the-BA : ScienceNewsDigest-13/04/06

An eggcellent experiment! (Copyright: iStockPhoto.com)

GM yeast cells provide hope for malaria treatment, and a probe assessing Venus could advance our understanding of climate change. Plus an eggcellent experiment has been uncovered...

The dead swan that tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu on the coast of Fife came from outside the UK and seems to be an isolated case. On Wednesday the Guardian reported that the virus was most likely caught overseas and the bird was washed up on British shores.

Genetically modified yeast may yield a chemical crucial in the prevention of malaria. The yeast produces a chemical which can be converted to artemisinin, a drug in short supply, the Guardian has reported. Malaria kills more than one million people each year (WHO).

BBC News Online confirmed the Venus Express probe went into orbit on Tuesday. It should provide insight into how climate change has affected our nearest neighbouring planet, Venus, which has a hostile climate due to a build up of greenhouse gases. This may in turn help scientists understand the changes which we have on earth on a less extreme scale.

The Independent has highlighted findings in the journal Conservation Biology which conclude that tens of thousands of animals and plants could become extinct within the coming decades as a direct result of global warming. Scientists believe biodiversity will be devastated if atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide double from pre-industrial times - this has been predicted to occur by the end of the century.

A more energy efficient light bulb has been invented. The organic light-emitting diode does not cause the bulb to heat up like other types of light bulb BBC News Online outlines.

Pharmaceutical companies have been the subject of debate this week due to a set of essays published by the open-access journal Public Library of Science Medicine. The Times summarises how the essays believe the companies are “diseasemongering” - promoting non-existent illnesses or exaggerating minor ones - for the sake of profits and it is turning healthy people into patients.

US Scientists are developing a laser that melts fat and could be used to treat cellulite, acne and heart disease. The Independent highlights that photothermolysis - heating tissues with light – can heat up fat in the body without harming the overlying skin. This could have many medical implications for the future.

Flavonoids found in chocolate could help heart patients, The Telegraph reports. The flavonoids have an anti-oxidant effect acting on LDL-cholesterol and act like aspirin to prevent clotting. The chocolate needs to be high in cocoa and chocolate manufacturers may have to reduce the sugar content. This will mean it may not be as appealing as the chocolate found in your local shop...

Scientists have discovered fossils which will help bridge a gap in human evolutionary history. BBC News Online highlight the findings of the genus Australopithecus published in Nature.

The Telegraph outlines the start of the celebrations for Brunel’s bicentenary with the brilliant firework display that took place at the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. The organiser of the event, Andrew Kelly, said "Although Brunel was born 200 years ago, his influence still remains with us in Britain today."

And finally...

Nature has confirmed the work of a team of Japanese researchers. They have proved a hard-boiled egg will jump if you give it a good spin! The jumps “rely on oscillations of the spinning egg, which in turn are caused by random, small fluctuations in the spinning conditions, such as very slight asymmetry in the egg or roughness of the surface”. Before you try it – it won’t work with an Easter egg unfortunately!

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