What the scientists are saying…
Cannabis linked to hypertension
Cannabis smokers are three times more likely to die from high blood pressure than those who have never used the drug, researchers have found. The risk also grows with every year of use, according to the scientists, from the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, in the US. The study looked at 1,213 people aged 20 or older, who were questioned about their use of marijuana in 2005-06 as part of a national health and nutrition survey. The information was later merged with mortality data and adjusted for factors including tobacco smoking, age, gender and ethnicity. The findings, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, suggested no association between using marijuana and dying from heart or cerebrovascular disease, such as strokes. But the link with hypertension deaths could influence the debate over the legalisation of marijuana in the US and elsewhere. “If marijuana use is implicated in cardiovascular diseases and deaths, it rests on the health community and policy makers to protect the public,” said Barbara Yankey, who co-authored the study.
All aboard for facial scanning
Could the end of the line be in sight for the railway ticket? British scientists are testing a facial recognition system that might see some ticket barriers replaced within three years, according to The Times. The technology, developed by Bristol Robotics Laboratory, uses rapidly flashing nearinfrared lights to capture 3D images of faces in unprecedented detail. The picture can then be checked against a database of customers. Unlike existing systems, it is smart enough to identify people even when they’re wearing glasses, and can distinguish between identical twins. Funding for the project has come from the Railway Safety and Standards Board; and Britain’s largest railway franchise, Go-ahead, has expressed interest. At first, the system would be used only in new “fast-track” lanes, open to passengers whose faces had been scanned as part of a registration process and who then paid fares online or at a station “ticket” machine.
New hope for Parkinson’s
A drug commonly used to treat diabetes could slow the progress of Parkinson’s disease, research has revealed. Existing treatments merely ameliorate symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as tremors and stiffness, but a study published in The Lancet suggests that the drug exenatide targets its underlying pathology. Researchers tracked 60 people with the condition at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London for almost a year. Patients injected themselves once a week for 48 weeks with either exenatide or a placebo. Those in the placebo group experienced a typical rate of decline in their motor functions, while those in the exenatide group registered a modest improvement. Scans also indicated that the brains of those taking the drug showed less degeneration. The study’s lead author, Tom Foltynie, said: ‘‘This is the strongest evidence we have so far that a drug could do more than provide symptom relief for Parkinson’s disease.” However, the scientists stressed that further research was required. Exenatide comes from a class of compounds originally isolated from the venom of a lizard called the Gila monster. These compounds not only help control blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes, but also seem to protect neurons from toxins.
Cannibalism in Somerset
A new study of engraved bones found in a Somerset cave has shed light on the cannibalistic rituals of early Britons. The bones, thought to be around 15,000 years old, were unearthed at Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge in the 1980s. An earlier investigation suggested that they were the remains of at least five people, including a child aged about three, who appeared to have been eaten by fellow humans. But the latest analysis goes further: it reveals that decorative zigzag incisions were apparently made between the butchering process and eating. “This wasn’t just a case of someone dies and then they’re eaten,” said Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, who took part in the research. “They’ve cleaned off the flesh, then someone sits down and very carefully carves this design, and only afterwards do they break open the bone to get the marrow out.”