Applying quantum physical weirdness to the 'real world'

Ever since we have ventured into the subatomic world, the playground of quantum mechanics, we have found that particles behave in extremely weird ways. It is as if the classical view of the world does not apply to the world of quantum mechanics, and experimental results have repeatedly challenged our knowledge about reality. For example, we have discovered that the smallest things we can detect can behave as individual particles and as waves at the same time. Recently, scientists even proved that things can come into existence from what appears to be the nothingness we have come to know as vacuum. While the rules of quantum mechanics are almost impossible to imagine, because they are so radically different from what we experience on a day to day basis, we must accept them because they have been tried and tested. And even though we sometimes like to think that this weirdness only happens on very small scales, a few scientific groups have shown that it also applies to larger structures.

Hidden patterns in genes direct protein production

One of the most fundamental processes in biology is translation of genetic information into proteins, the building blocks of life. Cells have specialized machinery that read specific parts of the genetic code, called genes, and use that as a template to create an intermediate string of code that is consequently used by other cellular machines that turn the instructions into proteins. Effectively, DNA functions as a blueprint, and the intermediate form, called RNA is used as a messenger to tell the protein makers what to do. Scientists from the University of California in San Francisco have found hidden instructions in the messenger RNA that have a large impact on the speed by which cells produce proteins. Because proteins are used for basically all cellular processes, the findings may have big consequences for our understanding of elementary processes of life.

Being in a room adds 37 million bacteria per hour

Bacteria are all around us, and are impossible to get rid of. They cover our entire skin, float around in the air, and inhabit places that we would argue to be inhabitable. Scientists from Yale University have found another bacterial fun fact by discovering that your presence in a room adds 37 million bacteria per hour to the air. It is a good thing that most bacterial species do not cause disease.

There are billions of Earth-like planets in our Milky Way

The notion that we are unique and alone in the universe is rapidly fading. Astronomers have already successfully identified several Earth-like planets, and even though we haven't found life yet, it is likely that it exists somewhere in the universe. We may even be able to find it in our own galaxy, as scientists now believe there are tens of billions of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way. How long will it take before we find the first forms of alien life?

Using a magnetic field to scorch tumours with heat

Cancer remains one of the biggest health problems worldwide, which is why scientists devote a lot of resources to developing new therapies. Various cunning new strategies are being explored, such as proteins that make cancer cells self-destruct or using a marker that makes a tumour light up, rendering us able to find tiny clumps of bad cells during surgery. A recently published attempt uses magnetic fields together with nanoparticles to create heat, effectively destroying cancerous cells.

Computer chip analyses effect of food on intestines

Processing the components from our food is quite a stressful event for our intestines. Various enzymes are needed to break down whatever it is we eat, and all the useful pieces need to be absorbed in the gut and find their way into the blood to be redistributed where needed. Tissues can become strained from all the work, and then send out distress signals which enable the immune system. In turn, this causes inflammation. Because processing food is naturally stressful, a little inflammation is normal. However, when food components continuously stress the intestines, inflammation can become chronic, and that is when trouble starts. To uncover which food components are more likely to cause stress in the intestines, French scientists developed a piece of computer hardware. Their chip is supposed to mimic our gut and tell us something about what individual food components do.

Genetics predict severity of the flu

The influenza virus comes in many forms, and is constantly changing. As a consequence, the world experiences new outbreaks of the flu each year. Our immune system builds up protection against the virus after infection, but because it changes its appearance so rapidly, we become susceptible again. It has been proven difficult to find a vaccine that remains effective in protecting against influenza infection, but our own body may actually hold clues for effective flu protection. Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have found how the activity of a specific gene correlates to severity of influenza infection. We may use this mechanism in future therapies.