This article suggests that common moisturisers could cause skin cancer. The possibility was uncovered by accident when scientists were looking at the benefits of caffeine on the skin. During the test they applied moisturiser to the test subjects, mice who had been exposed to ultraviolet light. They discovered that the moisturiser increased the production of tumours. Three other moisturisers also increased the production of tumours by 69%. The cancers were generated were non fatal varieties that would usually be treatable but following these surprise results researchers will now go on to study the implications for humans.

This article suggests that clumsy children are more likely to become obese as adults because they exercise less. It is based on a study that found children with poor hand control and co-ordination are more likely to be obese later on in life. I'm not entirely sure the link is down to the children being clumsy, its more likely to be down to lack of exercise as children. I was a very clumsy child and have always managed to break pretty much everything I touch, I still amaze myself how quickly we seem to get through glasses in my house, I never have a set for more than a few weeks before an accident occurs. Whilst naturally clumsy, however, I have not grown up obese, although I was quite an active child.

This article suggests that the effects of alcohol do make people appear more attractive. Researchers found that as little as a pint and a half of beer is enough to make everyone seem more desirable. Men are worst affected with the effect lasting as long as 24 hours after a heavy drinking session. The results were based on a study done at Bristol University where male and female volunteers were randomly allocated a drink of vodka and lime or a similar tasting soft drink. There were then asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 male and 20 female faces on a seven point scale. Those who had been drinking alcohol scored the faces 10% higher than those who had not. The following day both sexes were tested again, this time the men who had been drinking the previous day scored the picture more highly than the non drinkers. The researchers concluded: 'Alcohol consumption increases ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli.'

If you believe this article the invisibility cloak could soon be a reality. Researchers at the University of California have developed a material that can bend light around an object making it disappear. Obviously the item doesn't actually disappear it is simply no longer visible. The effect is based upon reversing refraction and the result is that only white light behind the object can be seen giving it a cloaking effect. The team involved have said that the principle could be scaled up to make one day make a cloak large enough to hide people. Interesting. Now what would I do with an invisibility cloak?

If you want longer legs then you might want to consider a leg lengthening clinic. Based in Russia the clinic claims it can literally add inches to your legs. The article cites two examples the first where a lady had her legs lengthened by 3 inches and another where a man has the procedure to correct the fact that he had one leg longer than the other. In both cases the treatment appears to have been successful. It does, however, sound really painful. The treatment involves having your legs broken in several places before being attached via metal pins to something called the IIizarov Frame. The frame provides a support of a cast and uses metal spokes to pierce the flesh and fix the bone in position. Rather than setting the bone the device gradually moves the two sections further apart causing new bone to grow and seal the break. It is possible to lengthen the bone as much as 2 inches in a month. I am lucky to be quite tall already but this procedure seems an awful lot of pain for the sake of a few extra inches. Ouch.

According to this article drinking two cups of tea a day can halve your risk of dementia. It is thought that chemicals in the tea called flavonoids help protect the brain although researchers do not yet know why tea protects against damage. Other studies have shown that tea can also help prevent the development of cancerous tumours and prevent against heart disease and stroke as well as strengthening teeth. All very good news, I drink lots of tea.

In an experiment to find out whether octopuses have a preferred arm out of the eight they use scientists have given them a Rubik's Cube. 25 octopuses have all been given one of the toys and the scientists will record their behaviour to see whether the creatures use a specific limb to pick up the toy. I have never managed to solve a Rubik's Cube, I wonder how long it will the octopuses to figure it out.

This article suggests that metal earrings and tooth filling could cause chronic back pain. Apparently the body reacts when it is pierced by pieces of metal and the nervous system tries to remove the offending object leading to the skin surrounding them becoming uncomfortable. This seems to be a fairly new theory but it is becoming more widely believed amongst professional chiropractors.  Personally I'm not convinced about the fact that jewellery can cause back pain but I have read other articles in the past that suggest people have been cured after having their metal fillings removed.

This article suggests that smaller dogs are more likely to be aggressive than bigger ones. A study on animal behaviour published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science found that smaller dogs were more likely to show aggressive behaviour. Dachshunds topped the list followed by the Chihuahua and the Jack Russell Terrier with a large dog the Akita only making number four in the list. I guess what the smaller dogs lack in size they make up for in attitude.

If you believe this article then we could all live on floating cities in the future. That's according to an architect who believes that floating cites could be the answer to rising sea levels. In theory each city could house 50,000 inhabitants in a self sustainable home which would have a lake at its centre. It would also have artificial marinas and mountains and would be powered by wind turbines and solar power. The architect has not yet estimated a cost for his design but believes it could be a solution to provide housing for refugees from islands that have been overtaken by the sea. It all looks very interesting, a bit like a massive lily pad.

A vaccine that could cure cat allergies is undergoing clinical trials. The research suggests that after the vaccine can make patients can develop a tolerance to cat allergens such as fur after just four treatments. The article doesn't say whether the effects of the vaccine are permanent or if it needs to be taken as an ongoing treatment. Perhaps this will be clearer after the clinical trials.

I hate injections and unfortunately have a history of passing out when I have had to have one. A new patch, however, could offer a vaccine without the need for a injection. The patch has been developed by the University of Queensland and tests on animals have shown it can be even more effective than a normal vaccination. It is the size of a 5p piece and contains thousands of tiny projections coated in the vaccine on the underside. Once applied to the skin these projections push through the outer layer of skin. The nanopatches need a fraction of the dose that would be needed for an conventional needle vaccination. They could also be safer, because they would avoid incidents of needle prick and cross contamination. They are also potentially cheaper to produce. All this sounds great, but for me the best part is that there are no needles involved, unfortunately they are not likely to available any time soon.

This article is interesting, its about a new type of contact lenses that can help to correct short sight. Unlike normal contact lenses you wear them at night. They help to reshape the eyeball by pressing on the eyeball and correcting the problem that causes short sight. The interesting thing is that because they correct your sight overnight, they do not have to be worn during the day. The lenses are basically like normal gas permeable or hard lenses rather than the soft type. They are shaped to the contours of your eyeball and then press on the cornea reducing the curvature and restoring it to the shape of normal vision. They do need to be worn every night because the effect is temporary and the eyeball will gradually spring back to its original shape. Whilst I can see it might take some getting used to wearing lenses whilst you sleep, this seems like a good idea. The lenses are suitable for people with short sight and a prescription of -5 or less.

I read this article that suggests eating a large breakfast can help you lose weight. It is based on research carried out on a group of women. Over several months the women who ate half their daily intake of calories in the morning lost more weight than those who ate a smaller amount. The bigger breakfast apparently helps because it makes you feel fuller during the day, meaning you are less likely to snack.

I often come across articles that make me think scientists have a little too much time on their hands. This is a good example. A group of scientists have been working really hard and have found the formula for the perfect sandwich. What a relief. It is based on algebraic variables and takes into account factors such as the thickness of the cheese and the bread and the amount of margarine that is used. You can give it a go here and can be sure you will never mess your sandwich up ever again. Thank you science.

In case you are wondering my perfect sandwich had the following dimensions.

White Bread : 10mm
Farmhouse Cheddar : 2.25 mm
Pickle : 3 mm (3 teaspoons, random chunk distribution)
Butter : 1 mm (average spread thickness)
White Bread : 10mm

The optimum thickness of Parkham Mature Cheddar for your sarnie strata selection is 2.25 mm.   

Researchers have found that a chemical derived from red wine can help keep the heart "genetically young". The chemical called resveratrol appears to stop age related changes in the function of heart genes producing an effect similar to eating a very calorie diet. Unfortunately the chemical does not stay in the blood for very long and a researcher said "In order to have any effect, you would have to drink literally gallons of wine, and that is not recommended."

I don't suffer from hay fever as much as I used to, probably because I no longer wear contact lenses since having laser eye surgery. I do, however, find that I get a constant sore throat and runny nose during the summer months. I was interested to find out that a hay fever vaccine is currently being tested. It is meant to the reduce the symptoms of hay fever by training the immune system to tolerate pollen. During a four week trial volunteers who received the vaccine reported a significant  improvement in their symptoms. The only problem I can see is that it involves having an injection every week. Being scared of needles I think I will just live with the hay fever symptoms until it comes in a pill format.

This is quite an interesting article showing images of how the world would look if human life ceased to exist. This picture shows how parts of London would rot and how flood waters would enter the city, as without power to the Thames Barrier central London would be mostly underwater. Other pictures show impressions of how Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge would decay. The pictures are based on both scientific expertise and an understanding of history to predict what would happen. Within a few weeks the planet would be plunged into darkness and within six months areas would start to be repopulated by animals including domestic pets. Within 40 to 50 years modern buildings would start to collapse and within 100 years cars would have rotted away. The more aggressive predators would become dominant with livestock being mainly wiped out. What a cheerful article.

A glue has been produced that can attach equally well to both to both wet and dry surfaces. It was inspired by sticky geckos that can climb using their sticky feet. The glue is similar in structure to a gecko’s foot and also contains a polymer that mimics the glue a mussel uses. It is likely to be used for adhesive tapes and water resistant adhesives for bandages.

The TV remote could soon be a thing of the past. Scientists in Australia have invented a device that allows viewers to control the TV by using simple hand gestures. The gadget includes a camera that can recognise hand gestures and could be easily incorporated into set top boxes. A clenched fist turns the TV on, a thumbs up sign controls the volume and a sideways sign can change channels.

A new moon has been discovered orbiting Saturn. This means there are now 60 known moons orbiting the planet. It was spotted by cameras on the Cassini spacecraft. It has not yet been officially named but is currently nicknamed Frank.

I read this interesting article about how Britain became an island. The evidence shows that Britain was split from France hundreds of thousand years ago by a huge flood. The evidence is based upon high resolution sonar images of the English Channel that show a deep scar in the limestone rock caused by a huge torrent of water. Its an interesting read and makes me wonder hoe different Britain would be today if it were still joined to France

I read this really interesting article about how London is slowly sinking. A combination of subsidence and rising water levels mean that every year London is around 3mm lower. This is according to the Environment Agency who has been monitoring the situation. With these findings they hope to be able to adapt London’s current flood defences to make use of a better natural floodplain as well as get a clear timeline of how much time they have to carry out existing improvements before the situation gets too critical.

I read this interesting article about a group of giant apes that been discovered in the Congolese jungle. The chimps are much larger than normal and due to their remote location are not afraid of people. They also exhibit different behaviour from most chimps building large nests on the ground rather than sleeping in the trees to avoid predators, as is more common. Local hunters claim that the large apes have also been known to kill and eat lions, although so far there is no evidence to support this claim other than the fact that one chimp was found eating a leopard. Once again it reminds me of those pub arguments, who will win chimp or lion? .... but what if its a giant lion eating chimp?

The world's largest telescope in the Canary Islands is to be used to scan the sky for planets. The telescope should be able to penetrate molecular clouds and see the most distant objects in the universe, so if there are other planets like Earth out there, there are high hopes of finding them.

An interesting article here which discusses whether fish have feelings or not. It talks about the assumption that fish have very short memories which has recently been challenged by scientists ,who found fish actually have a memory span of a few months. Now, I feel really bad for keeping my poor goldfish is a bowl when I younger, it must have been really bored, no wonder fish never look very happy.