Latest research news

Fewer, larger radiation doses may help fight breast cancer
Giving women fewer but large doses of radiotherapy may be just as effective at cutting the risk of breast cancer returning as more smaller ones, experts said yesterday. Research found that 13 large doses of radiotherapy were just as good at reducing the risk of breast cancer returning as 25 smaller doses. Not only that, but the doses were believed to be just as safe and did not increase the risk of suffering side-effects. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, was carried out by a team from the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the Gloucestershire Oncology Centre, the Institute of Cancer Research and the University of Wisconsin in the US.
The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian

Heart may be home to its own stem cells
A team of US researchers has discovered the “home” of stem cells in the heart, lending credence to the idea that the heart has the capacity to repair itself. The finding raises the possibility that these cardiac stem cells could one day be manipulated to rebuild tissues damaged by heart disease – still the leading cause of death in the US and UK. Because fully developed heart cells do not divide, experts had believed the organ was unable to regenerate after injury. But in 2003, researchers at Piero Anversa’s laboratory at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, US, discovered stem cells in the hearts of mice and subsequently humans.
New Scientist

US scientists back autism link to MMR
The measles virus has been found in the guts of children with a form of autism, renewing fears over the safety of the MMR jab. American researchers have revealed that 85 per cent of samples taken from autistic children with bowel disorders contain the virus. The strain is the same as the one used in the measles, mumps and rubella triple vaccine. The findings will spark fresh concern about MMR, because they back theories of a causal link between the jab, autism and painful gut disorders suffered by a number of autistic children. The study replicates findings made by Andrew Wakefield a gastroenterologist in 1998 and John O'Leary, a pathologist, in 2002.
The Daily Telegraph

Carbon nanotubes pinned down at last
A new technique that places carbon nanotubes exactly where they are needed could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles blocking the development of nanotube-based electronic devices. The method uses a specially constructed molecule that attaches one end to a carbon nanotube and the other end to a strip of metal oxide that has been placed on piece of silicon. The nanotubes are just a few nanometres in diameter, and knowing exactly where a tube is means researchers can use it to make a transistor. "We can use this approach to make lots of devices," says team member James B Hannon at IBM's T J Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, US.
New Scientist

Greenhouse gas breeds venomous vines
Forests could become thick with more toxic forms of poisonous ivy and other noxious vines thanks to rising levels of carbon dioxide. That's the conclusion from researchers in the US who have shown that the higher CO2 levels expected in the next 50 years breed ivies that grow twice as fast, and, unexpectedly, manufacture a nastier form of poison. "It'll be more dangerous to go in the forest," says team leader Jacqueline Mohan of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Nature

Peppermint 'beats pills for soothing a headache'
Rubbing peppermint extract across your forehead can cure a headache faster than conventional painkillers, scientists have claimed. In a study, 95 per cent of users who applied the extract said they felt an effect within two minutes. And the same percentage of volunteers found that their pain had gone within 30 minutes. Nine out of ten also said it was much more convenient than taking pills. Although the healing properties of peppermint have been known for centuries, the benefits are now being scientifically tested on patients for the first time.
The Daily Mail