RSS Channels IndexNew Scientist Magazine - Press Release - Issue 15 July 2006
MAGAZINE ISSUE DATE: 15 JULY 2006 (Vol. 191 No. 2560)
NEWS THIS WEEK:
MAJOR FLAW IN MISCARRIAGE TEST
Expensive fertility treatments offered to women who repeatedly suffer miscarriages early in pregnancy appear to be based on bad science. According to a new study by researchers in London, the test that determines whether women should be given such treatments may be useless. The team say the test for numbers of natural killer cells found in the blood is a poor predictor of miscarriage. Page 16
THAT MOUSE THAT NO ONE CAN IGNORE
A humble mouse is at the centre of a bitter conservation row. At stake are its future and the development of a prime piece of real estate in the US. The jumping Preble meadow mouse was designated as a distinct subspecies, and, in 1998 was listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. But biologists now question whether the mouse is unique at all and are arguing over how to define a genetically distinct population. Pages 12-13
TREES HICCUP METHANE RATHER THAN BELCH
After a surprise report in January which said that living plants are releasing methane gas in huge amounts, people questioned whether tree planting was a good strategy for soaking up greenhouse gases. But according to two new studies - one in Australia the other in New Zealand - the original figure for global plant production of methane was overestimated. The new estimates are based on total leaf mass and not total plant biomass as used in the original study. Pages 12-13
GADGETS FOR THE TACTILE WORLD
We have five senses, but rarely use our sense of touch to control and react to electronic devices. That's set to change with several new gadgets that stimulate our sense of touch, called haptic devices. One proposed device which could revolutionise life for the visually impaired consists of a headband that imprints the shape of the object in front of the user onto their forehead. Other devices include cellphones with tactile displays, and gaming controllers that enable you to "feel" the weight of objects or experience the sensation of wading through water.
Pages 26-27
PLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE
Foreign bumblebees imported to pollinate plants in commercial glasshouses could destroy natural populations if their use is not properly controlled, according to a scientist in London. Non-native species have already escaped and created large colonies in the UK countryside, which could lead to them out-competing native bumblebees. Page 4
FEATURES:
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH
Alcohol is still made in pretty much the same crude way it was 4000 years ago. We drink for a bit of relaxation and merriment, but after a few too many we're left with the obvious hangover, memory loss, nausea and aggression. Not to mention damage to our livers, hearts and brains. Of course it's better not to drink at all, but in such an advanced technological age, why can't we just take the harm out of alcohol? Some researchers believe it's possible to develop an alcohol substitute which selectively blocks alcohol's undesirable effects while leaving the desirable ones alone. Page 30-34
LET THERE BE DARK
Italian scientists seem to have made a remarkable discovery. Experimental results suggest they have succeeded in creating dark matter " the elusive material thought to make up one fifth of the mass of universe, but which no one has managed to detect before. Yet the team aren't jumping for joy at the thought of that Nobel prize. There is something about the team's results that just doesn't make sense.
Pages 35-37
WARNING SIGNS
Composite plastics are becoming hugely popular with airplane makers in place of metal. The material may be light and tough, but is it safe? Two incidents of damaged composite parts on planes recently revealed they came within inches of disaster. Experts say that standard aircraft tests based on visual inspection are no longer enough. What the industry needs are new gadgets that can scan composite parts for faults quickly and easily. Pages 38-41
RETURN OF THE GIANTS
Giant bugs so big that locals used to call them "land lobsters" were last seen living on a lush tropical island near Sydney in the 1920's. So it was with some surprise when conservationists rediscovered these giant stick insects 70 years later clinging on to the ledge of a nearby rocky island. All the more amazing is the fact that these creatures can't fly. Pages 43-45
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