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