What the scientists are saying…
The swifts’ record-breaking flight Common swifts can remain airborne for up to ten months at a time, scientists have discovered. The record for non-stop flight was previously held by the Alpine swift, which has been recorded flying continuously for 200 days. But when researchers at Sweden’s Lund University fitted 13 common swifts with tags that enabled them to precisely record their route and flight activity during their annual migration, three of the birds travelled all the way from Northern Europe to Central Africa and back without once touching down; the others made only a few brief landings. “Common swifts have evolved to be very efficient flyers, with streamlined body shapes and long, narrow wings, generating lift force at low cost,” said lead researcher Anders Hedenström. In fact, the birds are far more comfortable in the sky than on land. They have very short legs, and young swifts struggle to take off from flat ground; instead, they drop out of trees and then soar up. In the air, swifts live off insects and save energy by riding hot air currents. At least twice a day, they climb to altitudes as high as 10,000ft, affording them roughly half an hour’s slow descent – during which they may nap. “We don’t know for sure that they go to sleep, but it’s logical to assume so because all animals need sleep,” added Hedenström.
Can lack of sleep make you fat? Having a bad night’s sleep leads people to consume, on average, an extra 385 calories – equivalent to about four slices of bread – the following day, scientists at King’s College London have discovered. The study, a re-analysis of previous research into the effects of poor sleep, defined a bad night as one with less than five-and-a-half hours’ sleep, and a normal night as seven or more hours. The researchers suspect that sleep deprivation affects the body’s ability to regulate the production of hormones such as ghrelin and leptin, which control feelings of hunger and fullness respectively. “If long-term sleep deprivation continues to result in an increased calorie intake of this magnitude, it may contribute to weight gain,” said senior study author Dr Gerda Pot.
First dinosaur brain tissue found Traces of dinosaur brain tissue have been detected for the first time – on a pebblesized fossil discovered 12 years ago on a Sussex beach. The 133 million-year-old object is an endocast – a sediment model of an animal brain that is formed when the skull cavity is filled with silt, bone and other natural materials. It is thought to have belonged to a forerunner of the iguanodon, a large herbivore that lived around 125 million years ago. Though dinosaur endocasts are not uncommon, it was assumed they couldn’t contain tissue remnants, as the tissue would decay too quickly. However, having noticed that this one had unusual formations on its surface, scientists at the University of Cambridge analysed it using a technique known as scanning tunnelling microscopy – and sure enough, this revealed that it had directly mineralised bits of brain tissue on its surface, most of it apparently from the brain’s protective outer membrane, the meninges. The dying animal, the scientists speculate, probably toppled into a lake or swamp, which caused its head to become partially submerged in sediment. In such acidic, low-oxygen conditions, part of its brain membrane would have quickly been mineralised – resulting in its preservation on the endocast’s surface.
Eating eggs may prevent strokes Despite their reputation as a source of cholesterol, eggs, it seems, may actually reduce your chances of having a stroke. A study tracking 30,000 people over 30 years found that those who ate one egg a day – whether boiled, scrambled, poached or fried – were, on average, 12% less likely than non-regular egg eaters to have a stroke. The reputation of eggs nosedived in the 1970s as evidence grew that a highcholesterol diet increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. But since then, studies have suggested that their benefits – they are a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins – outweigh the cholesterol’s negative impact. However, the researchers, from the Epidstat Institute in Michigan, said it wasn’t clear why they may prevent strokes. Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, said the research was “interesting”, but shouldn’t be taken as a licence to eat a full English breakfast.