Truth not out there

I, Science 8 June 2006
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MAY: Four years, £100,000, 10,000 interviews and 500 pages later, the Ministry of Defence has concluded that UFOs do not exist.

The top-secret study, code-named Project Condign, was commissioned to investigate sightings of alien spacecraft. It was completed in 2000 but has only just been released under the Freedom of Information Act.

"Evidence suggests that meteors� and possibly some other less-known effects, are responsible for some unidentified aerial phenomena," concludes the report.

"No evidence exists to suggest that the phenomena seen are hostile or under any type of control, other than that of natural physical forces."

The large number of UFO sightings has also been explained: "The close proximity of plasma related fields can adversely affect a vehicle or person," states the report.

"Local fields of this type have been medically proven to cause responses in the temporal lobes of the human brain. These result in the observer sustaining (and later describing and retaining) his or her own vivid, but mainly incorrect, description of what is experienced."

Many believers will remain skeptical at the report's conclusions. "The evidence that the earth is being visited by at least one extraterrestrial civilization is extensive," claims Dr. Steven Greer, director of the Center for the Study of Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence in the USA.

Gone with the Wind

I, Science 8 June 2006
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APRIL: Venezuelan scientists appear to have created flatulence-free beans.

The research, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, utilises a new fermentation technique. Beans produced in this way were also found to be more nutritious. "The implementation of processes which allow for nutritious and non-flatulence-producing beans to be obtained would be interesting," said Marisela Granito, head of the team at the Simon Bolivar University.

Certain compounds, such as soluble fibre and raffinose, are not digested until the large intestine, where the action of specialised bacteria gives rise to wind.

But the researchers found that adding Lactobacillus casei bacteria to the fermentation process reduces the amount of these compounds. The new beans also had higher levels of insoluble fibre, thought to aid the digestive system in removing toxins.

It could be some time before the beans are commercially available. Students concerned about excessive gas in the meantime should not worry. "Despite the obvious social concerns, there is no physiological harm from the flatulence caused by eating beans," explains Dr. Frankie Phillips, a spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.

"Oi, Flipper!"

I, Science 8 June 2006
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MAY: Dolphins seem to have specific names for each other, according to new research carried out in Florida.

The discovery gives a new insight into the animals' intelligence and social interactions. "Bottlenose dolphins are the only animals other than humans to have been shown to transmit identity information independent of the caller's voices," said researcher Dr. Vincent Janik, of the University of St. Andrews.

The group of dolphins has been closely studied for more than 30 years. Researchers had previously managed to isolate the signature whistles believed to be their names. They caught the animals in nets when they came near the shore, and played synthesized recordings of these sounds underwater.

They found that the dolphins generally ignored the 'names' of unknown animals, but responded strongly to those of family and associates.

"It is a very exciting discovery because it means that these animals have evolved the same abilities as humans," added Dr. Janik. "Now we know they have labels for each other like we do."

Sexy women - bad choice

I, Science 8 June 2006
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APRIL: The damaging effects of women on hearts, cars and credit cards are well documented. But it seems that men's ability to make important decisions may also be under threat.

A new study suggests that the mere sight of a pretty lady could be enough to wreak havoc on a man's judgement. Men with high levels of testosterone appear particularly susceptible.

"We all think we are rational beings, but our research suggests ... that people with high testosterone levels are very vulnerable to sexual cues. If they see sexual images they become impulsive," said Dr. Siegfried De Witte, one of the researchers at the University of Leuven, Belgium. The paper appeared in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

176 heterosexual males were split into groups to play a game that involved making financial decisions. The groups were shown different images before playing the game.

Volunteers shown pictures of beautiful women, or asked to rate a new range of lingerie, fared poorly at the game, being more likely to accept low offers and unfair play.

Testosterone levels were also measured. Those with the highest levels performed worst on the test, suggesting that men's vulnerability to women may extend beyond their conscious control.

Conversely, it is not yet known whether the sight of attractive men can affect a woman's judgement. Rumours of a repeat study, where women must take critical decisions to match shoes with dresses and handbags, have not been confirmed.

Flu good to be true

I, Science 8 June 2006
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APRIL: A flu pandemic in the UK would peak in two or three months but be over in four, according to researchers at Imperial. The team modelled how the disease would spread, considering preventive measures such as treatment, school closures and travel restrictions.

"The modelling shows there is no single magic bullet which can control a flu pandemic, but that a combination of interventions could be highly effective� potentially saving many lives," said Professor Neil Ferguson.

School closures alone would have little impact, but could halve the number illnesses if combined with a wide antiviral drug program. Restricting travel would also have a beneficial effect.

The model, published in Nature, suggests that vaccines should be made available within two months of the start of the pandemic effectively reduce infection rates.

Pot-ential pain relief

I, Science 8 June 2006
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MAY: An extract from the cannabis plant provides effective pain relief after surgery, according to new research published in Anesthesiology.

"Pain after surgery continues to be a problem because many of the commonly used drugs are either ineffective or have too many side effects," said Dr Anita Holdcroft of Imperial, lead researcher on the team.

"These results show that cannabinoids are effective, and may lead to the development of a wider range of drugs to manage postoperative pain."

The drug, Cannador, was tested on 65 postoperative patients. As the dosage increased, pain intensity reportedly decreased. There were however some side effects, such as nausea, increased heart rate and an insatiable craving for Cheesy Wotsits.

Now you see it...

I, Science 8 June 2006
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MAY: Harry Potter's invisibility cloak may not be so far-fetched after all.

Two leading mathematicians have claimed that we may one day be able to make solid objects invisible to the naked eye. The theory relies on developing a cloaking material using superlenses, invented at Imperial College.

The team, led by Professor Graeme Milton at Utah University, calculated that when objects are placed near a superlens, the light reflecting off them could be cancelled out by light from the lens.

"Effectively, they are making a piece of space seem to disappear, at least as far as light is concerned," explained Professor Sir John Pendry of Imperial, pioneer of the superlens.

At this early stage the paper, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, refers only to cloaking specks of dust, although the authors do argue that larger objects could one day be possible. The effect only works at certain wavelengths of light however, and some objects could become just partially invisible.

Professor Pendry commented on the potential uses for the technology: "The secret is having the cloak itself be invisible and if you can do that cheaply and efficiently� it would be extremely valuable for stealth. Even if you could cloak a single frequency, it would be very useful. The military is extremely interested in this."

"We will do everything in our powers to prevent this technology from falling into muggle hands," said a spokesperson from the Ministry of Magic.