| Canada must be a nation of talented scientists, as | | | | ingenious development of site-based mutagenesis |
| incredible discoveries, world changing theories and | | | | which involved creating mutations in organisms. Smith |
| lifesaving chemicals have all been dreamt up and | | | | worked out how to change a certain part of the DNA |
| produced here for years. However, despite an | | | | in a plant or animal to alter the way it could develop. |
| incredible success record, little is known about the | | | | His research allowed countless researchers from all |
| country’s impressive scientific record. | | | | over the world to develop special bacteria, plants and |
| Asked which nations of the world have contributed | | | | animals with new desirable qualities or abilities that |
| most to science, many reply “well the United States | | | | either did not occur naturally or that would have taken |
| and Britain”, true there are some talented people in | | | | years of breeding trials to achieve. |
| both countries, but looking at hard facts, it would seem | | | | The characterization of so called ‘free radicals’ |
| that Canada and Germany are the real scientific | | | | was another important Canadian triumph. Investigated |
| pioneers. | | | | at length by Gerhard Herzberg in 1904. Again, not |
| Cananda also has another trick as well, unlike many | | | | Canadian born and bred, but Herzberg arrived in |
| national educational systems, Canadian children seem | | | | Canada in 1935 and ran the Physics division of |
| to be really interested in Science, and seem to want to | | | | Canada's National Research Council from 1949 - 1969. |
| take a scientific career further. Higher education | | | | A free radical is a very short-lived molecule with an |
| science students are plentiful and science based | | | | extra pair of electrons that it tries to share with |
| documentaries are watched by millions. | | | | another molecule as quickly as possible. These extra |
| So what has Canada achieved? Well firstly and most | | | | electrons make the free radical very reactive which |
| importantly (certainly if you’re diabetic) is the | | | | means it can combine very quickly with another |
| discovery of insulin as a treatment for diabetes. It was | | | | molecule. The fleeting nature of free radicals makes |
| discovered in Toronto in 1922 by pioneering medical | | | | them very difficult to observe, yet they are crucial to |
| scientists, Frederick Banting and Charles Best. They | | | | understanding the mechanisms of almost all chemical |
| were both awarded the Nobel Prize a year later. | | | | reactions. |
| This wouldn’t be the last Nobel Prize dished out to | | | | Canadian success has not just been limited to biology |
| a medical scientist in Canada. in 1981 another scientist | | | | and chemistry, technology has benefited greatly from |
| was celebrated, David Hubel, who did the first | | | | Canadian scientist. The CCD microchip, for example |
| significant map of the visual cortexes of the brain. This | | | | which is widely used in camcorders, webcams and |
| meant finding out exactly what part of one’s brain | | | | telescopes was developed by Canadian Willard Boyle. |
| controls brightness, colour, motion and more. Although | | | | A computerized weather forecasting system initially |
| the majority of this work was carried out in the 60s | | | | dreamt up in West Vancouver is not user across the |
| and 70s Dr. Hubel continues to work on his theories | | | | world. |
| today with his colleague Torsten Wiesel. | | | | When it comes to science, there is, in my opinion, only |
| Michael Smith, was actually born in 1932 in England, but | | | | one country that can truly call itself a country of great |
| moved to Vancouver in 1956 where he worked on an | | | | scientists, and that country is Canada. |