Now is the time to look for the sight of hares boxing – when a Jack hare starts chasing a Jill hare it is a sure sign of spring. The hares may seem brazen in their conspicuousness, but if a stray greyhound were to take advantage of their amorous distractions the hares would stand a very good chance of getting away. This security comes from the fact that hares have better muscles for jumping and turning than greyhounds. Sarah Williams, a research student in the Structure and Motion laboratory at
Unlike airplanes, leaving their landing gear down makes bees fly faster. When orchid bees extend their hind-legs they pitch forward to achieve maximal speed, and the legs produce lift forces to either side that help prevent the bee from rolling. “The hind-legs resemble airplane wings, which probably explains why they also generate lift”, says Dr Stacey Combes from the University of California, Berkeley who will present her research on Tuesday 4th April at the Society for Experimental Biology’s A
A horse’s saddle and the weight of its rider can directly affect equine performance, causing spinal abnormalities in racehorses and showjumpers. On Tuesday 4th April, at the Society for Experimental Biology’s Main Annual Meeting in Canterbury [session A7], Patricia de Cocq will present novel data showing that when a horse bears the weight of a rider it adjusts the position of its back and alters its limb movements, which makes it prone to back-pain. “The goal of this study is to advise horse tr
“The further birds migrate north for the summer, the faster they put on weight”, says Dr Williams (Simon Fraser University, Canada) who has been tracking migrating birds for several years. “This research may have implications for the designation of protected areas which will ensure birds can complete their spring and autumn migrations.” Dr Williams will present his research on Tuesday 4th April at the Society for Experimental Biology’s Annual Main Meeting in Canterbury [session A4].
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Studies of Jupiter’s auroras by scientists from the University of Leicester have challenged current theories about the processes controlling the biggest light-shows in the Solar System.
The scientists compared a series of ultraviolet images of Jupiter’s auroras taken by the Hubble Space Telescope with simultaneous measurements taken by Cassini showing conditions in the solar wind as the spacecraft flew past the giant planet in December 2000 – January 2001. They found that the
Astronomers based at Jodrell Bank Observatory have discovered a giant bridge of methyl alcohol, spanning approximately 288 billion miles, wrapped around a stellar nursery. The gas cloud could help our understanding of how the most massive stars in our galaxy are formed.
The new observations were taken with the UK’s MERLIN radio telescopes, which have recently been upgraded. The team studied an area called W3(OH), a region in our galaxy where stars are being formed by the gravitat
Over the weekend of 9-10 July 2005 a team of UK and US scientists, led by Dr. Dick Willingale of the University of Leicester, used NASA’s Swift satellite to observe the collision of NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft with comet Tempel 1.
Reporting today (Tuesday) at the UK 2006 National Astronomy Meeting in Leicester, Dr. Willingale revealed that the Swift observations show that the comet grew brighter and brighter in X-ray light after the impact, with the X-ray outburst lasting a total o
Researchers identify genetic variants that lend clues to living longer
Many studies show that tweaking a single gene can extend life span in animal models. In a new study published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Drs. Gil Atzmon and Nir Barzilai at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that people harbor alleles—alternative forms of a gene—that confer the same sort of longevity advantage.
The researchers looked for genetic clue
Small birth size has been shown to have adverse effects on the offspring in later life, including increased risks of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions. Now work presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow shows that women with a high testosterone level in pregnancy will produce smaller babies.
A group led by Dr Sven M. Carlsen at the University of Trondheim measured levels of four endogenous hormones at 17 and 33 weeks in 147 pr
Optical scientists have developed eyeglass lenses that switch focus in a blink of an eye. Optical scientists at The University of Arizona have developed new switchable, flat, liquid crystal diffractive lenses that can adaptively change their focusing power. That’s great news for those old enough to wear bifocals. And it’s great news for anyone with imperfect vision, for it opens the way for next-generation “smart” eyeglasses — glasses with built-in automatic focus.
The rings around all the giant planets in our Solar System are thought to be stabilised by small ‘shepherd moons’ that orbit in or near the rings and stabilize them by gravitational influences.
The narrow F ring of Saturn – which lies just outside the spectacular main rings – is tended by two small shepherds. Prometheus (100 km in diameter) orbits just inside the F ring, while Pandora (85 km in diameter) moves around Saturn just outside the F ring.
Images from Saturn
The invention offers a computerized calculation method, which facilitates an efficient and precise calculation of all relevant limitations and parameters…
Extensive research into the very core of the so-called “lifestyle” disease diabetes mellitus type 2 has enabled the identification of three target proteins and…
The 2-gene expression profile of HOXB13 and IL17BR in a woman’s breast cancer predicts risk of recurrence in node-negative patients treated with tamoxifen
Mayo Clinic researchers report that the expression of two novel genes within the tumors of women with early stage breast cancer may allow identification of women who are and are not at risk for early relapse or cancer-related death. Results of the study are published in the April 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Economic assessment of ecological services reveals reliance on nature’s bounty
Although the economic importance of insects in providing honey and silk is well known, many other valuable services provided by insects are commonly overlooked. In the April 2006 issue of BioScience, the monthly journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, John E. Losey of Cornell University and Mace Vaughan of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation estimate the value (as i
Whether a tiny yellow pigment is the main thing standing between many older people and macular degeneration is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.
Researchers are measuring this macular pigment that sits on the retina at the fovea, the point of highest vision acuity and best color vision, to better understand what a healthy, normal pigment looks like, says Dr. John Nolan, vision scientist and Fulbright postdoctoral fellow in the MCG Department of Ophthalmology.
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