Episode 2: Science News

US President Barack Obama has lifted restrictions on federal funding for research on new stem cell lines. Mr Obama signed an executive order pledging to "vigorously support" new research. Ex-President George W Bush prevented using government money to fund research on human embryonic stem cell lines created after 9 August 2001. "At this moment the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown and it should not be overstated. But scientists believe these tiny cells may have the potential to help us understand and possibly cure some of our most devastating diseases and conditions."

Stem cell solutions:

A procedure that increases a stem cells’ ability to regenerate damaged tissue has been created by the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This procedure could offer new hope to sufferers of muscle-wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy. Adult stem cells are given a gene making them resistant to chemotherapy. This means that the chemo will kill of the damaged cells, and allow the new stem cells to take hold. The procedure has been successfully used to regrow muscles in a mouse model, but it could easily be applied to all tissue-based illnesses in humans such as in the liver, pancreas or brain.

Endangered Sperm

Researchers at The University of Western Australia compared the sperm of endangered and non-threatened mammals. They analysed sperm data from 20 species including, the panther, lion, cheetah, giant panda, bison and howler monkey. They found that the most inbred species had more sperm abnormalities and fewer mobile sperm, plus inbreeding can severely reduce male reproductive fitness. Endangered species with the most severe loss of genetic variability had the poorest ejaculate quality.

http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/20090304950/business-briefing/sperm-quality-vital-creatures-great-and-small

Prawns do it

Life sciences researcher Gay Marsden, from Queensland University of Technology, spent two months filming prawns making love. She was comparing prawns caught in the wild to prawns reared in captivity. She found that when prawns are caught from the wild and put into tanks, they have no problem breeding. But prawns bred in captivity don’t breed so good. She used infrared cameras, like those used on Big Brother, and compared the sexual behaviour of captive-bred prawns with wild prawns. Her research suggests that the men and women aren’t so keen to do the dirty because the women aren’t releasing the pheromones they need to.

http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/goNewsPage?newsEventID=24855