Latest news with #AlgomaUniversity
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued to Discover That Human Brains Are Glowing Faintly
Scientists have some exciting news: your brain is likely glowing, whether you can see it or not. The news comes from researchers at Algoma University in Ontario, who found evidence that the human brain, of all things, possesses luminescent properties. Essentially, they found that as the brain metabolizes energy, it releases super-faint traces of visible light. Called ultra-weak photon emissions (UPEs), the flashes of light are emitted when electrons break down and lose momentum, letting go of their protons. As Popular Mechanics notes, UPEs don't technically count as bioluminescence, a chemical process found in organisms like fireflies and anglerfish. Nor does it count as phosphorescence, which refers to energy released in the form of a faint light, as in glow-in-the-dark toys. And before you ask, it also isn't thermal radiation, the electromagnetic energy released by thermal motion. The findings on UPEs came as researchers dug into the left occipital lobe, the visual processing center of the brain, along with the right temporal lobe, the center of nonverbal communication. Their task was to test whether UPE flashes from those parts of the brain could be distinguished from other brain signals. While earlier studies have explored the broader human body's ability to glow, this one zeroed in on the brain specifically, yielding the exciting results. Beyond the fun fact that we literally do have bright ideas, the test results have some implications for medical technology. For example, UPEs could help doctors analyze neurological conditions in the future. "Because UPEs are related to oxidative metabolism, the most immediately relevant applications might include the detection of budding brain tumors, excitotoxic lesions, mild traumatic injuries, and neurotoxic insults," said Hayley Casey, the lead researcher. This could all be possible, the researchers say, without invasive testing methods like PET and MRI scans, which have the potential to interfere with brain activity. All that said, the next time you have a brilliant idea, just know your brain's literally lighting up the room. More on Science: Physicists Say We Were Completely Wrong About How Gravity Works
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Your Brain Is Glowing Right Now. Literally.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: The human brain actually lights up with signals known as ultra weak photon emotions (UPEs), which are a byproduct of metabolic processes. Researchers have now been able to detect UPEs and determine what they were revealing about brain function. A new imaging technique called photoencephalography could someday harness UPE signals as a diagnostic tool to supplement PET scans and MRIs. From bioluminescent mushrooms in the undergrowth of a rainforest to alien sea creatures eerily glowing in the abyssal depths, glowing organisms light up some of the darkest places on Earth. But humans aren't among them—or, at least, we thought so. As a team of researchers—led by Haley Casey from Algoma University in Ontario, Canada—found out, the human brain can actually luminesce. They called these glimpses of light ultra weak photon emissions (UPEs), and they are a result of metabolic energy flow. As electrons degrade during a process known as oxidation, they lose energy and release photons with it. Our brains emit them in visible light, meaning that if we had the X-ray vision to see through each other's skulls in total darkness, we might be able to make out a faint glow. This is not technically bioluminescence—organisms that are bioluminescent rely on chemicals such as luciferin for their eerie light. It also isn't phosphorescence, which is absorbed energy released in the form of light. It isn't even thermal radiation, which can be seen in infrared and is emitted by anything over a temperature of absolute zero. UPEs are their own phenomenon, and can be detected from the outside. They can also be indicators of what is going on in the brain. '[UPEs] predict oxidative stress, aging, and neurodegeneration,' Casey and her research team said in their study, recently published in the journal Current Biology. 'UPEs are triggered by neurotransmitters and biophysical stimuli, but they are also generated by cells at rest and can be passively recorded using modern photodetectors in dark environments.' Previous studies found that the human body is capable of glowing, but Casey's team specifically zeroed in on the brain and what these emissions could tell us about brain activity and health. They also were trying to prove that UPE signals from the brain could be distinguished from background photon noise. Subjects wore an EEG cap that had electrodes attached, along with photomultiplier tubes, to monitor brain activity. Photomultiplier tubes are so hypersensitive that they can pick up even the faintest trace of light. What the researchers were testing out was a new technique they devised (still in development) called photoencephalography. There are two major advantages of using photoencephalography over other methods (like PET scans and even less invasive fNIRS and fMRI scans): it is non-invasive, and it is less likely that results will be confused by the test itself. Other methods can either spark neural activity or suppress it, but photoencephalography does neither. As a result, passive measurement of brain activity is undisturbed and allows for detection of electromagnetic stimuli in the surrounding environment. Searching for UPE signals, the researchers focused on the left occipital lobe of the brain (which specializes in visual processing) and the right temporal lobe (which is instrumental to learning and remembering nonverbal information such as music). They were curious as to whether UPE signals from either lobe would show up as distinct from background noise, and when compared to background photons, the signals from the brain did in fact stand out as a result of their unique frequency. In the dark, subjects were also given sound-based tasks to accomplish without needing to see what they were doing. They were told to open and close their eyes before and after listening to music. UPEs were logged during tasks done with open and closed eyes—both of which have obvious brain signatures. There were variations in UPE output depending on the task being performed, and the activity detected by the EEG cap was also highly correlated with UPE signals. UPEs could possibly help with diagnosing neurological conditions in the future. 'Because UPEs are related to oxidative metabolism, the most immediately relevant applications might include the detection of budding brain tumors, excitotoxic lesions, mild traumatic injuries, and neurotoxic insults,' Casey said. Photoencephalography won't be replacing MRIs just yet, but it will someday shine a light on what we couldn't see before. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Your Brain Emits a Secret Light That Scientists Are Trying to Read
Many of Earth's critters have the ability to emit a visible glow, but humans aren't usually considered among their number. This may not be entirely correct. Going all the way back to 1923, a number of studies have found humans luminesce in frequencies that would be visible if they weren't too faint for us to actually see. From the moment of conception until we shuffle off this mortal coil, we literally shine. It's controversial, absolutely, but it's possible that detecting these 'biophotons' could tell us a thing or two about what takes place beneath our skin. In a new study, a team of researchers led by biologist Hayley Casey of Algoma University in Canada has investigated the extremely weak glow of one lump of tissue in particular: the brain that resides inside the skull of every living human. They carefully recorded the faint glow of the human brain from outside the skull, and found that it changes according to what the brain is doing. This, they say, offers an exciting new possibility for gauging brain health: a yet-to-be-developed technique they call photoencephalography. "As the first proof-of-concept demonstration that ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs) from human brains can serve as readouts to track functional states, we measured and characterized photon counts over the heads of participants while they rested or engaged in an auditory perception task," they write in their paper. "We demonstrated that brain-derived UPE signals can be distinguished from background photon measures. Additionally, our results suggest that for a given task, the UPE count may reach a stable value." Everything in the Universe with a temperature higher than absolute zero – humans included – emits a type of infrared radiation called thermal radiation. When we talk about UPEs, it is a distinct phenomenon from thermal radiation. UPEs are emitted in near-visible to visible wavelength bands, and are the result of electrons emitting photons as they lose energy, a normal by-product of metabolism. Casey and her colleagues sought to conclusively distinguish brain UPEs from background radiation, and determine whether these UPEs exhibit patterns consistent with different levels of brain activity. They placed each of their study participants in a dark room. An electroencephalography (EEG) cap was placed on the participant's head to monitor their brain activity, and photomultiplier tubes were positioned around them to record any light emissions. These are extremely sensitive vacuum tubes that can detect even the very faintest light. Then, the participants were recorded at rest, and performing sound-based tasks (so they could do them in the dark). The results showed not just that UPEs are real and measurable even from outside the participants' heads – there was also a clear correlation between UPE output and the activity registered by the EEG cap. Future work, the researchers say, could delve into how neuroanatomy might impact UPE output, as well as how different activities manifest in patterns of UPEs, rather than just the two states of brain rest and brain activity. We also don't know if each individual has a UPE 'fingerprint' that would need to be recorded as a baseline against which to measure anomalous activity. "We view the current results as a proof-of-concept demonstration that patterns of human-brain-derived UPE signals can be discriminated from background light signals in darkened settings despite very low relative signal intensity," the researchers write. "Future studies may find success in using select filters and amplifiers to sieve and enhance UPE signal features from healthy and diseased brains." The paper has been published in Current Biology. Parkinson's Discovery Suggests We Could Have an FDA-Approved Treatment Already Microplastics Have a Concerning Effect on The Microbes in Our Gut Something in Your Poop May Predict an Imminent Death
Hamilton Spectator
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Algoma University senate urges reversal of admissions freeze
Algoma University's senate has voted to overturn the board of governors' decision to pause first-year admissions to geography, history, music, sociology and visual arts, claiming the board acted 'without senate consultation' and breached the school's bicameral governance model. The motion was tabled by OPSEU 685 union vice president and english department head Dr. Alice Ridout. She also spearheaded the union's advocacy event two weeks ago, which condemned the board's decision, and celebrated the contributions of the programs with paused intake. After a slight amendment of language, the motion passed with a clear majority — five senators opposed, including interim president Dr. Donna Rogers. The resolution, which 'objects to the board's failure to respect senate's role,' also calls for admissions to resume 'immediately' and for the departments to be given a full academic year to 'recover' from the fallout of the paused programs. Geography chair Dr. Linda Burnett urged colleagues to keep two principles 'front and centre.' 'I think the main reason for this motion is to make it clear that the board did something it should not have done without consulting the senate, number one, and number two, that the decision to suspend intake be reversed right away,' Burnett said. She argued that first-year application counts alone fail to capture the geography faculty's role in upper-year transfers and cross-disciplinary teaching. Burnett said that geography supplies credits to Algoma's environmental science degree, and delivers a nationally recognized Professional Lands Management Certification Program in partnership with Indigenous communities. Rogers explained that the board's decision relied exclusively on application and acceptance figures pulled on April 28 from the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC), which showed 18 students had enrolled across the five programs at that time. 'There is a misunderstanding that the board looked at any full-time-equivalent metrics, whether head count or anything else,' Rogers said. 'They simply looked at the application data.' Faculty members responded, stating that the enrolment snapshot is misleading, for a small, northern institution, whose applicant pool often firms up late-spring once students are rejected from other schools. 'The applicants from OUAC only constitute a percentage of the actual number of students that are on the ground come September 1,' said Dr. Ed Turgeon, music department head. He noted that auditions from May to August often disqualify students from enrolment at their first choice schools, leading them to choose Algoma to upgrade their skills. Pelham Matthews, professor of business and economics, called the April figures 'highly biased,' seconding Turgeon's view that many students keep Algoma as a second or third choice until bigger universities send rejection letters. He also questioned whether Algoma is a northern university with a southern campus, or vice-versa. 'Because whichever we are affects how we do things and how we evaluate programs, and this has to be decided by senate and by administration and the board,' said Matthews. 'What are we?' Sociology chair Dr. Vivian Jiménez Estrada added that her department is essential to decolonization, and that Algoma's northern-service mission requires equitable — not merely equal — provincial funding. 'What we do is critical and on our way to decolonizing the discipline, which is highly colonial in nature,' said Estrada. Towards the end of the discussion, Rogers confirmed that the board leaders have agreed to meet with the Local OPSEU 685 union this week this week. The union has also filed for a judicial review of the board's decision, though the hearing won't be until November. Computer science chair Dr. George Townsend argued that the Senate action is more urgent than court proceedings, which may produce a decision until December. 'I think restoration of the suspended programs is more urgent than that. I know there's processes already in place for the senate. We can vote on this motion and make this happen a lot quicker. And if we don't, then we're going to lose a lot of potential intakes that we could have had,' said Townsend. Ridout added that the university's FAQ page falsely states that the decision was legal. She argued that each side can only make claims, since there has been no precedent set. 'There's no jurisdictional precedent yet set, so we genuinely do not know if this is a legal or illegal decision,' said Ridout. The senate's resolution is advisory; only the board can rescind its own decision. Whether the board reverses course, the courts weigh in, or another resolution is reached, the disagreement between senate and the board has now become a matter of public record. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
21-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Algoma University faces backlash over program pauses amid budget concerns
Faculty union at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie concerned after several temporary program pauses put in place.
