"Psychedelica" seems the perfect name for a species of fish that is a wild swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes and behaves in ways contrary to its brethren, says University of Washington’s Ted Pietsch, first to describe the new species in the scientific literature and therefore got to select the name.

Psychedelica is perhaps even more apt given the cockamamie way the fish swim, some with so little control they look intoxicated and should be cited for DUI.

What use is half a wing?

When Charles Darwin unleashed his revolutionary theory of evolution in the mid-1800s, one of the first questions doubters nailed him with went something like ; you have the four limbs of a reptile and then a beautiful flying bird. What are the intermediary steps? Darwin, what use is half a wing?

There wasn’t much the esteemed naturalist could say with the data he had available and, during the next 150 years, scientists were largely divided into two theoretical camps regarding the evolution of flight.

An immune system response that is critical to the first stages of fighting off viruses and harmful bacteria comes from an entirely different direction than most scientists had thought, according to a finding by researchers at the Duke University Medical Center. 

Type 1 helper (TH1) T cell immune responses are critical for the control of viruses and certain bacteria. Immunologists have generally believed that TH1 responses are induced by rare immune cells, called dendritic cells. When activated by infection or vaccination, the dendritic cells were thought to move from peripheral tissues into lymph nodes to stimulate T cell responses. 

The agglutination and accumulation of proteins in nerve cells are major hallmarks of age-related neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease. Cellular survival thus depends on a controlled removal of excessive protein. Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have now discovered exactly how specific control proteins regulate protein breakdown during the ageing process.

Geothermal energy is increasingly contributing to the power supply where it is affordable and efficient. Iceland is world-leader in expanding development of geothermal utilization: in recent years the annual power supply there doubled to more than 500 MW in the supply of electricity.  Even in Germany, over 100 MW of heat are currently being provided through geothermal energy.  

We hear a lot from various advocacy groups that modern lifestyle is the worst thing that can happen to us.    Indeed, some won't be happy until we get back to the sustainable, renewable period of 1300AD.   But modern lifestyle has at least one friend; our teeth. 

A review of studies published in a Supplement to Obesity Review examined evidence over the past 150 years and says that the effects of fluoride toothpaste, good oral hygiene and health education has overriden the effects of food on tooth decay.