It’s all about nerve signals, dopamine and oxytocin…well…not all about that! From the Wiki entry: Orgasm is the sudden release of accumulated sexual tension during the sexual response cycle involving an intense sensation of pleasure. It is experienced by males and females and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. The period following orgasm (the refractory period) is often a relaxing experience, attributed to the release of the neurohormones oxytocin and prolactin.
Category: Biology
Bird flu, swine flu, now seal flu H3N8
US scientists have identified a new strain of influenza in New England harbor seals – H3N8. They say the strain, presumably made the species leap from birds, might now be a reservoir for an emergent human flu virus.
H3N8 is an influenza type A virus (Orthomyxoviridae) endemic in birds, equines and dogs and although highly contagious was not as such considered a risk to people. A flu outbreak in people in 1889 or 1900 was blamed on this strain but evidence suggests that it was due to H2N2. If H3N8 has mutated and evolved from an avian form into one that infects harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), there is a chance that it could now infect people. Indeed, the virus already has the relevant structure to attack a protein in the human respiratory tract.
Experts have for some time recognised that emergent flu viruses need not only come from East Asia, swine flu, H1N1, being a case in point, the pandemic of 2009 emerging from South America. So, the emergence of a putative pandemic strain in the waters off New England, USA, is worrying, but perhaps not surprising.
It is worth noting that a paper in the same group of journals from 1984 reports on the emergence of an avian influenza virus (H4N5) in harbor seals in the early 1980s. There are presumably other instances so this would suggest that transfer to harbor seals from birds is not an uncommon leap.
BBC News – New flu virus found in seals concerns scientists.
Moscona et al, 2012, mBio; DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00166-12
Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on the antibody response to the viral proteins hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA). This distinction gives us the different names, e.g. H5N1, H1N1, H3N8 etc. There are 16 H and 9 N subtypes known, but only H 1, 2 and 3, and N 1 and 2 are usually found in people.
Frisky firefly sex tape
Once the lights go out, female fireflies apparently prefer a little more substance and a little less flash. Infrared imaging and other techniques have been used to monitor firefly behaviour and to show that the females of the species tend to choose mates that they perceive as able to deliver a large “nuptial gift” a high protein sperm package that helps females produce more eggs.
The team used programmed LED lights to simulate male firefly flashes. The team exposed one group of females to a flash pattern that earlier research had shown was highly attractive to females; second group saw only “unattractive” flash patterns. They also divided the males into two groups: those who had a large spermatophore to present, the virgins, and the experienced old-timers who had a smaller package. They then used IR lamps to shed light on the antics of their frisky fireflies and DNA paternity testing to figure out which males were most successful after dark.
You can read more about the research in my 1st July infrared news story on SpectroscopyNOW.com
Tea increases prostate risk, sex and coffee reduce it
UPDATE: Just to be clear, these kinds of studies are often very limited, have many confounding risk factors and cannot “prove” anything. Science and even more specifically, epidemiology, does not prove things, it demonstrates a correlation, often finds causative effects (mostly not), but relies on statistical analysis every time. It would be relatively easy to find a group of prostate cancer sufferers who have never drunk tea, had loads of sex and avoided coffee and “prove” the opposite of what is in the headlines today, i.e. that tea reduces the risk while coffee and sex raise it. Indeed, there have been papers over the years that did just that. There is no definitive answer. If you like tea and sex stick with them, worrying about the risk might lead to cardiovascular problems anyway…
If you’re male and a big tea drinker, then you might have been worried by this week’s news that men who drink a lot of tea are at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Women needn’t worry about their own health in this regard. I would post the links to the research, but I suspect it would be very easy to pick apart the work and find the flaws in their arguments, not least the fact that they’re inevitably talking relative risk increase and not absolute risk and that the difference is miniscule and could be due to countless other factors, as it almost always is.
Moreover, there have been several reports over the years that are much more palatable that report that sex and orgasm specifically actually lower a guy’s risk of getting prostate cancer. Well, we can live without tea if it really is as hazardous as they claim. It’s all about risk-benefit equations and weighting the balance to that more palatable positive I mentioned…
Actually, just for completeness: Tea research raises risk, coffee research shows a lowering of risk, sex research. But, there was a paper in 2010 widely report on the reduced risk from tea drinking too. So, who knows. Everything in moderation…except maybe that palatable option…
Bird flu research halted
The UK’s Guardian newspaper is reporting that researchers working to prevent the spread of bird flu and the possible millions of deaths it could cause should a pandemic occur, have suspended their research for 60 days amid fears that they might accidentally trigger the very  epidemic they hope to stop. A letter published on Friday in the scientific journals Nature and Science and signed by scientists from around the world appeals for public debate about the security of the work.
Bird flu scientists suspend work amid epidemic fears.
They found the Twitter gene
If just one of the genes that helps build the language areas of the brain doesn’t work for whatever reason, then the whole system fails. There would be no gossip, no chit-chat, no watercooler wit, no bar-room banter. The lesson learned by scientists studying the gene FOXP2 in members of a family who have inherited a problem. A case study in writing the right headline for your science blog post…one commenter on the original article even asked if the twitter gene was one and the same as the search engine optimisation (SEO) gene. Of course, it isn’t another commenter pointed out that’s BLSHT2. And in an article with such a well-honed link bait title, one must assume it is highly up-regulated.
The Twitter gene by Anna Perman on Genetic Spaghetti
One of the later comments offers a nice allegory on genetics and genetic modification. It’s from someone going by the name of “BillyBobLiar”:
“There are two cars, one faster than the other. I remove a screw from the engine of the fast car. It now goes the same speed as the other car. I show the screw to my friend and say ‘ this piece is what makes the fast car go faster’. ‘You think?’ says my friend. He goes to the slow car and returns with a similar screw. ‘How do you explain this then?’ he asks, ‘the slow car has the same piece’. I say ‘aha! If you looks closely, you will see that they are different at the top. One has a cross and the other just has a line’. ‘I see’ he says, ‘so this piece is what makes the fast car fast, and it can do so because it has a cross on the top and not a line’. ‘Yes’ I say.
Later that evening my friend calls me. ‘I’ve had a great idea’ he says. ‘What?’ I say. ‘Well, if we put the piece with the cross into slow car, it should also become fast’ he says. ‘That sounds about right’ I say, ‘we’ll try it in the morning’. ‘I can’t wait’ he says.”
Sexy September
First up is a Wired story that discusses recent research on the female orgasm with twins to see whether there is an enviro-genetic relationship pertaining to female orgasm. The male orgasm (of which there is at least one every 15 seconds, according to an ancient quote from Carl Djerassi) has an obvious evolutionary and practical reason for coming along, evolutionarily speaking. But, the female orgasm? Science isn’t so sure. It’s complicated, often elusive and difficult to pin down in terms of procreation (unless you’ve seen that cervical video that Robert Winston showed on the BBC after the 9 o’clock watershed many years ago) in which case it would seem obvious why it happens. Anyway, these scientists cannot put their finger on it, so we’ll leave them to it.
Second to come along is the revelation that one sperm donor might end up with 150 kids, according to the NYT it happened. The problem is, of course, that if they’re all living in the same town there’s a relatively high risk of inadvertent incest if any of those sons and daughters get together.
Then there’s the inevitable story about size. New research apparently explains the underlying genetic reason why men’s ring fingers are longer than their index fingers and it’s all tied in with exposure to sex hormones during fetal development and supposedly links libido, penis size, sexual orientation and prostate cancer risk to the ratio. CBS has the low down on the down below. However, if those characteristics are all related to one finger being bigger than the other, then how do you explain the fact tht studies show the full range of libido level and penis size across all sexual orientations if the latter is meant to display the opposite finger length ratio?
Finally, the advent and apparent acceptance of internet pr0n is allegedly leading to a growth area in cosmetic surgery for women. According to the BBC, yes good-old Auntie is not averse to discussing such matters, irreversible operations to give women a “designer vagina” on the National Health Service are entirely unwarranted and might even be dangerous. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says medics need to determine whether a problem exists or whether an alternative solution may be preferable rather than scrubbing up and diving in with a scalpel.
I put this post together to “commemorate” the launch of the .xxx domain names, but no, I’m not registering sciencebase.xxx. Don’t worry, I thought I’d pull together a few of the sexier science stories from around the web. I’m not sure whether you’d ever class them as NSFW (not safe for work), but they are about sex, so keep your finger hovering over the boss button just in case.
Genetics at a SNP
Genetics at a SNP – There are genetic variants, SNPs, associated with a tendency to have almost any physical trait such as baldness, athleticisim, green eyes, red hair, obesity, alcohol dependence, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases, even the amount of earwax one produces. There are also SNPs associated with the presence of metabolic enzymes or the lack thereof that mean an individual is more or less responsive to a given pharmaceutical or other therapeutic agent. There are often variations between human populations, so a SNP that is common in one geographical or ethnic group may be much rarer in another. Now, UK researchers have developed a very simple technique for finding SNPs that could revolutionise testing for genetic disease markers and more…
Five feisty science books on David’s desk
Five super science books landed on my desk during the last week or two, everything from a Haynes manual for the Space Shuttle to hacking life and from astrobiology to the discovery of Lucy by way of the fact of evolution.
- The Fact of Evolution – Opponents of evolution are wont to say it's "just" a theory, as if that somehow implies it's a fiction or not proven. Scientists often dislike talking in plain or making absolute, definitive statements. But, science writers and some scientists really don't mind telling it like it is. Forget the wishy-washy word "theory" with its non-scientific baggage, this is the Fact of Evolution. The onus is on opponents to prove otherwise by coming up with evidence for their own "theory".
- Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life – Biopunks, as defined by science writer Marcus Wohlsen, are part of a loosely knit, multifaceted movement to find ways to permit people to engage in DNA research without the restrictions and costs imposed by the scientific and medical establishment. Practitioners, some self-taught, set up shop in their kitchens or garages, believing that significant biological advances are more likely to occur as more people get involved in the enterprise. DNA for DIY GM, in other words.
- The Lucy Man – Biography of the man who discovered 'Lucy' – perhaps the most well-known fossil ever. Scientists dream of making a discovery that changes the way we think. That dream came true for Donald Johanson when he found 'Lucy' (Australopithecus afarensis); Lucy changed everything we know about human evolution.
- From Dying Stars to the Birth of Life – Personally, I'm with Fermi when it comes to intelligent ET – if they're out there, where are they? Nevertheless, there could very well be less than technological life on other worlds, indeed it is almost inevitable. This is the incredible story of the birth of an entirely new field of science called astrobiology – a field that is now investigating whether life might exist on other worlds. From the discovery that other stars in our galaxy are circled by planets to the detection of single-cell organisms found living on Earth in extremely hostile environments, this account details the recent breakthroughs made by astronomers and earth scientists over the last few decades. Based on these findings, it argues that scientists now have the technology they need to move from speculating or fantasizing about extraterrestrials to possibly providing humanity with the first definitive proof that we are not alone.
- Space Shuttle Haynes Manual – The NASA Space Shuttle Manual: An Insight into the Design, Construction and Operation of the NASA Space Shuttle (Owner's Workshop Manual). Sounds like a spoof but an astrogeek's insider dream. Shame they're all heading for museums rather than flying more missions…
The latest five science books to land on the desk of David Bradley Science Writer @sciencebase.
It’s a bug’s life
I briefly review Daniel Marlos’ latest book, Curious World of Bugs, in Six Sexy Science Books. But, I wanted to know more about the book and so offered Marlos a few questions on which he might wax lyrical.
What makes bugs such a fascinating subject?
Bugs make such a fascinating subject because they are ubiquitous. Bugs can be found all over the world in every conceivable environment. Unlike larger animals that flee when they are being observed, bugs couldn’t care less who is watching them and they are ready subjects to be photographed. Many children have a fascination with bugs, though sadly, most adults outgrow this initial reaction to the lower beasts.
What is the most remarkable bug?
This is of course my opinion, but I find the preying mantis to be the most remarkable bug. They are large and formidable predators. There is something almost human in their gestures and they will follow their prey or a larger predator by rotating their heads nearly completely around.
What’s the biggest? And prehistorically how does it compare to those giants of the past?
I would have to question a definition of biggest. The moth with the largest wingspan at twelve inches is the South American white witch. The moth with the greatest surface wing area is the Southeast Asian atlas moth. The longest insect is probably a walkingstick from Borneo that has been recorded at 14 inches long. The insect with the greatest mass is probably the African goliath beetle but the longest beetle is a South American longhorn beetle called a titan beetle that can cover the palm of an adult man, and that doesn’t include its substantial antennae. All of these are dwarfed by a prehistoric dragonfly that has been recorded in the fossil record as having a 30 inch wingspan.
Social insects are, in a sense, meta-organisms aside from our use of bees, do you think we could somehow engineer colonies to carry out other tasks?
Other than honey bees, I don’t think humans would have much luck tapping the social insect world to perform menial labour tasks. Wasps would sting and termites might eat our wooden homes. Ants would compete for food, so it seems we are limited to apiculture when it comes to having social insects perform a service for people.
Bugs will no doubt be here long after we as a species have burned outselves out, might there be a future with “intelligent” bugs?
Depending upon how intelligence is defined, there are numerous intelligent insects. Cockroaches can be taught to run a maze. Social insects like ants, bees, wasps and termites have a highly developed caste system and the individual will sacrifice for the good of the colony. Though social insects care for their young, they are not the only bugs to do so. Many spiders will defend their eggs and hatchlings including the nursery web spiders and the green lynx spider. Many parasitic wasps like the cicada killer, the great golden digger wasp and the tarantula hawk battle and paralyze insects and spiders to provision a nest for their young. Some predatory fireflies mimic the light flashing patterns of more docile species to entrap them for prey, and certain tropical cockroach males are female impersonators that trick more dominant males into mating and while the dominant male is in a compromising position, the female impersonator bites off its competitor’s wings, virtually emasculating him.
Why do you think so many people are so repelled by bugs, despite their obvious merits?
People are often repelled by things they don’t understand, which is one of the reasons humans are often such an intolerant society.
To us Brits, a bug is a germ, a microbe that causes an illness, could that be the subject of The Curious World of Bugs 2.0?
Not a chance. I am not interested in viewing the world through a microscope. Besides, germs are better left to scientists and not artists with an interest in pop culture like me.