This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about sex at sea; asteroid dust; breathless caterpillars; seeds as pills; and more…
The perfect pill?—A protein found in sunflower seeds could be the key to developing plants as factories for pharmaceuticals, says a Brisbane researcher. And sunflower seeds could make excellent pills.—Australasian Science
An Australasian Science story on this topic can be found in the September issue.
Infected insects fight dengue fever—A common bacterium that infects mosquitoes is showing promise as a way to control the spread of dengue fever, tests in Cairns have shown. The bacterium can stop the virus that causes dengue fever from reproducing in its mosquito host.—Nature
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110824/full/news.2011.503.html
A sprinkling of star dust?—A sprinkle of dust that slipped into Japan’s Hayabusa probe when it touched down on the asteroid Itokawa six years ago, has revealed surprising details of where the asteroid has come from, and perhaps where it will end up.—Science
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20834-extraterrestrial-dust-reveals-asteroids-past-and-future.html
Vaccines given a clean bill of health—Vaccines do not cause either autism or diabetes, the US Institute of Medicine has reported definitively after reviewing more than 1000 published research studies. The institute concentrated on vaccines for eight diseases including chicken pox, flu, human papillomavirus and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)—Nature
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110825/full/news.2011.505.html
Gene therapy successes spur hope—Two studies have now shown restoration of the immune systems of 14 of 16 children who had their genes treated for severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), the condition associated with the boy-in-the-bubble. The success restores faith in pursuing a line of therapy that was almost abandoned about 12 years ago after a couple of untimely deaths.—Science Translational Medicine
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110824/full/news.2011.500.html
Sex at sea helps female elephant seals stay in control—Female elephant seals are not so under the thumb as first appeared, Australian marine biologists have found. Apparently they escape the harem of the dominant males for a bit of free love out at sea.—Animal Behaviour
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128275.300-sex-at-sea-lets-female-elephant-seals-stay-in-control.html
Breathless caterpillars await moulting—How do caterpillars know when to moult? When they outgrow their respiratory systems, according to a recent study.—Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/scienceshot-breathless-caterpill.html?ref=hp
The “I” in ant—While social insects like ants are renowned for their colony-based decisions, it is individuals who decide where to locate a new nest when the old one is destroyed.—Journal of Experimental Biology
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/scienceshot-the-i-in-ant.html?ref=hp
Ostriches are stealth sleepers—No, ostriches don’t sleep with their heads in the sand. In fact, to all appearances, they don’t seem to sleep at all, because their eyes stay open. They are one of only two animals known to have their particular pattern of sleep. The other is the platypus.—PLoS ONE
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/video-ostriches-are-stealth-sleepers.html?ref=hp