This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about the far side of the moon; prostate cancer, one-way light; a lack of fingerprints; and more…Did a slo-mo crash create the two-sided Moon?—Earth once had two moons, which merged in a slow-motion collision that took several hours to complete, an American and a Swiss researcher suggest. This accounts for the major difference between the visible and the far side of the Moon, they say. Both satellites would have formed from debris that was ejected when a Mars-sized proto-planet smacked into Earth late in its formation period.—Nature
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/news.2011.456.html
One-way light could make optical computers a reality—A one-way system developed for light rays could allow optical computer chips to overtake their electronic counterparts, a US researcher says. The new device should make for faster data processing and ease internet traffic.—Science
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110804/full/news.2011.459.html
Urine predicts prostate cancer risk—A new screening test uses urine, rather than blood, to identify the men most at risk of prostate cancer. The test may even provide information about how aggressive a tumour is likely to be, say the American developers—Science Translational Medicine
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/news.2011.455.html
Mathematical model predicts growth of cancer—A new German mathematical model that predicts how a tumour will develop could help doctors design treatments tailored to individual cancers.—Scientific Reports
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128245.600-mathematical-model-predicts-growth-of-cancer.html
Rare genetic mutation explains lack of fingerprints—A handful of people actually have no fingerprints—and it causes them no end of trouble at borders when they travel. Now, Israeli researchers have found out what the problem is. They’ve identified a mutation that may cause the condition.—The American Journal of Human Genetics
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/the-mystery-of-the-missing-fingerprints.html?ref=hp
Do tayras plan for the future?—Humans buy unripe bananas (if they can afford them) and leave them on the kitchen counter to ripen. The weasel-like tayra which lives in Central and South America does much the same thing. It picks unripe plantains and hides them until they ripen, according to local biologists.—Naturwissenschaften
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/do-tayras-plan-for-the-future.html?ref=hp