This week’s biggest stories
I know, it’s still November, but psychologists have managed to get in early with some seasonal gloom (well, the news on melting Arctic ice isn’t great, but since it’s been decided that’s “politicised science”, it’s not important, right?). Apparently, belief in Santa Claus spells potential trouble for parent-child relationships. Me, I’m more concerned that the Man in Red’s well-documented long-term obesity has had an impact on his microbiome, which according to researchers could contribute to a cycle of yo-yo weight loss. Still, it’s possible that as an unageing supernatural being Santa is ahead of the scientific curve - this week researchers have announced that they are going to launch a human trial of a process that “resets” abnormal levels of proteins seen in older blood. It’s hoped that this will slow down the ageing process and prevent age-related diseases. This would be welcome progress, given the disappointment this week as potential Alzheimer’s drug solanezumab failed to deliver in the final stage of clinical trials. I’m not going to leave you on a sad note - let’s go bittersweet first: ESA scientists have trawled through the Schiaparelli data and think they know what went wrong with the Mars lander. And to make you actually smile and go “wow!”, here’s an amazing new resource that shows the first eight weeks of human embryonic development, plus a cool canine memory study. And if you’re scared of dogs, here’s some good news on the phobia front too. All better now?
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Straight from the lab – top picks from our experts on the blog network
Snakes versus dragons: how we filmed this sequence for Planet Earth II | Animal magic
The iguanas’ small size and turn of pace made their flight from the racers very challenging to film. Often they would explode into a sprint pursued by a mass of snakes and we would lose the action behind a lump of lava or other obstacle.
Unlocking the genetic code of an ancient survivor | Lost Worlds Revisited
The genome of Ginkgo biloba is huge. At more than 10 gigabases (the number of nucleotide base pairs, or DNA letters), it is 80 times larger than the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, the flowering plant which is the standard model organism of plant biology. It is also bigger than the notoriously large maize genome, although only half the size of the enormous genome of the Norway Spruce, Picea abies.
Crappy water and the science of sanitation | Notes & Theories
Just five cases of severe diarrhoea in the first two years of a child’s life can result in stunting – short height for age – which is a measure for overall health. Stunting is largely irreversible after the age of two, and results in reduced lifelong immune capacity, retarded cognitive and emotional development, and poor physical health.
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Alex Bellos’s Monday puzzle
It’s not that we’re cake-obsessed here on science or anything (ok, maybe just a bit) but cutting cake correctly is important. This week, Alex’s puzzle was focused on this key skill.
Visit Alex Bellos’s Adventures in Numberland blog for more marvellous maths
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Science Weekly podcast
You know what’s great with perfectly-sliced cake? Dark matter, that’s what. This week’s podcast is perfect tea-time listening, so settle down with your cake, a cup of tea and ponder this week’s Big Unknown.
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Eye on science – this week’s top pictures
Tim Peake has published a book, Hello, is this planet Earth? Based on over 150 photographs taken by the British astronaut, the book documents his six months on the International Space Station - this stunning gallery is just a small selection of the images included.
