Barbara Maher

Last updated

Barbara Maher
Born
Barbara Ann Maher

1960 (age 63–64)
Alma mater University of Liverpool
Awards Chree Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics (2005)
Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2006 - 2012) [1]
Schlumberger Medal and Award, Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2014)
Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2020)
Bullard Lecturer, American Geophysical Union (2021)
Distinguished Lecturer, College of Fellows, American Geophysical Union (2023)
Awarded membership, Academia Europaea (2024)
Elected, Fellow of the Royal Society (2024)
Scientific career
Fields Geophysics
Earth science
Paleoclimate
Environmental magnetism
Paleomagnetism [2]
Institutions Lancaster University
University of East Anglia
University of Edinburgh
Thesis Origins and transformations of magnetic minerals in soils  (1984)
Website lancaster.ac.uk/lec/about-us/people/barbara-maher

Barbara Ann Maher is a Professor Emerita of Environmental Science at Lancaster University. She served as director of the Centre for Environmental magnetism & Palaeomagnetism [2] until 2021 and works on magnetic nanoparticles and pollution. [3]

Contents

Education and early career

Maher earned her Bachelor's degree in geography at the University of Liverpool. She remained there for her graduate studies, earning a PhD in environmental geophysics for research on the origins and transformations of magnetic minerals in soils. [4]

Career and research

After completing her PhD, Maher was made a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Fellow at the Department of Geophysics, University of Edinburgh. [5] She joined the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia as a lecturer in 1987 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1996 and Reader in 1998. [5] Here she investigated the magnetic properties of ultrafine sub-micron magnetites. [6] [7] Using her understanding of magnetic mineral formation in soils, she evaluated the paleo-climate of the Chinese Loess Plateau. [8] [9] She developed spatial and temporal reconstructions of the Asian palaeomonsoon. [10] She was the Royal Institution Scientists for the new century lecturer in 1999. [5] She edited the book Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism in 1999. [11]

Maher also studies magnetic nanoparticles to track dust impacts on climate change and changes in human health due to particulate air pollution. [1] She was described by Richard Harrison as having "single-handedly developed the field of environmental magnetism". [12] She demonstrated that soils that were exposed to higher rainfall make more magnetite. [1] She has studied how windblown dusts impacted the levels of greenhouse gases. [1] She is interested in magnetic records of Quaternary terrestrial sediments. [13] She launched the Quantifying Uncertainty in the Earth System (QUEST) Working Group on Dust in 2008. [14]

Maher became interested in metal-rich particulate pollution. [15] In 2013 Maher demonstrated that silver birch trees could be used as pollution filters. [16] [17] The result was part of an investigation into the impact of roadside trees on the concentration of particulate matter found in people's homes. [18] Silver birch trees are covered in tiny hairs, which can trap the particulate matter whilst allowing clean air to circulate. [16] The matter is washed off the leaves when it rains, allowing the birch trees to trap even more particulate matter. [16] Her work was examined by Michael Mosley and Gabriel Weston on the BBC show Trust Me, I'm a Doctor . [16] [19] They found that the pollution collected in houses protected by silver birch trees was 50 - 60% lower than in houses without them. [20] [21] [22]

In 2016 Maher found toxic, metal-rich nanoparticles in human brain tissue. [23] [24] [25] [26] By studying the nanoparticles using an electron microscope, Maher found they were small and round, some with surface crystallites, indicating that they had been formed at high temperatures, rather than in the brain itself. [27] The nanoparticles comprise a mix of iron-rich, strongly magnetic particles associated with other metals, including platinum, cobalt, aluminium and titanium. Similar metal-rich nanoparticles occur in abundance in urban air pollution, especially at busy roadsides. As the nanoparticles have diameters that are less than 200 nm, they can enter the brain via the lungs and blood circulation, via ingestion and transport through the neuroenteric system, and through the olfactory nerve. [28] Magnetite can produce reactive oxygen species in the brain. [23] Maher became concerned that these magnetite particles could be linked to Alzheimer's disease, mental illness and reduced intelligence. [23] [29] Her work on air pollution nanoparticles in human tissues attracts worldwide scientific, and media, attention. She has appeared on numerous BBC News and World Service TV and radio programmes, including BBC Radio 4's Inside Science in 2018, discussing the Government of the United Kingdom Clean Air Strategy. [30] S

Awards and honours

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smog</span> Smoke-like, fog-like air pollutions

Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words smoke and fog to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then intended to refer to what was sometimes known as pea soup fog, a familiar and serious problem in London from the 19th century to the mid-20th century, where it was commonly known as a London particular or London fog. This kind of visible air pollution is composed of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxide, ozone, smoke and other particulates. Man-made smog is derived from coal combustion emissions, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, forest and agricultural fires and photochemical reactions of these emissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoke</span> Mass of airborne particulates and gases

Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires, but may also be used for pest control (fumigation), communication, defensive and offensive capabilities in the military, cooking, or smoking. It is used in rituals where incense, sage, or resin is burned to produce a smell for spiritual or magical purposes. It can also be a flavoring agent and preservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnetite</span> Iron ore mineral

Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe2+Fe3+2O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. With the exception of extremely rare native iron deposits, it is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring minerals on Earth. Naturally magnetized pieces of magnetite, called lodestone, will attract small pieces of iron, which is how ancient peoples first discovered the property of magnetism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maghemite</span> Iron oxide with a spinel ferrite structure

Maghemite (Fe2O3, γ-Fe2O3) is a member of the family of iron oxides. It has the same formula as hematite, but the same spinel ferrite structure as magnetite (Fe3O4) and is also ferrimagnetic. It is sometimes spelled as "maghaemite".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diesel exhaust</span> Gaseous exhaust produced by a diesel engine

Diesel exhaust is the gaseous exhaust produced by a diesel type of internal combustion engine, plus any contained particulates. Its composition may vary with the fuel type or rate of consumption, or speed of engine operation, and whether the engine is in an on-road vehicle, farm vehicle, locomotive, marine vessel, or stationary generator or other application.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron(II,III) oxide</span> Chemical compound

Iron(II,III) oxide, or black iron oxide, is the chemical compound with formula Fe3O4. It occurs in nature as the mineral magnetite. It is one of a number of iron oxides, the others being iron(II) oxide (FeO), which is rare, and iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) which also occurs naturally as the mineral hematite. It contains both Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions and is sometimes formulated as FeO ∙ Fe2O3. This iron oxide is encountered in the laboratory as a black powder. It exhibits permanent magnetism and is ferrimagnetic, but is sometimes incorrectly described as ferromagnetic. Its most extensive use is as a black pigment (see: Mars Black). For this purpose, it is synthesized rather than being extracted from the naturally occurring mineral as the particle size and shape can be varied by the method of production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air pollution</span> Presence of dangerous substances in the atmosphere

Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances called pollutants in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. It is also the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment either by chemical, physical, or biological agents that alters the natural features of the atmosphere. There are many different types of air pollutants, such as gases, particulates, and biological molecules. Air pollution can cause diseases, allergies, and even death to humans; it can also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and crops, and may damage the natural environment or built environment. Air pollution can be caused by both human activities and natural phenomena.

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are particulate matter of nanoscale size (less than 0.1 μm or 100 nm in diameter). Regulations do not exist for this size class of ambient air pollution particles, which are far smaller than the regulated PM10 and PM2.5 particle classes and are believed to have several more aggressive health implications than those classes of larger particulates. Although they remain largely unregulated, the World Health Organization has published good practice statements regarding measuring UFPs.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a class of nanoparticle that can be manipulated using magnetic fields. Such particles commonly consist of two components, a magnetic material, often iron, nickel and cobalt, and a chemical component that has functionality. While nanoparticles are smaller than 1 micrometer in diameter, the larger microbeads are 0.5–500 micrometer in diameter. Magnetic nanoparticle clusters that are composed of a number of individual magnetic nanoparticles are known as magnetic nanobeads with a diameter of 50–200 nanometers. Magnetic nanoparticle clusters are a basis for their further magnetic assembly into magnetic nanochains. The magnetic nanoparticles have been the focus of much research recently because they possess attractive properties which could see potential use in catalysis including nanomaterial-based catalysts, biomedicine and tissue specific targeting, magnetically tunable colloidal photonic crystals, microfluidics, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic particle imaging, data storage, environmental remediation, nanofluids, optical filters, defect sensor, magnetic cooling and cation sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron oxide nanoparticle</span>

Iron oxide nanoparticles are iron oxide particles with diameters between about 1 and 100 nanometers. The two main forms are composed of magnetite and its oxidized form maghemite. They have attracted extensive interest due to their superparamagnetic properties and their potential applications in many fields including molecular imaging.

Environmental magnetism is the study of magnetism as it relates to the effects of climate, sediment transport, pollution and other environmental influences on magnetic minerals. It makes use of techniques from rock magnetism and magnetic mineralogy. The magnetic properties of minerals are used as proxies for environmental change in applications such as paleoclimate, paleoceanography, studies of the provenance of sediments, pollution and archeology. The main advantages of using magnetic measurements are that magnetic minerals are almost ubiquitous and magnetic measurements are quick and non-invasive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Particulates</span> Microscopic solid or liquid matter suspended in the Earths atmosphere

Particulates or atmospheric particulate matter are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The term aerosol commonly refers to the particulate/air mixture, as opposed to the particulate matter alone. Sources of particulate matter can be natural or anthropogenic. They have impacts on climate and precipitation that adversely affect human health, in ways additional to direct inhalation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air pollution measurement</span>

Air pollution measurement is the process of collecting and measuring the components of air pollution, notably gases and particulates. The earliest devices used to measure pollution include rain gauges, Ringelmann charts for measuring smoke, and simple soot and dust collectors known as deposit gauges. Modern air pollution measurement is largely automated and carried out using many different devices and techniques. These range from simple absorbent test tubes known as diffusion tubes through to highly sophisticated chemical and physical sensors that give almost real-time pollution measurements, which are used to generate air quality indexes.

Superparamagnetic relaxometry (SPMR) is a technology combining the use of sensitive magnetic sensors and the superparamagnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles (NP). For NP of a sufficiently small size, on the order of tens of nanometers (nm), the NP exhibit paramagnetic properties, i.e., they have little or no magnetic moment. When they are exposed to a small external magnetic field, on the order of a few millitesla (mT), the NP align with that field and exhibit ferromagnetic properties with large magnetic moments. Following removal of the magnetizing field, the NP slowly become thermalized, decaying with a distinct time constant from the ferromagnetic state back to the paramagnetic state. This time constant depends strongly upon the NP diameter and whether they are unbound or bound to an external surface such as a cell. Measurement of this decaying magnetic field is typically done by superconducting quantum interference detectors (SQUIDs). The magnitude of the field during the decay process determines the magnetic moment of the NPs in the source. A spatial contour map of the field distribution determines the location of the source in three dimensions as well as the magnetic moment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy M. Harrison</span> British environmental chemist (born 1948)

Roy Michael Harrison is a British environmental scientist. He has been Queen Elizabeth II Birmingham Centenary Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham since 1991, and is a distinguished adjunct professor at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Serena Corr is a chair in Functional Materials and Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. She works on next-generation battery materials and advanced characterisation techniques for nanomaterials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nguyen TK Thanh</span> Vietnamese nanotechnologist

Nguyễn Thị Kim Thanh is a professor of Nanomaterials at University College London. She was awarded the 2019 Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award for her research and efforts toward gender equality.

Sara A. Majetich is an American physicist and Professor of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University. Her work considers magnetic nanoparticles and nanostructures for application in spintronic devices. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brain health and pollution</span> Effects of pollution on the brain

Research indicates that living in areas of high pollution has serious long term health effects. Living in these areas during childhood and adolescence can lead to diminished mental capacity and an increased risk of brain damage. People of all ages who live in high pollution areas for extended periods place themselves at increased risk of various neurological disorders. Both air pollution and heavy metal pollution have been implicated as having negative effects on central nervous system (CNS) functionality. The ability of pollutants to affect the neurophysiology of individuals after the structure of the CNS has become mostly stabilized is an example of negative neuroplasticity.

Subir Kumar Banerjee is an Indian-American geophysicist, known for research on rock magnetism, palaeomagnetism, and environmental magnetism.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Anon (2006). "Professor Barbara Maher: Research Fellow". royalsociety.org. London: Royal Society. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 Barbara Maher publications indexed by Google Scholar OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ ORCID   0000-0002-8759-8214
  4. ↑ Maher, Barbara Ann (1984). Origins and transformations of magnetic minerals in soils. copac.jisc.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Liverpool. OCLC   499883188. EThOS   uk.bl.ethos.354553. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Prof. Barbara A Maher". lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  6. ↑ Maher, Barbara A. (1988). "Magnetic properties of some synthetic sub-micron magnetites". Geophysical Journal International. 94 (1): 83–96. Bibcode:1988GeoJI..94...83M. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1988.tb03429.x . ISSN   0956-540X.
  7. ↑ Maher, Barbara A.; Taylor, Reginald M. (1988). "Formation of ultrafine-grained magnetite in soils". Nature. 336 (6197): 368–370. Bibcode:1988Natur.336..368M. doi:10.1038/336368a0. ISSN   1476-4687. S2CID   4338921. Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  8. ↑ Maher, Barbara A.; Thompson, Roy (1991). "Mineral magnetic record of the Chinese loess and paleosols". Geology. 19 (1): 3–6. Bibcode:1991Geo....19....3M. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0003:MMROTC>2.3.CO;2. ISSN   0091-7613.
  9. ↑ Maher, Barbara A. (1998). "Magnetic properties of modern soils and Quaternary loessic paleosols: paleoclimatic implications". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 137 (1): 25–54. Bibcode:1998PPP...137...25M. doi:10.1016/S0031-0182(97)00103-X. ISSN   0031-0182.
  10. ↑ Maher, B. A.; Thompson, R.; Zhou, L. P. (1994). "Spatial and temporal reconstructions of changes in the Asian palaeomonsoon: A new mineral magnetic approach". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 125 (1): 461–471. Bibcode:1994E&PSL.125..461M. doi:10.1016/0012-821X(94)90232-1. ISSN   0012-821X.
  11. ↑ Maher, Barbara A.; Thompson, Roy, eds. (1999). Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511535635. ISBN   9780521624176.
  12. 1 2 University, Lancaster. ""Outstanding scientist" wins medal". lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "Barbara Maher - Research Portal | Lancaster University". research.lancs.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  14. ↑ "Home". bridge.bris.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Maher, B. A.; Moore, C.; Matzka, J. (2008). "Spatial variation in vehicle-derived metal pollution identified by magnetic and elemental analysis of roadside tree leaves" (PDF). Atmospheric Environment. 42 (2): 364–373. Bibcode:2008AtmEn..42..364M. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.09.013. ISSN   1352-2310.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "BBC Two - Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, Series 1 - The big air pollution experiment". BBC. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Trees Trap Environmental Particulate Matter". IFLScience. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  18. ↑ Maher, Barbara A.; Ahmed, Imad A. M.; Davison, Brian; Karloukovski, Vassil; Clarke, Robert (2013). "Impact of Roadside Tree Lines on Indoor Concentrations of Traffic-Derived Particulate Matter". Environmental Science & Technology. 47 (23): 13737–13744. Bibcode:2013EnST...4713737M. doi:10.1021/es404363m. ISSN   0013-936X. PMID   24215538.
  19. ↑ University, Lancaster. "Professor on BBC TV health programme | Lancaster University". lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  20. ↑ "PlantsAtWork.org.uk - Trust Me I'm a Doctor: plants clean up". plantsatwork.org.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  21. ↑ Summers, Hannah (20 October 2013). "Tree of life: birch filters out deadly diesel pollution". thetimes.co.uk. The Sunday Times. ISSN   0956-1382 . Retrieved 19 January 2019.(subscription required)
  22. ↑ "Silver birches the answer to pollution?". Monmouthshire Beacon. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  23. 1 2 3 Carrington, Damian (5 September 2016). "Toxic air pollution particles found in human brains". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  24. ↑ University, Lancaster. "Toxic air pollution nanoparticles discovered in the human brain | Lancaster University". lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  25. ↑ Meera Senthilingam. "Air pollution particles found inside human brains". CNN. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  26. ↑ "Magnetite In the Brain Probably Comes From Air Pollution". IFLScience. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  27. ↑ Skwarecki, Beth (2016). "Chemicals Linked to Health Hazards Are Common in Household Dust". scientificamerican.com. Scientific American . Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  28. ↑ Calderon-Garciduenas, Lilian; Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; Mann, David M. A.; Allsop, David; Foulds, Penelope G.; MacLaren, Donald A.; Karloukovski, Vassil; Ahmed, Imad A. M.; Maher, Barbara A. (2016). "Magnetite pollution nanoparticles in the human brain". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (39): 10797–10801. Bibcode:2016PNAS..11310797M. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1605941113 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   5047173 . PMID   27601646.
  29. ↑ Knapton, Sarah (5 September 2016). "'Air pollution' particles linked to Alzheimer's found in human brain". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  30. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Clean Air Strategy, Fast Radio Bursts and Kuba Kingdom". BBC. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  31. ↑ "Appleton medal recipients". iop.org. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  32. ↑ "QRA Executive Committee 2009" (PDF). QRA. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  33. ↑ "Barbara Maher". lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  34. 1 2 "Lancaster Scientist lauded for 'exceptional contribution' to Earth sciences". www.lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
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