Science News Digest 11th October 2010
In the science news this week, we take a look at the call from Nobel scientists to reconsider the immigration cap, the discovery of the cause of pre-eclampsia, new research of the different ways the body stores fat, the discovery of the ‘elixir of life’ and finally…. three course chewing gum is now realistic.
Nobel prize winners warn of dangers from immigration cap.
In a letter to the Times this week, a group of Nobel prize-winning scientists have warned that ‘the UK's cap on immigration threatens the country's future as a centre of scientific excellence’ according to the BBC.
The eight academics said that curbs in the number of visas would deprive science of new talent.
They went onto to add that it ‘was a "sad reflection" that scientists and engineers could not be afforded the same exception to the rules as Premier League footballers.’
This letter follows the introduction of a limit for work visas for non-EU citizens in June, which was a key part of the Conservative election manifesto.
In their letter, the academics wrote: "The government has seen fit to introduce an exception to the rules for Premier League footballers.
"It is a sad reflection of our priorities as a nation if we cannot afford the same recognition for elite scientists and engineers."
With some 40% of the UK’s scientific output being under pinned by international collaborations, this move has made this process far more difficult.
Damian Green, the Conservative Minister for Immigration said Britain could benefit from migration but not uncontrolled migration.
He said "We have consulted with business and other interested parties on how the limit should work and have also asked the Migration Advisory Committee to consult on what the actual limit should be. These consultations are now closed and we will announce the findings in due course."
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Researchers discover the cause of pre-eclampsia.
Researchers from Cambridge University have discovered the root cause of the life threatening condition pre-eclampsia.
Effecting women in the later stages of pregnancy, causing dangerously high blood pressure in 2-7% of all pregnancies the complication kills several hundred babies and around 6 women in the UK each year according to the Guardian.
Led by Aiwu Zhou at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, the team used intense x-ray beams at the Diamond Light Source facility in Oxfordshire to study the structure of a protein linked to high blood pressure called angiotensinogen.
In a similar way that squeezing a hose pipe increases the water pressure, angiotensins have a comparable effect on veins and arteries.
Zhou's team discovered that angiotensinogen changes shape when it is oxidised by reactive molecules in the blood and bends to allow a common enzyme can cut it in two, releasing angiotensin.
Blood test showed that in healthy people, 60% of angiotensinogen was oxidised, but in women with pre-eclampsia the level was much higher.
"When we looked at the blood samples, we were immediately able to identify eight of 12 women with pre-eclampsia," said Robin Carrell, a co-author of the study.
During pregnancy, changes in the placenta alter how much oxygen the growing baby receives, but this can also trigger the release of free radicals that oxidise angiotensinogen and cause blood pressure to rise.
This discovery will give doctors a new way to treat the condition with anti-oxidents.
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Fat facts- new research reveals how fat is stored differently.
A team from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minniesota led by Michael Jensen have discovered that cells in your thighs and abdomen store fat in different ways.
By putting volunteers on a fattening diet for eight weeks and observing the effects on their fats cells, they found that abdominal fat cells stayed similar in number but got larger, while thigh cells stayed a similar size, but multiplied. The more new thigh fat cells recruited, the less abdominal fat people gained.
Abdominal fat increases the risk of diabetes and other disorders, but fat on hips and thighs has a protective effect. Jensen has articulated his view that the thighs may soak up the excess fat to keep it away from the abdomen where it can do more damage.
Read the full story in New Scientist
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Scientists discover ‘the elixir of life’
An experiment that saw laboratory mice being given a cocktail of water laced with three specific amino acids was found to increase the lifespan of the mice by 12 per cent compared to others fed a normal diet.
As well as a longer survival rate, the mice also benefitted from more stamina, improved muscle co-ordination and a boost to the energy supply to cells and reduced oxidative damage caused by destructive molecules called free radicals.
"This is the first demonstration that an amino acid mixture can increase survival in mice," said study leader Dr Enzo Nisoli, from the University of Milan in Italy.
This study has come on the back of another study that showed that the same amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine, could extend the lifespan of single-celled yeast.
The scientists pointed out that the aging process in the mice did not stop.
This research could prove useful for the sick or elderly, as the amino acids may be especially helpful for anyone who suffers from heart failure, chronic lung disease, or other conditions characterised by flagging energy levels.
Find out more in the Telegraph
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And finally.....
Three-course meal chewing gum could become a reality.
Aimed at inspiring students to enter the National Science & Engineering Competition before entries close at the end of the month, the Daily Mail has published research from the Institute of Food Research that seems to have cracked the secret behind creating a sweet that replicates three meals in a single stick of chewing gum.
Based on the story in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the National Science & Engineering Competition and the IFR embarked on this research to show students that even fiction can become fact through scientific endeavour.
Dave Hart, a scientist from the IFR believes that recent advances in nanotechnology could capture and release flavours in a precisely controlled way.
Hart and his team have looked into how the gum may work in theory.
They have deduced that by separating the flavours with a tasteless gelatine that stops them from overlapping called Gellan, the gum is able to convey the flavours of 'tomato soup, roast beef and baked potato, and blueberry pie and ice cream'.
Hart says: ‘Wonka’s fantasy concoction has been nothing but a dream for millions of kids across the world. But science and technology is changing the future of food, and these nanoparticles may hold the answer to creating a three course gourmet gum.’
Scientists at Harvard University have been working on nanostructures called colloidosomes, which can be used to capture ingredients. Their findings could be a step towards developing this gum.
Nobel prize winners warn of dangers from immigration cap.
In a letter to the Times this week, a group of Nobel prize-winning scientists have warned that ‘the UK's cap on immigration threatens the country's future as a centre of scientific excellence’ according to the BBC.
The eight academics said that curbs in the number of visas would deprive science of new talent.
They went onto to add that it ‘was a "sad reflection" that scientists and engineers could not be afforded the same exception to the rules as Premier League footballers.’
This letter follows the introduction of a limit for work visas for non-EU citizens in June, which was a key part of the Conservative election manifesto.
In their letter, the academics wrote: "The government has seen fit to introduce an exception to the rules for Premier League footballers.
"It is a sad reflection of our priorities as a nation if we cannot afford the same recognition for elite scientists and engineers."
With some 40% of the UK’s scientific output being under pinned by international collaborations, this move has made this process far more difficult.
Damian Green, the Conservative Minister for Immigration said Britain could benefit from migration but not uncontrolled migration.
He said "We have consulted with business and other interested parties on how the limit should work and have also asked the Migration Advisory Committee to consult on what the actual limit should be. These consultations are now closed and we will announce the findings in due course."
------------------------------------
Researchers discover the cause of pre-eclampsia.
Researchers from Cambridge University have discovered the root cause of the life threatening condition pre-eclampsia.
Effecting women in the later stages of pregnancy, causing dangerously high blood pressure in 2-7% of all pregnancies the complication kills several hundred babies and around 6 women in the UK each year according to the Guardian.
Led by Aiwu Zhou at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, the team used intense x-ray beams at the Diamond Light Source facility in Oxfordshire to study the structure of a protein linked to high blood pressure called angiotensinogen.
In a similar way that squeezing a hose pipe increases the water pressure, angiotensins have a comparable effect on veins and arteries.
Zhou's team discovered that angiotensinogen changes shape when it is oxidised by reactive molecules in the blood and bends to allow a common enzyme can cut it in two, releasing angiotensin.
Blood test showed that in healthy people, 60% of angiotensinogen was oxidised, but in women with pre-eclampsia the level was much higher.
"When we looked at the blood samples, we were immediately able to identify eight of 12 women with pre-eclampsia," said Robin Carrell, a co-author of the study.
During pregnancy, changes in the placenta alter how much oxygen the growing baby receives, but this can also trigger the release of free radicals that oxidise angiotensinogen and cause blood pressure to rise.
This discovery will give doctors a new way to treat the condition with anti-oxidents.
-------------------------------------
Fat facts- new research reveals how fat is stored differently.
A team from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minniesota led by Michael Jensen have discovered that cells in your thighs and abdomen store fat in different ways.
By putting volunteers on a fattening diet for eight weeks and observing the effects on their fats cells, they found that abdominal fat cells stayed similar in number but got larger, while thigh cells stayed a similar size, but multiplied. The more new thigh fat cells recruited, the less abdominal fat people gained.
Abdominal fat increases the risk of diabetes and other disorders, but fat on hips and thighs has a protective effect. Jensen has articulated his view that the thighs may soak up the excess fat to keep it away from the abdomen where it can do more damage.
Read the full story in New Scientist
---------------------------------------
Scientists discover ‘the elixir of life’
An experiment that saw laboratory mice being given a cocktail of water laced with three specific amino acids was found to increase the lifespan of the mice by 12 per cent compared to others fed a normal diet.
As well as a longer survival rate, the mice also benefitted from more stamina, improved muscle co-ordination and a boost to the energy supply to cells and reduced oxidative damage caused by destructive molecules called free radicals.
"This is the first demonstration that an amino acid mixture can increase survival in mice," said study leader Dr Enzo Nisoli, from the University of Milan in Italy.
This study has come on the back of another study that showed that the same amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine, could extend the lifespan of single-celled yeast.
The scientists pointed out that the aging process in the mice did not stop.
This research could prove useful for the sick or elderly, as the amino acids may be especially helpful for anyone who suffers from heart failure, chronic lung disease, or other conditions characterised by flagging energy levels.
Find out more in the Telegraph
-----------------------------------
And finally.....
Three-course meal chewing gum could become a reality.
Aimed at inspiring students to enter the National Science & Engineering Competition before entries close at the end of the month, the Daily Mail has published research from the Institute of Food Research that seems to have cracked the secret behind creating a sweet that replicates three meals in a single stick of chewing gum.
Based on the story in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the National Science & Engineering Competition and the IFR embarked on this research to show students that even fiction can become fact through scientific endeavour.
Dave Hart, a scientist from the IFR believes that recent advances in nanotechnology could capture and release flavours in a precisely controlled way.
Hart and his team have looked into how the gum may work in theory.
They have deduced that by separating the flavours with a tasteless gelatine that stops them from overlapping called Gellan, the gum is able to convey the flavours of 'tomato soup, roast beef and baked potato, and blueberry pie and ice cream'.
Hart says: ‘Wonka’s fantasy concoction has been nothing but a dream for millions of kids across the world. But science and technology is changing the future of food, and these nanoparticles may hold the answer to creating a three course gourmet gum.’
Scientists at Harvard University have been working on nanostructures called colloidosomes, which can be used to capture ingredients. Their findings could be a step towards developing this gum.
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