Innehållsförteckning för Issue 6 från NatureVolve

When organs become damaged, many look to regenartive medicine for answers. New, potential solutions continue to arise in the field, but must be validated. After completing a PhD in materials science, Dr Suwan Jayasinghe began investigating the viability of specialized material processing methods in the creation of functional tissue. These methods include electrospraying and electrospinning which use electrically charged polymer solutions to create structures at the micron, submicron and nanoscale level. To rebuild tissue, a scaffold structure would normally be used where cells would be placed so that they can comunicate and develop. Therefore, the scaffold architecture must be accurate. Have current approaches seen limitations? Can electrospraying and electrospinning offer solutions? Suwan shares some thoughts. © Suwan Jayasinghe. All rights reserved. Q & A -Suwan Jayasinghe Please tell us about…

The coronavirus pandemic has revitalized a debate that has plagued the global wildlife community for decades. Headlines urging entire nations and people groups to cease their consumption of wildlife are congesting news columns and wildlife journals everywhere, as research has now given credibility to the idea that the consumption of a bat is what jumpstarted the spread of the novel virus, Covid-19. Despite the ignition of this discussion’s reawakening, I suspect that these arguments in support of a ban on wildlife consumption aren’t about wildlife at all. One thing that has always been a distinguishing characteristic of cultures across the globe is cuisine. While Westerners shy away from dining on most invertebrates, many Eastern cultures view them as a delicacy, even a staple of the daily diet. Still, there are…

Visiting a museum can be more engaging than reading a textbook, as many of us will agree. Seeing an artifact in front of our eyes can be more memorable, and ‘feel more real’ than a flat 2D image. Many museums create replicas to reduce harm to original specimens, but methods of creation can be timely and environmentally harmful. Kylie Dillinger is an anthropologist who uses 3D scanning and printing technologies to create archaeological replicas of ancient artifacts in an efficient and sustainable way. Helping to bring the past back to life, these replicas can be felt in our hands, and observed in ways that aren’t possible with the original specimens, that could even be too fragile to be displayed. © Kylie Dillinger All Rights Reserved. © Carlene Tinker. All Rights…

Beneath an empyrean wonderfully awash with blue, between trees now green with vernal growth, across glades embroidered with wildflowers, I wander, the flora and fauna my only companions. As heavenly as it sounds, this is a place I normally avoid despite it being close to home, for nestled here within this wooded environment is a holiday park containing hundreds of caravans and luxury cabins, a profound attractant for people and their beloved canine pets, which, let us be honest, are two of the biggest banes of the lives of wildlife. But things are different now; the current coronavirus crisis means that the holiday park is as good as empty, no holidaymaker to be seen or heard. Thanks to this current scarcity of hikers, bikers, joggers and dog-walkers, my relaxing stroll…

Peatlands are unique, yet important settings to conserve for their environmental, ecological, and historical value. Over thousands of years, peat helps to preserve ancient artifacts that hide clues about our heritage. These environments also store greenhouse gases, that would otherwise enter the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Archaeologist Benjamin Gearey works with artists, environmentalists and researchers in the study and preservation of these sites in Ireland, as explained in our interview, where Tina Claffey’s photography is also showcased. Photo: © WetFutures. All rights reserved. © Tina Claffey. All rights reserved. Q & A - Benjamin Gearey In what way do peatlands hold ‘archives’ of past people and landscapes? The word ’archive’ can be conceptualized in two ways. Firstly, there is the more literal sense, the archaeological record, in particular…

Systems thinking simply means analysis and review of cause and effect of the problem and the management response, to ensure responses were efficient, effective, appropriate environmentally and financially; and achieved appropriate results. The manner of addressing problem is influenced by attitude to success or failure with odds at fifty-fifty. Emotion, misunderstanding and exaggeration can influence attitude and perceptions, making it critical to remain logical for the outcome to be successful. Probably the greatest failure in management is failure to accept and acknowledge facts and respond accordingly. Doing nothing is also a management decision, but has to be appropriate and not just a case of ignoring a problem. Doing the same thing repeatedly cannot be expected to achieve different results. Good management demands awareness, knowledge and analysis of facts. Many only…

Neuroscience can be a complex subject to comprehend and convey to wider audiences. Kelly Bullock takes her fascination for nature and the human brain to communicate neuroscience through her artwork. Seeing a communication gap between science and the public, she founded a scientific communication studio called Kelly Bullock Art. She tells us about the story of how it began, what inspired the venture into scientific illustration, along with some techniques used to achieve vivid results. © Kelly Bullock. All Rights Reserved. © Kelly Bullock. All Rights Reserved. Q & A - Kelly Bullock How did you become involved in science and then start Kelly Bullock Art? I have been fascinated since a young age by nature and drawn to understanding how the human brain works. My grandmother was a big…

Chloroquine, an antimalarial drug and a proposed Covid-19 treatment, is currently a highly debated pharmaceutical. Sifting through the media’s coverage on chloroquine is frustrating. Unfortunately, many news articles report little to no scientific information about the drug, choosing instead to report it as a political issue. CNN, with a reputation for its democratic bias, reports that Trump’s optimism of the drug is dangerous rhetoric. Fox News, notorious for its right-wing ideology, argues that Democrats are spreading misinformation about chloroquine to push their anti-Trump agenda. Mistrusting the media bias, I did my own investigating using solely reliable sources to sort out the information and misinformation of the drug.. What is hydroxychloroquine? Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are antimalaria medicines taken in the form of tablets. These drugs also act as immunosuppressants. For this…

Phil Humphreys is a geography teacher who is raising awareness of plastic pollution to not only his pupils, but the wider community as well, through the ‘eco-brick’ project. Here, Phil shares what inspired the iniative and the impact it has had. Thoughts - Phil Humphreys Inspired to teach I have always wanted to teach. My father was a teacher, and I think that, that influenced me. I remember going in to school with him when I was ill, or going occasionally to pick him up, and thinking that it was all pretty cool. It still is to be fair! I was heavily inspired towards geography teaching, by an inspirational teacher I had in my Sixth Form, Mr Henbest. He marked nothing, radical for today’s standards, but the passion he brought…

Make-up may seem a world apart from the scientific sphere, but two academics, Chiara Di Ponzio and Francesca Mircola, show this can be just another way to learn through their artistic science communication project, Microscope Me Up. Inspired by research in cell biology, interesting biological facts are conveyed with the vibrant colors painted by make-up artists. © Sophie Morgani. All rights reserved. Q & A - Chiara Di Ponzio & Francesca Mircola Please tell us about your different backgrounds and what brought you together to start Microscope me up? Francesca: We have known each other for a very long time, we attended high school together in our hometown, Taranto. Then I studied in Pavia for my master’s in biotechnology and Chiara studied in Rome for her master’s in biomedical engineering.…

Virtual learning has provided a lifeline for educational programs during the worldwide lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic, as students and teachers took to home-learning. Mojgan Matloob is a physics and astronomy educator who believes digital educational tools will become even more important in the post-pandemic world. New, educational methods of teaching physics concepts are developed via cyberlearning and augmented reality. Generating applications from a science lab, Mojgan not only aims to digitize information, but help students learn and memorize complex notions through the power of imagery. © Mojgan Matloob. All rights reserved. Q & A - Mojgan Matloob Please tell us about your background and current visualization interests in physics. I am a physics and astronomy educator, and my previous experience involved teaching and research in physics education at undergraduate…