Science News Digest 8th March 2010
In the science news this week, we take a look at new treatments for intestinal worms, diabetes and atherosclerosis, the dino discovery that is changing the thinking on their evolution and some sad news regarding the alleged departure from the UK of Stephen Hawking.
The worm has turned.
The ‘bottom billion’ living below the World Bank’s $1.25 a day poverty line are being plagued by parasites that can stunt growth, cause anaemia and impair cognitive development according to an article in this week’s New Scientist.
However, a team from the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated that the protein Cry5B, also used as a crop pesticide, could be the answer sufferers of intestinal worms are looking for, after an oral dose of the organic pesticide managed to eradicate around 70% of the worms from infected mice, making it around 3 times as effective as the other leading drug in development.
Furthermore, the UCSD team is looking into ways to increase this further, as tests have shown that the Cry5B protein mostly breaks down in the stomach before it reaches the intestine. By developing a coating that could see it through the stomach acid and into the intestine, the dosage to the affected area will be much higher.
The next step for the team is to secure funding for further development and then human trials.
-----------------------------------
History mystery.
A significant discovery in Tanzania has caused scientists to question current thinking on dinosaur evolution as reported in the Daily Mail this week.
The almost complete skeleton of a ‘dinosaur-like creature’ that existed some 10 million years before the first known dinosaurs has been made up from the remains of at least 14 different individuals found at the African site.
The species known as ‘Asilisaurus’, meaning 'ancient lizard ancestor' in Swahili and Greek is in fact a silesaur, whose relation to dinosaurs is comparable to that of humans and chimpanzees.
Furthermore, these two groups are believed to share the same common ancestor as crocodiles and the flying pterosaurs, which dates back even further.
The Asilisaurus stands on four legs and is a vegetarian or omnivore, which is in contrast to the expectation of scientists that the closest relative of dinosaurs would be meat eaters who walk on two legs.
One of the team describing the find, Dr Randall Irmis, from the University of Utah said: 'The crazy thing about this new dinosaur discovery is that it is so very different from what we all were expecting, especially the fact that it is herbivorous and walked on four legs.”
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Sugar mice.
While insulin has had a significant impact of the lives of those with diabetes, it is still a difficult condition to live with, often having complications such as kidney failure, blindness and even limb amputation.
Furthermore, the method of self injection often has implications for getting the correct dosage. With this in mind, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have been investigating alternative treatments for the condition.
Diabetes researcher Roger Unger has been trialling a treatment on mice involving leptin, which not only helps regulate blood glucose levels, but it helps to reduce the fluctuations in blood sugar that diabetics struggle with.
To test the effectiveness of the leptin, Unger and his team implanted pumps into mice that gave a high dosage of the hormone for 12 days and compared this with a group of mice being given insulin. The results showed that glucose levels returned to normal is both groups.
The primary concern with using leptin, a known appetite suppressant is that it may cause weight loss as a side effect, however Unger said that the leptin mice are no lighter than those who get insulin, though they have more lean body mass and less body fat.
Read more in Science Now
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Maple Leave
Some sad news for British science reported in the Telegraph this week. Internationally renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is allegedly considering a permanent move to Canada after becoming frustrated by government cuts to universities.
After nearly 50 years at Cambridge University, the 68 year old is spending two months at the Perimeter Institute in Ontario over the summer and is looking to make this move permanent.
According to the Daily Mail, his graduate assistant Sam Blackburn said: “Professor Hawking is considering a move but it would depend on whether his trip to the institute is successful.”
This is another blow to the UK after Professor Hawking’s former colleague Neil Turok, an authority on mathematical physics, also left for the institute in 2008.
In contrast, a spokesman for Cambridge University, said: “Professor Hawking has no plans to leave Cambridge at present. However, he will be a regular visitor to the Perimeter Institute for research purposes.”
-----------------------------------
Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet.
The condition atherosclerosis, once considered ‘irreversible’ has seen some interesting results from a study conducted by Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Although the development of drugs has been some headway being made in this condition which sees the walls of the arteries clogged up with fatty deposits raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, this study looked at the effects of diet.
Using three groups of participants totalling 140 people, the researchers tested the effects of the Mediterranean (eating lots of fruit and vegetables and using olive oil as the main source of fat), low-fat and low-carbohydrate, they found that all three were equally effective at reducing the fatty build up in arteries.
At the end of the two year study, they found that the arterial wall had been cut by an average of 5%. Although this is seen a progress, it is by no means a ‘magic bullet’ according to the researchers.
This goes against the widely held perception that that low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet are more likely to clog arteries.
Dr Charles Knight, secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society said.
"It sends an effective message from a public health perspective."
Read the full story in the BBC
The worm has turned.
The ‘bottom billion’ living below the World Bank’s $1.25 a day poverty line are being plagued by parasites that can stunt growth, cause anaemia and impair cognitive development according to an article in this week’s New Scientist.
However, a team from the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated that the protein Cry5B, also used as a crop pesticide, could be the answer sufferers of intestinal worms are looking for, after an oral dose of the organic pesticide managed to eradicate around 70% of the worms from infected mice, making it around 3 times as effective as the other leading drug in development.
Furthermore, the UCSD team is looking into ways to increase this further, as tests have shown that the Cry5B protein mostly breaks down in the stomach before it reaches the intestine. By developing a coating that could see it through the stomach acid and into the intestine, the dosage to the affected area will be much higher.
The next step for the team is to secure funding for further development and then human trials.
-----------------------------------
History mystery.
A significant discovery in Tanzania has caused scientists to question current thinking on dinosaur evolution as reported in the Daily Mail this week.
The almost complete skeleton of a ‘dinosaur-like creature’ that existed some 10 million years before the first known dinosaurs has been made up from the remains of at least 14 different individuals found at the African site.
The species known as ‘Asilisaurus’, meaning 'ancient lizard ancestor' in Swahili and Greek is in fact a silesaur, whose relation to dinosaurs is comparable to that of humans and chimpanzees.
Furthermore, these two groups are believed to share the same common ancestor as crocodiles and the flying pterosaurs, which dates back even further.
The Asilisaurus stands on four legs and is a vegetarian or omnivore, which is in contrast to the expectation of scientists that the closest relative of dinosaurs would be meat eaters who walk on two legs.
One of the team describing the find, Dr Randall Irmis, from the University of Utah said: 'The crazy thing about this new dinosaur discovery is that it is so very different from what we all were expecting, especially the fact that it is herbivorous and walked on four legs.”
-----------------------------------
Sugar mice.
While insulin has had a significant impact of the lives of those with diabetes, it is still a difficult condition to live with, often having complications such as kidney failure, blindness and even limb amputation.
Furthermore, the method of self injection often has implications for getting the correct dosage. With this in mind, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have been investigating alternative treatments for the condition.
Diabetes researcher Roger Unger has been trialling a treatment on mice involving leptin, which not only helps regulate blood glucose levels, but it helps to reduce the fluctuations in blood sugar that diabetics struggle with.
To test the effectiveness of the leptin, Unger and his team implanted pumps into mice that gave a high dosage of the hormone for 12 days and compared this with a group of mice being given insulin. The results showed that glucose levels returned to normal is both groups.
The primary concern with using leptin, a known appetite suppressant is that it may cause weight loss as a side effect, however Unger said that the leptin mice are no lighter than those who get insulin, though they have more lean body mass and less body fat.
Read more in Science Now
---------------------------------------
Maple Leave
Some sad news for British science reported in the Telegraph this week. Internationally renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is allegedly considering a permanent move to Canada after becoming frustrated by government cuts to universities.
After nearly 50 years at Cambridge University, the 68 year old is spending two months at the Perimeter Institute in Ontario over the summer and is looking to make this move permanent.
According to the Daily Mail, his graduate assistant Sam Blackburn said: “Professor Hawking is considering a move but it would depend on whether his trip to the institute is successful.”
This is another blow to the UK after Professor Hawking’s former colleague Neil Turok, an authority on mathematical physics, also left for the institute in 2008.
In contrast, a spokesman for Cambridge University, said: “Professor Hawking has no plans to leave Cambridge at present. However, he will be a regular visitor to the Perimeter Institute for research purposes.”
-----------------------------------
Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet.
The condition atherosclerosis, once considered ‘irreversible’ has seen some interesting results from a study conducted by Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Although the development of drugs has been some headway being made in this condition which sees the walls of the arteries clogged up with fatty deposits raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, this study looked at the effects of diet.
Using three groups of participants totalling 140 people, the researchers tested the effects of the Mediterranean (eating lots of fruit and vegetables and using olive oil as the main source of fat), low-fat and low-carbohydrate, they found that all three were equally effective at reducing the fatty build up in arteries.
At the end of the two year study, they found that the arterial wall had been cut by an average of 5%. Although this is seen a progress, it is by no means a ‘magic bullet’ according to the researchers.
This goes against the widely held perception that that low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet are more likely to clog arteries.
Dr Charles Knight, secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society said.
"It sends an effective message from a public health perspective."
Read the full story in the BBC
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