New Antenna gallery and website

A beautiful new Antenna gallery opened in June. Come and visit us in the Wellcome of the Science Museum or at our new website.

Showering could be bad for your health

How would you like a face-full of harmful bacteria to start the day?

Scientists have found a third of showerheads contain high levels of a potentially lethal bug called mycobacterium avium. This microscopic nasty is easily inhaled in water droplets and can cause lung disease in people with weakened immune systems.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

PM apologises to computer genius

The Prime Minister has given a public apology for the "appalling" way computing genius Alan Turing was treated for being gay.

Turing, who worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park during WW2, went on to develop the first modern computers, including Pilot ACE which we have here at the Museum.

In 1952 Turning was prosecuted for admitting a sexual relationship with a man and committed suicide two years later.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Arctic temperature reaches 2,000-year high

The Arctic is hotter today than it has been for 2,000 years, scientists have found.

By collecting information from lake sediments, tree rings and ice cores, researchers found that Arctic summer temperatures began climbing in 1900 and have peaked in the last ten years.

Rising levels of greenhouse gases are responsible, say the scientists, and the warming looks set to melt ice and raise sea levels around the world.

Image: Darrell Kaufman, Northern Arizona University

Lose Weight, Gain Insight

It’s not often you hear about positive side effects of weight loss surgery. Yet, gastric bypass, which reduces the stomach to walnut-size and bypasses to the first section of the small intestine, has side effects intriguing researchers. Post-surgery, patients don’t feel as hungry and diabetes symptoms quickly improve. Understanding why could lead to new, nonsurgical treatments of obesity and diabetes.

Image: The Garlands - Flickr

Getting More Nutrients for Your Money - Junk Food Tax

Despite your feelings about brussels sprouts, would you eat them if they were cheaper than crisps? To fight obesity, a report from the U.S.’s Institute of Medicine and National Research Council recommends taxing junk food, while giving tax breaks to grocery stores in disadvantaged communities, requiring calorie counts on restaurant menus, and opening school playgrounds and athletic fields to communities.

It has been argued that a tax on junk food would have a negative impact on poorer communities. However, this report outlines strategies for promoting healthy eating options and education, plus ways to increase exercise no matter what your socio-economic status is.

According to the Department of Health, approximately 1 in 4 adults in England are obese and the cost of overweight and obese individuals to the NHS is estimated to be £4.2 billion. Preventing obesity is cheaper than treating obesity.

Do you think a government imposed tax on junk food is a viable way to prevent obesity? Or, does it take away your rights as a consumer?

Image: Eschipul - Flickr

Eyes to the Skies

Space is a hazardous place and the little ball of rock we call home faces a constant threat - asteroid strike. Luckily, a team of British scientists have designed a special space craft capable of shifting the path of an asteroid to prevent a devastating collision.

Their invention, called a "gravity tractor", would be sent about 20 years in advance to meet any rock detected to be on a collision course with Earth and fly alongside it, just 160ft from its surface. Since all objects with mass exert a gravitational effect, the 10 ton craft would draw the rock towards it and over several years change the course of the asteroid so it whizzes harmlessly by.

Floating around in the asteroid 'shooting gallery' of space makes it just a matter of time until the design may be called to action and built to tackle asteroids up to 430 yards across - big enough to release 100,000 times more energy than the nuclear bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima in 1945. NASA are so edgy about the whole thing they have an expensive programme intent on keeping track of every object that might come close. Here's an interesting situation though - What if we were only able to shift the asteroid so it hits one place rather than another?
Settle that people of Earth!?

Image: matt.ohara -Flickr