Science News Digest - 19th December 2011
In the science news this week, a study showing the nitrate levels of the Thames for the past 140 years, why mole rats can’t feel pain, a supernova revealing the secrets of the stars, and finally… how a home cooked Christmas meal could mean a healthier heart.
Nitrate levels in the Thames are on the rise
A study by Bristol University has revealed the nitrate levels in the Thames River have been steadily rising over the past 140 years. The study, which brings together the results of six different data sets, the earliest from 1868, is thought to be the longest continuous data set for any river in the world.
Reported in the BBC, the study reveals the impact that humans have had on the river ecology, showing the peaks and troughs that can be directly attributed to human events.
The changes in nitrate levels are caused by changes in land use and farming practices. The ploughing of fields released nitrogen that had been locked in the soil, which was then washed into tributaries of the Thames by rain.
One of the most prominent peaks in the data is the “Dig for Victory” policy that came into effect in 1939. The campaign saw a 30% reduction of natural grasslands to make way for arable farmland, in a bid to produce enough food for the war effort.
"Generally, Thames water quality has been improving - the fish are returning," explained Dr Nicholas Howden from Bristol University.
"But the big challenge that remains is diffuse pollution, and the UK remains the global hotspot for nitrate flux. We have the highest export for nitrate for any country in the world per capita or per land area, depending on how you want to express it. And some of the highest concentrations are coming out through the Thames."
The data also reveals the levels of ammonia, chlorine, water hardness (calcium and magnesium), dissolved oxygen and organic carbon.
Hope for arthritis drug from mole rat research
Naked mole rats have a rather strange characteristic – they don’t feel pain when exposed to acid. The reason for this had been put down to a different wiring of the nervous system for the mole rat compared to other rodents.
But new research carried out at the Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, has found that in fact the differences between mole rats, and the pain channels of other animals, is not in the wiring.
Usually, acid exposure stimulates channels, called nociceptors, found at the ends of the sensory neurons.
The research, published in Science and reported in New Scientist, has shown that these pain channels are also stimulated in mole rats.
The difference for them is that another channel, called the NaV1.7, are also stimulated. These channels have the effect of blocking the pain signal to the brain.
Ewan Smith, from the Max-Delbruck Center explains in New Scientist that there is a kind of balancing act between these two channels. In most animals, the first channel wins, sending a pain signal to the brain, but in mole rats, the NaV1.7 channel wins out, dissipating the pain signal.
"The acid block of NaV1.7 is so strong that the simultaneous activation of acid sensors is irrelevant and no signal is conducted," says Smith.
The hope is that this new knowledge could be used in devising a treatment for sufferers of arthritis and other inflammatory disorders which produce a build-up of acid in the joints. This could be done by producing a drug that mimics the blocking effect the NaV1.7 channel has.
Supernova gives a glimpse of what makes a star
The explosion of a dying star in a distant galaxy has been captured by NASA, giving a chance to see the ingredients of the Universe at its most violent, reported The Guardian.
The supernova occurred in the Pinwheel Galaxy, which is 21 million light years away.
Astronomers were able to move their telescopes onto the spot within hours of it first appearing, giving a rare opportunity to see a blast of this kind as it is happening.
"We caught the supernova just 11 hours after it exploded, so soon that we were later able to calculate the actual moment of the explosion to within 20 minutes," said Peter Nugent at the US department of energy's Berkeley Lab in California.
The explosion blasted the star’s interior out at 16,000 kilometres a second, and scientists were able to look at these elements as they were flung out. The telescopes picked up traces of oxygen, magnesium, silicon, calcium and iron, all the elements that make up us and the world around us.
By observing the supernova at such an early stage, astronomers will be able to more fully understand what triggers this kind of event. Known as a type 1a supernova, this explosion is extremely important for calculating the rate the Universe is expanding, because they always produce the same amount of light.
Keeping on the space theme, National Geographic published a newly released photo from NASA this week, depicting a galaxy that looks like a “snow angel”. The image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, was released as a celebration for the festive season. Consider it a Merry Christmas from NASA.
And finally…
Cooking your own Christmas dinner will keep your salt intake in check!
We all tend to overindulge during the festive season, but new figures from CASH, Consensus Action on Salt and Health, have suggested that a Christmas dinner, including pudding and nibbles, could be double your daily recommended intake of salt.
Reported on Mail Online, the major concern comes from processed and prepared products that so many of us rely on for convenience.
A high salt intake can cause high blood pressure in both adults and children, which if not improved, can lead to heart disease or the risk of strokes in later life.
Professor Graham MacGregor, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, told the Daily Mail that “a third of adults in Britain have raised blood pressure”.
“It is the very high levels of salt that are hidden in our food that puts up both adults’ and children’s blood pressure. The good news is that you can lower your blood pressure at any age.”
CASH have suggested that by cooking our own food and preparing our own veg, we can reduce the salt in out turkey dinner by a third, and it also tastes better.
From everyone here at the British Science Association, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Nitrate levels in the Thames are on the rise
A study by Bristol University has revealed the nitrate levels in the Thames River have been steadily rising over the past 140 years. The study, which brings together the results of six different data sets, the earliest from 1868, is thought to be the longest continuous data set for any river in the world.
Reported in the BBC, the study reveals the impact that humans have had on the river ecology, showing the peaks and troughs that can be directly attributed to human events.
The changes in nitrate levels are caused by changes in land use and farming practices. The ploughing of fields released nitrogen that had been locked in the soil, which was then washed into tributaries of the Thames by rain.
One of the most prominent peaks in the data is the “Dig for Victory” policy that came into effect in 1939. The campaign saw a 30% reduction of natural grasslands to make way for arable farmland, in a bid to produce enough food for the war effort.
"Generally, Thames water quality has been improving - the fish are returning," explained Dr Nicholas Howden from Bristol University.
"But the big challenge that remains is diffuse pollution, and the UK remains the global hotspot for nitrate flux. We have the highest export for nitrate for any country in the world per capita or per land area, depending on how you want to express it. And some of the highest concentrations are coming out through the Thames."
The data also reveals the levels of ammonia, chlorine, water hardness (calcium and magnesium), dissolved oxygen and organic carbon.
Hope for arthritis drug from mole rat research
Naked mole rats have a rather strange characteristic – they don’t feel pain when exposed to acid. The reason for this had been put down to a different wiring of the nervous system for the mole rat compared to other rodents.
But new research carried out at the Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, has found that in fact the differences between mole rats, and the pain channels of other animals, is not in the wiring.
Usually, acid exposure stimulates channels, called nociceptors, found at the ends of the sensory neurons.
The research, published in Science and reported in New Scientist, has shown that these pain channels are also stimulated in mole rats.
The difference for them is that another channel, called the NaV1.7, are also stimulated. These channels have the effect of blocking the pain signal to the brain.
Ewan Smith, from the Max-Delbruck Center explains in New Scientist that there is a kind of balancing act between these two channels. In most animals, the first channel wins, sending a pain signal to the brain, but in mole rats, the NaV1.7 channel wins out, dissipating the pain signal.
"The acid block of NaV1.7 is so strong that the simultaneous activation of acid sensors is irrelevant and no signal is conducted," says Smith.
The hope is that this new knowledge could be used in devising a treatment for sufferers of arthritis and other inflammatory disorders which produce a build-up of acid in the joints. This could be done by producing a drug that mimics the blocking effect the NaV1.7 channel has.
Supernova gives a glimpse of what makes a star
The explosion of a dying star in a distant galaxy has been captured by NASA, giving a chance to see the ingredients of the Universe at its most violent, reported The Guardian.
The supernova occurred in the Pinwheel Galaxy, which is 21 million light years away.
Astronomers were able to move their telescopes onto the spot within hours of it first appearing, giving a rare opportunity to see a blast of this kind as it is happening.
"We caught the supernova just 11 hours after it exploded, so soon that we were later able to calculate the actual moment of the explosion to within 20 minutes," said Peter Nugent at the US department of energy's Berkeley Lab in California.
The explosion blasted the star’s interior out at 16,000 kilometres a second, and scientists were able to look at these elements as they were flung out. The telescopes picked up traces of oxygen, magnesium, silicon, calcium and iron, all the elements that make up us and the world around us.
By observing the supernova at such an early stage, astronomers will be able to more fully understand what triggers this kind of event. Known as a type 1a supernova, this explosion is extremely important for calculating the rate the Universe is expanding, because they always produce the same amount of light.
Keeping on the space theme, National Geographic published a newly released photo from NASA this week, depicting a galaxy that looks like a “snow angel”. The image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, was released as a celebration for the festive season. Consider it a Merry Christmas from NASA.
And finally…
Cooking your own Christmas dinner will keep your salt intake in check!
We all tend to overindulge during the festive season, but new figures from CASH, Consensus Action on Salt and Health, have suggested that a Christmas dinner, including pudding and nibbles, could be double your daily recommended intake of salt.
Reported on Mail Online, the major concern comes from processed and prepared products that so many of us rely on for convenience.
A high salt intake can cause high blood pressure in both adults and children, which if not improved, can lead to heart disease or the risk of strokes in later life.
Professor Graham MacGregor, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, told the Daily Mail that “a third of adults in Britain have raised blood pressure”.
“It is the very high levels of salt that are hidden in our food that puts up both adults’ and children’s blood pressure. The good news is that you can lower your blood pressure at any age.”
CASH have suggested that by cooking our own food and preparing our own veg, we can reduce the salt in out turkey dinner by a third, and it also tastes better.
From everyone here at the British Science Association, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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