This Week's Sci-lights

In this week’s Sci-Lights, we find that much of science fiction has become science fact. From monsters dwelling in the depths of the ocean to tractor beams manipulating objects, what’s possible is increasingly limited by only the boundaries of the imagination.

First up, scientists at the University of St. Andrews have developed a system of light beams with the ability to attract microscopic objects through their unique curvature.

Although the team is staying tightlipped on the subject of the beams exact mechanics, the possibilities of such a “tractor beam” are immense. Dr. Tomas Cizmar, a researcher on the project, said, “Eventually this could be used to separate white blood cells, for example.”

For the full article, follow this link to BBC.

Next, a breakthrough in the understanding of the amnesic brain’s interpretation of hunger had shed light on the mental role in craving food. Researchers for PLOS One have discovered that humans and mice with amnesia, the inability to recall recent memories, relate how hungry they feel to the last time they ate. Those who were told they had not eaten were willing to eat again, even though they had actually eaten as recently as 5 minutes earlier. Similarly, those who hadn’t eaten, but were told they had, did not feel the need to eat.

This shows how much control the mind actually has over our natural instincts, such as the drive to fund and eat food. This could shed light on the future of diet research to lead to better management, among other medical and psychological uses.

For the full article, follow this link to Scientific American.

Lastly, 14 year-old science aficionado, Kirill Dudko, recently uncovered footage of an Elephant Seal preying upon a Hagfish at the remarkable depth of 894 meters. Very few mammals other than the Elephant Seal have known to dive to these crushing depths, and this is the first time it has ever been recorded on video.

Kirill discovered the video by viewing livestream footage of the Canadian seafloor cameras, while researching monitoring the tapes overlooked the footage itself.

For more information, you can find the full article and the YouTube video at this link to NEPTUNE Canada.

This Week's Sci-Lights

In response to Southern California’s untypically cold weather as of late, we’d like to present this week’s Sci-Lights under the theme of ice and the many discoveries that await beneath its surface.

First up, GEOMAR researchers recently uncovered what they believe to be a link between volcanic activity and global climate change. Volcanoes, they say, are often associated with increases in global temperature, which leads to the swift melting of ice sheets that we see today. This shifts the weight of the ice on the continents towards the weight of the water that comprises the world’s oceans. By transferring the load from continental tectonic plates to ocean plates, volcanoes lose their vigor and the Earth begins to cool. This is what is known as the temperature cycle. Before now, there as no defined research that was able to hold a candle to criticism, but this one may hold the key to educating the community on the temperature cycle. The effect of humans upon the temperature cycle was intentionally left out, as its full consequences are not yet known. To read more, look to the original article here.

Next, an American team at Antarctic Lake Whillans is racing to complete project WISSARD, or Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling. There, the researchers are hoping to probe for microbial life in a subglacial lake a half mile below the ice. Given they reach the lake, which has been the hardest part for unsuccessful teams like as Great Britain, they will scan the lake to gain a 3D image of its inlets and outlets. It has been surmised that life is indeed capable of living at these depths, where sunlight cannot shine through the ice. For more information, you can find the original NY Times article here.

In another enlightening article by BBC, scientists lamented data showing that the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet may be melting at least twice as fast as previously estimated. Till now, it was believed that the surface of the Antarctic plane was so cold that the temperature would never rise above freezing, where surface melting could occur. It was assumed that all ice melt came from a warming of the ocean, which in turn melted the ice sheets that rested upon it. With this new research, scientists believe that the atmosphere may in fact play a role in the melting of ice in Antarctica, especially in the west. Unfortunately, this would lead to a rise in ocean levels, which would accelerate the temperature cycle previously described by the GEOMAR researchers. To read more on the subject, you can find the original article here. 

NSF REU Search Engine

Photo credit: National Science Foundation

The search for Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU’s) can be a daunting task, but with the help of online posting aggregators, like this one from the National Science Foundation (NSF), you can avoid scouring page after page for work. This particular receptacle is unique because the NSF sponsors many of the REU’s stationed at universities, labs, and institutes around country. Stay diligent, check back often, and you may be able to capture first glimpse of the many prestigious REU’s that make their way through this NSF hub. 

This Week's Sci-Lights

Photo credit Project Wildlife

Restless Genes

Have you ever wondered why curiousity can drive people to do things that are risky?  What is it that makes people explore going beyond what is well understood and comfortable to engage in an unknown experience?

David Dobbs writes of research that seeks to understand the seemingly innate human experience of pushing beyond.  Why would we leave an environment that provides what we need to a place that may not?  Is this genetic?  How does evolution relate?  Is this urge part of our play?

Read the feature on the National Geographic website and think of your own exploring instincts.  What is it that you're curious about?  Perhaps there's an REU or internship where you can indulge yourself.  Embrace your curiousity; see what's out there!  Our links to the NSF REU site or Pathways to Education is a great place to start!