Yet more science news from Sciencebase, it’s never ending:
- Whooping cough epidemic suggests bacteria are adapting – Nine babies have died in California, and four in Australia, so far, in the worst epidemic of whooping cough in rich countries since vaccination became widespread in the 1950s. The main cause is a lack of re-vaccination, but the bacterium may also be adapting to beat vaccines.
- Emergency bra – If a flu epidemic or some other emergent virus is heading our way this season, then what could make more sense than an emergency bra? : Unsnap, separate cups, breathe easy. A boon for couples or ladies with a friend…
- ‘Crazy chemist’ drugs campaign criticised by scientists – You can spend twenty years promoting science, writing about chemistry, trying to persuade friends, family, contacts of all kinds that chemistry is not crazy and then some stupid arts graduate A-hole in government comes with the most crass anti-drugs campaign you could imagine and undoes all your efforts. Twots.
- ‘Dry water’ could make a big splash commercially – An unusual substance known as "dry water," which resembles powdered sugar, could provide a new way to absorb and store carbon dioxide. 95% water the substance, discovered in the 1960s, is now being investigated as a possible tool for ameliorating rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
- Sperm tweezers – Optoelectronic tweezers can distinguish between live and dead sperm cells, even if they aren't moving, according to new research in the USA.
- Why exercise won’t make you thin – Contrary to the ranting of gym addicts: "If you want to lose a pound of body fat, then that requires you to run from Leeds to Nottingham, but if you want to do it through diet, you just have to skip a meal for seven days." Of course, going to the gym isn't purely about trying to lose weight, it's about overall fitness, muscle strength, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and more…but according to the health news the health industry won't want you to hear it's not going to get you slim.