Hairy Horror is fastest Spider Arachnophobes everywhere will relish this revelation that the giant huntsman spider (Heteropoda jugulans) is not only huge and hairy, it’s now won the crown for the fastest arachnid on the planet. Yet Australians seem utterly unphased by these monsters living among them: clearly they have far more courage than we do! Here’s the Guardian:
The Spanish agree with us Apply the scientific method and accept the results whether you like them or not is probably the neatest summary of what we’re about in this blog. So it’s nice to read those sentiments echoed in the Spanish speaking world via its foremost journal, El País:Menos mal que nos queda la ciencia, de momento | Sociedad | EL PAÍS
Let the cat researchers out of the bag The war in the Middle East is not between goodies and baddies but two lots of baddies, as this story from Nature Briefing makes abundantly clear:
| Iran has re-arrested biologist Houman Jokar and conservationist Sepideh Kashani, two members of a wildlife-conservation charity whose arrests on allegations of espionage in 2018 prompted an outcry from the international community. They were pardoned in April, after spending six years in Evin Prison. Other members of the group who are dual citizens have already been released, but the charity’s co-founder, sociologist Kavous Seyed Emami, died in custody. Mongabay | 4 min read Read more: Global science must stand up for Iran’s imprisoned scholars (Nature | 6 min read, from 2022) Epstein Barr and MS: more links Researchers seem to be getting closer and closer to understanding the origins of Multiple Sclerosis, as this fascinating story, T cell overdrive links virus to MS, again from the inimitable Nature Briefing, relates Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) triggers a particularly strong immune response from a particular type of T cell, which hints at why the virus is implicated in the development of the autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers found that the activity of CD4+ T cells in response to EBV was twice as high in people with MS compared to people without the condition, but responsiveness decreased markedly when CD4+ cells were depleted. A treatment that depletes B cells, the immune cells that EBV infects, also reduced CD4+ response, because the cells had fewer stimuli to respond to. Nature | 5 min read Reference: Science Translational Medicine paper That lane is NOT going faster? Everyone has experienced one of those frustrating moments on the M25 when all the other lanes seem to be going faster in the traffic jam But sudden switches may not be a good idea as this article from the Conversation makes clear Incidentally overseas visitors who want to know what the English phrase traffic jam means should visit the M25. You’ll soon find out. https://theconversation.com/dont-change-lanes-the-maths-of-holiday-traffic-jams-287389?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Should%20you%20change%20lanes%20in%20a%20tra The twentieth century has finally gone anyone still nostalgic for Oasis, The Beatles or Dada Art should finally give up on a lost cause. That most defining characteristic of an epoch-the weather- has gone forever. As this sorry tale from the BBC makes clear UK’s extreme weather is the new normal – Met Office – BBC News Quote of the Week Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself.” Milton Areopagitica #huntsman spider #science #iran #conservation #climate change #multiple sclerosis #epstein-barr |
Learning, Science and Society 