Bring out your inner poet with a chance to win storage space on a lunar lander!
Bring out your inner poet with a chance to win storage space on a lunar lander!
Recent Articles
Investigating the mouse brain for sex differences
Gene dependent sex differences in the expression of the Kdm5d protein in SF-1 knockout and wild type mice
Genes located only on the Y chromosome are male specific and are thus not expressed in female cells, which results in gene dependent sex differences. One of the genes located on the Y chromosome and expressed only in male cells is Kdm5d. In our study, the hypothalamus was compared between female and male SF-1 KO, intact WT and gonadectomised WT mice to investigate the genetically and hormonally dependent differences between the expression of the protein encoded by the Kdm5d gene. Standard immunohistochemical staining on floating brain sections was used to visualize the Kdm5d protein and was further analysed under the microscope. Immunoexpression of Kdm5d protein was observed only in WT intact males, but was not detected in any other groups. This observation suggests that the expression of the Kdm5d protein is both genetically and hormonally conditioned. Further experiments with testosterone supplementation should be carried out to confirm our findings.
Young Scientists Journal’s new senior team, led by Chief Editor Michael Hofmann, presents its vision for the 2016/17 academic year.
The UK Space Design Competition (UKSDC) is light years ahead of your average after school science club. The challenge is open to all secondary students in the UK, inviting schools to recreate their own aerospace company and respond to a futuristic proposal for the relocation of a space colony. Throughout the year, the schools compete either at regional heats or in an online video competition, the winners of which attend the UK final at Imperial College London in March. Twelve students from the winning team will be invited to NASA to represent UK in the international final later during the summer. We’ve been lucky enough to catch up with some of the 2015-16 winners and technical volunteers to hear about their experiences.
NEW! A short video introduction to the world’s peer review science journal written, edited & produced by 12-20 year-olds.
We’re dedicating our next issue to the UK’s first ever official astronaut – Tim Peake! For this issue, we’re looking for people aged between 12 and 20 to contribute articles and more. Click for some information as to how you can get involved with our next issue.
The Brain and Its Frontal Lobes
In this article, Lisa (17) explores the brain and its frontal lobes.
Neuroscience is a relatively new field of study that explores the brain and the nervous system, the great controllers of our body. This article focuses on the frontal lobes of the brain, expatiating on its functions and how their dysfunction could give rise to various psychological disorders. It also deals with the history of interpretations about the brain, as well as technological modes through which scientists can now examine the brain — e.g. the MRI and the PET scan.
Young Scientists Journal Conference 2016 will be held at St Anne’s College, Oxford on 18th October 2016
The medicinal powers of honey
A bacteria busting game changer
Honey: sweet, delicious and great on toast! After proving a hit in our kitchen cupboards, honey is now making its way into our medicine cabinets too; next time you have a sore throat you may be reaching for the honey jar. This study looks at three different types of honey and their medicinal qualities against bacteria. Standard processed honey, unprocessed honey and medicinal grade Manuka honey all killed samples of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, proving all of these honeys to have antibacterial properties. The Manuka honey, however, had a greater antibacterial effect against both bacteria, suggesting that Manuka honey is the best for medicinal use.
In the recent decade, Virtual Reality (VR) has become more common through a range of systems including computer-powered head-mounted displays (HMDs) and smartphone-powered headsets. It has presented both designers and developers alike with a new field filled with unexplored potential. In this article, a new and inexpensive approach to VR is explored, allowing entry-level smartphones to run powerful computer-based VR experiences wirelessly through Bluetooth with relative high levels of performance. The project was recognised as a European and African Finalist in the Google Science Fair 2015.
In this article I will explain what RNAi is, the genetic mechanisms behind it and why it deserves the considerable attention it has been receiving. Expanding on these basic mechanisms, I will go onto explore some of the latest RNAi trials involving Huntington’s disease and cancer. I will highlight the complications associated with the treatment of these complex diseases and importantly, why RNAi is seen as a viable therapeutic pathway.
The decline in interest for science by the general public can be explained by the human tendency to perceive logarithimically rather than linearly. Science education can address this problem to alter the destiny of science.
In this article, I will explore the complexity of lung cancer and why it is classed as one of the most deadly cancers. As well as this, I will explain how different types of lung cancer are classified depending on the cells present in tumours and how the classification affects the treatment a patient is given. Furthermore, I will look at the current treatments for lung cancer and how they are used. And last but not least, I will explain what Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are and how they may be able to help scientists diagnose and treat lung cancer in the near future.
This paper explores and proposes a more efficient method for the synthesis of organic compounds using a technique of process intensification – condensing synthesis and purification into one step. Studies were conducted regarding the production of acetylsalicylic acid (more commonly known as Aspirin) and a hypothetical installation was designed. The results are of significance as they improve upon current production methods, can be used in the synthesis of many different chemicals and could have direct applications to chemical production on an industrial scale.
Transmission Electron Microscope
An Introduction
This article will be a primer on the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the TEM machine: its history, components and applications.
There are many parts of the modern world that seem to run on a strange type of magic – a sorcery based on doped silicates and rare earth metals. With a little attention, this magic looses it’s sheen and the sufficiently advanced technology behind it is revealed. In this article I will cover how some of the most fundamental parts of modern computing can be demystified.
Young Scientists Journal – the world’s peer review science journal written and edited exclusively by 12-20 year olds – held its second annual conference on 14 October 2015 at The King’s School, Canterbury. Around 250 students from more than 20 schools attended, with some even flying in from Ireland and Scotland.
In this report I am aiming to identify the extent to which artificial colourings affect behaviour. I aim to do this by looking at previous studies that have been conducted and by analysing them. I also aim to look at a brief history of artificial colourings. In the second half of the report I aim to look at how the impact artificial colourings have on behaviour could be reduced, this will be done by looking at methods that are currently in place throughout the world and by suggesting other methods hat could be used.
Artificial colours are one of the many different types of additives us, as humans come into contact with in our everyday lives. Artificial colours are mainly added to food products in order to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Artificial colourings are also used for many other reasons, for example in the fashion industry for dying clothes and in paint. A topic that has been in and out of the news worldwide many times and has been researched in great detail by scientists across the globe for many years is the topic of additives and their effects on behaviour and more importantly, artificial colours. Artificial colours that are found in food are just one of the many concerns of parents in the 21st century. This is because they have been lead to believe that artificial colours are a major causal factor of behavioural issues such as hyperactivity and aggression in children, and that they could also strongly influence a child with ADHD’s levels of hyperactivity and learning abilities. But, how much of this is true? To what extent do artificial colours have an effect on behaviour? Could this be reduced? Are there more suitable alternatives without sacrificing the vivid colours? Or could we completely eradicate the use of artificial colour in our everyday lives?
Is it morally Acceptable to Experiment Mainly on Non-Human Primates, Instead of Other Animals?
Is it morally Acceptable to Experiment Mainly on Non-Human Primates
Animal experimentation, which first started its origins in Greece, has been around in the world for a long time. One of the oldest examples of this was in 500BC, when a philosopher called Alcmaeon of Croton showed the function of the optic nerve by cutting through the optic nerves of live animals, which then resulted in them going blind [9]. Today, we take using animals, such as primates, in experiments for granted. In Europe, 10,000 experiments are carried out on primates, whereas in the USA alone, 60,000 experiments on primates occur [10]. This testing on primates provides people with new medicines and vaccines, which are then used to cure people, or even save lives. So, surely testing on primates can only be a good thing, since without them life expectancy in the world may not be as high as it is today and instead many humans could die? Recently, there has been news about how dolphins are being classified as non-human persons by scientists, due to the great features they possess, and it is leading to them not being in captivity. So, it may lead people to believe, that if primates also possess these qualities, surely making them endure experimentation is wrong [17]. I feel that it would be interesting to try and tackle this question, because it may help people in the world decide finally whether actually primates should be used as it is hugely debated thing in the world. My main objective of this article is to try and decide whether primates should be used and, if not, what the alternatives are. I chose this topic as I found it fascinating as well as important, since today many NHP’s (Non-Human Primates) are forced into enduring experiments which can sometimes be cruel and I personally felt, as if it would be interesting to find out whether or not the fact that primates create medicine that saves people’s lives outweighs the fact that it goes against what many primates free will. Not only this but I also felt, that studying this would help me to build on my current interest of science, as well as focus on the ethics side of the question and find out how medicine is actually fully developed before it goes on to animal testing. I have also tried to explore if scientists are trying to exploit other alternatives, which could help to reduce the amount of primates used for experimental testing significantly.