What the scientists are saying…
A snack-laden commute
People whose commutes take them near fast-food restaurants have a greater-than-average tendency to pile on the pounds, research suggests. Prof Adriana Dornelles, a statistician at Arizona State University, analysed food outlets along the work journeys of 710 female employees at 22 schools in New Orleans. Those who drove past the most fast-food joints tended to have a higher body mass index (BMI) – and this remained true even when other potentially influential factors, such as income and race, were taken into account. Dornelles thinks it is probable that tired commuters are more likely to be tempted by the offerings of convenience food outlets if they are easily accessible. “After a long day at work, the last thing you are going to think about is [going] home and [preparing] a meal,” she said.
Chlamydia vaccine a real prospect
The first ever clinical trial for a chlamydia vaccine has produced positive results – raising hopes that it could provide an effective defence against the world’s most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease. In the randomised controlled trial, the new vaccine – developed by scientists at Imperial College London and the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) in Denmark – was tested on 30 chlamydia-free women, while another five were given a placebo. None of the women suffered adverse affects, and the vaccine boosted levels of antibodies in their blood and vaginal fluids – suggesting it had produced the desired-for immune response. (Further, larger trials will be needed to confirm this.) “We see the antibodies as a first line of defence,” said the SSI’s Frank Follmann, co-author of the study published in The Lancet. “They should be able to target the bacteria once it enters the genital tract.” Untreated chlamydia can cause infertility and increases the risk of HIV. Although it can be treated with antibiotics, the infection is often symptomless to begin with, so many people don’t realise they have it. There were almost 220,000 new cases in England last year, and about 131 million are diagnosed annually worldwide.
Why old tunes are best
It’s not just pop songs that aren’t as good as they once were, says The Times: a study has suggested that as bird populations decline, their musicmaking abilities deteriorate too. Researchers from the University of Hawaii conducted a 40-yearanalysis of the songs of three species of honeycreeper: small, nectar-feeding birds found on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Over this period, the populations of all three species fell precipitously – chiefly as a result of avian malaria, a parasite that spreads more extensively as temperatures rise. And this appeared to have had a disastrous impact on the birds’ songs, which became markedly less complex and more uniform. “With population declines there are fewer adults for young birds to learn from,” explained Kristina Paxton, who led the research. “Young birds will be exposed to fewer songs from which they will build their own and this, most likely, will lead to more simplified songs.”
Rise in asthma deaths
Deaths from asthma have risen by nearly a third over the last decade, an analysis by the charity Asthma UK has revealed. Last year, 1,422 fatalities were recorded in England and Wales, compared with just over 1,000 in 2008. The chief driver of the spike was an increase in adult deaths; among under-14s, deaths have remained broadly consistent, at between 12 and 27 a year. The charity attributed the rise to a combination of increased air pollution, a succession of hot summers (which drive up hay fever, a trigger for asthma) and a failure by sufferers and medical professionals to take the disease seriously enough.