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Science in the clouds: October 2013

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Science in the clouds. An optical illusion that challenges decades-old assumptions. Optical illusions are not only entertaining but they can also help scientists learn more about how our brains work. Researchers from the University Paris Descartes, in France, have now discovered an optical illusion that challenges decades-old assumptions about how the brain perceives movement. You see it, but it isn’t there. A couple walzing" by Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) projected with a phenakistoscope. 8220;The mi...

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Science in the clouds: The secret for a longer life? Kill your unfit cells

http://scienceintheclouds.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-secret-for-longer-life-kill-your.html

Science in the clouds. The secret for a longer life? Kill your unfit cells. If you had the choice, would you like to live until you’re 130 years old? New research in fruit flies shows that manipulating a single gene can extend their lifespan up to 60%, suggesting that living well into your hundreds might become a reality in the foreseeable future. Dying of old age is a strange thing. Why does our health decline just because we’re old? Would we live longer? On record (122 years and 164 days). To answer th...

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Science in the clouds: Hippos are (almost) definitely whales, not pigs

http://scienceintheclouds.blogspot.com/2015/03/hippos-are-almost-definitely-whales-not.html

Science in the clouds. Hippos are (almost) definitely whales, not pigs. Hippos are strange mammals. They lack hairs and sweat glands, and have an unusually thick skin. The only other mammals that share these features with hippos are whales, but they look nothing alike, except they’re also huge and live in water. Coincidence? Is simply not enough fossil evidence. So the origin of hippos has remained something of a mystery. Now, a new fossil discovery. Common hippo showing off its mandibles. The newly foun...

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Science in the clouds: March 2015

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Science in the clouds. The genetics of musical talent: an interview with Irma Järvelä. Would Mozart have become a great composer had his family not encouraged his musical career? Irma Järvelä is a clinical geneticist at the University of Helsinki, Finland, who investigates the molecular genetics of musical traits. After devoting 25 years of her career to the identification of genes and mutations involved in human diseases, she now works in close collaboration with. Your research shows that. Are there als...

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Science in the clouds: Should mice be used to study the human gut microbiome?

http://scienceintheclouds.blogspot.com/2015/02/should-mice-be-used-to-study-human-gut.html

Science in the clouds. Should mice be used to study the human gut microbiome? In recent years, the trillions of bacteria living in our guts have risen from obscurity to stardom. Hyped press releases claim that probiotics and faecal transplants might one day treat almost everything, from bowel inflictions to obesity. These studies often involve mice, but are these rodents really a suitable model for microbiome research? How on earth can bacteria in the gut affect other parts of the body, such as the brain?

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Science in the clouds: December 2013

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Science in the clouds. Salamanders have different ways of regenerating lost limbs. Regenerating complex tissues is an enviable ability. Salamanders have mastered this skill to perfection, but a recent study shows that two closely related species use different molecular strategies to regenerate their lost limbs. When spiders (and some insects) amputate their own limbs. Lizards and geckos can regrow their tails, but the new tail. Isn't a perfect replica, and they can't regenerate limbs. Salamanders are amp...

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Science in the clouds: December 2014

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Science in the clouds. Plant science is probably one of the least appreciated fields of life sciences, and yet, perhaps no other research area has produced as many technological advances beneficial for society. In an open letter. Released last month, 21 out of the 27 most cited plant scientists in Europe. Pledged decision makers to back plant research, which they feel is currently threatened by lack of funding and global public and political opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Besides as...

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Science in the clouds: 'One fossil can overturn anything' Interview with Jenny Clack

http://scienceintheclouds.blogspot.com/2015/02/one-fossil-can-overturn-anything.html

Science in the clouds. One fossil can overturn anything' Interview with Jenny Clack. Now happily living on land, our Devonian ancestors tried many ways to get out of the murky waters. Jenny Clack has been studying the water-to-land transition of vertebrates for many decades. Her discoveries broke dogmas and rewrote textbooks. When did you know you wanted to be a palaeontologist? What was it like for a little girl back in the 1960s to pursue an academic career? How did you eventually get into academia?

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Science in the clouds: May 2014

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Science in the clouds. Tun-ing in on water bears' superpowers. Water bears, or tardigrades, are harmless microscopic animals. Yet, despite their endearing bear-like appearance, tardigrades are the hardest animals to kill on Earth. And boy, many have tried. Tardigrades ( Hypsibius dujardini). Imaged with a scanning electron microscope. So what’s their secret? Scientists grow tardigrades in the lab (and sometimes in space) to study cryptobiosis. Understanding how tardigrades survive extreme dehydration...