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

Poo Transplant?!

Would you have a poo transplant to save your life? Many people have, but not many of us know about this unusual procedure, as the thought of poo is such a taboo subject. 

Faecal transplants are happening around the world, and are giving high success to curing intestinal infection. Most cases show that people recover within 48 hours of receiving the transplant. 

The transplants have been particularly good at curing infections of C. difficile, the superbug, which often takes hold after patients are given large doses of antibiotics that kill off their gut microbes, the good bacteria we are used to hearing about.

By transplanting poo, the gut bacteria can be restored and fight off the C. difficile infection. 

Donors are best if they are related to the patient. The faeces are mixed with a saline solution and large particles are removed. There are then a number of ways in which the solution is delivered into the patients colon.

The procedure has been carried out thousands of times with a high success rate. But the idea of poo is just too much for some, so this transplant may be taboo for some time.

To find out more:

Original article: Taboo transplant: How new poo defeats superbugs, New Scientist

Sea Urchins Inspire Self Sharpening Knives

Self sharpening knives may be seen in the future thanks to scientists who have discovered how sea urchins keep their teeth sharp.

Sea urchins use their teeth to carve through tough material such as stone. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that their teeth remained sharp due to their layered structure of calcite crystals and cement. As each layer becomes blunt it breaks off revealing a fresh sharp layer underneath.

By using the same layering idea, knives could be made to break along weak spots removing the blunt edges.

To find out more:

Articles: Ever-sharp urchin teeth may yield tools that never need honing, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Rock-chewing sea urchins have self-sharpening teeth, National Geographic

Sea urchin could lead to knives that never need sharpening, Telegraph

Can Scientists Make the Best Strawberries and Chocolate?

Scientists from Penn State University, the University of Florida and CIRAD in France have published in Nature Genetics that they have mapped the genetic codes for strawberries and chocolate. They believe that this means that new varieties can be made that could not only be tastier but also healthier.

The chocolate, from the Theobroma cacoa, is one of the finest types of chocolate in the world. by modifying the genetics, there is a potential for greater productivity allowing farmers to earn more and make the production more sustainable.

The woodland strawberry, has the potential to be made more tasty and more hardy allowing it to be farmed a lot more easily.

So would you buy the most delicious strawberries dipped in chocolate in the world?

To find out more:

Original papers: Argout et al (2010), The genome of Theobroma cacao. Nature Genetics.

Shulaev et al (2010),  The genome of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca). Nature Genetics.

Articles: Scientists crack genetic code of strawberries dipped in chocolate, Telegraph

Mystery melts as chocolate DNA decoded, Guardian