This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about friendly bacteria; lasers in space; prescribing placebos; nanodiamonds; and more
Friendly bacteria help fight the ’flu… Helpful bacteria don’t just aid digestion, they also fend off the flu, say researchers in the US. They found that mice treated with an antibiotic were more susceptible to flu, because the antibiotic killed bacteria in the gut which tip off the immune system to gear up for combat.—Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110314/full/news.2011.159.html
…but gut bacteria can worsen malnourishment An American study where gut bacteria were transplanted from human twins into mice could help explain why some malnourished children develop kwashiorkor—the distinctive swelling of the belly characteristic of photos of famine-ravished people. The researchers hope their work will lead to better emergency rations for sick children.—Nature
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/getting-to-the-guts-of-malnutrit.html?ref=hp
Childhood use of paracetamol linked to asthma An extensive study of more than 1400 children has confirmed a connection between early use of paracetamol and asthma and allergies. The New Zealand study found that children who used paracetamol before the age of 15 months were more than three times as likely to develop allergies and twice as likely to develop asthma by age six.—Australasian Science
An Australasian Science story on this topic can be found at http://www.australasianscience.com.au/article/issue-march-2011/childhood-paracetamol-use-linked-asthma.html
Lasers could nudge space debris aside US scientists are working on a way to avoid collisions with space debris. It uses a medium-powered, ground-based laser to nudge the debris off course. Some researchers, however, are concerned the laser could be used as a weapon.—arxiv.org
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110315/full/news.2011.161.html
US Navy faces up to climate change… The US Congress may still be debating the science of climate change, but the Pentagon already thinks it will be a significant influence on the future security environment. A recent review highlights the challenge of opening up the Arctic’s fabled Northwest Passage, as well as the threat sea level rise poses for naval bases.—New Scientist
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20228-us-navy-faces-up-to-a-new-enemy–climate-change.html
…which seems to be coming fast And the problem could be on us more quickly than expected, according to a recent US study. It puts sea level rise by 2100 at up to three times the 18 – 59 centimetres suggested by the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.—Geophysical Research Letters
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20233-sea-levels-rise-and-rise-is-down-to-melting-ice-sheets.html
Lost world hints at life in the time of the dinosaurs Like Xanadu or something out of science fiction, New Zealand researchers have discovered a lost world of plants and animals on a submerged mountain off Antarctica. The community is dominated by crinoids, stalked relatives of starfish and sea urchins, which are a relic of the age of dinosaurs.—Deep-Sea Research
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928033.900-lost-world-hints-at-life-in-the-mesozoic.html
Nanodiamonds deliver on cancer treatment Tiny flecks of carbon, known as nanodiamonds, can shrink tumours in mice by delivering chemotherapy drugs to cancerous cells. The nanodiamonds are non-toxic, can bind a variety of drugs, do not trigger the immune system and can be cleared easily from the blood by the kidneys.—Science Translational Medicine
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/nanodiamonds-could-be-a-cancer-p.html?ref=hp
First lupus drug approved in more than 50 years The US Food and Drug Administration has announced approval of the drug belimumab for treating the devastating autoimmune disease, lupus, in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue. The drug is an antibody that interferes with the immune system capacity to produce antibodies.—Nature
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110310/full/news.2011.150.html
Happier people tweet together Scientists who have studied millions of tweets say they have found that happier people tend to tweet to each other—as do people who are less happy—and rarely the twain meet.—arxiv.org
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/03/happy-people-tweet-together.html
Half of Germany’s doctors prescribe placebos Prescriptions of placebos, such as vitamin pills and homeopathic remedies, are booming in Germany and Switzerland, according to a report released by the German Medical Association.—New Scientist
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928033.200-half-of-germanys-doctors-prescribe-placebos.html