New Scientist Magazine Press Release

BEWARE THE ECOTOURIST
Ecotourism has clear benefits, with tourists bringing money to poor countries that are rich in biodiversity. But the impact tourists are having could endanger the very wildlife they are going to see. Biologists are getting worried about growing evidence showing that tourist visits can change the animals’ behaviour – such as their stress levels, heart rate, or feeding and breeding activities. The findings undermine the premise that ecotourism is an ecologically sustainable activity. Pages 6-7

THYROID RADIATION DOSES ARE ‘MUCH TOO HIGH’
Millions of people with thyroid disease are being given excessive doses of radiation that could increase their risk of contracting cancer. Graves disease – where the thyroid gland produces too much hormone – is treated with radioactive iodine-131. But the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority warn that doctors fail to optimise the radiation dose for individuals, or give fixed amounts, without taking into account the size of the thyroid or the amount of iodine it takes up or loses. Page 10

PAINKILLER LINKED TO RISE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS
Forensic science experts fear that a huge increase in methadone prescriptions for use as painkillers, are feeding the black market and causing an alarming rise in deaths related to the drug in the US. The drug works well as pain relief because it stays in the body for a long time. But this also means that accidental overdoses are common, even when the drug is prescribed.
Page 14

DNA CHIP WILL CATCH BEEFED UP CHICKEN
How can you tell if your chicken has been bulked up with beef or pork waste? And how can we ensure that companies aren’t risking spreading mad cow disease by adding illegal animal remains to cattle feed. These questions can now be answered by a food ID chip which has been developed in France to ensure meat products are what they say they are and don’t contain anything they shouldn’t. Pages 12-13

GRIEF ON THE REEF
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef may be on the verge of a massive outbreak of coral bleaching as sea temperatures rise for the third time in six years. Researchers in New York blame global warming for the high sea temperatures and predict that this bleaching “will be the worst yet”.
Page 4

COMPACT FUEL CELLS MAY OUST OUT FEEBLE BATTERIES
Battery technology cannot keep pace with advanced smartphones. But researchers in America have found a trick that boosts the power of miniature hydrogen fuel cells by up to 50 per cent that could keep gadgets running. By shrinking the channels that deliver hydrogen fuel to the cell’s heart, they found that the fuel cell’s power was dramatically increased. Page 23

FIGHTING FIRE WITH A STEAM MACHINE
A British company has accidentally discovered a powerful tool for putting out fires while testing the capabilities of an engine designed for speedboats. The engine’s capabilities out of water were tested by squirted water into the engine with a garden hose. To everyone’s surprise the water emerged as a jet of fine droplets that drenched everyone standing within 20 metres of it – ideal for dousing flames. Page 24

CHEAP 3D SCANNER COMING SOON
A British company has come up with a simple, cheap device that generates 3D computer representations of any object it scans. The company hopes the scanner will appeal to gaming fans who could scan in their favourite possessions and download them into a virtual game. Page 25

FEATURES:-

THE MASTER SWITCH
The brain’s primary neurotransmitter, glutamate, is at the heart of almost every central nervous system circuit, and so in theory, has the potential to treat almost any brain disorder. But for years researchers have avoided drugs that target glutamate signalling because it usually leads to horrendous side effect. But not any more, and there could be a medical revolution in the making. Pages 35-37

GENOMES DON’T PLAY DICE
Evolution is still taught as a game of chance that works through completely random genetic mutations. But some molecular biologists are arguing that Darwin’s evolutionary theory needs updating. They believe that DNA sequences actually steer their mutations – giving a genome the potential to influence its own evolution. Pages 42-45

THE GARDEN WHERE PERFECT SOFTWARE GROWS
Software crashes on a PC will normally mean that you have to reboot and possibly lose a bit of work. But what if the faulty software is in your car brakes or in a power station? One software engineer believes that instead of designing computer programs as we currently do we should let software evolve and develop as nature does. This uncrashable software will have the ability to adapt to changes and repair itself just like living organisms. Pages 28-31

DARK SIDE OF THE SUN
We may finally be on the verge of understanding what drives sunspot activity. Researchers in America say the key is a slow but steady movement of plasma gas on the sun’s surface, from the equator towards the poles – dragging huge portions of magnetic field with it. What’s more, they believe, with the help of their computer model they can forecast future sunspot activity.
Pages 38-41

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