The pick of the science news
Spaceships and space hips
A new study has revealed a higher-than-expected loss of hip-bone strength among 13 crew members aboard the International Space Station. By analysing CT scans, the study found that the astronauts lost an average of 14 per cent of their hip-bone strength over a period of four to six months in space. Three of the subjects lost between 20 and 30 per cent.
“If preventive measures are not taken, some of our astronauts may be at increased risk of age-related fractures decades after their missions,” says the leader of the study, Prof Joyce Keyak, of the University of California, Irvine.
End of the emperor’s long march?
The emperor penguin could be marching towards extinction by the end of this century, according to research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the US. Using mathematical models to predict the effect on penguins of climate change and loss of sea ice, the researchers reckon the median population size of a large emperor penguin colony in Terre Adélie, Antarctica, will shrink from 3,000 now to only 400 breeding pairs by 2100.
“Unlike some other Antarctic bird species that have altered their life cycles, penguins dont catch on so quickly,” says WHOI biologist Stephanie Jenouvrier. “They are long-lived organisms, so they adapt slowly. This is a problem because the climate is changing very fast.”
Understanding the Ebola block
The deadly Ebola virus can block a protective protein that normally stops viruses spreading.
Using cell cultures, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that Ebola could disable tetherin, a protein that stops copies of the virus moving between cells.
“Understanding how blocks the activity of tetherin may facilitate the design of therapeutics to inhibit this interaction, allowing the cell’s natural defence systems to slow down viral replication and give the animal or person a chance to mount an effective antiviral response and recover,” says study author Dr Paul Bates.
By numbers
1,101
The average number of calories in a doner kebab in the north-west of England, as revealed in a
UK study
43
The percentage increase in the likelihood of a child being hit by a car or having a near-miss if they talk on the phone while crossing the road, according to research in Alabama
Claire O'Connell
e-mail: 1000.claire@gmail.com