10 ALLIGATOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
‘Trekkies’ Rejoice: UF researchers 5K benefitting National Psoriasis Foundation is happening Sunday discover planet like Star Trek The run starts at 8 a.m. on Flavet Field. A TEAM OF MORE THAN 20 RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED THE PLANET IN JULY. By Dana Cassidy Alligator Staff Writer
Spock’s fictional home planet from Star Trek has been found by UF researchers. UF astronomy professor Jian Ge and more than 20 other researchers on his team discovered an exoplanet, defined as any planet outside of the solar system, in July. The discovery was published in the Oxford University Press academic journal in the Dharma Planet Survey, a section dedicated to their research. The exoplanet orbits star 40 Eridani A, which is the same star the planet Vulcan orbits in the 1960s television series Star Trek, according to the show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry. “It’s very exciting because people always have the imagination, but astronomers discovered it,” Ge said. The exoplanet isn’t called Vulcan yet, but Ge said he has already contacted the International Astronomical Union to attempt to change the planet’s name. The exoplanet is currently being referred to as HD 26965b. The exoplanet is about twice the size of Earth and located 16 light years away, Ge said. It also is likely to have an atmosphere where water could exist. One side of the planet is exposed to the sun, and the other is
dark because it’s tidally locked, which means the time it takes to orbit the sun is the same as it would take to rotate on its axis. He said the dark portion of the planet would be cool enough to possibly support life. After hearing about the discovery of the exoplanet, Ryan Thomson, a UF sociology graduate fourth-year, was shocked by how the story wasn’t blowing up on social media. He thought it was one of the coolest coincidences to occur. “I know there’s a lot of other social issues we have on our own planet here,” Thomson said. “But, for that to actually exist and have verifiable evidence, I don’t know, it’s almost like foreshadowing.” It was interesting how Star Trek was able to accurately predict a planet existing over forty years before it was discovered, Thomson said. Sociology and understanding inequalities on this planet are important, Thomson said, but understanding that there is a world beyond us is important because it elevates the level of one’s thinking. Despite the lack of funding towards space and astronomy programs, these programs are important to have, Thomson said. “I think it highlights the intersection of how sci-fi and reality are not as estranged as we think,” Thomson said. @danacassidy_ dcassidy@alligator.org
By Gillian Sweeney Alligator Staff Writer
Stress made the nickel-sized red circle on Lidi Trujillo Rodriguez’s lower right leg grow. Trujillo Rodriguez bounced from doctor to doctor until at 19 years old she was diagnosed with psoriasis, a condition that caused red patches on the skin to form. Now, six years after her diagnosis, Trujillo Rodriguez is organizing a 5K run to benefit the National Psoriasis Foundation. The UF microbiology and cell science doctoral student moved from Puerto Rico to pursue her degree. The race will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday on Flavet Field. Check-ins begin at 7 a.m., Trujillo Rodriguez said. This is the first time the American Society for Microbiology Gators helped organize a run for the foundation, said Sierra Blashock, a 21-year-old UF microbiology senior and president of the club. “It’s not a disease that’s talked about a lot, so we said let’s take it a step further and raise some money too,” Blashock said. When Trujillo Rodriguez first got into UF, she met associate microbiology and cell science professor Joe Larkin, who studies psoriasis treatments in his lab. Psoriasis can vary in severity and range from a rash to painful blisters that can ooze, Larkin said.
About 30 percent of individuals with psoriasis will get psoriatic arthritis at some point. This form of arthritis can cause joints to swell, making it difficult for an individual to bend their fingers and walk, Larkin said. Treatment options include creams for more mild forms of the condition and injectable treatments for more severe forms, Larkin said. However, the injectable treatments can weaken the immune system. Larkin said he oversees research developing a cream that is more powerful than those currently on the market. The goal is for the cream to treat psoriasis without weakening the immune system. For Trujillo Rodriguez, the pain from her steroid cream, which is the current treatment for her psoriasis, and the general discomfort from her condition can have her tossing and turning when she tries to sleep at night. “I can’t sleep at night,” Trujillo Rodriguez said. “I’m not a very big fan of that regime.” Trujillo Rodriguez said her psoriasis has become more severe since beginning at UF. The condition has spread to her arms because of stress, but she knows she could be worse. “I’m very blessed that I have a very, very mild form of psoriasis,” Trujillo Rodriguez said. @gilliangsweeney gsweeney@alligator.org