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Podcast TranscriptThe Naked Scientists: Science Radio & Science Podcasts |
Superhero 3D X-ray vision
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Oh Come on Ref
A report in the Psychologist journal this month reports that if football referees are told beforehand that a team has a reputation for aggressive or foul play then they are more likely to hand out a red or yellow card when a player from that side commits a foul, compared with teams with a better reputation.
22nd Jun 2002
Anti-smoking Vaccine
UK pharmaceutical company Xenova are testing an anti-smoking vaccine. The vaccine works by provoking the body to produce antibodies against nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco. Following vaccination, when a smoker lights up the nicotine is immediately 'grabbed' by the antibodies, stopping it from getting into the brain to produce the buzz that the addict craves. The new vaccine was successfully tested on 50 smokers and 10 non-smokers recently. Dr. John Roberts, Xenova's medical director said "we're very pleased with our results". So why doesn't the body naturally make antibodies to nicotine ? Principally because the nicotine molecule is too small. But if you link nicotine to a much bigger molecule such as a protein, as Xenova have, the immune system can then 'see' the nicotine part of the molecule, and make antibodies to it. Sounds great, but some people are concerned, for instance that it might actually encourage kids to smoke because they think they are immune to the effects, or that since the vaccine doesn't prevent the cravings, smokers might smoke more to try to override the antibodies. According to the researchers though, if their initial animal tests are anything to go by, you just wouldn't physically be able to smoke enough to out-compete the antibodies. Then of course comes the ethical dilemma of whether it is right to deny your children the choice of whether to smoke or not.
Interview with John Roberts, from Xenova Pharmaceuticals, about anti-smoking and anti-cocaine vaccines (2003)
Anti-cocaine vaccine trial commenced
Interview with Dr. Campbell Bunce about anti-nicotine and anti-cocaine vaccines (2005)
22nd Jun 2002
Better Way for Athletes to Warm Up
Most of us remember being cautioned by our PE teachers to 'warm up' properly before exercise to prevent muscle, tendon and joint strains. But according to scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University the best way to prepare is with an electric blanket. They argue that muscles develop more power at higher working temperatures which are better achieved artificially as this carries less risk of fatigue ! That's my kind of exercise !
22nd Jun 2002
Identity Microchips to Hold Medical Records
A family in America have become the first people to be implanted with a tiny microchip the size of a grain of rice containing their medical records. The VeriChip, designed by US company Applied Digital Solutions, emits a signal containing information about the bearer when radio waves of a certain frequency pass over it. The purpose of the device is primarily to enable doctors to access the identity and significant previous medical history of an unconscious patient, much like the medic alert bracelet worn by some people in the country at the moment.
22nd Jun 2002
Boat Power
Boats continuously move against their moorings on the swell, and Watford man Raymond Gotto has come up with a clever way to harness energy from the movements to power lighting, fridges and other electrical equipment on the boat. Gotto's boat is tied to a dock using a long belt that is wound around a spring-loaded reel on the dock. The reel is connected to a generator so that whenever the boat moves away from the quay on the swell it pulls on the reel, generating power !
22nd Jun 2002
Nature's Way to Curing Impotence - Folk Medicine
Time and again nature provides the remedies for many human ailments, you just need to know where to look. That's why folk-remedies are often a good place to start. For centuries Zulus have been chewing and boiling the uBangalala plant as a cure for impotence. Now scientists from South Africa's University of Pretoria have extracted the active ingredient. Marion Meyer and her team compared the effects of the plant extract, with Viagra, using tissue taken from the penis of a rabbit. Remarkably their extract was over 70% as effective as Viagra, so they have patented the compound and are planning to begin animal tests, which could lead to a new range of anti-impotence drugs within the next few years.
22nd Jun 2002
Science Uncovers Key to Penalties
As the everyone goes footie mad for the world cup, researchers at the University of Greenwich have been using a computer to analyse video clips of footballers taking penalties. They found that football players subconsciously give out physical clues about which way they are going to kick the ball. This of course gives the goalie a chance to anticipate the direction of a forthcoming penalty shot. So what's the secret? According to the Greenwich team, it's all in the angle of the shoulders! When a right-footed striker shoots to the left, his left shoulder dips further towards the ground, than when he shoots to the middle or to the right. His standing leg will also lean further to the left than for a shot in the opposite direction. Similarly when the shot is going to the strikers right, the left shoulder dips and the left leg leans out, but the angles are smaller. A detective playing goal-keeper can read these signals to plan his save!
SCIENTISTS UNCOVER THE CURE FOR BAD BREATH
The science of bad breath is neither glamorous or sexy, but just to make sure you are fully up on the spectrum of research, here's an update to help keep you minty-fresh ! Scientists in Minneapolis have been investigating the phonomenon of "morning breath", commonly experiences as the sensation the something has died in your mouth during the night. The researchers tried several treatments to try to curb this, including brushing the teeth with toothpaste, brushing the tongue, eating breakfast, gargling hydrogen peroxide and taking breath-freshener tablets. Of these treatments, eating breakfast and tongue-brushing were reasonably effective, but tooth-cleaning and breath-fresheners were not. Sadly,the only really successful cure was the hydrogen peroxide treatment - soemthing that would not be advisable to try every day ! So to get rid of your morning breath attack the Weetabix, or get scrubbing at your tongue - "clinically proven to reduce the incidence of bad breath" !!
22nd Jun 2002
Gm Tomatoes Could Prevent Prostate and Breast Cancer
Sometimes the best things happen when we least expect it. This was the case for researchers at Purdue University in the US who were experimenting with genetically-modified tomatoes in order to increase the quality of the fruit and the duration of he reipening time. In order to achieve this a gene from yeast, which prolongs life by stabilsing certain naturally-occuring substances in the cell, was added to the tomoato plants. As a side effect of this process the researchers discovered a significant increase in the amount of one of these factors called lycopene - the chemical responsible for the characteristic red colour of the fruit. So what is so special about lycopene ? Well, in the medical press it seems to be a bit of a superstar. Studies have shown that an increase in lycopene in the diet can guard against prostate and breast cancer. It can even reduce the amount of LDL - so called "bad cholesterol" - in the blood, which decreases the risk of heart disease. So maybe these super-tomatoes could help to make your salad even better for you.
Article about genetically modified (GM) plants including the safety and uses of GM crops and plants.
Lycopene in tomato sauce reduces your chances of developing prostate cancer
22nd Jun 2002
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Is it me or do men always hog the TV remote control ?! Jane, Cambridge, email |
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A study of mens' habits has revealed that they cling on to the TV remote control, even when they are not even watching a TV programme ! What's more, in the 8 households that were spied upon during the study, when women used the remote, they returned it to the man straight afterwards. Now that's remote control for you ! |
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June 2002 |
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What makes a whip go 'crack' ? Paul, Cambridgeshire |
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It isn't just Concorde that breaks the sound-barrier - whips do too. Scientists originally thought that the crack produced by a whip is because the tip of the whip breaks the sound barrier and makes a minature sonic boom - this is when something travels faster than the speed of sound and overtakes its own sound wave so that the sound waves are all compressed together behind the object, making a very loud sound. But now scientists have found that it is not the tip of the whip that is making the noise - because that they have found that when the crack occurs the tip is actually moving at twice the speed of sound - 1434 miles per hour. So what is breaking the sound barrier and making the noise when the whip actually cracks then ? Physicists Alain Goriely and Tyler McMillen at the University of Arizona in the US have found that it is in fact the loop that travels along the length of the whip that breaks the sound barrier and makes the cracking noise. |
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June 2002 |
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I am being driven mad by hayfever. Help ! James, telephone, Cambridge |
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Allergies are horrible. They are made worse by the fact that we don't know much about them, how to prevent them from occurring, and how to stop them from recurring. But Brian Sutton and his team from Kings College, London, have made a potentially important discovery this week - about how antibodies called IgE work. Everyone has IgE antibodies, but people with allergies have much higher levels than most. The Y shaped IgE antibodies attach themselves to mast cells in our tissues. When the antibody picks up an allergen, such as pollen, it triggers the Mast cell to release irritants such as histamine, the substance responsible for the unpleasant effects including swollen, itchy, weepy eyes, runny nose and asthma. Now the King's team have found that when the IgE antibody attaches to a mast cell it changes its shape. This shape change seems to lock the antibody in place, making the individual more prone to allergic reactions. Sutton says "if you could design a drug that keeps the antibodies in their bent shape you could stop them binding to mast cells, or even pop them off, stopping allergic symptoms". There is such a drug, called Xolair, which is made by biotech company Genentech and which has shown promising results in clinical trials. But the drug is very expensive and needs to be given by injection so it is not practical as a therapy yet. But the new results from King's are very encouraging and might herald some relief for some of us in summer in future ! |
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June 2002 |
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