Latest research news

There is a little Neanderthal in a lot of us
People who have large noses, a stocky build and a beetle brow may indeed be a little Neanderthal, according to a genetic study. But the good news is that other research concludes that Neanderthals were much more like us than previously thought. People of European descent may be five per cent Neanderthal, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Genetics , which suggests we all have a sprinkling of archaic DNA in our genes. "Instead of a population that left Africa 100,000 years ago and replaced all other archaic human groups, we propose that this population interacted with another population that had been in Europe for much longer, maybe 400,000 years," says Dr Vincent Plagnol, of the University of Southern California, who with Dr Jeffrey Wall analysed 135 different regions of the human genetic code.
The Daily Telegraph

Chimps make great teachers and students
Chimpanzees can pass knowledge from one individual to the next with nearly perfect accuracy through several "generations" of teacher and learner, a new study shows. This ability, which has never been demonstrated in chimps before, means that these apes have one of the key skills needed to create and maintain true cultural differences among groups. Researchers have known for many years that different groups of wild chimps behave differently. However, without controlled experiments it is impossible to know for certain whether these represent adaptations to subtly different conditions or different traditions inherited culturally within each group.
New Scientist

Heart disease: Old arteries warning
People suffering advanced heart disease have arteries that are biologically 40 years older than their real age, experts have warned. A 50-year-old man with the most advanced form of the disease would have the arteries of a 90-year-old, the study from the British Heart Foundation suggested. Researchers from Cambridge University examined tissue from heart bypass and transplant patients to map the ageing process of artery cells.They hope their findings will mark a step forward in research aimed at preventing heart attacks.
The Guardian

Organic milk 'better for a healthy diet'
Organic milk has more health benefits than standard milk and official advice should reflect this, scientists have said. A letter received today by the Food Standard Agency said organic milk has higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are thought to boost health. It was written by 14 scientists, several of whom have researched the differences between organic and standard milk. They want the FSA to change its stance on organic milk, and "recognise that there are differences that exist between organic and non-organic milk".
The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard

Ovarian cancer more aggressive in obese women, study suggests
Obese women are less likely to survive ovarian cancer than those of normal weight, according to research published this week. The disease is one of cancer's most lethal forms. Most women who develop it are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced and 70 per cent die within five years. The paper, published by the American Cancer Society's journal Cancer , suggests for the first time that a woman's weight can affect the course of the disease. Those who are obese, it says, not only have lower survival rates, but the cancer recurs sooner after treatment and they face an earlier death than women who are diagnosed at their ideal body weight.
The Guardian

Extreme seabed-survival boosts hope of aliens
Microbes discovered by a lake of liquid carbon dioxide under the sea off Taiwan could help us locate life on Mars, researchers say. Japanese and German researchers have found billions of bacteria and other tiny organisms living in a layer of sediment which traps the CO2 under the seabed. Their survival in such a hostile natural environment suggests that something similar could be happening on other planets. If water and CO2 are present below the surface in polar environments, says Fumio Inagaki at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in Yokosuka, "I expect that life signatures utilising chemical materials and CO2 for growth might be found."
New Scientist