Favourite Foods Determined by Mother's Milk

Scientists have found that children's food preferences depend on the flavours passed to them through their mothers milk.

Dr. Beauchamp of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in philadelphia, found that children who had been fed savoury milk preferred savoury tastes, where as those with sweet milk preferred sweeter tastes.

The critical time in which babies learnt this preference was at the age of two to five months. It is believed that if mothers eat healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables at this critical time, babies can be primed to like it later in life. Mothers are therefore to be advised to increase consumption of healthy products during this time.

This means that babies who are fed formula milk instead of breast milk do not get this priming, and do not get the varied sensory stimuli that they would be exposed to with breast milk.

To find out more:

Paper: Beauchamp, G. et al. (2009) Early milk feeding influences taste acceptance and liking during infancy. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Article: Flavours in mothers milk may determine the foods children like, Telegraph.

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Glass half full genetics

Scientists at the University of Michigan have discovered that people optimistic or pessimistic outlook to life is genetic, and depends on levels of just one molecule: Neuropeptide Y.

They found that if you have lower levels of NPY, you are likely to be more pessimistic than those with higher levels. This in turn means that people with lower NPY are more likely to have depression and react badly to stressful situations.

The scientists made this finding by scanning peoples brains while showing them neutral and emotionally charged photos. Those with high NPY had a stronger emotional response to the photos than those with lower levels. This means that people may be diagnosed earlier with psychiatric conditions such as depression.

To find out more:

Original paper: Mickey et al (2011) Emotion processing, Archives of General Psychiatry.

Articles: Born miserable - some people genetically programmed to be negative, Telegraph

Wear Blue to Prevent Shark Attack

Researchers have found that sharks are colour blind. They can only distinguish between light and dark areas. This has lead researchers to conclude that swimmers who wear blue wetsuits are less likely to be attacked as the sharks could not distinguish between them and the surrounding sea.

Statistics shows that people attacked by sharks usually are wearing black wetsuits, backing up this claim.

This information means that surfing equipment and swim wear will be able to be designed to be essentially invisible to sharks. I could also be used when designing fishing lures, to prevent sharks from being caught.

To find out more:

Articles: Sharks are colourblind new research finds, Daily Telegraph

'Colour blind' sharks are less likely to attack a swimmer wearing a sea blue wetsuit, Daily Mail

Bullet-Proof Custard

A new type of body armour, dubbed "bullet-proof custard" has been developed for the army.

The armour contains a custard like substance embedded between layers of kevlar. The substance is compared to custard as it hardens when it is impacted. It means the armour is more flexible than traditional designs but even more effective at preventing damage from bullets.

The armour is half the weight as traditional designs, allowing soldiers more maneuverability, and to stay cooler under extreme conditions.

To find out more:

Original article: Bullet-proof custard: British soldiers could be wearing revolutionary new liquid body armour within two years, Daily Mail

'Toylet': Gaming While You Go!

Sega have invented a new gaming system that you play while you are in the bathroom, and the controller is your wee!

The device, named the 'Toylet', has sensors that can pick up the speed, location and intensity of urine as it enters the urinal. There are currently a choice of four games that you can play. 

The consoles are going to be installed in four metro stations in Japan. The screens will show adverts as well as the games in order to make money from the consoles.

To find out more:

Article: The Toylet: Sega launches video games controlled by men's urine in Tokyo. Daily Mail.

The Latest in the Fight Against Pirates: Laser Canons!

Laser canons have been developed by engineers to defends ships from pirates. The idea is that it is a non-leathel weapon that dazzles and confuses pirates so they are unable to approach the ship.

The lasers are capable of working up to a mile away, they cause a green glare that is able to hide the ship preventing the pirates from aiming weapons or approaching the ship.

The laser is able to work with radar so they can automatically fire at targets. It also has the capability to fire at a rapid rate to produce flickering which intensifies the effect.

To find out more:

Article: Laser canons to defend ships from pirates, Telegraph

Mutant Gene Causing Giants in Northern Ireland

A gene that mutated 1500 years ago is causing cases of gigantism in people from Northern Ireland. 

The gene causes the body of those who carry it to grow excessively. It was found to be the cause of the man known as the 'Irish Giant', Charles Byrne, to grow to almost 8 feet in the 18th century, giving him fame.

The gene is still causing people to grow taller than average in the same area that the Irish Giant came from. It is believed that the gene comes from one ancestor that lived 66 generations ago, and is now found in 200 - 300 people today.

To find out more:

Original paper: Harvinder et al (2011). AIP mutation in pituitary adenomas in the 18th century and today. The New England Journal of Medicine.

Articles: 1,500-year-old mtant gene causing excessive growth in Northern Ireland, Daily Mail.

Prehistoric Bird Found To Have Club Wings for Fighting

Researchers have found evidence of clubbed wing in a prehistoric flightless bird. Xenicibis has unusual wing bones which are thick and curved which were believed to be used for fighting.

The bird would have lived about 10000 years ago in Jamaica, and was the size of a chicken.

The researchers at Yale University said they believed the wings were used for fighting as the breastbone was larger than expected and the wings longer, structures that would give greater strength for this use. They believe the birds flailed their wings to cause damage to rivals.

More evidence comes from bones found with damage matching injuries expected from combat.

To find out more:

Original paper: Longrich & Olson (2011). The bizarre wing of the Jamaican flightless ibis xenicibis xymoithecus, Proceedings of the Royal Society.

Articles: Xenicibis: The flightless 'jousting' prehistoric bird from Jamaica discovered, Daily Mail

Extinct bird swung wings like a club, Discovery News

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The Death Stare

RAF pilots will soon have the ability to shoot down enemy planes by looking at them. A helmet, costing £250000, has been developed that can track where pilots are looking and use this information to lock on to targets.

The 'Striker' Integrated Display Helmet makes use of the aircrafts radar that can pick up enemy targets. The helmet then locks on to specific targets that the pilot is looking at. The use of voice commands can prioritise targets and be used to fire the weapons.

The helmet contains optical sensors which can track the pilots eye movements, allowing the computer to lock on to the targets he or she is looking at.

To find out more:

Original article: The ultimate death stare: new RAF helmet allows pilots to shoot down enemy jets by looking at them, Daily Mail

Human Brains Shrinking

After millions of years of evolution, the human brain has started to shrink. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have described how over the last 20000 years the human brain has lost 150 cubic centimeters.

This change is happening to all races and both sexes. Humans are getting smaller brains. However the scientists say that this doesn't necessarily mean our species is getting stupider, but could mean that our brains are becoming more efficient. Other theories claim it could be due to changes in environment, we have built a world around us that does not put as much evolutionary pressure on use, so the need for large heads is no longer there.

To find out more:

Original article: Human brain has been 'shrinking for the last 20,000 years', Daily Mail