What We're Talkin' About
Fish oil might be the secret to slowing down global warming. Researchers in Belgium fed fish oil supplemented food to sheep and measured to amount of methane gas the sheep produced. Normally, ruminant animals like sheep and cows produce large quantities of methane as a bi-product of their digestive processes. However, the researchers found that when they supplemented the sheeps' diet with fish oil, methane production was cut in half. To read more, click
here.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is developing an
"Indigenous Weather" website to map and correlate Aboriginal knowledge of weather patterns with the current meteorological scientific records. The Australian Aborigines have an oral record of weather and the environment that goes back tens of thousands of years. Their historical stories might clarify much of the piddling two hundred years of scientific weather data on the Australian continent. According to the Aboriginal tales, the current hot, dry spell that Australia is experiencing might last for the next 2,000 years. Read more
here.
Prosthetics are going to the brain. Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles are testing a device that is designed to replace damaged areas of the brain, specifically the hippocampus. The hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory formation, is a highly ordered area of the brain in which neurons work in parallel circuits. Damage to the hippocampus blocks the transmission of signals along those parallel pathways. In theory, this device should be able to by-pass damaged hippocampal areas, and deliver the appropriate neural messages to the rest of the brain. Researchers will test the prosthesis first in rat brain tissue, then in living rats, and finally in trained monkeys. The hope is that the prosthesis will someday be used to treat humans with hippocampal damage. We shall see. Read more
here.
Man sweat makes women relax. A recent study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that sweat extract from the underarms of men made women feel more relaxed than women who were not exposed to male sweat. The sweat extract was applied to the upper lips of female volunteers who then rated their moods for a six hour period. Analysis of the womens' blood found that levels of luteinizing hormone were elevated in those who had been exposed to the sweat extract. Luteinizing hormone is important in the female menstrual cycle, specifically for stimulating ovulation. It is possible the male sweat contains pheromone-like compounds that affect the fertility of women. Read more
here.
Ants! We spoke with an expert on the social organization and molecular evolutionary history of Argentine Ants, an invasive species of ant here in the states that is quickly dominating over most native species. Listen to
today's show to hear more! Just click on the link for 'This Week in Science', and you'll be able to listen to the show via streaming audio.
Headline Links: Check these out for topics that weren't covered on this week's show!
Killer pneumonia likely to be new bug (
New Scientist)
RNA sends message from fetus (
New Scientist)
Acne Drug Halts Rare Type of Blindness in Mice (
Reuters)
'Wash Your Hands' Signs Only Work for Women: Study (
Reuters)
Popular Weight Loss Supplement May Damage DNA (
Yahoo News)
Little Sleep Impairs Mind as Much as No Sleep (
Yahoo News)
In Click Languages, an Echo of the Tongues of the Ancients (
New York Times)
current science news posted by Kirsten at 3/18/2003 11:15:00 AM
Scientists
& Engineers for America
RSS
