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IVF has best chance of success in spring
Arctic storm slump CLIMATE change is expected to bring more extreme weather, but at least one region may benefit from fewer storms: the Arctic. Polar lows, also known as Arctic
“By the end of this century, the number of polar lows could have fallen to half the current level”
Mona Lisa Productions, www.monalisa-prod.com
For daily news stories, visit www.NewScientist.com/news
Mark P. Cotter
hurricanes, are weaker than Atlantic hurricanes but are still a hazard for ships and oil platforms. Dozens occur each winter, when the temperature difference between the cold air and warmer sea stirs up convection currents Ritual evolution in the lower atmosphere. EACH year, members of the Zoque Matthias Zahn, now at the people of southern Mexico gather University of Reading, UK, and in the Cueva del Azufre – a dark, Hans von Storch of the GKSS sulphurous cave, home to the cave Research Centre in Geesthacht, Germany, used a computer model molly fish. They bring with them the mashed root of the Barbasco to look at what would happen to plant, a powerful anaesthetic they the frequency of these storms as greenhouse gases rise. They found use to stun the fish as part of a that by the end of this century, the ritual to ask their gods for rain. Now it turns out that this average number of polar lows will fall to around half the current level centuries-old religious ritual has given evolution a helping hand. (Nature, vol 467, p 309). This is Mark Tobler of Texas A&M because the atmosphere will warm faster than the sea, so the “The fish have adapted to temperature difference will fall and convection currents dwindle. the rain ceremony ritual There is a catch. The model only and are able to resist the anaesthetic for longer” looked at storm frequency, not severity – which could increase. University and his colleagues had If so, fewer but stronger storms could cause more damage overall. been studying the cave molly for many years, when they became interested in how the toxin might be affecting the fish. They collected fish from water where the Barbasco toxin was added every year, and others from water upstream, then mimicked the ritual by adding Barbasco paste to both tanks. They were surprised to find differences between the two populations. Fish from the sulphur cave resisted the anaesthetic for longer, suggesting that over time, evolution has selected for fish that can cope –Sore skin– with the toxin (Biology Letters,
60 Seconds
Oldie memory lapses
“Quote to go in here over four lines range left like this Quote to go in her like this xxxxx”
The more mature among us may no longer be able to blame forgetfulness simply on old age. According to a study of 350 people given annual memory tests and whose brains were examined after death, the same brain lesions that are associated with dementia are responsible for mild memory loss as we age (Neurology, vol 75, p 1070).
Altered obesity
–Please make it rain–
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0663). “The study indicates that the fish have adapted to the local Zoque traditions,” says Tobler, who describes the effect as “an intimate bond between nature and local culture”. It is yet more evidence showing how human activities can affect the evolutionary trajectory of species, he says.
Spring for babies PLANTS burst into life in spring and that might be true for people, too. So says a study on seasonal success rates of IVF, presented at the World Congress on Fertility and Sterility in Munich, Germany, this week. A team led by Daniela Braga of the Assisted Fertilisation Centre in São Paulo, Brazil, measured hormone levels in 1932 women undergoing IVF treatment. They found that levels of oestradiol – which is vital for reproduction – were significantly higher in the spring, and correlated with a 45 per cent higher fertilisation rate during this season. Another survey presented at the conference, by the International Federation of Fertility Societies, highlighted the lack of consistent global safety standards for IVF. Ian Cooke of the IFFS, who co-authored the survey, is now developing an international code of practice.
Thirteen genes altered chemically through a process called methylation have been linked with increased body weight. Screening for the altered genes could help spot people at risk from obesity before they put on weight, say researchers (Science Translational Medicine, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001262).
Chinese sub dives deep A crewed Chinese submersible named after a mythical dragon has dived 3759 metres to the bottom of the South China Sea, making China one of only five nations that can dive that deep. Its designers now plan to take the submersible, Jiaolong, to 7000 metres – 500 metres deeper than Japan’s Shinkai sub managed.
Alien opera invite It ain’t over till the fat Klingon sings. The world’s first opera in the invented language of Star Trek’s Klingons has been performed in the Netherlands. Organisers used the CAMRAS radio telescope in the Dutch town of Dwingeloo to beam an invitation to the star Arcturus, the supposed location of the Klingon home world.
Synthetic life supported Two-thirds of Americans support the emerging field of synthetic biology and its potential to combat disease and global warming. However, the survey, by Hart Research Associates and the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC, shows that another third would like a ban until it is better understood.
18 September 2010 | NewScientist | 7
“By the end of this century, the number of polar lows could have fallen to half the current level”
Mona Lisa Productions, www.monalisa-prod.com
For daily news stories, visit www.NewScientist.com/news
Mark P. Cotter
hurricanes, are weaker than Atlantic hurricanes but are still a hazard for ships and oil platforms. Dozens occur each winter, when the temperature difference between the cold air and warmer sea stirs up convection currents Ritual evolution in the lower atmosphere. EACH year, members of the Zoque Matthias Zahn, now at the people of southern Mexico gather University of Reading, UK, and in the Cueva del Azufre – a dark, Hans von Storch of the GKSS sulphurous cave, home to the cave Research Centre in Geesthacht, Germany, used a computer model molly fish. They bring with them the mashed root of the Barbasco to look at what would happen to plant, a powerful anaesthetic they the frequency of these storms as greenhouse gases rise. They found use to stun the fish as part of a that by the end of this century, the ritual to ask their gods for rain. Now it turns out that this average number of polar lows will fall to around half the current level centuries-old religious ritual has given evolution a helping hand. (Nature, vol 467, p 309). This is Mark Tobler of Texas A&M because the atmosphere will warm faster than the sea, so the “The fish have adapted to temperature difference will fall and convection currents dwindle. the rain ceremony ritual There is a catch. The model only and are able to resist the anaesthetic for longer” looked at storm frequency, not severity – which could increase. University and his colleagues had If so, fewer but stronger storms could cause more damage overall. been studying the cave molly for many years, when they became interested in how the toxin might be affecting the fish. They collected fish from water where the Barbasco toxin was added every year, and others from water upstream, then mimicked the ritual by adding Barbasco paste to both tanks. They were surprised to find differences between the two populations. Fish from the sulphur cave resisted the anaesthetic for longer, suggesting that over time, evolution has selected for fish that can cope –Sore skin– with the toxin (Biology Letters,
60 Seconds
Oldie memory lapses
“Quote to go in here over four lines range left like this Quote to go in her like this xxxxx”
The more mature among us may no longer be able to blame forgetfulness simply on old age. According to a study of 350 people given annual memory tests and whose brains were examined after death, the same brain lesions that are associated with dementia are responsible for mild memory loss as we age (Neurology, vol 75, p 1070).
Altered obesity
–Please make it rain–
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0663). “The study indicates that the fish have adapted to the local Zoque traditions,” says Tobler, who describes the effect as “an intimate bond between nature and local culture”. It is yet more evidence showing how human activities can affect the evolutionary trajectory of species, he says.
Spring for babies PLANTS burst into life in spring and that might be true for people, too. So says a study on seasonal success rates of IVF, presented at the World Congress on Fertility and Sterility in Munich, Germany, this week. A team led by Daniela Braga of the Assisted Fertilisation Centre in São Paulo, Brazil, measured hormone levels in 1932 women undergoing IVF treatment. They found that levels of oestradiol – which is vital for reproduction – were significantly higher in the spring, and correlated with a 45 per cent higher fertilisation rate during this season. Another survey presented at the conference, by the International Federation of Fertility Societies, highlighted the lack of consistent global safety standards for IVF. Ian Cooke of the IFFS, who co-authored the survey, is now developing an international code of practice.
Thirteen genes altered chemically through a process called methylation have been linked with increased body weight. Screening for the altered genes could help spot people at risk from obesity before they put on weight, say researchers (Science Translational Medicine, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001262).
Chinese sub dives deep A crewed Chinese submersible named after a mythical dragon has dived 3759 metres to the bottom of the South China Sea, making China one of only five nations that can dive that deep. Its designers now plan to take the submersible, Jiaolong, to 7000 metres – 500 metres deeper than Japan’s Shinkai sub managed.
Alien opera invite It ain’t over till the fat Klingon sings. The world’s first opera in the invented language of Star Trek’s Klingons has been performed in the Netherlands. Organisers used the CAMRAS radio telescope in the Dutch town of Dwingeloo to beam an invitation to the star Arcturus, the supposed location of the Klingon home world.
Synthetic life supported Two-thirds of Americans support the emerging field of synthetic biology and its potential to combat disease and global warming. However, the survey, by Hart Research Associates and the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC, shows that another third would like a ban until it is better understood.
18 September 2010 | NewScientist | 7