Catalyst Issue 3

volume 2issue 2

Chemistry of Romance[ 14]pg.

The Perm [ 16]pg.

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Welcome, readers, to the third issue of Catalyst!

FROM THE EDITOR

“April showers bring May flowers,” and from red roses to blue violets there’s no deny-ing that spring is a season of romance. Thus, we’ve decided to feature an article ex-ploring the lover’s mind and the chemical processes that underlie romantic feelings. Romance, of course, is undeniably tied with extreme concern with one’s appearance, and so our other cover article details the science behind the hair perm. These and many more subjects await in the pages that follow.

Be captivated. Be inspired.

As always, you are welcome to explore and read our magazine online at www.cata-lystmag.org. There you will find our news updates, past issues, blogs, and informa-tion on any scientific writing competitions we will host. Photo credits and works cited pages are also posted there. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or inquiries, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected].

Finally, on behalf of the entire Catalyst team, I would like to thank all our wonder-ful sponsors and readers who have made this issue possible. Special thanks go to the Canyon Crest Academy Associated Student Body, CCA Yearbook, and Summa Education for sponsoring this issue. Through your faithful support, we are able to continue expanding our audience and spreading our love of science.Thank you all and we hope you enjoy this issue!

Respectfully yours, Alice WuEditor-in-Chief / Founder of Catalyst Science Magazinewww.catalystmag.org

STAFF LISTEDITORS-IN-CHIEF / FOUNDERS Claudia See Alice Wu

MANAGING EDITORS Emily He Vivian Zhang

DIRECTORS OF BUSINESS Nachi Baru Glenn Borok

DIRECTORS OF EDITORIAL RESEARCH Eudoria Lee Amy Lyden

VISUAL ARTISTS Jody Chen (Graphics) Christina Ding (Photography) Daniel Metz (Photography) Jeffery Wang (Photography)

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Jeffrey Gao Wenyi Lau Jeffrey Lee Lucy Oh Michael Tong

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STAFF CONTRIBUTORS Nachi Baru Mrudula Bhuvangari Glenn Borok Ashley Chen Eric Chen Elijah Granet Stephanie Guo Andrew Huang Anita Kulkarni Jeffrey Lee Amy Lyden Noah Toyonaga Alice Wu

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[ ]TABLE OF CONTENTS

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[ ]TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE IMPACT OF ENERGY DRINKS

Modern day teens have no time to spare. Day and night, week after week, they wrestle with so many academics and extracurriculars that they end up drained and spent. Naturally, teens then look for energy

bursts to get through each day. One especially popular option is the ubiquitous energy drink, which has the double effect of instantly quenching thirst and sup-plying energy. Unfortunately, as more teens start to consume these much-touted beverages, they forget the possible side effects of drinking them. Ironically, these “thirst-quenching” drinks can actually dehydrate the body. Dr. Batmanghelidj, who conducted a comprehensive study on water and its importance to one’s health, states that energy drinks actually cause many cells to lose water, harming the body in various ways.

To understand how energy drinks dehydrate the body, one must examine them at the cellular level. According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, beverages such as tea, coffee, sodas, and energy drinks cannot be substituted for water. Most people think that as long as they are consuming a liquid, they will be able to quench their thirst. While this seems accurate (after all, haven’t we all experienced the satisfaction of chugging a cold can of soda?), anatomically it is far from the truth. For example, when a person drinks soda, he or she may feel satisfied, but the soda is actually dehydrating his or her body. Though soda and other caffeinated drinks contain water, the water molecules are bonded to other compounds in the drinks. When a person downs one of these liquids, the water remains bonded to other substances and therefore is not channeled into cells as pure water would be. These combined molecules are then completely drained out of the body, sometimes taking some of the body’s water with them. However, such drinks seem to satisfy a person’s thirst despite having actually decreased the water content of the body. The same process occurs with energy drinks. The biggest culprit is the so called vitamin “water”, which leads consumers to believe they are swallowing a hydrating and nourishing drink.

Furthermore, the effects of dehydration can be devastating. When extremely dehydrated, the body’s systems may fail and cease functioning. The human body has a “drought management system”, according to Dr.Batmanghelidj, in which it sacrifices vital but secondary organs in order to keep the primary organs functioning. Thus, some speculate that energy drinks cause diabetes because they may dehydrate the body enough that the water needed to sustain pancreas cells is diverted to primary organs such as the kidneys. Many other disorders, ranging from obesity to brain damage, can occur with prolonged dehydration, which can again be caused by energy drinks.

As more and more energy drinks which promise to quench thirst, give instant en-ergy, and provide an array of benefits hit the shelves, remember that such drinks are actually dehydrating your body. You are putting yourself at risk for many dangerous and potentially fatal conditions. So next time you feel thirsty, drop that Gatorade or Vitamin Water bottle and grab a glass of water instead.

Written by Mrudula Bhuvanagiri

ENERGY DRINKS

CATALYST APRIL 20126

A SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVEWritten by Ashley Chen

At some point, we’ve all been told, “Drink your milk! It will make you grow taller and build stronger bones!” Adults, especially, seem to favor such phrases when speaking to their children, and it seems nearly as universal for their children to

loathe plain, white milk. Perhaps you’ve come across those children who refuse to drink anything but chocolate milk and have even extended an endearing smile in its direction. Or maybe you smiled and then reflected on the apparent ignorance of the children’s par-ents, since it is common knowledge that the high sugar content of chocolate milk makes it far from healthy. However, new scientific research proves otherwise. It turns out, those kids and parents may be onto something. Drinking chocolate milk may, in fact, offer a plethora of benefits to people of all ages. Ever feel tempted to grab a Gatorade after a brutal workout? Resist the urge and chug a refreshing glass of chocolate milk instead. Recent studies show that chocolate milk makes the perfect recovery drink. Many well-known athletes - Michael Phelps for ex-ample - have been spotted enjoying a glass of this healthier, cheaper, and legal alterna-tive to steroids. Despite all the hype about the sugar and fat content of chocolate milk, it actually contains plenty of water, enough to replenish the water lost when you sweat. Chocolate milk also contains plenty of carbohydrates and proteins, which makes it supe-rior to normal water as a recovery drink by re-energizing exhausted muscles after hours of continuous muscle contraction. Carbohydrates are stored by body tissue as glycogen, which forms glucose, the body’s main fuel source, through hydrolysis. Proteins serve as one of the largest components of muscle, second only to water, and play a major part in recovery after muscle exertion. During exercise, especially endurance sports which include long-distance running and cycling, your body’s supply of glycogens is used up, leaving the body limp and worn out. Drinking chocolate milk within one hour after the workout can aid glycogen replace-ment, refueling the body for more tasks. Chocolate milk has proved ideal for this task since its ratio of carbohydrates to proteins is perfectly balanced to help the body recover quickly and easily. In this way, it can actually trump many conventional sports drinks in terms of recovery aid by acting as a catalyst for the natural recovery process occurring in organisms. The Vitamin D and calcium for which milk is so famously advocated by mothers and fathers alike also strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Drinking this milk can help athletes increase their bone density and can, by extension, decrease their risk of bone-related injuries, another benefit that other sports drinks lack. Now, many doctors and nutritionists recommend drinking chocolate milk in place of sports energy drinks. Finally, chocolate milk’s incredible, creamy, and rich taste sets it apart from more conventional (or more “professional”) sports drinks. Perhaps it’s the natural origins of its contents in comparison to the chemical constituents of many sports drinks, or the friendly feeling of familiarity we get from drinking it that makes chocolate milk a unique drink. Either way, one thing’s for sure: chocolate milk is one of the best sports drink alternatives in existence. So the next time you see an athlete trying to choke down a powdery electrolyte concoction, just grin at his or her grimace with a choco-stache.

CHOCOLATE MILK

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The freakish fruits that Science spawns—The pros we know, but not the consWhat laws of nature might we breachBy blending apricot and peach?Or still more fearsome, contemplateAn apple grafted to a dateIt makes one sit with mouth agapeTo ponder kiwi mixed with grapeAnd furthermore, the silly namesThey use as mutant freak fruit frames:How is the mind supposed to grappleWith “blawberry” or “boysenapple”?And finally all fruit will meldInto a beast that can’t be felledLet’s stop before it gets too lateAnd we’re what ends up on the plate“P

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Written by Andrew Huang

HybridFruitSAFE & TASTY COMBINATIONS


Grapples? Pineberry? Limequot?” asks one prospective shopper. “Those sound like advertising gimmicks off a gum package,” says another.

Hybrid fruits actually aren’t as peculiar as you might think. Chances are you have eaten hundreds of them without knowing it— mandarin oranges, grapefruits, and many more are actually products of cross-breeding fruits of different species within the same genus.

Cross-breeding is achieved by manually transferring the pollen of one flower to the stigma of another flower of a different species, just as a bee might accidentally pollinate a flower. When fruiting occurs, the seeds are carefully separated from the rest of the fruit, grown in a special seedling tray, and then transferred to seedling pots. The results of these plants are hybrid fruits: sweeter, fuller, and more nutritious.

But not everyone is a hybridist. Some liken hybridization to genetically modified organisms(GMOs). One detractor, Alex Balk, went so far as to compose a rhyme aptly named: “Please Don’t Make The Fruits Do Sex To Each Other.”

In the same article, Balk equates the mix-ing of fruits to miscegenation— mixing of races. He seems to believe that we need to go through another 200 years of segregation before we see little apricot boys and apricot girls join hands with little plum boys and plum girls as sisters and broth-ers. Presumably he based his opinion off the 1895 case Plessy v. Fruitguson.

While it’s understandable that some people are distraught by the notion of “franken-fruit”, it’s important to remember that the methods and biology of cross-breeding are vastly different from those of GMOs. Because hybrid fruits are not usually found in nature, the chances of viable offspring in cross-breeding are very

low, somewhere in the ballpark of one in a thousand. Hybrid fruit grow-ers simply increase their chances by manually pollinating large numbers of flowers.

In contrast, GMO fruits are made by inserting genes for desirable traits to make more desirable fruits. (The dangers of GMO fruits, in fact, are overhyped. Genetically modified fruit is more resilient, more attractive, better tasting, and even more nutritious. No one is trying to poison the masses. Eat that, hipsters. Literally.)

The bottom line is, your local grocery store’s hybrid fruits are more safe than many make them out to be. Add in the fact that they have extra fla-vor and names that sound like they were made up by a five-year old and how could you possibly resist?

“

Ebola

In terms of sheer deadliness, few diseases can top the Ebola Virus Disease. It has no known cure and can kill as many as 90% of its victims, usually after subjecting them to weeks of nausea, diarrhea,

seizures, and hemorrhaging. Thankfully, in reality, the disease has a relatively low death toll (only 1200 victims since the first outbreak in 1976), but its contagiousness and potential for mass devastation makes it a major point of concern for international health organizations.

Although little is known about the origin of the disease (as of now, only bats from the rainforests of Africa are suspected), scientists have a relatively good understanding of how the virus works in the body. Like all viruses, Ebola injects its own genetic material into regular cells in the body, hijacking the normal process of protein production. What is especially devastating about Ebola is that the host cells it attacks are usually those found inside blood vessels, more specifi-cally, white blood cells called neutrophils that are crucial to the body’s immune system. Since neutrophils are chiefly responsible for regulat-ing the immune response in many of the body’s key organs, they often serve as unwitting transport mechanisms for the Ebola virus.

Once inside areas like the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes, the virus then proceeds to degrade a vital connective tissue called collagen, severely damaging the organs. The situation is compounded by the develop-ment of clots in the damaged blood vessels, which restrict the flow of blood to affected organs. This often leads to bleeding from areas like the eyes or mouth, and, as the situation worsens, death from blood loss or internal bleeding.

Now, however, biologists have discovered what they believe could be the mechanism that helps Ebola invade the cell, in the form of a protein

called NPC1 found on the surface of human cells. Scientists have been able to correlate absence of the protein on a cell to ineffectiveness of an Ebola infection; cells with partially damaged NPC1 proteins underwent only a mild viral attack, while those cells with no protein at all were unscathed. The explanation seems to center around the protein’s presence in the endosome, a membrane bound compartment located inside a cell, separated from the cytoplasm. All viruses must enter the endosome of a host cell before they can reach the nucleus and begin the process of infection, and it seems that, in the case of Ebola at least, NPC1 proteins are aiding the viruses in making the crucial transition from endosome to nucleus.

While molecular biologists have speculated about such a connec-tion for years, a recent paper in Nature magazine by researchers from Harvard Medical School, the Whitehead Institute, and Albert Einstein College has brought renewed attention to the matter and raised hopes that a cure to Ebola might not be too far off. Of course, simply getting rid of the NPC1 protein in all potential victims is unrealistic; even if it were possible, the protein plays a key role in transporting cholesterol into the cytoplasm of cells, a vital process that, if not carried out, can result in Niemann-Pick disease, another potentially fatal affliction.

More practical is finding a way to introduce certain molecules into endosomes that will temporarily halt or at least partly slow the actions of the proteins, and as a result lessen the severity of the Ebola infection. Such research will, of course, need time before results develop, but for millions who live in fear of falling prey to Ebola, many in the poorest parts of the world, any news that the disease could be halted is very welcome indeed.

Written by Nachi Baru

A DEADLY VIRUS

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&DogsDNA

UNRAVELLING GENETIC DISEASE

How investigating the canine genome is giving us a greater

understanding of our ownWritten by Alice Wu

Crowded together on a green-carpeted floor, a dozen golden-haired beauties stand at attention as the judges pass between their rows, hands on chins, contemplating each contestant.

They strut across the ring, every head held high, every step firm and sure.

Is this a beauty pageant, you ask? Yes, but only for the canine order.

It is Westminster, the most renowned and prestigious competi-tion of the dog world, in which the best representatives of the 172 AKC–recognized breeds come together to compete for the coveted title of Best in Show. What we are witnessing today is the result of centuries of careful selective breeding (and sometimes inbreeding) to create the clone-like creatures here today. Each breed has its own set of strict standards for both disposition and appearance, and each breed is unique, though some, at first glance, seem so similar it is hard to understand why they are not combined into a single breed. On the other hand, others seem so different it seems impossible that all these creatures are from the same species. And still others come with senseless and ridiculous ornaments, like the mop-like coat of the Puli or the comically long ears of the Basset Hound.

So what caused such variations in an otherwise plain species? After all, village mongrels are usually smooth-coated, medium sized, brown-colored beasts that feast on scraps from the local garbage heap. Feral dogs are much the same, and the dog’s ancestor, the wolf, is mostly uniform in size and coloring as well. How did do-mesticated dogs go from such uniformity to the wild variations of today?

The answer lies in human need.

Selective breeding of dogs may have begun as early as ancient Egypt, when the Saluki, generally accepted to be the oldest dog breed, was selectively bred for pharaohs. Prized for its elegant looks and superior ability as a sighthound, the Saluki became a favorite of the royal family, and consequently people labored to keep the breed’s advantageous and admirable traits in the line. The result was the long-legged, feather-eared creature we have today, one that looks nearly nothing like its wolf ancestors.

Of course, much of this is speculation. The Saluki was created so long ago that it is nearly impossible for anyone to be totally sure of

its exact origins or purpose. For all we know, the breed may have been a complete accident at first, but the idea that it was consciously bred later is supported by the many nearly identical dogs found mummified beside pharaohs in their tombs. From the number of such mummies found, it is clear that the similarities were not mere coincidences, and the Egyptians were obviously breeding for a purpose.

That kind of selective breeding has progressed tremendously today. The rings of Westminster show this clearly with its wild variations of the species. But this variation masks yet another underlying as-pect of dogs, one that makes them much more applicable to humans and to science: their genes.

Despite all the crazy differences between dog breeds, they are all the same species. Researchers assumed that the surface diversity between dog breeds was caused by a similar level of diversity in the dogs’ genetics. Imagine their surprise when they sequenced the genes of several breeds of dog only to find that just a few genes are responsible for massive disparities in fur type, body size, leg length, and more.

Take the dachshund for example. Bearing the German words “bad-ger dog” as its name, this breed has stubby legs, a rounded body, and a sturdy tail that were all meant to allow it to chase badgers into their burrows, and then be retrieved easily by hunters who could extract the dogs by their tails. The breed’s flexible skin is another defense mechanism, allowing it to endure sharp bites without sig-nificant harm. Thus the Germans created a dog ideally suited to the task of badger-hunting. Of course, as they were picking and choos-ing the specific dogs to breed into the new dog, they probably gave no thought to the fact that they were manipulating the genes of a species, tweaking them into a tradition that would last for centuries afterward.

However, scientists today are more wise, and more technologically advanced. They sequenced the DNA of over 100 different breeds to determine exactly what made them so different, and what they found astonished them. Instead of the wide variety of genetic codes they expected to find, the researchers discovered that dogs’ genes were largely similar, with just a few differences determining huge discrepancies. Stunned, they quickly developed a new hypothesis: centuries of selective breeding had targeted specific genes that

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brought about enormous changes even when altered only slightly. For example, the erect ears of a German Shepherd and the floppy ones of a Labrador come from a switch on the gene CFA10 on the tenth chromosome, while the Shar-Pei’s wrinkled skin comes from the HAS2 gene. Raised hackles in some breeds originate from the gene CFA18.

This discovery prompted further investigation. Various renowned universities, including UCLA, Cornell, and the National Institute of Health, created a project called CanMap, which involved sam-pling DNA from 80 breeds of domestic dogs and wild canines. Upon comparing them, they found that just around four dozen gene switches determine great physical differences. Stubby versus lanky legs, large and powerful versus small and frail bodies, bark-ing versus yodelling vocalizations... all of these differences come from just a few genetic switches, leaving the rest of the genome unchanged. As a result, dogs still share over 99% of their DNA despite all the variation in their physical appearances.

This, of course, is far from the norm. Usually species’ traits are inherited through ages of evolution, allowing each trait to be con-trolled by a number of genes. In humans, polygenic traits include height, hair color, and eye color, and some traits may depend on some 200 different gene sequences. However, human interactions with dogs have diverted canine traits from their route along the evolutionary path, removing them from the process of natural selection and giving them a wide variety of traits to suit human need and preference. At the same time, this selection altered their genetic code, targeting changes in those genes that were able to control many gene regions, and thus whole traits, at once.

As soon as scientists discovered this, they immediately began connecting their findings back to the human world. The relevance lies in the shared use of DNA between our species and the exis-tence of genetic disorders such as cancer, epilepsy, and blindness.

The lack of variation in the canine genome allows researchers to find valid starting points for their research into these diseases. For example, by comparing the genes of the blindness-prone col-lie to that of the healthy-eyed but hemophilia-prone Weimaraner, we can observe the differences between genes and conclude that one or a combination of these genes causes such disorders. The human counterparts of these genes therefore are likely causing similar disorders in humans.

Another mystery that dog genomes are helping us unravel is the inheritance of behavior. After all, the impulse to dig and tunnel is so strong in dachshunds that puppies barely a month old will try to dig and tunnel through the fabrics and paper of their whelping boxes. The Border collie begins to chase other animals, trying to direct and herd them in the proper direction, and the Tibetan mastiff becomes very protective of its home and owners. These dogs were bred to tunnel, herd, and guard, respectively, and this behavior has evidently been passed down. However, scientists have yet to understand just how such behaviors are encoded into DNA, with just one exception: OCD. The cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder has been traced to the form of a single gene common to Doberman pinschers and humans, both of which can exhibit the disorder. However, other behaviors still continue to baffle scientists in regard to their heritability.

All in all, dogs are now helping humans with more than just their hunting and herding duties. Their genetics are revealing the basis of many human genetic disorders, which could later lead to feasible treatments for said disorders. This is man’s best friend at its most refined, when the word “dog” brings memories not just of joyous bike races and long, lazy games of fetch but also of intensive days of investigation, inference, and conclusion. And when the exhausted scientists finally return home, they might take advantage of their own pooch’s best-known trait, embodied in a snuggle.


“Centuries of selective breeding

targeted specific genes that caused

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Volatile Love

What better way to begin research into love than following voles into their underground burrows? Scientists may have been uncom-fortable with the risks inherent in analyzing the formation of emo-tional bonds in humans, and needed a less dramatic model. Thus, they began studies into love by delving into the world of prairie voles. These rodents form a lasting, lifelong bond with their mates, nesting, grooming, and defending each other. They are one of the few organisms in nature that display monogamy. In fact, even their close cousin the montane vole abandons partners immediately after mating. Despite their vastly similar genomes, these species possess largely incongruent behaviors. What causes the difference?

During mating in both monogamous and polygamous species, ani-mals’ brains release dopamine—a neurotransmitter promoting a feel-ing of enjoyment or pleasure. However, following mating, the brain’s chemistry changes quickly, and the difference between monogamous and polygamous species can be seen clearly. In monogamous species, females experience a rapid increase in oxytocin while males excrete vasopressin, but no such change is seen in polygamous species. To test the effects of these chemicals on the brain, scientists suppressed oxy-tocin and vasopressin release in prairie voles, then placed the couples together. The scientists observed a dramatic change in the animals’ behavior, namely that they exhibited no further interest in each other following mating. Thus they concluded that these chemicals caused increased interest as well as attachment in one’s mate following sexual intercourse.

Love and the Brain

It was nice learning about prairie vole love, but scientists needed to relate their findings to humans. By examining human anatomy, scien-

tists found that, like prairie voles, humans also have oxytocin and vasopressin sites in the brain, which become

active during a relationship. Other studies have identified parts of the brain that are activated when people fall madly in love. One pair of sci-entists, Bartel and Zeki, tested dating students

in the University College at London, looking for differences in brain activity. After taking numerous

scans of the couples, the two scientists were surprised to find that, compared to people with simple friendship rela-

tions, only a small part of the brain was more active in loving rela-tionships. As they eloquently stated, “It is fascinating to reflect that the face that launched a thousand ships should have done so through such a limited expanse of cortex.”

Another intriguing discovery was that love does not stimulate areas responsible for emotions and other sentiments. Instead, it stimulates the same areas activated by cocaine, which are responsible for the feeling of euphoria experienced from various drugs. However, this connection means that we can in fact become addicted to love, as we can become addicted to cocaine. This also explains the symptoms of “withdrawal” following a breakup or when a loved one is away. Simi-lar to drugs or alcohol, love makes the brain feel a desperate need for the other person, causing an intoxicated state of excitement when with him or her.

It has long been a favorite of artists, poets, and novelists alike. It nearly single-handedly runs the music and film industries, and is the focus of holidays, advice columns, reality shows, and more. Yet despite all this atten-tion, love remains one of the most elusive human feelings, often defying explanation and definition. But now

science has allowed us to create a new and extremely romantic definition for love: it is “a poorly understood neu-rochemical... probably primarily processed in the brain’s limbic system which was genetically evolved to make us value, join with and assist the survival and healthful well-being of those loved usually via interactional relationships.”

Chemistry R mance.R mance.ChemistryOF

Written by Eric Chen

OXYTOCIN

THE


Three Stages

During a relationship, love can be separated into three stages, each associated with distinct and separate feelings that are aroused in an individual.

The first stage is appropriately named “lust.” This is the “checking out” stage, which compels one looks for a suitable mate in a total stranger. It is usually driven by feelings of lust, hence the stage’s name. Lust means an intense sexual desire or appetite. This stage is largely driven by the hormones of testosterone and estrogen.

The next stage is called “attraction.” This is the classic period of love, the time characterized by love struck couples spending all their time fantasizing about each other. In this stage the subject of one’s love is defined and the lover suffers obsessive and euphoric thoughts about him or her. This stage is run by the hormones adrenaline, dopa-mine, and serotonin.

During this stage, the stress response is often activated when lov-ers see or sometimes even think about each other, leading to the re-lease of adrenaline and cortisol. These cause the actions of sweating, heart racing, and mouth drying up. Dopamine, a major player in the pleasure system, activates the desire and reward centers during in-teractions with one’s significant other. It also allows couples to enter a more energized and focused state so that they can devote more attention to cultivating their relationship, leaving less need for sleep or food. At the same time, serotonin secretion decreases in couples, causing constant thoughts about one’s partner. Scientists such as Dr. Donatella Marazziti have shown that this stage of love has symptoms similar to those of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), largely due to the low levels of serotonin in both afflictions.

The third stage is known as “attachment,” and is the bond between couples that keeps them together to raise offspring. This stage is characterized by feelings of security, comfort, and emotional unity with one’s partner. This stage is controlled by oxytocin and vasopres-sin, which create a strong bond between spouses.

These three stages are independent in the brain, and thus can be felt at the same time, or even for more than one person, though this is obviously not ideal. This means that a person can feel attachment for one person, romantically for another, and sexual interest for yet an-other. This ability is the foundation for cheating despite the stability of one relationship. Strangely enough, this trait actually conferred an evolutionary advantage, as it can lead to more children, and thus a bigger slice of the genetic pie.

Falling in Love

Having already pinpointed the specific causes and behaviors of love, scientists wished to find out what was the cause of love. What do we find attractive? Why is it that some people “turn off ” potential part-ners while others cause feelings of irresistible passion?

In history, philosophers have speculated that each human had a per-fect soul mate destined at birth. Though this idea has yet to be proven false, the lack of scientific support means there is no reason to believe in it.

In regards to selection of specific mates, genes, of course, play a sig-nificant role, but education, culture, and societal standing also have huge consequences. Research suggests that as humans gain experi-ence in love, they develop a system to relate traits in a person to suit-ability as a mate, and thus emotional reward. This development takes time, and is affected by a large random component. This is why many people seem to consistently date similar partners.

After forming this love ‘map’, psychologists found it takes only be-tween one and four minutes to judge if someone is attractive. The research suggests that the mind judges 55% through body language, 38% through manner of speech and tone of voice, and only 7% through actual content of speech.

One psychologist proposed a way to make people to fall in love. He paired up total strangers and had them share intimate details about their lives for half an hour, then had them stare into each other’s eyes for four minutes without talking. His results showed that many of the participants developed a strong feeling of love for one another after the test, and two of the subjects even married. Another way to promote falling in love is to inflict pure terror on a person. It has been shown that fear can be mistaken for love, so thrilling endeavors can be a good choice for a first date.

All these findings may seem to take away from the mystique of love. After all, science is debunking the mysteries of the natural world, de-ciphering the intricate things that make life unsure and worthwhile. With the discovery of the heliocentric universe, many feared the loss of faith in God. These findings bring the same uncertainty to the loss of one’s soul and humanity, degrading us into simple biological machines. But we are also understanding ourselves better, learning how to enhance our relationships. Besides, science cannot take away the passion of love. Being with that certain someone will still be the greatest magic in the world.

Chemistry R mance.DOPAMINE

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The PermC

examining the science of styleFhemical ashion:

In a

Written by Noah Toyonaga

Among other processes, hair stylists commonly use the permanent curl, or perm, to imitate a natural curl to the hair that doesn’t have to be redone daily (hence the name). This is particularly interesting since the straightness of a person’s hair is completely genetic, defined by the shape of the hair follicle, and is therefore permanent from birth.

To decipher the enigma of the perm (why we can beat that pre-defined follicle shape), one must first understand the basic structure of a strand of hair. Under a microscope, we can see that hair has three essential layers: an effectively empty middle core called the

medulla, a stiff framework known as the cortex, and a thin imper-meable covering called the cuticle. One might imagine a strand of hair as an elongated zeppelin, which has a thin skin pulled taut over a steel structure and a fairly empty interior. The steel frame of the zeppelin is equivalent to the stiff proteins of the hair cortex.

The steel beams in an airship are reinforced all throughout by cables so the ship retains its shape. In the hair, these links are also present as different types of bonds, notably the cystine bond. This means that two separate “beams” in the hair are connected by a pair of linked sulfur atoms.

T he human obsession with hair is extraordinary, to say the least. It is doubtful that any other species spends as much time obsessing over how to organize a mass of dead cells as we do. Americans spend mil-lions every year paying other people to manhandle their head-topping mess. In order to sate the customers’ insatiable desire to have that perfect Johnny Depp-imitation trim (you know, just like in that last photo on the cover of that magazine, but a little shorter in the front please… and oh that would be cool if it was kind of curly, you know?), hair stylists are forced, maybe unknowingly, to utilize some not-so-basic chemistry.


The purpose of the perm is to modify the hair cortex frame so it becomes permanently curly. To modify the internal structure the first challenge is bypassing the cuticle, which although relatively thin, is specifically designed to keep meddling hairdressers and their chemicals out. The solution to this problem was solved in 1905 by a German hairdresser, Charles Nessler. Using cow urine, water, and sodium hydroxide, Nessler was able to complete the first chemical perm. Previous attempts involved heating the hair with metal tongs, often burning off the hair of the hapless customer. While his first attempts did take six hours to complete, his basic chemistry of using a weak base and acidic salt is still present in the simplified modern-day perm.

After Nessler, the most important figure in hair-chemistry is J. Bari-Woollss, who scientifically tested the effects of heat, pH, winding, and tension on hair. His systematic method led to a more consistent curl from all hairdressers. He also introduced the critical final step of the modern perm, the reduction, which gives a perm its perma-nence.

If one were to walk into a salon and demand a perm today (on this I will profess to have no authority as I have no experience in demand-ing perms) the first thing the hairdresser is likely to do is apply a slightly slippery and soapy solution to the hair. This is the modern day equivalent of Charles Nessler’s cow urine and sodium hydroxide mixture. Known as perm salt (or by nerdy fashionistas as ammo-nium thioglycolate), it is formed from the weak base ammonia and weakly acidic salt thioglycolate. AP Chemistry students will easily recognize this equation, HSCH2COO− + NH4

+ → HSCH2COOH + NH3, as the equilibrium between the aforementioned salt and base

and their conjugates. For those that don’t, don’t worry.

The ammonia (NH3) in this solution swells the hair cuticle, allowing the thioglycolate to pass into the cortex of the hair. Here, the thio-glycolate cuts the cysteine (remember these?) bonds of the cortex proteins. Now that the connections have been clipped, the structure is no longer rigid; the zeppelin is now just a saggy bag of air. The malleable cortex is now vulnerable to manipulation, which the hair-dresser takes advantage of by putting the hair onto molds depending on the style of curl desired.

At this point the hair structure has been so completely disassembled that if it were removed from the curler without further modification it would soon return to a slack state. In order to avoid this, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is applied. This reforms cysteine bonds, recon-structing the stiff structure of the cortex in its new shape. However, perms do damage and weaken hair since no application of hydrogen peroxide will be able to reconnect all of the broken links. After a quick rinse to remove excess chemicals, one can be free to exit the salon with perfect curls -and none the wiser about the chemical mayhem that just occurred over their scalp- all in less time than it takes to read this magazine.

Evidently, the permanent curl, over 100 years in development, is a complex solution to a trifling consumer demand. But it is also a beautiful one. Perhaps you never intended to waste a quarter of an hour learning about hair perms, but don’t consider it wasted! The intersection of the mundane and the intellectual is always captivat-ing, and in this case, chic.

Anatomy of a Hair Follicle

Outer root sheath

Inner root sheath

Henle’s layer

Medulla

Cortex

Hair cuticleCavity of dermal papilla

{ Huxley’s layer

Cuticle of inner root sheath

17

The World’s Only Natural Nuclear Reactor

1. PHOTOSYNTHESIZING ALGAEtakes in carbon dioxide and adds dissolved

oxygen to the water to make it acidic.

2. URANIUM-CONTAINING BEDROCKcontains uranium-235 that is carried and

dissolved by the acidic river water.

Many would argue that one of the most remark-able feats of humankind is the creation of power plants that can harness nuclear power through

nuclear fission reactions. Though still impressive, in the 1970’s scientists found that this feat is challenged by the discovery of Oklo, a naturally occurring nuclear fission re-actor site believed to have operated two billion years ago.

Discovered in 1972 by French miners in the present-day West African country of Gabon, Oklo’s bizarre proper-ties were hinted at through discrepancies in uranium-235 concentrations present in the area. Today, the urani-um-235 concentration for any given area on Earth is about 0.7200%; in Oklo, the concentration was found to be as low as 0.440%, a very significant difference. This, along with the presence of other spots with above average ura-nium-235 concentrations and waste products such as neo-dymium isotopes, gave compelling evidence that Oklo was the site of a natural fission reactor.

Though many doubted that something like Oklo could exist, the logical details as to how Oklo might have func-tioned were eventually deduced. Two billion years ago the conditions on Earth made Oklo possible with a higher concentration of volatile uranium-235 present, which

Written by Anita Kulkarni

begins after a neutron strikes uranium-238. This produces products which are identical to its reactants.

In this case, uranium-235.

3.BREEDER REACTION

G A B O NOklo site

235U

235U235U 235U

235U

235U

CO2CO2

O2

O2

O2 235U


OKLO

made it easier for nuclear chain reactions to occur. Additionally, the right combination of water flowing through the bedrock and algae undergoing photosynthesis made the Oklo phenomenon pos-sible. Through photosynthesis, the algae added dissolved oxygen to the river water, making the water relatively acidic. This acidic river water was able to dissolve and carry uranium with it from the bedrock, including the isotope uranium-235. Underground algae then filtered the water and allowed the uranium to accumulate in one spot to achieve a critical mass, or the amount of concentrated radioactive volatile material necessary for any kind of fission chain reaction to occur and create a natural nuclear reactor.

As uranium decayed ,it ejected subatomic particles called neutrons. The flowing water slowed down the ejected neutrons and allowed them to be captured by neighboring uranium nuclei, inducing their fission. The combination of these two factors produced an effective fission reactor, which in turn gave off energy in the form of heat. The heat boiled off the water, stopping the chain reaction. When the uranium cooled down, more liquid water would flow back in and start the process over again. This 150 minute cycle occurred for thousands of years, depleting thousands of pounds of uranium in the process.

Another type of nuclear reaction is believed to have been occur-ring at Oklo: the breeder reaction, a cyclic nuclear decay process where the end products are the same as the reactants, involving uranium-238 atoms that absorbed neutrons from the uranium-235 atoms undergoing fission. Because uranium-238 is naturally more abundant than uranium-235, some uranium-238 atoms were able to absorb uranium-235 neutrons and become uranium-239 at-oms. These atoms would then undergo beta decay twice to become plutonium-239. Since Oklo was operating for so long, the pluto-nium-239 had enough time to undergo alpha decay to change back into uranium-235, starting the cycle over again. This process is what scientists think accounts for some spots at Oklo having more uranium-235 than average.

Other than being an extraordinary natural phenomenon, Oklo

may uproot some of science’s long-upheld notions. The possibility that the described breeder reaction might have happened provides evidence that uranium may not be the heaviest naturally-occur-ring element on the periodic table, for there would have been a measureable amount of plutonium produced at Oklo even two bil-lion years ago.

An even more profound implication of Oklo’s discovery is the pos-sibility that the fundamental, dimensionless fine structure con-stant alpha may not actually be constant. Alpha is a constant used in physics to describe the strength of electrons’ attraction to their positive nuclei in atoms. Any changes to alpha’s assumed value, about 1/137, can affect the calculated strength of some nuclear processes. In 1976, scientist Alexander Shlyakhter declared that alpha must have grown since Oklo’s time because even though the amount of neodymium isotopes produced from uranium fission were as expected, an insufficient amount of samarium isotopes had formed at Oklo when compared to the amounts resulting from uranium fission today. This caught many scientists’ attention and ignited research into finding out whether “constants” such as al-pha are always constant. Much data has been collected to test the hypothesis that alpha can change over time, including some data from quasars. As for the Oklo data, with extensive scrutiny, re-searchers have interpreted the data to show that alpha changed by no more than 2/108 over the past two billion years, an essentially negligible amount. Nevertheless, without Oklo, the credibility of constants may not have even been researched in the first place.

Oklo, the only natural fission reactor known to exist on Earth, is located in modern-day Gabon and operated about two billion years ago. It used the higher uranium-235 concentrations of the time, water, algae, and uranium-238 to induce a fission chain reac-tion in the uranium-235 and create a breeder reaction. This re-markable combination of ingredients created a wealth of evidence and data to challenge what scientists have believed about the inner workings of the natural world. Oklo will continue to surprise sci-entists in the future; it may reveal even more previously unknown secrets of the universe.

...2 BILLIONYEARS AGO

3. NUCLEAR REACTOR

stores the accumulated uranium-235. Here, uranium-235

reaches its critical mass, the amount of a radioactive material need for a fission chain reaction to start.

238U239U

239Np 239Pu

235U

235U

235U

Other Decay Products



19

it’s a . . .

It’s a bird;

it’s a plane;

Wind Turbine!Flying

Written by Amy Lyden


Don’t look now, but you could be spotting something very unusual in the skies in the near future. As the push for al-ternative energy grows stronger, researchers are developing

improved technologies to exploit an untapped source of major en-ergy; high altitude winds, which some predict could generate enough electricity to fill the world’s electricity needs 100 times over. With such technologies costing approximately 2 cents to generate a kilo-watt-hour (compared to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for land-based wind turbines, and 7 cents for coal), high altitude winds are not only an abundant energy source, but an extremely practical one.

Functional flying wind turbines have been developed for some time, but scientists are trying to address concerns about sustainability for long periods of time and through rough weather. As one gets higher and higher from the Earth’s surface, the faster and more powerful the wind; jet stream winds, located 4 to 10 miles above sea level, can reach speeds of over 100 mph. Though many engineers would love to capture energy from these winds, the Federal Aviation Administra-tion is limiting the numbers of aircraft that can be flown at an altitude above 200 feet.

Although scientists are planning to lobby for more generous quotas in the near future, most researchers are primarily concerned with producing more reliable wind turbines that can handle the extreme demands of high altitude winds. Still, despite the hurdles, the effi-ciency of the technology is clear for all to see; not only can airborne turbines gather energy 2.5 times more efficiently than land based ones, but the wind currents are much more consistent in the sky than on the ground.

That means these air turbines can counter the claims of inconsistency that many skeptics of wind energy often bring up. In addition, the energy captured can be increased by flying the turbines against the wind, a feat impossible for a stationary turbine. Another benefit of flying turbines is the efficiency that goes into their construction – not only are airborne turbines smaller and require less materials to be constructed, but there is no need for extensive drilling to implant them, as is the case for land-based turbines.

JoeBen Bevirt of Northern California is considered a pioneer in this field. Founder of his own company, Joby Energy, he and his small team of innovative engineers are seeking to present technologies that will offer realistic alternatives to fossil fuels, of which high-altitude turbines are an important part. Their latest and most successful de-sign is a single wing, with equal numbers of turbines placed on both

the left and right. This balance allows the lift provided by the winds to act on the turbine and keep it suspended, without spinning it out of control. The wing is launched on its side, so the turbines act like helicopter blades. In the air, it rotates 90 degrees so the turbines face directly into the wind. The wing flies in a circle, maximizing the amount of wind it cuts through and allowing it to capture the same amount of energy as a land turbine despite possessing shorter blades.

Other companies are choosing to approach the same situation with different solutions. Both Sky’s WindPower and Alteraoes Energy have designed stationary wind turbines that hover or float in the sky. Alteraoes’s turbine sits inside a huge 60 feet helium blimp that acts as a wind funnel, directing the wind toward the turbine. The balloon-like technology, called aerostats, has long been used by the govern-ment to hold heavy-equipment in the air, and thus is very stable.

Mantani Power of Almeda, California is tackling the problems of control by developing a model similar to a kite. The kite has four elec-trically powered rotors that launch it into the air and turn off once the device has reached the appropriate height. Any energy collected from the wind is transferred down a long tether, and like Bevirt’s de-sign, it circles in the air to maximize air flow. The device is controlled by an internal computer that can instruct the turbine to land when it senses the winds have reached too low a velocity to be of any use.

One of the main issues with flying wind turbines is control, and find-ing a happy medium in terms of size is a problem for engineers. If the device is too small, it will be harder to stabilize and keep track of it, especially in rough weather. However, if the device is too big, it poses bigger dangers if it falls from the sky or collides with an airplane, concerns which could convince the FAA to restrict the launch of air-borne turbines. Repeated tests to prove the stability of a flying tur-bine design, improved materials for durability, and careful selections of locations to avoid planes and residential areas are all crucial to the advancement of airborne turbines as a legitimate energy source.

With governments and people the world over growing more and more concerned with the negative effects of fossil fuels on our envi-ronment, wind energy is perfectly poised to present itself as a legiti-mate alternative, especially if airborne turbines spread. Flying wind turbines solve the issues of expense, inefficiency, and unattractive-ness posed by land-based turbines, and, thought the technology is relatively new, many researchers are working hard to make it a part of the nation’s energy future. Keep your eyes peeled…it might not be long before you see a turbine or two shooting across the sky!

21

Ever since Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for man-kind, space travel has claimed a place of honor in the human psyche; enamoring millions with the dream

of travelling to space. Once accessible only to well-trained astronauts from organizations such as NASA, space travel might soon be available to the masses, as a number of com-panies look to launch private services to take people into the cosmos.

This year, Virgin Galactic will offer space flights lasting five minutes for a minimal fee of $200,000, with an initial depos-it of $20,000. According to the New York Times, many cus-tomers—475 to be exact—are lining up for this opportunity despite the astronomical fees involved. Such massive sums of money being thrown around in the heart of the recession might seem frivolous, but for some wealthy individuals, the chance to experience zero gravity amongst the stars is an offer too tempting to resist.

These space fanatics won’t orbit the earth; they will sim-ply be transported 50,000 feet into space and experience weightlessness for five minutes. After unbuckling their seat-belts, floating around the cabin and snapping pictures, the passengers will strap back in and return to Earth. The trip

will be preceded by a three day “boot camp” in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where passengers will socialize and undergo training to prepare for their brief space voyage.

Virgin is not the only company offering private space travel; XCOR Aerospace also plans to give over 100 people the op-portunity to fly into space with only the company of a pi-lot. Space Adventures Ltd. will allow their clients to go up in pairs without a pilot. These other companies, while still highly costly, offer their services for a fair amount less than Virgin Galactic; XCOR sells its seats for $95,000 while Space Adventure Ltd. charges $110,000.

Some patrons put down their deposits to Virgin Galactic over a decade ago and have been disappointed by the ex-tended wait as the company has worked to perfect their safety technology. Despite the delays, however, the excite-ment of a chance to travel to the final frontier keeps deposits coming, and keeps those who deposited years ago waiting patiently for their turn to come. It is certainly a long pro-cess, one that tries the patience and lightens the wallet, but for those who have the chance to go where precious few have gone before, it’s an opportunity that simply cannot be passed up.

SpaceTRAVEL Written by Glenn Borok


KeplerA Search for the Second Earth

On December 5th, 2011, NASA released findings of a major dis-covery- the first planet confirmed to exist in a habitable zone, possibly with liquid water. The discovery represents over 25

years of work by Roger Hunter and his team developing equipment and studying foreign solar sys-tems. The planet, Kepler-22b, is roughly 2.4 times the size of Earth, orbiting around a star ev-ery 289 days. Douglas Hudgins, a scientist on the Kepler team, describes it as a major milestone in the search for Earth’s twin.

The Kepler Project takes its name from the Austrian astron-omer Johaness Kepler, founder of the field of celestial mechan-ics. Officially launched in March 2009, the project set out to find habitable “exoplanets” in other solar systems, especially those similar in size and dis-tance from their stars to Earth.

In 1971, scientists began de-veloping a method to identify and analyze exoplanets. This method, known as transit tim-ing variation (TTV) identifies foreign planets as they pass before the stars they orbit. In 1992, the search for exoplanets was first proposed under the name FRESIP (Frequency of Earth-Sized Inner Planets). However, the lack of precise technology halted the project until 1997 when a photometer (device that can detect light waves from far away stars) was built. Despite this, funding proposals were rejected until 2001, when NASA selected the project for Discovery Mission 10, thanks to the promise of the photometer and TTV.

So how does TTV work? As a planet passes in front of a star, it will briefly block the star’s light in a systematic fashion as it orbits. Varia-tions in amount and frequency of blocked light allow scientists to tell the

planet’s size, orbit length, and distance from its star. Using a 0.95-meter telescope, the Kepler satellite identifies rays in light of only .01%, a level of precision only obtainable from space.

The project focuses on three ma-jor characteristics of planets: in-tervals between changes, length of transitions, and change in brightness. Using Kepler’s laws, physicists can estimate certain factors, including planetary size, orbit length, temperature, and mass. The photometer detects these with a moderate aperture telescope through a technique called differential ensemble photometry to achieve stability. Differential ensemble photom-etry computes such factors by averaging the brightness of the star with that of nearby stars and comparing star brightnesses be-fore and after the transit.

In the center of the “Goldilocks Zone”- where the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold to allow liquid water formation-

Kepler-22b maintains a temperate of 72oF. However, it may not be an ideal Earth replacement since it still needs an atmosphere, liquid water, and a solid surface. Travel time is also an issue: Kepler-22b is over 600 light years (22 million years) away, making travel impossible for the time being.

To date, the Kepler project has discovered 2,326 exoplanets in over 150,000 stars. Of these, 35 have been confirmed as planets, and only Kepler-22b exists in the “Goldilocks Zone”, though others, namely Ke-pler-20e and Kepler-20f, are almost exactly the same size as Earth. As the search continues, the possibility of finding another Earth, and with it the possibly foreign life, increases.

ProjectThe

Written by Jeffrey Lee

23

in th

e

Written by Stephanie Guo

CANARYMINE

The Project

Today, breeding burrowing owls remain in only five areas of San Diego. In the 1980’s, urban sprawl took over much of the open areas of the county and 60% of California’s

burrowing owls disappeared. In San Diego, the situation is far worse: since 1980, the burrowing owl population has dropped by 85%. Although San Diego instituted the Multiple Species Con-servation Program (MSCP) in the late 1990’s, MSCP has proved largely ineffective, as construction still kills numerous owls by sealing them into their burrows. Worse, burrowing owls can be reluctant to move into new, artificial burrows. They prefer aban-doned ground squirrel and other large rodent tunnels. Despite the name, burrowing owls don’t dig their own homes.

But it can be difficult – and expensive - for a construction com-pany to determine whether viable burrows are in the vicinity of its project. At any rate, MSCP only requires construction compa-nies to make sure owls aren’t in the ground when they start work, which means owls can still be permanently sealed out of their homes. Either way, construction leaves burrowing owls without shelter, and they don’t survive for very long.

Environmentalists describe the burrowing owl as a canary in the mine, an indicator species for the health of its Southern Cali-fornia ecosystem, so its slipping numbers may hint at ecological imbalance. In April 2003, the Defenders of Wildlife and other owl conservation organizations petitioned the California state government to list the owl under the state’s endangered species act. Unfortunately, the petition was unsuccessful, and the Athene Cunicularia’s numbers in San Diego County and California have continued to dwindle… until now.

Last year, CCA organization STOP (Save the Burrowing Owls Project) was given the opportunity to participate in the San

Diego Zoo’s latest project: an initiative to create new homes for local burrowing owls.

The idea was simple enough: use ground squirrels as eco-engi-neers. Said Colleen Lenihan, PhD., leader of the initiative: “The re-establishment of California ground squirrels is a critical com-ponent of any long-term recovery plan for burrowing owls and the larger ecosystem because squirrels provide vital resources. Sites with ground squirrel colonies have a greater diversity of reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds.” Additionally, as burrow-ing owls refuse to populate artificial burrows, why not relocate ground squirrels to reserves and have the rodents build homes for them?

Despite the simplicity of the plan, its execution was infuriat-ingly complex. The plan required the safe and ethical capture of ground squirrels from nearby ranches, but in order to make the squirrels comfortable enough to build burrows, the team had to create a convincing ground squirrel habitat, too. Thankfully, the reserves were already suited to burrowing owls, which were introduced later.

Beginning last April, every Sunday morning, STOPers drove down to a burrowing owl preserve, which were usually on U.S. Fishing and Game property, where they took part in the first phase of the initiative, which involved only ground squir-rels. Since then, STOPers have assisted Zoo staff in introducing rescued burrowing owls to their new habitats and increased community awareness through public presentations. Step by step, STOPers are contributing to the saving of this vital spe-cies. Someday, they hope that this canary in the mine will sing a different, more vibrant song, indicating that the ecosystem is thriving again.

What You Can DoAlthough things are definitely looking up for the Athene Cunicularia, there is still much to be done. Here’s how you can help:

1. Visit www.sdburrowingowls.webs.com/ for more information about the burrowing owl. 2. Pay a visit to the San Diego Zoo, and keep an eye out for the burrowing owl exhibit. 3. Talk about the Athene Cunicularia. You’d be surprised by how fast things travel by word-of-mouth. Additionally, awareness spreads quickly on the person-to-person level. 4. Keep your pets indoors, or outdoors on a leash, as burrowing owls may be living in your community... you never know. 5. Read Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. 6. Write a letter to the California government.7. Write letters to major San Diego construction firms and educate them on the fate of burrowing owl. 8. Make a documentary about the burrowing owl. They are regal creatures, and may go extinct during our lifetime if we sit here idly. 9. Buy a “Save the Owls Pronto” wristband from STOP for $3. 10. Sign STOP’s petition. 11.Take part in one of STOP’s educational burrowing owl workshops. 12. Join STOP in our efforts to conserve the burrowing owl through both fieldwork and community awareness.

25

Where are you reading Catalyst? Maybe in an ancient leather armchair, maybe in a Swedish

desk chair, or maybe in a plastic school chair. In a couple of years though, you might be reading Catalyst in a chair designed by a team known as “The Back-straight Boys”, consisting of CCA students Michael Walsh, Ethan Epstein, BrandonLoye and Sean Colford

Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment to conform to the human body. In practice, you may hear ergonomics used to refer items such as ergonomic beds, balls, and especially chairs. Ethan Epstein had long been familiar with man’s quest to have proper back posture, as his mother, a massage therapist, has seen many patients with Repetitive Strain Injuries, or RSI. RSI, manifested in neck and back injuries, is usually caused by poor posture when using a computer.

The problem with posture is that you can-not know if you are sitting incorrectly until it is too late. That’s why the team of the Backstraight boys, then in middle school, decided to develop a seat pad that could give active feedback to the sitters to let them know if their posture had deterio-

rated. “We wanted to develop a seat pad that would give you feedback when you are sitting incorrectly so you could fix your posture.” said Epstein. After working laboriously to develop a prototype, the team entered its design in the Christopher Columbus Awards, a national science competition for 6-8th graders. They ultimately took 1st place, winning a $25,000 dollar grant to improve on their prototype design.

Using the money they had won, the team members developed an improved proto-type and conducted a study on its efficacy. The prestigious scientific journal Work approached the team and asked the Back-straight Boys to write an article on their innovation. The article passed peer review and will be published “sometime in the next couple of years”, according to Ethan’s mother and Backstraight Boys coach Rhonda Epstein. “After that,” says Epstein, “our success kept building.” The team was eventually invited to give a presentation at the convention of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) in Las Ve-gas, entitled “Back Straight Boys: Middle School Students’ Initiative for Healthy Computing.”

The Backstraight BoysWritten by Elijah Granet


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Catalyst Issue 3

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Transcript of Catalyst Issue 3