Your Senses - What Life is Like Without Sight

 An interesting perspective about life in our cities from an architect who lost his sight after surgery.
This talk highlights the interconnectedness of our senses.  Check out:Life without Sight

Ethics and Integrity in Publication

Last week in COMM79 we discussed how a student in Ireland used Wikipedia to trick journalists who work for internationally respected newspapers. We then considered how the rapid transmission of information puts pressure on media outlets and discussed examples of recent retractions of news stories.

 

Though errors and retractions in daily newspapers happen on a regular basis, you might be surprised to learn that retractions of scientific research articles in peer reviewed journals are also quite common. Retraction Watch is a popular blog created by two American medical reporters who track the retraction of scientific papers. Many of the featured retractions happen to be in the life sciences. Though the content of research publications is supposed to be subject to a high level of quality control, Retraction Watch notes the considerable number of errors, misstatements and instances of plagiarism that still sneak through.

 

This week we considered Chris Spence’s resignation from his position as the Director of the Toronto District School Board after clear evidence of Spence’s widespread plagiarism was brought to light. During class discussion, we speculated as to what ramifications the charges of plagiarism might have for Spence’s PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at U of T. As Kristin Rushowy reports in a recent follow-up article in the Toronto Star, there is significant evidence that Spence plagiarized in his PhD dissertation and charges are currently under investigation by the University of Toronto. Rushowy states that Spence could lose his degree if found guilty.

 Devon

When Science and Art Meet

A fascinating look at how science and art can be combined to excite both the senses and the mind. See some incredible photographs of sound, hydrophobic fluid and combustion!

                           

* But where are his lab coat and safety glasses???

Assisted Suicide - A Controversial Issue

Last year an ALS patient from British Columbia challenged the laws against assisted suicide.  Find out about recent developments surrounding this controversial issue here:  Assisted Suicide Ban

Food For Thought

Question:  Besides being big sports stars, what do LeBron Jame, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams and Sidney Crosby all have in common?

Answer:  They are all featured in product endorsements for foods and drinks of questionable nutritional value.

Are these stars sending mixed messages to our kids?  Check out this link  Junk Food Ads .  It's "food for thought".

Want to Have a Better Memory??

In this TED talk Feats of Memory Anyone Can Do  Science writer Josh Foer describes the secret to astounding feats of memorization and tells the story of how he accidentally won the US memory championship. 

You will be able to relate elements of this talk to your discussions of memory in psychology!

You might find this approach to improving memory useful as you study for upcoming quizzes and tests!

(You can thank Devon)

Is Sasquatch a Human Hybrid???

Have researchers actually proven that Bigfoot exists?
Check out this link  Is Bigfoot Real?  - have your critical thinking skills ready!

How to Fall in Love with Math!!!

"With math you can reach not just for the sky or the stars or the edges of the universe, but for timeless constellations of ideas that lie beyond."  Manil Suri

An editorial on loving math.  In addition to learning math for it's functionality and importance in our course, I hope reading this article inspires you to appreciate and value the beauty of the math we are learning and the math all around you -- not just the Math for Health Sciences.  Enjoy!   Click the link to learn  How to Fall in Love with Math

 Vikki

Are You Really Paying Attention???

As we talk about observation and scientific investigation over the next few weeks it is interesting to consider how the functioning of our brains may influence what we see and perceive.

Check out this talk by the "world's best pickpocket" - It will really grab your attention (or will it?)!!!

A Look at Blood from Many Perspectives

This is a link to a recent Radio Lab podcast that examines our cultural obsession with blood from various angles: medical, cultural, historical and artistic. 

There are segments about the economics  of blood banks, the use of blood for special effects in movies, visual art made with HIV positive blood and the science of injecting young blood into old animals. 

Radiolab defines itself on its website as “a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.” If you like this podcast the site contains many more episodes about contemporary topics in science and culture. - Devon

BRINGING MATTER TO LIFE!!

In your second week of biology, you'll be discussing the characteristics of life.  This may not be as easy to define as we think.  Be sure to check out this TED talk - Making Matter Come Alive! This scientist is attempting to generate life from non-living matter!  Really!!

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to the GHS program at Fleming College. 

In this program you will have the opportunity to participate in an integrated learning environment.  The topics you see will span across your biology, chemistry, math, psychology and professional issues in health science  courses.  You will apply your knowledge in labs and expand your understanding through discussions and projects.

We are excited to begin our semester and are looking forward to working with you in your classes.

The GHS Program Faculty

P.S.  Make sure you check this blog regularly for interesting news stories, helpful apps and websites for extra practice and other GHS news!

This is Water: A Unique Commencement Speech.

Congratulations GHS Graduates!

Take a look at this unique commencement speech.  There are some interesting points to keep in mind as you move into your next programs and careers.

More on Methane...smelly farts and exploding intestines!

You never know what you'll find when you start searching the internet for simple things like videos on methane.  If you need a break from studying, give these posts a read:

I mentioned in a post on methane bubbles in ice that methane is actually odourless.  Even though methane is the gas we often associated with farts (possibly because of studies on how much methane cows release), it must not be the methane that makes farts smelly.  Did you know that some scientists have actually studied the volume and "odour intensity" of farts!  Read this post, especially the description of the study to find out more.  If you just can't believe that a study on farts actually got published, you can read the whole article here. 

Like you saw in lab, methane is combustible.  If methane is in your intestines, does that mean your intestines could explode?!  Well, actually, in certain (very limited) circumstances, it can! Check out the summary on how it happens here.

Studies on farts and exploding intestines...who knew?  The question is, who volunteers to have their farts measured...or (even worse) to judge farts for their smelliness!

Fire and Ice

Check out this video about methane being released as permafrost thaws.  Remember, in lab (and in our homes) scent is added to natural gas so we can detect a leak.  Methane on its own is odourless, so one way to test for it is to see if it ignites!

You'll see a demo in chemistry lab this week using methane bubbles; this video shows the same reaction on a much larger scale!

On a non-chemistry note, this also reminds me of a poem I learned in elementary school, "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost.  I knew that English class would be useful!

Three Parent Embyros - What Do You Think?

Scientists are perfecting methods for creating embryos containing DNA from three parents.  It is thought that these techniques will help to prevent several rare genetic disorders passed on through mitochondrial DNA.

Your mitochondria contain a small number of genes and are inherited from your mother.  It is thought that diseases such as muscular dystrophy and some cancers are inherited through these genes.

Scientists have developed techniques for taking chromosomes from a mother’s egg (which house approximately 99.8% of her DNA) and placing them in a donor egg from which the chromosomes have been removed but which has healthy mitochondrial DNA.

See "Three Parent Embryos" for more information.

Acid and Bases - extra help

You've heard about pH in biology, you've calculated it in math, and you're using it in chemistry...acids and bases are everywhere!

Want some more practice on pH to [H+] conversions? Check out this helpful site.

Testing Your Pee? - There's An App For That!!

A new app will be available on iTunes this month that can test your urine for health problems.  The UChek app was developed by Mumbai’s Myshkin Ingawale and uses your smartphone’s camera to test colour changes in your urine at set points in the day.  No need to fret if you don’t have an iPhone – an Android version is in the works!  Check out the details - UChek Urinalysis

A Life-Changing Project

Take a look at this amazing video about Jane Chen whose class project led her to become the co-founder and CEO of Embrace which designs low-cost and low-tech medical technology.  A class project led to the creation of "infant warmers" that can save lives in areas where high-tech incubators are not available. 

Where will your classes and ideas take you?

Can Artificial Sweeteners Lead to Obesity?

Digestion: we take in food and calories and out body breaks it down into nutrients and energy.  Pretty amazing right? 

So, what happens when we take in "food", but there are no calories?  What are those artificial sweeteners doing anyway?  Our taste receptors think we've eaten something sweet, but there are no calories to go along with it.

Scientists are discovering that consumption of these artificial sweeteners may interfere with hormones that help with the regulation of appetite.  Check out the video and story here.

Do you use diet drinks to help balance the calories you consume in a day?  What do you think of artificial sweeteners?  Is it better to have a bit of sugar than to rely on these other substitutes?

 

This is Your Digestive System...This is Your Digestive System on Junk Food...

Ever wonder what happens to a gummi bear after you eat it???
Take a look at the impact of processed food vs. whole food on the human body with researcher Stefani Bardini from Boston.
Stefani videos the digestion of gummi bears and other processed foods using a swallowed M2A capsule [Mouth to Anus capsule] which wirelessly transmits images from the digestive tract.
You may never eat another gummi bear after watching this!

Valentine's Day Chemistry!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  What better way than to celebrate with a little chemistry?

Hope you enjoyed the refresher lesson on single and double replacement reactions!

Protection for Paramedics?

Many students in the GHS program are interested in becoming paramedics.  When you think of this career, you often think about having the ability to help those in need.  Do you ever think about the challenges you may have with some patients?  Should those who assault paramedics face the same charges they would for assaulting a police officer?

Currently, paramedics in Toronto are pushing for stronger laws to protect them while they are working.  This move has started after one paramedic was assaulted while working and suffered a broken leg!  Read more about this story here.

The Future of Medicine May Be In Your IPod!!

An IPod can now be used to monitor your health!  Cardiology Dr. Eric Topol demonstrates how you may someday soon use this technology to record your own ECG at home and send it to your doctor or monitor your blood glucose levels.  Click here to learn more!!

How to Crush a 55 Gallon Drum

In chemistry lab this week, you saw that atmospheric pressure could crush a pop can.  Did you know that it is even strong enough to crush a 55 gallon drum?

In this video, Steve Spangler uses the same principles we used in class to crush a large drum!  He boils water in the drum and then caps it off (we sealed our pop can by submerging it in water).  After quickly cooling the drum in a kiddie-pool of ice, the water vapour condenses and the crushing begins...check it out:

What would you do if you had a snow day?

This couple made good use of a cold winter break and made a rainbow igloo!  Read the full story and check out the pictures here.

What sort of science concepts were used in the building of this beautiful igloo?  Think about it and feel free to comment below!

Creating a Functioning Heart in the Laboratory???

In Human Biology II lecture this week, the question "Has anyone made a human heart in the laboratory?" was asked.  Well...it appears that scientists may be close!

In 2008, researchers from the University of Minnesota produced a rat heart in the laboratory that actually beats!  The scientists removed all of the heart cells from the heart of a dead rat.  This just left the heart valves and a scaffold of connective tissue.  They then insterted cells from the heart of a newborn rat and within 2 weeks the beating heart developed.

In 2011, this same research team used a similar technique using the connective tissue scaffold of human hearts.  They injected stem cells into the scaffold.  The stem cells recognized the heart scaffld, multiplied and grew around the structure, eventually turning into healthy heart cells.

Want more information?  Watch this interesting documentary on the topic. 

Do YOU know these students?

Students in Susan's Human Biology II course had an exciting day today.  They had their blood typed by Canadian Blood Services, learned about blood transfustions and donations, checked out their veins and poked around at a cow's heart!

These students were featured on the college's Facebook and Twitter accounts:

Grow Your Own Blood Vessels ?!

It turns out the adult stem cells removed during liposuction could be put to good use! 

In a study reported here, adult stem cells were turned into smooth muscle cells that were put onto a thin collagen membrane.  The cells multiplied and were rolled into tubes, and in just 3-4 weeks they had formed into blood vessels that can hopefully be used in heart by-pass surgery!

Studies are Wrong (Study Shows)

Think about all the scientific research that is going on in the world right now.  There is a HUGE amount of research going on covering almost any topic you can think of (and probably some you can't)!  So, who decides what studies we hear about in the news?  Have you ever noticed how often you hear about studies on chocolate, caffeine, or cancer?  Would you be surprised to know that a lot of new findings that are published are later shown to be false?

Take a look at this article that examines a study on studies...and shows that many of the findings we hear about in the news may not be newsworthy at all!

This really highlights the continuous nature of science.  There is no "end" to the scientific method.  Once you've gathered results, analyzed them and drawn concusions, the cycle continues with new ideas and new experiments.

Welcome!

To our second semester students - welcome back!  We hope you enjoyed your break and are ready to continue learning and developing your skills in your second semester.

For new students starting in first semester - welcome to Fleming!  We hope you'll enjoy your time at the college and in the program. 

Make sure you're checking D2L for all of your courses on a regular basis.  You'll find other news and interesting links on this blog.  If you have questions about anything, speak to your teachers.

See you soon!
~ The GHS Teaching Team