the-BA : Science News Digest

Kangaroo sign (Image copyright: istockphoto.com)

In the news this week: sciencehorizons is launched to encourage debate about future science and technology. Plus, giant kangaroos, heat-ray guns and the worst sound in the world…

Thursday saw the launch of sciencehorizons, a new government-funded scheme which aims to get people talking about their hopes and fears about future science and technology, and their impact on society. Nationwide events will be taking place over the next six months and responses will be fed-back to the government, reported BBC News.

Science and Innovation Minister Malcolm Wicks said: "What's important about sciencehorizons is that we're inviting anyone and everyone to get involved in the discussions, not only the scientists. Over the coming decades, we're going to have some huge ethical debates about science as new discoveries are made and new technologies emerge. We will all need to be part of making informed decisions about how we develop and use scientific and technological advances.”

A study conducted by the German Aerospace Center claims half of the world’s energy needs in 2050 could be met using renewable energy sources and improved efficiency. Greenpeace and Europe’s Renewable Energy Council commissioned the report. Sven Teske from Greenpeace international told BBC News that it provided a ‘roadmap’ for meeting future energy need without fuelling climate change, with the outlined strategy making a near-50 per cent reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions economically feasible.

While the report called for ageing fossil fuel and nuclear power plants to be replaced by renewable sources at the end of their operational lives, British Energy revealed their own report, informed by Met Office experts, on the impact of climate change on the nuclear power industry.

All the current nuclear power plants are sited on the coast and would be at risk from rising sea levels and increased wave and storm surge heights, with the South East coast likely to face the most extreme storm surges. BBC News reported that, according to predictions, Britain’s most modern reactor, at Sizewell in Suffolk, faces severe storm surges 1.7 metres higher in 2080 than at present. These factors would be important in informing the planning of new power plant sites. The criteria for possible sites are likely to be released by the government in March.
The discovery of an extraordinary wealth of fossil remains in an Australian cave has been described as the ‘find of the century’ by scientists, reported the Guardian. 69 species of mammals, reptiles and birds were unearthed – a third of which are now extinct. The find included the first complete skeleton of a marsupial lion and 8 species of kangaroo previously unknown to science.

Analysis of the remains has also caused a rethink on the cause of the animals’ extinction, reported the Times, pointing the finger of blame at bushfire-starting humans, rather than Ice-Age driven climate change. The research leader, Professor Richard Roberts, from the University of Wollongong, said the animals had survived repeated climate change and yet disappeared suddenly in the past 50,000 years – with humans being the only new factor.

Meanwhile, a fresh look at the limb joints and feather direction of the dinosaur Microraptor gui, an ancestor of modern birds, has led to scientists from Texas Tech University to conclude they were built like biplanes – the same design that the Wright brothers used for the first pilot powered plane. The scientists concluded that a tandem wing design wouldn’t have provided enough lift for the dinosaur, nor enabled it to walk on the ground, whereas a biplane posture would be ideal for gliding among trees, reported the Guardian.

“This is the first study to attempt to quantify the possible flight performance of this strange 'four-winged' dinosaur since it was described in 2003,” said Angela Milner, from the Natural History Museum in London. “However, whether Microraptor was on the main line of evolution that led to powered flapping flight or was a 'side experiment' is currently hotly debated among researchers, as is the hypothesis that avian powered [flapping flight] developed through a gliding stage."

Scientists were given a rare glimpse of a living fossil when a 5 foot long frilled shark was caught and taken to the Awashima Marine Park in Japan. The creature has remained unchanged since prehistoric times and is seldom seen alive because it lives between 600 and 1,000 metres under the water – deeper than humans can go. Fisherman alerted the park experts to a “strange eel-like fish with razor sharp teeth”. "We think it may have come close to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters," said a park spokesperson. You can see footage of the creature via the Telegraph website. Unfortunately, the shark died not long after the footage was recorded.

In other news, journalists lined up for a first-hand demonstration of the US military’s latest high-tech weapon: a ray gun. Supposedly harmless, the gun is designed to evokes a highly unpleasant burning sensation in the skin and cause people to drop their weapons. It is effective at a range 17 times greater than existing non-lethal weapons, reported the Guardian.

A vaccine against Alzheimer’s Disease could be available as a skin patch within 6-10 years, reported the Guardian, following successful animal trials. The new vaccine was developed by combining fragments of amyloid protein (which clumps together in harmful plaques in sufferers) with cholera toxin to help stimulate the immune system. When tested on mice exhibiting an Alzheimer’s-like disease, the vaccine led to an immune response against the amyloid plaques that lasted four months. And upon examination of their brain tissue, scientists found that those mice given the vaccine patches had half as many plaques as mice given patches containing only the cholera toxin.

It appears that stimulating cells in the skin by this method may provide a more targeted immune response than previous vaccine trials which were halted when they caused brain inflammation due to over-stimulation of the immune system.

The Times announced that a new approach to treating nicotine addiction may be offered by research which found stroke damage to a particular part of the brain – the insula – enabled smokers to quit quickly and easily. The key discovery was the absence of cravings: the patient who inspired the research quit abruptly following his stroke, despite previously smoking 40-cigarettes-a-day. He told doctors he “forgot the urge to smoke”. Various mechanisms to alter or disrupt the activity of the insula could be developed – from pharmacological approaches to the use of magnetic fields or deep brain stimulation using electrode implants. However, the insula is also thought to be involved in translating information from parts of the body into hunger and pain, and it would be important to avoid disrupting the other activities in which it has a critical role.

In other news:

Y chromosome DNA has revealed the 18th century African heritage of a group of white Yorkshiremen with an unusual surname. Mark Jobling, Professor of Genetics at the University of Leicester, who led the research said: “Human migration history is clearly very complex, particularly for an island nation such as ours, and this study further debunks the idea that there are simple and distinct populations or ‘races’ . . . This chromosome has nothing to do with how you look or how you are, beyond making you male. But it is a very reliable marker of African ancestry.”
(The Times)

Vomiting was deemed the worst sound in a worldwide poll, beating microphone feedback, fingernails scraping down a blackboard and babies crying to the top spot. The mass online science experiment was launched a year ago by Professor Trevor Cox from the University of Salford. “This research has been fascinating in gaining an insight into why people are repulsed by certain sounds – and how this differs by gender, age and nationality,” he said. “This is so important because noise significantly affects our quality of life."
(The Daily Telegraph)

The world’s first rhinoceros conceived by artificial insemination was born at Hungary zoo.
(BBC News)

A new theory was proposed to explain the outcome of the TGN1412 drug trial which put six volunteers in intensive care in March 2006
(Nature)
India’s plan to send an unmanned mission to the moon in 2008 was boosted by the successful return to Earth of an orbiting capsule – the technology that ensures astronauts return safely from space.
(BBC News)

Part of Britain’s first World Heritage Site was threatened by pollution caused by the grounding of the MSC Napoli off the coast of Devon, and birds suffered in the oil leak.
(The Times)

And finally...

Do you run to your ‘significant other’ following an argument with someone? Well according to new research, so do rooks. The birds, who typically mate for life, usually return to the same site each year, nesting alongside thousands of rook neighbours. The close proximity can offer various advantages for the group, such as better protection against predators, but can also led to arguments due to competition for the best nesting material and food.

Close observation of a captive group of 10 rooks revealed that, after quarrels with neighbours, the rooks sort solace from their monogamous partner – engaging in bill-twinning. It’s the first time such behaviour has been documented in birds, although it is well known in primate species, reported Science news online.