Category Archives: Articles

The Science of Baking: Bread

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With the Great British Bake-Off gracing our TV screens once more, we’ve decided to dig a little deeper into the science behind baking. What makes bread rise? What makes cake light and fluffy? Why do we love all things sugary and baked so much? All of these questions and more will be scientifically answered in our newest series of blog posts. Neuroscience student and Social Media Intern, Charlie Wilkinson is starting us off with the science of bread…giphy-2.gifIf you’ve watched the bake off then you’ve definitely experienced the beauty of watching 12 British bakers pounding dough into the bench like it’s an olympic sport. But what’s actually going on here besides taking your BBC/Channel 4-related-aggressions out on some innocent bread.

Bread is the product of key basic ingredients including flour, yeast, water and salt. The process of making bread involves mixing these ingredients together until the flour converts into a stiff paste, this initial mixing allows for the development of gluten as the dough becomes stretchy and elastic. The type of flour again is important with breads using strong white bread flour due to the high protein content for a strong dough.

Following GBBO bread week to the next stage of rising, as the bread is covered and left to prove. This fermentation process allows gluten proteins to stick together forming networks, and the yeast cells grow. Yeast cells break down sugars using enzymes into water and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gas is retained in the dough allowing for the dough to expand and double in size. Some breads require two bouts of kneading and proving to form the perfect bread.

During the actual baking process the heat of the oven penetrates the dough leading to rapid formation of air bubbles as fermentation increased. The heat increases the activity of the yeast to form more air until a point at which the heat kills the yeast cells and air formation stops. High temperatures also cause gluten strands to transform into sex-rigid strands which give bread its crumb-like structure. Sugars blend together and brown to form the colour of the bread crust during ‘browning reactions’.

So the next time you’re watching bake off with your friends and family you can delight and entertain with your extensive knowledge of breads.

The Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease

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Today is World Alzheimer’s Day, a day to raise awareness for a disease that is likely to affect 1 million people in the UK by the year 2025. To mark the day, our Social Media Intern and Neuroscience student, Charlie Wilkinson has written a guest post for us:

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating neurodegenerative condition involving the death of nerve cells (neurones) in the brain, and the subsequent break down of communication between synapses.

Affecting millions worldwide, Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia in the elderly, affecting 850,000 people in the UK alone. The disease is associated with serious cognitive decline, including typical memory and language impairment. The disease has now overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in women.

The biological mechanisms that underpin the development of Alzheimer’s Disease can be boiled down to the formation of plaques, and tangles. The development of the condition is a result of faulty mechanisms in the brain for the breakdown of a specific protein.

Plaques 

Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP)  is a protein found abundantly in the brain, stuck in the membranes of neurones. The function of the protein is largely unknown, but the way this protein is broken down is the critical early event in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Proteins like APP are made up of many small units known as amino acids; enzymes have the ability to break down proteins by cutting at specific amino acid sites. If the APP protein is cut by one enzyme (alpha), the protein that’s formed is healthy and soluble. If however, APP is cleaved by another enzyme (beta), the protein that’s formed is diseased and insoluble. This diseased protein is known as beta-amyloid.

As more of this beta-amyloid protein is formed, the proteins start to stick together or aggregate, forming senile plaques. Although the way these plaques cause damage isn’t fully understood, it is theorised that the body reacting to the plaques with an inflammatory response leads to damage of neuronal cells in the brain, which is the typical symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Tangles

The other proteins typically associated with Alzheimer’s Disease are neurofibrillary tangles. Tangles are formed through twisted fibres, formed as small protein units called ‘tau’ which stick together inside neurones.

The tau proteins are usually associated with the transport system inside these cells – nutrients are important for the function of these nerve cells, and transport systems supported by tau are important in moving nutrient and other supplies around the cell.

When tangles form using tau proteins, these transport systems essentially malfunction meaning nutrients and other essential products can’t be transported around the cell and the cell starts to die.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, and treatments can only target the cognitive decline and other symptoms associated with the disease. Treatments for the condition, however, are becoming ever more effective targeting different aspects of the disease. The determination of researchers to develop treatments to reduce the burden of the disease in sufferers, is encouraging for the future of Alzheimer’s disease.

The 21st September 2017 is world Alzheimer’s day. For more information about Alzheimer’s Disease and to find out how you can help combat this illness visit the Alzheimer’s Society here.

 

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

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The United Nations marks today, the 16th September, as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. In the 1970’s scientists discovered that the ozone layer was under threat from certain gases, such as chlorine and bromine, which had accumulated in the atmosphere. Then, in the 1980’s, a “hole” was discovered in the ozone layer above Antarctica – the region of the earth’s atmosphere which had suffered the severest ozone depletion. Read our fact sheet below for more information on the ozone layer and why the 16th September is such an important date.

Visit www.ozoneheroes.org to learn more about the ozone layer and become an ozone hero!

The Great British Beach Clean

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This weekend, thousands of people will head to the beaches of Britain to take part in The Great British Beach Clean. The yearly event, organised by the Marine Conservation Society, aims to make beaches a cleaner and safer place for people and wildlife alike. The waste and litter in our seas and on our beaches is a constant threat to marine wildlife, with many species becoming entangled in litter or mistaking small pieces of rubbish for food.

By taking part in the Beach Clean, as well as tidying our coastline, you are also contributing to a national survey, Beach Watch, which provides vital data on the state of marine litter in the UK. The results from this survey help to identify which issues need to be most urgently addressed and raises awareness of the consequences of not properly disposing of your rubbish. Last year saw a decline in the number of plastic carrier bags found on beaches (thanks to that 5p charge at the checkout!), but the amounts of other waste, such as balloon pieces, drinks containers and wet wipes continues to rise.

The 2016 Beach Clean saw more than 6000 volunteers help clean 364 beaches. If you live near a beach and want to help keep our coast beautiful and make it a safer place for people and marine life, then click here to find your local Great British Beach Clean Event and get involved!

International Women in Engineering Day #INWED17

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At Newcastle University, we are proud to support our female engineers throughout their studies and their careers with us. Today we are featuring some profiles of our current students and staff and sharing their thoughts about being a woman in engineering in 2017.

Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts

I did a national engineering scheme at school, there were five of us paired with British Aerospace, a local company, in lower sixth form. We made a plastic aeroplane and all the electrical and mechanical components, it was a great experience.

I ended up going to Cambridge to do Geography as I love learning about how things work, but when looking at careers I realised that I didn’t want to end up in London doing finance or management in the water industry, so I decided to do an MSc in Water Resources Systems Engineering at Newcastle University. Then I stayed on to do a PhD and the rest, as they say, is history.

I think that the greatest engineering challenge of the future is around climate adaptation – building low carbon cities and adapting to heat and weather extremes.

Engineering is crucial for everyone, we need to build infrastructure systems and buildings for the modern world, and design new systems to cope with our ever changing climate and extreme weather events. We need young people with bright ideas. Don’t believe that it’s only men who can do engineering, some of the best and most inventive engineers out there are women.

Irma Yeginbayeva, PhD Student in Marine Technology

When I was a teenager I used to watch my father repair his car and children’s bicycles. I guess that is the time when I first learned to use tools and other equipment and that planted the first seeds of interest in engineering.

Reflecting back to my skills and capabilities, which I have developed during my research project, I really see myself in academia. I try not to hinder myself professionally or gender wise.

As a person working towards sustainable shipping, I fully understand the reasons behind extensive research carried out to reduce carbon emissions and promote green energy. Reduction of greenhouse gases should be the most important thing on the agenda, especially if you think about the world’s population will grow by two billion over the next two decades.

As a female in engineering, I can see the trend of male dominance is fading. There are plenty of organisations and societies there to help and motivate women to overcome the challenges faced as a female engineer.

Goksu Kandemir, MSc Biomedical Engineering

I had a physics teacher who encouraged me to be an engineer. He helped me to discover my talents and interests. The feedback I received from my high school teachers, supervisors and my family helped me to see what I can achieve and what I want in life.

I believe that Newcastle University supports the students both academically and socially very effectively, by giving them the chance to experience things that they have not experienced before.

Do not give up if someone tells you that you cannot be an engineer just because you are a girl. If you want to be an engineer and if you think that it will make you happy, then I can guarantee that you will prove these people wrong.

Lijuan Xia, PhD Student, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

I’ve been interested in engineering since high school, I always liked physics lessons. I was so into how Steve Jobs created the iPod, iPhone and iPad during the last decade, this was the trigger for me to step into the engineering industry.

My final goal is to start up my own engineering company which will produce biomedical products to make a different in the world.

I would advise any young girls thinking about becoming an engineer to think hard, talk to smart people and keep your heart open for feedback.

Jenny Olsen, BEng Mechanical Engineering

I chose Mechanical Engineering as I wanted to study a degree that covered lots of different areas. I’m really interested in Bio-Mechanical Engineering, but I’m also a big motor sport fan – studying Mechanical Engineering allowed me to pursue many things I was interested in whilst also keeping my career options open.

Mechanical Engineering is a very diverse subject and you learn a lot of practical skills which are not only relevant to the course but really useful for everyday life. I’ve really enjoyed studying Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle, it’s been a challenge, but definitely worthwhile! I’ve learned so many practical skills that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise and made some great friends.

My advice to any girls who are thinking about engineering as possible career would be don’t be afraid to get things wrong, be confident and ask questions!

Happy Birthday Sir David Attenborough!

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Today is Sir David Attenborough’s 91st birthday. To celebrate, we’ve written a poem looking back at his extraordinary life and hoping that someday we can follow in his footsteps.

Born in London in 1926,
He’s since won the hearts of all the Brits.
David didn’t always know all about the wild,
But his interest was sparked as a young child.
In fact, he was very much in the dark,
Until that thrilling day at Bradgate Park
When he discovered his first fossil,
Which led to a future so colossal.

In the 1950s came David’s first TV show,0e8396605fcd34cdf9f9c8d11c909679
All over the world, the team would go.
The programme was called zoo quest,
And today may have caused a protest
As it saw David catching animals for London zoo
Anteaters, chimps and rare birds too.

David soon stopped taking  these creatures
And helped conserve their wonderful features.
He showed us the magical Great Barrier Reef
And little ants that cut up and carry a leaf
To feed it to something big and fungal.
He also took us into the depths of the jungle
To see the great apes and what a thriller,
When he cuddled that huge gorilla!

David searched for a dragon on the isle of Komodo
And uncovered the secrets of the extinct dodo.
He took us to the arctic for polar bears in the snow
And in the dark showed us worms that glow.
And who can forget that time in the cave,
When a bat flew into the face or Sir Dave.

pervianfrogLook at all the species named after you,
A dragonfly, Peruvian frog and echidna too,
There’s also the goblin spider and Namibian lizard,
David Attenborough- a true ecological wizard.
Then there’s Boaty McBoat Face – what a boat,
Now named for you, lets hope it forever floats.

From showing us delightful animals on screen,
To being knighted by the Queen.
You’ve travelled the breadth of the Earth,
Now let’s celebrate the day of your birth.
So let’s have a slice of birthday battenberg,
Here’s to you Sir David Attenborough!

International Girls in ICT Day 2017

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There is a huge shortfall of ICT professionals worldwide, with many companies looking to increase the number of women working for them. However, many girls don’t even consider a career in ICT. We decided to celebrate some influential women in ICT from the times computers were invented to now.

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace

Ada was an English Mathematician who worked on the ‘Analytical Engine’, one of the first designs for modern computers.  She recognised that computers could do a lot more than was previously thought and designed the first algorithm that could be carried out by computers. She is often called the first computer programmer for designing this.

Joan Elisabeth Lowther Murray

joan-clarke1

 

Joan was an English cryptanalyst (analysing information systems to breach cryptographic security systems) who is best known for her work as a code breaker at Bletchley Park during World War II. She worked on the Enigma project, which cracked the German system of encoding their messages and led to WWII being much shorter and saving thousands of lives. The Enigma project was a very early form of ICT.

Grace Hopper

grace-hopper

Grace was an American Computer Scientist and a United States Navy Rear Admiral. She was the first person to develop a compiler, despite being told by many people that it would never work. A compiler is a programme that changes what you write on a computer into a language that can be understood by the computer. This allows computers to work with words rather than just numbers as was previously done. There is now a yearly Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, giving women in computer science a chance to share their research.

Anita Borg

anita

Working as a computer scientist  she developed ways to analyse high speed memory systems in computers. She founded Systers, a network for women in technology, and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. In 1997, she founded the Institute for Women and Technology (now the Anita Borg Institute), to increase the number of women in technology and their impact on the world.

Marissa Mayer

marissa

She joined Google as employee number 20 and as their first female engineer after studying computer science at university. She oversaw the layout of Google’s home page and became Vice President of search products and user experience. In 2012 she became president and CEO of Yahoo! and led them to buy Tumblr in 2013.

Earth Day 2017

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It’s the planet that we live on and home to 7 billion people as well as billions of plants and animals. But with climate change and other issues such as pollution, we need to do more to look after our home. Earth Day gives the opportunity to come together and work toward a greener future, showing support for the environment. earth-day

Why is it important?

Humans are using resources at an alarmingly fast rate, currently using more resources than the Earth can produce. Today humans use 1.5 planets’ worth of resources every year!

Climate change is a huge problem for the future of our planet. It will lead to things like increased sea level and flooding, drought, and a rise in temperature. This will make it more difficult for plants and animals to survive and hence humans. Scientists agree that we can reduce the impacts of climate change, but we need to act as fast as we can.

There are lots of other environmental issues such as deforestation, pollution and ocean acidification that are affecting the environment.  These problems can lead to a loss in the number of animal and plant species causing the Earth to have reduced biodiversity (the number of species). Lots of plants and animals are interlinked in food chains, so losing one can have a knock on effect on other species. Biodiversity is vital to our survival, for supporting the ecosystem, finding things like new medicines and for providing humans with lots of raw materials.

coral

How can we help?

There are lots of things we can do to reduce our footprint on the Earth. These are just some things you could try and do:

  1. Shop for locally sourced produce
  2. Eat food that is in season
  3. Eat less meat
  4. Bring your own shopping bags
  5. Use a reusable water bottle rather than bottled water
  6. Don’t drive if there is an alternative
  7. Take holidays closer to home
  8. Recycle
  9. Use energy saving lights
  10. Unplug your electronics when not in use
  11. Plant a tree
  12. Use a reusable coffee cup

 

STEM on Tour: Hong Kong!

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Recently myself and my fellow STEM Graduate Ambassadors, Ellie and Will, were lucky enough travel to Hong Kong to take part in the British Council organised Science Alive Festival at the HK Science Museum. As the festival’s theme this year was This Pale Blue Dot – we also took two Earth Science students, Hannah and Elizabeth.

Will, Elizabeth, Clare, Hannah and Ellie at the Hong Kong Science Museum

To take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity we also reached out to some schools with the help of Anthea, Newcastle’s Hong Kong Recruitment Manager. With 20 STEM workshops booked in, we took to the skies with our bags packed with as much kit as we could carry including a drill, over 20 metres of rope and a dinosaur costume.

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Hannah and Elizabeth delivering our Thinking Like a Scientist workshop

During the first three days, our time was spread amongst seven schools. We were delighted to see how bright and engaged the children were throughout our workshops, particularly in the primary schools. Each school was extremely welcoming, many of them gave us banners with their school logo on and other gifts. The Vice Principal of one school even took us to a nearby bakery after the visit to treat us to a local delicacy – a warm egg tart.

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Elizabeth science busking

The weekend snuck up on us and before we knew it we were performing our science show: The Story of Earth, at the Science Alive festival. I was setting Will on fire (don’t worry, it didn’t hurt him although I did actually singe his arm hair at one point) and Ellie was freezing flowers with liquid nitrogen. Meanwhile Hannah and Elizabeth were science busking; entertaining and educating children with science demonstrations.

The Story of Earth Show

We also ran training workshops for teachers. We taught primary school teachers how to think outside the box to raise aspirations and teach science in a more interactive and fun way. At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, we trained the students on good science communication practices, from science busking to written texts. We explained how they could simplify their language to make their research more accessible and easy to understand.

Ellie in her element at the beach on the HKUST campus
Ellie in her element at the beach on the HKUST campus

During our ten days in Hong Kong we had an absolute blast, educating thousands of children and adults and learning all about their culture and styles of teaching. From bursting a 3-foot confetti-filled balloon to teaching children how to make honeycomb, from visiting the highest bar in the world to seeing 10,000 Buddha statues in one room, it was an unforgettable experience.

The 10,000 Buddhas Monastery
The 10,000 Buddhas Monastery

We feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to share our activities with another part of the world and hope next year’s team will be able to have a similar adventure.

View of Hong Kong Island from the Star Ferry
View of Hong Kong Island from the Star Ferry

Exoplanet discovery

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Recently NASA have found the TRAPPIST-1 Solar System (named after the TRAnsmitting Planets and Plantisemals I Small Telescope). It is 40 light years away in the constellation of Aquarius and has seven Earth size Exoplanets (planets that orbit a star that isn’t the Sun) that have the potential to support life.

This is a big discovery as it is the largest amount of Earth sized planets ever found around a single star and it might help in the search for life on other planets. trappist

How did they find the TRAPPIST-1 Solar System?

  • The Star in the centre of the solar system glows brightest in infra-red light which can’t be detected by the human eye
  • The infra red light was detected by an infra red telescope called the Spitzer. This telescope is in space and follows the orbit of the Earth.
  • The radiation (light) detected from the TRAPPIST-1 star would periodically dim and then brighten again; this could show that a planet could be passing in front of the star.
  • The dips in light were not always the same amount, showing that there were actually seven exoplanets orbiting the star.
  • NASA used the dips in radiation to calculate the size of each planet in the solar system.
  • Space in between the dips in radiation means they can work out how it takes for a planet to orbit the star.
  • The planets were found to be very close together with orbits that interfere with each other due to gravity.
  • They used the estimated size of the planets to work out what the density of each planet is, to work out what the planet might be made of.
  • All seven planets may be suitable of supporting liquid water, with three in the habitable zone capable of having oceans.
spitzer
The Spitzer Telescope

What next?

It’s really rare to find this many planets that may support life in one solar system so its important to find out more about them. NASA are going to use transmission spectroscopy to study the composition of the seven exoplanets. This is a technique that gives information about the chemical composition of a planet and whether a planet has an atmosphere.

They are using more telescopes to study some of the other ultracool dwarf stars (like TRAPPIST-1), to see if they also have exoplanets that could support life.