In Brief
Mar 24, 2003
<b>MPs ask UNESCO to help in science ...<br>Infertility soon to be history ...<br>Bad memory can be inherited ...<br>Grief can kill ...<br>Weird creature ...</b>
MPs ask UNESCO to help in science
KAMPALA—The parliamentary committee on Science and Technology has appealed to UNESCO to help strengthen training in the areas of science and technology in the country. The committee, chaired by Patrick Amuriat (MP Kumi), recently also decried the high level of brain drain in the area of science, due to lack of motivation and poor pay for scientists.
Infertility soon to be history
New Zealand researchers have found a rare gene in sheep which causes super fertility in animals with one of them and infertility in those that have two of these genes. Wellington’s Dominion Post newspaper revealed this in January and AgResearch animal research institute in Upper Hutt confirmed it. Dr Ken McNatty said although human applications were years away, the technology could lead to the development of safer fertility drugs and contraceptives for women.
Bad memory can be inherited
Researchers have discovered strong evidence that good or bad memory is to some extent inherited. Animal studies, indicate that a gene called BDNF is critical to brain mechanisms associated with learning. Scientists in the US found that volunteers with one of two different variants of the gene performed better in a memory test. Scans also showed slightly less activity in the brain’s memory centre in people with the other variant.
Grief can kill
Parents who lose a child run a major risk of dying prematurely, a Danish study revealed. The stress of grief may lead to cancer, heart disease, heavy smoking and reckless drinking. Health researchers compared mortality rates among parents who had lost a child before the age of 18 with parents of similar background who had suffered no such loss.
Weird creature
Scientists have found the remains of one of the weirdest creatures ever discovered, a big flying reptile (a previously unknown type of pterosaur) that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. It snapped up fish with a scissor-like beak as it skimmed over the water and had a head crowned by a huge, bony crest.
KAMPALA—The parliamentary committee on Science and Technology has appealed to UNESCO to help strengthen training in the areas of science and technology in the country. The committee, chaired by Patrick Amuriat (MP Kumi), recently also decried the high level of brain drain in the area of science, due to lack of motivation and poor pay for scientists.
Infertility soon to be history
New Zealand researchers have found a rare gene in sheep which causes super fertility in animals with one of them and infertility in those that have two of these genes. Wellington’s Dominion Post newspaper revealed this in January and AgResearch animal research institute in Upper Hutt confirmed it. Dr Ken McNatty said although human applications were years away, the technology could lead to the development of safer fertility drugs and contraceptives for women.
Bad memory can be inherited
Researchers have discovered strong evidence that good or bad memory is to some extent inherited. Animal studies, indicate that a gene called BDNF is critical to brain mechanisms associated with learning. Scientists in the US found that volunteers with one of two different variants of the gene performed better in a memory test. Scans also showed slightly less activity in the brain’s memory centre in people with the other variant.
Grief can kill
Parents who lose a child run a major risk of dying prematurely, a Danish study revealed. The stress of grief may lead to cancer, heart disease, heavy smoking and reckless drinking. Health researchers compared mortality rates among parents who had lost a child before the age of 18 with parents of similar background who had suffered no such loss.
Weird creature
Scientists have found the remains of one of the weirdest creatures ever discovered, a big flying reptile (a previously unknown type of pterosaur) that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. It snapped up fish with a scissor-like beak as it skimmed over the water and had a head crowned by a huge, bony crest.