| |
NEWSNOTES
SCIENCE NEWS
 Brawn
and Brain: Babies that are heavier at birth are likely to be more
intelligent children, according to a report in the prestigious British
Medical Journal. Scientists based their conclusion on a study of more
than 3,000 babies. Boys evidently benefit more-the scientists calculated
that a weight difference of one kilogram makes an intelligence difference
of 4.6 points in a scale of 100 in boys, and 2.8 points in girls. This
difference was valid in twin boys too, implying that family environment
does not play a role. Significantly, the study does not mention how heavier
children rate on common sense.
 Snail
Trail: Using a pond snail and a silicon chip, scientists at Germany's
Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry made a breakthrough last week. They
persuaded neurons from snails to grow on a tiny semi-conductor chip. Every
time the nerve cells signal to each other, the activity is registered
in the chip as an electric current. This could be a means of understanding
how neural networks in the brain function. It also proves that nerve cells
and chips can work together, paving the way for intelligent neural-networked
computers that "think" the same way as living creatures.
 Hot
and Healthy: A dose of chillies may be the unlikely solution for diarrhoea.
As reported in New Scientist, scientists at Virginia Tech in the US mixed
capsaicin, the "hot" compound in chilli, with chicken feed and
fed it to birds. The birds were then dosed with the bacteria Salmonella
enteritidis, which causes food poisoning. The chilli's effects destroyed
the bacteria in half of the birds studied. If they work the same way in
humans, it could boil down to a choice between a burning mouth and a heaving
stomach.
HEALTH
HYPERHIDROSIS
No Sweet, Really
 Some
people are doomed to sweat through life. Embarrassing and uncomfortable,
"hyperhidrosis", as excessive sweating is medically known, occurs
when sweat glands go into overdrive, usually due to neurological reasons,
hormonal imbalances or cancer. Patients "can't write, the pen slips
off. They can't drive," says S.C. Bharija, dermatologist at Delhi's
Ganga Ram Hospital. Body odour makes the patient a social pariah.
Many people show symptoms of hyperhidrosis,
but one in a hundred really need help, says R.K. Joshi, consultant dermatologist,
Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Now, a new treatment using a neurotoxin promises
a permanent cure-but with strings attached.
Treatment so far has focused on keeping the
body dry and germ-free. Common local treatments include washing hands
often and keeping them in water for a while. A solution of 25 per cent
alum applied to the affected areas keeps them dry. But that gives only
temporary relief.
Apollo Hospital is introducing a more permanent
solution-a local injection of the neurotoxin Botulinum toxin. It paralyses
muscles, so when injected in the right spot, it will "freeze"
the action of the sweat glands. "Currently, it costs Rs 15,000 per
injection, but prices are expected to fall as demand increases,"
says Joshi, a pioneer of this treatment in India. It requires skilled
use and is only effective for "localised" excessive sweating.
Botulinum is a potent toxin, and a mistake could lead to permanent paralysis
in other areas. But some might be willing to take the risk.
—Supriya Bezbaruah
PSYCHOLOGY
 Not
Born Shy: People are not really born shy, they become shy, says a
researcher after 25 years of investigation. Bernardo Carducci of the Shyness
Research Institute in Indiana, US, has concluded that the characteristic
features of shyness-excessive self-consciousness, excessive negative self-evaluation,
and excessive negative self-preoccupation-involve a sense of self. However,
since this sense of self does not develop until approximately 18 months,
people can't be born shy, he says.
 Panic
Triggers: Panic is apparently in your genes. Spanish scientists have
reported in biology journal Cell that 90 per cent of people who frequently
suffer panic attacks or a fear of public places have an abnormality in
a small region of a genetic stretch called chromosome 15. Although the
hows and whys are still unclear, the genes in this region are involved
in communication between neurons in the brain. Researchers think that
if the brain receives too much of the proteins coded by these genes, it
could become oversensitive to stressful situations. Now we know what to
target, drugs specifically for panic disorders could be in the pipeline.
—Compiled by Supriya Bezbaruah
and Samrat Choudhury
|
|
METRO TODAY
Web
Exclusives
