Ramaz Breakthrough - Winter Edition January 2024

The Ramaz Science Publication Winter Edition / January 2024

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Table of Contents The Mental Side of Running Keren Teichner ’25 Pg. 3 Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Her Contribution to Science Jordan Kalker ’25 Pg. 5 Colorful Creatures Mai Shashua ’26 Pg. 8 Algae: The Mother of Plant Evolution Racheli Voda ’26 Pg. 10 Bright Secrets of The Poison Dart Frog Delilah Weiss ’26 Pg. 12 Babies’ Senses Sylvie Pagovich ‘25 Pg. 14 113 Million Year Old Dinosaur Tracks Discovered Due To A Drought Delilah Weiss ’26 Pg. 16

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The Mental Side of Running It is well known that running can provide many physical bene ts. From improved cardiovascular health, to increased bone density, to an increase in strength, there is no doubt that running is great for physical health. But did you know that running also has signi cant mental bene ts, perhaps even surpassing the greatness of the physical bene ts? It's true! Running has a signi cant impact on the brain resulting in reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, improved memory, as well as a euphoric feeling. This article will explore the why behind the many mental bene ts of running.

Stress reduction from running stems from the neurochemistry of the brain. Aerobic exercise reduces the stress hormones in the brain such as adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is the body's ght or ight response. In times of stress, it causes the heart to beat faster, blood pressure to go up, and provides more energy. In response to adrenaline release, cortisol, another stress hormone that increases glucose in the bloodstream, is also released. In the short term, cortisol release is essential. Cortisol helps deal with stressful situations and provides the energy needed to complete a stressful task. However, chronically elevated cortisol levels can lead to many different conditions such as hypertension and depression. Running helps use up the excess adrenaline in the bloodstream, reducing the amount of cortisol. This can lead to lowered stress levels.

Another mental bene t of running is its effect on memory. Memory occurs through synapses, the connections between neurons in the brain, which can be strengthened to create memories. This process is called long-term potentiation (LTP). Long-term stress can decrease LTP and ultimately worsen memory. However, a study conducted by BYU claimed that when running was combined with stress, the LTP was not lowered, allowing memories to stay strong and intact. In the study, one group of mice ran approximately 5km a day while the other did not run at all. Half of each group was exposed to a stressful situation. The exposed mice that ran had a much higher LTP than the mice that did not exercise. Additionally, exposed mice that ran performed just as well as the non-exposed mice that also ran on a memory maze experiment. Another way that running can help enhance memory is through increasing the amount of a cell protein called Cathepsin-B which helps promote the production of new brain cells. This protein is crucial for memory. A study to prove this was conducted with fortythree sedentary subjects. Half of them remained sedentary and the other half began an intense treadmill routine. After 4 months, the group that ran had a signi cantly higher amount of Cathepsin-B in the blood.

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Finally, the discussion of the mental bene ts of running would not be complete without discussing the notorious “runner's high”. Runners may experience a phenomenon dubbed the “runner's high” making them feel exhilarated and euphoric. Some researchers claim that the cause of the running high dates back to early times when people had to chase animals for their food. The runner's high served as a natural painkiller, allowing people to run faster in order to survive. The runner's high is achieved through the release of endorphins which act very similar to their medically engineered counterpart morphine. Through brain scans, it has been shown that the more endorphins released, the greater the euphoric feeling.

In conclusion, running does not only provide physical bene ts but also many mental bene ts. These mental bene ts can improve quality of life, which may explain the addictive aspect to running. There is more to running than just running. Running can be a useful tool for everyone to live a better life.

Keren Teichner ’25

References “Exercise Improves Memory | Millennium Memory Care - Millennium Memory Care.” Millennium Memory Care, 13 Oct. 2020, millenniummemorycare.com/how-running-improves-memoryfunction#:~:text=The%20study%2C%20recently%20published%20in. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.

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Fetters, K Aleisha. “5 Steps to a Runner’s High.” Runner’s World, 14 Apr. 2022, www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/mental-health/a774668/endorphins-exercise/.

Hamilton, Jon. “A Protein That Moves from Muscle to Brain May Tie Exercise to Memory.” NPR, 23 June 2016, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/23/483245084/a-protein-that-movesfrom-muscle-to-brain-may-tie-exercise-to-memory. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.

Hollingshead, Media Contact: Todd. “Running Helps the Brain Counteract Negative Effect of Stress, Study Finds.” News, 14 Feb. 2018, news.byu.edu/news/running-helps-brain-counteractnegative-effect-stress-study-finds. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.

“How Running Can Relieve Stress | ASICS.” Www.asics.com, 19 May 2022, www.asics.com/us/en-us/ blog/how-running-can-relieve-stress.html. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.

Publishing, Harvard Health. “Exercising to Relax.” Harvard Health, 7 July 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-torelax#:~:text=Exercise%20reduces%20levels%20of%20the. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.

Sayer, Amber. “These Benefits of Running Are Actually Backed by Science.” The Manual, 27 Dec. 2021, www.themanual.com/fitness/benefits-of-running/.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Her Contribution to Science Jocelyn Bell Burnell, a British astrophysicist from the 1970s, is best known for her signi cant contributions to the discovery of pulsars, highly-magnetized, rotating neutron stars (the core of a star after it explodes) that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation. She was born in July of 1943, in Northern Ireland to M. Alison Bell, and G. Philip Bell, an architect who helped design the Armagh Planetarium. After spending a lot of time there as a child, this is what gave Bell Burnell encouragement and passion for pursuing astronomy. She attended Lurgan College and got a degree in Physics from Glasgow University in 1965. In 1969, Bell Burnell completed her Ph.D. from the University of 5

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Cambridge. This is where, under the supervision of her doctoral advisor, Antony Hewish, Jocelyn Bell Burnell rst discovered pulsars.

While analyzing data from a large radio telescope, Bell Burnell noticed a strange signal.

Although the source's signal took up only about 2.5 centimeters of the 121.8 meters of chart paper, Jocelyn Bell recognized its importance. She had detected the rst evidence of a pulsar.

Hewish, at rst, doubted Bell Burnell’s ndings. He and others said they must have been caused by human activity or extraterrestrials. He nicknamed the pulses of ickering lights “Little Green Men” (LGM). After ruling out other possible explanations, they concluded that the signals were coming from rapidly rotating neutron stars, which they named pulsars, because when the beams of radiation are pointed toward Earth and ash across us as the neutron star rotates, we see them as pulses.

Despite her crucial role in the discovery, Jocelyn Bell Burnell did not receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974 for the discovery of pulsars. The prize, however, was awarded to Hewish,and Martin Ryle, another astronomer. While many people have criticized this decision, Bell Burnell has been gracious about it and attributes it to the fact that she was only a student while Hewish was her advisor.

However, she has since then received many awards recognizing her role in the discovery of pulsars, one of them being the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, where she took the 3 million dollar prize money and used it to establish a fund to help female, minority and refugee students to become research physicists.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell's contributions extend from her scienti c achievements to her efforts in creating a more inclusive and equitable scienti c community. Her advocacy has had a positive impact on the recognition and support of women in STEAM, inspiring and encouraging future generations of scientists, as the staff at the Armagh Planetarium once did for her.

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Jordan Kalker ’25

References Hobbs, Maryam. “An Introduction to Pulsars.” Csiro.au, 20 Mar. 2019, www.atnf.csiro.au/outreach/education/everyone/pulsars/index.html.

“Jocelyn Bell Burnell” starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2 bell.html#:~:text=She%20had%20detected%20the%20 rst Walsh, Louise. “Journeys of Discovery: Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Pulsars.” University of Cambridge, 29 Nov. 2020, www.cam.ac.uk/stories/journeysofdiscoverypulsars#:~:text=Professor%20Dame%20Jocelyn%20Bell%20Burnell.

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Colorful Creatures From blue to green to neon yellow and baby pink, animals can be any color. These colors allow animals to not only look pretty, but help them to survive. Their colors can be used to camou age and to warn other animals. These colors bene t the animals, and us in ways, such as being able to identify these animals based on their looks. We know a frog is poisonous based on its color; the frog gives a warning to whoever approaches it. The question is, what gives them these special bright colors and how are they useful?

Animals have a few reasons to get their color. Animals get these colors due to pigments that absorb certain wavelengths of light they receive. These colors appear from the way that the pigments react to the light. The main pigment used in mammals is melanin. Some animals like invertebrates get their color based on their diet.

Different animals use their colors for different purposes. There was research published in 2022 that divided these animals into two categories: those awake at night, and those awake in the daytime. The animals awake during the day use their colors to attract mates. The ones awake at night use their colors to warn other creatures to stay away from them, called aposematism. The animals use this survival tactic to warn other creatures to stay away from them. Aposematism can affect animals positively due to them staying out of danger.

Being colorful allows animals to survive. Animals’ colors allow them to live in their environment. Other animals, knowing that bright-colored animals are dangerous, have most likely been taught through social learning. Some animals are still dangerous to others while having hidden warning colors.

In conclusion, animals use their color to survive and thrive in their environment. Animals bene t from their color and use them in order to protect themselves. Bright colors can be used as an aposematism which is a warning sign. Some animals even use their colors to attract other animals in order to mate. Animals can be any color, and these colors can bene t both them personally, and all of the other animals.

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Mai Shashua ’26

References “Animals: Causes of Color.” Webexhibits, www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/7I.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

Bryce, Emma. “Why Are Animals so Colorful?” LiveScience, Purch, 4 Sept. 2023, www.livescience.com/animals/why-are-animals-so-colorful.

D’mello, Brendan. “Why Does the Color of Certain Animals Keep Them Safe?” Science ABC, 19 Oct. 2023, www.scienceabc.com/nature/animals/why-does-the-color-of-certain-animals-keep-themsafe.html.

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Quaglia, So a. “How Do Animals Evolve to Be so Colorful?” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2023, www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/how-do-animals-evolve-to-be-socolorful.

Algae: The Mother of Plant Evolution What would you say if a person came up to you and mentioned that the salad you are eating evolved from algae? It sounds staggering, but recent research shows that 600 million years of plant and algae evolution can be revealed from this living organism. First of all, researchers and scientists studied and analyzed algae, and its reaction towards speci c circumstances. With the information that they gathered, they understood that algae “initiated” a long line of plants, some that are especially relevant to us today, so how did they come to this conclusion? Secondly, what is evolution and algae, and how does this information affect our daily lives?

A relevant part of truly internalizing these details is understanding the concepts of algae and evolution. Evolution is the process by which one thing either makes another version of itself, asexually reproduces, or gives birth to another, then continues on to branch out into another species from the differences that accumulated. To go back to the main idea, and plug in what we just learned, one can say that algae expanded into different “versions” of itself, or species, from the differences that occurred after reproducing. Now, algae is a eukaryotic organism, which means that it is living and has a nucleus.

Additionally, this knowledge that we are obtaining is important to us because it further explains topics that may relate to oneself. For example, the salad made with wakame, also known as undaria pinnati da, is a kelp, an algae native to the Northwest paci c which evolved from its algae ancestors.

These explanatory elements don’t just tell us about this topic, rather it helps us register and incorporate this information into our lives, and in general.

A group of researchers led by a team from the University of Göttingen experimented with a single-celled alga called Mesotaenium endlicherianum, the closest of the algae to land plants. They tested how this alga responded to temperature and light and concluded that the reaction and the genetic devices that were operating during that time connected to plants from long ago. The professor from the University of Göttingen named Jan de Vries, says: "What is so unique about the study is that our network analysis can point to entire toolboxes of genetic mechanisms that were not known to operate in these algae. And when we look at these genetic toolboxes, we nd that they are shared across more

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than 600 million years of plant and algal evolution!” This observation shows how substantial the eukaryotic organism is. Due to its similarities to other plants, we uncovered information that we wouldn’t have thought of on our own.

In conclusion, algae plays an important role in our life by unraveling things about evolution.

Due to experiments led by a team from the University of Göttingen, one can understand the role the living organism has. Not only that, this concept can be applied to our daily lives with the foods that we eat. The fact that algae studies have revealed millions of years of plant evolution is amazing, and we must take that into account!

Racheli Voda ’26

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References “Algae Provide Clues about 600 Million Years of Plant Evolution.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 30 Aug. 2023, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230830160828.htm.

Scienti c inquirer. “Algae Provide Clues about 600 Million Years of Plant Evolution.” Scienti c Inquirer, 8 Dec. 2023, scienti cinquirer.com/2023/12/08/algae-provide-clues-

about-600-

million-years-of-plant-evolution/.

X, Science. “Algae Provide Clues about 600 Million Years of Plant Evolution.” Phys.Org, Phys.org, 30 Aug. 2023, phys.org/news/2023-08-algae-clues-million-years-evolution.html.

Bright Secrets of The Poison Dart Frog They say you have to kiss a lot of frogs to nd your prince, but I wouldn’t touch this hopper with a ten-foot pole. Despite its diminutive size, only measuring between 20 and 40 millimeters in length, this brightly colored species is not to be tri ed with. The poison dart frog or poison arrow frog is native to Central and South America and has a brighter color scheme than your average birthday clown, with colors ranging from vibrant red and orange to yellow speckled with deep blue. Its beautiful exterior, however, conceals a remarkable secret–skin secretions that are so poisonous that one drop can kill a bird. What is the connection between the vivid appearance of these tiny terrors and their spicy secret? If their poison is a chemical defense against unlucky predators, why aren't they trying to conceal themselves, like most prey species, and how did they develop their toxic aftertaste? Finally, what would happen if I tried to kiss one?

The poison dart (or poison arrow) frog family, Dendrobatidae, are so-called because indigenous hunters rubbed their weapons on the frog's back (where they store their deadly toxins in glands behind their necks). Their toxin, known as batrachotoxin, is an alkaloid steroid that disrupts the normal function of important ion channels within predator nerve cells. Predators that ingest the toxin die because their hearts and lungs no longer get the signal telling them to beat and breathe. The frogs

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cannot generate the poisons themselves–scientists believe that they collect them by eating speci c insects and other arthropods.

These frogs are known for their striking variety of colors. Surprisingly, however, until about 10,000 years ago, these species were relatively homogenous in appearance. The transformation process only began when sea levels over owed in modern-day Panama and separated the land into different islands called Bocas del Toro. As a result, the frog's habitat was split, leaving different groups to evolve apart from each other.

As it turned out, more poisonous frogs acquired more radiant and colorful patterns (individual frogs of the same species still have differing patterns, much like snow akes), while frogs with less poison stayed less conspicuous. Effectively, the most poisonous frog's brilliant colors served to warn predators to look elsewhere for a snack–I dare you to try and eat me, they might be saying. Scientists call this strategy “warning coloration.”

It is also important to note that these colors might not be as conspicuous in the context of the rainforest as they seem to be to us–in fact, some patterns and colors may help the frogs blend in with their environment. When scientists experimented by placing the colorful frogs in front of different background colors, predators had more trouble seeing them in the context of the rainforest than in front of other background colors. Humans, especially, had dif culty seeing the frogs in the trees.

Now that we have learned more about these beautiful animals, it is clear that you would most de nitely not want to kiss one (the word “poison” in the name is a dead giveaway!). If you cannot resist these beautiful specimen, please note that possible symptoms might include severe convulsions, seizures, forceful muscle contractions, excessive salivation, and possible death.

Delilah Weiss ’26

References How Bright Colors Help These Poison Tree Frogs Hide from Predators - AAAS, www.science.org/ content/article/how-bright-colors-help-these-poison-tree-frogs-hide-predators. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.

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Magazine, Smithsonian. “How Do Tropical Frogs Get Their Stunning Colors?” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 31 Aug. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-dotropical-frogs-get-their-stunning-colors-712275/.

“Poison Dart Frog.” Poison Dart Frog - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, www.sciencedirect.com/ topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/poison-dartfrog#:~:text=Batrachotoxins%20are%20a%20class%20of,the%20back%20behind%20the%20 head. Accessed 31 Dec. 2023.

“Poison Frogs.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/ animals/poison-frogs. Accessed 31 Dec. 2023.

Babies’ Senses Just like fully developed humans, babies also have the ve senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.

Babies begin to experience touch when they are still in the uterus, before they’re born. Touch can give babies a warm feeling and a feeling of security. Babies are sensitive to touch, and prefer warm and soft touches. The sense of touch for a baby is fully developed at birth, but continues to grow and evolve along with the baby. A fetus can even feel the vibrations when its mother’s stomach is rubbed.

Touch in uences the emotional status of a baby. Affectionate touch can lead to a baby having less negativity and stress. Touch is also important for a baby to learn about the world. Babies gain knowledge through experience and learning about different objects. Babies can differentiate objects through touch, not only by vision.

A baby's vision is one of the last senses to develop and isn’t always nished developing by birth. A baby’s vision only begins to develop in the second trimester, and by the time a baby is born, they can only see about 12 inches in front of them. Babies don’t see color when they’re rst born and only develop that skill a few months after birth.

Hearing is fully developed in newborns. They enjoy quiet and soft noises, and have a bad reaction to loud noises. They are sensitive to loud noises and cry as a result. Babies can kick in the uterus in response to noises. Babies can hear your voice in the womb and recognize it after birth. Babies can

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have trouble separating background noise from speech. It’s best to speak with a baby one-on-one to help them learn.

Smell develops very early in a fetus and is one of the rst senses to develop. A baby is born with a fully developed sense of smell. A baby’s sense of smell can even be superior to that of an adult’s.

Babies learn to recognize the smell of a parent and can tell when someone else is holding them. The smell of their parents can put a baby more at ease. A baby likes sweet smells and dislikes bitter and acidic smells.

Taste begins to develop early in a fetus. Babies can distinguish between the taste of breast milk and any other liquid. Babies prefer sweet tastes over sour ones. Babies also prefer foods that they were exposed to while breastfeeding or through formula.

In addition to the ve senses, there are also other senses that babies experience. One of them is the vestibular sense, the sense of balance and movement. They can experience this when they are being rocked or bounced. Another sense is the proprioceptive sense, the sense of body awareness. At rst, this sense isn’t fully developed in a baby and they aren’t able to control their movements yet. Another sense is the interoceptive sense, the perception of what’s happening inside the body. This sense is also notably developed in babies. It can include hunger and using the bathroom. This sense develops as they grow, and they don’t have it at rst.

Sylvie Pagovich ’25

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References “Davis Family Butter y Vivarium: AMNH.” American Museum of Natural History, www.amnh.org/ exhibitions/butter ies. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.

Pace, Lisha. “Where Do Butter ies Live?” AZ Animals, 20 Sept. 2022, a-z-animals.com/blog/wheredo-butter ies-live/.

“Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium: AMNH.” American Museum of Natural History, www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/gilder-center/insectarium. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.

113 Million Year old Dinosaur Tracks Discovered Due To A Drought It might seem that a drought in Texas could do more harm than good. This was proven wrong when it revealed 113 million year old dinosaur tracks in Dinosaur Valley State Park. In August of 2022, volunteers uncovered dinosaur tracks which were previously hidden by water and other sediment. This is a big discovery for paleontologists, because it can help us learn more about how the prehistoric creatures lived before the evidence erodes away.

The two dinosaurs that walked during the Cretaceous period were Acrocanthosaurus and Sauroposeidon protele. In their time, they stepped in soft limestone that would harden, preserving the tracks for the future. The former, a theropod (a carnivore that stood on two legs), printed the outline of a three-legged foot. It weighed 14,000 pounds (7 tons) and stood at 15 feet. Most of the tracks found were from this type of dinosaur. Although it might seem like these dinosaur tracks are not as important as the actual skeleton, these tracks can actually tell us about how these creatures lived. Since a dinosaur leaves more tracks than skeletons, it is able to give scientists an idea of their activity on Earth rather than just their biology. These tracks can show the direction that the dinosaur was going, how fast, if it was traveling alone or with others, and the interaction it made with the ground itself. The discovery of dinosaurs and its tracks are all determined by the weather. Eventually these tracks will be

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covered up again and erode due to the unreliable weather in Texas. It is important that scientists collect all the data before this happens.

Delilah Weiss ’25

References Davis, Wynne. “Climate Change Led to Dinosaurs’ Demise. Now, Drought Reveals More of Their Tracks.” NPR, NPR, 25 Aug. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119331502/dinosaur-tracks-texasdrought.

“Drought Reveals 113 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks in Texas.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 24 Aug. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/drought-reveals-new-dinosaur-trackstexas-rcna44533.

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Drought Reveals 113-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks in Texas.”

Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 31 Aug. 2023, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ drought-reveals-113-million-year-old-dinosaur-tracks-in-texas-180982829/ #:~:text=Drought%20has%20dried%20up%20part,the%20Dallas%2DFort%20Worth%20area.

Rubin, April. “The Latest Find as Water Levels Fall: Dinosaur Tracks in Texas.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/science/dinosaur-tracks-texasdrought.html.

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"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

The important thing is to not stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

This publication which encourages science research is generously sponsored by The Harriet H. Cohen and Paul Milberg Science Research Program

EDITORS Sarah Silverman ’24 Noa Essner ’25

FACULTY ADVISOR Ms. Lenore Brachot

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