Summer 2014 - Volume 4 Issue 9

SUMMER 2014

THE SCIENCE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL’S NEWSPAPER

TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTIONS

Arts & Beauty

Life & Culture

Special Reports

14 Photo quiz 20-21 The science of streetstyle 24-25 The makeup of your make-up 26-27 Neuroaesthetics: why we

like art and why it’s a controversy

8 Food for thought: molecular gastronomy 12-13 The science of procrastination 19 The importance of science communication 22-23 Medicinal benefits of herbs in

fire: Yajna 29 Book review: Divergent trilogy

16-17 Deinococcus radiodurans: a

poet or bacterium?

30-31 Meet your new Science

Students’ Council and new

Science Head Soph Team

Mind & Body

Exploration & Nature

In Every Issue

9-11 Entheogens: the science

behind psychoactive organisms 19 What is the 2014 Health Accord?

28 Reframing stress 28 Brain by the numbers 28 Sleep science 29 Poop your pants: the science of

extreme sports

thecurrent

4-5 Unsolved mysteries of the 21st century 6-7 Your science travel guide 15 The weird ways they do it: the

strange way some animals

get it on 18 Metascience

theeditors

copy editors Ashima Jain, Eugene Leung & Igor Angelovski compilation editors Caitlin Martin Newnham Bethia To, Jameera Editor-In-Chief Mohamed & Rajiv Lakhani website – westernssc.ca/current creative editors Sophia Wen & Tianyi Yan twitter – twitter.com/thecurrent_ssc features editors facebook – facebook.com/thecurrentssc Rigya Arya & Maryam youtube – youtube.com/user/thecurrentful Golafshani blog – thecurrentssc.wordpress.com images editors David DeSantis & Mathura Thiyagarajah

column editor dz marketing manager Adam Raffoul outreach editor Matt Renaud soph liaison Carly Jackson blog manager Maham Bushra youtube manager Dan Younus media editor Maddie Storvold

3 Letter from the Editor 3 Words of wisdom from people

behind the paper

thecontributors

Andrew Poon (Staff Writer) Thintankar Ray S. Venga

The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. Its contents do not reflect the opinion of the University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario (“USC”). The USC assumes no responsibility or liability for any error, inaccuracy, omission or comment contained in this publication or for any use that may be made of such information by the reader.

IN EVERY ISSUE

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Letter from the Editor

Caitlin Martin Newnham — EIC

The release of this magazine — a first for The Current — is a pleasure with a teaspoon of sadness. It symbolizes the great many achievements made by our editorial team this year, and the end of an era for some editors, including me.

Last year, when I applied and signed on for the role of Outreach Editor with The Current, I was excited to communicate science in a fun and engaging way.

What I did not expect to find at The Current was an evergrowing passion to make sure that people understand that every aspect of their lives are related to science.

Science is a system in which knowledge is organized as testable explanations and predictions about everything in our universe.

I think understanding is a beautiful thing because it rids the presence of ignorance.

I believe that without the

shackles of ignorance, humans can excel in their opportunity to grow as indiviuals, increase curiosity, and contribute positively to the planet we live on.

This year at The Current, we have produced twice as many papers as in past years, added a blog and a YouTube channel, and are now trying out a 32-page magazine format — all to deliver you more engaging articles about science, more frequently.

Thank you to those of you that read what we work so hard to produce, and thank you for striving to constantly learn. Know that you are never without the resources to achieve your dreams.

Seek them out, be engaged, grow.

Words of wisdom from people behind the paper Jameera Mohamed Compilation Editor

Ashima Jain Copy Editor

Maham Bushra Blog Manager

Igor Angelovski Copy Editor

Eugene Leung Copy Editor

Maryam Golafshani Features Editor

“Live and let live” “Learn to fight for yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.” — Ayn Rand.

“Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul” – Mark Twain

This quote has a home in my heart because it’s a reminder that the most important thing is someone’s soul and not their image. Be the best you. No one is perfect. But be the person you would be proud to be.

We’re too quick to sacrifice our own happiness; so caught up in a whirlwind of trying to please parents, friends, teachers, lovers. This quote is to remind you that it’s OK to do things that bring you joy. Listen to cheesy music, end a painful relationship, have a dance party for one – find happiness where you can and don’t let go.

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” — Robert A. Heinlein

You’re not going please everyone; there are people out there that are going to dislike you. And while you always have your friends and family to turn to for advice, at the end of the day, the person in the mirror is the person that you’re going to have to rely on and please, because that’s the most important person in deciding how your life goes.

“Some stones are so heavy only silence helps you carry them” — Anne Michaels

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EXPLORATION & NATURE

The Voynich Manuscript

Made of velum, the Voynich Manuscript was a codex that was carbon-dated to approximately the 15th century. However, the mystery with this manuscript lies in the writing; the writing is not of any language that has been seen. Attempts to crack the code have failed and as well within the codex there are elaborately created illustrations describing biology to herbs. Due to its contents, it is thought to be an encyclopedia of medicine and science at the time, but until the code is cracked, only speculation remains.

The Bloop

Mysterious sounds are always being heard, and a majority of the time, they’re usually emanating from one’s digestive tract or out of your roommate’s ‘sock on the knob’ room.

This ‘bloop’ was located just off the coast of Argentina, in the middle of the ocean, detected over 5000 kilometers away with a system that was used to track USSR submarines during World War II. The sound itself – the sonograph – matches noises made from an animal but the ‘bloop’ is over ten times louder than any sound made by the loudest underwater animal to date, the blue whale. While scientists believe it is icebergs scraping the bottom of the ocean floor, it’s more fun to believe that some giant underwater creature made the noise to say ‘Hi’.

The Antikythera Mechanism

Everything cool seems to be found underwater; this device was found off the shore of Greece. With many intricate gears and interlocking parts, this device is thought to be one of the first analog computers (An analog computer relies on a physical input leading to physical changes which allows an output). Greek in origin, the device is elaborately created and is thought to have calculated the precise positions of the stars and planets known at the time. However, all the evidence is purely speculative; there is still a large amount of debate on the true purpose of the device as well as the creator.

T

Th pu pa she ven bat pre the abl gis

The Baghdad Battery

EXPLORATION & NATURE

These artifacts came into light when the director of the National Museum of Iraq ublished an article on them after their discovery in 1938. They consist of three arts: a terracotta jar which forms the outside of the device, a rolled up copper eet and an iron rod that sticks out of the top, with an asphalt insulator that prents the iron and copper from touching. Immediately what springs to mind is a attery and while some archaeologists believe that these are batteries, which would edate Volta’s batteries. However, there has been some controversy over the use of e items as well as whether the artifacts are batteries or not. While replicas were ble to draw a current when tested, there are several inconsistencies that archeolosts have noted which raises issues in what the artifacts were.

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The Tunguska Event

The Tunguska Event is one of the largest detected explosions to happen on Earth. This explosion leveled an area slightly smaller than the size of Tokyo and would have caused an earthquake similar to the one felt in Ontario near 2010. Since the explosion was within a forested area and was not inhabited, there was no loss of life. The mystery of the event lies within what caused it.

The explosion itself was a thousand times more powerful than the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. While most scientists believe an ‘air-burst’ asteroid probably caused the damage, other theories ranged from anti-matter to black holes to even Nikola Tesla causing this even with his experiments.

Unsolved Mysteries of the 21st Century

By Eugene Leung

Within the field of science, most people think that the simplest answer to something that they don’t know is a simple experiment away. However, that’s not necessarily true. Science is still a long way from discovering the answer to everything and it might be possible that science might not give us the answer we need. Exlcuding supernatural and fringe science discoveries, there are many unexplained happenings that occur within this very world that people may be unaware of. Here are some strange events or artifacts that science still hasn’t solved what they are, what they’re used for or what caused it.

Source of photos: Deviantart

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EXPLORATION & NATURE

YOUR

SCIENCE TRAVEL GUIDE

By Jameera Mohamed

We use science to explain everything from the universe to tiny microorganisms, but sometimes we forget to take in the beauty of it all around us. Nature is an art and like Aristotle said, “In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous”. It’s all around us whether it is in the architect of a city or the natural creations of a landscape so don’t forget to really take it in, explore it and appreciate it. Here are ten of the prettiest landscapes Earth has to offer and what makes them scientifically so great!

Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia

Tunnel of Love, Klevan,Ukraine

Tianzi Mountains, China

Salar De Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. It is the result of many prehistoric lakes joining into one to form this magnificent landmark. The salt flat has a layer of brine containing sodium chloride, lithium chloride and magnesium chloride.

A salt crust that is meters thick covers this layer of brine. The perfect time to visit this site that is full of history and chemistry is during the wet season (November – April) when the salt flat appears to be nature’s largest mirror. The salt crust is so reflective surface that is used for calibrating satellites. While in Bolivia take advantage of the culture and other unique landmarks like the train cemetery just outside of Uyuni.

This graceful landmark was formerly a train tunnel in which passing trains moulded the tree lines. It was formed over many years but is no longer used for trains. It is now called the “Tunnel of Love” where lovers go for a stroll and to make a wish. It is said that if the wish is sincere it will come true. Although romantic, it is also a great place to go, even if single, to observe how nature grows freely around man-made infrastructures. If you decide to visit Ukraine be sure to check out all the architectural landmarks it has to offer include castle ruins and churches.

The Tianzi Mountains are the remains of old, weathered sandstone mountain-peaks. The peaks take on various shapes: large blocks, freestanding obelisks and towers. Erosion is the reason for the withering of the mountains and the reason for the unique shapes of the remnants. Because the sandstone is formed by stratification the erosion exposes the extraordinary, distinct layers. The peaks can reach heights of 1262.5 meters. Tours and cable cars can be taken to explore the mountains or you can take a hike on your own. Although beautiful on foggy days, it is highly recommended that the Tianzi Mountains are visited on days that are sunny so the true beauty can be seen.

Skaftafell Ice Cave, Iceland This bewitching cave is actually the edge of a glacier. The highly pressurized glacial ice has almost no air bubbles and because of this the ice absorbs almost all light except the blue fraction and the result is the fascinating blue colour. Glacier caves are generally unstable and can collapse at any time. Many visitors hear cracking noises while visiting but the cracking sound is because of the moving glacier not because the cave is going to collapse.

Although it sounds dangerous, there is a safe time to visit. The safest and best time to visit this cave is during the winter after long periods of rain. The cold temperatures harden the ice and the rain washes away the surface layer allowing for the penetration of light through the ice. How cool is that?

EXPLORATION & NATURE

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Sea of Stars, Maldives

Pamukkale Hot Springs, Turkey

Underwater Waterfall, Mauritius

Bioluminescence is a remarkable phenomenon seen in many species such as the firefly but imagine seeing this sensation on a beach.

On the Vaadhoo Islands, marine microbes wash up on the shore and at night their bioluminescence is visible. Phytoplanktons, specifically dinoflagellates, create luciferase that results in the emission of light from these microbes. Passing ships, currents and waves all stir the oxygen in the sea and affect the bioluminescence but never result in anything short of incredible. If traveling to the Maldives, although it is a set of tiny islands, there is plenty to explore underwater and on land.

Underground volcanic activity is the source of heat for these unique hot springs. These travertines and terraces are created from the flow of the mineral-rich water. Despite the ground looking like ice and snow, Turkey actually has bikini weather all year-round and the white colour is because of a white limestone coating.

Nowadays, you’re not allowed to swim in the terraces but artificial pools at the entrance are available for swim. But from the looks of it, it seems like nothing will compare to seeing this splendour with your own eyes. Turkey does have a lot to offer in culture and ancient civilizations so if you’re traveling to Turkey a stop in the city of Pamukkale will be worth it.

This “underwater waterfall” isn’t really a waterfall. It is one of nature’s optical illusions. The illusion is created because sands from the high coastal shelf are moved with the ocean currents into the darker depths of the ocean. The pattern created by the currents has the appearance of a waterfall.

While beautiful from an aerial view it can also be seen from boat level as well so if you’re ever visiting Mauritius why not take a boat ride and see this “underwater waterfall” up close. Mauritius Island also has beautiful beaches and orchards that are definitely worth visiting.

Lake Hillier, Australia

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA

Grand Prismatic, Wyoming, USA

Pink is not the colour you think of when you think of a lake but pink lakes do exist. Unlike most pink lakes that fluctuate in colour depending on temperature, Lake Hillier is pink all year-round. The reason for the pink colour is not known but it is speculated that it is due to bacteria in the water. Dunaliella salina and Halobacteria are salt-loving algae that are rumoured to be the reason for the pink colour.

Even though the lake does have a high salt content it is safe for swimming. Wouldn’t it be cool to say you went swimming in a pink lake? If you’re not traveling to Lake Hillier but you are heading to Australia be sure to look out for the pink lake as it can be seen from planes travelling above. Australia itself has a lot of amazing wildlife and landscapes to keep an eye out for.

A rainbow of ribbons is the best way I can describe this spectacular canyon. The canyon is made up of lower and upper canyons that were formed because of erosion.

Flash-flooding and sub-aerial processes cause the erosion of the beautiful Navajo Sandstone. But what creates the beautiful colours of the canyon? As you move further into the canyon, significantly less light reaches the depth and the result is the appearance different coloured sands.

Although five hours away, another beautiful landscape to witness while visiting Arizona is the Grand Canyon. It’s a site you’ll never forget!

Third largest, most colourful hot spring is found in the state of Wyoming. A hot spring is produced by the emergence of groundwater that has been geothermally heated. But what makes Grand Prismatic unique is the beautiful rainbow of colours that radiate from the spring. The colours match the dispersion of white light by optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green and blue. The colours come from bacteria in microbial mats that grow around the mineral-rich water. The colours that come from the bacteria are based on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and temperature. The blue colour is just the result of the water. This combination of geology and biology has lead to quite a unique feature.

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LIFE & CULTURE

OOD MOLECULAR FOR GASTRONOMY THOUGHT

Molecular gastronomy (also referred to as modernist cuisine, avant-garde cuisine, or experimental cuisine) is a branch of food science that explores cooking from the perspective of chemical and physical processes. In an interview with the Toronto Star in 2014, Catalonian chef Ferran Adrià describes this revolutionary approach to cooking as a “process of deconstruction.”

By combining science and cuisine to create an array of novel dining experiences molecular gastronomy investigates how the transformation of ingredients through chemical means affects the social, artistic, and technical components of cuisine. This style of cooking is used to produce some of the most innovate dishes around. You can have a cocktail that’s an ice bubble, arugula-flavoured spaghetti, powdered ice cream inside of a candy strawberry or an edible menu. Food is prepared by combining different physi-

By: Akshay Sule

cal states called colloidal systems. The five basic types of colloidal systems are: foam (gas dispersed in liquid), solid foam (gas dispersed in a solid), gel (solid dispersed in liquid), emulsion (liquid dispersed in liquid), and solid emulsion (liquid dispersed in solid).

There are many methods that are used frequently in molecular gastronomy.

One technique is gelification, a method that is used to create a gel-like substance from ingredients that would normally not be found in a gel-like state. This is done by evenly dispersing a gelling agent such as agar-agar or sodium alginate in a solution of water and powder (of the ingredient usually), and heating/cooling it to its goal consistency.

Another technique is called spherification, which is the process of filling tiny beads made from a gelling agent (for instance, sodium alginate) with liquids resulting in a phenomenon that is caviar-like. Emulsifiers including lecithin or xanthan gum are used to give rise to a method known as suspension. Suspension is when a liquid solution is aerated when combined with an emulsifier to create very light or frozen foam. The use of liquid nitrogen to deep-freeze ingredients is also a popular technique used by molecular gastronomy cooks.

Compared to the traditional freezing method, the use of liquid nitrogen ensures the formation of much smaller ice crystals that

leave the product’s cell structure intact.

This is used often in the production of ice cream as the resulting ice cream is remarkably smooth (due to smaller ice crystals), while still cold. Moreover, since molecular gastronomy is science-based, it makes sense that some lab equipment shows up. For example, syringes are used to transfer liquids to either be further altered, or to be injected as filling.

Despite molecular gastronomy’s growing popularity, many people hold a negative connotation for the art. During an interview with TheObserver, Heston Blumenthal argues that this new approach to cooking is overemphasized and sensationalised while other traditions are ignored. It doesn’t help that molecular gastronomy is associated with chemicals and lab equipment such as pH meters, temperature stabilizers, or flasks filled with intimidating-sounding substances like maltodextrin – a derivative of starch from grains, tubers or roots of plants. Although there is some controversy regarding the safety of select preparations, the general consensus is that molecular gastronomy is safe and is approved by EU standards.

While molecular gastronomy may seem complicated, it is simple enough for anyone to do at home. There are many kits and instructional guides available that teach molecular gastronomy and related recipes. MOLECULE-R Flavors (www.molecule-r.com) is a prominent company that sells different types of tools, ingredients and cookbooks for molecular gastronomy enthusiasts. Molecular gastronomy is a brilliant demonstration of how science doesn’t have to seem so isolated, but rather how it intertwines with artistry and can be done even in your house.

MIND & BODY

Entheogens: The Science Behind Psychoactive Organisms Igor Angelovski Copy Editor

“For centuries, human societies have experienced heightened states of consciousness as a means of maintaining optimal health, practising spiritual traditions and understanding the nature of reality. This has been achieved mainly through culturally important species known to expand awareness�

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Cannabis sativa (Hemp)

Common experiences during hemp intake include development of a more intuitive, empathic understanding of people, the mind feeling more efficient in problem solving, and the more frequent speaking of profound and appropriate topics.

Though hemp’s prehistoric useage eludes us today, it was first cultivated in China almost 10,000 years ago, making it one of the first agricultural crops in human history. Its broad medical applications can be attested to the major consciousness-expanding phytochemicals tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol, which have been discovered to function as important neuroprotective antioxidants. THC has recently shown promise in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in its ability to competitively inhibit acetylcholinesterase as well as prevent aggregation of amyloid β-peptide (brain plaque) induced by the enzyme. Scientists involved in the study have stated THC as “considerably more effective than AD drugs,” and its effect on plaque to, “impact AD pathology directly.” Other notable therapeutic effects include cannabidiol’s antipsychotic properties, relief of pain (by THC and cannabidiol) in advanced-stage cancer patients, and ingestion of the entire hemp plant for relieving symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Current research at Louisiana State University is investigating THC’s potential against HIV/AIDS.

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric Mushroom)

Perhaps the most distinctive mushroom on Earth, the fly agaric’s red and white-spotted cap is often used as a symbol for the psychoactive members of Kingdom Fungi. Its use likely dating back to descriptions in the Rig Veda, the fly agaric mushroom is most known for playing an important role in the spiritual rites of indigenous Siberian tribes. The main chemical constituents of the visionary experience behind the mushroom are muscimol and ibotenic acid. Experiments on animals have demonstrated the fly agaric to have a sedative or tranquilizing effect on the nervous system, outperforming over-the-counter pharmaceutical medicines with no harmful side effects. In low doses, the mushroom’s psychoactive components showed anticonvulsant and antispasmodic qualities in addition to stimulation of satiety signals, which could be useful as a method for weight loss. It is important to note that despite claims of its toxicity, the fly agaric mushroom differs from its extremely poisonous Amanita cousins in that adhering to proper methods of preparations and dosage can yield wonderful results.

Fly agaric mushrooms have been documented by Siberian shamans as producing heightened senses of hearing, vivid colouration of the external environment and experiences where the observer becomes intimately a part of what is observed.

Psilocybe spp.

(Magic Mushrooms)

Users of magic mushrooms often report experiences of timelessness and spacelessness, feelings of blessedness and peace, or exhibit persisting positive changes in attitude or behaviour.

The main psychoactive ingredients in magic mushrooms consist of psilocybin and psilocin. It was the these particular compounds that “were important in the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations of Mexico and Central America,” says Dr. Greg Thorn, professor of mycology at Western University. Recent studies by the University of South Florida have shown possible medicinal benefits of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, especially in the treatment of post-tramautic stress disorder (PTSD). At low doses, psilocybin restores specific regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (overactive in PTSD patients) to normal functionality. This effect of psilocybin is attributed to the fact that it actually stimulates growth of new brain cells. Interestingly, research by Imperial College London has shown psilocybin to assist the user in overcoming fear conditioning. This could explain why it is so effective in treating depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety (in advanced-stage cancer patients).

Banisteriopsis caapi (Ayahuasca)

This tropical vine shares a long history with pre-Columbian tribes of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon rainforest in sacred rituals spanning millenia. Such shamanic traditions continue to this day and the ceremony behind the ayahuasca brew has become quite popular with adventurous Westerners. The woody ayahuasca vine contains components known as harmala alkaloids (mainly harmaline and harmine) that in combination with the DMT-rich leaves of the chacruna plant (Psychotria viridis) elicit powerful psychoactive effects. This is because harmaline and harmine are monoamine oxidase inhibitors and block the enzyme responsible for DMT degradation in the stomach. Because the great influx of DMT can be quite confronting to a body that is unfamiliar, shamans are necessary for guiding the ayahuasca experience and reduce any discomfort. Great interest in recent years has been directed to the brew’s remarkable capacity to accelerate emotional and psychological healing, especially concerning substance abuse. Dr. Gabor Maté mentions that brain scans reveal ayahuasca’s “activation of the temporal lobe, where childhood memories are stored; of the limbic system where our emotions are modulated and they live, and the front part of the brain where insight is made available to us.”

The ayahuasca brew elicits strange, but fascinating symptoms in the drinker. These include: sensation of telepathy and extrasensory perception, lucid dream state or out-ofbody experiences, and feelings of profound universal connectedness.

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LIFE & CULTURE

THE SCIENCE OF

PROCRASTINATION

By Maham Bushra

Why we spend hours scrolling through cat memes and waching baby videos, and what it says about our internal state of mind

It

starts innocently enough, as most activities do. A click of the mouse here, a quick text there, and Ana is lost once again in a world of unending, unrelenting distractions. Three minutes in, and all traces of the to-do list she was about to create leave her wandering mind. She does glance over at the unfilled notebooks and piles of textbooks cluttering her desk once or twice, guilt consuming her as she delays all productive tasks once again. This is not an unfamiliar feeling, it is a ritual almost – come home, procrastinate, procrastinate, feel guilty, go to bed, and repeat the cycle again the next day.

Ana is an epitome of 20% of the population known as ‘chronic procrastinators’, a term coined by Dr. Joseph Ferrari of DePaul University to define individuals who routinely put off activities, so much so that it becomes impossible to achieve any standards of productivity. “They delay at home, work, school and in relationships. These 20 percent make procrastination their way of life,” he states.

On my first meeting with Ana, I gave her a two-page synopsis of procrastination based on my research, and asked her to read it and see if her actions were consistent with the ones described. Ana

agreed to do it before going to bed that night. Instead, she spent that time watching reruns of her favourite television series. She then vowed to read it during her lunch break the next day, but spent two hours chatting with a friend.

Every day, she found a new, compelling activity to pursue. At our next meeting, I found Ana frantically attempting to skim over the now-crumpled pages I had given her a week earlier. In the end, we calculated that the first year science student had spent over 40 hours delaying a task that would have taken five minutes to accomplish.

Standford University philosopher John Perry, sheds some light onto Ana’s actions by stating that procrastinators constantly reconstruct their to-do lists so they feel like they are accomplishing something of value. “If I have a dozen things to do, obviously #10, #11, and #12 have to wait,” says Ferrari. “The real procrastinator has those 12 things, maybe does one or two of them, then rewrites the list, then shuffles it around, then makes an extra copy of it. That’s procrastinating. That’s different.”

Describing how she felt during the hours spent delaying crucial tasks, Ana

says, “I constantly feel like time is slipping through my fingers; no matter how hard I hold on, it always escapes.

It’s not a feeling of urgency, just one of loss. ” Ferrari’s research found that procrastinators are not suffering from poor time management, but have an altered perception of time. ‘Time perspective’, which describes how people understand their past, present and future, is

“

The first year science student had spent over 40 hours delaying a task that would have taken five minutes to accomplish.

”

LIFE & CULTURE

Six Strategies to Avoid Procrastination 1. Break your task into smaller steps.

More often than not, we procrastinate because we subconsciously perceive the work as being too overwhelming for us. Break the tasks down into smaller tasks, and then focus your attention on a specific part. Completing small tasks will give you with a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to do more work.

2. Eliminate your distractions.

Procrastinating is made much easier if your procrastination pit-stops are easily accessible. If you spent too much time playing video games, hide your Nintendo in a location that is far away, like in a kitchen cabinet downstairs.

When you get the urge to distract yourself again, you will likely be too lazy to make the trip all the way downstairs and will reflect on your actions more.

3. Create a detailed schedule with spe-

cific deadlines.

After breaking down your work, create a comprehensive timeline with deadlines for each small task. Make sure your deadlines are concrete – that way, if you surrender to your distractions and don’t finish a task in time, it will create an urgency to act.

4. Surround yourself with people who

inspire you.

Identify the people in your circle of friends who are highly driven – most likely the go-getters and hard workers – and work with them. Their productivity will likely motivate you too.

5. Get a buddy.

Find a family member or friend who can encourage you to stay on task and help you focus when needed. If you are easily distracted by the physical presence of a friend, schedule ‘check-ins’ with your buddy; have them call/text you to see how much you have accomplished. We always work better when we know someone is relying on us, and when we want to prevent the embarrassment of vocalizing our failures.

6. Stop overcomplicating tasks; get a

grip and just do it.

Don’t wait for a perfect time to do a task – there is never a perfect time. If you are always looking for one, chances are you will never get anything done.

Perfectionism is one of the biggest reasons for procrastination. Stop looking for reasons to delay, instead think about all of the positive outcomes of successfully completing a task. At the end of the day, procrastination comes down to taking action. Making to-do lists, setting deadlines and getting rid of distractions are insignificant if you don’t end up accomplishing your goals.

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a significant predictor of our likelihood of procrastinating. Individuals who are more present-oriented - prefer immediate feelings of gratification over delayed pleasure - tend to procrastinate more than future-oriented people.

Hyperbolic discounting - an innate tendency to choose a small reward being offered at current time over a more valuable one offered at a later time - also contributes to persistent procrastination.

In addition to personality, neurological factors are fundamental to our understanding of procrastination. Every time we engage in a pleasurable task, dopamine levels in the brain rise, making it more likely to continue the enjoyable behaviour. Ana is able to spent hours having an entertaining conversation with a friend on Facebook or playing a fast-paced video game because she receives quick and continuous rewards that inflate dopamine levels. On the other hand, writing an essay provides a one-time, future reward.

Neuropsychologists have also outlined the significant role of the frontal cortex, which controls executive functioning behaviours in self-regulation and time management. A study done

by Laura Barin of Brooklyn College focuses on the association of executive functioning with procrastination. Results published in the 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology suggest that procrastination might be “an expression of subtle executive dysfunction” in students who are otherwise healthy.

As I set out to chronicle Ana’s struggle with procrastination, I realized that she attributed her anecdotes on procrastination to feelings of guilt, shame and anxiety. Describing her intrinsic thoughts, she says, “I recognize the imminent harm of my actions, but it is

“

Research has found that procrastinators are not suffering from poor time management, but have an altered perception of time.

”

near impossible for me to overcome the emotional urge towards a diversion.”

Research findings published in the Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality in 2000 by Timothy Pychyl of Carleton University support the authenticity of Ana’s emotions. In a study involving 45 participants, Pychyl gave students a pager and tracked them for five days leading up to a crucial academic deadline. When beeped at random times of the day, participants recorded their level of procrastination, as well as their emotional state.

As students delayed preparatory tasks to engage in more pleasurable activities, they reported high levels of guilt and anxiety - suggesting that procrastinators carry a lingering dread about the work they set aside.

Ana realizes now that her struggle to overcome procrastination cannot be solely attributed to extreme lethargy or a lack of interest in the delayed task, but also to her intrinsic state of mind. Still, Ana represents only a small percent of students.

Let’s face it; the rest of us are just infected with a chronic case of laziness.

Go ahead, spend hours scrolling through cat memes or watching adorable baby videos; and when your parents or friends frown at you and say that you will never amount to anything, tell them: ‘Just wait’.

1. Taylor Library sign 2. SSC Logo 3. Mammoth tooth in B&CS 4.Flowers in the greenhouses 5. Tourmaline in B&CS 6. Glass figurines in the glassblowing shop in P&A 7. Doug in Taylor Library 6. Einstein in P&A

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING SCIENCE-RELATED OBJECTS OR PEOPLE? WHERE ARE THEY FOUND?

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ART & BEAUTY

EXPLORATION & NATURE

15

The weird ways they do it

By Tianyi Yan

the strange way that some animals get it on

Do you feel like you’ve heard the most bizarre things

from potential love interests? Maybe you think that nothing could possibly be weirder than that one thing that one person did that one time. Well I don’t know you, so maybe you’re right…but here are some odd mating rituals from the animal kingdom that might be able to give you a run for your money!

I love you, baby… please don’t kill me when we have sex.

Porcupines If you know what watersports are in colloquial terms (and hey, nobody’s judging), then you know where this is going. Before we get there though, porcupines start off their mating with what we could call an Eskimo kiss. If the female porcupine likes it, then they continue on to the next step.

The next step is that the male will find somewhere higher than where the female is, stand on his hind legs, and proceed to urinate all over her at a high pressure that all of us who shower in residence would be jealous of. If the female decides she likes the pheromones that the male is giving off, then soon a baby porcupine will be born.

“But why do the females decide?” It’s kind of, maybe, sort of because if a male porcupine tries to force itself on a female, she’ll impale him with her quills. Yup, that’s why.

Giraffes As someone who has a bit of a (really big) soft spot for giraffes, giraffe sex doesn’t happen quite how I expected it to. Although to be honest, who knows what I was expecting. It’s giraffe sex.

Unlike porcupines, male giraffes are the ones calling shots.

When male giraffes find a female that they like, he’ll use his head to smack her right in the behind. There may be some parallels that can be drawn there between humans and giraffes, until you realise that male giraffes do it so that the female will urinate in his mouth so that he can taste to see if she’s fertile enough. If the male giraffe is satisfied with the taste of her urine, copulation will begin.

Anglerfish If you’ve never heard of how anglerfish mate, well, you’re in for a bit of a treat. The anglerfish has been every single one of my science teachers’ primary example of sexual dimorphism, but they’ve never exactly lined up to tell us of how anglerfish really mate.

I’ll spare you most of the details, but let’s just say that it involves the male anglerfish fusing into the female and the female coming out of the exchange with a shiny new pair of gonads.

Bet you mine is bigger than yours.

Mmm…tastes just about right.

Hooded Seals If you ever get a chance, you should really look this one up. It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen, and the picture doesn’t do it justice at all.

Male hooded seals use pink balloon-like sacs that inflate from their nasal cavities to compete against one another for access to females. To avoid wasting energy, they’ll size each other up by flailing their balloons around and comparing sizes. If they’re too evenly matched in balloon size, only then do they start fighting and pushing each other around.

When a victor emerges, he’ll shows his nose balloon off to the female, and if she decides that she likes it well enough, baby seals will be soon be bouncing around.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Deinococcus radiodurans : A poet or bacterium?

The capacity to read and write is often considered exclusive to humans. For Christian Bök, however, even bacteria can employ language. This University of Calgary professor has spent the past 12 years striving to genetically modify Deinococcus radiodurans — a bacterium that can survive even the vacuum of space — so that it can not only read poetry, but also write it.

His project presents an unexpected and intriguing form of text, and is therefore, appropriately titled The Xenotext (the prefix “xen–” referring to something foreign or strange).

By using a “chemical alphabet,” Bök translates a short stanza of poetry into a genetic sequence which can then be integrated into a bacterium’s genome. As the cell transcribes an mRNA strand from this gene, the bacterium is ultimately “reading” the poem, and the subsequent cellular process of mRNA translation allows the bacterium to “write” a new verse of poetry in the resulting protein’s amino acid sequence.

Starting with the verses “Any style of life / is prim” within the X-P13 gene, Bök hopes to have the resulting Protein 13 encode the verses “The faery is rosy / of glow.”

While Bök has seen success with Escherichia coli, initial tests with D. radiodurans have failed. Having already spent over $100,000 on the project, Bök remains hopeful that with more funding, he will finally be able to complete it successfully.

Even after more than a decade of work, Bök remains firmly motivated, recognizing that “if [he] fail[s], [he is] almost certainly going to do so because [he has] given up at the threshold of success.”

SPECIAL REPORT

17

Maryam Golafshani

Features Editor

The idea of integrating text into the DNA of nearly indestructible microbes like D. radiodurans presents intriguing possibilities for more secure and reliable methods of storing information. Bök believes that, “in the future, we are almost certainly going to exploit DNA as means of storing information in durable repositories for long eras of time.” Thanks to Bök’s work with The Xenotext, humans may now have a method to save information in the face of planetary disasters like atomic battles and meteor impacts.

Of course, by now,

you have probably made the

assumption that Bök is a biochemistry or genetics professor. Yet, despite his extensive knowledge in these fields, he is actually a creative writing professor, having received his Ph.D. in English literature at York University. Moreover, Bök is an accomplished and highly-regarded Canadian experimental poet. In 2001, after seven years of work, he published his most famous piece, Euonia — a novel in which each chapter is written using words that contain a single vowel. Clearly Bök is no stranger to incredibly ambitious endeavours, earning him the title of “the poet who does the impossible.”

Although his formal education lies in the faculty of arts and humanities, Bök learned all the science behind The Xenotext “in order to garner enough credibility to ask scientists to work on [his] behalf.” His work demonstrates how, despite the prevailing perception that the arts and sciences are mutually exclusive, these two fields of study effectively intersect with intriguing results. Bök recognizes the importance of an interdisciplinary mindset, stating that “all creative research requires both an analytic and artistic sensibility to solve problems. We do ourselves a disservice if we imagine that these two aptitudes are separate.”

Layout by Igor Angelovski

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ART & BEAUTY

LIFE & CULTURE — MIND & BODY

The importance of science communication:

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an undergraduate student’s perspective on whether to go to departmental seminars

By Tirthankar Ray Undergraduate science students at Western have access to a rich variety of educational resources, which they should strive to take advantage of. One of these resources is the weekly seminar series, hosted by the Biology Department, which brings in a diverse range of Canadian and international scientists to give broad-level talks on their research.

As part of a science communications project with Professor David Smith from Biology, I have been attending the Biology Seminar Series which takes place every Friday from 11:30 am –12:30 pm in NCB 114. The speakers specialize in very different but exciting fields of science, ranging from medical genetics to evolutionary genomics to microbiology, and provide a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to learn cutting-edge research from world experts. The seminars are pitched to a general audience, which typically contains professors, graduate students and the odd undergraduate. Research plays a key role in Western’s identity as an educational institution, but a lack of exposure to it causes many to question it as a career. Dr. Kevin Campbell from the University of Manitoba, one of the speakers for this seminar series, succinctly asked, “Why are we doing this sort of work? What is the point?” and I took the opportunity to see why research is such a big deal and to evaluate the benefits of attending these seminars from an undergraduate perspective.

My experience taught me a lot about innovative and interesting areas of research, many of which I had never heard of before. One seminar that really captivated me was by Dr. Christine Couldrey from the University of Otago, New Zealand; in her talk, she described a new wave of genetic research called epigenetics and how she is using it to develop new technologies for the New Zealand farm industry. Another speaker, Dr. Nicolas Corradi from the University of Ottawa, gave intimate accounts of his exciting lab work on some of the oddest evolutionary progressions on the planet (Nicolas studies fungi and their genomes).

By S. Venga

Having watched such a diversity of speakers, I also learned a lot about how to communicate science effectively - a topic I am particularly passionate about. I believe that an undergraduate degree in science should not only teach reasoning skills, but should also provide instruction on how to communicate complex ideas to a broad audience.

In the seminar series, most speakers were excellent at conveying their research - and their passion - to the audience. I was often impressed and amazed at how some speakers were able to take an exceedingly complex subject matter, such as sex determination in amphibians, and simplify it so that everyone, from undergrad to doctorate, could follow along. For instance, Dr. Adrian Reyes-Prieto from the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, presented on the origins of chloroplasts (the site of photosynthesis in plants and algae) - a topic that goes well beyond the scope of most undergraduate courses - but with the use of cartoon-like diagrams he was able to make his message clear and accessible. In fact, some of the content was easier to understand than what I learnt about chloroplasts in first year biology An excellent way to catch the attention of an audience is to use a friendly, conversational presentation style. Dr. Heidi Swanson, from the University of Waterloo did just that in her talk about mercury accumulation in Artic fish. While showing beautiful images of the Canadian north, she told funny anecdotes about polar bears and camping, and when discussing the technicalities of mercury accumulation, she spoke articulately at a slow pace to ensure everyone could understand.

Good presentation skills are crucial to being a successful teacher and communicator. Most of the speakers were experienced presenters, with many choosing to incorporate simplified diagrams and pacing their content skillfully. I personally feel that undergraduate students are not given enough exposure to public speaking and scientific communication during their degree. By attending the biology seminars and by paying attention to what the speakers did and didn’t do, I was able to gain invaluable communication skills.

Overall, the best speakers were the ones that had the same passion for their work that many of us one day hope to have. As a student trying to figure out what I want to achieve with my life, listening to these speakers evoked all sorts of ambitions in myself and made me want to enjoy my work as much as they do.

I’ll be honest and admit that not all of the seminars were top-notch and some were downright terrible. One of the biggest mistakes a few of speakers made was incorrectly assuming that the audience was as well versed in the presentation subject matter. For example, Dr. Ryan Austin’s talk on next-generation DNA sequencing of land plants was interesting, but it required a lot of background knowledge on sequencing techniques, which I lacked. As a result, the seminar left me confused and wanting to know more. Other speakers had topics I could understand, but they overcomplicated their presentation by presenting a plethora of data and cluttered images, thereby overwhelming the audience. Dr. Lucinda Johnson’s seminar on Great Lakes coastal indicators was informative, but she gave slide after slide of complicated graphs and figures which I was unable to follow. Nonetheless, these more challenging talks also taught me a lot about how to communicate effectively.

Personally, I felt the majority of the seminars in this series were informative and enriching; it required dedication on my part to attend them all, since not every seminar was on a topic that I was interested in, but every week there was a different speaker and a different subject, and that was one of the reasons I kept going back. You have probably seen posters advertising the Biology Seminar Series on the walls of NCB and B&GS and I urge you to read these posters and attend the talks that interest you. This hidden resource at Western will expand your knowledge base and is definitely worth your time and tuition.

Tirthankar Ray is a second year undergraduate in Biology and Biochemistry at Western. He attended the 2013/14 fall-semester biology seminar series as a science communications project with Dr. David Smith from the Biology Department.

What is the 2014 Health Accord?

Have you ever had an operation, had an injection, or been prescribed medication? Probably.

Thanks to T. C. Douglas, Canada has one of the best health care systems in the world. One of the reasons the Canadian healthcare system excels is because the vast majority of services are free. Our current health care system is publicly run: it’s reason for being is to provide a good service, not for profit. It is available to people of all financial situations, and is also accessible in many small communities (which have fewer patients). 86% of Canadians support our public health care system. In contrast, private health care is “American-style medicine”: costs are incredibly high and the heads of staff make disgustingly high profits.

Canada’s public health care system is funded by the provinces, with major contributions from the federal government. Ultimately, this money comes from Canada’s export revenue, trade agreements, taxes, and numerous other sources; as health care is essential to everyone, it’s important to fund this field.

The 2014 Health Care Accord is a set of policies for how to run the Canadian health care system from 2015 onwards. Basically, the accord calls for: • The Harper government cutting back $36 Billion on health care finances to the provinces • Laws allowing more privatized hospitals and seniors homes The accord fails to improve the legislated standards for private seniors homes (which ensure staffing levels, quality of care, etc.) that are

currently very low. The accord also fails to include laws laying out a maximum cost for private health services (physiotherapy, seniors homes, etc.).

The term “accord” usually refers to a plan reached by consensus, in this case among Members of Parliament. On 19 December, 2011, finance minister Jim Flaherty laid out the 2014 Health Care Accord in a surprise move to the provinces. No negotiations between the Conservatives and the provinces were able to take place before the accord’s unveiling, so the introduction of the accord was not democratic.

The 2014 Health Care Accord makes Canadian health care less public, therefore quality will decrease, price will increase, and many Canadians will not receive the health care they need.

20

ART & BEAUTY

the

science

of

Streetstyle

Brown cashmere scarf from the undercoat of a goat living in an incredibly windy and cold climate. In 2012, a team from the Sher-eKashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology in India claimed to have cloned a Himalayan goat in the hopes of eventually mass-producing cashmere.

Blue linen blazer made from bast fibres found in the flax plant’s (Linum usitatissimum) phloem tissue. The process of isolating the bast fibres from the surrounding plant tissues is called retting, which is most often accomplished by submersing the stems in slow-flowing water.

ART & BEAUTY

21

Contrary to popular belief, Taylor Library is not the place where “fashion goes to die.� Science students can regularly be found wearing more than just the classic Western hoodie and sweatpants combo, and these students are here to prove it. photographer l Maryam Golafshani models l Spencer Lee, Brendan Cassidy, Jennifer Yuan, Naciza Masikini

Peach, patterned polyester blouse composed of polymer fibres with ester linkages and an even diameter. Synthetic fabrics are specifically polyethylene terephthalate and prior to being dyed, these fibres are often translucent.

Black rayon jumpsuit derived from purified cellulose which reacts with carbon disulfide and a base to produce a soluble polymer called viscose. Rayon is considered to be the first manufactured fibre, although it originates from a natural product.

22

LIFE & CULTURE

Medicinal benefits of

By Ashima Jain The huge industrial complexes, rapid urbanization, deforestation, air and water pollution, ozone-depletion have disturbed and destabilized the natural harmony of human, animal and plant life cycles. The ecological imbalance caused by these criminal acts of the so called ‘civilized man’ has resulted in a disastrous threat, not only to the human survival but, also to life as a whole on our planet.

Like water, air and sun, we also have fire, which benefits us greatly.

We cannot live without fire that gives us heat. Since fire destroys the impurities of everything, it symbolizes purity. Hindus consider fire sacred. No major Hindu rituals are performed without a Fire Ceremony called Havan or Yajna. Little is known about the physical properties of fire and the elements used in a Havan, and even less is known about the positive environmental effects of performing a Havan.

Dr. Rakesh Sharma, a professor at Mohawk College says, “The western world has in recent times become truly concerned about our environment which has become increasingly polluted over the years.

Best way to keep the environment pollution free is to perform Havana. Various gasses produced during Havana decompose the poisonous gasses liberating free oxygen and other useful products acting like disinfectants.” Havana refers to a small group of people sitting in the middle of a pit of fire with special herbs

being combusted to release gases in the environment.

There are two basic energy systems in the physical world: heat and sound. In performing yagna, these two energies, namely, the heat from yagna’s fire and the sound of the chanting ‘o’ and other Vedic Mantras, are blended together to achieve the desired physical, psychological and spiritual benefits.

The fumigation, vaporization and subtlisation of specific substances in the yagna-fire constitute a verifiable scientific method of sublimation of matter and expansion of its colloidal state.

This generates ions and energy with positive effects in the surrounding atmosphere through the specific sonic waves of the mantras. In order to get an idea of the various chemical changes that take place during the performance of yagna, it is essential to know the various substances used and offered in the yagna-fire.

These can be broadly classified into two types: wood (samidhá), and a mixture of odoriferous and medicinal herbs (havan sámagri).

Wood has to be dry and free from dust, insects and worms. Wood is cut into small pieces of varying sizes. Santalum Album (sandalwood), Aquilana Malaccensis and Valeriana Wallchii (borax wood or agar and tagar), Cedrys Libani (cedar or deodar), Mangifera Indica (mango), are considered appropriate for this purpose. The havisya or

havan sámagri should be prepared with a proper combination of the substances listed. Odoriferous substances: These are usually saffron, musk, agar, tagar, sandalwood powder, cardamom, nutmeg, javitri and camphor; substances with healing properties: clarified butter (ghee), milk, fruits, lin seeds, and cereals like wheat, rice, barley, various millet, gram, peas, etc; sweet substances: sugar, dried dates, resin, honey, etc; medicinal herbs.

As Dr. Sharma mentions, the temperature attained by the kunda varies between 250 degrees Celsius and 600 degrees Celsius, while in the actual flames it can rise as high as 1200 Celsius to 1300 Celsius.

LIFE & CULTURE

23

f herbs in fire: Yajna

the sunlight. They undergo photochemical decomposition, oxidation and reduction reactions. To some extent even CO2 is also reduced to formaldehyde as follows: CO2 + H2O + 112,000 cal = HCHO + O2

At their boiling points, the volatile constituents vaporize and their gaseous forms get diffused. Also, when cellulose and other carbohydrates undergo combustion, steam is formed in copious quantities by the combination of the hydrogen of the decomposed organic molecules with the oxygen. This is how the substances like thymol, eugenol, pinene, and terpinol are dispersed to in the surroundings and the aroma of a yagna can be smelt at a considerable distance. Smoke also functions as a colloidal vehicle for the spreading of volatile aromatic substances.

The vaporized products diffused in the atmosphere are also subjected to photochemical reactions in

From an environmental angle, the reduction of CO2 caused by yagna as explained above and the liberation of oxygen cannot be overemphasized. Similar kinds of other useful reactions take place in the presence of specific radiations from the sunrays. This may be perhaps the reason it has been recommended that yagna should be performed during sunlight.

In the March Issue of the Akhandjyoti, magazine of the Gayatri pariwaar, they explain that the power of sound vibrations has since long been acknowledged in the field of science. With substantial amplification these vibrations can penetrate the energy spheres at the subtle and cosmic levels. All the alphabets of the Sanskrit language are endowed with special impulsive phonetics, which send out harmonious wave patterns when pronounced.

With the advent of spectrographic techniques and instruments like the Multichannel Tonograph and Retrometer, it has now become possible to study the sound effects of mantras in relation to yagna. The

chanting of these mantras produces vibrations, which are soothing to human mind and all plant and animal life. These vibrations also help in spreading specific energy waves in the surrounding atmosphere.

"Heal the atmosphere and the healed atmosphere will heal you", says Dr. Madhukar Gaikwad.

The medicinal fumes emanating from the process of agnihotra have been observed by researchers in the field of microbiology to be clearly bacteriostatic in nature, which eradicate bacteria and micro-organisms, the root causes of illness and diseases. This must be the reason why the incidence of physical ailments, sickness and diseases becomes less in the households where agnihotra is regularly performed.

"Burning sugar and its smoke has a significant effect in purifying the atmosphere. It kills the germs of T.B., measles, smallpox and cowpox," remarks Professor Tilward.

A Russian Scientist named Dr. Shirowich mentions that "if cow’s ghee is put into the fire, its smoke will lessen the effect of atomic radiation to a great extent".

The benefits of yajna are immense and more research is being conducted to discover the full list of benefits that can be acquired. This old Hindu ritual is ongoing and will go on in the western world as its benefits continue to spread like its aroma.

ART & BEAUTY

crackle 24 nail polish

ca eto pol use o ne re ym f its mo er c ab ves ili h n pol ains t ty to i ail po ish o se nte lish mo par rfer be lec ate e w ule th ith s. en ail

24

Normally, the goal is for nail polish to dry evenly and nail polish = dissolved in slowly. However, for crackle nail nitrocellulose + solvent + plasticizers + colouring polish, ethanol is used highly flammable pigments compound as the solvent because it prevents causes the coat to dry Warm temperatures can alter brittleness and quickly and unevenly. nail polish composition so storing chipping your favourite bottles in cooler areas or f add a can prolong their life e m ibl d fir splash of s expectancy. Refrigeration may help n h colour! po y an olis s the polish retain its consistency but e in p is r e sh r of when applied, it may not h y t la e survive the drastic change in temperature and Q: What do Katy Perry, Kate Winslet, the Kardashian sisters, humidity.

Ac

TIP

Victoria Beckham, and Drew Barrymore have in common?

A: They all have their own cosmetic lines.

That is nothing compared to the slew of celebrity fragrances that dominate the shelves of Sephora or the many celebrity-endorsed OPI nail polish collections.

While celebrities may be the face of their cosmetic products and provide input on design, names, and colours, the true magic behind cosmetics requires a much more scientific aresenal.

The less visible faces behind such cosmetic lines are cosmetic chemists who are responsible for creating innovative cosmetic formulas to enhance your appearance.

hair essentials

vs.r o po one m ti shaondi c Chemists created a crystalline matrix that essentially hid the conditioning silicone and surfactants dissolved in water.

The invention of 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner required scientists to overcome the challenge of having the antagonistic components of shampoo and conditioner in the same bottle Shampoo consists of surfactants that work on removing dirt from the hair by reducing the surface tension between water and greasy material found in hair. The foamy lather that forms prevents the dirt from re-depositing.

When the surfactants dissolved in water, the complex containing silicone started to precipitate and the silicone could condition the hair.

25

waterproof

NOTE:

“Green” nail polish (with less harsh chemicals) has entered the market.

Disadvantage: They tend to chip off more easily.

MASCARA

perfume

the

MAKEUP of your CREATED BY MATHURA THIYAGARAJAH

The scents are meant to last and evolve over time and do so through their three scent layers.

-

Layer 1: TOP NOTE consists of chemicals which evaporate off your body and tend to be more overpowering

Layer 2: HEART NOTES create the characteristic smell of a particular perfume that evaporates slowly

Layer 3: BASE NOTES scents that last much longer than either of the previous notes

DON’T

Rubbing in your perfume vigorously will generate heat, causing the perfume to evaporate prematurely.

foundation Why does skin tone-matching

foundation come in different shades?

Regular foundation has all of its pigments blended together to make a paste.

“Magical” foundations have their hydrophillic components blended into a hydrophobic carrier to produce emultsion.

When applied to the skin, the hydrophillic pigments disperses evenly - so evenly that it looks as if it colour-matched your skin tone.

When friends avoid your hairspray like the plague, it’s not that surprising. The powerful polymers are found in white glue and acrylic paint.

Hairspray can make hair brittle, produce build up on styling tools tools, and set a room aflame.

contains waxes and oil bases that are hydrophobic, making the mascara insoluble in water remover: oil-based liquids

HAIRSPRAY

By Mathura Thiyagarajah

Neuroaesthetics:

Why we like art and why it’s a controversy Tianyi Yan Creative Editor

I wanted to do an infographic. I wanted to do a simple, elegant display of factual, hard evidence.

So of course it’s just my luck that when I was haphazardly doing a Google search for why people find art pleasing, I was thrown head first into a controversy regarding a subject I didn’t know anything about.

The subject is neuroaesthetics; it’s a relatively new field of study specializing in the neurological and evolutionary aspect of why people find different works of art aesthetically pleasing (to be clear, neuroaesthetics isn’t purely related to paintings, but there are also studies being done involving dance and music). The controversy is between curious minds that would love to find out how and why art appeals to us and critics that are trying to save creativity from being slammed into a mere list of things to check off before the perfect masterpiece is created. Both sides are, naturally, perfectly reasonable.

The curious: I frequently find myself thinking that scientists are the personification of curiosity (and there’s a joke about Schrödinger’s cat in here somewhere). After all, it is through curiosity and rigorous scientific testing that we know many of today’s universally accepted facts. As such, it was an inevitability that art would eventually be thrown into the fray.

The critics:

There are a number of problems that people have regarding neuroaesthetics.

Philip Ball’s article in Nature, “Neuroaesthetics is killing your soul”, sums up most of them quite succinctly. It’s a short and interesting read for anyone that has the time.

One of the main issues is that people don’t believe it possible to find universal

The 1999 paper by V.S. Ramachandran and William Hirstein titled, “The Science of Art – A Neurological Theory of Aesthetic Experience”, starts with musings that aliens would find art to be the most confusing aspect of human nature.

They continue on to question the biological purpose and speculate about the effects of culture, and all in all put themselves into the shoes of a “Martian ethiologist” with all the questions that a good number of people who actually concepts that determine what people find beautiful. It’s a good point and is frequently demonstrated by the people around us; it’s why we don’t all like the same people, the same clothes, the same art, or even the same music.

To say that there is some kind of underlying commonality in everyone’s taste has the potential to marginalize our individuality. Not only that, but suggesting a universal standard runs risks of developing “right and wrong” labels. Someone might be told that they’re wrong for liking a particular piece of art purely because it doesn’t

inhabit this Earth must have.

There seem to be an increasing amount of articles floating around that talk about how our brains react when we’re in love, when we’re taking drugs, and when we’re feeling certain emotions -- so why not look into how our brains react when we’re experiencing different art forms? What really happens when we’re looking at a particularly good painting? What lights up in our brains? Does it have anything to do with neurotransmitters, with hormones? follow the universal standard, or some artist might be praised that their artwork purely based on the universal standard - regardless of whether or not people actually enjoy it.

Another issue is that many people consider art to be about more than just beauty; Ball states that, “equating an appreciation of art with an appreciation of beauty is misleading”. The popularity of some of Marcel Duchamp’s (think urinals and the Mona Lisa with a mustache) work supports this statement.

ART & BEAUTY

27

Neuroaesthetics in its Infancy

Ramachandran and Hirstein’s paper proposes “‘eight laws of artistic experience’ — a set of heuristics that artists either consciously or unconsciously deploy to optimally titillate the visual areas of the brain”. The eight laws that they list are: isolation, grouping, contrast, perceptual problem solving, the generic viewpoint, visual metaphors, symmetry, and the peak shift principle.

Isolation refers to how isolating a single area can allow more attention to be drawn there; it’s why sketches can sometimees be more effective than full colour photos.

Grouping has to do with perceptual grouping — the ability to distiguish a figure from its background; it’s what lets you see figures in high contrast visual illusions.

Contrast comes before grouping, and involves the discarding of redundant information in order to draw attention.

Perceptual problem solving is related to grouping and contrast, and is the idea that finding an object after a struggle is more satisfactory than seeing it instantly.

The generic viewpoint principle comes into play whenever we see one object in front of another; logically, our brains know that it is improbable that the second object has a piece missing from it (because what are the chances that the one perspective I see happens one that hides a missing chunk?) and instead interprets it as occlusion.

Visual metaphors are like regular metaphors, and is described as a mental tunnel between two concepts that appear to be different but are actually similar.

Symmetry, much like its name implies, refers to how people seem to find symmetrical things attractive and more attention-grabbing.

The peak shift principle deals with animal discrimination learning; an example is that if a rat is rewarded for being able to discriminate between a rectangle and a square, it will start having stronger responses to rectangles that are longer and skinnier.

It’s speculative, but Ramachandran and Hirstein suggest that it can provide insight into the “effectiveness of outline drawings and sketches, the savant syndrome in autists, and the sudden emergenge of artistic talent in fronto-temporal dementia.”

Semir Zeki is another big name in

neuroaesthetics. He proposed the laws of the visual brain -- constancy and abstraction. Constancy is the ability to discard changing conditions (like how light constantly hits objects from different angles and how an object never stays the same distance from you all the time), leaving only the essential qualities required to recognize an object to be expressed as an art form. Abstraction is the ability to view one object as part of a larger, more general group (like how an apple is a fruit). Zeki proposes them in hopes that they will provide help in understanding the neurological basis of creativity.

There have been a number of links between different parts of the brain and aesthetics, but the explanation for why they have increased activity is largely speculation. A few of the more notable ones are: the correlation between high activity in the orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) and how beautiful one finds a painting; the correlation between emotional parts of the brain and viewing art, although this has a lot to do with the emotions that people get from experiencing art; and that different styles of art affect different parts of the brain.

In summary, it’s certainly true that neuroaesthetics is far from a developed field. There’s also quite a lot of varying opinions when it comes to the reception of research happening in its name. However, everyone has to make their own decisions as to how they feel about neuroaesthetics. The critics do bring up good points, but it’s doubtful that they would be able to discourage people from the pursuit of knowledge. Also, while neuroaesthetics might result in new rules for creating art and make things somewhat more difficult for artists, it seems like there are always artists that don’t seem to be afraid of breaking a few rules.

R 28

MIND & BODY

eframing stress

By Rigya Arya It’s impossible not to be stressed out at times.

However, it is possible to appreciate stress and harness it for productivity without it becoming a mental burden.

Stress is the body’s physiological response to stressors – anything that causes tension or pressure. The body’s sympathetic nervous system triggers the stress response, causing release of cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.

In a Ted Talks in June 2013, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal said: “View your stress as helpful. Your pounding heart is preparing you for action. If you’re breathing faster, it’s no problem – it’s getting more oxygen to your brain.” Stress is a natural process activated to help respond to challenges.

Science corroborates that moderate doses of stress may be healthy. A study conducted in 2013 at the University of California showed that adult rats faced with a stressor had increased growth of neural stem cells in their hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory and learning.

Furthermore, when the way stress is thought about is changed, the body changes the way it

By Rajiv Lakhani responds. In a typical stress response, blood vessels constrict. However, when stress is cognitively reframed in a positive manner, blood vessels do not constrict. This decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with stress - and is similar to the physiologi-

cal response seen in moments of happiness!

For many students, living with stress has become a way of life. It is necessary to learn how to effectively manage this stress. After all, there’s no need to add stress about stress as an additional stressor!

P

By DZ

MIND & BODY — LIFE & CULTURE

oop your pants THE SCIENCE OF EXTREME SPORTS

suicide attempts, our hearts start pumping just by observing the act. After going through dozens of Youtube playlists, I have gathered enough information to conceive a prudently thought out philosophical question: What the hell?

I mean, there is not a one in a trillion chance that I would ever attempt to do some of these things, yet many people do them on the daily. Unless you have testicles/ovaries the size of Jupiter’s moons, I cannot explain how anyone could take on such a feat… but science can.

Humans have a peripheral nervous system that is split into two parts: the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). These systems respectively “calm” and “excite” the body in response to environmental stimuli.

Extreme sports are a tremendous trigger to the fight or flight response that stimulates our sympathetic nervous system. When our body sees that we are “in danger”, the hormone adrenaline is secreted in large amounts, and in turn dilate our pupils, speeds up our breathing, and increases our heart rate.

Look at this homie. There seems to be absolutely no evident purpose of what the point

29 of climbing 25 meters of super-steep ice is, so why does he do it? Turns out adrenaline is closely related with the release of “happy” chemicals called endorphins as well as neurotransmitters like dopamine. This means the huge adrenaline rush that an ice climber would get is also a huge “happy” rush.

However, just like any drug, adrenaline encourages the body’s resistance to arousal, and will require higher and higher levels of stimulation to get the same rush that was initially present.

With repeated trials, extreme sport practitioners not only adapt to the adrenaline, but the risk that comes with it as well. To outsiders, a cave diver or white water kayaker might seem crazy, but they have been accustomed to the point where they know exactly what they are capable of. Thus, in order to get more adrenaline, these athletes must take on more risk and continuously step out of their comfort zone.

Different people have different levels of craving and satisfaction, and for most of us, we get enough adrenaline from running to class late on a Friday morning. However, once in a while, if you feel frisky, the thought of something more extreme might pop into your mind. I’m sure every one of you has been asked, “Would you ever go skydiving (or bungee jumping, or cliff diving, or… you get the point)?” Given the opportunity, will you take the challenge, or poop your pants?

Or both?

Now before you poop your pants, let me poop mine first.

We’ve all heard of cliff diving, skydiving, bungee jumping, and other “extreme sports” that have been talked about so much that they have almost become mundane. Even so, when we watch GoPro videos of people doing these ostensibly

Book Review: Divergent Trilogy

By Andrew Poon

“I have a message for the Divergent.

I am Divergent.

This is not a negotiation.

No, it is not.

It is a warning.

I understand.”

What does it mean to be divergent? Perhaps as we all wrap up our school year and enter summer, we are thinking of things to do and places to visit – how to be different from who we were when we were at Western. For me, I can’t wait to be in the comfort of home, and to enjoy the outdoor sunshine.

Everyone thinks of divergence in their own way. Maybe you first heard of it in calculus (and you either loved it or hated it) or in evolutionary biology, but if you remember even one time where you tried to be different from someone else, you have been divergent in your own way.

Divergent is a trilogy packed with heart-pounding energy. The first book of the same name is presented as a dystopian science fiction novel. It has been compared to other books such as The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, but that’s not what’s important. As Veronica Roth’s debut novel, this book has been receiving some serious hype since it first published in 2011, and

I’m starting to see why.

Divergent has its own story, with powerful themes and motifs. A girl originally named Beatrice Prior transitions from childhood to maturity, learning about the nature of herself and the people around her. It may be similar to other dystopian titles in the sense of social structure in a dystopian society or of a headstrong female heroine, but this book is centered on choices and what it means to be “divergent”.

Imagine all the choices you make every single day, from the moment you wake up to the moment you crawl into your bed. Likewise, Beatrice (later renamed Tris), makes a lot of choices in Divergent, and it’s not because she wants to be like everyone else. In a dystopian society, the best way out is to be just like everyone else, but Tris was an anomaly; she was fearless. Through a journey of action-provoking troubles, Tris has chosen to become divergent. “One choice can transform you” – this is the tagline of the first installation.

The novel steadily builds on into its second book, Insurgent. If you look up the definition of insurgent, Webster will tell you “revolutionary”, or “revolt”. Every choice has consequences, and Tris has only begun to see them. When unrest surges in places around her, Tris starts making choices which have become even more irrevocable. In

a Hunger Games-esque style, this is sort of like protecting the ones you love but also trying to embrace your identity. Our choices matter because oftentimes we cannot unmake them, and this is why the author may have written that “One choice can destroy you”.

The last installation in the trilogy is called Allegiant. You may be wondering why, because book two was just called Insurgent. This is going from steadfast in revolt to steadfast in devotion.

Choices make people change, but people don’t really change - they just become ‘more of who they really are’. In Allegiant, you may discover that everything you’ve read before may be changed, and love or hate the ending, it is explosive. One book can change everything, just like how “One choice can define you.”

Whether you choose to pick up this trilogy or not, you are participating in a movement. This movement is characterized by choices and all the steps you will be taking in your lifetime. When you leave for the summer, you will be making many choices. No matter who you are: divergent, insurgent or allegiant, make sure to enjoy your summer!

“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”

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Questions for your new

PRESIDENT

VP STUDENT EVENTS

Sujen Saravanabavan

Dilani Logan

Science Students’ Council

1. Given the current position you have

on the SSC exec team, you are obviously provided with a certain mandate. So, do you have any specific goals you are hoping to accomplish over the next year?

If so, what are they and how would you accomplish them?

2. What do you love the most about the faculty of science?

3. If you happened to be exposed to

gamma radiation, and were to be given one superpower as a result, what would you like it to be and why?

Questions for your new

1. My vision for the SSC is to articulate the voices of all science students, whether they are aware of the happenings of the SSC or not. But on top of that, we need to work on engagement, creating a better voice for the SSC, and making sure that we represent our constituents properly.

2. I believe that this faculty cultures great students, and that’s why you see such great students in representative roles, whether it’s on the SSC or the Science Soph Team.

3. Something I would like to do is to control the four elements! I think that dream probably comes from me watching Avatar: The Last Airbender; I love that show a lot! But it would cool; think about it, you can control everything around you with your mind!

1. For next year, I really want to hold event that provide opportunities for people across differe departments to get to know each other. One way I hope to do that is by holding a kind of science wee for students across different modules in the faculty 2. No matter where you are, there’s always such a good sense of support within the communi Students completely understand what each other a going through, and that makes you really apprecia tive of them.

3. I would love to read people minds! I’m always curious, and would love to know things about people that I didn’t know before! It may soun creepy at first, but I think that would give me an opportunity to know what type of person they are, and what I mean to them as a friend.

HEAD SOPH

Science Head Soph Team

1. Given the leadership role you are in,

do you have any specific goals you would like the Science Soph team, or yourself, to accomplish (Oweek specific goals, charity funds, etc)? If so, how would you accomplish them?

2. What do you love the most about the faculty of science?

3. If you happened to be exposed to

gamma radiation, and were to be given one superpower as a result, what would you like it to be and why?

For the full interviews, go to our blog:

thecurrentssc.wordpress.com

Kolade Odetoyinbo 1. Well, being a Soph for the past two years, I’ve noticed that recently we’ve made a huge step towards making sure that our team was, first and foremost, about the frosh. So I’m taking that kind of template, and making that the goal for this year’s team. [...]

University is all about finding something you like and exploring, and offering students that opportunity is something we’re really trying to work on. In terms of Sophs, we’re really looking for feedback.

2. Man really, what’s not to like? For me, I guess it’s just the whole variety of what there is to do at Western! [...]The best part about studying science at the university is that there’s an opportunity to diverge a little a bit, and find little pieces that you can put together and make your own unique experience.

3. I always kind of wanted to be invisi…. oh wait no I take that back! I think flying would be pretty sweet, that way I could have a different perspective of things while I’m up in the sky.

Ahm

1. So my position on the Sci Programming Assistant. So last year of course would like to win it again. team, we’re really trying to get rid of just disappear after O-week. We are Soph evaluation this year, and deter working up to par and benefitting th 2. When you compare the F that of other Universities, you really nity. At Western, you can always fin questions and help you with your as differentiates it from other schools.

3. One super power I always time! As university students, I feel th It’s always good to have the extra tim community, and of course to go the

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VP FINANCE

VP COMMUNICATIONS

VP ACADEMIC

Divy Kochar

Melanie Chin

Basmah EL-Aloul

1. I want to talk more about financial literacy, where I want all of the SSC to know what it means when I spend money. I want them to know what I’m doing, when I’m doing it, and how it affects them.

2. I really, really love research! I’m doing a thesis next year, and I’m so excited that I get to work with different types of viruses. I actually gave a presentation last week to the Sophs about what I’m doing on the SSC, and I kind of went on a tangent about how much I love viruses (laughs).

3. Traditionally, I would say the power to read minds! But if you think about it, It would get really, really annoying. I mean, it would be just people constantly yelling at me from all directions!

So a power that would be ideal for me would be an unfeasible power, like the power to control time.

1. The Communications Portfolio for the SSC is about facilitating the brand image, in a way that science students can relate to and associate themselves with. I would like to make sure that science students know what the SSC is, what we do for them, and how we can help them.

2. One of my favorite things specifically is that the faculty pushes for undergraduate research. I love how students have the opportunity to do their own research project at an intensive research university.

3. I would really like to be able to teleport places, mostly because I’m incredibly impatient and hate sitting on planes and stuff. But I kind of feel like gamma radiation probably wouldn’t give you something you want; I think I’d probably end up growing a tail or something.

1. The aim of that position is to branch out and provide more mental health resources to students. I acknowledge the fact that as students, we aren’t professionals and don’t have the required skills to give therapy sessions. But, on the same token, I want students to know that we are there to support them and are providing these resources for them.

2. I came from a very small high school, so coming here to Western was really intimidating.

But over the years, I’ve kind of grown to love the fact that it is so big, and I’m always meeting new students and professors.

3. Okay, so I don’t really know if this is a super power or not, but I would definitely want to have the ability to be in more than one place at once.

med El-Boraie

ience Soph Team is the Charity r, we won the Charity Cup, and I . [...] In terms of the actual Soph f the misconception that Sophs going to figure out a form of rmine whether the Sophs are he first years.

Faculty of Science at Western to y can get the sense of commund someone to answer your ssignments, and that really

s wish I had was the control of hat we don’t have enough time. me to study, to do more for the gym one more time!

Yasmin Samiee 1. There are a bunch of goals within the Head Soph Team, as well as within the Soph team that we are really working hard to accomplish For example, for charity, we are again planning on winning the Charity Cup, and have already begun planning initiatives like Textbooks For Change. We’ve also started doing a bottle drive, which has already been very successful so far.

2. I love that as a student in science, you have the option of taking such wide range of courses! For example, I’m pursuing a double major in Biology and Medical Sciences, so I’m not only studying smaller scale things like cells, but big scale, ecosystem-shaping topics as well.

3. Definitely time control! I’ve actually thought about this before; there are so many instances where I’ve found I don’t have enough time to do what I want. I hope to freeze time for a long enough period where I can finish all the things I want to do!

David De-Santis 1. What I’d like to specifically tackle for o-week and beyond is to ensure that science students are properly exposed to all the different departments and modules available for them. [...] It’s not uncommon that students come into university with sights set on medical school — that was me once upon a time, too. But what’s important for them to realize is that medicine isn’t the be-all-andend-all of a science degree (like it’s commonly made out to be).

2. The best thing about the faculty of science in my opinion is the fact that your route from first to fourth year is very non-linear, in a sort of “choose your own adventure way”. Exposure to all fields of science your lower years allow you to determine for yourself what subjects really hit home with you. That way, by the end of your undergrad you’ll have “sampled” everything and be studying exactly what you love.

3. Telekinesis. That way I could make coffee before I even get out of bed. No other reason.

MODELS

Emma Bleumke Kolade Odetoyinbo PHOTOGRAPHER

Maryam Golafshani CHALK ARTIST

Bethia To