Science Metropolis – Boston

Artist’s conception of the Dark Ages Lunar Interferometer, with a simulated sky showing what it will observe. Credit: Naval Research Laboratory

Scientists and engineers selected by NASA are designing a radio telescope destined for the far side of the Moon. The telescope will listen for echos from the “Dark Ages,” the period of time before the formation of the stars. The challenge for the team, made up of representatives from the Naval Research Laboratory and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is designing a telescope that can cope with the conditions on the Moon. Eva Zadeh has the story:

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This is the first episode of MetroLAB with Eva Zadeh: A series of short audio pieces that will drag you inside the labs of the Boston area. You’ll lean about the experiments upon which scientists scratch their heads, and the questions they still need to answer in the fields ranging from neurosciences to particle physics.

Andrew Bouley wraps his right knee with an ace bandage and gently lays an ice pack on top. He hopes he won’t be in too much pain come Monday morning, when he and over 200 other participants will run the Boston Marathon to raise money for the American Liver Foundation.

The Boston Marathon is considered one of the most prestigious road races in America, and competitors must qualify in order to enter. But for amateur runners and marathon first timers like Bouley, a 23-year old Brighton resident who has been training for less than six months, there is another option: do it for charity.

This year, teams representing 24 Boston charities will take their marks on the starting line in Hopkinton, Mass. Ten of these teams, including the group from the American Liver Foundation, will compete in the name of science. “I knew I wanted to run for a science or research-related charity,” said Bouley. “The American Liver Foundation accepted my application, so I went with them.”

Twenty years ago, five male runners got their participant numbers from the mayor’s office and together raised $5000 for the American Liver Foundation. The team has grown each year, and today boasts 248 runners that have pledged to raise more than $1 million. To date, marathoners have raised more than $11 million for the charity. “The Boston Marathon is by far the largest fundraising program for the American Liver Foundation nationwide,” said Laura Dempsey, a spokesperson for the foundation.

Each runner must raise at least $3000 to compete in the marathon. Bouley quickly figured out that donations from family and friends, while generous, would not be enough. So he got creative. With the help from pastry-savvy friends and coworkers, Bouley stocked a conference room with baked goods and hoped his colleagues liked dessert enough to help him reach his goal. “Whatever I didn’t sell in the conference room, I put on a cart and walked around with for the rest of the afternoon,” Bouley explained. People bought the treats for the suggested prices, but often threw in a few extra dollars. In the end, the bake sale raked in over $600.

Bouley also set up an office pool, where bidders filled out squares based on when they think he will cross the finish line, right down to the minute. “I don’t think it will raise very much money,” said Bouley, but he is glad that everyone has gotten involved. “I update them with time stats and injury reports, and they bet accordingly,” he joked. “Some guy even made his own square that says ‘Does not finish.’”

But Bouley intends to finish, both because it has always been a personal goal of his, and because he has made physical and personal sacrifices to train for the event. He pushes aside other activities, like skiing and going out with friends, to focus on running. The American Liver Foundation offers its runners a free training program, and they get together on Saturday mornings to run together. They recently completed a 21-mile run along the marathon course, stopping just after Heartbreak Hill, the most notorious leg of the race.

The charity also gives its runners the option of meeting patients with liver disease, which Bouley says is a good source of motivation. “My knees might hurt, but some of these people are dying,” he said solemnly. Dempsey adds that it is a “terrific part of the program, because it gives the runners a face to put with the cause.”

The American Liver Foundation holds a reunion party a few weeks after the race, to congratulate the runners and give them a chance to exchange stories and experiences. But Bouley sums up his own post-marathon plans in one word: “Rest.”

To help Bouley reach his $3,500 goal, visit Andrew Bouley’s Fundraising Page.

Story by Lauren Rugani. Photo by Austin Cho.

After this week, my roommate is done with mice. She could handle watching a mouse pup crawl, soaking wet, out of the kitchen sink (she was just glad she didn’t turn on the garbage disposal). She was o.k. when the glue traps scattered across our apartment started filling with squeaking captives. But when a mouse stole the spoon and feed for her sea monkeys at 2 o’clock in the morning, my roommate broke. It’s war in our apartment now, and no form of pest control will be ruled out.

Although our location in Allston’s “student ghetto” could be blamed for our mouse problem, Boston does have a reputation for its rodents – scoring number 3 in the New York Times’ 2007 Rodent Risk Assessment. Numbers on the extent of the city’s infestation are difficult to find, although research by public health experts studying the relationship between asthma and pests have found high percentages of affected households.

Mice and Boston are also linked by research studies conducted on the creatures over the years. A quick Google search won’t bring up advertisements for pest control, but a press release for Boston College biologists who’ve built a better model for mouse cancer and articles such as “autism-like disorder reversed in mice.”

With a mouse problem in the apartment, it’s easy to forget their contributions to science. Instead, we’re experimenting with ways to manage our pests. Unfortunately, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health Website, as long as we eat, we’ll probably have mice. Aside from their insect-like abilities to crawl up walls, jump as high as 13 inches, and reproduce every three weeks – they can survive on very little food for long periods of time. When a meal is available, whether from a trash bag left overnight or a few crumbs on the counter, you can expect to find evidence of their rummaging come morning.

If cleaning the kitchen isn’t enough, then our best bet is “population reduction.” Earlier this year, we tried live traps that looked like big $15 condos for rodents. These worked really well. But, getting the mice out of the trap was difficult, as they were often too scared to leave. When money became an issue, we switched to the cheap glue traps. Despite being inhumane and illegal in some countries, they work. A good tip is to not fold them up as pictured above, leave them flat and in a place you know mice have been. Also, try not to touch any trap too much and place them with latex gloves – mice can smell humans.

If our glue trap strategy doesn’t work, other options include snap traps, poison and home remedies like peppermint and onions. Other advice is to control how mice get in and out of living spaces. Since we live in a 4th floor rental apartment, we have little control over the maintenance of our building (the multiple citations for dumpster overflow taped to the front door signals the kind of neglect students here endure). If our rodent problem continues, we can leave a hundred messages for maintenance or call a local “animal removal” service like Massachusetts Pest Control. Hopefully, for my roommate’s sake, the mice will learn of this plan and make a hasty retreat.

WGBH filmmakers, Harvard doctors, and people affected by cancer gathered last Thursday night at the Coolidge Corner Theater for what eventually became the equivalent of a scientific town meeting. It began as a free sneak preview of “The Truth About Cancer,” a 90-minute documentary to premier on PBS this Wednesday, April 16, but the film’s intensity, combined with primarily Boston-based interview subjects, (most of whom were in the audience), fueled a post-screening Q & A with writer/director/producer Linda Garmon that allowed a serious discussion on the state of cancer research to transpire between Ph.Ds and non-scientists.

Due to the amount of discussion dedicated to illness and death, a grief counselor was available at the screening for audience members, and rightly so. According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 1.3 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, a puny number compared to how many more are touched by the disease. It doesn’t just take lives; it rattles patients and their families about until they are good and bloodied. The power of “The Truth About Cancer” is that it doesn’t focus on the science or statistics, it’s about the people. Garmon, who lost her husband Larry in 2001 to mesothelioma, a rare cancer linked to asbestos exposure, uses the film to weave his story into interviews with experts and current patients to find out where cancer treatment is today.

There is no mysticism in Garmon’s documentary, and she stated quite clearly at the Q & A that she believes in science. Unfortunately, science can be cold. A truth that emerges in the film is the failure of Nixon’s war on cancer. The next federal goal is to end death and suffering by cancer by 2015. Another insight is that clinical trials may not always benefit current patients because they require many mistakes before they are effective. Even more shocking, nine out of ten of these trials will fail. We also don’t know enough about cancer prevention. At the moment, even the most healthy individual can succumb to the disease. “The truth about cancer,” says Garmon in arguably the film’s most memorable line, “is you can follow all the rules and just have damned bad luck.”

The doctors featured in the film, all who saw it for the first time on Thursday, shared similar sentiments. “Modern cancer care never discusses that you don’t win very often,” says Dr. George Demetri of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the film. “It’s very American to think you can control your destiny, but when it comes to cancer, it’s all biology.” When asked about his response to the documentary during the Q & A, Dr. Gregory Ryan, a GI specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital replied, “This is torture to go through it a second time. To watch a person dying is not my thing, but there is nothing better than helping someone who needs help.”

“The Truth About Cancer” can be viewed on the PBS Website for the next 7 years. In addition to being a well-crafted documentary, the film is an effective tool to learn about the science of cancer. Not only is the information easy to understand, it is kept relevant to the stories. (Part of this research was done by Karen Rowan, an intern on the film and a Boston University science journalism alumna. Nice Job.)

Over 4.2 million YouTube visitors have heard the hum of BigDog. The “alpha male” of Boston Dynamic’s family of robots, touted by the Massachusetts-based engineering company as “the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth” is amazing and creeping out the nearly 7,700 people who have commented on the video (posted below).

Dynamic’s robot program is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and at least one viewer was impressed with their investment. nexusnew, a YouTuber from Poland writes “America’s Army RULEZ!!!!” Badgerius, an Australian, is a bit more cautious, “They are still grappling with the highly advanced engineering and robotics in order to make something like this. We all want robots slaves, but geez, show some patience…”

Many comments were made about BigDog’s appearance – a dark, headless half-insect, half-dog. The robot, 3 feet long, 2 feet wide and 165 lbs, was designed to be roughly the size of a large dog or small mule. According to Boston Dynamics, it can run 4 mph, climb slopes up to 35 degrees, walk across rubble, and carry a 340 lb load. While most viewers find BigDog spooky or something straight out of a video game, others like CassandraTroy are channeling their inner-engineer, “How come the front legs are on backwards? Does this really help with stability and are there any examples of this kind of body design in nature?”

People are also curious about the loud hum. Airtimia, also from Poland, writes, “I think that this sound is generated by some little power generator, because when the robot is in the hall and it has external power source the sound is gone.” While a video like this can show off the latest in technology, it also seems to inspire scientific thinking.

Some commentators are exploring the political and moral implications of BigDog. While not always informed, they seem to represent members of the population who fear that science isn’t always used for “good.” “You guys are crazy. WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE! There will be no stopping the war machine if leaders no longer need to weigh their choices against the loss of human life. Jesus Christ, it’s awful! Science is out of control if all it cares about is obtaining military contracts,” writes GregStuartSmith, an American.

Noasking, a 17-year-old, is a bit more enlightened. He comments on the potential benefits BigDog could have. “Its to save extra soldiers from having to go out into the field and possibly sacrificing their lives,” he writes. “not only that, but if anything, this would be a supply and cargo robot.”

The BigDog video is now the top favorite of all time in You Tube’s Science and Technology category. Do people finding it interesting because it just looks cool? Or is it tapping into something bigger – an excitement and possible fear over what we can engineer and what’s to come.

A special look at science news in the Boston Globe spanning the past 10 years. See where the trends began as well as what scientists got right and wrong.

April 12, 1998 – Alternative Medicine Goes Mainstream
Investors begin to cash in on the alternative medicine industry, at the time worth $20 billion a year. Despite concerns holistic practices like acupuncture and homeopathy were nothing more than quackery, Americans flocked to alternative practitioners, leading business-minded individuals to see profitable opportunities.

April 11, 1999 – Barndoor Skate Threatened With Extinction
Don’t worry, the barndoor skate, a sting-ray like saltwater fish native to the Atlantic Ocean still isn’t extinct, but in 1999, overfishing was ensuring their quick decline. Conservation efforts were quickly enforced and the barndoor skate lives comfortably endangered today.

April 10, 2000 – IBM Develops Copper Superchips
IBM began production of copper-based chips (as opposed to aluminum) in hopes of making computer and mobile circuits faster and smaller. This enhancement was predicted to catch on throughout the chip industry and help pave the way for pocket-sized devices.

April 12, 2001 - Hopes For Space Unfulfilled
Journalist David Chandler laments the slowing space race: No man on Mars, no lunar space base and an international space station threatened with cutbacks. As missions became increasingly expensive, NASA learned how to do more with less money. The agency is still pinching pennies, but at least today we have a (Canadian) robot in space.

April 11, 2002 - Bush Backs Human Cloning Ban
President Bush gathered antiabortion activists, evangelical Christians, and social conservatives at the White House to endorse their campaign to enact a federal ban on human cloning for both reproduction and medical research. “As we seek what is possible, we must always ask what is right, and we must not forget that even the most noble ends do not justify any means,” Bush said.

April 6, 2003 – SARS Epidemic Taking Emotional Toll
People in Hong Kong and Singapore, the epicenter of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, speak about the anxiety and isolation resulting from the disease. In the heat of the epidemic, schools were closed, people stopped taking public transportation, weddings were postponed and concerts canceled.

April 6, 2004 – Drinking Can Be Good For You
Years of epidemiological studies examining tens of thousands of patient records reveal a link between moderate drinking and better health. Despite a gold-standard study – a randomized, double-blind test, giving some people a placebo and others an alcoholic punch – many scientists accept this conclusion.

April 11, 2005 – Imaging Technology Uses Firefly Genes to See Cancer
A $300,000 machine, made by Xenogen Corp., a California company, was part of a new wave of imaging technology that gave researchers a way to see diseases as they unfold in a living animal and determine whether newly discovered drugs would be effective weapons against them.

April 10, 2006 – Electrically Powered Glasses May Offer Alternative to Bifocals
Researchers developed a pair of electrically powered glasses that can refocus with the push of a switch, negating the need for two different lenses. The researchers said the glasses, which change from one setting to the other in less than a second, would eventually be more comfortable and effective than bifocals.

April 11, 2007 - Bush’s Alternative Fuel Plan
In an effort to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign oil by 20 percent by 2017, the Bush administration unveiled the first-ever national goals for increasing the use of alternative fuels in cars and trucks, but environmental groups said the plan could do more harm than good.

April 8, 2008 - ‘Blank’ Stem Cells
“Reprogrammed” stem cells were demonstrated to dramatically improve neurodegenerative disease in rats, giving those who oppose stem cell research reason to celebrate. However, there are concerns that “reprogrammed” cells, which can be taken from adults, might increase the risk of cancer for potential donors, an argument to continue research on alternative methods.