Saturday 6 October 2012

Synapse science news #1


Too busy to keep track of all the science news during the week? Don’t fear Synapse is here. Every weekend we will present a round-up of the week’s science news. Here is your first installment.

Buzz over multi-coloured honey - Beekeepers in northeastern France were amazed and concerned when their honey was turning blue and green. It turns out the bees were not feeding on their usual nectar. Rather than using natural plants they were feeding at a nearby waste factory for Mars, the confectionery giant. The blue and green colouration originates from the waste product of m&m's! Find out more, click here

Scientist at the University in Edinburgh plan to rip a hole in space and time! - They have received funding to run experiments that create an analogue to a black hole. Find out more, click here

Test tube spiders - The UK’s largest spider, the great raft spider, is having its three remaining populations enhanced using spiders produced in test tubes! Many of these critters have been raised at Bristol Zoo. Find out more, click here

Scientists name new species after Yoda - A deep-sea acorn worm, discovered 1.5 miles beneath the Atlantic, has been named Yoda purpurata. The large lips on the creature’s head are reminiscent of the Jedi master's floppy ears, apparently! Find out more, click here


11-year-old Russian boy discovers almost complete woolly mammoth carcass - The 30,000-year-old remains of this 500-kilogram beast were discovered in the tundra of the Taymyr peninsula in northern Russia. Doubtless the debate about the possibility of cloning a mammoth will be revived following this discovery. Find out more, click here 

GM cow designed to make allergy proof milk - A genetically modified cow that produces milk lacking a protein that causes allergic reactions in people has been created by New Zealand scientists. The cow was created with the same cloning procedure as Dolly the sheep in 1996. Find out more, click here

The dangers of space debris - Scientists fear the vast amounts of space debris surrounding Earth may cause massive problems in the future. Find out more, click here

Schrödinger's cat, dead or alive? - Physicists have been able to probe a delicate quantum state without destroying it. This goes against the enduring icon of quantum mechanics and suggests it is possible to take a peek at Schrodinger's metaphorical cat without killing it. Find out more, click here


Felicity Russell and Tom Stubbs