TIZER'S SCIENCE NEWS

[Tizer]

It seems that the term `giant rat' is applied to a range of creatures, not all of them rats, so lord knows what these things are! If the Daily Mail is right and Britain is threatened by a plague of `giant rats' perhaps we should be catching them and putting them to use?

[Stanley]

Not sure whether this is science or medical. Not sure why it has cropped up now as I saw this earlier in the year but it's about the fact that Brazil has a very high level of Caesarian births and the government is introducing tighter rules to ensure they are justified. It looks as though there are two reasons, one voluntary for personal reasons and the other as a means of smoothing out the work load in birth units by scheduling births.

[Stanley]

See THIS CNN report of the progress of the Horizon probe which is about to fly by Pluto. Quite amazing and a credit to the NASA scientists and the US government that financed it.

[Stanley]

The Horizon probe has been silent for 22 hours because it has been diverting all its resources to image and data gathering. It is now ready to send this information home but it takes 4 hours for the signal to reach earth. Can you imagine the excite4ment at NASA as they wait for the info to arrive. Wonderful achievement.

[Stanley]

See THIS for a fascinating BBC report on the New Horizon results which are now coming through. Apart from anything else one of the miracles is the communications, sending massive amounts of data back over 4billion miles.... I'll bet they wish they had Broadband!

[Tizer]

The NASA web site has a special page and it's got some great pics of Pluto: LINK

[Stanley]

Just think what is to come! Did I hear them say it would take four years to download all the data?

[Tizer]

`Solved: The mystery of Russia's gigantic craters which are created by exploding gas'
"Mysterious giant craters which have started appearing in the Russian countryside are caused by exploding gas, scientists have revealed today. Research teams who visited the enormous sinkholes - some of which are larger than a football pitch - said the stunning natural phenomenon had "never been observed" before. The gigantic caverns were formed when pockets under the earth filled with natural gas and exploded in spectacular fashion. At least seven such craters have so far been found in remote Siberia, with the nature of their origins previously baffling scientists. Conspiracy theories encompassing everything from Russian military testing to alien visits from outer space were put forward as possible explanations after the holes were discovered last year.

"However, a new expedition this week made the breakthrough after discovering that they were all to be found where there had previously been pingos - mounds of earth concealing an ice core inside. Scientists discovered that cracks in the earth's core allowed heat and natural gas to escape, slowly melting the ice. The space left behind in the mounds was then filled with natural gas, which built up until it exploded, leaving behind nothing but a huge crater." LINK

[Stanley]

Will the incidence of this phenomenon increase as the permafrost breaks down under global warming?
New images coming in from Pluto....
I have a small problem in that in the olden days a brand of contraceptive sheaths was called 'New Horizons'......

[Tizer]

These craters are caused by activity deeper down but a melting permafrost won't help matters. That reminds me....while we in the West were arguing years ago over whether or not climate change was really happening the Chinese were rebuilding their major roads in the north of the country to prevent them collapsing when the permafrost starts to melt. They'd already decided climate change was here to stay and was a danger.

[Stanley]

'Clever chaps these Chinese'.....

[Stanley]

See THIS for news of what could be a ground-breaking moment in the treatment of blindness. Too early to make any predictions but given the advances in technology can anyone doubt that there will be significant advances in quality? Wonderful and I wish the experiment well.

[Tizer]

Perseid meteor shower
BBC: "Skywatchers are in for a dazzling display as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Wednesday. For the first time since 2007, the shower will coincide with a new moon - making viewing conditions particularly favourable, weather permitting"...."Prime viewing hours are from about 23:00 (local time) on 12 August until the morning of 13 August. Prof Mark Bailey, the director of Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland, said the Perseids were "one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year". Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, added: "The nearly moonless sky this year means the viewing will be excellent." LINK

[Stanley]

As long as we don't have the overcast which seems prevalent at the moment with us....

[Tizer]

17th Aug 2015, presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
`Mosquito-repelling chemicals identified in traditional sweetgrass'
Native North Americans have long adorned themselves and their homes with fragrant sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata), a native plant used in traditional medicine, to repel biting insects, and mosquitoes in particular. Now, researchers report that they have identified the compounds in sweetgrass that keep these bugs at bay. Mosquitoes and other insects remain a pesky part of everyday life in many parts of the world, and their bites are linked to a range of serious diseases, such as malaria. To add to the arsenal of insect repellents, Dr Charles Cantrell, investigates the components of plants used in traditional therapies. “We found that in our search for new insect repellents, folk remedies have provided good leads.” Sweetgrass is a meadow grass that is a native to northern climates, Cantrell says. “It gives off a sweet aroma that repels mosquitoes.”
Full press ACS release here: LINK
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Hierochloe odorata is known as Holy Grass in Britain and is now a rare plant here but it was once more abundant particularly in wetland areas. It got it's name from having been strewn on the ground during religious ceremonies to scent the air. Perhaps our ancestors also realised that it kept away the mosquitoes too!

[Stanley]

" “We found that in our search for new insect repellents, folk remedies have provided good leads.” "
Granny was right too often to be ignored.....

[Stanley]

" “We found that in our search for new insect repellents, folk remedies have provided good leads.” "
Granny was right too often to be ignored.....

[Stanley]

See THIS for a report of Professor Steven Hawking's latest theory on the ultimate fate of information hitherto thought to be swallowed by black holes.
The man is a living miracle and as he is so respected this conjecture will be taken seriously.

[Stanley]

See THIS for the discovery of fossil remains of a very large predatory sea scorpion. They sound like something that we wouldn't like to meet! I am constantly amazed by the steady flow of knowledge that comes from these fossils. I wonder how the Creationists deal with information like this.....

[plaques]

I wonder how the Creationists deal with information like this.....

Has they always do and blame Satan for seeding the earth with these artifacts to mislead people into thinking the Earth is older than it really is.

[Stanley]

I suppose research into the economic cost of alcohol to the economy comes under the heading of science. See THIS for a report from the Institute for Economic Affairs that seems to prove that boozers put more into the economy than the consequences of their actions cause. Of course this leads to a secondary debate as to just what the costs are.... Keeps the statisticians busy!

[Tizer]

I found this fascinating. We already know a lot about the body's rhythms and response to light etc but now this explains how it works at the cellular level...
`Body's 'chemical calendar' discovered'
"The way the body can track the passing of the seasons in a "chemical calendar" has been discovered by scientists. The team, reporting in Current Biology, found a cluster of thousands of cells that could exist in either a "summer" or "winter" state. They use the lengthening day to switch more of them into summer mode and the opposite when the nights draw in. The annual clock controls when animals breed and hibernate and in humans may be altering the immune system. A team from the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh analysed the brains of sheep at different times of the year. They found a cluster of 17,000 "calendar cells" in the pituitary gland, which sits at the base of the brain, and releases hormones that control processes throughout the body. The research team say the cells have a "binary system" like a computer that can exist in one of two states - they can either produce "winter" chemicals or "summer" ones. And the proportion of the calendar cells in each state changes throughout the year to mark the passage of time.
More here: LINK

[Stanley]

Wonderful. We know that the behaviour of plants can be modified by manipulating light and temperature. It looks as though animals might have a similar mechanism. What implications are there in this for human exposure to artificial light? Are we moved into 'summer state ' as well?

[Stanley]

Gravitational Wave Theory is a hot topic of research these days. Gravity has always been mysterious, we know it is a force but have never been able to identify the true nature of the energy that undoubtedly exists. It governs the Universe and can apparently bend and travel in waves. I can't help getting the feeling that when we crack this one we will open up an entirely new view of physics. (LINK)

[Stanley]

See THIS for a BBC report on some fundamental research into the relationship between genes and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which includes susceptibility to both starting smoking in the first place and the effects of it on the lungs. I insert my customary rider here, 'smoking' always refers to cigarettes and I am convinced that there are major differences between cigarettes and pipe smoking! The bottom line is that after looking at enormous amounts of data the researchers are confidant enough to publish that there is a link between certain genes and the effects of smoking and also susceptibility to COPD. This confirms something I have suspected for years, that some people, and I seem to be one of them, who have a greater tolerance to smoking.
This brings up a parallel matter, all the examinations of the effects of tobacco I have ever seen concentrate solely on the deleterious effects. In my experience, nothing is wholly good or bad, there are always shades of grey, it is not simply black and white. What value does science place on quality of life? I enjoy my pipe and it has been an ally over the years. Whenever I have stopped smoking (Twice, once for three years and once for three months) I have had bad side effects, poorer quality sleep, increased susceptibility to ordinary colds, a more sensitive stomach and a shorter temper. Was this simply withdrawal symptoms or was I actually benefiting from tobacco? I shall continue to listen to my body and do what seems to suit me, this seems to me not to be stubborn but to be sensible. I have the same attitude towards the other no-nos.... saturated fat and red meat in particular. I shall keep you informed.....