The pick of the science news
Can worms help determine your age?
New proof that there is truth in the maxim you are as old as you feel comes from research published this morning in Aging Cell that shows how to compare your chronological age against your apparent physiological age. Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research in California studied nematode worms, looking for biochemical signs that can be used to measure changes in how genes work. This data was in turn crunched by computers to create a measure of how spry a given worm was. These provided a measure of apparent youthfulness that could be compared to the worm's true chronological age. The researchers will now see whether these same biomarkers can be detected in humans.
Smokers' hope
Eating raw brocolli and other brassicas can reduce the risk of lung cancer in smokers and ex-smokers, new research has found
Smokers who can't manage to kick the habit can still reduce their risk of getting lung cancer by eating their greens. Broccoli and other brassicas also seem to lower cancer risks in former smokers, according to research published yesterday at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual conference on cancer prevention. Many studies suggest that eating cabbage, sprouts and cauliflower show a health benefit, but this was the first study specifically looking at smokers.
Eating brassicas reduced risk by 20-55 per cent, according to the study, but the benefit was only seen if the vegetables were eaten raw.
Broccoli is not a drug, "but for smokers who believe they cannot quit nor do anything about their risk, this is something positive", stated Li Tang, postdoctoral fellow at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York state.
By numbers
1.5 million
The annual international death toll due to suicide expected by 2020 in the absence of effective counter measures, according to an editorial in the British Medical Journal.
26,000
The number of light years Earth lies from violent flares emitted by a supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way and caught for the first time by paired telescopes, the European Southern Observatory reports.
500
The average number of dangerous bacteria per cubic metre of air found floating in abattoirs and caused by meat processing, bacteria that can go on to contaminate food, according to new Teagasc research.
dahlstrom@irish-times.ie