"Science Cafe" events, initiated nationwide under the leadership of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), were also held by Üsküdar Üniversitesi. "Science Cafe Meetings" were organized at Ümraniye Nation's Garden in cooperation with Ümraniye Municipality.
Head of the Criminal Justice Master's Program, Prof. Dr. Aylin Yalçın Sarıbey, said, "We try to catch the perpetrator by making silent witnesses at the crime scene speak using scientific methods, because they do not lie."
MESSAGE experiment Project Manager Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan stated, "We designed an experiment for approximately 2 years. No student worked in the laboratory. We produced a robot, this robot carried out the experiments, and our student was able to change the genetics of the cell by entering commands to the robot from home without ever coming to the laboratory. We are trying to integrate artificial intelligence into this."
Within the scope of "Science Cafe" events simultaneously launched by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in universities across Turkey in the last week of May, Üsküdar Üniversitesi brought science and the public together.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi hosted an enjoyable and informative "Science Cafe Meetings" at Ümraniye Nation's Garden in cooperation with Ümraniye Municipality. Making the opening speech of the event, Associate Professor Dr. Cihan Becan, Faculty Member of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, Department of Advertising, and Coordinator of the Science Communication Office, said, "We are realizing the Üsküdar Üniversitesi leg of our Science Cafe events, which are planned to be launched across our universities (in all 81 provinces) by the end of May, under the leadership of our Council of Higher Education."
Science, forensic sciences, and the secrets of space were discussed
In the event moderated by Şaban Özdemir, Media PR Unit Manager of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Corporate Communications Department, Prof. Dr. Aylin Yalçın Sarıbey, Head of the Criminal Justice Master's Program at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, shed light on the mysterious world of forensic sciences and evidence with her presentation titled "In Pursuit of Justice: Following a Drop of Blood."
Explaining the critical role of forensic sciences in combating crime and criminals with striking examples, Prof. Dr. Aylin Yalçın Sarıbey said, "We try to catch the perpetrator by making silent witnesses at the crime scene speak using scientific methods, because they do not lie."
Stating that forensic sciences generally deal with subjects that society would not want to hear, such as homicide, injury, and murder, but which are a reality of life, Prof. Dr. Aylin Yalçın Sarıbey said, "Our goal is to find the perpetrator. Criminals are always faster than us, trying to obscure evidence. We are the people who strive to make these silent witnesses speak, and how to catch the perpetrator."
The fundamental starting point of forensic sciences: the principle of "Every contact leaves a trace"
Emphasizing that the fundamental starting point of forensic sciences is the principle of "Every contact leaves a trace," Prof. Dr. Sarıbey said, "We leave a trace on everything we touch. Our DNA remains on the edge of the bottle we drink from, our fingerprints on the table, our shoe prints where we walk. We make the witnesses speak based on these traces."
Drawing attention to the importance of silent witnesses, i.e., physical evidence, Prof. Dr. Sarıbey stated, "They do not lie, they are not influenced, they are objective. As long as we apply the correct scientific methods and the latest advanced technological methodology."
Referring to the possibility of witnesses being mistaken due to reasons such as fear, panic, being under pressure, or wanting to protect a relative, Prof. Dr. Sarıbey said, "Scientifically, we know that in a snatch-and-grab incident, 70% of eyewitnesses can point to the wrong person. This is not always intentional; they can be mistaken due to panic, fear, or a similarity. However, a fingerprint or bloodstain at the crime scene does not lie, it does not mislead. With DNA analysis, we know the identity of that person, and this does not deceive us."
The most fundamental purpose of forensic sciences is to ensure justice
Stating that ensuring justice strengthens the sense of trust in society, Prof. Dr. Sarıbey said, "When we find the perpetrator and that person serves their sentence, everyone feels safe, and the damaged sense of justice is repaired. This is the most fundamental purpose of forensic sciences."
Prof. Dr. Sarıbey stated that the most known and frequently used evidence is fingerprints, saying, "We leave them everywhere. Even if criminals erase them, wear gloves, or try to destroy them, we can still clarify most incidents with fingerprints today."
Identification can be done fastest with fingerprints
Prof. Dr. Sarıbey stated that in major disasters like earthquakes, identification can be done fastest with fingerprints, and even if body integrity is compromised, when fingerprints are found, the deceased can be quickly identified and handed over to their families. He added that in cases where fingerprints are damaged, DNA samples are taken and identification is made by comparing them with samples from relatives.
Every shoe print is also different!
Prof. Dr. Sarıbey stated that although the patterns of shoes of the same brand and size may be the same, each shoe print is unique due to people walking on different paths and shoes undergoing different deformations. She said, "A nail pierced my shoe, glass cut yours. The sole of the other one was torn. We went through different paths, like life. Their traces remain on our shoe soles."
Prof. Dr. Sarıbey said that the same situation applies to vehicle tire tracks, "Vehicles also did not travel on the same roads, they had different wear and tear, and those wears left a unique trace on the tire, just like the wrinkles on our forehead."
How did the MESSAGE Science Mission come about?
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan, Director of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Transgenic Cell Technologies and Epigenetics Application and Research Center (TRGENMER) and Project Manager of the MESSAGE experiment, shared the exciting story of Turkey's first human space mission, MESSAGE, with his speech titled "The Secret of Long Life Discovered in Space: Microgravity, Macro Discoveries."
Starting his words by saying, "The story of taking molecular genetics a bit towards space was always a dream of ours," Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan stated that the question of whether human DNA can feel the Earth's gravity and how it might react to it formed the basis of the MESSAGE (Microgravity Associated Genetics) Mission.
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan explained that the project started in 2021 with three female students who were then in their second year. As part of a team that performed Turkey's first genetic therapies, they initiated space work with this infrastructure. With the President's announcement of Turkey's first space mission, the MESSAGE project, which already had its ideas and hypotheses ready, was deemed suitable by the Turkish Space Agency and TÜBİTAK Space to be carried out in space by Alper Gezeravcı.
We made many discoveries in space
Reminding that Alper Gezeravcı carried out the first space mission and Tuva Cihangir Atasever carried out the second space mission, Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan said, "Both of our astronauts completed a total of 20 projects, and thus we made many discoveries that can be called unique, both at NASA and the European Space Agency."
Noting that these discoveries are currently being converted into master's theses and articles by students, Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan said, "In a way, my molecular biology and genetics story started by being curious about those small experiments that I always wondered about, that began in all our homes, grew, and has now gone to space for the first time."
No research area has been left untouched by artificial intelligence
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan stated that no laboratory, equipment, or research area has been left untouched by artificial intelligence, and added that vast health data collected through applications like E-Nabız can be analyzed with artificial intelligence to revolutionize healthcare services in the future.
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan said, "Laboratory results, disease data, and drug information of millions of people are accumulating. Thanks to artificial intelligence, in the future, we may enter an era where your medication will be automatically determined, and how much you will use, without going to the hospital, simply by writing your symptoms, perhaps by interacting with an application like E-Nabız GPT." He explained that this prediction is not a dream, and that a hospital established with 42 AI doctors in China started operating last week.
"Now we do our experiments not in test tubes, but among computer codes; they are hidden there..."
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan stated that in their own laboratories, they use artificial intelligence in many areas such as understanding DNA, analyzing human body reactions, and determining cancer risk and treatment methods. He added, "In a way, our experiments are no longer in test tubes, but among computer codes; they are hidden there. There is also a global trend in this direction."
We produced a robot, this robot carried out the experiments!
Giving an example from their scientific publications recently accepted in the journal Nature, Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan said, "We designed this experiment for approximately 2 years. No student worked in the laboratory. We produced a robot, this robot carried out the experiments, and our student was able to change the genetics of the cell by entering commands to the robot from home without ever coming to the laboratory. We are trying to integrate artificial intelligence into this."
"If we can increase telomere length in space, we can extend our lifespan"
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan announced that they detected that "telomeres," located at the ends of DNA and associated with long life, elongated within the short period spent in space in samples taken from Turkish astronaut Alper Gezeravcı and two foreign astronauts. He stated that this discovery shows that astronauts have a DNA signature conducive to longer life.
Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan said, "All of our lifespans are normally 145 years. However, factors such as smoking, stress, and unhealthy eating shorten this period. If we can increase telomere length in space, we can extend our lifespan."
Emphasizing that these studies carried out by Turkey in space strengthen Turkey's position in the international space arena and that Turkish scientists are undertaking concrete projects instead of pursuing utopian dreams, Assistant Professor Dr. Cihan Taştan gave the youth the message, "If you have a question, sit down and turn that question into a project, an experiment."
The program concluded with Üsküdar Üniversitesi Assistant Secretary General Cumhur Bakır. Bakır thanked everyone for their participation and stated that YÖK's Science Cafe application is a good practice for bringing science to society, and Üsküdar Üniversitesi will continue its efforts to connect society with science.
Scientific conversations in a warm atmosphere
During the event, which lasted from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, citizens had the opportunity to ask questions about topics they were curious about.
The friendly conversation environment, which also included tea and coffee service, made a significant contribution to science becoming a part of daily life.
The meeting concluded with a group photo session.
Photo: Ayşegül Gündoğdu