Is this man clean? -Brian (brian.c at lifescience.ie)

Recent studies into the FTO gene have revealed variants of this gene may be linked to higher body mass index and obesity. The research suggests the FTO gene is active in the area of the brain which regulates food intake, the hypothalamus, and is involved in either regulating metabolism or DNA repair. However variants of the gene cause these processes to break down and may result in changes nutrient intake and energy expenditure.
According to the study one in six people of European decent carry two copies of the variant and compared to people with no copies of the gene had a 70% risk of obesity and could be an average of 3kg heavier.

Doomsday clock…another end to humanity?

It seems that over time and with the development and advancements made in science, it may not be too long before Science Fiction and Science Fact gradually become one and the same. In a follow up to our previous post of the impending Doomsday via a solar flame, another avenue to doomsday is also on the horizon.

Science Fiction movies, such as Terminator and the Matrix (to name but two), have predicted a day when computers evolve to a time when humans are simply an inconvenience to evolution. As abstract as this may seem, today we witness the dawn of living creatures being used to power a simple computer, visa vie the humans are batteries in the Matrix future.

Predictions abound regarding Doomsday, including Nostradamus, Merlin (Myriddin, Welsh Druidic Seer) Nostradamus, the Mayan Indians and the ancient Chinese in the I Ching, but what has come to light in recent years is that many of these predictions coalesce to the same date – 21st December 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar. The predictions are of global meltdown, of fire and brimstone and of floods and waves, but is there any science behind the predictions?

Surprisingly, the answer is maybe. On the winter solstice (Dec 21st, 2012) the earth, the sun and the centre-point (origin) of the milky-way galaxy are in exact alignment (the word exact is in dispute of, course). Furthermore NASA has predicted an exceptionally strong solar maximum between 2010 and 2012.

Finally i will never have to worry about leaving my desk for a hot tasty treat. Mind you if i spill it everywhere i’ll need some form of cleaning device. RH
Future of USB Fast Food?

ScienceNews reports that a new type of dinosaur, Limusaurus inextricabilis, has been discovered at a fossil dig site in China. The find is especially exciting due to the dinosaur’s apparent close relation to birds, further proving some scientists’ theory that one group of dinosaurs actually evolved instead of dying out. This group of dinosaurs, called theropods, walked on two legs, and the new dinosaur fossils that was discovered in China extend the link between theropods and modern day birds because of its clear similarity to bird hand-bone arrangements.

Scientists have found the “missing link” in human evolution, a 47-million-year-old monkey fossil that they’re calling Ida, aptly named after the discoverer’s 5 year old daughter. In terms of figuring out human evolution, Ida’s a pretty big deal — she’s got features from the non-human evolutionary line (the pro-simians, like lemurs) but is more related to the human evolutionary line (apes and the like). One of the paleontologists, Jørn Hurum of the University of Oslo Natural History Museum, sums it up: “This is the first link to all humans … …