Media releases

  • One-year countdown: 2024 solar eclipse a rare sight in Niagara, says Brock prof

    MEDIA RELEASE: 10 April 2023 – R0029

    The one-year countdown is on until people in Niagara can experience a rare astronomical phenomenon that for many happens only once in a lifetime.

    On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will take place over southern Ontario, with the moon passing between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun completely for a short period of time.

    “The Earth, moon and sun all align, so what you’ll see is the shadow of the moon,” said Barak Shoshany, Brock University Assistant Professor of Physics and member of the Ontario Eclipse Task Force. “The moon blocks light from the sun and casts a shadow, but only on a particular area of the planet’s surface.”

    A total solar eclipse takes place roughly every 18 months, but it doesn’t often happen close to Niagara. The last time a total solar eclipse occurred over Ontario was in 1979, and the next one won’t happen again over the province until 2099.

    “It’s a very rare thing to see. Usually, people have to travel to the other side of the planet if they want to see a total solar eclipse,” Shoshany said. “But next year we will have a chance to see it right here at Brock University and in our province.”

    The Niagara region will be in the eclipse’s ‘path of totality,’ or the path of the moon’s umbra, which is the innermost and darkest part of the moon’s shadow.

    “As the Earth rotates, and as the moon moves around the Earth, the shadow of the moon traces a path over the planet,” Shoshany said. “If you happen to be inside the shadow of the moon, you will see an eclipse. If you’re right in the middle of it, along the ‘path of totality,’ you will see a total eclipse.”

    St. Catharines will experience a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, from 3:18:15 p.m. to 3:21:30 p.m. The maximum eclipse, when the moon is closest to the centre of the sun, will take place at 3:19:53 p.m.

    According to an online eclipse map, the total eclipse can be observed in Ontario only within a narrow band along the U.S. border, all the way up to Hamilton, Brantford and Burlington. Kingsville will be one of the most western and earliest points to see the total eclipse, starting at 3:13:42 p.m. and lasting until 3:15:28 p.m. As the moon moves along its orbit, the path of totality will move north and east.

    “Every second counts when it comes to observing the eclipse,” Shoshany said. “Three minutes of totality is a short window to cherish this rare, breathtaking view. Mark your calendars now and plan to be in Niagara on April 8. You don’t want to miss this.”

    While Shoshany has seen partial eclipses, he has never seen a total solar eclipse and is excited to witness one for the first time. As a theoretical physicist and teacher of astronomy, he is particularly interested in eclipses because of the role the total solar eclipse of 1919 played in confirming Albert Einstein’s then four-year-old theory of general relativity.

    “According to Einstein’s theory, massive objects cause spacetime to bend and curve. We interpret this curvature as gravity, because it deflects the path of objects passing through space toward the massive object,” he said. “Light also gets deflected in the same way, so Einstein predicted that stars will appear to change their position when their light passes near the sun.”

    Normally, the brightness of the sun makes it impossible to see the stars in the daytime, but with a total solar eclipse, stars can be seen near the sun with a telescope.

    “Two expeditions of astronomers, organized by Dyson and Eddington, were able to photograph the stars near the sun and concluded that they had indeed been deflected by the curvature of spacetime,” Shoshany said. “This amazing discovery appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world and made Einstein and his theory famous.”

    To observe the 2024 eclipse safely, Shoshany recommends wearing certified eclipse glasses (and buying through a verified distributor in advance) or projecting the image on a white piece of paper using a pinhole projector.

    “Using these methods, it should be 100 per cent safe to watch the entire eclipse,” he said. “During the precious few minutes of totality itself, when the moon completely covers the sun, it is safe to watch the eclipse directly, but care must be taken to return to safe viewing methods as soon as totality ends.”

    Looking directly at the sun can cause permanent eye damage. During the solar eclipse, the sun will be much less bright than usual, but still just as dangerous. Looking at the sun through sunglasses, binoculars, telescopes or optical camera viewfinders is also dangerous, unless they are covered with professional solar filters.

    In the coming months, Shoshany and his colleagues with the Ontario Eclipse Task Force will be offering more information about the eclipse, including tips for watching and details on related community events.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

    * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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    Categories: Media releases

  • New Brock-led research links diseases to ‘corroding’ effect caused by high-salt diets

    MEDIA RELEASE: 30 March 2023 – R0028

    When hungry thoughts arise, think twice before reaching for a salty snack.

    New Brock University-led research shows how too much salt in a diet damages organs, leading to chronic diseases down the road.

    This occurs because high salt levels peel away the protective layer on the surface of blood vessels as well as the cells that line blood vessels, says the study, led by Brock Professor of Health Sciences Newman Sze.

    “The process is similar to salt corroding the protective paint surface on a car, which can cause the metal body of the vehicle to rust,” says Sze, who is Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease.

    The study, “Endothelial damage arising from high salt hypertension is elucidated by vascular bed systematic profiling,” looked at how high salt levels impact glycocalyx and endothelial cells, which are the protective layer of proteins and cells that come into direct contact with blood circulating throughout the body.

    Scientists have long established links between high salt intake and blood pressure, contributing to a host of health issues, including hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.

    But it’s unclear how high salt levels affect the body’s endothelium and circulatory systems. The endothelium lines the innermost layer of blood vessel walls, ensuring that the body’s tissues are supplied with nutrients and oxygen.

    Sze and his team developed new methods to study the structure and function of blood vessels that experienced diet-induced hypertension with those of healthy diets to observe critical changes in the blood vessel structures.

    The team discovered that consuming a diet high in salt leads to significant damage to the protective layer of glycocalyx proteins on the surface of the endothelium.

    This damage can lead to a higher risk of stroke and heart attack. The receptors that regulate the inflammation of artery walls and blood coagulation are particularly affected, which can exacerbate these risks.

    In their March 2023 study in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, Sze and his team also discovered the presence of new biological molecules, called ‘biomarkers,’ that flag normal or abnormal cell processes.

    The glycocalyx protein that is peeled away from the blood vessel continues to circulate in the patient’s bloodstream and can be identified as a biomarker.

    “We’ve identified new biomarkers for diagnosing blood vessel damage, identifying patients at risk of heart attack and stroke, and developing new drug targets for therapy for a range of blood vessel diseases, including heart, kidney and lung diseases as well as dementia,” says Sze.

    Diets high in salt are a huge problem in Canada and around the world. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released March 9, Canadians consume 9.1 grams of salt per day.

    Meanwhile, the WHO recommends that the average person consume no more than five grams, or one teaspoon, of salt per day. The WHO has set a global target of reducing sodium intake by 30 per cent by 2025.

    “Many Canadians add extra salt to their food during cooking or at the table,” says Sze. “Moreover, many Canadians, particularly children and young adults, eat processed and fast foods that have high level of salts.”

    Sze’s recent study builds on his work as a Canada Research Chair.

    He studies diseases that occur as people age, specifically diseases related to the lining of blood vessels becoming damaged. Sze’s lab has developed new research methods that investigate how the blood vessel lining deteriorates over time.

    Recently, Sze was awarded a $757,350 Project Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for his research on measuring harmful proteins in human blood to detect dementia as early as possible and explore how his team’s new antibody drug can protect brain tissues against damage.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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    Categories: Media releases