Author: Tanvi Dabas

Discovery of Hepatitis C: Noble Prize in Medicine/Physiology 2020
It’s October, which is also known as the Nobel Prize season amongst scholars. The Nobel prize winner’s announcements began on Monday, October 5^th, 2020, with the Physiology and Medicine category. The announcements began in Sweden, though due to the ongoing pandemic, some events usually organized by the Nobel Prize committee were cancelled.
This year’s Nobel prize winners for the category of Physiology or Medicine were Harvey J. Alter, Michael. Houghton and Charles M. Rice. They were jointly awarded the prize for their discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. They made a significant contribution to fight against the blood-borne disease. The discovery of Hepatitis C virus has definitely helped in unfolding the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis which has made it possible to save millions of lives and improve overall global health.
Harvey J Alter was born in 1953 in New York and graduated from Rochester Medical School. In the year 1961, he became a part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) team as a clinical associate. He joined NIH back in 1969 as a senior investigator in the Clinic Centre’s Department of Transfusion Medicine.
Michael Houghton is a British born doctorate degree holder from King’s College in London. He moved to California in the year 1982 and came to the University of Alberta in the year 2010. He is currently the Director and Research chair in Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute, as well as research chair at Canada Excellence.
Charles M. Rice was born in the year 1952 in Sacramento and got his PhD in the year 1981 from the California Institute of Technology. He founded his own research group at Washington University School of Medicine. He was the Scientific and Executive Director at the Centre for the study of Hepatitis C at Rockefeller University where he is currently active.
Hepatitis is looked at as a global threat to human health as it can cause cirrhosis, liver failure, liver damage, liver cancer or even death in severe cases. Hepatitis is also referred to as liver inflammation which is mainly caused by viral infections, although some other major disease-causing factors include alcohol abuse, autoimmune disease, environmental toxins, some medications etc. There are three most common hepatitis viruses Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Hepatitis B and C are transmitted via blood and bodily fluids and are considered pretty serious as in severe cases/chronic stages the development of cirrhosis and liver cancer can occur. This is because in some cases after a short-term infection, the virus stays in the body and causes a chronic infection. While on the other hand, Hepatitis A is transmitted through polluted food and water and is usually considered a short-term infection, depending on the cause and severity. Although the three types of viruses can show similar symptoms, the way they spread and affect an individual is different.
Bloodborne Hepatitis-C is considered dangerous since a healthy individual could be infected and would not necessarily be aware of its presence for several years until serious effects start showing up. Hepatitis C is also linked to morbidity and mortality at times because it causes more than a million deaths worldwide each year. It can range from mild to acute illness. Acute Hepatitis C usually occurs within 6 months of exposure to the Hepatitis C virus and is usually a short-term illness if not converted into the chronic infection. Chronic Hepatitis C on the contrary can be a life-long infection if it remains undetected, and could lead to serious diseases like cirrhosis, liver damage, liver cancer or death.
Identification was the first step to attain the goal. Michael Houghton isolated the genetic sequence of the virus and collected a collection of DNA fragments from nucleic acids found in the blood of an infected chimpanzee. Most of the fragments were taken from the genome of the chimpanzees but the research team suspected some to come from the unknown virus. The scientists used the hepatitis infected patient’s blood to identify cloned viral DNA fragments encoding viral proteins. After a lot of in-depth research, one positive clone was found. This clone was derived from an RNA virus which in turn was from the Flavivirus family and got named as the Hepatitis C virus.
The major hurdle in the process was to determine if the virus alone is causing hepatitis. Investigations were done on cloned viruses to check if the virus is able to replicate itself and Charles M. Rice, along with his team, while working on the RNA virus observed a very essential piece of information. They saw that there exists an uncharacterised region at the end of the Hepatitis C virus genome. The thought that it might be an essential component for virus replication. He also happened to notice some genetic variations in the isolated sample of the virus and suspected that some of them might be hindering virus replication. Using Genetic engineering Charles came up with a variant RNA of the virus which included a new region and was devoid of inactivating genetic variations. He then injected this newly formed RNA into the liver of chimpanzees. The virus was detected in the blood and pathological changes were similar to ones observed in humans who were suffering from chronic diseases. This made them believe that the virus alone can cause deadly disease.
Discovery of the Hepatitis C virus has made it possible to conduct highly sensitive blood tests, as well as rapidly develop an antiviral drug directed at Hepatitis C. It is now possible to cure this disease which can be seen as the final milestone in the journey of eradication of the Hepatitis C virus globally.

October 11, 2020
Hand washing Vs. Hand Sanitizer
You’ve probably seen the mass shortages of hand sanitizer caused by mass hysteria about COVID-19, but is stocking up on supplies in a panic worth it? Probably not, but let us discuss.
You have a few options when it comes to cleaning your hands: the classic soap and water, alcohol-based sanitizers, and non-alcohol-based sanitizers.
How does soap and water handwashing work?
A regular soap has a chemical structure with a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic, lipophilic tail. The lipophilic tail will bind to oils or fats, while the hydrophobic head will bind to water. Cell walls are made of a lipid membrane, which the tail is attracted to and binds to. The cell is bound by several of these soap molecules, and the surface is then coated in hydrophilic heads that will bind to water when you rinse your hands off, taking the pathogen cells with it. This is why you cannot only rinse your hands with water. Oil and water do not mix, but the soap acts as a binding agent to make them work together. So, just like you can’t wash oil off your hands with just water, you can’t effective “wash” your hands without using soap. This process is also why an antibacterial soap isn’t necessary, a regular soap will do the job well; and exposing bacteria to antibacterial agents on a regular basis can contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Photo source: Wikipedia – Micelle
Alcohol-based sanitizers require a concentration of 60% ethanol/isopropanol, or n-propanol to be effective. While you may immediately think “well, I want the highest concentration possible then, more must be better”, but the minimum of 60% is effective due to the majority of the remaining ingredients being water. When the cell wall of a bacterial/fungal cell or the envelope of a virus is exposed to alcohol, it disrupts the structure of the membrane. Once the membrane has been compromised, water will move via osmosis into the cell due to the concentration gradient of high-water content in the sanitizer to the lower water content in the cell, which makes the cell explode, known as “lysing” in cellular biology.
Non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers typically uses Benzalkonium Chloride as the active ingredient with effective concentrations at 0.12%-0.13%. Like alcohol-based sanitizers, Benzalkonium Chloride destroys cells by disrupting cell wall membranes. The benefits of this type of sanitizer are that they can be less drying to skin, pose less of a fire risk, and are supposed to be effective after the solution has dried since, unlike alcohol, Benzalkonium Chloride is not volatile.
In general, hand sanitizers are not as effective in eliminating all types of pathogens compared to hand washing. What does this mean? Hand sanitizers are not always active against bacterial spores, protozoan oocysts, or non-enveloped viruses (polio is an example of a non-enveloped virus); but handwashing will be effective against them all. Hand sanitizers are also only very effective when your hands are not visibly soiled, and hand sanitizer cannot remove harmful compounds your hands may have come in contact with depending on your field of work. For example, providing hand sanitizer to agricultural workers who come in contact with pesticides during their work duties will not be ideal for protecting them against chemical hazards in addition to biological ones, so handwashing stations are preferred.
Who should opt to use hand sanitizers?
If handwashing is not an option, sanitizers are the next best thing. When is handwashing not an option? When you are physically unable to use a sink. This doesn’t necessarily mean “I’m not within 10 feet of a sink, so it is more convenient for me to whip out a bottle of sanitizer than to walk to the nearest restroom” it means “infrastructure is not built for me and it takes an excessive amount of effort to wash my hands in a public restroom”. Sinks are often built to be at a height that when a person is standing up, their hands will fall approximately where the sink is, but not everyone who uses a bathroom is necessarily able to stand up. People with disabilities face hurdles day to day where sinks are placed at a certain height for aesthetic purposes, while forgetting that everyone needs to be able to use them.
As of writing this article, there are no coronavirus cases in Nova Scotia, but locally we do have a Norovirus and the flu virus circulating in our community, so staying on top of your hygiene is still a reliable and necessary way to stay safe from all pathogens.
March 15, 2020
Coronavirus 101
*Terminology explanations found at the bottom of this page
Coronaviruses are viruses that infect the upper respiratory system and invade epithelial cells, causing disease. Coronaviruses are named for the structure that resembles a crown, or corona in latin, on individual virions under microscopy. This virus was first found in from samples collected from the noses of patients suffering from the common cold, but it has recently drawn media attention from the recent outbreak of 2019-nCoV strain of coronavirus, suspected to have originated from illegally traded wildlife in Wuhan, China.
Viral Infection: The Basics
Viruses are biological agents that consist of protein coats that are sometimes encapsulated in a membrane that contains DNA or RNA depending on the type of virus. Coronaviruses have single-stranded RNA. This genetic code is inserted into a host cell ( the cells of the individual infected) and the cell’s machinery is hijacked by the virus to produce the genetic code of the virus instead of the cell’s genetic code. Viruses cannot replicate outside of the host cell, so they need a host in order to reproduce. Coding begins, and the cell is now producing new virions that will burst out of the cell, killing the host cell in the process. The newly released virions will find more cells to infect and repeat the cycle. How does this cause disease? Viruses reproduce at a rapid rate, which means exponential numbers of host cells will be destroyed in the process of replication. Cell death = tissue damage. When tissues are damaged, the immune system responds by recruiting a number of immune cells to the infected area. These immune cells have a range of mechanisms to eliminate the pathogen, and they are usually the reason you suffer from symptoms. A fever is the immune system trying to essentially burn up the pathogen, inflammation is caused by damaged tissues releasing chemicals that recruit immune cells to come try and help get rid of the pathogen, and even coughing is the body attempting to get the pathogen physically out of the infected respiratory system. Most drugs cannot get rid of viruses (most pathogens like bacteria are killed directly by drugs, but viruses are not a living agent, so antiviral drugs prevent replication so tissue damage can be reduced) so they need to be eliminated from the body by the immune system in order for the infected individual to recover. This is why viruses pose such a serious threat to immunocompromised individuals, who cannot mount a response strong enough to eliminate the pathogen.
Why is an outbreak so concerning?
The human coronavirus strain SARS-CoV was the causative agent for the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that infected 8000 people and killed 774 during the 2003 outbreak. Another coronavirus caused an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that infected 2500 people with 861 fatalities. The coronavirus that caused the SARS epidemic caused extremely severe disease by extending its infection into the lower respiratory tract, something that has not been observed with the 2019-nCoV. While the current outbreak is not either of these strains, there is concern for the virulence potential of 2019-nCoV as it is considered a new, novel strain.
Who is at risk?
Just like the annual flu season, viral epidemics are are typically more high risk for people who are considered immunocompromised, meaning their immune system is suppressed in some way, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with medical conditions that directly affect immune cells are part of this group. However, some viruses can take out perfectly healthy people. When healthy people are infected with some viruses, the immune system can sometimes mount and attack on the pathogen so powerfully that it causes a cytokine-storm, where cytokines (substances made by immune cells) are produced en masse and end up damaging the body in their attempt to damage the virus. Basically, the collateral damage caused by the immune system trying to eliminate the pathogen can be so severe, it is worse than the disease itself. As of now, most lethal infections of 2019-nCoV have been in people who were already considered high-risk, and not part of the healthy population.
How do we treat and prevent this virus?
Development of vaccines and treatments can be extremely difficult for this type of virus as coronaviruses are difficult to grow in laboratory conditions. Viruses are a particularly tricky pathogen to deal with. You’ve probably known someone who came home from the doctor frustrated that they didn’t receive any sort of prescription for their flu or stomach virus, claiming the doctor dismissed or ignored them, but all you can really do with viral infections is manage symptoms and treat secondary infections. Anti-viral treatment like valcyclovir is rarely prescribed for typical viral infections unless it is a severe infection, or for chronic management such as managing sore outbreaks in herpes patients, or for HIV patients reducing their viral load. Since targeting the virus is so difficult and mutations are rapid, we focus on managing symptoms with drugs to reduce fevers, reduce inflammation that causes coughing or pain, while monitoring for symptoms of secondary infection; like bacteria that may have taken the opportunity to colonize the lungs and cause pneumonia while the immune system was suppressed (known as an opportunistic pathogen). Diagnosis is not simple, and requires throat cultures and blood work to confirm a case of coronavirus as the symptoms are so similar to other diseases.
Some key facts to know:
1. The current coronavirus is not SARS, but it is in the same family. Like how pilot whales and killer whales are within the same family; but there are clear distinctions between the two.
2. Symptoms consist of a fever and respiratory issues like coughing, sore throat, or runny nose
3. Prevention parameters have been outlined by Acadia: -Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand rub when hands are not visibly soiled.
  · Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue. If using a tissue, immediately place it in the waste disposal and wash hands.
  If possible, stay at home when ill with acute respiratory symptoms. If this is not possible, limit close contact with others, avoid placing your hands on high-touch surfaces such as handrails, counters, and doorknobs
4. The source of the virus is not definite, and there is no need to make racist remarks about the cultural practices of Chinese people in finding someone to blame for the outbreak. Zoonotic disease can result from any interaction between humans and animals. If you get salmonellosis from eating raw cookie dough, thats the same type of zoonotic transmission as someone getting a coronavirus from eating a wildlife product.
5. The outbreak is considered under control as of now, with lessons learned from the SARS outbreak being put into practice. This outbreak is still very new, and the specifics about the virus are still mostly unknown, and information is changing constantly.
6. Influenza, a disease that can be prevented by a simple vaccination, kills 3500 Canadians each year. The Coronavirus is new and unpredictable, and there is no prevention currently available, but you can always protect yourself from the viral enemies we do know with an annual flu shot.
*Understanding epidemiology/pathology 101:
Pathogen: A microorganism capable of causing disease such as virus, bacterium, fungi or protozoa
Strain: a viral strain is a genetically distinct type of pathogen. A common example is flu viruses with different subtypes, or strain.
Virion: A single viral particle that replicates to cause disease and pass the virus to others
Outbreak: sudden start of a disease appearing in a population
Epidemic: spread of an infectious disease quickly that affects more people than what is typical in a given area
Pandemic: a worldwide epidemic
Immunocompromised: an individual with an impaired immune system
Antiviral: a drug made to eliminate a virus from the body or reduce the viral load on an individual
Viral load: the number of copies of a virus in body of an individual
Virulence: ability of a pathogen to cause disease
Zoonotic: a pathogen that can be transmitted from animals to humans
February 12, 2020
Connecting Climate Change to Australia’s Devastating Bushfires
While the idea of experiencing raging fires in extreme heats is difficult to grasp here in Canada when cold winds are whipping our faces and ice makes the sidewalks slick, it is a horrific reality for Australians right now. Summer has just begun down under, where a bushfire season amplified in intensity by climate change has wreaked havoc on the continent.
In order to understand what is happening in Australia, we need to know the basics of fire ecology. While terrifying and devastating, bushfires are a natural process that shape the environmental landscape, with some native plants having adaptations to fire disturbances, such as Australian native Eucalypts. These resilient plants have dormant buds that remain just below the soil known as lignotubers, which will provide the plant with essential nutrients to promote regrowth after the fire has burned off the vegetation above ground. These adaptations are necessary for survival in a fire-prone environment found in Australia, and humans must also learn to adapt to it as best we can. The strategy for human adaptation to these events is extensive research aiming to predict and control the bushfires.
Controlling bushfires once they have started poses a challenge, but there are 3 ways to put out a fire: 1. Remove oxygen, 2. Remove heat, and 3. Remove fuel. Removing oxygen to control a bushfire is not a viable option, and climate change significantly affects control measures as the summers in Australia become increasingly hot and the number of days where the heat poses an extreme fire danger increases as well, the last element, fuel, is the easiest part to manage. The fuel available to a fire can be limited by creating “fuel breaks” which involves raking twigs/branches/etc away from the fire so it cannot spread as easily. When a fire is approaching an area with a lot of fuel that would facilitate the spread of the fire, it can be deliberately burned before the larger bushfire spreads to that area, leaving it with no fuel to continue burning. Water bombing is a well-known fire control strategy, but the mechanism behind it is often misunderstood. Although it may look like the aim of water bombing is to put out the fire by extinguishing it out with water, but the most effective mechanism behind water-bombing is the change of state of the water from liquid to gas. The water vapor produced will increase the humidity in the air, making it harder for the fire to continue burning. Recently rain has given some relief to those fighting the fires, but it is hardly the end of fire season on the continent.
Now that we understand the essential elements of fire and how bushfires are part of the natural cycling of the environment in Australia, we can better identify the role of climate change in the exacerbation of the fires. In Australia, the major impact of climate change is extremely hot and dry conditions. The heat in Australia is already extreme, but Australia’s average temperature has increased by more than one degree over the past century. The extreme heat and dryness create highly flammable fuel by killing flora through droughts, leaving completely desiccated plant material in its wake, which makes excellent kindling to start any forest fire. With parts of southern Australia facing declines in precipitation due to the shift in direction of the Southern Annular Mode towards Antarctica, bypassing Australia entirely (This shift is attributed to climate change). With little to no rainfall since 2017, there is no natural force to counteract the dryness and/or control fires naturally when they start, and the extremely dry brush facilitates rapidly spreading flames that quickly rage out of control, no matter how the original fire started.
While climate change deniers will dismiss the underlying causes of these particularly vicious fires and point the blame to an “arson epidemic”, this is not the case. Arsonists did not somehow create a three year long drought, extremely high temperatures, and the excessive dryness of the environment, but also, the reports of inflated numbers of arson-related arrests are inaccurate. Any source of ignition would have run the risk of resulting in a massive bushfire, arsonists rampant or not. The environmental conditions have been described as “the perfect storm” for bushfires, and we have unfortunately been hit hard by said storm.
The environmental devastation of the bushfires has been horrendous, with an estimated one billion animals dead, a massive biodiversity loss from many ecosystems entirely. While the Koala is the face of Australian wildlife, there are plenty of unique species that lost acres and acres of habitat and faced high mortality rates. While some ecosystems have natural burn cycles and have adapted to survive occasional inferno, some like the subtropical Gondwana rainforests of Queensland-New South Wales border, have not. These areas have also been engulfed by the flames, however no record of these habitats burning has ever been made, so rebounding from such a devastating event will at the very least be a huge challenge, if not impossible.
While at times like this where we are bundled up facing the cold we can feel detached and slightly helpless to the fires, we can always provide some sort of assistance. There is always hope for recovery, with options to donate to relief efforts available here : https://www.canadahelps.org/en/australian-fires/
January 28, 2020
Some Superb Science Clubs to Join in 2020
Missed out on the club extravaganza? Need to find some extra circulars to keep yourself busy? Trying to expand your social life beyond the classroom? Look no further! If you need some more information on some great science clubs to join this semester, look no further, some great options are listed just below:
Biology Society
Hey Biologists! The Acadia Biology Society serves to enrich the academic and social experience of Acadia’s Biology students (although to be honest, there is not much room for improvement)! Whether you need assistance with your Bio courses, or want to network with professors and fellow students, our events will help you succeed as a Biologist. For 1st and 2nd year students, our weekly Bio Help Centre consists of advisory sessions for studying, scientific writing, and reviewing lecture material. If group sessions aren’t your thing, then the Biology Student Mentorship Program provides a one-on-one approach! For upper-year students, we offer our Research and Course Gong Shows, to give a baseline to students pursuing Honours, Co-Op, and/or Research Topics. One of our newest, the Annual De-Stress event, is open for everyone to discuss the physiology of stress, mental health awareness, and give feedback to our faculty (The 2nd annual destress event, “All in with Adrenaline” will take place THIS MONDAY, January 20^th, beginning at 6:00PM at the KCIC Auditorium, and ending at 8:00PM with a reception (pizza and snacks provided) upstairs in the study area). A complete list of what we do would be too long, so if you are interested in our events, then please join your respective Biology Graduating Class Facebook page (below), follow our Instagram (@acadiabiologysociety), and pay attention to you emails!
Class of 2023 – https://m.facebook.com/groups/1161850657338610/?ref=group_browse
Class of 2022 – https://www.facebook.com/groups/246775996180772/
Class of 2021 – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1025847100868277/
Class of 2020 – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1025847100868277/
WISE
WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Acadia is a group of female faculty, staff and students who gather together to promote full participation by women in STEAM fields.
Centred initially around women in academia, the group has supported learning opportunities and identified opportunities for Acadia women faculty members, staff, and students. Following a gathering held in October 2014 additional WISE Acadia priorities were identified related to mentoring, science camps for young women, and a course offering for undergraduates in Women and Science. WISE Acadia is currently developing and delivering programs and holding events to address these priorities.
WISE has been supported in these endeavours by members of Women’s and Gender Studies. The mission of WGS is to foster a vibrant, dynamic campus community that critically engages with issues of gender, sexuality, race, class and ability. Working together with WISE Acadia students, staff, and faculty, WGS strives to address inequities and draw attention to opportunities facing all women.
WISE Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/WISEacadia/
WISE Students Private group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/383949648953526/
Acadia University Psychology Association
The Acadia University Psychology Association (AUPA) is a group of students who aim to create a community for psychology majors and students from other departments. The AUPA hosts social events and educational workshops throughout the year so undergraduate and graduate students can interact with each other and make connections with their professors.
AUPA facebook –https://www.facebook.com/AcadiaUniversityPsychologyAssociation/

Climate Action Club
Acadia’s newest science club is the climate action club, who successfully rallied for climate justice this Fall. Information on their work and how to join can be found here: https://theath.ca/science/rally-for-climate-action-this-friday/
January 17, 2020
The Kingston Sand Barrens Need Your Help: A Letter from the students of ESST 3003
Dear Readers,
We are a group of students from Acadia university currently conducting research on the Kingston Sand Barrens, the intent of this article is to hopefully raise awareness for the sand barrens. Specifically, we aim to stress the multiple benefits of the barrens, and the ways in which they are currently being endangered.
The Kingston Sand Barrens is an endangered ecosystem. Sand barrens are often perceived to have little to no intrinsic value, and as a result they are often destroyed for more “productive” uses including building airports, sand mining, construction of houses, establishing graveyards, and more. It’s estimated that roughly 97% of the original sand barrens have been lost due to fire suppression, agricultural development, sand quarrying, and invasion of non-native species. Also, due to human activities such as ATV driving, the remaining ecosystems are being disrupted, plant cover is getting damaged, and there is a reduction of biodiversity. This leaves the barrens susceptible to sand erosion, as the sand is no longer bound in place by vegetation. The blowing sand not only becomes a nuisance to drivers on the adjacent highways, but it also causes damage to the agricultural sector and home gardeners alike. The traveling sand (when blowing onto fields and home gardens) makes the soil less productive and subsequently increases the need for fertilizers. This further exacerbates the issue that the soil in the historically sand barren areas is not very fertile to begin with, as it is mostly composed of sand. This increases the need for chemical fertilizers even further, which leads to issues like chemical run-offs, eutrophication , and water pollution. By protecting the sand barrens, we can also preserve the whole ecosystem. One of the main services it provides is a natural water filter which purifies the water and minimizes the risk of water pollution.

If you’re interested in learning more about the sand barrens make sure to visit our website: www.sandbarrensns.ca. Here you’ll find more information on the species found in the barrens, ways in which they’re being endangered, and ways that you can help.
January 17, 2020
First All-Female Spacewalk a Success
Jessica Meir and Christina Koch successfully conducted the first all-female spacewalk on Friday October 18th, 2019. The team replaced a faulty battery charge/discharge unit, with the excursion being uneventful, but “in a good way”.
Although there is a widespread belief in the Western, developed world that women and men are already equal, there are barriers in science the public does not see behind the scenes. Female scientists encounter situations in the field, and the lab that hint subtly that ‘this space was not designed for you’. Laboratories exclusively stocked with large and extra-large lab coats and safety equipment, lab benches designed for people 5’5” and over with shelves far out of reach for petite women, and an atmosphere of male comradery you’re unwelcome in.
Both Meir and Koch have made comments on how important representation of women in STEM was for their career to working for NASA, and how they themselves have lived to become idols and role models for young women today to look up to. While this event might be marked as a pointless feminist stunt by misogynists, this spacewalk emphasized the assertion of women’s place in science. The vigorous training required for astronauts would have horrified the protestors who told Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, that her uterus was going to fall out if she completed the race. While that sounds like some archaic belief, that was in 1967, and the argument to ban women from sport due their ‘fragility’ was even used in 2005 by the president of the International Ski Federation.
Earlier this week I discovered the record of the first Acadian government representative in Nova Scotia on a Wikipedia scouring adventure and thought “oh I guess that would have been a big deal back then”, and that’s the goal of these events. The significance is found in the future, where the hope is that one day we look back and say: “I can’t believe that was ever a big deal, that’s completely normal now”.
November 7, 2019
New Kid on Campus: Hydroponics
You may have heard about the new hydroponic unit that’s been established on campus up by meal hall, but maybe you’ve wondered: what is a hydroponic system?
Hydroponic systems use water, light, aeration and nutrients to grow plants in a controlled environment. Chemical nutrient solutions must be properly balanced, and ideally be customized to the crop being grown for optimal growth. These systems can overcome the obstacles of pest and soil management that plague traditional farming and can make land that would be otherwise unproductive into abundant agricultural zones. Hydroponics is not a new innovation, but recent technological developments have made managing lighting, monitoring oxygen and customizing fertilizers in hydroponic systems easier to execute successfully.
A similar system we could be using is an Aquaponics. Aquaponic systems grow both plants and fish simultaneously in one integrated system, combining hydroponics with aquaculture. Aquaculture is the practice of raising fish or other aquatic organisms, so the waste produced by the fish in the system provides nutrients to the plants, while the plants provide a natural water filter for the fish, in turn providing them with a clean environment. This mutually beneficial relationship efficiently produces both a quality protein source and fresh, healthy plants with minimal interference needed for crop/animal management. This system is currently being implemented in Liverpool, NS, in the Aqualitas cannabis growing operation. Aqualitas grows Koi fish alongside their cannabis crop, a method they claim uses 90% less water and 50% less power than traditional production.
While here in NS we can source our produce from local farmers when crops are in season, and then use our hydroponics system to have fresh greens during the winter, hydroponics can help communities where that is not an option. Hydroponic systems like Acadia’s Growcer are currently bringing fresh produce to Canada’s Arctic where food insecurity is a major issue. Hydroponic systems allow these communities to supplement their diets with locally produced healthy food that comes at a much lower cost and carbon footprint than produce that must be shipped in.
The utility of these systems in extreme environments such as deserts and tundra may seem impressive, but the implementation of hydroponic systems has even been suggested to have potential use in space exploration to supply astronauts with additional food supplies, other than the rations they bring aboard.

To learn more about the specific hydroponic unit being used at Acadia, information can be found here: https://www.thegrowcer.ca/growing-systems
November 2, 2019
Science Snapshot
A thin rock section from the Huggins collection under microscopy by Anthony Chu (‘19)
October 23, 2019
In Defense of The Campus Crows
Every Spring you get that email:
“Once again we have received reports of crows acting aggressively towards persons on campus…”
Crows are often the symbol of death, disease and bad omens, as well as considered a pest by farmers and by those who have their trash scavenged by the birds. While, the campus crows have become infamous for harassing students, they deserve a better reputation than they have gained.
Crows are classified as part of the Corvidae family along with ravens, magpies, and jays. Corvids are a family well known for the numerous observations of the birds displaying remarkably intelligent behavior. Although sometimes being exceptionally smart means they may also be incredibly weird, and occasionally a little aggressive
Using tools is a hallmark behavior that scientists look for when assessing the intelligence in different organisms, and corvids have a well-documented history of using the assistance of objects to obtain food in the wild and in captivity. While swooping in and snatching a muffin from an unsuspecting student is much easier, crows will use sticks or other tools to help them access food. Crows have even been shown to choose tools best suited to the task at hand when presented with multiple tools in a laboratory environment; choosing longer sticks when the first short stick they chose could not reach their target. Crows have been shown to understand basic concepts such as water displacement in experimental trials where they needed to use various tools to obtain a piece of water floating in a container that needed to have a certain number of stones added to it in order for the food to be close enough to the top of the container for the crow to reach it (video of the experiment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZerUbHmuY04)

Corvids have also been recorded engaging what we recognize as play, with viral videos featuring crows playing in the snow popping up every winter (this one where the crow uses a makeshift sled in the snow is very cute, fyi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUBMSnHH7hc). Like humans, crow brains release endorphins, or ‘feel good’ hormones, when they engage in play. Playing also gives crows an opportunity to develop skills and sometimes establish dominance.

While mocking your sibling is a form of “play” in humans, crows, ravens and jays are all capable of mimicking, where they can copy and repeat a noise they have heard. This behavior is another display that often gets recorded by observers and goes viral online, with some crows completing phrases like the one featured in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB3ruxchwaY. Their vocal abilities are extensive, with numerous different calls (yes, they do make other noises other than the infamous caw), and even regional dialects. These dialects account for territorial differences and communicate to those of a different region to find another place to roost.

Now, with all that praise for the intellect of crows and their brethren, I understand why Corvids have such a bad reputation. Alfred Hitchcock’s movie The Birds made the mobbing behavior crows often engage in when they feel threatened infamous. This co-operative behavior keeps crows safe from larger birds of prey and other predators, but for an unsuspecting pedestrian accidentally entering crow territory, this defensive reaction is nothing less than terrifying. However, this behavior attests to the extremely social nature of the birds. In fact, they are so social they may even mourn the death of members of their flock. “Crow funerals” are a phenomenon that has piqued the curiosity of animal behavior scientists for a while. Crows will leave “gifts” to crow corpses, with observations of crows mobbing the scene of the death, leaving candy wrappers, sticks and other tokens for their fallen comrades. The weird side of crows is brought out during these “funerals”, because occasionally crows will engage in coitus with deceased crows (translation: crows will sometimes fuck other dead crows).

As part of their social side, corvids are noted for their capacity to recognize individuals, including themselves, with magpies being among the few species proven to be able to recognize themselves in the mirror. If you have been a victim of a campus crow, I may have some bad news for you: crows are also able to recognize human faces. A study was executed with a researcher testing the theory of facial recognition in crows using masks. Researchers wore one mask to capture crows- making this mask “dangerous”. Another mask was worn while researchers did not bother the crows- to make this mask “neutral”. Crows would harass researchers wearing the “dangerous” mask walking on campus, while leaving the “neutral” mask-wearing researchers alone. So, if you were harassed by campus crows and reacted violently, they may recognize you as a violent person and avoid you, or they may hold a grudge. Watch out.

Although the fascinating nature of crows makes them a very easy defense case, any species should be respected. Crows are a species that can largely attribute its success to their proximity to humans and the interactions that occur between us. We as students must understand that urban wildlife is a part of our environment, and we share our space with them. This understanding is key to avoiding humans clashing and conflicting with other species. Personally, I’ve never had any negative encounters with campus crows, but I also avoid doing the following:
1. Carrying food on campus
2. Harassing the crows
3. Entering an area, I know the crows frequent
Co-existing with urban wildlife can be filled with conflict, but the onus is on us to keep our distance and let nature take its course; even if sometimes that means an occasionally muffin-carrier accidentally discovers where a crow has decided to claim stake. Stay safe, and maybe do some crow watching some time.
October 17, 2019
Listen Here: Science Podcast Recommendations
Look I know what you’re thinking, “why would I listen to people just talking about whatever?”. For me, podcasts can be quite useful as background noise for studying, writing an essay, or drudging through hours of lab work. Sometimes you just want to listen to someone talk without the labor of interacting with another human ya know? Or you know that the second you pull out a headphone to say something briefly to your study buddy that you will proceed to talk about how insane that one prof is, or who you saw at the bar last weekend, or literally anything other than what you’re supposed to be working on, and subsequently absolutely nothing will be accomplished for the rest of the study session. Podcasts are like a study buddy that doesn’t need you to talk back, so you can write a few paragraphs while they chat away.
So, the next time your study playlist gets repetitive, here are some alternatives to try:
Ologies with Alie Ward
Ologies is a talk show style podcast with expert guests chatting with host Alie Ward about their field of study, aka their -ology. This show adheres to the mottos of “ask smart people stupid questions” with complex curiosities being explained in simple terms by experts who are passionate about their work. Alie edits in silly sound clips and references to keep her recordings lively, avoiding any dull moments. This podcast explores some of the most exclusive niches in research, you’re bound to learn something new.
Oologies is available on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5nvRkVMH58SelKZYZFZx1S?si=8a5u5YGIRo6I-6aUN46mAg

This Podcast Will Kill You with Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke
This podcast is an absolute dream come true for an aspiring pathologist like me, but the ladies from This Podcast Will Kill You deconstruct the complexity of epidemiology and pathology into simple to understand terms that even your arts major friends can wrap their head around and enjoy. Erin and Erin are two disease ecologists who explain the history and biology of diseases; particularly those that have had an intense societal impact. If the first episode about influenza doesn’t convince you to get your flu shot, I don’t know what will.
This Podcast Will Kill You is available on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7cujpkzRygYyLylnv5SVFu?si=qTo2WWv4S8Cl3fJhS589sw

Science rules with Bill Nye
Yes, you read that name right, its…BILL! BILL! BILL! You may have thought you’d never experience the euphoria of watching your science teacher roll a TV into class to let Bill Nye the Science guy bless you with scientific knowledge, but baby I’m here to introduce you to a modern way to relive your childhood while learning something new: Bill Nye the Science Guy has a podcast! Bill has listeners call in with scientific inquires and proceeds to discuss them with scientists experienced in the field in question. If your issue with getting into podcasts is having a hard time trying to find one that’s not hosted by someone with a voice you can tolerate; perhaps Bill’s familiar tune will help ease you into them.
Science Rules is available on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zGr8BgdHMdhUeLhgEYX8R?si=QNydo8YVTxOAt47j_OTqog

October 4, 2019
Science Atlantic Award Winners 2019
Since the beginning of 2019, our Acadia researchers have been attending conferences in their respective areas of research, presenting their projects through posters and oral presentations. Exceptional presenters are eligible for awards, which included some Acadia students! As of now, conferences have been held for biology, aquaculture and fisheries, environmental science, and nutrition, with conferences for other disciplines being held later in the year. We’re incredibly proud to announce some of the winners of Science Atlantic awards:
Biology
Biology student Sarah Robertson took home the Science Atlantic Undergraduate Research Award for her oral presentation: Docosahexaenoic Acid-Acylated Phloridzin, a Novel Compound Derived from Apple Phytochemicals and Fish Oil, Inhibits the Metabolic Activity and Proliferation of Colon Cancer Cells in vitro.
Aquaculture and fisheries
Judith Bjorndahl and Jackson Zhe Yang were both awarded individual Science Atlantic Graduate Research Awards in aquaculture and fisheries. Judith tied with Viviane Baldwin from Memorial University for second place with her research: Long-term monitoring protocol for American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) based on sampling effort simulations; while Jackson was awarded 3rd place with his research: Identifying and quantifying Atlantic Salmon (Salmon salar), Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), Cod (Gadus morhua), and Capelin (Mallotus villosus) in Striped Bass diets in Labrador.
Environment
Science Atlantic Environment awards were given to two Acadia students. Sarah Stewart received the 2nd place Science Atlantic Undergraduate Research Award for her oral presentation: Running on empty: Determining the presence of feeding behaviour in Anadromous Alewife in Jolicure Lake, AB, while Sarah Adams received the 2nd place award Science Atlantic Graduate Research Award for her oral presentation about fungal diversity found in marine wood from the Bay of Fundy.
Nutrition
Hillary Fry won a Science Atlantic Undergraduate Award for her research: The Effect of Matcha green tea on metabolic and physiological responses at moderate intensity exercise in females. Nutrition student Lydia Hayward also won the Clara Jefferson Award, an award given in memory of Clara Jefferson, an alumna of the Acadia School of Home Economics (48’). The Clara Jefferson award is presented to a food science/nutrition student who makes strides within the discipline, an award well deserved for Lydia with her research, which you can read about here: https://theath.ca/science/reading-between-the-wines-studying-the-impact-of-caloric-values-on-consumers-sensory-perceptions-of-rose-wines/ .
Congratulations to all our winners! We thank you for representing the best of Acadia’s academic excellence and wish you all the best in your future endeavours!
*if there are any names missing from these lists, please contact [email protected]
April 1, 2019
Research Feature: Sabrina Nunn
My name is Sabrina Nunn and I am a fourth year Kinesiology with Honours student. My honours research, “Past Action, Current Challenges, and Future Initiatives – An Investigation into the Hurdles for Achieving Gender Equity in Nova Scotia Sport” has been written under the supervision of Professor Ann Dodge. I cannot thank Ann enough for her unwavering support throughout the entire project. I would also like to thank the organizers and attendees of the Shattering the Glass Conference for their enthusiasm and willingness to be a part of this study.
My study is based on a November 2018 gender equity meeting in Nova Scotia reporting on the individual experiences of both organizers and participants. Barriers that keep women from fully engaging in sport were identified. By sharing conversations with women directly involved in the sport sector, this study aspires to give them a voice in relation to their experiences, and to profile specific areas where improvement can be made to effect positive change for female athletes, coaches and administrators in sport in Nova Scotia. Despite the fact that gender gaps have narrowed in general, there are still inequitable differences prevalent in society – specifically in sport (Sherry, Osborne & Nicholson, 2015).
When discussing equity, the word can sometimes be used incorrectly by being used interchangeably with equality. Equity refers to the allocation of resources that reflects fairness or justice by taking into account the individual circumstances of everyone involved. Equality refers to all people getting the same, regardless of any individual circumstances. Equality is like creating the same starting line for everyone, whilst equity works towards creating the same finish line. Equity is important because when given the chance, women have shown they are capable of succeeding in sport.
The results of the study indicate that there are numerous barriers that can prevent or deter females from being involved in sport in Nova Scotia. The barriers that were identified by the participants in this study were related to: confidence, stereotypes, lack of role models, systemic biases, external barriers, and low perceived significance. With this knowledge, sporting organizations in Nova Scotia can continue, or in some instances begin to do their part in bridging gender gaps by creating opportunity and limiting barriers for females in sport.
The perceived significance barrier is one of the most important findings as it can be identified as an overarching umbrella term that effects almost every other barrier noted in the study. This refers to the amount that an individual or organization cares about or recognizes gender equity issues or barriers for women in sport. For any barrier to be dealt with, change must be seen as worthy of consideration, comprehension and support. Perhaps this means that the first barrier that needs addressing is the perceived significance of gender equity in sport in Nova Scotia. Sport has the potential to be a vehicle for change; therefore, making positive changes in the sporting world can be an integral step in profiling gender gaps in society.
In conclusion, the current status of women in sport needs to be addressed as there is still much work to be done. From my research, the first step to tackling the issue is evidently caring about it enough to inspire change. My full thesis will be available in The Vaughn Memorial Library in the upcoming months.
References:
CAAWS Facts and Stats. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.caaws.ca/facts-and-stats/
Sherry, E., Osborne, A., & Nicholson, M. (2015). Images of sports women: A review. Sex Roles, 74(7-8), 299-309. doi: 10.1007/s11199-015-0493-x
March 15, 2019
Research Feature: Aimee Rideout
Plastic pollution is a major environmental stressor for marine life and is both long-lasting and near-ubiquitous in ocean ecosystems due to anthropogenic activity. Since the 1950s, when mass production of plastic products began, plastic debris has accumulated significantly in coastal, open ocean, and terrestrial environments. The effects of macroplastic (> 5 mm diameter) debris on marine life are well known as they cause entanglement and choking. Large plastic debris, however, degrades into smaller pieces known as microplastics (<1 mm diameter), small enough for ingestion by a wide range of marine organisms.The effects of microplastic ingestion on marine life remains poorly understood. Overall the objective of my Honours research, with co-supervisors, Dr. Laura Ferguson and Dr. Glenys Gibson (Biology Department), is to explore how microplastics affect marine life and specifically, to determine if ingested microplastics change the structure of exposed tissues.
We used Carcinus maenas (Green Crabs) as a model organism to investigate the effects of microplastics on the tissues of the hepatopancreas, a digestive organ at risk of exposure to pollution associated with food. Green crabs are scavengers, which exposes them to microplastic debris, and also contributes to their being a very aggressive, invasive species on Nova Scotia shores. We used histochemistry to visualize potential tissue-level effects of microplastic ingestion. Crabs were exposed to polystyrene microbeads (5 μm diameter) in aquaria water and in food at low concentrations that are typical of water samples of the mid-Atlantic Ocean (1-2 particles/ m3) and at higher concentrations typical of coastal areas (approx. 100 particles/ m3). Controls included field-sampled crabs and crabs cultured in the lab without polystyrene exposure.
This study is part of a larger project that also looked for effects of microplastics on the bivalve mollusc, Mytilus ediulis (Blue Mussels). Blue Mussels (yes- the same species that are so tasty steamed with a little butter and lemon) are filter feeders and thus are at high risk of microplastic exposure. We also sampled haemolymph, a tissue that like your blood, contains immune cells, and took DNA samples to look for how microplastic uptake potentially changes the microbiome (i.e. the community of microbes in a particular environment such as those that live on and in our bodies).
We exposed crabs to microplastics for six-weeks, compared the tissue structure of microplastic exposed crabs to controls, and used different stains (Periodic-acid Schiff-Alcian Blue, Giemsa, Hematoxylin & Eosin, and Nile Blue A) to analyse changes in the exposed tissues. We found several cell types in the hepatopancreas including R cells that function as absorptive and storage of glycogen and calcium, B cells that secrete digestive enzymes, and F cells that are darkly-staining precusors to B cells.
Statistical analysis indicated that the abundance of R cells increased in response to the high exposure to microplastics, but that gut structure was not affected by growing the crabs in the lab. These data suggest that levels of microplastics found in some coastal areas do affect structure of exposed tissues (R cells) in these wide-spread scavengers.
Additional research is required to investigate the uptake, transfer, and accumulation of microplastics on tissues, the immune system, and the microbiome of marine organisms exposed to many types of microplastics in order to better understand the effects of microplastic pollution, a growing global problem. Overall, whether or not you enjoy eating seafood, the influx of plastics in the marine ecosystems and their impacts on animal health is something for us all to chew on.
March 11, 2019
Research Feature: Alexandra Pulchny
My area of research is within the sociology of education, specifically Indigenous education in Canada. My master’s thesis explores institutional arrangements of the Nova Scotia Department of Education and curriculum for public high schools in Nova Scotia, asking how Indigenous histories and voices are acknowledged and honoured, and more specifically, what is being done to incorporate and maintain Treaty education. It also involves finding solutions to decolonizing the social studies curriculum in Nova Scotia through the voices of curriculum developers and teachers.
According to Christine Martineau in her dissertation, Digging Up the Roots of Educational Policy: Curriculum Infusion and Aboriginal Student Identity Development (Martineau 2018), the function of Canadian provincial schools is to reproduce Canadian society, which helps them reinforce a core belief that contributed to the structure of Residential schools and the modern education system: the belief that first peoples are inferior and that the land they claimed upon arrival is their own (Martineau 2018). In terms of modern institutions, Martineau notes that according to The Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS), “[… the absence of aboriginal worldviews in classrooms is a major factor in the racism and discrimination that Aboriginal peoples currently face in Canadian society and its institutions.” (Martineau 2018:21) In order to eliminate this discrimination and racism within educational institutions, CAAS and Martineau believe that the knowledges and experiences of Indigenous peoples need to be presented (Martineau 2018).
My inspiration to do this project stemmed from my own experiences with the education system in Nova Scotia and was encouraged by the professors in the department of sociology, as well as the encouraging environment they produced. I attended a rural high school before attending Acadia for my undergrad, and it wasn’t until I took “Introduction to Social Problems” in Sociology that I began to really think about the history of colonialism in Canada and the lack of education we received on the subject in high school. Although it was touched on briefly in Social Studies, and students were given a choice to take Mi’kmaw Studies 11, I do not remember learning a significant amount; and I found, when I sparked the conversation with friends, that many of us did not remember what we learned about colonialism and Mi’kmaw culture and histories. These histories, cultures, and ways of knowing are things that we should remember; we should be able to take something away from the education, whether we are Indigenous or non-Indigenous students. For Indigenous students, having their ways of knowing, histories, cultures, and languages taught and respected in schools helps them build self-identity and feelings of belonging and representation. For non-Indigenous students, it helps us recognize that there is more to the history of our country than what the Western institutions present to us, and in fact, the history of this land began long before Europeans arrived. Finally, it also helps students connect and respect the varying backgrounds and ways of life, and helps them learn and build bonds outside of the classroom.
My aim is to (a) present the importance of Treaty education within Nova Scotia’s public K-12 schools; (b) inform the process of providing students access to a quality and equitable education regardless of social location (i.e. education that is representative and considerate of their varying cultures, values, and social classes); and (c) to work towards building an inclusive curriculum – in other words, a curriculum that aims to provide educational access and successful participation for all students, in acknowledgement of multiple, valid ways of knowing, being, and learning – keeping in mind the importance of Indigenous voices and studies in the K-12 school curriculum.

March 6, 2019

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