Science News Digest 10th January 2011
In the science news this week, we take a look at the super medicinal properties of green tea, the slow progress of electric cars, new research into the causes of the Cambrian extinction, the side effects of information deprivation and finally... Nasa blasts silly science in Hollywood
Green tea- the super drink!
The medicinal qualities of green tea have been highlighted in the Daily Express this week following new research by Newcastle University.
The scientists were astounded at how effective the compounds found within the drink were at protecting cells from attack once they reached the gut.
The properties were recorded as not only fighting toxins that allow plaques to build up in the brain causing Alzheimer’s, but it also stopped the division of cancer cells.
Ed Okello, from the university’s School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said: “What was really exciting about this study was that we found, when green tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, the resulting chemicals are actually more effective against key triggers of Alzheimer’s development than the undigested form of the tea."
“In addition, we found the digested compounds had anti-cancer properties, significantly slowing down the growth of the tumour cells which we were using in our experiments.”
Rather than simply testing the ingredients of green tea on cells in a lab, the team at Newcastle ran the green tea through and artificial bowel to see what compounds would actually be absorbed by the human body. The experts then used these remnants of green tea and tested them on human cells that replicate those found in patients with dementia and cancer.
One criticism of the results is that huge amounts of green tea that would have to be drunk to gain the same effects.
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Electric cars are failing to spark the industry
A survey of global car executives by KPMG has found that the majority do not foresee a reasonably priced electric vehicle being available on the mass market for the next five years without further government subsidies.
However, in spite of this, they do believe it will be the fastest growing sector in the market.
Currently vehicle manufacturers are investing in electric vehicles to meet emissions targets and satisfy consumer demand for fuel efficient cars after 91% of consumer listed fuel efficiency as their number one concern when selecting a new car.
The market is already seeing some diversification, with Renault and Nissan, pinning their hopes on pure electric cars, while others, such as Toyota and General Motors, are using hybrid technology, where both electric and petrol engines are combined.
The UK government has already introduced a scheme offering discounts for drivers purchasing certain electric vehicles and other governments are set to follow.
Read more in the BBC
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Information withdrawal gives similar effects to drug cessation.
Recent research carried out on the ‘Net Generation’ of teenagers and young adults has found that when they are asked to give up from all emails, text messages, Facebook and Twitter updates for 24 hours, the participants began to develop symptoms typically seen in smokers going "cold turkey". The condition is now being described as Information Deprivation Disorder.
Dr Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in communication who led the UK section of the international study, said: "We were not just seeing psychological symptoms, but also physical symptoms."
The experiment called ‘unplugged’ saw volunteers at 12 universities around the world spent 24 hours without access to computers, mobile phones, iPods, televsion, radio and even newspapers.
They were required to keep diaries about their experience and many recorded feelings of being fidgety, anxious or isolated.
However, Dr Gerodimos added "There were also some good effects as people developed coping mechanisms they went out for walks and visited friends rather than sitting in front of a computer.
Read more in the Telegraph
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O2 depletion is suggested cause of Cambrian extinction.
The Cambrian period, which started around 540 million years ago saw the emergence of the first complex animals in the Earth’s oceans.
However, around the same time researchers have discovered that the oxygen levels in the oceans fell dramatically, wiping out many of the new species and bringing diversification to a screeching halt.
Benjamin Gill of Harvard University and his colleagues took samples of 500-million-year-old rock from six locations around the world according to New Scientist this week. They noticed that the amounts of various isotopes of carbon and sulphur were significantly different from the norm, suggesting that enormous amounts of carbon and sulphur were being buried, which is only the case today in low-oxygen waters like the Black Sea.
From this the team concluded that lack of oxygen combined with poisonous hydrogen sulphide killed off many Cambrian animals. The theory for the massive Permian extinction 251 million years ago is also based on similar events.
Kyger Lohmann of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who was not involved in the study, says the Cambrian extinction events had a major effect on evolution. "The Cambrian was not a stable time," he says. "Within short periods of time, very diverse communities became extinct."
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And finally.....
Nasa blasts silly science in movies.
In the Guardian this week, Nasa have listed the most ridiculous and scientifically flawed movies churned out of the Hollywood film factory. Topping the list was the 2009 film ‘2012’ which sees the Mayan predicition where the world ends on the Winter solstice in 2012 come true.
The main gripe with this film was the apparent effects of mysterious neutrino particles that lay waste to the globe by causing solar flares, earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis, when in reality they can’t interact with physical substances.
The head of Nasa's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission Donald Yeomans said;
"The agency is getting so many questions from people terrified that the world is going to end in 2012 that we have had to put up a special website to challenge the myths. We have never had to do this before."
Other films achieving critisicm included The Day After Tomorrow (global warming, accelerated), The Sixth Day (insta-clones), Chain Reaction (bubble fusion), The Core (magnetic field trouble), What the Bleep Do We Know? (billed as a documentary) and Volcano (LA sprouts a volcano).
In contrast, they praised the scientific accuracy in in Gattaca (recruitment via DNA), Blade Runner, Metropolis and Jurassic Park.
Green tea- the super drink!
The medicinal qualities of green tea have been highlighted in the Daily Express this week following new research by Newcastle University.
The scientists were astounded at how effective the compounds found within the drink were at protecting cells from attack once they reached the gut.
The properties were recorded as not only fighting toxins that allow plaques to build up in the brain causing Alzheimer’s, but it also stopped the division of cancer cells.
Ed Okello, from the university’s School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said: “What was really exciting about this study was that we found, when green tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, the resulting chemicals are actually more effective against key triggers of Alzheimer’s development than the undigested form of the tea."
“In addition, we found the digested compounds had anti-cancer properties, significantly slowing down the growth of the tumour cells which we were using in our experiments.”
Rather than simply testing the ingredients of green tea on cells in a lab, the team at Newcastle ran the green tea through and artificial bowel to see what compounds would actually be absorbed by the human body. The experts then used these remnants of green tea and tested them on human cells that replicate those found in patients with dementia and cancer.
One criticism of the results is that huge amounts of green tea that would have to be drunk to gain the same effects.
---------------------------------------
Electric cars are failing to spark the industry
A survey of global car executives by KPMG has found that the majority do not foresee a reasonably priced electric vehicle being available on the mass market for the next five years without further government subsidies.
However, in spite of this, they do believe it will be the fastest growing sector in the market.
Currently vehicle manufacturers are investing in electric vehicles to meet emissions targets and satisfy consumer demand for fuel efficient cars after 91% of consumer listed fuel efficiency as their number one concern when selecting a new car.
The market is already seeing some diversification, with Renault and Nissan, pinning their hopes on pure electric cars, while others, such as Toyota and General Motors, are using hybrid technology, where both electric and petrol engines are combined.
The UK government has already introduced a scheme offering discounts for drivers purchasing certain electric vehicles and other governments are set to follow.
Read more in the BBC
-----------------------------------
Information withdrawal gives similar effects to drug cessation.
Recent research carried out on the ‘Net Generation’ of teenagers and young adults has found that when they are asked to give up from all emails, text messages, Facebook and Twitter updates for 24 hours, the participants began to develop symptoms typically seen in smokers going "cold turkey". The condition is now being described as Information Deprivation Disorder.
Dr Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in communication who led the UK section of the international study, said: "We were not just seeing psychological symptoms, but also physical symptoms."
The experiment called ‘unplugged’ saw volunteers at 12 universities around the world spent 24 hours without access to computers, mobile phones, iPods, televsion, radio and even newspapers.
They were required to keep diaries about their experience and many recorded feelings of being fidgety, anxious or isolated.
However, Dr Gerodimos added "There were also some good effects as people developed coping mechanisms they went out for walks and visited friends rather than sitting in front of a computer.
Read more in the Telegraph
------------------------------------
O2 depletion is suggested cause of Cambrian extinction.
The Cambrian period, which started around 540 million years ago saw the emergence of the first complex animals in the Earth’s oceans.
However, around the same time researchers have discovered that the oxygen levels in the oceans fell dramatically, wiping out many of the new species and bringing diversification to a screeching halt.
Benjamin Gill of Harvard University and his colleagues took samples of 500-million-year-old rock from six locations around the world according to New Scientist this week. They noticed that the amounts of various isotopes of carbon and sulphur were significantly different from the norm, suggesting that enormous amounts of carbon and sulphur were being buried, which is only the case today in low-oxygen waters like the Black Sea.
From this the team concluded that lack of oxygen combined with poisonous hydrogen sulphide killed off many Cambrian animals. The theory for the massive Permian extinction 251 million years ago is also based on similar events.
Kyger Lohmann of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who was not involved in the study, says the Cambrian extinction events had a major effect on evolution. "The Cambrian was not a stable time," he says. "Within short periods of time, very diverse communities became extinct."
-------------------------------------
And finally.....
Nasa blasts silly science in movies.
In the Guardian this week, Nasa have listed the most ridiculous and scientifically flawed movies churned out of the Hollywood film factory. Topping the list was the 2009 film ‘2012’ which sees the Mayan predicition where the world ends on the Winter solstice in 2012 come true.
The main gripe with this film was the apparent effects of mysterious neutrino particles that lay waste to the globe by causing solar flares, earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis, when in reality they can’t interact with physical substances.
The head of Nasa's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission Donald Yeomans said;
"The agency is getting so many questions from people terrified that the world is going to end in 2012 that we have had to put up a special website to challenge the myths. We have never had to do this before."
Other films achieving critisicm included The Day After Tomorrow (global warming, accelerated), The Sixth Day (insta-clones), Chain Reaction (bubble fusion), The Core (magnetic field trouble), What the Bleep Do We Know? (billed as a documentary) and Volcano (LA sprouts a volcano).
In contrast, they praised the scientific accuracy in in Gattaca (recruitment via DNA), Blade Runner, Metropolis and Jurassic Park.
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