Biology – Page 69 – David Bradley

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 Â 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.

Smoking cadmium and benchtop X-rays

Latest science news including this week’s round up from my SpectroscopyNOW column:

Smoking out cadmium problem – A statistical analysis of spectroscopic data is helping scientists home in on the problem of decreased fruit and vegetable consumption being associated with an elevated concentration of cadmium in the blood of male smokers.
Short, sharp outburst – A new approach to generating ultra-short, high-density electron pulses for the production of advanced X-ray sources has been developed. The approach could lead to a bench-top X-ray synchrotron for materials science, pharmaceutical research and nanotechnology research.
Metabolic obesity – Evidence from NMR spectroscopic studies of individual metabolic profiles would suggest that the way our bodies digest and process nutrients in the food we eat is different for every person and could ultimately affect overweight and obesity problems.
Heavy metal and hardened arteries – The way in which arterial plaques form, atherogenesis, is not yet completely understood despite a significant number of research studies in this area. Now, a study using rabbits on a high-fat diet (HFD) has investigated the effects of changes in the concentrations of heavy metalsin several tissues using spectroscopy.
Electronic ‘nose’ can predict pleasantness of novel odours – Our sense of smell may not be as subjective as we thought, as scientists develop an electronic nose that can distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant odours.
Scientists embrace openness – "Everybody makes mistakes. And if you don't expose your raw data, nobody will find your mistakes." –Jean-Claude Bradley [no relation]

Very Personal Data Rights

iris-recognition Across the globe privacy laws and property rights are confused. Having usually been established in centuries past it is unlikely that any established legal system can cope easily with the requirements of the digital age. Nowhere is this more likely to hold true than when discussing the use of peoples’ biometric information, which are very personal data indeed.

Biometric information might include iris or retinal scans, digitized fingerprints, DNA samples, even lip-recognition knee X-rays, or any of dozens of other measurements and readings that could be collected from an individual and that would be unique to that person.

Yue Liu of the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law, in Oslo, suggests that there is a legal precedent for treating biometric information as personal property rather than data acquired. She adds that the viability of her argument should apply equally well to the legal systems of both the United States and the European Union.

Some observers have previously argued that because current legal systems are inadequate in protecting society from data misuse that ascribing property rights to digital information might allow its regulation and protection. Others have argued that these so-called inadequacies do not exist and that present legal frameworks are perfectly able to cope with the digital age without the addition of yet another layer of regulation.

I asked Liu what aspect of the term property she was concerned with. “My paper about property right and biometric information, doesn’t refer to ‘intellectual property, I was only talking about it as a ‘personal property’,” she told me, “Because biometric information is some kind of bodily information , I don’t think it is very accurate to regard it as an intellectual property, but I think it may make sense to regard it as a property of an individual since it is so intimately linked with our body.”

To my mind, however, I think Liu is missing a trick. I think biometric information is more akin to intellectual property (data gathered about a person’s blood type, fingerprints, iris pattern) than property in the old-school sense of something we own like our clothes, a car or a homes.

If someone steals the shirt of your back, then you no longer have that piece of apparel, that is conventional theft. Whereas someone manufacturing an unlicensed generic version of a patented invention has stolen the intellectual property but not the physical property of an individual example of that invention. If someone steals your biometric data, then surely that is more akin to the latter example than taking a piece of clothing.

I get the feeling that Liu’s paper argues the idea into a corner. Would a judge equate biometric information with a physical possession? I suspect that they are more likely to equate biometrics to other forms of data and IP rather than possessions.

Liu argues that neither side of the debate is without controversy. No law is wholly capable of coping with all situations but in the context of biometric information a property-rights based law might operate to protect the individual, their biometric data, and prevent misuse.

“Strictly speaking there was not yet any precedent that treat biometric information as personal property,” she concedes, “The precedent I mentioned was just something that might be compared to or is related to biometric
information.” Genetic information, human tissues, voice recordings,
and pictures, all might be considered as related in this way. “I attempted to find some legal basis that might be used for treating biometric information as personal property, and I found it possible both in the United States and EU legal system,” Liu asserts.

We are increasingly using online social media, digitized medical records, and plastic money and store loyalty cards. It is becoming obvious that information generated by our transactions with websites, sellers, banks, healthcare workers, and others is being transformed into a commodity to be sold by the information industries. There are obvious benefits for that industry to gathering and marketing such information. However, privacy remains a controversial aspect of any such transaction even in the case of medical data where the data might have long-term social benefits through improvements in healthcare that result from its analysis.

Biometric information is a special category of personal information. It is usually a unique representation of a person’s identity and is, by definition, intimately linked to that person’s body.

“Does that indicate that in the context of biometrics, the argument about using property rights as a protection measure for personal information will find more legal justification?” asks Liu.

Given that our personal data is becoming increasingly marketable, it may be beneficial to recognize a property right in relation to the commercial exploitation of our biometric data, asserts Liu. “Such data, being intimately linked to individuals and helping to make them special and unique, ought arguably to belong to the individual from whom they are ultimately derived,” she says.

The liberal discourse on property rights during the nineteenth century focused on individual freedoms and rights and led us through enormous changes of the industrial age and throughout the twentieth century. If the twenty-first century is the digital age, then perhaps it is time to begin a new discourse regarding our individual rights and freedoms regarding the use of our very personal data.

Yue Liu (2009). Property rights for biometric information — a protection measure? International Journal of Private Law, 2 (3), 244-259

Sperm, Discharge, Heroin, and Alzheimers

alkaline-batteries Batteries are included (unfortunately) – A chemical cocktail of toxic gases is released when you burn alkaline batteries, according to the latest research from Spain. The investigating team highlights the issue with respect to municipal waste incineration, which is used as an alternative to landfill and suggests that recycling is perhaps the only environmentally viable alternative.

Today, UK government departments BERR and Defra, in conjunction with the Devolved Administrations,
today published a Consultation Document containing draft Regulations setting out proposed systems for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste portable, industrial and automotive batteries.

Cutting heroin analysis – Analysing samples of street heroin just got easier as researchers have developed a statistical method for removing uninformative signals from their near-infra-red spectra of seized samples.

Sperm and eggs – Scientists in Sweden have determined the precise molecular structure of a protein, ZP3, essential to the interaction of the mammalian egg coat and sperm. The work could eventually lead to improved contraceptives, has implications for fertility studies, and might, in some sense, explain how new species arise.

Untangling Alzheimer molecules – Magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides new clues about how a dipeptide molecule blocks the formation of the toxic amyloid beta-peptide aggregates in the mouse brain. The discovery could put paid to the theory that amyloid beta-peptide causes Alzheimer’s disease and suggest a therapeutic lead that focus on the real culprit at an earlier stage.