According to Emma Frost, a professional associate in the University of Manitoba’s faculty of pharmacy, multiple sclerosis (MS) is a regionalized disease. “We are advocating for patients who are suffering from a disease that is inherently prevalent in Manitoba,” added her colleague Mike Namaka, an associate professor in the same faculty. Together Frost and Namaka [...]
The Manitoban
The Students' Newspaper of the University of Manitoba
Science section
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How to drive forever
What if eight grams of fuel could power your car for a lifetime? What if that fuel was a radioactive element? Would you still be excited? If you’re not, don’t worry. This time it won’t be anything like the ridiculous concepts in old issues of pop-sci magazines. The dream of a nuclear-powered car reaches back [...]
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Computers designed like brains
Nature often supplies us with great ideas for engineering. Leonardo da Vinci drew concepts of flying machines based on observing birds in motion, centuries before they were successfully built. George de Mestral came up with the idea of Velcro after seeds of burr plants stuck to his dog’s fur on a hunting trip. Now researchers [...]
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Here come the cyborgs
With the recent release of the game Deus Ex: Human Revolution, my mind has turned to the upcoming options for our cyborg futures. Though the augmented reality experienced by Deus Ex’s protagonist is still a ways off, other options are far closer than you might think. Camera eyes Believe it or not, this is already [...]
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Zoological investigations
Ah, time to go back to school. If you’re anything like me you’ve probably bought a bunch of new pens and stationary you don’t really need and have resolved to read your textbooks and class notes every day, maybe even get up extra early before classes to do something physical. Soon enough, though, as the [...]
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Smart, observant, fighty
For things we can’t see, we go to PAMELA (or Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics), a module attached to a Russian satellite launched in 2006. Among a host of other duties, PAMELA’s job is to detect ever-elusive antimatter particles, which, theoretically, should be orbiting the Earth in rings. The Earth is kind [...]
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Five-door sports car
The five-door hatchback market in Canada has exploded post fuel crisis. More and more consumers are trading in their thirsty SUVs for wallet-conscious transportation. Perhaps the best looking of these new entries to the North American market — in my opinion — is the 2011 Ford Fiesta. Low and curvy, the Fiesta immediately dispels any [...]
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One step closer to curing the common cold
Broad spectrum antibiotic drugs such as penicillin have saved countless lives via the eradication of bacterial infections. Unfortunately, we are still forced to suffer through the common cold each year because there are no “penicillins” in the fight against viruses. Most of the therapeutic anti-virals that do exist are highly specific. In other words, they [...]
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Supercharge your studying
As the new school year begins and many of us are undoubtedly considering a plethora of semi-legal options to improve our studying, consider first these less risky alternatives. The options included below are suggestions only, and if at any time you experience any unwanted side effects, you should cease any dietary changes. Caffeine Oh the [...]
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Zoological investigations
I hereby nominate the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, for entry into the Most Badass Mammals in the World Hall of Fame. Here’s why: when these reckless rodents are faced with a ravenous predator ready to rip them to shreds for breakfast they don’t even care. They just stand there daring anyone to mess with [...]