Bacteria Choose Fruit Flies Mates

A type of bacteria found in fruit flies has been found to influence mate choice by changing the pheromones produced by the fly.

Researchers found that changing the flies diets, changed the types of bacteria found in the body of the flies, which in turn changed their mating preference.

To test that the preferences were due to bacteria rather than the flies themselves, the researchers fed the flies antibiotics to kill off the bacteria. When the bacteria was absent the flies were seen to mate randomly, confirming the role of the bacteria in the mating preferences.

The researchers are now extending their study to see whether the bacteria affect choice by changing pheromones, or by some other method.

To find out more:

Original Paper: Sharon et al (2010), Commensal bacteria play a role in mating preference of Drosophila melanogaster. PNAS

Articles: ScienceMag - Bacteria help flies select mates

Not Just an Invisibility Cloak!

Scientists from Imperial College London have claimed it's possible to make an invisibility cloak that hides events, rather than objects. 

Named the 'spacetime cloak', the cloak uses electromagnetism to hide events from observers. This works by changing the speed of light so the light rays carry information around and past the event, essentially concealing it in a pocket of reality.

But this sci-fi concept is far from becoming an everyday phenomenon. The scientists  could only realistically accomplish this inside fibre optics, and the calculations mean that it could only work in a vacuum. Not only that, but they would have to make the light rays travel FASTER than the speed of light, a difficulty in itself! And finally the cloak would only work in one direction, which would only work if the observer was stationary, or it was used to fool a camera.

So will Harry Potter wannabes be rushing out to buy spacetime cloaks this year? Well, no, unfortunately not. The science is far from practical at the moment. But we are a step closer.

To find out more:

Original paper: McCall et al (2010) A spacetime cloak, or a history editor. Journal of Optics (13).

Articles:  Nature - Space-time cloak could hide events.

PopSci - Metamaterial 'space time cloak' conceals not just objects, but entire events

Strange Science

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If you have an interest in science, whoever you are, whatever your background, then YES this blog is for you. It is all about the weird and wonderful discoveries going on right now in the world of science.

After all science is FUN!

SS