In this issue, you’ll find papers on a wide variety of topics, from an investigation of cystic fibrosis to the potential benefits of music and sound for mental health and memory. We are excited to share these wonderful studies with you and to continue to platform young scientists from Canada and beyond. Happy reading!
by Becca Barbera
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the diffusion coefficient of Pu3+ through MX-80 clay, alongside the interference of the SR-270-PW brine solution of sedimentary rock formations. This study has many valuable applications and provides nuclear waste management organizations with specific data regarding location and storage methods, which will both ensure public protection and support clean-energy production.
by Medara Akpan
Did you know that fish and plants could feed the planet while protecting the environment? Aquaponics is a method of agriculture where the fish and the plants help each other grow by recycling Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) in the water. This experiment aims to show which plant species grows the most rapidly in a home indoor aquaponics system. I hypothesized that if I grew Kale, Basil, and Radish microgreen seeds, then Kale will have better growth results over the same period, as research has shown Kale is the most tolerant to different environments.
by Naila Moloo
Spending too much time on a phone is correlated with depression, anxiety, and an increase in diseases like diabetes and cancer. Youth spend hours on end on their phones, damaging their developing brains. Screen time can cause major damage to an area known as the insula, which is involved in our capacity to know empathy and compassion for others. To address this issue, an intervention was created to reduce screen time in middle school students by designing a sticker to go on the back of a cellphone.
by Rowan Parkinson
A binaural beat is the perception of a frequency difference between the sound waves entering the left and right ear. For example, if the left ear registers a tone of 25 Hz and the right ear registers a tone of 45 Hz, the binaural beat is 20 Hz - the difference between the two frequencies. Several studies suggest that listening to binaural beats for a recommended period can affect a person's mood and sleep cycles. Studies have been contradictory, however, as to whether binaural beat stimulation can measurably affect concentration.
by Maya Achuthan
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare, chronic, progressive, and frequently fatal genetic disease of the body’s mucus glands. Although CF is a multi-organ and multi-system disease, it primarily affects the respiratory and digestive systems in children and young adults. Though there are many treatments for suppression of CF symptoms and disease progression, it is speculated that gene therapy may be the only cure. Given the disorder is monogenic (controlled by a single gene), this research explores the options, applications, and delivery of CF lung treatment via a CRISPR-Cas9 procedure.
by Christopher & Nicholas Kwok
Ocean acidification adversely shifts Earth's oceans towards pH-neutral conditions. The global crisis has left coral reefs unlivable, jeopardizing marine biodiversity and resulting in economic devastation. This study pioneers an ecological solution to ocean acidification. The research chemically modified enzymes in algae to mitigate ocean acidification by increasing pH, reversing the interconversion between carbon dioxide and water, and dissociating ions of carbonic acid. The experiments aimed to increase the hydrogenase enzymes with carotene and decrease the carbonic anhydrase enzymes with phytic acid and iron.
by Mary James
The Mermicorn was invented by Mary as a creative way to clearn up the oceans. She explains what her invention does, how it works, and why this issue matters to her.
In collaboration with Little Inventors
