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Podcast TranscriptThe Naked Scientists: Science Radio & Science Podcasts |
| 10th Sep 2000 | < Previous Show | Next Show > | ||||||||
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Gm Foods to Prevent Tooth Decay
An apple a day keeps the dentist away, we are told, but how about a strawberry ? Researchers at the International Institute of Horticultural Research in Kent are going to add a gene to strawberries and apples that can control the growth of a bacterium that causes tooth decay, producing, they hope, a food that can prevent dental caries. The gene was discovered by a group of scientists at Guys Hospital in London and works by producing a protein that prevents the Streptococcus mutans bacteria, the microbes that cause dental decay, from binding onto teeth. Professor David James from the Internationl Institute of Horticultural Research said that modified fruit was an excellent way to deliver the protein, especially to children. (There are a few problems that they don’t mention such as - what about the acid in the fruit itself, also, the sugar in the fruit will fuel decay produce by bacteria already in-situ, and will enough of the protein get out of the fruit when it is chewed to make a difference ?
Strawberries the ideal food for astronauts
10th Sep 2000
Results of Italy's First Official Mosquito Swatting Competition
A few weeks ago on ScienceWorld we told you about the world’s first official mosquito swatting competition in Italy. Contestants were given 15 minutes to kill as many mosquitos with their bare hands as they could. The one boasting the most kills would be awarded a prestigious golden mosquito and a medal. The competition was organised in response to a mosquito plaque that has had Italians scratching madly this summer. Anyway, the winner announced this week was 24 year old Christian Rizatto – he managed to kill 23 mozzies in 15 minutes “it was tough” he said, as he claimed his medal !
Researchers discover chemical produced by sweaty feet that attracts mosquitoes
Scientists developing genetically modified mosquito incapable of transmitting malaria
Researchers discover chemical mosquito-attractant (4-methylphenol)
10th Sep 2000
World's Most Flawless Diamond a Cut Above the Rest
The cutting of one of the World’s most flawless diamonds has been completed by a London jeweller. Laurence Gaff of Bond Street have spent 1 year cutting the 90.97 carat diamond, reputed to have been purchased for 12 million pounds by an anonymous Arabian buyer. A spokesman for the jeweller said ‘it was a long risky an ardous process which could have ended in ruin with every cut’. The stone comes from a 338.4 carat diamond unearthed in the Premier Mine in South Africa last year. Whilst larger diamonds have been found in the past, none have been flawless like this one. The largest of all known diamonds is the Cullinan, given to Edward VII by the Transvaal government in 1905, for his birthday !
10th Sep 2000
Websites of the Week
Do you hate cats - this could be the web-site for you ! Make your way to Cat Haters Heaven to meet like-minded people ! Visit www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/8829/cats.html . You can also look at www.ratstocats.com which is very funny !
Slightly more seriously, if you are interested in reading about scientific progress then you might enjoy the BioMedNet website, which you can access on www.bmn.com and which is completely free. They have an excellent section called ‘HMS Beagle’ in which the information is presented with the non-specialist in mind.
Alternatively, if you are at a loose end you might consider www.girlfriendstealer.com, a site dedicated to how to separate a girl from her boyfriend so she’ll go out with you instead
10th Sep 2000
Dundee University Uses Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll Advertising to Recruit Students
The university of Dundee is attempting to lure students with an advertising campaign using images of a bra, a condom and a pint of beer. The university intends to send 20,000 of the posters and postcards to schools - budding engineers are lured by a picture of a bra whilst social scientists are tempted by a pair of Y fronts !
10th Sep 2000
Exercise Is an Essential Part of Healthy Living, Apparently...
We are always being told that exercise is good for us, but an 88 year old blind man suffering from severe arthritis was surprised to find in a letter from a Gym on the Isle of Man that he had been “personally chosen” for cheap membership for 3 years. (Reported in the Isle of Man Examiner)
10th Sep 2000
Phew - Light Exercise Is As Good for you As a Hefty Work-out...
Exercise doesn’t have to be hell to be healthy, new research has shown. A new study carried out at Harvard School of Public Health in America has found that a single long period of exercise is no better for you than several shorter sessions, so long as the total amount of exercise is the same. The study looked at over 7000 men aged around 66 and found similar rates of heart disease in men who exercised regularly and those who only walked or climbed the stairs, provided that the total energy output was the same. However a second study on younger, middle-aged, men found that whilst any form of exercise reduces the chance of developing heart disease, more vigorous exercise such as running, swimming or tennis, reduces your chances more than light exercise, such as walking. At the end of the day, the studies have shown that any exercise is better for you than none, and climbing the stairs rather than taking the lift is a good way to get started.
10th Sep 2000
Athletes Can Train at Altitude Without Leaving the Comfort of Their Beds
A new gadget to help athletes get the full advantage of altitude training from the comfort of their bed at home has recently been unveiled by New York company Hypoxico. Athletes train at high altitude because the lower-levels of oxygen in the air stimulates the numbers of red blood cells in the blood to increase. Afterwards, when they return to sea level (or shortly Sydney) where there is more oxygen, the increased numbers of red blood cells enable them to deliver much more oxygen to their muscles so they can run faster. The new invention is a self-standing sealed ‘hypoxic tent’ which reduces the amount of oxygen inside to simulate high altitude. Recent studies have shown that athletes need only to sleep at high altitude in order to increase their numbers of red blood cells so this invention (which will fit on top of a double bed) should enable British Athletes to spend a bit more time at home and a bit less money on trips to high places ! You can check out the invention for yourself on the web at www.hypoxico.com.
10th Sep 2000
Cooked Vegetables Better for you Than Raw, Say Scientists
Cooked carrots may be better for you, say scientists from the University of Arkansas. They found that cooked pureed carrots showed higher levels of antioxidants than raw, crunchy carrots. According to Professor Luke Howard who was involved in the research, “People always assume that fresh raw vegetables are better for you than cooked ones, but this is not necessarily the case”.
Steaming is best way to cook vegetables.
10th Sep 2000
Nicotine Is Fatally Addicitive
Yet more evidence that Nicotine is fatally attractive, following findings that a single cigarette can trigger a long-lasting chemical change in brain cells. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure, and high levels of the chemical lasts for hours in the brain after exposure to nicotine. Researchers have discovered that following primary exposure, the buzz is higher the next time and one cigarette can leave you hooked for life….
Rate of nicotine metabolism varies according to ethnicity
10th Sep 2000
What Will Advertisers Think of Next ?
Don’t go away when the adverts come on! A British company has come up with a trick that it hopes will keep you watching your TV or the cinema screen or listening to the radio! This is thanks to a newly patented badge that viewers and listeners will wear . The badge is pre-programmed with a unique code and contains a miniature microphone that picks up an audible signal embedded in the ad’s soundtrack. When the signal matches the pre-programmed code, and LCD on the badge lights up to let the lucky wearer know that they are the winner. What they will have won is yet to be disclosed – a years subscription to watching adverts for free on any cable channel? Let’s hope not!!
10th Sep 2000
Snowing Straw in Suffolk
Suffolk householders watched in disbelief this week as it rained straw for 20 minutes, filling their gardens ! Weather experts believe that a mini-tornado may have sucked up the straw from a freshly-harvested field near Ipswich before dumping it miles inland.
10th Sep 2000
Electricians at Greater Risk of Suicide
Exposure to electrical cables may make you more likely to commit suicide, a recent American study has shown. Resaerchers from the University of North Carolina studied records of over 138,000 male workers employed by 5 utility companies between 1950 and 1985. They found 536 suicides. The researchers then estimated the exposure of each of the employees to electrical fields and found that electricians and line-men were more likely to commit suicide than other employees.
10th Sep 2000
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