This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about solar soldiers, cocaine cravings, nanobots, Venetian acoustics, and more…
Changing of the guard in space—Russia is getting back into the space business, with the launch of a mission to return with a sample of soil from the Martian moon Phobos. Last week, the Chinese completed a successful demonstration of their capability to dock in space. The EU is launching satellites for its Galileo satnav network to rival the American GPS system. Meanwhile, the US seems to be pulling resources out of space.
Stories on this topic can be found in Nature, The New York Times, CNN etc. at:
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111104/full/news.2011.630.html
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111102/full/479018a.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/world/asia/chinas-space-program-boosted-by-first-docking.html?_r=1
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/eu-to-launch-first-two-galileo-satellites-today-as-sat-nav-syst/
Thawing microbes could control the climate—As the Arctic permafrost melts, long-frozen microorganisms are beginning to thaw out and become active. The early signs are that they will have a major impact on how Earth’s climate changes, according to US researchers.—Nature
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21130-thawing-microbes-could-control-the-climate.html
Solar soldiers—Soldiers could soon be walking easier, carrying new lightweight solar panels invented in Canberra to power their electronic equipment.—Australasian Science
An Australasian Science story on this topic can be found at http://www.australasianscience.com.au/article/issue-november-2011/solar-powers-soldiers.html
How mammoths lost the extinction lottery—The megafauna species driven to extinction since the last ice age—such as woolly mammoths, woolly rhinos and others—each succumbed to different lethal set of circumstances, a large, multipronged, international study including Australian researchers has found. The analysis, of fossils, climate records and DNA, hints that it could be more difficult than first thought to identify which of today’s species are at risk.—Nature
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111102/full/news.2011.626.html
Smoking stokes cocaine cravings—Nicotine causes changes in gene regulation that enhances the brain’s subsequent response to cocaine. This finding in mice by US researchers provides the first clear evidence which supports the idea of “gateway drugs”.—Science Translational Medicine
A Nature story on this topic can be found at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111102/full/news.2011.627.html
Fantastic Voyage probe detects dangerous blood clots—In the movie, Fantastic Voyage, a miniaturised submarine was sent into a man’s bloodstream to destroy a life-threatening clot. US scientists have now constructed and tested a new probe which can travel through arteries to spot the most dangerous clots and deposits.—Nature Medicine
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21131-fantastic-voyage-probe-detects-dangerous-blood-clots.html
Green tea and red laser attack Alzheimer’s—Green tea and red light could provide a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Together, the two can destroy the rogue “plaques” that gum up the brains of people with the disease. The light makes it easier for the green-tea extract to get to work on the plaques.—Photomedicine and Laser Surgery
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228374.600-green-tea-and-red-laser-attack-alzheimers-plaques.html
Basic measure of physics may depend on where you are—A fundamental measure of physics, the fine structure constant, which dictates the strength of the electromagnetic force, may depend on where you are in the universe, according to researchers in Sydney and Melbourne. If true, this would challenge the basic assumption that the laws of physics are the same everywhere.—Physical Review Letters
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/11/fundamental-constant-may-depend-.html?ref=hp
Catching crooks with algorithms—Computer scientists are helping Los Angeles police target gangsters by developing software which uses information on gang rivalries to indicate who is most likely to be responsible for a given crime.—Inverse Problems
A New Scientist story on this topic can be found at http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21122-crime-algorithms-target-gangs-of-la.html
Venetian acoustics rediscovered—Today’s grand churches and basilicas of Venice have terrible acoustics for the magnificent polyphonic choral music that was written and performed in the Renaissance. A US music technologist and a UK physicist have worked out a solution to this puzzle—and it’s all to do with the sound-absorbing properties of tapestries and people.—Science
A Science story on this topic can be found at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/11/venetian-acoustics-rediscovered.html?ref=hp