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12,745 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science
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- Guardian Unlimited Science
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- Articles published by Guardian Unlimited Science
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- February 10, 2012 (18:53)
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- September 13, 2007 (14:53)
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TUESDAY 7. FEBRUARY, 2012
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01:01
How dementia drugs could be used by the military
Army leaders in various countries have trialled compounds that can keep soldiers awake and alert – or send them to sleep
Drugs that reduce anxiety, tiredness and memory loss – all associated with the treatment of dementia – could be used "off-label" as cognitive enhancers by military personnel, according to a Royal Society report.
While caffeine and nicotine are used routinely to reduce fatigue and improve attention, British armed forces prohibit other stimulants in training or on operations. The US air force still allows amphetamines in some cases, such as where single or two-seater aircraft are involved.
The military in several countries have tested modafinil, a drug licensed to treat sleepiness in narcoleptics, and found it effective at maintaining performance in the sleep-deprived. Other drugs might help personnel learn faster by improving their attention and working memory, the report states.
More controversial are those drugs that could be used against opponents. The report highlights a natural compound called oxytocin that is released during childbirth, lactation and orgasm, and is involved in trust and bonding. Drugs based on oxytocin might potentially make adversaries more trusting and willing to give up information, though the report is cautious not to overstate the effects.
The report goes on to raise the prospect of drugs that could knock adversaries out. In 2002, Russian special forces used an anaesthetic, thought to be fentanyl, to subdue tens of attackers who held more than 800 people hostage in a Moscow theatre. The drug killed more than 100 in the building, highlighting the dangers of the approach.
The difficulty in making an effective knock-out drug will be hard to overcome, the report states, becauseany drug that reliably incapacitates is likely to kill in higher concentrations.
The report calls on the UK government to clarify its interpretation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans chemical weapons, including drugs that cause temporary incapacitation, but has an exemption that allows the use of toxic chemicals for domestic law enforcement.
The authors say the coalition has recently shifted its interpretation of the convention, suggesting that incapacitating chemicals are permitted for law enforcement.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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01:01
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MONDAY 6. FEBRUARY, 2012
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21:30
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21:00
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21:00
The mating call of an extinct bush-cricket has been reconstructed, using the microscopic wing features of a fossil
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19:30
Sampling the waters of Lake Vostok could reveal clues about evolution and reveal unknown forms of life
Russian scientists have drilled into an Antarctic lake that has been sealed off from the rest of the world for about 15 million years. Sampling the waters of Lake Vostok could reveal clues about the evolution of life on Earth and may yield entirely unknown forms of life.
According to the Russian newswire RIA Novosti, scientists from Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St Petersburg drilled through the 3,768 metres of ice above Lake Vostok to reach the surface of the lake on Sunday.
Lake Vostok is the largest of hundreds of lakes that sit under the thick layer of ice on the Antarctic continent. Russian scientists had been planning to drill through the ice to the lake for several decades, but the scheme was only recently approved by the relevant international bodies. Their drilling started in the first few days of this year.
In recent decades, scientists have found bacteria and other single-celled organisms that have evolved to live in conditions in which other life forms would struggle to survive, such as darkness or extreme temperatures or salinity. The scientists believe that Lake Vostok might be a haven for so-called "extremophiles". They want to take samples of the water to examine any such creatures, which will have lived in frigid waters for millions of years and followed a distinct evolutionary path to that of the rest of life on Earth.
Even though the Russian team has made it through the ice this week, it will not be able to take samples of the Vostock water until later in the year, when the Antarctic winter is over.
British scientists are also engaged in a project to drill to a sub-glacial lake on Antarctica. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey will use a hot-water drill to cut through the ice cap to Lake Ellsworth, on the western Antarctic ice sheet, later this year. The team installed its equipment in November last year and will begin drilling in the weeks before Christmas.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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17:30
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17:30
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15:05
This week, we're focusing on some pivotal stories from the history of science and medicine.
First up are human-to-human transplants and intensive care medicine. These are among the greatest successes of post-war medicine, but they also raise some of the most profound ethical questions. Ahead of a discussion at the Royal Institution in London, Kevin Fong, an anaesthetist and physiology lecturer at University College London, and medical historian Richard Barnett came into the studio to discuss how these important medical interventions started and, crucially, where they are heading.
"From iron lungs to intensive care" will be held at the Royal Institution on 28 February.
The Observer's science editor, Robin McKie, was on hand to delve into the secrets of the Piltdown Hoax of 1912. The discovery that the Piltdown Man remains were not all they seemed rocked the scientific establishment of the time, and now a new generation of researchers wants to find out the truth. Who was behind the hoax?
And finally … with Nature and Science voluntarily suspending their publication of studies into bird flu, we ask: should scientific research ever be censored?
Subscribe for free via iTunes to ensure every episode gets delivered. (Here is the non-iTunes URL feed).
Follow the podcast on our Science Weekly Twitter feed and receive updates on all breaking science news stories from Guardian Science.
Email scienceweeklypodcast@gmail.com.
Guardian Science is now on Facebook. You can also join our Science Weekly Facebook group.
We're always here when you need us. Listen back through our archive.
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13:36
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12:35
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12:02
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11:18
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10:00
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09:00
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01:01
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SUNDAY 5. FEBRUARY, 2012
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19:03
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18:30
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17:30
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13:00
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01:05
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01:05
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01:04
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SATURDAY 4. FEBRUARY, 2012
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19:30
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10:00
Just in time for our Caturday morning video smile, an astronomy video about cats
Here's an astronomy video about cats, just in time for our Caturday morning video smile! This video is a chat with (a man whose name will delight birdwatchers everywhere) Brant Widgeon, who is an Astronomical Image Enhancement Engineer. He's the guy who takes x-ray images of galaxies and other celestial formations and colour enhances them so they are transformed into gorgeous screensavers for your computers. I know this will shock you, but Mr Widgeon's job is actually quite challenging.
As you will see in this video, one of the most technically challenging parts of Mr Widgeon's job is dealing with ... you got it ... space cats:
Visit AndyFreeberg's YouTube channel [video link].
"Hello? I trust you and I love you."
NOTE: the silly cat/pet/animal videos shared here on Saturday (Caturday) mornings are intended to amuse. This feature is intended to help hard-working and stressed-out people shed their professional façade so they can be better friends, companions, parents, family members and drinking pals to those in their personal lives. Any relationship between these videos and science or any scientific principle is sweet when I manage to present a solid connection to you, but is random, mostly unintended and usually coincidental.
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email: grrlscientist@gmail.comguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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