Franklin 2, Autumn 2020

Whybioaccumulation isn’tjustforplastics─

what’sreallyinyour meat.

ByNiamhStafford,7T

Whenyouhear‘bioaccumulation’,youusuallythinkof howseacreaturesingestplastics.Peopleworryaboutthe impactofplasticsintheenvironment,butnobodytalks abouttheimpactoftoxicindustrialchemicals.These chemicalsmightbebanned,buttheydon’tbreakdown, andstaydangerousforalongtime.Animalsendup havingitintheirbodiesaspartofthefoodchain,a processcalledbioaccumulation.

InScotlandin2016,scientistsweresurprisedtofindan orcaknownas‘Lulu’washedupdeadatshore.They foundthehighestlevelsofachemicalcalled PolychlorinatedBiphenyls,orPCBs,inherbodyever recorded.Althoughtheywerebannedin1979,theyare designedtonotbreakdown.Itisestimatedthat80%of thePCBseverproducedhavenotbrokendown.Through bioaccumulation,animalsaredyingfromthischemical. PCBsusedtobeusedinelectricitemslikeoldmobile phones,andsometimesinplastics,althoughnotinmost modern-dayplastic.

Theprocessofbioaccumulationstartsoffwiththetiny plankton.Thechemicalgetswashedintooceansand rivers.ThousandsofplanktoneachcontaminatedPCB algae andthenfisheatthousandsoftheplanktonevery day ThereareonlysmallamountsofPCBinthe planktonsoitisnotenoughtokilltheplankton.Itgoes alongthefoodchain,andthefishareeatenbypenguins, whichareeatenbyseals,whichareeatenbyorcas.Each timesomethingiseaten,thepredatorgetsahigher concentrationthanthepreviousanimaleaten.Anorcais takinginmillionsofplankton.Theresultsare devastating.

Lulu’spodhasnothadanycalvesin25years,andbefore Luluwashedup,scientistsdidnotknowthecause.When achemicallikePCBbeginstopoisonananimal,it confusesitshormones.

Oneday,allofLulu’spodwillenduplikeher-washed updeadonshore.

WhenaPCBentersthebodyofananimal,itdissolvesin theanimal’sfatbutdoesn’tbreakdown,stayinglocked intheanimaluntilitiseatenordies.Thishappensin otheranimals.

Arecentstudyhasshownthatmotherporpoisesoffload thesePCBsintotheirmammaryglands,feedingtheir calvesthesedeadlytoxins.ThemotheralsofeedsPCBs intotheunborncalfthroughtheplacenta.Thechemicals arenotonlytoxictothebrainandhormonalsystem,they slashthroughpopulations.Orcapopulationsofftheshore ofindustrialcountrieslikeJapanandtheUSare predictedtocompletelycollapse.

Here’ssomethingchillingtothinkabout─you’ve probablygotPCBinyourbodyrightnow Youcanonly findtwomilligramsofPCBpersquarekilometre,soitis hardtodetect,unlikeotherpoisonoussubstanceslike mercury.Ifyouweretoeatthreemealsoftunafora week,yourmercurylevelswouldeasilydouble.This leadsustowonderwhatwearedoingtoourselveswith PCBs.Thereisnodoubtyou’veprobablyeatenPCB throughfish.Therearescientistswhorefusetoeat anythingoutoftheoceanforthatexactreason;because somanytoxinslikePCBhavebeeninthem.

Humanshaveonlythemselvestoblame.Thereareother exampleswherehumanactionshaveledtobad consequencesforthemselves.Forexample,takeMad CowDisease,orCreutzfeldt-Jakobdisease,orjustCJD, whichattacksthebrainandnervoussystem.CJD occurredinthe1990swhenfarmersdecidedtofeedcows thegrounduporgansofothercows.Farmerstookthe partsofthecowtheycouldn’tsell,likethebrainand spinalcord,(thepartsmostlyaffectedbyCJD)andfed themtoothercows.Throughtime,othercowsbeganto accumulatethisdiseasebyeatinginfectedcows’spine andbrain.Thefarmerswouldslaughtersickcowsand feedothercowsthesickcow.Soonafter,humansatethe infectedbeefandcaughtthehumanversionofCJD. Luckily,therearenocasesofCJDleftintheworld. Cowsarebadfortheenvironmentinotherways.We knowtheyproducealotofmethane,contributingto globalwarming,buttheyalsocarryadeadlyparasite called T.Gondii,whichbreedsinthegutsofdomestic cats.Youmaythink:howdiditgetintothecow? Don’tworryaboutyourpetcat,asmostcatshave T.Gondiiintheirguts.It’syourownfoodyouhaveto worryabout.T.Gondiioriginallycomesfromratsand miceandtheparasiteinfectstheirbrainsothattheyare nolongerscaredofcats.Thecatthencatchesthemouse orrat,andtheparasitefindsitswayintothegutofthe cat,andbreeds.Itdoesn’taffectthecatatallandis excretedasfaeces.

T.Gondiigetsintofarmanimal’sfoodandintofertilizers usedonfields.Whenthecowsandotheranimalseatthe grassandfood,T.Gondiigetsintotheirbrainandthen humanseattheinfectedanimal.Ifyouarestrongand healthy,youwillgoyourwholelifewithoutknowing youeverhadthisparasitelivinginyourbody.Most peopledon’tknowtheyhaveitbecauseyourimmune systemusuallykeepsitatbay.Noteverybodyhas T.Gondiiintheirbody.Itisestimatedthatoneinthree peoplehaveitdormantly.Ifoneofthosethreepeoplehad acat,thatpersonwouldmostlikelyhavetheparasite.If no-oneownedacat,itcouldbetotallyrandom. Theparasitenotonlyspreadsfromrodenttocat,butit alsofromcattocat,andofcourse,throughyourfood.It isfoundinanyfarmanimalthatchewsthecud,butis particularlyfoundinredmeat.Itcouldbebehindmany mysteriousmentalillnesses.Butifwelearnhowtotreat it,itcouldbearevolutionarymedicalbreakthrough. FromPCBtunatoT.Gondiiredmeat,youwouldbe surprisedastowhat’sreallyinyourfood.Youmayfeel moreveganafterreadingthisarticle.Idoafterwritingit. Nevertheless,rememberthatmeatmaycarryserious diseasesandtoxins,itwon’tkillyou.Infact,ifyou hadn’treadthis,youwouldnothaveknownwhat’sreally inyourfood.Althoughthedamagetohumansis minimal,thedamagetotheenvironmentismuchlarger, andweoughttobecarefulinwhatweputintheocean.

Sources:

● Wikipedia;ToxoplasmaGondii,PCB.

● BBCNews;‘ToxicChemicalCocktail’passed tobabyporpoises

● NOAA’sNationalOceanService;theyearof thePCBban

● InspirationfromtheBBC’s‘OceanAutopsy’, backinDecember,Igottheopportunityto meetDrMcGavin,apresenterofthis documentary.

● ChrisPackham’s‘Nature’sweirdestevents’for themajorityoftheT.Gondiiinformation.

● HealthlinkBC;informationonmadcow disease.

EnergyAnd Construction

ByOliviaBebb7D

Didyouknowthatmanybuildingsexpandastheyheat upinthesun?

Forexample,bridgesoftengetslightlylongerasthey heatupinthesun.Largebridgeshavespecialjointswith gapsinthemwhichgivethemroomtoexpand.Thisis calledanexpansionjointandwithoutthembridgescould breakandcollapse.

TheEiffeltowerhasthesameconcept.Itcangrow15cm tallerduringthesummer!

Whydoesthishappen?

Whenmanymaterialsheatup,theirmoleculesspread out.Thismakesthemexpandorgetbigger Whenthey cooldown,theycontract,orgetsmaller

Reference from “Usborne Children's Encyclopedia”

Thesameproblemoccursinrailwaytracks.Theybuckle andchangeshapewhenitgetshot,sotohelpinwarm weathertheyleavegapsinthetracksandmakethetrains goslower

welcomedintotheschoolbyaboynamedMguyen.He thoughtthatwastheweirdestnamehehadeverheard andwasabouttotellhimthatuntilhewasrudely interruptedbyMrsAlade.Shewasabouttotellus somethingimportant,becauseotherwiseshewouldn’t havestoodonthetableyellingherheadoff.ButHerman waswrongandsheSimplysaid“Pleasefollowme,So youcanmeetyournewClass.”soheobviouslyfollowed her

Hermanenteredtheclassandsawatleast48students gatheredtogether.Hegottheshockofhislifeashe hadn’tseenthatmanychildrenatoncebefore.Ashe glancedaroundtheroomhesawbeautifulpiecesofArt andphotosofKidsrunningaroundandhavingfun.He wasabouttolookattheothersideoftheroomwhena younggirlCameovertoHerman.“Hithere,mynameis ScevolaTilton.Whatisyourname?”.Hermananswered herinasmallvoice“MynameisHermanValancier Nicetomeetyou!”.Hermanmadehisfirstfriendand fromthatdayonwards,forthewholeyear,hewas satisfied.

Herman’sLife

ByJaspreetGill8G:ElementalSoupcompetition May2020

HisnamewasHerman.Althoughhewasonly Little,he hadthemostrevoltinghabits,likesmellinghis Belly Buttonandpickinghisnose!Peoplewentovertohim andtoldhimtoBenormalhoweverhethoughtthathe wasbeingCoolashesawtheolderstudentsdothat!But, Nomatterhowmanytimespeopletoldhimthis,he still continuedwiththesameOff-puttingbehaviour This was LittleHerman’slife,untilheturnedFour…

Atfouryearsofage,Hermanhadtogotoschoolwiththe otherstudents.Heactedasifhewasthemostcourageous persononearth,butinsidehewasthemostNervous persononearth!Hehadnevergonetoschoolbefore,and whatifpeopleteasedhimforthewayhedoesNasty things?Anyway,thedayhadfinallyarrived.Hewas

ScevolaandHermanwerethebestestoffriends,even thoughScevolaknewhishorriblehabits. Nowtheywere inyear1!Thefirstyearhadgone!Thefirstdayofyear onewasprobablythebestdayofHerman’slife.Firstly, hewaswelcomedbythekindestteacher,MrsCrimson, andhelearnthowtopronounceMn.Thefirstdaywent soquicklyandhewasnolongerthemostnervousboyin theworld!Thesecondday,anewboyhadjoinedthe school.HisnamewasFedericoandsoonhewasapartof ScevolaandHerman’sgroup.Theyearswentpretty quickfromthen.Year2thenYear3thenYear4andYear 5untilYear6andthingsstartedtochange…

Year6hadstarted,theywerestillthebestestoffriends, Scevola,FedericoandHerman,howeverfriendshipwas thelastthingonourmindaswehadtoConcentrateon ourexams.Thiswasabigchancetogetintothesenior schoolofourchoice,sowehadtoprepare.Their teacherswereveryNiceandhelpedthemasmuchas theycoulduntilthemainexam.Thedaybeforethetest theteacherwantedtomakeanannouncement.Whileshe wastalkingaboutallthegoodluckshewaswishing them,HermanwaschompingonsomeCucumberuntil heheardthewords“...Justtoclarifythereisgoingtobe fivetests;Maths,History,EnglishGeographyand Science.Nowremembertodoaquickrevisionbeforethe test.GoodluckeveryoneandseeyouonMonday!Class dismissed.”BeforeHermanlefthequicklyjottedallthe notesdowninhisZniccenotepadandthenGallopedout theGeorgiangates.Thenextday, Asusual,everyone gatheredinfrontofthegatesreadytotaketheirexams. HermancouldSeethenervesineveryone,howeverhe

wasjustexcitedtogetintheschoolanddotheexams.As everyonewasplacedintheirseats,silence Brokeoutand theexamshadbegun.ThefirstexamwastheMaths examandHermanwasextremelyconfidentinthis subject.Hedidalltheotherexamssuccessfullyand whenthelasttestwasover,Scevola,Federicoand HermanoutforlunchinarestaurantcalledKrimpy whichhadthebesttastingpizzaintheworldandthebest Rbudarddrink!TheRbudarddrinkwasaspecialdrink withrhubarbandcustardmixedtogether.Sounds revoltingbutitreallyisn’t!

Later,theyallwenttoScevola’shouseandstayed overnightwhileplayingthe4bestgames;Sray-log,Yip YapYop, ZriconandNb(whichstandsforNeverBeat). Afterthattheytreatedthemselvestoa MovieandTc disc,whichwasalongsoursweet.Soonafterthemovie Scevola’smumanddad,RuthandRhad,toldthemto sleepastheyhadtowakeupearlytomorrow,well,not reallyFederico.ItwasmostlyHermanashewasgoing abroadandhedoesn’twanttomisshisflight.

ThenextmorningHermanleftforhisflight,andboarded thePdaircraftwhichwasgoingtotakeHermanandhis familytoAarhusinDenmarkandthentoRussia.Once theyhadlandedinRussiatheywerelivinginahotel namedAguilaCdata.Intheroomwasabedanda beautifulscenery Thistripwasnotonlyexoticfor Hermanbuthelearnt2lettersfromtheRussian language;SnojandSgboy.Hermanlayonhisbedand lookedaboveatthebrightlampandthebeautiful decorativelampshadeuntiltheTelephonerang.Herman asked“ShouldIpickit?”andtheRuthnodded.Herman pickedthephoneandtriedtoanswerinChinese pretendinghewasatourist.Hesaid“NǐhǎoXe'è”.This meant“HelloEvil”butthatwasnotwhathewas intendingtosay Therecipientdidn’tunderstandhimbut thenaskediftheycouldspeaktoHerman.Herman laughedandsaiditwashimspeaking!Hermanknewit wasScevolaandFedericobecausetheysaidtheywould call,butthistimeFedericohadnews…

Hesaid“MadamCserberhassentusourresultsand percentageforeachtest.Basically,Scevolagot69%in History,71%inMaths,80%inGeography,88%Science and96%inEnglish.Igot77%inHistory,56%inMaths, 93%inGeography,98%inScienceand95%inEnglish. Finally,Herman,yougot100%inHistory,100%in Maths,99%inGeography,100%inscienceand98%in English!AndHermanyouhavereceivedanAcademic Scholarshipforaseniorschoolofyourchoice!Well DoneLad!”Hermanwasspeechlessanditfeltasif someonehadputCellotapeonhislips.Ittookafew minutesforhimtoPronounceaword.

Aftertheytalkedforabitandthenhungupthephone. Hermanwasstillabsolutelyspeechlessaboutwhathad justhappened!Herantotellhisparentsandtheywere overthemoon.Theywerelookingatsomeschoolsand theyrecommendedNdHighSchoolortheschoolwhich hegoestonow,PmHighSchoolandSmHighSchool. HermanknewScevolaandFedericoweregoingtothat schoolandthatitwasanexcellentschoolsohedecided togotherewithhisfriends.

Thenextfewmonthswerethesummerholidaysand therewasalotofpoliticaldramaoverthisperiod!There wasavoteonwhetherweshouldleavetheEuornot. Herman’sfamilyobviouslyvotednottoleavebutthe wholecountrydecidedtoleave.Notthatitmatteredto Hermananyway,itisjusttofillyouwithsome informationabouthislife.Year7hadnowstartedonthe 7thofSeptemberandHerman,ScevolaandFederico wereinthesameclass.Theywerealwaystogether, supportingeachotherallthewaythroughtotheendof theyearwhenagirlnamedAmyinvitedalloftheclass foraparty.Shegavethemaninvitationviaemailwith thedateTbc,andweaskedwhyitis“tobeconfirmed” andshesaiditwasbecauseherbrother,Dylan,was abroadandtheyaren’tonehundredpercentsurewhenhe iscomingHome.Soonlaterthatweeksheconfirmeda date;the5thofJulysotheyallwenttotheparty

Thepartywassuperfun.Ithadafamousband,Ericand Tim,andithadperiodictablegameswhichHerman loved.Youhadtoanswerthequestionsaboutthetable andheansweredYb,whichwasytterbiumandhewona chocolatehamper.Aftertheband,Amymadean announcementsayingitwasaLunarEclipseandwe weregoingtowatchit.Itwassolateatnightthat HermanwasexhaustedandleftalongHfffffffffandwent insideforacoldglassofTango.Whenthepartywas over,Amy Rememberedtogivethemapartybagwith goodsfromafairinOsloinNorway.Onethewayhome, ScevolaandFedericoweretalkingabout Irrelevant informationsoHermanstartedthinkingaboutwhathe shoulddowhenhegetshome.Hemightcontinuehis PterosaurprojectforDr Augual.Orhemightfinishhis essayonHgvsforengineering.Hemightjustfinishhis sciencehomeworkonTI,Thallium,andabouttheshells andelectrons.Hehadtoomuchtodo!

Thenextfiveyearswentsuperfastand beforeheknew it,Hermanwasincollege.Federicohadgonetoa differentcollegehoweverScevolawaswithHerman. Theystillkeptincontactthough,usingallthegadgets andlatesttechnology Theywereabouttosittheirexams whichwoulddeterminetheirlifestory Afterafew monthstheyreceivedtheirresults;Scevolagot69% meaningshecangetintoUniversityofNorthampton

however,Hermangot99%meaninghehadachanceto getintoCambridgeUniversityandstudymedicine.

Theyhadfinishedtheirexamanddecidedtotakeaswim andmeetupwithFederico.Hermanwastryingtobeat hisPb,personalbest,timingshoweverhewastoo occupiedtalkingtohisfriendsandenjoyingthemoment. Afterswimmingtheywenttoarestaurantandthe Bill was16Pounds.Theypaidthebillandlefttherestaurant.

ThetimeuntilUniversitywentreallyquicklyand Herman,ScevolaandFedericohadallappliedfor differentuniversities.Hermancontinuedlearningand duringhistimeinUniversity Attheendofstudying3 years,hegothismedicaldegreeanddecidedtobecomea pharmacistandspecificallyfocusedontheterm Rnaze, thebreakingdownofmolecules.

InHerman,ScevolaandFedricointheirearly20’s,their groupsplit.Federicowasinacaraccidentand unfortunatelypassedawayhoweverScevolaandHerman wereinlove.Soonlater,HermanmarriedScevolaand theywereontheirwaytotheirhoneymooninFrance. TheylearntmaythingsaboutFrance’sHistory;suchas theRationsduringwarandtheActiniumproblemwhen itwasneededthemostinmedicine.

Nowtheyweremarriedforayear,andjustThen, ScevolagotPregnant,andsoonlatertheybothbecame Parents.TheygotagirlandshewasnamedAlina. She grewuptotheageof6whenHerman,Scevolagottheir secondchild,Me,whowasnamedFederico,namedafter theirbestfriend.Theystartedgoingtoschooland learningthealphabet“....Q,R,S,T, U,V…”and soon whentheyhadaphonestartedtouseabbreviationswhen textingsuchas“Np”fornoproblem.

TimeFlewbyandsoon,AlinaandFedericoweren’t childrenbutincollege.HermanandScevolahad Put asidesomemoneyforAlinatogetagoodeducation. AlinawasabouttogotoUniversity.Hermanaskedher “Areyouready?”andAlinasimplyanswered“I Am” andsheleft. Thecyclehadrestarted.Alinagotmarried andHermanandScevolasoonbecamegrandparents. AndI,well,IwaswatchingmySistergrow.Isoongot marriedtoo,ofcourse,butbeforeIleftIhadonejobto dotoHerman,mydad,andtoScevola,Mymum.Ihad tosingtheperiodictableinSymbols,andhey,don’t judge,itwasamemory.Ibegan,H,He,Li,Be,B,C,N, O…..untilthelastpartCm,Bk,Cf,Es,Fm…

SuddenlyHermanfellontheground.Scevola,Alinaand IimmediatelytookHermantothehospitalandtookhim totheICUunitbutHermanhadoncetakenMdmawhich isillegalnowmeaning hislifewasatthreat.The

DoctorsonlyhadoneoptionleftNow Theyhadtodo Lrgwut,testing,onhim,andfiguredouthowtocure him.HehadtobetreatedwithRffitwhichwasanother testmyfathertoldmeabout.Soon,afterafewweeks,he wascuredandItoldHermanthenewsthathemissed.“ So,Alinahadababyandshesaidherfirstfewwords, well,morelikesounds.Shesaidthis:DbububSgidid BhahaHsititMtatia.Cuteright?”Hermannoddedand said“ThisLifeisaJourney,soenjoymyson.Gotoyour University,studyhardandearnyoupoints!”Iwavedat dadandleft

WellthatwasallIcanreallytellyouaboutmydad, becausefromthen,IwasatUniversity.Istudiedhardand soonbecameaPeriodicTablespecialist,whichwould classifyandtestelementsfromtheperiodictable.I mainlystudy,Ds,Rg,Cn,Uut,Fl,Uup,Lv,Uusand Uuo.

Thiswasitreally.Nowmydad’slifewasvery complicatedhowevermylifewasnothingless.Thesame geneticlifewehad!

Whydowelovemusic?

BySofiaandHeatherYear10

Wealllovemusic.Whetheritisrock,jazzorclassical, weallenjoydancingalongtoourfavouritetune.But haveyoueverthoughtaboutwhywelikeitsomuch,or whyitcanmakeusfeelsomanydifferentemotions?Or evenwhywestartedmakingmusicinthefirstplace? Let'sfindout...

Theeffectthatmusichasonus

Whenwelistentomusic,especiallymusicwelike,our brainsreleaseachemicalcalleddopaminewhichmakes ushappy.Dopamineisusuallyreleasedwhenwedo somethingthatisessentialforoursurvivallikeeating. Thismakesalotofsenseasitencouragesustodomore ofthisessentialaction.However,wecanallagreethat musicisnotessentialforsurvivalinthesamewaythat eatingis,sowhydoesthishappen?

Patterns

THE FRANKLIN Autumn2020

Ashumanswelovepatterns.Zatorre,aneuroscientist, saidthatwehaveevolvedtorecognizepatternsasitis importantforoursurvival.Doesarustlingmeanthatan animalwillattack,doessmokemeanthereisafire? Musicisapattern,aswelistenweareconstantly anticipatingwhattuneorchordwillcomenext.Thisis whyweusuallydon'tlikestylesofmusicthatwedon't knowverywellaswecannotpredictthepatterns.Ifwe cannotpredictmusicpatternsitcanmakeusboredofthe music.

Mateselection

CharlesDarwinthoughtthatmusicwasoriginallyused bymenasawaytoimpressfemalesandchallengerival males.Hesaidthat“Whenwetreatofsexualselection weshallseethatprimevalman,orrathersomeearly progenitorofman,probablyfirstusedhisvoicein producingtruemusicalcadences”.Thistheorywould explainhowmusiccametobepartofourcultureinthe firstplace.

Overall,itisn’treallyknownwhymusichassuchan effectonusandasyoucanseetherearemanytheories aboutit.Maybewewillneverreallyknowwhyourbody releasesdopaminewhenwelistentomusicorwhyitcan makeusfeelsomanyemotions.Wecanallagree howeverthatmusicisahugepartofourlifeandculture, whichhelpsusconnectwithothersandwhetherwelike countryorpopmusicweallenjoyandbenefitfrom musicinsomeway

Cheesecake

Steven Pinkersaidthatmusicislikeauditory cheesecake.Wedidn'tevolvetolikecheesecake,but mostofusdobecausewelovethesweettaste,itisnota necessityforhumans.Hesaysthatmusicisasideef ofourlanguageandrespondingtodifferentsoundslike shoutingorcrying.Butnotallscientistsagreewiththis. Movement

Someneuroscientiststhinkthatmusicsharesthesame fingerprintsasmovement.Youdon'thavetoteachababy howtodancewithabeat,orteachthemifmusicishappy orsad,theyjustknow.Findingssuggestthatmusic activatesthecerebellum,atthebaseofthebrain,which isalsoinvolvedinthecoordinationandtimingof movement.Accordingtoresearch,whenwelistento music,wetendtoactoutthebodymovements,suchas clappingyourhandsornoddingyourhead,whichwe believemimicsthesound.Forexample,weoftenclap ourfeettothebeatofdrumswhenlisteningtoa particularsong,asifmimickingtheinstrumenttomake theexactsound,it’sthebody’swayoftryingtobetter understandmusicasawhole.Thisalsoexplainshowwe cantellwhichemotionapieceofmusicistryingto conveyasitisasimilarprocessusedtoidentifywhat movementsshowwhatemotions.