Tag Archives: present

No Need to Panic: Giant Radioactive Bees Are Not Present!

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Feedback brings you the latest science and technology news, featuring intriguing articles that pique the interest of our readers. If you have something you believe deserves attention, you can reach us at Feedback@newscientist.com.

Super Hornet

One of my preferred categories in news stories is “events that echo the first five or ten minutes of a disaster flick.” Titles like “Tremors near Major City” and “Scientists Develop an Aging Robot with Machine Guns for Arms” come to mind. For example, a giant mysterious black sarcophagus discovered in Egypt (yes, this one is real).

So, when we glimpsed a headline from the BBC news on July 31st, we were understandably concerned: “Radioactive hornet nest discovered at an old U.S. nuclear weapons site.”

The nest was identified on the Savannah River grounds close to Aiken, South Carolina, a location previously known for producing nuclear bomb components during the Cold War and currently housing millions of gallons of liquid nuclear waste. Investigators, however, calmed down concerns by stating none of the tanks were leaking. Rather, the nest was discovered to be harboring “onsite legacy radioactive contamination,” which refers to leftover contamination from past plutonium production.

Notably, the nest was sprayed to eliminate any wasps, subsequently bagged as radioactive waste. Thankfully, no bees were found, leading to speculations that they might have perished from radiation exposure and mutated into some chaotic form. However, I’ve watched enough Godzilla films to know that radiation typically causes creatures to grow rather than disappear. Let’s hope 2025 doesn’t bring a giant radioactive hornet invasion along the East Coast.

As a precaution, we dug out our aging copies of New Scientist‘s book Do You Eat Wasps? to learn that various creatures, including badgers and birds (of course), prey on striped insects, along with other insects like dragonflies. We consider sending badger families to the Savannah River site due to the substantial radiation; it seems like the only effective solution.

What to do if Your Dog Takes Cocaine

Reporter Matthew Sparks was combing through a press release when he stumbled upon a intriguingly phrased title. “What to do if your dog takes cocaine?” Instantly, the first suggestion from Feedback was to “take it for a walk,” but that’s neither a solution nor appropriate.

This press release referred to a Clinical Report relating to a case of a Chihuahua who experienced “acute onset of lethargy and a temporary episode of unresponsiveness.” It was revealed that the dog’s urine contained “cocaine, cocaine metabolites, norfentanyl, and trace amounts of fentanyl.” This mixture appeared to slow the dog’s heartbeat, an issue that was effectively managed by the attending veterinarian.

While the dog is fine now, it’s challenging to envision how bewildered the Chihuahuas must have been.

Upon further exploration, I found that dogs have a “history of culinary indifference.” This makes sense. I recall a rather dim spaniel we had that ate everything she discovered on the ground, despite its unsanitary nature and the chaotic aftermath on her digestive system. Living where we did, this predominantly consisted of discarded takeaway boxes and heaps of fox excrement. Still, one wonders what she might have sampled if we’d taken her for a stroll around Soho, London.

Curtailing Academic Jargon

Feedback often finds themselves perusing the references list at the end of academic papers, seeking crucial context. Many of these appear as structures like “Thomas, Richard & Harold, “The Very Complex Things”, Nature Vol. 13 P 666 (1984).”

In an effort to save space, academic journal titles are frequently abbreviated, and these can often be perplexing. For example, we were recently bemused to discover a journal abbreviated simply as Fish fish. Was the editor particularly enthusiastic about vertebrates that inhabit freshwater? Turns out the complete title is actually Fish and Fisheries.

Our curiosity sparked, leading us to wonder if this was indeed the most absurd abbreviation of a journal title.

There are evident trends. For instance, “analysis” tends to be abbreviated to “anal,” which can lead to unfortunate titles such as Advances in Risk Analysis becoming ADV risk anal and Accident Analysis and Prevention being shortened to Before the Accident Analysis. Similarly, many journal titles include library-related terminology, helping to explain why Zeitschrift Für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie is humorously abbreviated as Z bibl bibl.

Several abbreviated titles may risk creating confusion. The American Chemical Society has launched a whole series titled Advances in Arsenic Research, but it certainly didn’t yield what we anticipated.

The sheer number of journals paired with feedback’s limited lifespan means it’s nearly impossible to locate the most ridiculous abbreviation. Therefore, we’d like to invite a broader audience to help in our quest for the funniest journal title abbreviations.

Have you shared your feedback?

You can send your stories to feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Don’t forget to include your address. Explore past feedback on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Leprosy Was Present in America Long Before European Arrival

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Leprosy can be caused by two types of bacteria: Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis.

Nobeastsofierce Science/Alamy

Contrary to popular belief, the influence of leprosy existed among the American populace long before Europeans arrived.

“The narrative was that Europeans introduced this dreadful disease to America,” states Nicholas Lascovan from the Pasteur Institute in Paris. “Our findings challenge that notion.”

Globally, the majority of leprosy instances result from the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. However, in 2008, Xiang-Yang Han and his team from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center identified a second causative agent, M. lepromatosis, in two individuals from Mexico afflicted with leprosy. Since then, more occurrences of this pathogen have been noted in the US, Canada, Brazil, and Cuba, as well as in four people from Singapore and Myanmar.

Driven to explore this less-studied pathogen, Lascovan collaborated with Han, other researchers, and indigenous communities to analyze ancient DNA from 389 individuals who lived in America before European contact.

They discovered M. lepromatosis at one archaeological site near the Alaska-Canada border and two locations along Argentina’s southeastern coastline, all carbon-dated to roughly 1,000 years ago. The bacterial genome exhibited slight variations, indicating a distinct strain separated by about 12,000 kilometers. “It has rapidly spread across the continent for centuries,” explains Lascovan.

DNA analysis from numerous modern cases, primarily in the US and Mexico, showed that nearly all contemporary strains are closely related, with minor variations from ancient times. Nonetheless, the team also recognized a rare and unusually ancient strain in modern populations that wasn’t found in archaeological sites, suggesting the existence of at least two distinct strains. Notably, M. lepromatosis is still present in North America today, alongside M. leprae, which was introduced by Europeans.

The findings imply that these bacteria have diverged and evolved within the United States for approximately 10,000 years. About 3,000 years ago, a lineage of the pathogen mutated into its current form, capable of infecting red squirrels in the UK and Ireland, causing issues such as skin swelling and unpleasant lesions.

Regarding their origins, genetic data indicate that M. lepromatosis and M. leprae diverged from a shared ancestor over 700,000 years ago, yet the precise location of this divergence remains unidentified.

Modern cases of M. lepromatosis appear to primarily affect the blood vessels of the feet, while M. leprae targets nerves, according to Han. Those infected with M. lepromatosis may experience blocked blood flow, tissue death, and skin breakdown, leading to potentially fatal complications from severe secondary infections caused by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus. The disease can also progress to internal organs such as the liver and spleen, resulting in some individuals succumbing before the skeletal system exhibits leprosy signs.

This may help clarify why archaeologists have not identified leprosy in ancient artifacts from the Americas, as Han mentions. While skeletal remains from Europe and Asia frequently show clear signs of leprosy-related bone damage, the ancient Canadian individuals examined in this study exhibited only ambiguous jaw lesions, which could arise from various conditions.

Annemieke Geluk from Leiden University in the Netherlands remarked that this “remarkable study” necessitates a rethink of the disease’s history. “My teaching materials indicate that there was no leprosy in the Americas before European colonization,” she noted, “I will need to revise my materials!”

Beyond its historical implications, this research also highlights pressing public health concerns. Leprosy is resurging in certain global regions, and rising antibiotic resistance complicates treatment. “Understanding this is highly critical,” says Geluk. “We need collaborative efforts worldwide to map existing strains.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Protests Against Tesla Dealers Worldwide Present Challenges for Elon Musk

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Numerous individuals worldwide protested against the efforts of Donald Musk and Donald Trump on Saturday to dismantle the US federal government.

The protest organizers called on people to refrain from buying Tesla, selling Tesla stocks, or participating in the “Tesla Takedown” movement.

One of the group’s taglines read, “To hurt Tesla is to stop Musk. Stopping Musk helps save lives and our democracy.”

Over 200 events were scheduled globally on Saturday, starting in Australia and New Zealand in front of Tesla showrooms before spreading to Europe in countries like Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the UK. Each rally had a unique theme organized locally. In Ireland, it was “destroying the fash,” while in Switzerland, it was “down with the Doge.” Photos were posted on Bluesky by Tesla Takedown from San Jose, California, close to Tesla’s former headquarters, and from Austin, Texas, where the headquarters is currently located.

The world’s wealthiest Musk leads the so-called “Ministry of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), tasked with cutting the US federal budget, which includes laying off thousands of workers. Musk and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.

Protested at a Tesla dealer in Austin, Texas on March 29, 2025. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

In San Francisco, around 200 people gathered in front of a Tesla showroom, urging others to disrupt busy streets and medians to oppose self-driving roads.

Many demonstrations included protests with signs and chants. Acts of disruption were seen, including impeding postal trucks, public buses, and fire engines. One group had signs with slogans like “Burn your sw before you burn,” and “doge bags no.” A massive American flag was also displayed upside down.

The Brocklong Tesla showroom had cleared out all cars with security guards inside and San Francisco police officers outside. A group wearing red maga hats and black dog shirts also passed through the crowd without incident.

Protester Myra Levy and friend Karen Heistler expressed their reasons for opposing the Tesla movement.

Protester Myra Levy at the San Francisco Tesla dealer held in San Francisco on Saturday. Photo: Dara Kerr/Guardian

Sales representatives in Berkeley, California, reported that Tesla showrooms were closed every Saturday due to weekly protests. A lively scene included spray-painting a cardboard cyber truck. The manager declined to comment on previous red paint incidents in the showroom.

Planet over Profit organizer Sophie Shepherd clarified that the London rally was not specifically against electric vehicles, but rather against the individuals associated with Tesla.

Marty, an 82-year-old protester, expressed concerns about the current state of the country and its leadership.

Protests occurred across the US, with numerous demonstrations planned across different states. London also saw dozens of demonstrators outside the Tesla showroom.

Organizers emphasized the importance of continued protest and peaceful demonstration against Musk, Trump, and Cruzi.

Organizers condemned violent acts against Tesla showrooms, affirming that they are a non-violent grassroots movement. They denounced vandalism and emphasized the importance of peaceful, lawful protests.

Harry Taylor contributed to the report.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Second Look: Digital Clones Possibly Present in H&M’s Model Lineup

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In two photos taken for fashion retailer H&M, model Mathilda Gvarliani can be seen posing in a white tank top and jeans. The images look like they were taken from the same shoot, but one of the photos shows Gvarliani the real Ms. Gvarliani, and the other is an artificially manipulated image of her.

Published this week Fashion businessOne image, an industry news outlet, shows Gvarliani holding the waistband of her jeans, while the other shows a “digital twin” with her arms crossed and staring at the camera.

The two images feature a quote from Gvarliani. “She’s like me. Gvarliani reported that this year is one of more than 20 models that H&M has partnered up to create digital replicas for use in its social media platforms and marketing campaigns, the publication reported.

Swedish retailer H&M is the latest company to pursue trends that have destabilized some fashion industry insiders. Using images that spreads artificial intelligence, critics have expressed concern about the impact on models and other independent contractors, including hair stylists and makeup artists, who are part of the photo shoot workforce.

According to H&M spokesman Hacan Andersson, the company is in the exploration stage of the project.

“We are simply exploring what is possible, and we work closely with other creatives in the industry, institutions and models themselves. We have full control over when the “digital twin” is used, and of course we are paid when it is used.”

Jorgen Andersson, chief creative officer at H&M, said the company will retain a “human-centric approach” in its use of technology.

H&M “was interested in exploring ways to showcase our fashion in new and creative ways, while still remaining true to our commitment to personal style,” he issued a statement in an email Thursday.

Fashion Worker LawNew York’s new law, which will come into effect in June, is expected to address some of the concerns about the use of AI by providing protection to the model, including requiring wage transparency and control over digital replicas.

State Sen. Brad Hoyleman Cigar, sponsor of the bill, said the labor law “protects fashion models from being financially abused and using images without their consent.”

Other states and Some European countries There is a law regarding individual rights via digital replicas, but New York law specifically covers the model.

Some models have complained that they have found unknown faces taking photos on their bodies and that they have no control over their finances.

“I think part of the impressive thing about the H&M Digital-Twin campaign is that the digital representation of the model is indistinguishable,” said Sara Ziff, former model and founder of the Model Alliance, on Friday. “It could really raise doubts about consent and compensation and replace many fashion workers.”

The alliance that provided input to the law in New York said models may use generated AI images without knowledge or consent, and without compensation. The new law states that modeling agencies cannot empower lawyers through digital replicas and must obtain written consent from the model for how they are used and compensation.

Models generated in AI are generally either human models or fictional representations of digital replicas, which are images of real people reused by technologies such as H&M “digital twins.”

The use of these digital forms in the lucrative fashion industry has been developing for many years as global retailers try to balance brand appeal with transparency and cost.

In 2011, H&M layered the heads of the actual models onto computer-generated mannequins for their online swimsuit campaign. 2023 denim brand Levi Strauss He said he plans to use AI technology. He added that the use of live models will not be reduced to reveal more images of different body types.

Last year, fashion brands Mangoes have been announced The campaign for the teenage line of clothing, using AI technology announced by Chief Information Technology Officer Jordia Rex, who said, “to make us more human or not.”

In this week’s newsletter, the Model Alliance said it is evaluating the H&M plan, which includes examples of other models next to the digital clone.

“Finally, how I’m in New York and Tokyo on the same day,” model Yar Aguer was quoted as saying he was paired with her digital twin.

Asked on Friday if the models really said those words, a spokesman for H&M said, “You can see that it’s a real quote from the model.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

Water was present in the early universe 100-200 million years following the Big Bang

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It is explained in the paper published today journal Natural Astronomy the discovery means that habitable deplanets may have begun to form much earlier, before they were formed billions of years ago.

This artist's impression shows the evolution of the universe, beginning with the Big Bang on the left. After that, you will see the microwave background of the universe. The formation of the first stars ends the dark ages of the universe, followed by the formation of galaxies. Image credit: M. Weiss/Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

“We had no oxygen before the first star exploded, so there was no water in space,” said Daniel Warren, an astronomer at the University of Portsmouth.

“Only a very simple nucleus survived the Big Bang: hydrogen, helium, lithium, trace amounts of barium and boron.”

According to Dr. Whalen and his colleagues, water molecules began to form shortly after the first supernova explosion known as the Population III Supernova.

These cosmic events that occurred on first generation stars were essential to creating the heavy elements (such as oxygen) needed for water to exist.

“The oxygen forged in the hearts of these supernovas combines with hydrogen to form water, paving the way for the creation of the essential elements needed for life,” Dr. Whalen said.

In their study, researchers looked at two types of supernovae. This produces corecrolaps supernovae, which produces a modest amount of heavy elements, and more energetic POP III supernovae.

They discovered that both types of supernovae form dense masses of rich gas in water.

The overall amount of water produced by these early supernovae was modest, but was highly concentrated in a gas-dense area called the cloud core, which is thought to be the birthplace of stars and planets.

These early, water-rich regions may have sown planetary formations at the dawn of space long before the first galaxy took shape.

“A significant discovery is that the primitive supernova formed water in the universe ahead of the first galaxy,” Dr. Hualen said.

“So water was already an important component of the first galaxy.”

“This means that the conditions necessary for the formation of life were in place faster than we could have imagined, meaning it was an important step in our early understanding of the universe.”

“The total water mass was modest, but it was very concentrated on the only structures that could form stars and planets.”

“And that suggests that before the first galaxy, a water-rich planetary disc could form at the dawn of space.”

Source: www.sci.news

Chimpanzees Perform Better at Difficult Tasks with an Audience present.

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Chimpanzee taking a number test on a touch screen

Akiho Muramatsu

Audience pressure can affect human performance both positively and negatively, and it turns out the same is true for our closest relatives.

Kristen Lin He and his colleagues at Kyoto University in Japan tested groups of six chimpanzees kept at the university's Primate Research Institute on three numerical tasks of varying difficulty.

In the first task, numbers from 1 to 5 appeared in random positions on the screen, and the chimpanzees simply had to touch the numbers in the correct order to receive a reward.

In the second task, the numbers were not adjacent. For example, 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15 might appear on the screen. Again, the chimpanzees had to press a number from the minimum value to the maximum value to receive a reward.

Finally, in the most difficult test, when the first digit in the sequence was pressed, the remaining digits were hidden behind a checkered square on the screen. This meant that the chimps had to memorize the positions of the numbers in order to press them in the correct order.

The chimpanzees were tested on this task thousands of times over six years with a variety of audiences, including one to eight human observers, people familiar with chimpanzees, and people new to chimpanzees.

When the task was easy, the chimpanzees performed worse as more people watched. However, on the most difficult task, all six chimpanzees performed better as the audience size increased.

“It was very surprising that performance improved so much as the number of human experimenters increased, because having more humans present can be distracting,” Lin says. “However, the results suggest that this may actually motivate them to perform even better.

“For the easiest tasks, humans may distract them, but for the most difficult tasks, humans can become a stressor and actually motivate them to perform better.”

team members Shinya YamamotoResearchers from Kyoto University also said they were surprised to find this effect in chimpanzees.

“Such audience effects are thought to be unique to humans who live in reputation-based and normative societies, where it is possible to perform well in front of an audience, and others to perform well in front of an audience. Sometimes they perform worse than they do,” he says. “However, our study shows that this audience effect may have evolved in the ape lineage before this type of normative society developed.”

Yamamoto says it's difficult and sometimes dangerous to tease out direct human implications from non-human research. “However, by telling people that chimpanzees are the same way, it may be possible to subtly calm the nerves of people who are extremely nervous in front of others.”

Miguel Llorente A team of researchers from the University of Girona in Spain suggests that it may be possible to further study how audience effects relate to individual chimpanzee personalities.

“To generalize these results to natural chimpanzee behavior, we will investigate these effects with chimpanzee audiences to more fully understand how these dynamics play out in natural social contexts.” “It would also be interesting to understand that,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Lake Eridania, a lake larger than any on Earth, was once present on Mars

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This new image is High resolution stereo camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft Calaris ChaosIt is the collapsed and dried-up remains of a vast ancient Martian lake called Lake Eridania.

This image taken by ESA's Mars Express shows Karalis Chaos, a region on Mars that is thought to have once held abundant water in the form of an ancient lake known as Lake Eridania. Image credit: ESA / DLR / Free University Berlin.

Lake Eridania once held more water than all other lakes on Mars combined, covering an area of ​​over 1 million km.2.

The lake was larger than any known lake on Earth, containing nearly three times the volume of water as the Caspian Sea.

It probably first existed as one large body of water about 3.7 billion years ago, and then as it began to dry out, it emerged as a series of smaller, isolated lakes.

Eventually Lake Eridania disappeared entirely, along with the rest of the Red Planet's water.

“The bottom left portion of the frame reveals remnants of an ancient lake bed,” Mars Express researchers said.

“The boundary of this layer can be seen curving upward from the center of the frame, surrounding a large central crater.”

“The old lake bed is now filled with many raised banks, which are thought to have formed when ancient Martian winds blew dust across Mars.”

“This dust was then covered with water, transformed, and dried up again and broke apart.”

In addition to water, there are clear signs of volcanic activity in and around this area, known as Karalis Chaos.

“The image shows two long cracks running horizontally, crossing both the lake bed and the smoother ground above,” the scientists said.

“These are known as the Sirenum-Fossae faults, and they formed when the Tharsis region of Mars, home to the solar system's largest volcanoes, rose up, putting enormous pressure on the Martian crust.”

“A lot of the wrinkled ridges you see here are also the result of volcanic pressure.”

“These appear as wavy lines running vertically across the frame.”

“Wrinkle ridges are common in volcanic plains and form when new lava layers compress, buckle and deform while still soft and elastic.”

“Also interesting is this impact crater, created by a space rock colliding with Mars.”

Source: www.sci.news

The Genius Minds of QI Present an Olympic-Quality Quiz Show | Podcast

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pictureEarlier this week, my colleague Archie Brand from First Edition enthusiastically recommended the In the Dark podcast to me. For me, the show is a hit investigative show that was acquired by Conde Nast/The New Yorker last year, but I never actually listened to the podcast or its acclaimed second season. Curtis Flowers was put on trial six times for the same murder. At least I thought I hadn’t listened to the podcast; I had, in fact, watched the spinoff miniseries about the Dubai royal family’s grievances. The runaway princesses – I read it back in January and didn’t realize it was part of a larger true crime documentary series (maybe I’m stupid and was confused by the huge font size for “Runaway Princesses” and the tiny font size for “From In the Dark”).

Runaway Princess didn’t wow me, but I’m still intrigued by the show. Like Serial, the show has broken away from the glut of true-crime documentaries and been acquired by one of the journalism giants. It returns to the air for a third full season this week, with Madeline Baran investigating the infamous 2005 murder of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines and asking why justice wasn’t served. The first two episodes are out now.

Read on for this week’s picks, including a new series from comedian Jessica Knappett (taking an Off Menu-esque route with a podcast about celebrities’ perfect days) and an Olympics-related release from the team behind QI and No Such Thing as a Fish. And you can always email us at newsletters@theguardian.com with your thoughts, suggestions, comments or, like Archie, recommendations for the Hear Here team.

Hannah J. Davis
Newsletter Deputy Editor

This week’s picks

Reg Yates has revived his eponymous podcast after a four-year hiatus. Photo: Katherine Ann Rose/Observer

A Perfect Day with Jessica Knappett
Widely available, with weekly episodes
Comedian Jessica Knappett invites celebrity friends to talk about their day-to-day lives. First up is her “Avoidance” co-star Romesh Ranganathan, who talks about having a garbage truck named after him and interviewing 50 Cent. Knappett then shifts the conversation to a “Magic Mike Live” journey, giving the podcast a charming, rambling framework. Upcoming guests include Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning and Saltburn director Emerald Fennell. Hannah Verdier

Late to the party
Widely available, with weekly episodes
Always a worthwhile interview, Katherine Ryan makes…

Source: www.theguardian.com

Recent Update: Professor confirms abandoned bird nest is still present

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Nest: Still abandoned

Be prepared. A neglected bird's nest still remains in the mouth of a large ancient stone sculpture of a human face, hanging high on the wall at the northern end of the outdoor garden known as the “Michelangelo's Corridor” at the National Roman Museum in Rome, reports a professor at University College London (UCL). The professor discovered the nest during a visit to the museum in April this year and reported it to a colleague who is the director of a natural history museum in the Netherlands. The colleague visited the National Roman Museum the next day and asked if he could take the nest back to the museum in Rotterdam to add it to his biological curiosities collection, rather than having the staff remove it and destroy or dispose of it. The request was greeted with enthusiastic gratitude from two staff members at the Roman Museum, but a third staff member who happened to come across the scene with a ladder when the first two climbed the ladder to remove the previously unnoticed nest from the sculpture's mouth, and warned that no twig or pebble should ever leave his museum.

Photos of the nest in question can be seen in the May 8th feedback.

In early June, the UCL professor quietly revisited the National Museum of Rome and shortly thereafter sent out a “it's still there” report to Feedback.

Feedback: We are more than happy to receive reports from future visitors to Michelangelo's Cloister observing whether the empty nest (one might call it an “amuse-bouche”) is still nestled in the statue's mouth.

Not Your Way

Reader Ashok Khushalani contributes to Feedback's collection of inspiring and admirable organizational slogans that have been replaced, supplanted, or clearly abandoned, though not always obvious to the general public (May 18). Classic examples include IBM's “THINK” and Google's “Don't be evil.”

Khushalani laments the disappearance of Burger King's slogan, “Make it your way,” from everyday life, and he suggests that its absence has meaning.

If you know of a hot slogan that was highly promoted and is now in storage, please don’t say it with any ill intent and keep it to yourself.

Instead, please send it along with the documentation as feedback to “Mourning dead slogans”.

A weak theory

North Americans' fascination with rod-shaped objects and the human habit of proposing and then rejecting theories are two factors that have led to theDoes size matter? Penis dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America” “.

Reader Matthew Hall sent a copy to Feedback.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally examine the association between penis size and individual gun ownership in the United States,” Terence D. Hill and colleagues from Texas and Florida wrote. “Our findings do not support the psychosexual theory of gun ownership.”

The same team will be joined by two other researchers in 2021.Sexual Dysfunction and Gun Ownership in the United States: When hard data meets unfounded theory”.

They poured cold water on the often heated public debate, saying: “Our key finding is that [sexual dysfunction] They are no more likely to own a gun than men without SD.”

BustaOr so they apparently said in their previous paper, but that didn't stop them from continuing to write about it. Busta”Ultimately, these arguments are counterproductive to society because they distract us from tangible realities like penis dissatisfaction and gun ownership.”

Smell

The June 12 article about a famous pathologist's inability to smell led reader John Adams to reflect on his own journey as a medical professional.

“As for Sir Bernard Spilsbury's anosmia, I was told as a medical student that this was common because pathologists are exposed to large amounts of formaldehyde fumes which destroy the olfactory nerves. One of the reasons I avoided this specialty is because I want my patients to have answers.”

Feedback suggests that a similar (but milder) preference for conversation leads people to choose dentistry.

Telltale Title

Ideally, the title of a scientific report clearly summarizes its entire content. To encourage this habit, Feedback has compiled a collection called “The Title Tells You Everything You Need to Know.”

Let's look at two examples.The man's fractured sternum was likely caused by the weight of the snake during the fall.” appears British Medical Journal 1997.Experimental replication reveals knife made from frozen human feces doesn't work” was decorated Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports 2019.

If you find similarly impressive examples, please submit them as feedback to “Telltale titles,” along with details of the citation.

Marc Abrahams is the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founder of the journal Annals of Improbable Research. He previously worked on unusual uses of computers. His website is Impossible

Do you have a story for feedback?

You can submit articles for Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week's and past Feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

NILS discovers negative ions present on the moon’s surface

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of Negative Ion Laser Spectroscopy (NILS) Chinese Chang'e 6 Probe Negative ions have been detected on the surface of the moon. These ions are produced on the surface of the moon due to interactions with the solar wind.

The South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon is one of the largest and oldest impact features in the Solar System. It's easy to see in the elevation data: the low central area is dark blue and purple. The mountains on its edges, remnants of the outer ring, are red and yellow. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/University of Arizona.

The solar wind is a constant stream of radiation and particles emanating from the Sun. The Earth's magnetic field acts as a shield.

In contrast, the Moon has no magnetic field and a very thin atmosphere called the exosphere.

When the solar wind hits the Moon, it reacts with the surface, sending up secondary particles.

These particles may be positively or negatively charged, or may not be charged at all.

Positively charged particles have been measured from orbit before, but measuring negatively charged particles has been difficult.

Negative ions are short-lived and cannot reach orbit, which is why ESA scientists had to operate their instruments closer to the lunar surface.

“This is ESA's first operation on the lunar surface, a world first for science and our first lunar collaboration with China,” said Neil Melville, ESA's technical lead for the NILS experiment.

“We collected data in quantity and quality far beyond our expectations.”

“These observations on the Moon will help us to better understand the surface environment and serve as a precursor to exploring the distribution of negative ions on other atmosphere-less bodies in the Solar System, from planets to asteroids and other moons,” said NILS principal investigator Dr Martin Wieser.

Chang'e-6 is scheduled to successfully land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on June 1, 2024.

NILS began collecting science data 280 minutes after landing. The first data collection period lasted 23 minutes, after which the instruments experienced a voltage drop. Several further data collection periods followed, during which communications were interrupted and restarted.

“The equipment was getting hot, so it was alternating between short periods of running at full power and longer periods of cooling down,” Melville said.

“The fact that we managed to stay within the thermal design limits and achieve a successful recovery in extremely hot conditions is testament to the quality of the research at the Swedish Institute of Astrophysics.”

Source: www.sci.news

Humans were already present in Northern Europe 45,000 years ago

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Early European humans may have hunted mammoths in frozen landscapes

Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

When modern humans first began to settle in Europe, they headed straight to the cold north. Challenging excavations in Germany have revealed that our species was in the region at least 45,000 years ago, confirming earlier claims that our ancestors were in Britain shortly thereafter.

“They came into a very hostile environment,” he says
Jean-Jacques Hublin
At the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. “It felt like northern Finland.” [today]”

Modern people(homo sapiens) were the most recent humans to permanently settle in Europe about 45,000 years ago. Previously, this continent was dominated for hundreds of thousands of years by Neanderthals, who disappeared from the fossil record about 40,000 years ago.Modern humans and Neanderthals may have overlapped in France and Spain
Between 1400 and 2900.

“All the ancient humans, homo sapiens“This phenomenon occurred across Eurasia between 50,000 and 40,000 years ago,” Hublin said. This was a critical time, as multiple human species coexisted for millions of years, but only one survives today.

“This is the beginning of species invading every habitable crevice on Earth,” Hublin said. “I know it happened…but I don't know why or how it happened.”

of
transitional period
is a mystery. There are several types of stone structures from the period that may have been made by Neanderthals or modern humans. One is found at several archaeological sites in northern Europe.
Rincombians, Lanissians, Gerzmanovicians (LRJ) – Features a long leaf-shaped tip that may have been attached to a spear. These have never been found in association with confidently identified hominin bones. “I had no idea who made it,” Hublin said.

To find out, Hublin and his colleagues visited several locations where LRJ artifacts were obtained. Unfortunately, earlier archaeologists destroyed the ruins with shoddy excavation methods. The only exception was a cave called Ilsenhöhle near Ranis, Germany. Having collapsed several thousand years ago, initial excavations in the 1930s were difficult and some of the ruins were left in place. Havlin's team re-excavated and dug deep shafts into the relevant sediment layers.

So-called LRJ stone tools discovered in Germany's Ilsenhöhle Cave

Josephine Schubert, Burg Lanis Museum, (CC-BY-ND 4.0)

The excavation was said to have been “extremely difficult”.
Marie Solessi from Leiden University in the Netherlands was not involved in the study.

Havlin's team found many bone fragments buried in the sediment. They also reexamined similar fragments from the original excavations. Analysis of bone collagen proteins revealed that 13 species belong to the hominin family. To identify them more precisely, the research team extracted mitochondrial DNA, which humans inherit only from their mothers, from her 11 fragments. “they are homo sapiens” says Hublin.

The technology used was “first-class,” Solessi said. She also wants to see nuclear DNA. This is because these individuals may be hybrids with their Neanderthal fathers. Because it's not shown in mitochondrial DNA. However, she says this is “very unlikely”.

timing of homo sapiens The occupation of Ilsenhöhle is consistent with existing evidence. Havlin's team previously showed that modern humans lived in the Bacho Kilo cave in Bulgaria about 45,000 years ago. However, Ilsenhöhle is further north.

In the second study, Hublin's colleagues used chemical evidence obtained from preserved horse teeth to determine whether this region of Germany existed at the time, specifically between 45,000 and 43,000 years ago. It showed that the climate was cold. Again, this is consistent with previous evidence. In 2014, Hublin's team showed that modern humans lived in a cold steppe-like environment in Willendorf, Austria, north of the Alps.
43,500 years ago.

A third study examined animal bones collected at Ilsenhelle and revealed that the cave was primarily inhabited by cave bears and hyenas. This means that modern humans only existed intermittently.

This indicates “rapid occupation by a small group of 'pioneers',” Solessi said.

Similar claims have been made for France's Mandolin Cave, which may have been briefly inhabited by modern humans 54,000 years ago, before Neanderthals reclaimed the site.

Since the Ilsenhöhle LRJ tool is associated with modern humans, it is reasonable to assume that other LRJ artifacts were also created by modern humans. homo sapienssays Hublin. This means that modern humans arrived in Britain at an early date. A partial jawbone found in Kents Cave in Devon, England, has been tentatively identified and dated to a modern human.
Approximately 43,000 years ago – and was discovered along with the LRJ artifact.

topic:

  • archeology/
  • ancient humans

Source: www.newscientist.com

New Hope for Diabetes Treatment: Repurposed Medicines Present Promising Results

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A recent study led by Indiana University and the University of Chicago Medicine suggests that a drug called alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) could revolutionize the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Based on a decade of research, DFMO has demonstrated the potential to reduce insulin dependence, and larger clinical trials are currently underway to evaluate DFMO’s impact on beta cell preservation and disease amelioration. Tested.

A recent study led by Indiana University School of Medicine in collaboration with the University of Chicago School of Medicine shows exciting future possibilities for the management of type 1 diabetes and its potential reduction. insulin dependence. The researchers’ findings are cell report medicine, They suggest that repurposing the drug alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) could open the door to innovative treatments in the future.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, resulting in high blood sugar levels and currently requires lifelong insulin treatment to keep patients alive. Is required. Many people living with type 1 diabetes find current treatments, such as daily insulin injections and frequent blood sugar monitoring, inconvenient and difficult to manage.

A 10-year research journey

These latest translation results represent more than a decade of research. Raghu Mirmila, M.D., Ph.D., co-corresponding author of the study, said in 2010 that while running his lab at IU School of Medicine, his team was able to develop beta It was discovered for the first time that cells can be protected from infection. Environmental factors suggest that type 1 diabetes may be preserved. The team then validated these findings in mice.

From 2015 to 2019, Linda DiMeglio, MD, MPH, Edwin Letzter Professor of Pediatrics at IU School of Medicine, Pediatric Endocrinologist and Division Director at Riley Children’s Health, provided guidance to people with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. He led a clinical trial to confirm the safety of DFMO. They also suggested that it may stabilize insulin levels by protecting beta cells. The trial was funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and used the drug provided by Panvera Therapeutics.

Dr. Emily K. Sims. Credit: Chapital Photography, provided by Emily K. Sims

“After several years of bench-to-bedside research, Drs. [Sarah] “We are pleased to finally share the promising results from the Tercy mouse model, a pilot study in humans,” said DiMeglio, senior author of the study. “Having established the preliminary safety of DFMO in patients with type 1 diabetes, we are excited to collaborate to further explore its potential benefits in a larger clinical trial.”

Regulatory benefits of DFMO and new formulations

Since 1990, DFMO has been approved by the FDA as a high-dose injectable to treat African sleeping sickness, and in 2020 received breakthrough therapy designation as a post-remission neuroblastoma maintenance therapy. Ta. This prior regulatory approval could streamline adoption as a treatment for type 1 diabetes and shorten the approval process from decades to just a few years.

“Using the new formulation of DFMO as a pill allows patients to take it by mouth rather than needing regular injections, and it has a very favorable side effect profile,” said Dr. said one Milmira. Chicago Medicine. “We are very happy to be able to say that we have developed a drug that works differently than other treatments for this disease.”

Current and future clinical research

Researchers have already begun the next steps to investigate the potential of DFMO. The study’s lead author and co-corresponding author, Emily K. Sims, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and pediatric endocrinologist at Riley Children’s Health, recently studied the effects of infectious diseases in more detail. To define it, we have begun a large-scale clinical study involving six institutions. His DFMO treatment to preserve beta cell function in type 1 diabetes. This new research was also funded by JDRF and supported by Panbela Therapeutics.

Sims, who is also a physician and scientist at the IU School of Medicine’s Herman B. Wells Pediatric Research Center and Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, hopes that DFMO, perhaps as part of a combination therapy, will not only help patients; There is. People who have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes but are at risk of developing the condition may also be tested.

“As we embark on this new multicenter clinical trial to further investigate the efficacy of DFMO, we are confident that the encouraging results obtained to date will allow us to modify the underlying disease process of type 1 diabetes. ”Sims said. “We invite even more participants to this pioneering study. With their help, the knowledge we gain today has the potential to shape a brighter future for people affected by type 1 diabetes. Masu.”

Reference: “Inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis preserves beta cell function in type 1 diabetes” Emily K. Sims, Abhishek Kulkarni, Audrey Hull, Stephanie E. Werner, Suzanne Cabrera, Lucy D. Mastrandrea, Batur Hammoud, Soumyadeep Sarkar, Ernesto S. Nakayas, Teresa L. Mastracci, Susan M. Perkins, Ouyang Fangqian, Bobbie Jo Webb Robertson, Jacob R. Enriquez, Sarah A. Turcy, Carmela Evans. · Molina, S. Alice Long, Lori Blanchfield, Eugene W. Garner, Raghavendra G. Mirmila and Linda A. Dimeglio, November 1, 2023; cell report medicine.
DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101261

People who want to know more about New clinical trials can be accessed on the research website.

Source: scitechdaily.com