Supersoldiers

6 Jan 2011 - Ants can be programmed to become "supersoldiers", according to an international team of researchers. All ant colonies are made up of insects of different "castes", including soldiers and workers. This team worked out how to "trick" developing ant larvae to turn into a rare and unusual supersoldier caste.

The breakthrough, the researchers say, reveals that hidden traits could be unlocked in many species.
 Dr Ehab Abouheif from McGill University in Montreal led the team, which found that treating ant larvae with a hormone at a very specific time during their development turned those ants into the giant supersoldiers. The scientists managed to achieve this in two ant species that do not "naturally" have the supersoldier caste as part of their colony. Dr Abouheif and his team studied Pheidole ants - a large group of more than 1,000 related species. Of those, there are just eight that have a so-called supersoldiers, which help protect the colony by blocking the entrance from invaders using their oversized heads.
The idea of attempting to "programme" developing ants to become these giant soldiers was triggered when Dr Abouheif noticed that another common Pheidole ant species, which does not have any supersoldiers in its colony, had a few strangely big-headed colony members. "We were collecting [the ants] on Long Island, New York, and we noticed some monstrous-looking soldiers," Dr Abouheif said. The apparently mutant ants looked just like the rare supersoldier caste of related species, so the scientists set out to find out what had caused them to take that form. "We understand a lot about how these different castes are produced during development of the ant larvae," said Dr Abouheif. Supersoldiers are much larger than worker ants of the same species

When a queen lays eggs, he explained, each egg can develop into a different caste depending on the environment it is in - the temperature it develops at and the nutrition it receives. But the key to "switching" into a specific cast is controlled to a large extent by one chemical inside the eggs, which is called juvenile hormone. "So if you treat any species at the right time in development, just with a hormone, you can induce the development of the supersoldier," explained Dr Abouheif.

One Billion Apps

4 Jan. 2012 - I just bought my first-ever smartphone and started downloading Apps. Little did I know that I contributed to a new record! The BBC reports that for the first time in a single week, more than a billion apps have been downloaded, according to a study. Analytics firm Flurry said 1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the last week of December. Activity was buoyed by the facts that many users received new devices for Christmas and firms offered discounted apps over the holiday period. The US was responsible for nearly half of the downloads, followed by China and the UK. With 81 million downloads, the UK easily surpassed Canada (41 million), Germany (40 million) and France (40 million). It was beaten to second spot by China with 99 million downloads. The US was out ahead with 509 million. Flurry thinks this level of download activity will become more standard. "Looking forward to 2012, Flurry expects breaking the one billion download barrier per week will become more commonplace," the firm said. "While [Apple] iOS and [Google] Android growth continues to amaze, the market is still by all measures relatively nascent." Unsurprisingly, Christmas proved a boom time for device makers. Flurry estimated that nearly seven million Android devices and iPhones were activated on Christmas Day. Apple does not disclose such figures but Google confirmed that more than 3.7 million Android devices were activated over the Christmas weekend.

The End of the World

3 Jan 2012 - Stories like these - from the Daily Mail - freak me out. Thousands of dead herring have been discovered washed up on a north Norwegian beach - prompting Doomsday predictors to hail it as another sign the world is set to end. More than 20 tonnes of the fish is currently carpeting the beach of Kvaenes, in Nordreisa, with experts views differing on how they have to be there. One thing is for sure, it will provide welcome ammunition to those believing the Mayan prophecy that 2012 will bring the end of Earth. Jan-Petter Jorgenson, 44, was walking with his doggy Molly when he found the stinky haul. He said: 'People say that something similar happened in the 80s. Maybe the fish have been caught in a deprived oxygen environment, and then died of fresh water?' Experts have said the school could have been trapped by tidal waters after predatory fish - such as coalfish - chased them towards the shoreline.  Another theory is that the fish were washed ashore during a recent storm, or trapped in shallow waters and affected by freshwater from a river that flows into the bay. Jens Christian Holst, of the Institute of Marine Research, said several factors could have come together at once. And he said he hoped they would be able to conduct tests on the dead fish to see if they had died of a disease.  The incident in Norway is not the only mass death mystery over the New Year. On Sunday, 200 blackbirds mysteriously fell from the sky in a small Arkansas town - although officials now believe the birds were targeted by someone with fireworks, experts say. Last month 25 dead horses were discovered at the bottom of a cliff near Glenn Innes, New England. And similarly bizarre and unexplained massacres took place on the opening days of last year, with millions of spot fish washing up in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, more blackbirds dying in Arkansas, and masses of marine life dying in Louisiana bayou.

Legionnaires' Disease

3 Jan. 2012 - Hong Kong's brand-new government headquarters compound is contaminated with a bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease, officials have confirmed. Health officials conducted an investigation after a minister was hospitalised with the potentially fatal disease last month. Traces of the bacteria were found to be up to 14 times above acceptable levels. Authorities are now disinfecting the buildings. Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection has been collecting water samples from various sites in the new Central Government Offices after Education Secretary Michael Suen was diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease last month. Samples collected from various toilets - including those at the office of Chief Executive Donald Tsang - tested positive for Legionella pneumophila, said a a government statement. Other trouble spots include water taps inside the kitchens of a canteen and the Dining Hall in the Legislative Council Complex. Wong Kwok-hing, a pro-Beijing unionist legislator, has described the news as a "scandal". He says government offices and the legislature should return to their original locations if the situation gets worse, reported local public broadcaster RTHK. However Dr Thomas Tsang, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, said there was no need for officials to stay away from the new building. The HK$5.5bn site ($708m; £455m) was officially opened last August by Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang. Back then, most of the site was still undergoing engineering work.  Former legislator and physician Lo Wing-lok blamed a rushed move into the new compound for the presence of the deadly bug

Grim Year Ahead

2 Jan 2012 - It is only the second day of the year, but the optimistic feelings linked to new beginnings are already fading.  European leaders have warned of a difficult year ahead, as many economists predict recession in 2012. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was experiencing its "most severe test in decades" but that Europe was growing closer in the debt crisis. France's President Sarkozy said the crisis was not finished, while Italy's president called for more sacrifices. Growth in Europe has stalled as the debt crisis has forced governments to slash spending.No doubt, these trends will also have a negative impact on growth in Asia and elsewhere. The leaders' new year messages came as leading economists polled by the BBC said they expected a return to recession. The cost of borrowing for some of the eurozone's largest economies, including Italy and Spain, has shot up in recent months as lenders fear governments will not be able to pay back money they have already borrowed. With growth stalled, the pressure is on governments across Europe, not just ones using the single currency, to cut spending in order to meet debt obligations. Fears are now focusing on a potential second credit crunch, triggered by the exposure of banks across Europe to Italy's huge debt. So once more, Happy New Year?

Shrinking Brain

1 Jan. 2012 - Happy 2012. A new year is traditionally a good time for new resolutions, for example to finally go on that diet and loose some weight. researchers have now published results that may increase motivation for the diet die-hards. A diet rich in vitamins and fish may protect the brain from ageing while junk food has the opposite effect, research suggests. Elderly people with high blood levels of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids had less brain shrinkage and better mental performance, a neurology study found. Trans fats found in fast foods were linked to lower scores in tests and more shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's. A UK medical charity has called for more work into diet and dementia risk. The best current advice is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, not smoke, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check, said Alzheimer's Research UK. Dr Simon Ridley Alzheimer's Research UK. The research looked at nutrients in blood, rather than relying on questionnaires to assess a person's diet. US experts analysed blood samples from 104 healthy people with an average age of 87 who had few known risk factors for Alzheimer's. They found those who had more vitamin B, C, D and E in their blood performed better in tests of memory and thinking skills. People with high levels of omega 3 fatty acids - found mainly in fish - also had high scores. The poorest scores were found in people who had more trans fats in their blood. Trans fats are common in processed foods, including cakes, biscuits and fried foods.