David Snowdon, Correspondent (Science) A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology this week has discovered that women who take oral contraceptives face twice the risk of developing the eye condition glaucoma. Glaucoma occurs when the trabecular meshwork – the drainage tubes within the eye – become blocked, preventing the fluid of the aqueous humour from draining properly. This leads to a build-up of pressure in the eye, causing […]
Bethan Young Correspondent (Science) OHIO – The United States of America and its relationship with capital punishment has always been a controversial talking point. Many of America’s most notorious and ruthless mass-murderers have been put to death for their crimes, mostly by electric chair or lethal injection. The lethal injection (although the latest method to be developed) is nothing new – three components including an anaesthetic (e.g. sodium thiopental) , paralytic agent (e.g. pancuronium […]
David Snowdon, Correspondent (Science) Cancer researchers constantly have to grapple with the difficulty of targeting just the affected area without disrupting surrounding tissues and subsequently inflicting nasty side-effects on the patient. Recent research has found a new way to combat this problem; drugs that move stealthily through the body and are only activated in the immediate region – they literally sneak up on the tumour. Antibodies are proteins that are used by the immune […]
Amber Roguski Editor (Science) The space-race as we know it began in 1961, when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin hurtled into space and became the first man to orbit the Earth. A few months later, President Kennedy announced to the world that by the end of the 1960′s NASA would land a man on the moon. It was a bold move, and it paid off. In 1969 Neil Armstrong took ‘one small step for […]
Bethan Young, Correspondent (Science) We have become all too familiar with the chaos of the Syrian crisis recently, but it seems the turmoil has paved way for a more insidious threat. The polio virus has been identified in the Eastern region of Deir al-Zour – the World Health Organisation has confirmed 10 cases and further investigations are underway. Poliomyelitis is a virus that is spread largely via unclean water. The effect of the virus […]
Amber Roguski, Correspondent (Science) It is easy to forget the importance of bees. It is more than just a buzzing, occasionally stinging insect: bees are the foundation of ecosystems and pollinators of the world. Without bees food crops would dwindle and plants would become extinct. Sadly, this ominous threat is becoming a reality. In 2006, reports from beekeepers revealed a worrying occurrence; entire colonies of bees would suddenly leave their hives and never return, without […]
Amber Roguski, Correspondent (Science) NEW DELHI — With national pride at stake, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the Mangalyaan probe, its first spacecraft destined for Mars, in the next month. Take-off for the mission has a narrow window of 23 days, between October 28 and November 19, and, providing weather permits, the orbiter should reach the red planet by September, 2014. Once the spacecraft has reached its destination, it will […]
Amber Roguski, Editor (Science) Scientists at University of Rochester may have solved the great mystery of why animals sleep so much. In their study published in the journal Science on October 18, the researchers revealed their conclusion that during sleep, cells in the brain shrink to allow increased waste clearance. Last year it was discovered that the brain has its own ‘waste removal’ process which is made possible by the glymphatic system. In much […]
David Snowdon, Correspondent (Science) When most people think of viruses, they think of nasty little things that make you ill. However the recent resurgence of a 100-year-old procedure is looking to turn the enemy into a useful ally against disease. When Alexander Fleming carelessly forgot to replace the lid of a petri dish containing a bacterial sample on a September morning in 1928, little did he know that he would change the course of medicine […]
Cate Reynolds-Foote Correspondent (Science) The announcement of the Nobel prize winners for Medicine, Physics and Chemistry were made respectfully on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Following is a short summary of this year’s science awards. Medicine: The 2013 Medicine prize was awarded to a trio of U.S. based scientists – James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof. This prize was awarded for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, […]
