Science Jobs;7 January 2008

Nature are looking for editors etc

Cost are also looking for staff

details at http://www.cost.esf.org/

Traffic fumes may damage children's brains.

Researchers from Harvard university studied 200 children from Boston and found that IQ scores of children in polluted area were 3 points lower than those in cleaner areas even after allowing for socio-ecomomic factors.

It is known that in animals, particles from traffic fumes can go along the olfactory nerve from nose to brain where particles can cause brain tissue inflammation.

Damage like that seen in Alzheimer's disease patients has been seen in dogs in heavily polluted areas of Mexico City.

Deaths from flu run in the family.

A study from the university of utah looking at 5,000 deaths from flu suggests that blood relatives of flu victims were more likely to die from flu.

Siblings of flu victims were 74% more likely than unrelated persons to die from flu.

This suggests that there is a genetic reason for this.

3 new species of salamanders found in Central America

Found near the Costa Rica-Panama Border, the 3 species are only centrimetres long.

Biofuels could have greater enviremental effect

Often growing crops to make biofuels like sugar cane or soya ethanol involves destroying tropical forest, including those in the Amazon.

Not a lot of thought has gone into the problem.

Smoking may harm teenage brains

Nicotine binds to receptors in the brain concerning neural development.
This changes the white matter in the maturing brain, especially those relating to the auditory process.

Plants that lock away Carbon

One way to tackle greenhouse gases may be to grow plants that lock away carbon.
Grasses such as wheat, sugar cane or sorghum lock up large amounts of carbon in phytoliths,also known as plantstone.
Farmers could get carbon credits for growing such crops.