WIDER NEWS
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The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has succeeded in creating a ‘mini Big Bang’. The LHC is the world’s highest-energy particle accelerator, and is run by the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN). Until recently, the colossal experiment concentrated on colliding protons, but after switching its attention to lead ions, it has taken a major step towards recreating the conditions immediatley after the Big Bang. The experiment, called ALICE, created the highest temperatures and densities ever produced in an experiment. A researcher on ALICE, David Evans, says these temperatures are more than 100,000 times hotter than the core of the sun. The extreme heat melts protons and neutrons to form what is known as a quark-gluon plasma. It is this plasma that is thought to represent the conditions immediately after the Big Bang. The plasma will be studied as it expands and cools, in order to learn more about the forces that bind the nuclei of atoms together.
Doubt is cast over Nobel Prize for Physics
A top researcher has accused the Nobel Prize committee of failing to explaining their decision accurately. Walt de Heer, of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, wrote a letter to the committee outlining a series of errors made in its background document. He explained that “The Nobel Prize committee did not do its homework”, before awarding the prize to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, for their work on graphene. Graphene is a carbon structure with great potential for use in electronics.
Embryonic stem cells get the go ahead in US
The first official clinical trial using embryonic stem cells to treat patients with spinal injuries has begun. The controversial technique, which uses cells taken from four or five day old embryos, has sparked a long running debate over the ethics of embryonic stem cell therapy. This is the first time such cells have been used in a clinical trial. It is hoped that injecting the cells into the spinal cord will help repair the damage done by injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to falls.
Cellular Metamorphosis
Transforming skin into blood may sound like a biblical miracle, but forget turning water into wine; a study published in Nature has caused a stir by transforming skin cells to blood cells without the transition through a stem cell-like state. The last two months have been extremely exciting for stem cell research. Developments have included the first embryonic clinical trial, and research into the potential ‘muscle-boosting’ effects of injected stem cells. However, this most recent breakthrough provides a simpler, and possibly safer, alternative to stem cells. We have already heard about induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are modified adult cells that then have the potential to become any cell type. However, this is the first study to directly reprogramme human cells. This was achieved by infecting adult stem cells with a virus designed to insert a gene known as OCT4. The expression of this gene synthesises a protein that helps transform the cells into iPS cells. In this study they managed to make blood progenitor cells without going through an embryonic state first. This method produces cells that don’t cause teratomas; a type of tumour associated with iPS treatment. Another benefit is that the blood cells contain adult haemoglobin rather than the foetal form that is produced with iPS. However, it is much more difficult to get these cells to multiply in a lab, which could be problematic when considering their clinical potential.
Alcohol tops heroin as most harmful drug
The first week of November saw the publication of a new study by Prof David Nutt, which ranked 20 drugs on their harm to both individuals and society. Alcohol came out worst overall due to its highly damaging effects on society through widespread use. The worst culprit at the level of the individual was heroin. It is hoped that the study will help the government spread its efforts accordingly.
Cholera crisis in Haiti worsens
US science faces cuts
US scientists have been cushioned so far from the financial crisis that has been hitting the rest of the world. Barack Obama even included an increase in science funding in his budget request for 2011. However, in light of the recent midterm election results, the prospects for science could be very different. The Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives. With their aim to reduce the $1.4 trillion deficit, science policy is likely to feel the pinch. John Boehner, a Republican who is tipped to become House Speaker, recently issued a ‘Pledge to America’. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), this pledge would mean reducing research spending by 7%.
Meningitis vaccine hope WHO and UNICEF have launched a campaign which aims to vaccinate all people aged 1 to 29 with a new vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis. The vaccine, called MenAfriVac, is the product of 10 years work trying to find a low cost solution for effective use in Africa. This is a promising step towards tackling the crippling cycle of epidemics that occur irregularly every 5-12 years.
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iscienceonline.co.uk
Epidemiologists have predicted that Haiti could be facing up to half a million new cases of cholera in the coming year. The water-borne bacterium Vibrio cholerae has thrived in post-earthquake Haiti due to the lack of sanitation and clean water. There have been 1,100 reported cases since the outbreak of the epidemic in October.
So, we’re all agreed then: science is vital...
Science dominated the headlines during the UK spending review this October, with scientists proving a force to be reckoned with. In response to the ‘Science is Vital’ rally, in which over 2,000 scientists congregated outside Whitehall, the government decided to spare science funding from the cuts. Instead, investment in UK science is to be frozen at its current level. In announcing this decision, George Osborne declared: “Britain is a world leader in scientific research, and that is vital to our economic success”. Whilst this freeze has widely been met with a sense of relief from scientists, many of whom had feared cuts as steep as 25%, it is important to note that this cash freeze amounts roughly to a 10% reduction in real terms over the next four years. Also the issue of capital gains spending is yet to be decided, which currently accounts for around 20% of the UK science budget.
iscienceonline.co.uk
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