can imagine all the prospectors in spacesuits slapping their knees and shouting “gold, gold!”

Read the full answer online

Answered by Matt Powell

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(Maru in the sun) Flickr • jnyemb, (Gold nugget) Flickr • Daniel Spiess

Asked by ‘Mad Moules’ via Facebook.

ASK A GURU

Can you interfere with someone’s thoughts using technology?

(137/365 - Character Building Micro-Figure: Asteroid Miners) Flickr • davidd, (AWAKE !) Flickr • tortuga767

Asked by Rainu Kuar via email Yes. But if I tell you how, I’ll have to kill you! (Just kidding) There has been some recent research showing it is possible to know what a person is going to do before they do it. Using sensors, it is possible to anticipate whether someone is going to move, or do a mathematical sum a few moments before even they are aware they are about to. It seems that the brain ‘decides’ what to do, before your conscious awareness.

Scary. And you thought you had free will?

These researchers are now looking at whether it is possible to interfere with and change these decisions.

Researchers at MIT have shown that by firing powerful magnetic fields into a specific region of the brain (using a technology called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) a person’s moral decisions can be altered. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is now being investigated as a possible treatment for depression and other psychiatric conditions.

But depending on how you look at it, we are constantly

using technology to alter other people’s thoughts.

Take television advertising and Tasers as examples…

Read the full answer online

Answered by Dr Stu and Lewis Pike

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ASK A GURU

Why does the room spin if you lie down after too much alcohol?

Having been a student for three years, and with another three years of student life ahead, I feel particularly well placed to answer any ‘Ask a Guru’ question on alcohol. Dizziness, in general, is a result of conflicting information about the location of the head.

This information comes mainly from three places: the eyes, the touch receptors (mainly in the feet) and the vestibular system (the ‘balance organs’ in the inner ear). Lying down after drinking excessively affects all three of these balance systems, leading to the sensation of dizziness and the room spinning around.

Firstly, lying down means that the back of your body is in contact with the ground, instead of the soles of your feet. Your feet have a much higher concentration of touch receptors and so, by not using them, you are limiting the information available from touch. This

is one reason why drunk people often try to steady themselves with both feet firmly planted on the floor and one or both hands on other surfaces (such as the kebab shop counter), thus maximising touch information about the body’s position in relation to its surroundings.

Alcohol also affects the other two sources of balance information. While most of us know only too well about the blurring effect that alcohol has on vision, its main effect is on the vestibular system…. The result of acohol intake is that the vestibular system becomes overly sensitive, leading to movement signals being sent to the brain even when the head is still. Hence the room feels as if it is spinning in relation to the head…

Read the full answer online

(Guru does not encourage irresponsible or excessive drinking. Please be drinkaware and make informed decisions when it comes to drinking alcohol – Ed)

Answer by James Crewdson

Oh, and one more thing: if you have a particular penchant for answering tricky questions or have specialist subject knowledge then drop us a line to join the ‘Ask a Guru’ answering team!

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(Standard King Bed Room) Flickr • Prayitno

Asked by Nicky Sewell via Facebook

#INTERVIEW

EVOLUTION OF A STORY AN INTERVIEW WITH WRITER ADAM MAREK When we read, we get to invent magical places in which we can live for a short time. We get to know the characters, the sights and smells of the locale, and are sometimes pushed to our emotional limits. But what happens when a writer incorporates science into the story? In issue 11 I reviewed BioPunk, an anthology of science-infused short stories, awarding it 5/5 Guru Stars.

The stories were amongst the most exciting and engrossing I have read in a long time, and I’m now a huge fan of this style of writng. Since reading BioPunk, I have had the chance to pick the brains of Adam Marek. I wanted to find out about his inspiration and thinking behind one of my favourite stories, ‘An Industrial Evolution’.

out ‘I see the sea!’ on trips to the beach. And then there are more. Lots more. Dozens of them.

‘Exactly how many orangs do you have here?’ Eleanor asks as Adhi stops the jeep.

‘Exactly is not possible to say,’ he says.

‘Maybe, in whole plantation, seven, eight hundred.’

Eleanor’s mouth drops open. At the peak of her orangutan reserve, she had around 90 apes, and they were spread over an area half the size of Greater London. Here, in tens times the number, and all working within a square mile, the sight is overwhelming.

Beneath the canopy of palm fronds, the air is filled with the sound of their soft-hoot conversations and the hum of the buzz scythes that they wield. These industrious orange apes lurch to and fro, a sense of orderliness to their activities. There is

An Industrial Evolution by Adam Marek – excerpt:

(Bukit Lawang, orangutan) Flickr • Arian Zwegers

From BioPunk, edited by Ra Page, published by Comma Press 2012 with the support of the Wellcome Trust.

Reproduced with kind permission.

The scale of the plantation is terrifying. We drive for maybe an hour before we reach the area where harvesting is happening today, a whole hour of exactly the same view, unchanging, identical tree after identical tree, perfectly spaced apart. It has a hypnotic effect, which seems to dilate time and make this journey torturous.

Finally, mercifully, I see an orangutan dragging a palm leaf across the orange dirt.

‘I see one!’ I call out, the way I used to call

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co-ordination, co-operation. This is a factory floor, a production line, each ape engaged in his or her task but mindful of its neighbours, constantly reassuring each other with nods and an incredible array of elastic expressions.

The orangs all wear clothes, even the young ones clinging to their mothers’ stomachs while they work, T-shirts at least – most of them orange and bearing the Banau Batong logo. It’s easy to tell how old the orangs are, relative to each other, from the colour of their t-shirts. The older the ape, the more the sun has bleached the dye.

They all walk upright, lumbering in a kind of drunken way that makes the hairs on the back of my arms stand up because most of them are carrying highly dangerous tools.

Adhi makes a ‘give me’ gesture, and the orang nearest us gives up his buzz scythe.

This is a seven-foot pole with a wickedsharp sickle on the end that vibrates when a button on the handle is pressed.

‘When my grandfather worked in the plantation,’ he says, ‘he had a long pole with flat blade and he have to jab jab jab at each leaf to prune the tree, then jab jab jab, ten times for each fruit. It takes him fifteen minutes to harvest one tree. Now…’ He gives the buzz scythe back to the orang and makes a gesture, clapping his fingers against his thumb.

‘How many sign words do they know?’

Eleanor asks.

Adhi shrugs. ‘We have signs for everything we need to say.’

The orang responds by going at the tree with quick, accurate pulling motions, hooking the scythe round the thick stem of each leaf and pruning it away to reveal the red fruit balls that sprout from the top of the trunk like monstrous half-metre raspberries.

The ape chops seven leaves in 30 seconds, then severs the short stem of the first fruit.

While we have watched this, another orang has come over to stand at the base of the tree. It seems to practice the act of catching a couple of times in the air, and when the actual fruit topples, it clutches the heavy ball against its chest, wrapping its impossibly long arms around it, then sets the fruit gently on the ground and waits for the next one to fall.

‘Before apes,’ Adhi says, ‘the workers let fruit hit the ground. They get bruised. We lose many fruit this way. Now, all is perfect.’

He grins proudly and pinches his thumb and forefinger together to make a loop. The universal symbol of perfection.

Working together, these two apes strip the tree down to a bare nub, pile the six fruits in one of the many trailers, and stack the discarded pine fronds in a cage, all within about three minutes. Adhi says the trucks take the fruits to a processing factory at the northern edge of the plantation.

‘Are they engineered to be like this?’ I ask.

‘You know, so dextrous?’

Adhi doesn’t understand, but Eleanor interprets, and he responds in English that they are ‘normal apes’.

‘At the centre,’ Eleanor says, ‘we always had to be careful about the behaviours the orangs picked up from us, so they could still act like wild apes when we released them onto the reserve. The orangs were always inquisitive about what we were doing, but these apes here, this is…’

‘It’s amazing,’ I say.

Eleanor looks sour. ‘Is that what you’re going to write in your article, that this place is AMAZING? ‘We don’t teach them,’ Adhi says, ‘they teach each other.’

‘Monkey see monkey do,’ I say, and Adhi laughs.

‘Those cutting tools look very dangerous,’ Eleanor says. ‘How do you ensure the orangutans’ safety?’

‘We have ape hospital,’ Adhi says.

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EVOLUTION OF A STORY

EVOLUTION OF A STORY Mind Guru Kim: Adam, let’s take it from the top. Could you talk a little about your inspiration for choosing such a referential, albeit clever, title?

Adam Marek: More than ever, I think the natural world is becoming a factory, which is what I was nodding to in the title. The story is about the domestication of orangutans for commercial purposes. Humans have been adapting species for our own advantage since agriculture began properly in Neolithic times.

We’re well experienced at guiding the evolution of species. We began with cows and goats for milk and meat – now, biotechnology is allowing us to do incredible things, such as breeding cows with human immune systems and pigs with low-phosphorous poop.

(Mukomuko_byplane_1567) Flickr • sbamueller

MG: The connection to slavery is quite apparent – what does it suggest about scientific advancement? Why did you chose a plantation instead of another form of labour?

AM: I can see that it’s possible to think of the orangutans in the story as slaves because they’re performing human tasks, but in the plantation owner’s set up. I wanted there to be moral ambiguity. Even though, on one level, the orangutans are being exploited, on another level they have been saved from extinction and are being well looked after. It made most sense to have them working in a palm oil plantation because this is the industry for which their rainforest home is being felled.

MG: Caspar and Ellie each allude to science ‘taking away the mystery’ of everyday life. As the author, what’s your perspective about the loss of innocence via scientific development?

AM: I worked for years as a copywriter for a major conservation charity, so [I] have seen the constant friction between conservation and development. Opposing parties in these battles often look for the win-win solutions that allow development to happen without depleting the world’s natural resources. In writing this story, I looked for the win-win solution in a world where orangutans were becoming extinct because their habitat was being destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations. Orangutans naturally pick up behaviours from humans, so it’s completely feasible that they could be trained to carry out the basic operations of harvesting palm oil fruits. The question I’m posing to the reader in the story is, what’s better, no orangutans, or cloned plantation operative orangutans?

MG: I’m interested in hearing about some of the ethical considerations you pondered while creating this story. What sort of research went into this piece? How would you describe the experience of knowing that an expert would be responding to your short story?

AM: The brief that Ra Page [the editor of BioPunk] at Comma Press set for each of us writers was to meet with our scientist and explore the possible ethical consequences of their research

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EVOLUTION OF A STORY projects. My scientist, Bruce Whitelaw at the Roslyn Institute in Edinburgh (home of Dolly the sheep), is leading a team looking at whether it’s possible to get one species giving birth to a different species. One potential application of this technology, if they are able to overcome the huge number of biological barriers, would be conservation.

If, say, the population of Scottish wildcats got so low that they were too few in number to create a sustainable population, you could get domestic moggies giving birth to cloned Scottish wildcats and stop them becoming extinct.

In theory, if this biotech does become a reality, you could get ANY species giving birth to any other species, so long as they are of similar size and have an equivalent gestation time. After I met Professor Whitelaw, I began thinking about interesting parent-child combinations, and knew pretty quickly that the most extreme, interesting, and therefore the best for story material, would be a human giving birth to something else.

As well as asking Professor Whitelaw questions, I watched a lot of videos on YouTube about biotechnology, orangutans, palm oil plantations and the harvesting process. I already knew a lot about the Sumatran rainforest from my days at the conservation charity – they looked after a big bit of rainforest there, and I’d interviewed researchers who’d lived in the forest, so it felt like I’d already been there in a way.

MG: The orangs walk upright, wear human clothing, and communicate effectively (well, as much as is deemed necessary). Are the differences between the orangs and the humans on the plantation merely superficial?

MG: Finally, if you could imagine the influence of the plantation 5, 10, or even 50 years from the time of the story, what would that look like? Would there be power struggles? Ethical dilemmas?

Revolt?

AM: At the end of the story, Adhi mentions that his dream is to franchise the orangutan workers’ business. Fifty years on, if Adhi were to be successful, I imagine that orangutans would be carrying out all kinds of agricultural and assembly line tasks. Maybe they’d be working in factories gluing shoes together for peanuts.

Would there be revolt? From the orangs you mean – a full-on Planet of the Apes style revolution? I reckon it would take apes a lot longer than a few decades to develop the cognitive ability to wise up to the inequality of their situation.

Or do you mean a revolt by humans disgusted by the exploitation? I hope so. I think some of the possible outcomes of current biotech projects will require our ethical standards to evolve – they’ll be too useful for us to maintain our current ideas about what’s acceptable – but we have to draw the line somewhere. I have high hopes that orangutans will be saved on their own terms, not ours. But that’s not the kind of fiction I write.

BioPunk is available to buy online.

AM: On the plantation, the orangs are facsimile humans, yes, but in terms of status they are completely different. While the orangs are well looked after, they have no actual freedom.

They’re workhorses.

With a PhD from Detroit’s Wayne State University, Kim Lacey from Detroit, USA knows a thing or two about memory studies, digital media and digital humanities. She also has a serious addiction to combo plates at restaurants. You can read about Kim at kimberlylacey.com or follow her on Twitter at @kimlacey.

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#INTERVIEW

GURU SPENDS QUALITY TIME WITH

LEE SMOLIN THE ‘NEW EINSTEIN’

(Spaceship Earth 2) Wikimedia • Katie Rommel-Esham, (Lee Smolin) • Nir Bareket

When I was in primary school there was one teacher everyone feared – her name was Mrs Payne. She was a stern-faced lady with a frizz of grey hair and had a matriarchal presence that commanded the respect of all seven year olds. Her most feared punishment for bad behaviour was ‘clock watching’. The entire class would be forced to sit in silence and watch the second hand tick around the clock face for an entire five minutes; any talking or disruption resulted in the count starting again.

I never understood why each minute felt like an eternity – and still don’t.

It was a punishment that was utter torture for the attention-deficit pre-pubescent Dr Stu. For me, time is still baffling. Whether it drags or flies by, if I ever stop to contemplate what time actually is, then it isn’t long before my thoughts whip up into a windmill-spin. Time, and its very nature, is the main topic of physicist Lee Smolin’s new book, Time Reborn. A book written for a regular punter, and the most recent in a series of books to tackle weighty issues, I hooked up with Lee during his recent whistlestop trip to London. I wanted to find out more about what makes him – and our clocks – tick.

Lee Smolin is an American-born theorist and adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada. A highly respected academic in the Premier League of physics, he has been nicknamed the ‘New Einstein’. For a man with a planet-sized intellect, he didn’t have nerdy beginnings: “I was a high school dropout and didn’t discover physics until I was seventeen,”

Lee told me. It was an interest in bricks and mortar that led him down the path to science. “I got interested in architecture because of reading about Mr Fuller, who was a visionary architect.

He used to build these geodesic domes all over the place (see image). I was interested in the idea that if you stretch these spheres – whose surfaces were defined by triangles – you could make a curved surface that is not a sphere. [You could then make] something useful like a greenhouse or swimming pool cover”.

This fascination was partly satisfied by trips to the library, but the adolescent Lee noticed a common theme in everything he read: “Every book that I took out of the library about the mathematics of curved surfaces had a chapter on [Einstein’s] relativity theory… so I got interested in relativity theory.”

The 58-year-old’s journey into physics has been a long one, yet Lee seems to have been a deep thinker every step of the way. His fervour for science was a way for him to discover the “eternal truth” about nature and time. This truth is, he believes, “expressed in the language

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of mathematics, which is a language outside of time”.

Time Reborn, reviewed in this issue, tackles the deepest, most difficult-to-answer questions that we would normally only contemplate when enduring a bout of insomnia.

Specifically, the book makes one overarching claim: that time is actually real. This might not strike you to be an outrageous or controversial idea (and it isn’t to Lee, who asserts: “A normal person would say ‘I know that time is real! So what’s new?’”) But it is, at least to some. It might come as a surprise to learn that modernday physicists think that time is a mere illusion.

The ticking of the clock and our understanding of the past, present and the future are just ways in which our mind makes sense of the world, they argue. But Lee thinks that scientists and philosophers have got it all wrong. “The book is a journey that I take the reader on,” explains Lee. “First I explain that in the seventeenth Century physics very systematically started diluting and then eliminating the concept of time from the physical description of nature.” From this ‘starting point’, Lee wants to explain to people that this modern worldview is a “dead exercise”.

More importantly, if further scientific advancements are to be made, then the world’s scholars need to return to what the normal people think and “put time back in”.

A man with a heart for what he does, Time Reborn was written because Lee had a “very painful” change in his beliefs. Lee told me that, in the late 1980s, he started to realise that his core ideas about the nature of physics were wrong. The very essence of the physicist’s doctrine – the nature of time – was challenged. Lee’s current view of the universe also has profound consequences to those with religious leanings. He argues that there are no everlasting, unchanging ‘laws’ of nature that govern our existence. It is heresy to physics and

contradictory to any faith in a higher power.

Thinking it would be a good opportunity to find out more, I probed Lee on his personal beliefs.

Clearly it wasn’t up for discussion: “My religious views I take off the table… I have strong convictions but I don’t think they should be on public record”.

What really interests Lee is what is scientific – that which is provable and testable.

He considers his outlook to be dramatically different from the likes of Richard Dawkins and Dan Dennet, who, he feels, make a point of opposing religion in every form. Lee asserts that “we must encourage and promote the widest possible diversity of points of view… because we don’t know what’s right, or from what direction the answer is going to come.” For a high-flying intellectual, he is remarkably tolerant and is “happy to live in a pluralistic society, no matter what crazy things you believe.” There is, however, a proviso to his open-mindedness: everyone, regardless of belief, should concede to the “areas where science has been successful: natural selection, the history of the Earth [and] climate change.” No dinner invites for a Young Earth fundamentalist, then.

Lee knows not to take everything too seriously though. He told me he has “many friends who are not in science but who are interested, smart and have curiosity about nature [and] art. Some of them are artists, some of them are sales people.” And it is to these “critical thinkers” for whom Lee writes. He even insists on sending them copies of his work before mailing it to his editor. He feels that the content of Time Reborn is shocking, but is knows that it is not what he calls “shock-science.” Lee’s passion is that people will read his arguments – about things they don’t necessarily understand – and debate them among each other.

For downtime, Lee gets out of the office to see art, go to theatre and do some sailing; “I’ve always had a personal life, I’ve always had girlfriends, I’ve always kept close friends and spent time to live with people. This idea that science is an occupation for autistic people is just wrong.” Everyone, therefore, should make sure they take time out for fun. Now there’s some timeless advice.

Dr Stuart Farrimond (Doctor Stu) originally trained as a medical doctor before deciding to branch out into lecturing. He drinks too much coffee, eats ice cream and has a bizarre love of keeping fit. You can check out Doctor Stu’s blog at realdoctorstu.com.

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(World Alarm Clock - Grove Passage, London) Flickr • Bob Bob

GURU SPENDS QUALITY TIME WITH LEE SMOLIN

#FITNESS

THE DAY I NEARLY DIED IN THE OUTBACK THIS STORY COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

MATT LINSDELL • FITNESS GURU

THE DAY I NEARLY DIED IN THE OUTBACK

The temperature on the car dashboard read 43°C (109°F) and there was very little in the way of shade. We set out on a slow hike, which lasted two hours. The slowness of the hike made me edgy – I like to run when I hike. On the way back to camp I spotted a trail signpost: “Hidden Gorge Hike 18km loop”. Perfect! The path went back to our campsite and so I told my group that I would run this loop and meet them back at the tents. My last words before splitting off from the group were “If I run slow it’ll take me two hours. If I’m not back in three then send help.” I set off feeling great. It didn’t finish that way…

I had no water but the gorge was so pretty I didn’t give it much thought. After running for about 7 km in solitude, I started to feel dopey. At the 8 or 9 km point I came to a collapsed part of the gorge that was impassible.

I convinced myself that the rock slide must have been recent and hadn’t yet been spotted by the park rangers. It left me with no choice but to backtrack. However, after a running a few kilometers more I realised that my brain wasn’t working very well. I had probably been dehydrated even when I started the gorge loop (I don’t tend to drink very much). I certainly wasn’t thinking clearly when I couldn’t find the trail (perhaps you weren’t thinking clearly when you started on the trail! – Ed). Now, 12km into a sunbaked run, on the second driest continent in the world, and after a 2 hour hike, the only liquid I had imbibed was during breakfast. For the second time in my life I thought I might die.

I started talking to myself, trying to assess how bad my predicament was. My words were slurred. Was that a part of heatstroke?

Desperate now for some water, I saw some puddles – but they were full of gum tree leaves that gave them a brown colour (and I remember being told that the tannins in the leaves leach into the water, making it poisonous). I figured that I could make it back to a large green holding tank of water that was at the trailhead. My woozy mind thought it was about 5 km away.

From that point it would only be a further 2 km back to camp. So I staggered on.

Eventually I was reduced to a trot, and then to a walk. I wasn’t worried about my muscles but I was worried about my mind giving out.

Thinking was starting to take a real effort.

BELOW: When I reached the big green water holding Aligator Gorge in tank I turned on the water. Cupping my hands Mount Remarkable National Park.

I drank as much of the warm water I could. I

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Previous Page: (Harsh Outback) Flickr • Michael, (Aligator Gorge) Flickr • Stephan Ridgway

I used to live in South Australia where it gets pretty hot. One New Year I went camping at Mount Remarkable National Park. (Remember that Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere and so New Years is in the summertime.) It won’t surprise you to know that this area of the world is as dry as a piece of toasted sourdough. This dryness adds to its charm but makes it inhospitable for soggy bags of intelligent water. Funnily enough, it is only a short drive from Port Germein, a small coastal town with a vast tidal beach.

You can walk straight out into the water for a good ten minutes and still only be knee deep in the ocean. It was amazing to see how so much water could be so close to so much desert.

Anyway, digressions aside, there wasn’t much excitement around camp that day, so my group and I decided to go for a hike.

THE DAY I NEARLY DIED IN THE OUTBACK

couldn’t splash enough on my body so I took off my wicking material tank top and saturated it, then tried to wring it out over my head. It held on to the water ferociously, so I soaked it again.

This time my ghetto shower worked. Donning my soaked top I set off to run the last 2 km back to camp. Well, I tried to run…

300 meters before the end, I felt like I wasn’t going to make it. Surely I could push on for that short distance, I thought. But I couldn’t.

There was a basic toilet block nearby with a tap at about mid-thigh height. Turning it on, scalding hot water splashed all over my legs. I drank what I could stomach and stumbled the last 300 meters. 2 hours and 59 minutes after I said “send help if I’m not back in 3 hours” I was finally back with my party. I had endured roughly 5 hours of exposure in this hostile environment while exerting myself. It could have easily ended very badly. And it was entirely my fault.

(Water Tank Tree) Flickr • Michael Zimmer

1, 2, 3… Reasons not to trust yourself It’s a long story, but it is meant to illustrate some key things about dehydration. Firstly, we shouldn’t use the term ‘dehydration’ at all. Dehydration would be better called ‘low volume’. The watery part of our blood becomes less watery as we sweat. Therefore our total blood volume drops. Low blood volume can lead to low blood pressure, which in turn can result in collapse.

If we could dehydrate our tissues, we would look like raisins – but clearly this isn’t what happens.

Very few people use the term ‘low volume’, except for a few pedantic doctors. Which is a shame, really.

Secondly: exertion. When we are active outdoors at the hottest times of day we add heat to the

warmth the weather is already bathing us in.

Vigorous physical activity can heat you up from the inside and the warm weather gets you hot from the outside. It’s a perfect recipe for losing a lot of blood volume very fast. Profuse sweating occurs to compensate, which can put you on a fast trip to hyperthermia.

Thirdly, don’t trust yourself. You might not feel thirsty, but you should drink regularly when it is hot. Even if you might feel fine right now, how will you be feeling in 15 minutes? As soon as your mental faculties start to slide then you’re in trouble. Not a huge deal in the city where someone is bound to see you struggling and offer you some water (well, hopefully), but in a remote location there might not be anyone around to bail you out.

I’ve addressed some of these issues in my cryptically named online post ‘Why do I get hot when I exercise?’ so I won’t bore you by rehashing them. Rather I’d like to explain heat stroke and heat exhaustion, the conditions that can kill you...

Heat stroke: it’s not like being in love

‘Heat exhaustion’ is a term you have probably heard before, but few people know what it actually means. There are two aspects to heat exhaustion, of which the loss of water is the first and most obvious. Water depletion will make you feel thirsty and weak. It can give you a headache and, in extreme circumstances, can cause you to black out. If that had happened to me on the hidden gorge trail then it probably would have resulted in me lying motionless for a few more hours – giving me the last suntan I would ever get.

If you don’t know it, you’re not likely to be able to guess the other aspect to heat exhaustion.

Anyone? I think I heard someone say it from the back of the class… Yes SALT! If our salt levels become depleted then we are heading for a world of trouble. Does nausea and vomiting sound appealing? Throw in muscle cramps and dizziness and your afternoon is ruined. OK, so none of this sounds super-deadly but if left unchecked it will advance to heat stroke. If you thought heat exhaustion sounded bad, drink this in…

I don’t want you to take this lightly: heat stroke is a medical emergency. Should you encounter someone suffering from heat stroke and you do nothing then they will die. You need to call your

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THE DAY I NEARLY DIED IN THE OUTBACK

How to: stay alive when you’re hot as hell So what’s the answer to dealing with these maladies? If heat stroke is suspected, don’t mess around: call an ambulance. In fact, call an ambulance if you have any doubts at all.

First aid is fairly straightforward. Cool that person, or yourself, down. If you have access to water then drink some. It’s vital to replenish fluids but avoid coffee or alcohol. (They could just dehydrate you further.) Also, get out of direct sunlight and seek shade. Better yet, submerge yourself in water. If you’re near civilization then a bathtub will do the trick, as will an air-conditioned room. If you’re in the

wilderness then lying in a stream could help.

Once wet you could then stand in the wind.

That’ll cool you down nice and fast. Sports drinks are normally fine to drink but don’t try to make an unconscious person eat or drink. If they stop breathing, then remember what your learned in first aid. If you’ve never learned first aid, then it might be a good idea to enroll on a course.

So, the moral of the story is to not go outside this summer and keep your air conditioner cranked up. Only joking! Go outside and enjoy the world but remember that even smart people do stupid things. Drink fluid. Dink lots of fluid.

And by the way, when I got back to camp that day I drank a more water than was in the tidal beach (well, it felt like it). I walked out into the Great Southern Ocean and lay down in the salty waters. It took next to no time for me to feel normal again – it was amazing how quickly I recovered. And it was equally amazing how quickly I went from feeling like an idiot back into being a self-important jerk – ready to walk into another life-threatening adventure.

But that’s a story for another time. Sleep tight children.

Links: Heat stroke and first aid at WebMD

Matt Linsdell is a certified personal trainer and has a degree in Environmental Science. He calls himself an ‘evidence-based trainer’, because training is a field which is littered with well-disguised pseudoscience – his emphasis is always on teaching the biology behind exercise. He lives at the edge of the beautiful and expansive Gatineau Park in Quebec and works across the water in Ottawa, Ontario. If he’s not out walking his two pit bulls, you’ll find him doing press ups with insanely large weights on his back. Follow Matt on Twitter at @smartfitmatt.

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(Cooling Down) Flickr • digicla, (Water drops) Flickr • Fox キヨ

local emergency medical system (911 in Canada and the US) and administer the appropriate first aid (which I’ll mention later) until help arrives. Time is of the essence: heat stroke can cause brain damage (as well as damage to other internal organs). Being young and fit won’t save you either: heat stroke affects young athletes and the very fit. Most frighteningly, you don’t necessarily need to progress through heat exhaustion before facing heat stroke. It can strike suddenly and without prior symptoms.

The symptoms of heat stroke are similar to heat exhaustion, but with seizures, confusion, and disorientation also thrown in. (Those were my biggest fears on the Hidden Gorge trail because once mental deterioration starts, it is hard even to help yourself.) These symptoms can then lead to loss of consciousness and even coma.

More commonly you’d probably experience a throbbing headache, dizziness, and lightheadedness before it got to that point. (This is not to be confused with the same symptoms elicited by being at an LMFAO concert.)

A heat stroke sign you’ve probably all heard about is a lack of sweating. The skin will appear red, hot, and dry. Oddly, your heart will beat rapidly even when you are utterly still.

(Not to be confused with being in love.) And, despite trying to breathe normally, you might experience your breathing being shallow and quick.

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DEPARTURE LOUNGE

We’ve come a long way since our first issue in June 2011, and through support from the Wellcome Trust – not to mention our devoted readers – we’re now proud to offer our unique brand of science journalism on smartphone and tablet devices. So if you haven’t already, make sure to download the Guru Magazine app from The App Store or Google Play and let us know what you think!

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“Final Call for all lifestyle-science enthusiasts boarding flight GM013 back to the Guru-less monotony of every-day life. Please now turn on all electronic devices and prepare to enjoy our magazine for the duration of the flight.”

Well, it looks like you’d better get going. Thanks again for stopping by, and we look forward to seeing you for our next issue on 1st October 2013.

Have a safe flight!

Ross (Deputy Editor)

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Well here we are again in the Departure Lounge, waiting for our metaphorical plane to take us home. But what a vacation we’ve had! From articles and interviews, to the latest in science news, Guru strives to deliver accessible and entertaining content to readers from any background… and I certainly feel refreshed.

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