Leicester Grammar School's

Leicester Grammar School’s Refeezing the Arctic An article discussing the plausibility of refreezing the Arctic to combat Climate Change — Page 4 Left-Handed genes An article that discusses the discovery of a genetic marker for left-handedness — Page 8 More inside... ISSUE 7 ADVENT TERM 2019 1 A Message from the Team: This academic year marks a change in the editorial team for our school’s Young Scientist Journal (YSJ) as the previous year 12 team have taken over from the departing year 13s as “ they have embarked on the next stage of their education. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Marcus and Zain not only for their dedication and hard work in sustaining the YSJ ethos, but for also guiding us through this transition. Looking to the future, LGS YSJ looks to focus at attracting and fostering the interest of science in all years. We would like to get more people involved with the journal, especially from the younger years. The team is also looking for more people to help compose articles; whether that be keen photographers to take photos for backgrounds or covers, or IT and Publishing experts who could help us refresh the journal’s layout and design. A reminder to all budding scientists throughout the school of all ages that any input, whether that be writing an article or helping to design the layout of the magazine, is much appreciated and valued. If you would like to get involved, then please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] or come and speak to any members of the team. This issue sees a wide range of topics from refreezing the Arctic to look at the genetics of being left-handed (to name a few). The LGS Editorial Team: Nazir Sirajudeen/Tejas Easwar — Chief Editors Writers: Teachers: Oscar Schwabe Mr Reeves Nishika Bhatt Dr Griffin Owen Wilson Nazir Sirajudeen Jatin Naidu Daniel Bennett Tejas Easwar 2 2 Articles in this issue: Who are We? We are a collection of Leicester Grammar 4 — Refreezing the Arctic School students who have come together to produce a variety of pieces of writing about the world of STEM. As a school, we have become a hub for the Young Scientists 5 — I’ll Sleep on it Journal, an international peer-review written and edited entirely by young people. 8 — Discovery of Genes related to Left-handedness Contact Us Anyone interested in joining the YSJ to help 10 — Can Phage Therapy Replace to write, edit and publish is more than Antibiotics? welcome to meet us at our meetings during lunchtimes (specific details will be in the daily notices). We welcome submissions from all year groups on any scientifically- 12 — Does Melanin Really related topic; so come along to a meeting or Protect Our Skin Against Cancer? email us at: [email protected] 14 — Food for Thought See more of the Young Scientists Journal at: ysjournal.com 16 — Flying Through Life Or follow us on social media: @YSJournal Young Scientists Journal @LGS_Senior 3 3 Refreezing the Arctic Oscar Schwabe discusses the method of refreezing the Arctic to combat global warming The Arctic is in crisis; it is warming faster than any Other proposals include seeding clouds over the Arctic other part of the world. Arctic sea ice has shrunk by sea, reflecting more sunlight or spreading reflective 1.07x106 km per decade since 1979 and this causes the particles over the ice, essentially making it whiter and albedo effect (reflectivity) to drop significantly as ice is more reflective. The effect that these particles have on much more reflective than the sea. This loss of ice has wildlife would of course have to be seriously the same warming effect as many years of human CO2 considered. emissions. According to Dr Hugh Hunt, from the It is clear that there is not yet a fully formed solution Cambridge Department of Engineering, a transition to to the problem. What is clear is that drastic action is a lower emission way of life is simply not enough. To needed in all areas of society to reduce greenhouse think that by driving electric cars, eating less meat and gas emissions and it is vital that this is not neglected flying less is sufficient, would be to totally such that we are relying on a miraculous yet sadly non misunderstand the seriousness of the problem. -existent geoengineering solution! It is for this reason that geoengineering methods to Oscar Schwabe refreeze the Arctic sea ice are being considered. A team from Arizona State University propose the installation of 10 million wind turbine powered pumps Bibliography on the Arctic sea ice. These would pump large volumes of sea water onto the ice during the winter, producing United Nations, Global Issues: Climate Change https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate- a much thicker ice sheet. They say that adding 1 metre change/ to the thickness of the ice would significantly increase the time it takes to melt during the summer. Installation in the early 2030s would return the ice cap University of Cambridge, Refreezing the Arctic back to the state it is now, rather than the totally ice- https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/refreezing-the-arctic free summers predicted. However, the scale of the Science Alert project is staggering; they estimate that to deploy https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-announced- these pumps over the entire Arctic ocean would a-plan-to-refreeze-the-arctic-and-it-s-wild require 100 million pumps and 100 million tons of steel per year during the construction – greater than the annual steel production of the US. Producing this New Scientist, Articles, Refreezing the Arctic would of course have a significant environmental https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332450-700- impact in the extraction of materials and the refreezing-the-arctic-how-to-bring-the-ice-back-with- manufacturing. geoengineering/ 4 I’ll sleep on it Nishika Bhatt discusses the symbiotic relationship between depression and sleep It comes as no surprise that sleep and mental common types of depression can be categorised health fall hand in hand. Your mind plays a as: mammoth role during sleep; coordinating the subconscious, painting dreams, and most Major depression- the most common importantly, keeping you alive. The problem depression that fits the stereotype we arises when the mind is in a state of poor mental associate with depression. Patients feel health. As sleep deprivation deteriorates your detached from reality and lose interest and psychological state, your psychological state can enthusiasm for the things they used to take enhance your sleep disorders and so a person gets pleasure in. This may be a result of an event stuck in a viscous cycle that only worsens with or change in a person’s life. A very common time. In fact, people with mental health problems symptom for major depression is trouble are more prone to developing sleep disorders such falling asleep or excessively sleeping and as insomnia. Chronic sleep problems affect 50- being unable to physically leave the bed. 80% of typical psychiatric practice compared to the national figure of a reported 22% in the Persistent depressive disorder- formerly general population. Fittingly, this survey was known as “dysthymia” this depression carried out by the Mental Health Foundation with refers to a prolonged period of depression the aim to raise awareness of the importance of that spans over a long period of time but sleep for physical and mental wellbeing. does not feel as climatic nor intense as Major Depression. This form of depression One of the worst affected groups of people are is often linked with a wavering sleep those who are depressed. pattern lacking in regularity as the person’s ability to live with such prolonged depression causes their mental health to plummet. Bipolar disorder- although commonly seen as another mental illness in itself, bipolar patients tend to experience frequent intense episodes of depression. This disorder was actually previously referred to as “manic-depressive disease”. Unlike the conventional red flags that indicate Depression is a very common mental health depression, bipolar patients tend to show disorder found across all ages groups on a global characteristics of requiring little to no sleep scale. Found more commonly in men than and often hyperactivity. These episodes women, depression has claimed the lives of many often end abruptly and result in extreme individuals every year from what started off as an fatigue and a period of depression innocent bad day. Whilst depression is never experienced in the Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) - This rather same way from patient to patient and is seldom unknown yet surprisingly common form or textbook, there are ways of categorizing it in order depression emerges as days get shorter and to consider a likely prognosis. The four most nights get longer. The phrase “September 5 blues” alludes to this general feeling of low between where someone has low lying depression mood felt nationwide. People experiencing as opposed to someone feeling miserable are SAD often find it difficult to fall asleep questionable. Given this, psychiatrists often find it during these long, dark periods. difficult to judge whether the sleep disorder arose Though there are many symptoms that overlap from a mental health disorder such as depression across the various forms of depression, all of them or whether it is something else entirely. are strongly affiliated with sleep. This common Furthermore, was it that the sleep disorder arose denominator between the different types of from the poor mental health or vice versa? These depression makes people with depression are common dilemmas faced my psychiatrists and particularly susceptible to a sleeping disorder.

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