PerspectivesAre you interested in submitting a Perspective Article? Be sure to read The Science Advisory Board's Editorial Guides for Perspective Articles. Click here. The Joy of Science by Heather Kiefer, Ph.D. Admit it, it’s happened to you. You are sitting at a nice family get together, or milling pleasantly around a party, cocktail in hand, when you hear someone ask a perfectly innocent science question that you know just a little too much about. Perhaps someone else starts to answer, they know a little, but not the interesting details that get you so passionate. You jump in, eager to share your knowledge. “Uuhhhh, actually it’s a little known fact that…” The subject matter could be anything from the phylogenetic evolution of influenza strains to the maturation of B cells. You may not at first be aware of the glazed eyes and the slack jaws, as you are so engrossed and excited by your own subject matter. Eventually though, you are forced to notice that your friends and family are glancing uneasily from side to side and backing away from you slowly. It is then that you realize that in your particular social group, you are their Cliff Clavin of science. It happens to the best of us. As scientists, we can be fascinated by facts and discoveries that non-scientists just don’t find that interesting. Riveted, we devour journal articles that the general public might use to cure their insomnia. But never fear, a group at the Annals of Improbable Research collects science that in their words “makes people LAUGH and then THINK.” This is real research, and actual scientific achievements that are often published in peer reviewed journals. Frequently bizarre, and always amusing, the best of the best are rewarded at the annual Ig Nobel awards, held each year at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre. While I encourage you to check out all the past winners at http://improbable.com/ig/, I have put together a list of a few of my favorites that you can use the next time that you want to spark some interest in science, medicine and technology at your next neighborhood block party or family reunion. • Is fluid mechanics your thing? How about a rousing discussion of "Will Humans Swim Faster or Slower in Syrup?" American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal, Brian Gettelfinger and E. L. Cussler, vol. 50, no. 11, October 2004, pp. 2646-7. Edward Cussler decided to test the hypothesis originally presented by Isaac Newton that people would swim slower in a thick viscous substance than through water. He filled a 25-meter swimming pool with 300 kilograms of guar gum, ending up with a goopy substance that is twice as thick as water. He then managed to convince 16 adventurous souls to take on a few laps. In the end, Newton was proven wrong. The volunteers did not swim any faster in water than in the goop. It turns out that while the goop results in more drag on the body, it also allows one to generate more force with each stroke. I’ll bet it was rough on the filters though. • A different application of fluid dynamics involves Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow and Jozsef Gal’s study of "Pressures Produced When Penguins Pooh -- Calculations on Avian Defaecation." Polar Biology vol. 27, 2003, pp. 56-8. Figure 1 alone is worth tracking this paper down. In 1993, the first (and as far as I know, the only) Jamaican Antarctic Expedition found that Chinstrap and Adélie penguins decorate their nests with streaks of faecal matter. Seeing streaks and not “blobs”, the scientists were inspired to determine the pressures that penguins can generate when they feel the call of nature. This involved using complicated algorithms focused around the viscosity and density of the expelled matter, the distance traveled of said matter, and various characteristics of the orificium venti, including shape, aperture, and height above ground. The authors conclude that depending on the viscosity, penguins produce pressures of between 10 and 60 kPa. The effect of wind is not known. While this pressure is apparently quite a bit above that known for humans, Dr. Meyer-Rochow has mentioned in a Q&A session published online that a medical colleague of his has now been inspired to re-measure the pressures produced by humans since the literature on this contains only old data. Personally, I would rather volunteer to swim through goop. • If you are the type that prefers going to see “chick flicks” rather than adolescent movies that rely on flatulence jokes to get a laugh, perhaps you would be interested in something more romantic. Donatella Marazziti, Alessandra Rossi, Giovanni B. Cassano, and Hagop S. Akiskal bring us the following; "Alteration of the platelet serotonin transporter in romantic love," Marazziti D, Akiskal HS, Rossi A, Cassano GB, Psychological Medicine, 1999 May;29(3):741-5. Believing that love has such a strong connection to evolution that it may have a long-established biological process that regulates it, the authors determined that biochemically, romantic love looks an awful lot like severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The density of the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) transporter was significantly lower in both untreated OCD patients and subjects who had recently fallen in love, compared with normal controls. This suggests similar neurological changes involving the 5-HT system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter produced in the central nervous system that is thought to regulate mood, sleep, sexuality and appetite. Serotonin is also believed to play a role in many disorders, including OCD. So the next time you meet someone who makes your heart race a little faster, you can think about everything you now have in common with someone who has a personality disorder. • Here is something that might make you feel better the next time you get stuck listening to “The Girl from Ipanema” while waiting to check out with your groceries. Carl J. Charnetski, Francis X. Brennan Jr. and James F. Harrison have demonstrated in “Effect of music and auditory stimuli on secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA).” Percep Mot Skills 1998 Dec; 87(3 pt 2): 1163-70 that there are significant increases in the amount of IgA in saliva after listening to Muzak for 30 minutes. These increases are not seen with 30 minutes of tones and clicks, 30 minutes of silence, or 30 minutes of a radio broadcast of “comparable style”. IgA is produced by B cells and is found in the mucosa. These immunoglobulins provide a first line of defense against respiratory viruses and are important in preventing upper respiratory infection. Therefore, they conclude, by stimulating IgA production, Muzak may help to prevent the common cold. While some of these scientific studies may be up for healthy debate, there is no denying that they are entertaining. And if that makes it easier to bring the joy of science to the general public, or if it makes someone interested in science that had always thought it boring before, then it is definitely worth discussing. If it also happens to make you a little more entertaining at your next party, well, that’s even better. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Perspectives ] |
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