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The Naked ScientistsPodcast Transcript |
| 9th Dec 2001 | < Previous Show | Next Show > | |||||||||||
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Almost Xray Specs
A 'sonic flashlight' developed by a biomedical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh makes the human body seem translucent right in front of your eyes. The prototype device merges the visual outer surface of a patient's skin with a live ultrasound scan of what lies beneath. It creates the effect of a translucent ultrasound image showing blood vessels, muscle tissue, and other internal anatomy. Doctors currently use ultrasound to guide invasive procedures, such as inserting a needle in a vein. But to do so, they must look away from the patient at an ultrasound display screen. This device enables the viewer to look directly at patients and see their internal anatomy as they do things to them. The new device uses a translucent mirror positioned above the patient. The viewer looks through the mirror to see the patient and what they are doing to them, whilst the ultrasound image is projected on to the mirror over the patient's body. This results in the ultrasound image being superimposed over the patients body so it can be used to guide invasive procedures, such as taking blood samples without missing the vein, or doing needle biopsies, amniocenteses, catheterizations, surgery, or numerous other procedures while looking directly at the patient instead of at a monitor.
Article about how Ultrasound scans work.
Article about how X-rays work.
9th Dec 2001
Christmas Trees
In the run up to Christmas we'll be going out to buy nearly 7 million christmas trees this year, so here's some handy tips on what to look for in a good christmas tree :
First, what tree ? NORWEGIAN SPRUCE - this is our traditional tree, nice and bushy, nice shape, but very prone to drop needles on the floor unless you water it well. You could consider instead a NORDMANN FIR - bigger, glossier needles that don't fall off, and apparently a wonderful smell too.
Secondly, how to look after it : Buy the freshest tree that you can, preferably directly from a grower so it is only recently cut down. Get one that has been stored outside (trees hate central heating), cut an inch of the bottom before you mount it in a stand, water it regularly, and add some plant food.
Thirdly, what to do with your old christmas tree once New year is past…the best bet for the environment is to take it to a Christmas tree recycling plant where it can be turned into woodchips for footpaths and bridleways - find out where you nearest recycling centre is on the web at : www.encams.org
9th Dec 2001
Monitoring People at Work Bad for Performance
If you get fed up of your boss checking up on you at work, you should tell him or her about this next item: Recent research has shown that monitoring people at work doesn't improve their performance. In fact it can have the opposite effect. A survey of over 100 volunteers at an IT firm in Denver has shown that employees resent being surveilled. So they do what they are supposed to do and nothing more. Perhaps this calls for more trust in the workplace and fewer video cameras.
9th Dec 2001
French Scientists Find Way to Lower Cholesterol
Heart attacks occur when the blood vessels supplying the heart become furred up by fatty material called atheroma. What causes this to happen is still something of a mystery, but we know that people with high blood levels of a form of cholesterol called LDL are much more at risk than people with lower levels. Cutting out cholesterol from the diet doesn't help that much though, because the body can make its own. But, French researchers announced this week that they think they have discovered the switch that turns on the bodies cholesterol production. This means that we can now try to make a drug that can turn this switch off, stopping cells from making cholesterol, and so reducing cholesterol levels in the blood and heart attacks.
Article about arterial disease.
9th Dec 2001
Does Tea Tree Oil Have Proven Anti-bacterial Effects ?
Tea-tree oil has been used in Australia for over 80 years to treat skin and other infections, and it is beginning to catch on here, but does it work ? The answer, according to Australian researchers, is yes, better than some commercially available antibiotics. Scientists and doctors are keen to discover powerful new bacteria-killing agents because overuse of currently available antibiotics has led to many bacteria becoming resistant. One bug for example, called MRSA, is now a serious problem in hospitals as there are fewer and fewer antibiotics left to treat it with. In the current study, researchers gave 30 people infected with MRSA either antibiotics, or Tea-tree ointment. At the end of the experiment, only 13% of the people treated with antibiotics were clear of MRSA infection, compared with an impressive 30% of those treated with tea-tree oil. This sounds really impressive but how does it work ? Tea tree oil contains about 100 chemicals and of these 7 oils called terpenes are the commonest. If small amounts of these terpenes are added to cultures of bacteria, the numbers of bacteria fall by over 90%. It looks like the terpenes are punching holes in the bacteria, causing them to die. The really good news is that terpenes also seem to help cold sores, which are caused by herpes viruses, and also thrush, which is caused by a yeast infection called Candida.
Show about MRSA, other superbugs, and ways to tackle them
9th Dec 2001
Norwegian Birds Short of Sperm
Scientists studying birds in Norway have made an unusual discovery - successful males budget their sperm by shunning their old partners. The bird watchers expected the behaviour of male Great Snapes to match that seen in nightclubs, with the males taking every opportunity to mate. This would ensure that they father as many offspring as possible. However, after mating, the male birds wouldn't touch their partner with a bargepole if she approached again, and even used violence to chase her away. This type of bird has a strong pecking order, with a few "pop-star" males getting the most sex. The scientists thinks that these lucky few simply don't have enough sperm to go round, so have to ration it out. It is not known how many other creatures follow this pattern of behaviour, but the human parallels are hard to ignore!
9th Dec 2001
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