Science & Technology – Page 9 of 9

3Feb

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Science & Technology

What’s the deal with…coral bleaching?

The news broke earlier this week that a new coral reef system was discovered at the mouth of the Amazon River last year, appropriately named the Amazon Reef. The 9,500km² ecosystem was a surprise discovery to researchers when it was found off the coasts of French Guiana and Brazil, and an important one. 2016 was also the year that an obituary to the Great Barrier Reef, later revealed to be premature, went viral and spread panic about the state of the world’s coral reef systems. Rest assured, Nemo’s home is still alive and kicking, but is nevertheless under significant threat. Therefore, the locating of other reef systems is somewhat reassuring but coral reefs in general are suffering, mostly at the hands of a phenomenon called coral bleaching. Bleaching enamel or hair to possess pearly ...

25Jan

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Science & Technology

Why do we love the Sims?

When conjuring up the image of a ‘gamer’, what might come to mind is someone void of human interaction, sitting in a dark room wearing a headset shooting imaginary bad guys on a screen. While this may be a familiar portrayal for some of us, there was always another kind of game which held my attention, and that of many others, for hours on end, right from the release of the first version in the early 2000s until now, where I admit the shortcut still sits on my desktop. The Sims. You’ve probably heard of it, and I’ll venture a guess and say you’ve probably played it at least once. The concept is simple - an imagined, virtual world in which you can design virtual people and buildings, and then control every aspect of their virtual lives. However, far from the fantastical worlds of many...

24Jan

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Science & Technology

Love in a test tube?

As the 14th of February approaches once again, the population seems to fall into three categories: those that embrace the sentimentality and romantic significance of the day, those that ignore the occasion completely, or those that wish the nauseating selection of sickly-sweet cards, red rose bouquets and heart-shaped novelties were thrown into an industrial shredder. Most of us will experience falling in love at some point, on average twice in our lifetimes in fact, and may choose to celebrate 'catching the feels' on this annual celebration. Regardless of how you view love, as some magical, mysterious entity or otherwise, the same biological factors are thought to be at work from person to person (sorry). It is widely accepted that there are three main stages to falling in love: lust, ...

What’s the Deal With…three-person babies?

20Jan

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Science & Technology

What’s the Deal With…three-person babies?

Thought your family was complicated? Try having three parents. The news broke this week that a woman in the Ukraine gave birth to a healthy baby girl conceived using the genetic information from three people. This novel IVF technique was recently approved for medical use in the UK, but how can this all be possible and why would we even bother in the first place? The key players in all of this are mitochondria. These organelles are small (on average only 0.002mm in length) but mighty and, to reference the classic line taught at GCSE biology, 'the powerhouses of the cell'. This means they supply energy to nearly all body cells and have a key role in other processes like programmed cell death or 'apoptosis'. Unfortunately, for around 1 in 5000 babies in the UK every year, genetic mutati...

28Dec

By Beth CarrNo Comments

Science & Technology

Stop the Free From fad

Beth Carr on why going 'free from' should be a permanent choice, not a diet fad. Have you ever looked at the 'Free From' aisle at the supermarket? Do you even know where it is, or if your chosen supermarket has one? Wherever you shop, it's likely that this section has become far more noticeable in the last few years, as more and more people seek a 'free from' lifestyle. Whether its gluten, dairy, soya or a combination of the many food types people cut out of their diet, there are now options to cut these out without having to resort to just eating salad for every meal. However, has this change sprung out of a medical need, the fact that more people are being diagnosed as intolerant to these things or from conditions such as Coeliac Disease? Or is it more because people are seeing thi...

‘Pokémon Go’ through the eyes of an ignoramus

15Jul

By Joanne ArcherNo Comments

Science & Technology

‘Pokémon Go’ through the eyes of an ignoramus

Orbital journalist Joanne Archer tries out the Pokémon Go app that has been taking the world by storm. Growing up, I did not want to conform to gender stereotypes. I played with boys and girls toys, had a football kit and wore tutus. Amongst the Beyblades, Bionicles and Action Men, I came into the possession of a deck of Pokémon cards. The game was the latest trade-able trend on the Year 3 playground and particularly sought after by my crush of the moment. Naturally, I had to get in on the action. At the age of eight the only thing I was interested in catching was the school's heart-breaker, not a Jigglypuff. 11 years later and I have a tin of mismatched Pokémon cards, some of which are certainly fakes, and little knowledge of what Pokémon actually is. Sure, I’ve heard the theme tune an...