Booze and the immune system, general anaesthetic and a nose for death
This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about booze and the immune system; Twitter and the world’s mood; general anaesthetic; a nose for death; and more…
Too much booze blunts your immune system—Too much alcohol weakens your immune system, and could make you more vulnerable to viruses, including HIV, American researchers have found.—BMC Immunology
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20983-too-much-booze-blunts-your-immune-system.html
Air pollution is stunting India’s monsoon—India has been drying out for more than half a century, as the monsoon weakens. Air pollution both in India and Europe is to blame, according to US researchers.—Science
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20987-air-pollution-is-stunting-indias-monsoon.html
Twitter mood map reveals the world’s emotions—Two American researchers have been analysing 509 million tweets from 2.4 million users in 84 different countries, and were able to detect patterns of changes in mood over the day, week and seasonally.—Science
A New Scientist blog on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/09/twitter-reveals-the-worlds-emo-1.html
A shot of Ritalin could reverse general anaesthetic—Anaesthetics generally leave people groggy, but a dose of Ritalin could wake them up. Anaesthetised rats injected with the drug by US researchers sparked up almost immediately, suggesting the drug could be used to reverse the effects of a general anaesthetic.—Anethesiology http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128324.200-a-shot-of-ritalin-could-reverse-a-general-anaesthetic.html
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128324.200-a-shot-of-ritalin-could-reverse-a-general-anaesthetic.html
Nanorockets could deliver drugs inside the body—Nanorockets powered by a benign fuel could one day carry drugs around the body, say German researchers. And they can operate in all body fluids—blood, urine and saliva.— Journal of the American Chemical Society
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128324.100-nanorockets-could-deliver-drugs-inside-the-body.html
Inside of nose reveals time of death—Tiny finger-like projections lining the nose continue to beat after death—but the beating slows at a predictable rate. Forensic teams should be able to use their rhythm to estimate a time of death, say German researchers.—New Scientist
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128324.000-inside-of-nose-reveals-time-of-death.html