Discovery News

Sleep may improve memory abilities

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Research has suggested that sleeping could help people trying to learn a new skill.

In an experiment, sounds associated with 50 images with random locations on a computer screen were taught to 12 volunteers. Each image was paired with a corresponding sound, for example a picture of a shattering wine glass with a tinkling sound.

They learnt to drag the images to their assigned places following a number of repeated trials.

'Fear detector' to trace terrorists

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Scientists are developing a "fear detector" that could help trace anxious terrorists at security check points.

The prototype of the device, which depends upon recognising a pheromone - or scent signal - produced in the sweat of a nervous person, is expected to be developed in the next two to three years.

Scientists at City University London hope the security sensor system will help identify terrorists, drug smugglers or criminals on the run with the smell of their body secretions, even if they succeed in feigning a calm appearance.

Pioneering skull ops through nose

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Using a pioneering technique, surgeons are conducting cutting-edge brain operations through the nose.

Known as endonasal endoscopic skull base surgery, the operation removes tumours by using an endoscope that transmits images onto a high-definition TV screen in the operating theatre.

The procedure, which removes tumours located at the base of the skull and at the top of the spine, has been developed by Indian consultant skull base neurosurgeon Nijaguna Mathad and ENT surgeon Salil Nair at Southampton General Hospital's Wessex Neurological Centre.

Tornado Camera Helps Fight Taliban

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A new RAF Tornado GR4 camera which can be used to zoom in on Taliban hideouts and snipers has been hailed as a breakthrough for fighter pilots in Afghanistan.

The Raptor is fixed beneath the jets, enabling pilots overhead to see precise detail from several miles high. It measures just under two metres in length and uses infrared technology.

The images can be transmitted via a live data-link to analysts at a ground station, displayed in the cockpit during flight and recorded for post-flight analysis.

UK's biggest science festival held

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Hundreds of researchers are set to attend the biggest and most historic science festival in Britain.

The British Science Festival, held at the University of Surrey in Guildford, is witnessing around 400 leading researchers giving presentations, talks and hosting interactive demonstrations.

The festival, which is free for the public, aims to spread awareness about research and discovery and inspire future generations of scientists.

Biogel to aid head injury recovery

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Scientists have developed a "biogel" that could spur recovery from head injuries sustained by soldiers and car crash victims.

Researchers from Clemson University in South Carolina, US, have carried out promising studies on rats, and are about three years away from trialling the material on humans.

The biogel is a mixture of synthetic and natural chemicals which triggers the growth of neural stem cells, which in turn repair damaged nerves. It is directly injected into the wound site to direct the response of neural stem cells.

New technique to monitor earthquake

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Scientists have come up with a new technique to monitor movements beneath the earth's surface which could help us discover more about earthquakes, it has been revealed.

A research team, led by Andrew Curtis, professor of Mathematical Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh, simulated the motion of one earthquake at the location of another to learn more about underground movements using computers.

The team collected the information of underground movements with the help of seismometers.

Evolutionary leap observed in mice

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A community of blonde mice is giving US scientists a chance to study Darwin's theory of natural selection at work.

The blonde deer mice evolved over 8,000 years in America after they adapted to their sand dune surroundings. Scientists studying them have discovered that the variant of a single gene determines the colour of a mouse's coat.

Darker mice would have found it more difficult to evade predators and reproduce in the surroundings at Sand Hills, Nebraska. Blonde mice, though, would have been more likely to pass on the pale gene, which has now spread through the mice population.

Watermelons 'could be used as fuel'

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Researchers in the US believe that watermelons may provide an unlikely source of renewable energy.

A study has revealed that ethanol biofuel can be fermented from the juice of "reject" watermelons that go unsold.

Scientists say the fruit could generate fuel at the rate of 220 litres per hectare, or 2.5 acres.

Skin cell study offers vision hope

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US scientists have created partially-developed retinal cells from human skin cells in a technique that has raised the possibility of treatments to restore vision to the blind.

A team of researchers reprogrammed the skin cells genetically to form what are known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

The iPS cells have properties similar to stem cells extracted from immature embryos and can potentially grow into any kind of tissue in the body.