new scientist - january 4 2014 uk
TRANSCRIPT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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The celestial signals that defy EinsteinBREAKING RELATIVITY
SHARPER SURGER
Anesthetic and scalpenot require
MIXING REALITIEYour world But bette
LAND OF MAKE-BELIEVThe fake past of an island paradis
OFF THE BOOZEWhat happens to your body whenyou quit alcohol for a month
DESTINATION EUROPAWhy wersquove suddenly got the hots for Jupiterrsquos icy moon
WEEKLY January 4 - 10 2014
Science and technology newswwwnewscientistcom US jobs in science
No2950US$595 CAN$595
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 1
CONTENTS Volume 221 No 2950
This issue online
newscientistcomissue2950
News4 UPFRONT
Snorkel spacewalk success Steroids
added to athletesrsquo biological passports
Textbooks in Texas will include evolution6 THIS WEEK
Why it is worth going to Europa Bacteria
stop desert spreading First glimpse of a
possible exomoon Modified plants provide
fish oils GPS holds dark matter clues
Space-time neuroscience Ageing reversed
in mice
14 IN BRIEF
Flu vaccine unravels cause of narcolepsy
Volcanic lightning bottled Psyche the heavy
metal asteroid Ice-loving sea anemones
Coming next weekhellipDefusing dementiaWersquore becoming resistant to Alzheimerrsquos disease
Spin upA revolutionary way to crunch numbers
Cover imageRoss Holdenungluemylimbcom
30
42
Is a dry Januaryreally worth it
Liver tests revealthe value of amonthrsquos abstinence
6
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
D A V E S T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
Breakingrelativity
The celestial signalsthat defy Einstein
Pachydermpolitics
What does it taketo lead a herd ofelephants
Technology
17 Mixed reality AI game designer takes onhumans Charge batteries with static Virtual
fashion gives perfect fit Log in with your life
News
On the cover
Features
8 Destination Europa
Hotfoot to an icy moon
6 Off the booze
Is it worth quitting alcohol
for a month
17 Merged reality
Your world But better
34 Land of make believe
Fake past of a paradise
38 Sharper surgery
Anaesthetic and scalpels
not required
Opinion24 Fixing the fixers Scott Ferguson on hitting
back at online syndicates who rig matches
25 One minute withhellip Tom Akers Spacersquos
trickiest problems ndash and mending Hubble
26 Hot and healing Uwe Hobohm thinks he
knows why bad infections could cure cancer
28 LETTERS
Smell of fear Heating oceans
Features30 Breaking relativity (see above left)
34 Land of make believe The fake past
of an island paradise
38 Sharper surgery Anaesthetic and
scalpels not required
42 Pachyderm politics (see left)
CultureLab46 Boldly going We may find life in space but
whether we can talk to it is another matter
48 Reading runes A preview of 2014rsquos crop
for lovers of good books and fine ideas
Regulars3 EDITORIAL
A short break from booze
may have long-lasting consequences
56 FEEDBACK Whales in the bath
57 THE LAST WORD Silk stockings
50 JOBS amp CAREERS
Aperture22 Buffalo stance broadside of an American icon
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How remote can you go
Out now the latest issue of Arc Forever alone drone
explores the technological wilderness over more than
180 pages of exciting new work from a fantastic selection
of notable writers
Every three months Arc explores the possibilities oftomorrowrsquos technologies and societies with unique
intelligence wit and charm publishing work by the
worldrsquos most visionary writers and thinkers It will
make you see the future in a whole new light
A r c 1 4 F o r e v e r a l o n e d r o n e
B u y y o u r c o p y n o w a t a r c f i n i t y o r g
A r c i s d e s i g n e d t o b e r e a d o n d i g i t a l d e v i c e s ndash t a b l e t s s m a r t p h o n e s K i n d l e s N o o k s P C s a n d M a c s
New science fiction from
Liz Jensen
Nancy Kress
Robert ReedBruce Sterling
Romie Stott
Jack Womack
New essays amp ideas about
the future from
Madeline Ashby
Simon Ings
Smaacuteri McCarthy
Sumit Paul-Choudhury
Kim Stanley Robinson
Frank Swain
Jon Turney
ldquoConsistently brilliantrdquondash guardiancouk
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |3
New year new habits
EDITORIAL
A short break from booze may have long-lasting consequences
Histories not stories
ldquoGet over the initial
discomfort of dryingout and healthierhabits may followrdquo
ET off limits butwithin reach
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copy 2014 Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
New Scientist ISSN 0262 4079 ispublished weekly except for the lastweek in December by Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
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Periodicals postage paid at New YorkNY and other mailing offices
Postmaster Send address changesto New Scientist PO Box 3806Chesterfield MO 63006-9953 USA
Registered at the Post Office as anewspaper and printed in USA by FryCommunications Inc MechanicsburgPA 17055
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4 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
G L O W I
M A G E S G E T T
Y I M A G E S
Peak light bulb
Weird Higgs please
Meat source
ndashCool runningsndash
ndashCost is first priorityndash
Snorkelling in spaceTAKE a breather spacewalkers
Working tirelessly over the holidayastronauts equipped with snorkels
successfully repaired damage to the
vital cooling system on board the
International Space Station
The system circulates ammonia to
keep internal and external instruments
at the correct temperature NASA
had to power down parts of three
ISS modules when it went offline
On 24 December astronauts
Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins
completed the second of three
planned spacewalks to replace a failed
pump module on the stationrsquos exterior
Although they were hit by a ldquomini
blizzardrdquo of toxic ammonia flakes that
burst from a supply line they finished
the job ahead of schedule eliminating
the need for a third outing
Hopkins was wearing the same
spacesuit used last July by Italianastronaut Luca Parmitano who
nearly drowned when his helmet
started filling with water NASA
investigators concluded that the
most likely cause of the leak was
contamination in the suitrsquos cooling
system which blocked a filter
Although the filter was cleared
NASA didnrsquot want to take any chances
so instructed the astronauts to
fashion snorkels from plastic tubes
and Velcro That would allow them
to breathe air from lower in the suit
in the event of a leak As it was their
helmets remained bone dry On
returning to the ISS Hopkins thanked
ground crew ldquoMerry Christmas to
everybody It took a couple of licks
to get her done but we got itrdquo
ldquoDue to the UKrsquos phasingout of incandescent lightbulbs therersquos been a hugedrop in energy demandrdquo
N A S A
UPFRONT
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 1
CONTENTS Volume 221 No 2950
This issue online
newscientistcomissue2950
News4 UPFRONT
Snorkel spacewalk success Steroids
added to athletesrsquo biological passports
Textbooks in Texas will include evolution6 THIS WEEK
Why it is worth going to Europa Bacteria
stop desert spreading First glimpse of a
possible exomoon Modified plants provide
fish oils GPS holds dark matter clues
Space-time neuroscience Ageing reversed
in mice
14 IN BRIEF
Flu vaccine unravels cause of narcolepsy
Volcanic lightning bottled Psyche the heavy
metal asteroid Ice-loving sea anemones
Coming next weekhellipDefusing dementiaWersquore becoming resistant to Alzheimerrsquos disease
Spin upA revolutionary way to crunch numbers
Cover imageRoss Holdenungluemylimbcom
30
42
Is a dry Januaryreally worth it
Liver tests revealthe value of amonthrsquos abstinence
6
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
D A V E S T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
Breakingrelativity
The celestial signalsthat defy Einstein
Pachydermpolitics
What does it taketo lead a herd ofelephants
Technology
17 Mixed reality AI game designer takes onhumans Charge batteries with static Virtual
fashion gives perfect fit Log in with your life
News
On the cover
Features
8 Destination Europa
Hotfoot to an icy moon
6 Off the booze
Is it worth quitting alcohol
for a month
17 Merged reality
Your world But better
34 Land of make believe
Fake past of a paradise
38 Sharper surgery
Anaesthetic and scalpels
not required
Opinion24 Fixing the fixers Scott Ferguson on hitting
back at online syndicates who rig matches
25 One minute withhellip Tom Akers Spacersquos
trickiest problems ndash and mending Hubble
26 Hot and healing Uwe Hobohm thinks he
knows why bad infections could cure cancer
28 LETTERS
Smell of fear Heating oceans
Features30 Breaking relativity (see above left)
34 Land of make believe The fake past
of an island paradise
38 Sharper surgery Anaesthetic and
scalpels not required
42 Pachyderm politics (see left)
CultureLab46 Boldly going We may find life in space but
whether we can talk to it is another matter
48 Reading runes A preview of 2014rsquos crop
for lovers of good books and fine ideas
Regulars3 EDITORIAL
A short break from booze
may have long-lasting consequences
56 FEEDBACK Whales in the bath
57 THE LAST WORD Silk stockings
50 JOBS amp CAREERS
Aperture22 Buffalo stance broadside of an American icon
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 460
How remote can you go
Out now the latest issue of Arc Forever alone drone
explores the technological wilderness over more than
180 pages of exciting new work from a fantastic selection
of notable writers
Every three months Arc explores the possibilities oftomorrowrsquos technologies and societies with unique
intelligence wit and charm publishing work by the
worldrsquos most visionary writers and thinkers It will
make you see the future in a whole new light
A r c 1 4 F o r e v e r a l o n e d r o n e
B u y y o u r c o p y n o w a t a r c f i n i t y o r g
A r c i s d e s i g n e d t o b e r e a d o n d i g i t a l d e v i c e s ndash t a b l e t s s m a r t p h o n e s K i n d l e s N o o k s P C s a n d M a c s
New science fiction from
Liz Jensen
Nancy Kress
Robert ReedBruce Sterling
Romie Stott
Jack Womack
New essays amp ideas about
the future from
Madeline Ashby
Simon Ings
Smaacuteri McCarthy
Sumit Paul-Choudhury
Kim Stanley Robinson
Frank Swain
Jon Turney
ldquoConsistently brilliantrdquondash guardiancouk
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |3
New year new habits
EDITORIAL
A short break from booze may have long-lasting consequences
Histories not stories
ldquoGet over the initial
discomfort of dryingout and healthierhabits may followrdquo
ET off limits butwithin reach
LOCATIONSUSA225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451
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AustraliaTower 2 475 Victoria AvenueChatswood NSW 2067Tel +61 2 9422 8559Fax +61 2 9422 8552
copy 2014 Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
New Scientist ISSN 0262 4079 ispublished weekly except for the lastweek in December by Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
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Periodicals postage paid at New YorkNY and other mailing offices
Postmaster Send address changesto New Scientist PO Box 3806Chesterfield MO 63006-9953 USA
Registered at the Post Office as anewspaper and printed in USA by FryCommunications Inc MechanicsburgPA 17055
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4 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
G L O W I
M A G E S G E T T
Y I M A G E S
Peak light bulb
Weird Higgs please
Meat source
ndashCool runningsndash
ndashCost is first priorityndash
Snorkelling in spaceTAKE a breather spacewalkers
Working tirelessly over the holidayastronauts equipped with snorkels
successfully repaired damage to the
vital cooling system on board the
International Space Station
The system circulates ammonia to
keep internal and external instruments
at the correct temperature NASA
had to power down parts of three
ISS modules when it went offline
On 24 December astronauts
Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins
completed the second of three
planned spacewalks to replace a failed
pump module on the stationrsquos exterior
Although they were hit by a ldquomini
blizzardrdquo of toxic ammonia flakes that
burst from a supply line they finished
the job ahead of schedule eliminating
the need for a third outing
Hopkins was wearing the same
spacesuit used last July by Italianastronaut Luca Parmitano who
nearly drowned when his helmet
started filling with water NASA
investigators concluded that the
most likely cause of the leak was
contamination in the suitrsquos cooling
system which blocked a filter
Although the filter was cleared
NASA didnrsquot want to take any chances
so instructed the astronauts to
fashion snorkels from plastic tubes
and Velcro That would allow them
to breathe air from lower in the suit
in the event of a leak As it was their
helmets remained bone dry On
returning to the ISS Hopkins thanked
ground crew ldquoMerry Christmas to
everybody It took a couple of licks
to get her done but we got itrdquo
ldquoDue to the UKrsquos phasingout of incandescent lightbulbs therersquos been a hugedrop in energy demandrdquo
N A S A
UPFRONT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2060
18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2160
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 1
CONTENTS Volume 221 No 2950
This issue online
newscientistcomissue2950
News4 UPFRONT
Snorkel spacewalk success Steroids
added to athletesrsquo biological passports
Textbooks in Texas will include evolution6 THIS WEEK
Why it is worth going to Europa Bacteria
stop desert spreading First glimpse of a
possible exomoon Modified plants provide
fish oils GPS holds dark matter clues
Space-time neuroscience Ageing reversed
in mice
14 IN BRIEF
Flu vaccine unravels cause of narcolepsy
Volcanic lightning bottled Psyche the heavy
metal asteroid Ice-loving sea anemones
Coming next weekhellipDefusing dementiaWersquore becoming resistant to Alzheimerrsquos disease
Spin upA revolutionary way to crunch numbers
Cover imageRoss Holdenungluemylimbcom
30
42
Is a dry Januaryreally worth it
Liver tests revealthe value of amonthrsquos abstinence
6
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
D A V E S T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
Breakingrelativity
The celestial signalsthat defy Einstein
Pachydermpolitics
What does it taketo lead a herd ofelephants
Technology
17 Mixed reality AI game designer takes onhumans Charge batteries with static Virtual
fashion gives perfect fit Log in with your life
News
On the cover
Features
8 Destination Europa
Hotfoot to an icy moon
6 Off the booze
Is it worth quitting alcohol
for a month
17 Merged reality
Your world But better
34 Land of make believe
Fake past of a paradise
38 Sharper surgery
Anaesthetic and scalpels
not required
Opinion24 Fixing the fixers Scott Ferguson on hitting
back at online syndicates who rig matches
25 One minute withhellip Tom Akers Spacersquos
trickiest problems ndash and mending Hubble
26 Hot and healing Uwe Hobohm thinks he
knows why bad infections could cure cancer
28 LETTERS
Smell of fear Heating oceans
Features30 Breaking relativity (see above left)
34 Land of make believe The fake past
of an island paradise
38 Sharper surgery Anaesthetic and
scalpels not required
42 Pachyderm politics (see left)
CultureLab46 Boldly going We may find life in space but
whether we can talk to it is another matter
48 Reading runes A preview of 2014rsquos crop
for lovers of good books and fine ideas
Regulars3 EDITORIAL
A short break from booze
may have long-lasting consequences
56 FEEDBACK Whales in the bath
57 THE LAST WORD Silk stockings
50 JOBS amp CAREERS
Aperture22 Buffalo stance broadside of an American icon
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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How remote can you go
Out now the latest issue of Arc Forever alone drone
explores the technological wilderness over more than
180 pages of exciting new work from a fantastic selection
of notable writers
Every three months Arc explores the possibilities oftomorrowrsquos technologies and societies with unique
intelligence wit and charm publishing work by the
worldrsquos most visionary writers and thinkers It will
make you see the future in a whole new light
A r c 1 4 F o r e v e r a l o n e d r o n e
B u y y o u r c o p y n o w a t a r c f i n i t y o r g
A r c i s d e s i g n e d t o b e r e a d o n d i g i t a l d e v i c e s ndash t a b l e t s s m a r t p h o n e s K i n d l e s N o o k s P C s a n d M a c s
New science fiction from
Liz Jensen
Nancy Kress
Robert ReedBruce Sterling
Romie Stott
Jack Womack
New essays amp ideas about
the future from
Madeline Ashby
Simon Ings
Smaacuteri McCarthy
Sumit Paul-Choudhury
Kim Stanley Robinson
Frank Swain
Jon Turney
ldquoConsistently brilliantrdquondash guardiancouk
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |3
New year new habits
EDITORIAL
A short break from booze may have long-lasting consequences
Histories not stories
ldquoGet over the initial
discomfort of dryingout and healthierhabits may followrdquo
ET off limits butwithin reach
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copy 2014 Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
New Scientist ISSN 0262 4079 ispublished weekly except for the lastweek in December by Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
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Periodicals postage paid at New YorkNY and other mailing offices
Postmaster Send address changesto New Scientist PO Box 3806Chesterfield MO 63006-9953 USA
Registered at the Post Office as anewspaper and printed in USA by FryCommunications Inc MechanicsburgPA 17055
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4 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
G L O W I
M A G E S G E T T
Y I M A G E S
Peak light bulb
Weird Higgs please
Meat source
ndashCool runningsndash
ndashCost is first priorityndash
Snorkelling in spaceTAKE a breather spacewalkers
Working tirelessly over the holidayastronauts equipped with snorkels
successfully repaired damage to the
vital cooling system on board the
International Space Station
The system circulates ammonia to
keep internal and external instruments
at the correct temperature NASA
had to power down parts of three
ISS modules when it went offline
On 24 December astronauts
Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins
completed the second of three
planned spacewalks to replace a failed
pump module on the stationrsquos exterior
Although they were hit by a ldquomini
blizzardrdquo of toxic ammonia flakes that
burst from a supply line they finished
the job ahead of schedule eliminating
the need for a third outing
Hopkins was wearing the same
spacesuit used last July by Italianastronaut Luca Parmitano who
nearly drowned when his helmet
started filling with water NASA
investigators concluded that the
most likely cause of the leak was
contamination in the suitrsquos cooling
system which blocked a filter
Although the filter was cleared
NASA didnrsquot want to take any chances
so instructed the astronauts to
fashion snorkels from plastic tubes
and Velcro That would allow them
to breathe air from lower in the suit
in the event of a leak As it was their
helmets remained bone dry On
returning to the ISS Hopkins thanked
ground crew ldquoMerry Christmas to
everybody It took a couple of licks
to get her done but we got itrdquo
ldquoDue to the UKrsquos phasingout of incandescent lightbulbs therersquos been a hugedrop in energy demandrdquo
N A S A
UPFRONT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2060
18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 460
How remote can you go
Out now the latest issue of Arc Forever alone drone
explores the technological wilderness over more than
180 pages of exciting new work from a fantastic selection
of notable writers
Every three months Arc explores the possibilities oftomorrowrsquos technologies and societies with unique
intelligence wit and charm publishing work by the
worldrsquos most visionary writers and thinkers It will
make you see the future in a whole new light
A r c 1 4 F o r e v e r a l o n e d r o n e
B u y y o u r c o p y n o w a t a r c f i n i t y o r g
A r c i s d e s i g n e d t o b e r e a d o n d i g i t a l d e v i c e s ndash t a b l e t s s m a r t p h o n e s K i n d l e s N o o k s P C s a n d M a c s
New science fiction from
Liz Jensen
Nancy Kress
Robert ReedBruce Sterling
Romie Stott
Jack Womack
New essays amp ideas about
the future from
Madeline Ashby
Simon Ings
Smaacuteri McCarthy
Sumit Paul-Choudhury
Kim Stanley Robinson
Frank Swain
Jon Turney
ldquoConsistently brilliantrdquondash guardiancouk
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |3
New year new habits
EDITORIAL
A short break from booze may have long-lasting consequences
Histories not stories
ldquoGet over the initial
discomfort of dryingout and healthierhabits may followrdquo
ET off limits butwithin reach
LOCATIONSUSA225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451
Tel +1 781 734 8770Fax +1 720 356 9217
201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Tel +1 415 908 3348Fax +1 415 704 3125
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AustraliaTower 2 475 Victoria AvenueChatswood NSW 2067Tel +61 2 9422 8559Fax +61 2 9422 8552
copy 2014 Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
New Scientist ISSN 0262 4079 ispublished weekly except for the lastweek in December by Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
Reed Business Information co SchnellPublishing Co Inc 360 Park AvenueSouth 12th Floor New York NY 10010
Periodicals postage paid at New YorkNY and other mailing offices
Postmaster Send address changesto New Scientist PO Box 3806Chesterfield MO 63006-9953 USA
Registered at the Post Office as anewspaper and printed in USA by FryCommunications Inc MechanicsburgPA 17055
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4 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
G L O W I
M A G E S G E T T
Y I M A G E S
Peak light bulb
Weird Higgs please
Meat source
ndashCool runningsndash
ndashCost is first priorityndash
Snorkelling in spaceTAKE a breather spacewalkers
Working tirelessly over the holidayastronauts equipped with snorkels
successfully repaired damage to the
vital cooling system on board the
International Space Station
The system circulates ammonia to
keep internal and external instruments
at the correct temperature NASA
had to power down parts of three
ISS modules when it went offline
On 24 December astronauts
Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins
completed the second of three
planned spacewalks to replace a failed
pump module on the stationrsquos exterior
Although they were hit by a ldquomini
blizzardrdquo of toxic ammonia flakes that
burst from a supply line they finished
the job ahead of schedule eliminating
the need for a third outing
Hopkins was wearing the same
spacesuit used last July by Italianastronaut Luca Parmitano who
nearly drowned when his helmet
started filling with water NASA
investigators concluded that the
most likely cause of the leak was
contamination in the suitrsquos cooling
system which blocked a filter
Although the filter was cleared
NASA didnrsquot want to take any chances
so instructed the astronauts to
fashion snorkels from plastic tubes
and Velcro That would allow them
to breathe air from lower in the suit
in the event of a leak As it was their
helmets remained bone dry On
returning to the ISS Hopkins thanked
ground crew ldquoMerry Christmas to
everybody It took a couple of licks
to get her done but we got itrdquo
ldquoDue to the UKrsquos phasingout of incandescent lightbulbs therersquos been a hugedrop in energy demandrdquo
N A S A
UPFRONT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 560
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |3
New year new habits
EDITORIAL
A short break from booze may have long-lasting consequences
Histories not stories
ldquoGet over the initial
discomfort of dryingout and healthierhabits may followrdquo
ET off limits butwithin reach
LOCATIONSUSA225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451
Tel +1 781 734 8770Fax +1 720 356 9217
201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Tel +1 415 908 3348Fax +1 415 704 3125
UKLacon House 84 TheobaldrsquosRoad London WC1X 8NSTel +44 (0) 20 7611 1200Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1250
AustraliaTower 2 475 Victoria AvenueChatswood NSW 2067Tel +61 2 9422 8559Fax +61 2 9422 8552
copy 2014 Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
New Scientist ISSN 0262 4079 ispublished weekly except for the lastweek in December by Reed BusinessInformation Ltd England
Reed Business Information co SchnellPublishing Co Inc 360 Park AvenueSouth 12th Floor New York NY 10010
Periodicals postage paid at New YorkNY and other mailing offices
Postmaster Send address changesto New Scientist PO Box 3806Chesterfield MO 63006-9953 USA
Registered at the Post Office as anewspaper and printed in USA by FryCommunications Inc MechanicsburgPA 17055
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
For our latest subscription offers visit
newscientistcomsubscribe
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Telephone 1-888-822-3242
Email subscribenewscientistcom
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Mail New Scientist PO Box 3806Chesterfield MO 63006-9953 USA
One year subscription (51 issues) $154
CONTACTSContact usnewscientistcomcontact
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General amp media enquiriesTel 781 734 8770enquiriesnewscientistcom
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4 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
G L O W I
M A G E S G E T T
Y I M A G E S
Peak light bulb
Weird Higgs please
Meat source
ndashCool runningsndash
ndashCost is first priorityndash
Snorkelling in spaceTAKE a breather spacewalkers
Working tirelessly over the holidayastronauts equipped with snorkels
successfully repaired damage to the
vital cooling system on board the
International Space Station
The system circulates ammonia to
keep internal and external instruments
at the correct temperature NASA
had to power down parts of three
ISS modules when it went offline
On 24 December astronauts
Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins
completed the second of three
planned spacewalks to replace a failed
pump module on the stationrsquos exterior
Although they were hit by a ldquomini
blizzardrdquo of toxic ammonia flakes that
burst from a supply line they finished
the job ahead of schedule eliminating
the need for a third outing
Hopkins was wearing the same
spacesuit used last July by Italianastronaut Luca Parmitano who
nearly drowned when his helmet
started filling with water NASA
investigators concluded that the
most likely cause of the leak was
contamination in the suitrsquos cooling
system which blocked a filter
Although the filter was cleared
NASA didnrsquot want to take any chances
so instructed the astronauts to
fashion snorkels from plastic tubes
and Velcro That would allow them
to breathe air from lower in the suit
in the event of a leak As it was their
helmets remained bone dry On
returning to the ISS Hopkins thanked
ground crew ldquoMerry Christmas to
everybody It took a couple of licks
to get her done but we got itrdquo
ldquoDue to the UKrsquos phasingout of incandescent lightbulbs therersquos been a hugedrop in energy demandrdquo
N A S A
UPFRONT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 860
6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
G L O W I
M A G E S G E T T
Y I M A G E S
Peak light bulb
Weird Higgs please
Meat source
ndashCool runningsndash
ndashCost is first priorityndash
Snorkelling in spaceTAKE a breather spacewalkers
Working tirelessly over the holidayastronauts equipped with snorkels
successfully repaired damage to the
vital cooling system on board the
International Space Station
The system circulates ammonia to
keep internal and external instruments
at the correct temperature NASA
had to power down parts of three
ISS modules when it went offline
On 24 December astronauts
Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins
completed the second of three
planned spacewalks to replace a failed
pump module on the stationrsquos exterior
Although they were hit by a ldquomini
blizzardrdquo of toxic ammonia flakes that
burst from a supply line they finished
the job ahead of schedule eliminating
the need for a third outing
Hopkins was wearing the same
spacesuit used last July by Italianastronaut Luca Parmitano who
nearly drowned when his helmet
started filling with water NASA
investigators concluded that the
most likely cause of the leak was
contamination in the suitrsquos cooling
system which blocked a filter
Although the filter was cleared
NASA didnrsquot want to take any chances
so instructed the astronauts to
fashion snorkels from plastic tubes
and Velcro That would allow them
to breathe air from lower in the suit
in the event of a leak As it was their
helmets remained bone dry On
returning to the ISS Hopkins thanked
ground crew ldquoMerry Christmas to
everybody It took a couple of licks
to get her done but we got itrdquo
ldquoDue to the UKrsquos phasingout of incandescent lightbulbs therersquos been a hugedrop in energy demandrdquo
N A S A
UPFRONT
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1260
For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 5
Lone Star evolution
Fukushima renews
SPORTS cheats beware As of
1 January professional athletes
became subject to routine checks on
steroid concentrations in their urine
These tests wonrsquot be used to spot
specific drugs but to form a baseline
by which to detect any future
suspicious deviations from the
athletersquos normal physiology The
checks have been added to the World
Anti-Doping Agencyrsquos ldquobiological
passportrdquo a procedure for monitoring
every athletersquos metabolic profile
Since WADA introduced the
passports in 2009 various
components of athletesrsquo blood are
tested about nine times a year These
include the mass of oxygen-carrying
haemoglobin and the number of red
blood cells present in a sample which
can reveal a suspected blood
transfusion or doping with the
hormone erythropoietin which
enriches the oxygen content of blood
Now the same routine is being
applied to steroids found in urine
To date the only routine check on
steroid misuse is through individual
measurements of testosterone and
epitestosterone
WADA says that the new steroid
profile will monitor six steroids and
the ratios between them to gauge
any abnormal fluctuations from
ratios normally present in urine
ldquoWe canrsquot put a number on how many
people will be caught out but a more
intelligent anti-doping programme
should deter athletes from cheatingrdquo
says Ben Nichols a WADA spokesman
lsquoPassportrsquo to spot steroid cheats
ndashNo drugs allowedndash
J E F R I T
A R I G A N R E X
60 SECONDS
Beatle on Mercury John Lennon lives on ndash but not on
Earth The late Beatle along with
author Truman Capote is among the
namesakes for 10 craters recently
discovered on Mercury by NASArsquos
Messenger probe Tradition states
that craters are named after
deceased artists and authors
Heavenly weatherThe UK is to become one of a handful
of countries that forecast the
weather in space Solar flares and
space storms can disrupt satellites
GPS and radio communications The
UK Met Office has teamed up with
partners in the US to provide dailyforecasts that will help protect vital
services from celestial disruptions
Rescue robots are goA two-legged robot called Schaft
has won the penultimate round of
DARPArsquos rescue challenge ndash intended
to encourage the creation of robots
that can help out in a disaster During
the 2-day competition in Florida
Google-owned Schaft climbed a
24-metre-high ladder closed valves
and cut through concrete walls The
winner of the final in late 2014 will
be awarded $2 million
Cracking pardonAlan Turing the British mathematician
famed for breaking the German
enigma code arguably helping to
end the second world war has
received a posthumous royal pardon
Turing lost his job and was chemically
castrated after being convicted for
homosexual activity in 1952 He
committed suicide two years later
Antarcticarsquos icy graspA second rescue mission has failed to
reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
the scientific research vessel that
has been stuck in ice off the coast of
Antarctica since 25 December The
vessel intended to repeat studies
carried out in 1911 to see how the
area had changed over a century
Fifty scientists and tourists now
await clear weather for evacuation
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
ldquoIt might have anamusement park feel butwersquore trying to show whatthe future could holdrdquo
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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6 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Andy Coghlan and nine colleagues find that a monthof alcohol abstinence made a difference to their livers
HERErsquoS TO ADRY JANUARY
Minersquos an orange
juiceNew
Scientist staff
forswore alcohol
for a month and
reduced their liver
fat by 15 per cent
983123983120983109983107983113983105L 983122983109983120O983122T 983105L983107O983112OL 983105983118983108 983112983109983105LT983112
P H O T O G R A P H Y D A V E S
T O C K F O R N E W S
C I E N T I S T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 7
Thanks to all who gave up their free time
including Matteo Roselli and Emmanuel
Tsochatzis at the Royal Free Hospital for
performing the liver scans
Cutting out the booze
New Scientist
Liver fat
The bad stuff decreased
while the good stuff increased
-15 -5 -23-2
+10 +95 +18 +17
Cholesterol Glucose Weight
Sleep Wakefulness
CAP measures the decrease in amplitude of ultrasound waves as they pass through the liverwhich corresponds to the amount of fat present Rating on scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best)
Concentration Work performance
Ultrasound
scans measured
how ldquofattyrdquo our
livers were
In this section
Bacteria stop desert spreading page 9
Space-time neuroscience page 13
Virtual fashion gives perfect 1047297t page 20
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1860
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2060
18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2160
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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8 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Lisa Grossman
ndashHello anyone homendash
Water plumes sparka race to Europa
N A S A J P L 983085 C A L T E C H
THIS WEEK
Reports of a possible water plume
on Jupiterrsquos moon Europa have raised
the stakes for a trip there ndash and two
more findings presented last month
also add to its appeal
James Shirley at NASArsquos Jet
Propulsion Laboratory applied
updated analysis to archival data
from the Galileo probe which orbited
Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 He
found clay-like minerals on Europarsquos
surface debris from meteor impacts
that may contain life-building
compounds called organics
Simon Kattenhorn at the
University of Idaho in Moscow also
looked at Galileo data and found that
Europarsquos ice crust has active plate
tectonics Water may rise to the
surface where the plates are pulling
apart while ice may sink to the ocean
where one plate slides under another
This would provide a way to seed the
water with fresh nutrients
THE CASE FOR LIFE UNDER THE ICE
ldquoMini-probes calledCubeSats driven by xenonthrusters could take a firslook at Europarsquos seawaterrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 9
Spray bacteria on thedesert to halt its spread
Hal Hodson
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
First teasingglimpse of analien moon
A NEWLY DETECTED celestial body
may be the first moon spotted
outside our solar system Massive
far from its parent planet and with no
host star the candidate ldquoexomoonrdquo
is unlike any other known moon
With so many exoplanets already
found the hunt is on for exomoons
Until now they had proved elusive
ldquoThis is the first serious candidaterdquo
says David Kipping of Harvard
University who was not involved in
finding it The mooted moon and its
parent planet drift star-less in the
cosmos This makes them unlikelyto host life but some people expect
exomoons in general to be more
life-friendly than their planets
The uncertain status of the weird
objects stems from how they were
detected As they passed in front of
a distant star their gravity amplified
its light first by 70 times and then an
hour later by a smaller amount David
Bennett of the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana and his colleagues
report that they spotted this
ldquomicrolensingrdquo effect in 2011 using
telescopes around the world It fits
with a large object passing in front
of the star followed by a smaller one
Deducing what the objects areis harder If they are only about
1800 light years from our solar
system then they are a planet about
four times the mass of Jupiter and a
moon about half the mass of Earth
But the readings also fit another
scenario a small or failed star
orbited by a Neptune-mass planet
(arxivorgabs13123951)
Detecting the bodies again to
determine the truth may be
impossible because spotting objectsvia microlensing requires them to
line up in a particular way
If the planet-moon scenario is
correct then the duo is weird Not
only would the moon be massive
it would also orbit about 20 million
kilometres from its planet For
comparison Jupiterrsquos moon
Ganymede the largest in the solar
system is about 1 million kilometres
out and just 2 per cent Earthrsquos mass
Strangest of all the moon and planet
have no host star Jacob Aron
ldquoNot only would theexomoon be massive itwould also orbit 20 millionkilometres from its planetrdquo
ndashLiving on the edgendash
Q I L A I S H E N P A N O S
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
breitl ing for bentleycom
British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
Luxury and accomplishment Class and audacity Power and refinement Perfectly epitomising this exceptional
world the Bentley B06 chronograph houses a Manufacture Breitling calibre chronometer-certified by the COSC
(Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability It is
distinguished by its exclusive ldquo30-second chronographrdquo system enabling extremely precise readings of the measured
times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1360
BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1460
12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1860
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2060
18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2260
TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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For your nearest stockist in Great Britain and Ireland telephone 020 7518 7010
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British chic Swiss excellence Breitling for Bentley combines the best of both worlds Style and performance
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times A proud alliance between the grand art of British carmaking and the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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BENTLEY B06
THE ESSENCE OF BRITAIN
Made in Switzerland by BREITLING
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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12 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
THIS WEEK
Andy Coghlan
Designer plant
oozes vital fish oils
GPS satellites
hint at Earthlydark matter
GPS is handy for finding a route but
it might be able to solve fundamental
questions in physics too An analysis
of GPS satellite orbits hints that Earth
is heavier than thought perhaps due
to a halo of dark matter
Dark matter is thought to make up
about 80 per cent of the universersquos
matter but little else is known about
it including its distribution in the
solar system Hints that the stuff
might surround Earth come from
observations of space probes severalof which changed their speeds in
unexpected ways as they flew past
Earth In 2009 Steve Adler of the
Institute of Advanced Studies in
Princeton New Jersey showed how
dark matter bound by Earthrsquos gravity
could explain these anomalies
Ben Harris at the University of
Texas at Arlington wondered if dark
matter might also affect satellites
ldquoThe nice thing about GPS satellites is
that we know their orbits really really
wellrdquo he says From nine months of
data on the satellites in the GLONASS
GPS and Galileo groups he calculated
Earthrsquos mass as ldquofeltrdquo by each oneAt a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco
in December he reported an average
figure that was between 0005 and
0008 per cent greater than the value
for Earthrsquos mass established by the
International Astronomical Union A
disc of dark matter around the equator
191 kilometres thick and 70000 km
across can explain this he says
Harris has yet to account forperturbations to the satellitesrsquo orbits
due to relativity and the gravitation
pull of the sun and moon Whatrsquos
more preliminary data from NASArsquos
Juno probe also presented at the AG
meeting suggests its speed was as
expected as it flew by Earth casting
doubt on the earlier anomalies
But if Harrisrsquos explanation is
correct satellites could reveal
properties of dark matter such as
whether its particles interact with
each other Anil Ananthaswamy
ldquoThe extra weight of theEarth may be explainedby a disc of dark matteraround the equatorrdquo
S T E F A N R
O S E N G R E N P L A I N P I C T U R E
ndashBetter harvested from fieldsndash
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 13
Past is a blur if the rightside of your brain is faulty
Helen Thomson
ldquoThey have troubleimagining the left side oftheir timeline and assignpast events to the futurerdquo
For daily news stories visit newscientistcomnews
How to turnback the clock
on ageingIMAGINE if we could turn back time
A team that has identified a new way
in which cells age has also reversed it
giving old mice younger bodies
One way mammalian cells produce
energy is via aerobic respiration This
takes place mainly in mitochondria ndash
the powerhouses of cells While
mitochondria carry their own
genomes some cellular components
needed for respiration are produced
by the nucleus so the two must
coordinate their activities As we
age mitochondrial function declines
which can lead to disease
To investigate why Ana Gomes
at Harvard Medical School and her
colleagues compared levels of
messenger RNA ndash molecules that
convey genetic information around
a cell ndash for the cellular components
needed for respiration in the skeletal
muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice
Levels of mRNA in the nucleus
were similar in young and old mice
while levels in the mitochondria
decreased with age
Similar changes were seen in mice
lacking a protein called SIRT1 These
mice also had higher levels of a
protein produced by the nucleus
called HIF-1-alpha This suggests that
communication between the nucleus
and the mitochondria depends on
events involving both these proteins
As long as SIRT1 levels remain high
this type of ageing is kept at bay But
SIRT1 levels are controlled by another
molecule called NAD+ and crucially
that declines with age leading toa breakdown in communication
To see if they could fix this
breakdown the team injected the
old mice twice daily for a week with
a molecule known to increase NAD+
At the end of the week markers for
muscular atrophy and inflammation
had dropped and the mice developed
a muscle type common in 6-month-
old mice (Cell doiorgqpb) ldquoIt gives
us a new pathway to target that can
reverse some aspects of ageingrdquo
says Gomes Laasya Samhita
ndashLeft hand of darknessndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1660
14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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14 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A safer way oftesting embryos
High-pressure fake volcanoproves a spark of inspiration
HOW realistic can you make a model volcano One team
of geologists seems to have gone the extra mile ndash theirs
crackles with lightning as it erupts
Volcanic lightning was first documented by Pliny the
Younger following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79 but no one knows exactly what causes it One idea
suggested by previous research is that ash particles slam
into each other as they are ejected during an eruption
generating a frictional charge So Corrado Cimarelli and
colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Germany built a model volcano to mimic the process
L
U C A S J A C K S O N R E U T E R S
IN BRIEF
Pacific coral happy as water acidity rises
They took recently ejected ash including some from
the infamous 2010 eruption of Icelandrsquos Eyjafjallajoumlkull
and put it in a tube kept at 100 times atmospheric
pressure They then allowed it to vent through a nozzle
into a large tank of air at normal pressure mimicking the
sudden release of material from a volcano
By filming their miniature eruption with a high-speed
camera the researchers discovered that it generated
lightning sparks The finer the ash particles the more
lightning the team recorded (Geology doiorgqfz)
Cimarelli says the correlation between the number
of lightning bolts and the ash concentration may help
us predict the level of disruption to flights after large
eruptions It is this fine ash that is most likely to rise
to cruising altitude and pose a threat to air traffic
Metal world hasmagnetic appeal
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2560
234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2960
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 1960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 17
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
TECHNOLOGY
Despite the rise of videoconferencing
and apps like FaceTime virtual
systems still cannot match meeting
in person A European Union project
called Beaming aims to change that
by placing people in a virtual location
where they can interact in a way that
feels just like the real world
Will Steptoersquos system is one way of
doing this (see main story) but other
projects are already giving people
a physical form at their destination
allowing them to ldquoinhabitrdquo the body
of a robot say New insights into how
the brain represents the body are
helping to make such embodiment
more realistic Beaming is focusing
on systems for remote teaching
virtual conferences and rehab for
patients in remote areas
Out-of-body experiences
ndashWelcome to my worldndash
ldquoIn mixed reality a personstill sees the real worldfrom their normalembodied perspectiverdquo
Sandrine Ceurstemont
The virtual in realityA new blending of the physical and virtual suggestswe could one day live our lives in ldquomixed realityrdquo
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2560
234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2760
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3360
W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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18 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ndashCould AIs match this kind of surrealityndash
Douglas Heaven
Game on computerAIs are taking on humans in a contest to create engaging video games
ldquoThe game created by theAI had better gameplayand graphics than severalother entriesrdquo
R O B O T L O V E S K I T T Y L U D U M D
A R E
TECHNOLOGY
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For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2560
234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2160
For more technology stories visit newscientistcomtechnology
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 19
Battery-in-a-box backpack
charges gadgets on the goWEARABLE computers are on their
way and soon yoursquoll be able to power
them yourself A new type of nano-
generator converts movement from
walking into electricity to keep your
gadgets going
Wearable generators often use
electromagnetic induction which
is efficient but requires bulky
heavy magnets Smaller lighter
piezoelectric generators use ceramic
crystal to convert pressure into
voltage but they are expensive
and a lot less efficient
Now Zhong Lin Wang and
colleagues at the Georgia Institute of
Technology Atlanta have captured
the electricity generated from
bringing two differently charged
surfaces into contact then separating
them This is called the triboelectric
effect the same process that causes
static electricity shocks
To use tribolectric nano-
generators (TENGs) to create a
power-generating backpack the
team coated one side of plastic
cards with aluminium film filled with
nano-scale pores The other side
had copper film that had an array of
polymer nanowires on its surface
They then arranged the cards in a
rhombus like a collapsible cardboard
box (see diagram)
Every step you take makes the box
collapse in on itself so the two sides
of the cards come into contact
Nanowires and pores interlock
increasing the contact area and
correspondingly the amount of
charge that builds up After each
collapse a spring makes the sides
jump back into shape separating
the cards and creating a potential
difference that drives current
through a circuit The TENGs are
about 50 per cent efficient comparing
well to piezoelectric systems which
struggle to get beyond 8 per cent
In tests the 2 kilogram backpack
generated over 1 watt of power
during walking enough to run 40
LEDs simultaneously (ACS Nano
doiorgqhz) Existing backpack
generators based on electromagnetic
induction produce 5 to 20 watts but
weigh 10 times as much
A separate experiment used
the same method to charge a lithium-
ion battery (ACS Nano doiorg
qhzqhx) Wang envisions TENGs
built directly into sensors phones
and wearable computers His team
recently built a stand-alone generator
capable of powering a smartphone
MacGregor Campbell
ldquoThe 2 kilogram backpackgenerated 1 watt of powerduring walking enoughelectricity to run 40 LEDs rdquo
Have backpack will charge batteries
The bodys movement causes the weights to bounce compressing the boxwhile the springs return it to its original shape
The nanowires andpores interlockincreasing contact areaand creating the charge
CARDS
WEIGHT
SPRING
Coppernanowires
Aluminiumnanopores
Moral zombie game DayZ takes off
A video game has made a huge splash the unique survival
shooter ldquoDayZrdquo sold over 172000 copies in just 24 hours
after its release on 16 December by Bohemia Interactive
of Prague in the Czech Republic Zombies are always a
threat and so is disease and starvation The real interest
stems from its unusual premise Players compete for
resources like medicine food and weapons but crucially
when a player dies they lose everything and must start
from scratch
ldquoThe current storage by thegovernment of bulk metadatacreates potential risks to public trust
personal privacy and civil libertyrdquoA White House report into the NSAs surveillance of US citizens
released on 12 December called for wholesale changes to the
way the agency collects phone data
Now your fridge is on the net
Sharks pedometers fridges radiation sensors All these
things and many more can now talk to the internet
Thingfulnet launched last month is a map-based
interface that aims to unlock the potential of all that chatter
Thingful collates information from the Internet of Things
data sets and displays it on a map For example you can
find tagged sharks and follow their progress as they explorethe oceans
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It is funny how funny a stick man can be Harry Griffin and
a team at University College London have captured how
people move their bodies when they laugh and transferred
it to simple avatars The laughing stick men are part of Ilhaire
a European project that aims to make chatbot avatars laugh
more realistically It will help cartoons video game and CGI
movie animators make their characters more believable
ONE PER CENT
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2260
TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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TECHNOLOGY
20 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
ITrsquoS the curse of online clothes
shopping You come across a shirt you
simply must have only to find that
what you receive doesnrsquot fit despite
being in your size How can you order
clothes with confidence when you
canrsquot try them on
A new wave of start-ups are finding
clever ways to address the problem
Virtual fitting rooms are one solution
The London-based firm Fitsme
founded in 2010 creates them for
brands such as Hugo Boss and Superdry
The company teamed up with
researchers at several universities to
build robot mannequins that can adjust
their proportions to match just about
any set of human measurements
To set up the fitting room
developers run through most of thesize-shape combinations the dummies
can assume and take several
thousand photos of them dressed in
every available size of each shirt or
dress from extra small to XXXL
Software then looks at measurements
keyed in by shoppers such as height
arm length and collar size and displays
the mannequin photo set that best
matches their body trying on clothes in
sizes the user is interested in Potential
problems ndash where a shirt is too tight
for example ndash are flagged up In a trial
involving the British clothing brand
Henri Lloyd the return rate for
garments was 45 per cent for a group
of customers who used the software
compared with 153 per cent for a
group that did not
Another start-up wants to redefine
our system for sizing clothes ldquoWe think
itrsquos kind of ridiculous that despite all
of us coming in so many different
shapes and sizes wersquore stuck with
small medium and largerdquo says Matt
Hornbuckle co-founder of Stantt
a New Jersey-based firm that
manufactures menrsquos shirts to fit
70 sets of body measurements
To arrive at these Hornbuckle
hired another company to analyse
200000 measurements of menrsquos
bodies looking for correlations It
found that three numbers ndash chest size
waist and sleeve length ndash are enough
to predict which of those 70 options
would best fit someone Stanttrsquos first
shirts priced at $98 will ship in May The
companyrsquos recent Kickstarter campaign
raised $120000 and collected
pre-orders for around 1000 shirts mdash a
sign Hornbuckle says that customers
are eager for change ldquoThe retail store
itself and how they operate is
becoming obsoleterdquo he says
Arden Reed a New York-based
start-up wants to take this
personalised approach a step further
with its bespoke suits Six months
ago the company began sizing
customers using a remodelled truck
equipped with a 3D body scanner
It has 14 Kinect sensors that record
around 15 million body contour points
in a process lasting 10 minutes
The readings are converted into
measurements for the tailoring to be
outsourced to China and customers
receive their suit six weeks later for
between $500 and $1500 They canorder more in the same size online
The scanner has ventured to Boston
and Washington DC and will debut in
Miami this year ldquoThe truck concept
allows us to not limit ourselves to
a storerdquo says Carlos Solorio Arden
Reedrsquos co-founder Stantt and Arden
Reed now want to expand their range
to include womenrsquos clothing
ldquoTherersquos no question that virtual
fitting tools will become a standard
part of online shoppingrdquo says Fitsme
CEO Heikki Haldre Rachel Nuwer
Perfect fashion by numbersVirtual fitting rooms and body scans will make ordering clothes foolproof
A R
D E N R
E E D
ldquoKinect sensors record15 million body contourpoints for the tailoring tobe outsourced to Chinardquo
983113983118983123983113983111983112T O983150983148983145983150e 983155983144o983152983152983145983150983143
SICK of having to remember a
zillion passwords Logging in using
obscure facts about your everyday
life could be the answer
Called narrative authentication
the system was developed by
Carson Brown and colleagues at
Carleton University in Ottawa
Canada It uses software running in
the background on a computer or
smartphone to log your activities
The system can for example note
how long you spent playing a video
game which one it was and the
time you stopped It also logs videos
you posted to Facebook and any
check-ins you made on social
networking sites such as
Foursquare You can also add your
own events to the narrative such as
when you passed your driving test
Once set up the system will
generate questions based on its
records ndash making logging in a little
like playing a text-based adventure
game according to Brown Itrsquos fun
he says and nowhere near as boring
as entering passwords The work
was first presented at a security
conference in September
Robert Ghanea-Hercock chief
security researcher at BTrsquos lab in
Ipswich UK says the system could
be a valuable addition to our range
of login strategies ldquoHumans are
better equipped to process stories
than random pass phrasesrdquo he says
Paul Marks
Log your routineand ditch those
inane passwords
ndashClothes will hug every contourndash
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2360
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2460
22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2560
234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2960
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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22 | NewScientist |22 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
983105983120983109983122T983125983122983109
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234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2560
234 January 2014 | NewScientist | 23
Buffalo stance
ON HIS deathbed in 1890 Crowfoot chief of
the Siksika Native American tribe said these
last words ldquoWhat is life It is the flash of a fireflyin the night It is the breath of a buffalo in the
wintertimerdquo
Is there a more iconic American animal than
the bison For centuries they were a key part of
the American way of life Five hundred years ago
bison ndash also known as American buffalo ndash were
arguably the dominant animal on the continent
There were an estimated 60 million ranging over
the plains ndash perhaps more than the human
population at the time although estimates of
pre-Columbian populations in North America vary
What is well established is that after Europeans
arrived in 1492 the number of bison started
falling then crashing towards extinction By
1890 the unthinkable had happened and there
were only 750 of these great animals left
There are now some 500000 across the
continent but only 20000 or so are ldquopurerdquo bison
The rest have genes from cattle the result of
interbreeding efforts in the early 20th century
The pure bison are inbred because the population
passed through a genetic bottleneck when it
almost went extinct But the species is saved
About 55000 bison live in the private herds of
CNN-founder Ted Turner This one at his Bad River
Ranch in South Dakota was snapped by German
photographers Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch
Rowan Hooper
Photographers
Heidi and Hans-Juumlrgen Koch eyevine
wwwlifeformphotographycom
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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24 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
OPINION
ldquoTechnology will ringalarm bells if a pound2 puntersuddenly places pound200bets on obscure eventsrdquo
Tackling the match-fixersOnline betting is luring criminal syndicates to rig sporting contests butbookmakers have the tools to hit back says industry expert Scott Ferguson
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2760
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 25
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
O983118983109 983117983113983118983125T983109 983113983118T983109983122V983113983109W
When the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched in 1990 a faulty mirror made
images blurry How was it fixed
The cameras on the telescope were taking data
but nothing was really working right To fix the
problem NASA discarded a working instrument to
free up space to put in the Corrective Optics Space
Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) During
the fourth spacewalk of the Hubble servicing
mission in 1993 we opened up the telescope so
my fellow astronaut Kathy Thornton could insert
COSTAR then I tightened the bolts and electrical
connections using a big electric drill
Were you nervous about moving around
inside the telescope
We had exact mock-ups to practise in during
underwater training so it was familiar ndash except
it was obviously real In the pool you know you
arenrsquot going to hurt anything During the actual
spacewalk you are suddenly cognisant of the
need to not accidentally kick things But after a
while you just do as you were trained Mission
control was watching too if we werenrsquot doing
everything perfectly they would tell us
Pass me the wrench
If it was mostly tightening bolts it sounds
as though a robot could have done the job
After the Columbia shuttle accident [in which
seven astronauts died in 2003] I was involved
with a team looking at doing a fully robotic repair
mission of Hubble My conclusion was that some
simple tasks could be done robotically but forharder tasks you werenrsquot going to get there with
robots alone How does a robot know for sure that
the wrench is on the bolt We are now getting
smarter physical feedback and feel for robots but
I still think you need that combination of human
vision and touch as well as the ability to react to
something you hadnrsquot planned for
So will astronauts work more closely with
robots on repair missions
We have already been working that way for a
while now Working on Hubble we would often
have an astronaut perched on the end of a robotic
arm The arm driver could then position the
spacewalker perfectly to perform a task like
inserting a part in a bracket On our missions we
had someone controlling the arm but you could
program it to do the same thing robotically
Isnrsquot it awkward to be bolted to a robot arm
Having your feet restrained during a spacewalk is
a comfortable job because you can do whatever
you want with the rest of your body When you
are free-floating every action has a reaction
I can still remember floating up to the bottom
of Hubble and getting ready to open the doors
If I grabbed hold of the handrail and squeezedit would rotate my whole body So you learn not
to grab and squeeze in space
After 20 years of glorious space images
what is your favourite Hubble picture
You could have an art show of Hubble images
they are all spectacular But honestly I like the
first image released after the repair mission the
shot of the spiral galaxy that was blurred next to
the one that was clear Thatrsquos the first image we
saw that said you guys fixed it
Interview by Victoria Jaggard
Twenty years after fixing the Hubble telescope Tom Akers believes the trickiest jobs in space still need a human touch
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Tom Akers is a retired NASA astronaut who
helped correct the vision of the Hubble Space
Telescope during the first servicing mission in
1993 He has spent more than 800 hours in
space including 29 hours of spacewalks
Scott Ferguson is a betting-industry
veteran and commentator He blogs on
betting sport and the seamier side of
both at sportismadeforbettingcom
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 2960
For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3060
28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3160
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3360
W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3460
32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3560
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3660
34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3860
36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
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07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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26 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A nasty infection might kill you but it could also cure youof cancer Cell biologist Uwe Hobohm may know whyHe says itrsquos time to resurrect an old technique
Hot toxicand healing
M A R T I N D I E B E L F S T O P P L A I N P I C T U R E
OPINION THE BIG IDEA
983120983122O983110983113L983109
Uwe Hobohm is a cell biologist and professor
of bioinformatics at the University of Applied
Sciences in Giessen Germany His book on
the Coley-PRRL story is Healing Heat An
essay on cancer immune defence
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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For more opinion articles visit newscientistcomopinion
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 27
ldquoThe belief is that infectionand fever are always signsof harm But are theyrdquo
Century-old fever therapies might offer
more effective ways to treat cancer
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3460
32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3660
34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3760
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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28 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Smell of fear
Hands off
Wersquore all different
Slippery slope
Haunting thought
Safer cycling
Enigma
OPINION LETTERS
Answer to 1775
Third symphony
The three numbers are 231 273
and 435
The winner Ian Duff of North
Berwick East Lothian UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 29
One-upmanship
Strange idea
To read more letters visit newscientistcomletters
Letters should be sent to
Letters to the Editor New Scientist
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1280
Email lettersnewscientistcom
Include your full postal address and telephonenumber and a reference (issue page number title)to articles We reserve the right to edit lettersReed Business Information reserves the right touse any submissions sent to the letters column ofNew Scientist magazine in any other format
For the record
In the article on the pace of global
warming we reversed the wind
directions during El Nintildeo and La Nintildea
episodes (7 December p 34) DuringLa Nintildea the winds are easterly and
vice versa
Need for speed
Hit a brick wall
Long live Gaia
Too hot to handle
Pre-Darwin
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3460
32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3860
36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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30 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
S A M C
H I V E R S
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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W
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |31
Strange signals travelling from distantgalaxies hint at turbulence for Einsteinrsquos
theory of space-time says Stuart Clark
Warning light
gt
COVER STORY
rdquoSpace-time is the fabricof the universe perhapsof reality itself But noone knows what it isrdquo
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4260
40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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32 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Quantum foam
A L E X C H E R N E Y
T E R R A S T R O C
O M S
P L
rdquoIn April last year Earthwas hit by the most eye-poppingly powerful flash of
gamma rays ever observedrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3660
34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4260
40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 33
Has MAGIC seen
signs of quantum
space-time
Stuart Clark is a New Scientist consultant and the
author of The Sensorium of God (Polygon) which
dramatises Newtonrsquos struggle to find the meaning
of space and time
rdquoThe two neutrinosnicknamed Bert and Erniewere far more energetic
than those from the sunrdquo
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3760
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3860
36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4160
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4460
42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4560
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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34 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
D A V I D H
I S E R G E T T Y
Maya ruins are big
business ndash a fact
not lost on the
Honduran tourist
industry
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3860
36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3760
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |35
Land ofmake-believe
T
gt
Is there anything wrong with a tropicalparadise making money from an invented pastMichael Bawaya investigates
Tourist trap
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4160
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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36 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
rdquoEvery year 800000tourists arrive to enjoy thesun sand scuba diving ndashand invented Maya pastrdquo
Roataacuten Town
El Antigual archaeological site
Maya Key
3 km
Trouble in paradiseRoataacuten the largest of Hondurasrsquos Bay Islands has become a battleground for historical truth Despite whatthe Honduran government would have you believe Roataacuten was never a Maya site although parts of the
Maya city of Copaacuten are recreated in full scale at Maya Key
ROATAacuteN
ROATAacuteN
Maya cityof Copaacuten
Extent ofClassical Maya
civilisationMeexico
Guatemala
El Salvador Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Paci1047297c
Ocean
Caribbean
Sea Gulf of Mexico
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4160
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 3960
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 37
True history
Michael Bawaya is editor of American Archaeology
magazine He lives in Albuquerque New Mexico
Maya Keyrsquos replica ruins
are one of Roataacutenrsquos
leading attractions
even though there is no
evidence that the Mayalived on the island
rdquoRoataacuten has a fascinatinghistory of pirates but thatis not what sells What sellsis the made-up versionrdquo
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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38 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
P A T R I C K
G E O R G E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4160
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
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ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 39
Some invasive surgeries are becoming a thing of
the past thanks to a clever way of focusingacoustic waves 1047297nds Helen Thomson
Surgeryrsquos new sound
P
gt
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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40 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Irsquom in scrubs hairnet in place The surgical
theatre is cool with music playing softly in
the background Nurses are busy preparing
equipment Caroline Moore ndash the surgeon at
University College London Hospital ndash is busy
double-checking some scans So far so ER
But one thing is missing Although
the patient lying in front of me is fully
anaesthetised and about to have his
prostate cancer treated there are no
needles scissors or scalpels in sight
Instead Moore gently inserts a
high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
probe into the patientrsquos rectum She sits
between his legs and boots up a programme
on a computer screen She asks for the
lights to be dimmed
A low-intensity beam of ultrasoundproduces a scan of the patientrsquos prostate
which appears on Moorersquos screen She
adjusts the probe to get a better view ndash
having already analysed previous MRI and
biopsy results from the patient she knows
exactly where his tumours are
Using the real-time scans provided by the
probe Moore marks on the screen which
areas of the prostate need destroying She
checks her measurements from several
angles Then she presses ldquostartrdquo
You wouldnrsquot know anything had
happened The regular beep beep beep
of the patientrsquos heartbeat breaks the
silence but other than that the theatre
is dark and uneventful
Inside the patient itrsquos a different story
The probe is now emitting a regular burst
of focused ultrasound energy onto the
areas previously dictated by Moore on the
computer screen This energy heats up tiny
areas of the prostate for 3 seconds The
probe stops emitting ultrasound for
6 seconds and then starts again The heat
created by the energy destroys the tumour
Although the patientrsquos surgery is now
under the control of a computer Moore still
has a lot to do As the prostate heats up and
tissue is destroyed swelling occurs She
continuously compares real-time scans with
the patientrsquos first scan so she can counteractmovement of the probe caused by any
swelling Occasionally the prostate gets
too hot and she presses the pause button
Moorersquos patient will leave hospital later
that afternoon He has to put up with a
catheter for a week but hopefully he is
now cancer free Therersquos also a good chance
he will have kept his ability to maintain
erections without pills says Moore and
therersquos a less than 1 per cent chance of
him becoming incontinent ldquoNo surgery is
completely side-effect freerdquo says Moore
ldquobut wersquore getting closer with HIFUrdquo
NO BLOOD SWEAT OR TEARS
rdquoThere was a strangebuzzing sensation butthe brain surgery was
completely painlessrdquo
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
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gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |41
Bursting bubbles
Helen Thomson is a news reporter at New Scientist
rdquoThe shockwave of thecollapsing bubblespushes the drugs deeperinto the tumourrdquo
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4460
42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4560
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5160
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
RI DSSOLFDWLRQ OHWWHUV ZLOO EH UHTXHVWHG GLUHFWO E 0 7 4XHVWLRQV PDEH DGGUHVVHG WR 3URI 6DPXHO RZULQJ 6HDUFK ampRPPLWWHH ampKDLU DW
VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
0V DUHQ )RVKHU +5 $GPLQLVWUDWRU ($36 0DVVDFKXVHWWV QVWLWXWH
RI 7HFKQRORJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV $YHQXH ampDPEULGJH 0$
NIRVKHUPLWHGX
07 LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW$IAgraveUPDWLYH $FWLRQ HPSORHU DSSOLFDWLRQV IURP ZRPHQ DQGXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG PLQRULW FDQGLGDWHV DUH HQFRXUDJHG 07 LV D QRQVPRNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW
Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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42 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
I M A G E B R O K E R F L P A
It takes wisdom experience and two Xchromosomes to successfully lead a herd ofelephants 1047297nds Lesley Evans Ogden
Pachyderm politics
E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4560
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4660
Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4760
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4860
CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 4960
For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
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Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 43
Friends and relations
gt
Matriarchs carry a treasuretrove of crucial informationand have a uniqueinfluence over their grouprdquo
Like humans elephants
live in a complex
fission-fusion society
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
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gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
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ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
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Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
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Upload your CV today at
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Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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Taken for tusks illegal ivory trade is on the riseWith growing demand from the Far East poachers target mature female elephants as well as males
Some progressin key aspects ofcompliance and enforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcompliance orenforcement
Failing on keyaspects ofcomplianceand enforcement
African elephant numbers 2012Commitment to 1047297ghting illegal ivory trade
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 12000
CameroonCentral African Rep
ChadRep of Congo
D R CongoEquatorial Guinea
GabonEritrea
EthiopiaKenya
RwandaSomalia
South SudanTanzania
UgandaAngola
BotswanaMalawi
MozambiqueNamibia
South AfricaSwaziland
ZambiaZimbabwe
BeninBurkina FasoCocircte dIvoire
GhanaGuinea
Guinea BissauLiberia
MaliNiger
NigeriaSenegal
Sierra LeoneTogo
De1047297nite Speculative
GGabonG
Congo
Zimbaaabwea
erooneCamee
Kenya
SouthAfrica
Nigeria
DRCongo
CAR
44 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
Mama knows best
rdquoIt looks like matriarchs becomeless gregarious and moreconservative in their old agerdquo
M I C H A E L N I C H O L S N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C C R E A T I V E
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
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but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 45
Losing a leader
Lesley Evans Ogden is based in Vancouver Canada S O U R C E W W F O
R G E L E P H A N T D A T A B A S E O
R G C I T E S
at Monitoring the Illegal Killingof Elephants (MIKE) sites
Illegalelephantdeaths( ofalldeaths)
20052003 20092007
NATURAL REPRODUCTION RATE
2011
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
African elephants illegally killed
As well as being killed for their tusks some
elephants like this one die in conflicts over land
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
$SSOLFDWLRQV ZLOO EH FRQVLGHUHG DV WKH DUH UHFHLYHG 7R UHFHLYH IXOO
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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CULTURELAB
46 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
From Dust to Life The origin and
evolution of our solar system by John
Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton
Princeton University Press
pound1995$2995
Life Beyond Earth The search for
habitable worlds in the universe
by Athena Coustenis and TheacuteregraveseEncrenaz Cambridge University
Press pound1999$2999
Alien Universe Extraterrestrial
life in our minds and in the cosmos
by Don Lincoln Johns Hopkins
University Press pound1950$2995
ldquoThere are more planetsin the universe than thereare sand grains on all thebeaches on Earthrdquo
Is there anybody out thereWe may well find some kind of life in space but whether we can talk to it is another matteraltogether Marcus Chown explores cosmodiversity
E S O L
C A L Ccedil A D A
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
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ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
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gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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For more books and arts coverage visit newscientistcomculturelab
4 January 2014 | NewScientist | 47
Artistsrsquo impressions of Pluto are all we
have until a probe reaches it in 2015
Marcus Chown is a consultant for
New Scientist His latest book is What
a Wonderful World One manrsquos attempt
to explain the big stuff (Faber amp
Faber) His app is Solar System for iPad
ldquoWe only know terrestrialbiology and not whatrsquosspecial or general about itItrsquos an enormous handicaprdquo
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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FRQVLGHUDWLRQ D FRPSOHWH DSSOLFDWLRQ PXVW EH UHFHLYHG E March 1 2014
Search Contact
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5060
CULTURELAB
48 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
A year in booksHere is our preview of the 2014 crop forlovers of good books and fine ideas
Neanderthal Man In search of lost
genomes by Svante Paumlaumlbo Basic Books
The Future of the Mind The scientific
quest to understand enhance and
empower the mind by Michio Kaku
Allen LaneDoubleday
Our Mathematical Universe My quest
for the ultimate nature of realityby
Max Tegmark Allen LaneKnopf
The Cosmic Cocktail Three parts dark
matter by Katherine Freese Princeton
University Press
Consciousness and the Brain
Deciphering how the brain codes our
thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene Viking
The Galapagos A natural history by
Henry Nicholls ProfileBasic Books
Sonic Wonderland A scientific
odyssey of sound (US The Sound
Book The science of the sonic
wonders of the world) by Trevor Cox
Bodley HeadW W Norton
D A V I D B O R L A N D V I E W
The Improbability Principle Why
coincidences miracles and rare
events happen every day by David J
Hand BantamFarrar Straus and Girou
A Natural History of Human Thinking
by Michael Tomasello Harvard
University Press
Superintelligence The coming
machine intelligence revolution by
Nick Bostrum Oxford University Press
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
VXUIDFH SURFHVVHV VHGLPHQWRORJ HQYLURQPHQWDO VFLHQFH GHHS HDUWKSURSHUWLHV DQG SURFHVVHV DQG URFN SKVLFV $SSOLFDQWV WKDW LQWHJUDWHDFURVV WUDGLWLRQDO ERXQGDULHV DUH SDUWLFXODUO HQFRXUDJHG WR DSSO
7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5160
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5260
50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
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THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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50 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
West Coast Office201 Mission Street 26th FloorSan Francisco CA 94105Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789
East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham MA 02451Email NSSalesNewScientistcomPhone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217
Incorporating ScienceJobscomTo apply online visit newscientistjobscom
Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes
CHEMISTRY
Associate Director DirectorGlobal Regulatory Lead
Global Product Strategy
Michael PageIL - Illinois The incumbent will be responsiblefor preparing and implementingglobal product regulatory strategyfor new chemical entities (NCEs)and marketed products in theassigned therapeutic area The GRLwill serve as the primary regulatoryinterface with Global Product Team
(GPT) Ensures the business needsfor the assigned product(s) aremet by anticipating identifyingprioritizing and mitigatingregulatory risks while ensuringcompliance with all global regulatoryrequirementsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486133
Biostatistician with ClinicalPharmacology Experience
Alpha ConsultingNJ - New JerseyProject Description Supportclinical pharmacology Oncology Immunology statistics analysisProvide protocol related statisticssupport including statisticalanalysis plan CRF review interimanalysis and final statistical reports
Statistical consultant to clinicalstudy team provides support tolead on early development Oncology Immunology projectsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401488287
Senior Mechanical Engineer
BlackLight Power IncNJ - New Jersey
Primary Job Functions As part of amechanical chemical and plasmaengineering development teamthe successful candidate will workin this multi-faceted position to
build a commercially viable electricalpower pilot plant using a thermallyregenerative hydrogen-based solidfuel and a plasma to electric powerconverterFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401487587
Assistant ProfessorChemistry - Faculty of Artsand Science
MacEwan UniversityCanada - AlbertaThe Department of PhysicalSciences at MacEwan Universityinvites applicants for the positionof Assistant Professor in Chemistrywith expertise in biogeochemistryorganic geochemistry or petroleumchemistry The appointment willcommence July 1 2014 subjectto final budgetary approvalCandidates must have a PhD(or a solid indication of imminentcompletion of a PhD) and willbe expected to deliver rigorousundergraduate courses informed byan ambitious research programFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486917
Principal Scientist ProteinPurification
MerckCA - California The successful candidate willmanage a group of four scientists(including one PhD-level scientist)to purify and characterize avariety of reagent and therapeuticcandidate proteins including taggedand untagged proteins monoclonalantibodies and antibody scaffolds
The protein purification groupgenerates micrograms to multiplegrams of purified proteinsantibodies Candidates must havesolid proven experience in allaspects of protein purification
The Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT
continues to seek applications for multiple faculty positions in the broad
AgraveHOGV RI JHRORJ JHRELRORJ JHRFKHPLVWU DQG JHRSKVLFV LQFOXGLQJ
but not limited to earth history tectonics earthquake source physics
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7KH LQWHQWLRQ LV WR KLUH DW WKH DVVLVWDQW SURIHVVRU OHYHO EXW PRUH VHQLRU
appointments can be considered Applicants should submit a curriculum
YLWDH RQHWRWZR SDJH GHVFULSWLRQ RI UHVHDUFK DQG WHDFKLQJ SODQV DQG
the names email addresses and phone numbers of three professional
referees Please do not ask your referees to upload letters at the time
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VERZULQJPLWHGX Applications are being accepted at Academic Jobs
Online httpsacademicjobsonlineorgajojoblist---96
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Faculty Positions
^d ŶĐ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ
ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŽĨ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐŵƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ WŚ ŝŶ dŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů WŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ
ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ŵĂŶLJďŽĚLJ ƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ƐƉŝŶ ŐůĂƐƐ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƚŽƌŝĂů ŽƉƟŵŝnjĂƟŽŶ
džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐĂů ŵĞƚŚŽĚƐ ƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŝĐĂů ƐŝŵƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉůƵƐ dŚĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚ ǁŝůů
ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ŵĞƐ YƵĂŶƚƵŵ ƌƟĮĐŝĂů ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶĐĞ
gtĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJ ŚƩƉǁǁǁŶĂƐŶĂƐĂŐŽǀƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ dŚĞ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ
ůĂƚĞƐƚ tĂǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ƚŽ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚ Ă ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂŶŶĞĂůŝŶŐ ƋƵĂŶƚƵŵ ĂĚŝĂďĂƟĐ ĂůŐŽƌŝƚŚŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂů ŚĞƵƌŝƐƟĐ
ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ ^ĂůĂƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƐƵƌĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^d Ă ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƚĞůůŝŐĞŶƚ
^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ Ăƚ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŚŝŐŚĞŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů ƚŽ E^
Interested individuals are invited to apply at the following siteŚƩƉǁǁǁƐŐƚŝŶĐĐŽŵ ƐĞĞ ĂƌĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ Žď EƵŵďĞƌ ϬϬϮϳဒϯ
WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů WŽƐŝƟŽŶ Ăƚ E^ ŵĞƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞŶƚĞƌ
and purification processdevelopment for early stage proteintherapeuticsFor more information visitNewScientistJobscom Job ID1401486448
LIFE SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5760
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5360
4 January 2014 | NewScientist |51
newscientistjobscom
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate Masterrsquos andBachelorrsquos degrees It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1200 The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK$5 billion per year
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS
The Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) houses the disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography The Department offersprogrammes at various levels from BSc(Hons) to PhD degree The Department currently has 28 academic staff members with about 20 technical clinical andadministrat ive personnel The Department has over 50 research postgraduate students and research staff 220 taught postgraduate students and 450 undergraduatestudents HTI is a leading academic department in the professional disciplines of Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography with strong commitment to qualityteaching research and professional service Please visit the website at httpwwwpolyueduhkhti for more information about the Department
Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor in Medical Laboratory Science with core disciplines of (a) Clinical
Chemistry and (b) Haematology amp Transfusion Science (two posts)
The appointees will be required to (a) contribute to the teachinglearning activities within the Medical Laboratory Science programmes at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels where the teaching activities are conducted in English and (b) engage actively in research and other scholarly activities
Applicants are expected to have (a) a PhD degree in the area of Medical Laboratory ScienceBiomedical Science or a closely related field (b) a professional qualification
in Medical Laboratory Science and a significant amount of relevant clinical experience (c) relevant teaching experience at university level (d) strong commitment toexcellence in teaching and research with high achievement or clear potential for high achievement in teaching and research that is commensurate with the appointedgrade and (e) a strong record of output in research and development collaboration and leadership that is commensurate with the appointed grade
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered Initial appointments for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contractRe-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at Associate Professor and Professor levels
Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application
Application
Please submit application form via email to hrstaffpolyueduhk by fax at (852) 2364 2166 or by mail to Human Resources Office 13F Li Ka Shing Tower The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Kowloon Hong Kong If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae please still complete theapplication form which will help speed up the recruitment process Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded fromhttpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobhtm Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled Details of the Universityrsquos Personal Information CollectionStatement for recruitment can be found at httpwwwpolyueduhkhrojobpicshtm
Cures donrsquot just happen They demand collaboration Dedication Enthusiasm Teamwork
St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital is a world renowned
institution that requires a superior diverse and well-trained group
of clinicians researchers postdoctoral fellows administrators and
information technology specialists Research efforts are directed
at understanding the molecular genetic and chemical bases
of catastrophic diseases in children identifying cures for such
diseases and promoting their prevention
St Jude is committed to hiring the best and the brightest to maintain
our culture of excellence We offer career opportunities for a wide range
of positions to support the institutionrsquos biomedical research and
clinical activities
Visit our website at wwwstjudeorgjobs to learn more about us and
to apply for open positions St Jude offers a competitive salary and an
excellent benefits package
wwwstjudeorgjobs
Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia by The Scientist yearly since 2005
Named the nationrsquos No 1 pediatric cancer care hospital by Parents magazine 2009
Named the nationrsquos best childrenrsquos cancer hospital by US News amp World Report 2010
Named to FORTUNE magazinersquos 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012
An Equal O pportu nity Emp loyer mdashcopy2012 St Jude Chi ldrenrsquos Research Hospital-Biomedical Communications
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5760
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5460
52 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
Seeking recent PhD graduates for Post-Doctoral Scholar positions in the Mulder Lab Deptof Biochemistry amp Molecular Biology Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Hershey PA
Research is focused on tumor cell signaling trafficking and cell movementmigrationwith a particular emphasis on colon and pancreatic cancer Research also pertainsto TGFszlig anti-cancer therapeutics amp diagnostics cancer invasionmetastasis km23
RhoA invadopodiainvadosomes motor proteins dynein actin cytoskeleton
Requirements include a recent PhD in a relevant 1047297eld as well as relevant peer-reviewed molecularcell biology publications Priority given toUS citizens permanent residents and applicants with expertise in studies related to 3D invasion and motility studies FLIM-FRET invadosomeresearch as well as confocal imaging and tracking analyses
Please send CV and contact information for 3 referees to Dr Kathleen M Mulder at kmm15psuedu In your application please indicatewhich of your publications demonstrate your confocal imagingtracking expertise
For more information about the important role of km23-1 in tumor cell migration and invasion please visit the links below or ourpublications online httpwwwfuturityorghealth-medicineprotein-helps-colon-cancer-move-and-invade httpwwweurekalertorgpub_releases2013-06ps-pii062713php httpnewspsuedustory28030020130627researchprotein-involved-colon-cancer-cells-ability-invade-other-cells
httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases201212121218121425htm httppro1047297lespsuedupro1047297lesPro1047297leDetailsaspxFrom=SEampPerson=837
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine is located in a scenic countryside setting with affordable living minutes from work and moderateclimate conditions Located near the state capitol Harrisburg in south central PA it is approximately 15 hours from Philadelphia PA orBaltimore MD and about 3 hours from New York City Modern laboratory space is abundant and research instrumentation technologiesand core facilities are state-of-the-art
Post-doctoral Scholar Positions in Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer Research
Northeasternrsquos College of Engineering seeks outstanding faculty candidates for appointments
at the associate or full professor level both within the college and in conjunction with
interdisciplinary positions across the university We will also consider exceptional candidates at
the assistant professor level Successful applicants will lead internationally recognized research
programs that complement existing expertise aligned with one or more of Northeasternrsquos
VWUDWHJLF UHVHDUFK WKHPHVsup2KHDOWK VHFXULW DQG VXVWDLQDELOLWsup2RU LQ WKH HQDEOLQJ iquestHOGV RI
nanotechnology and materials and data scienceOur Boston campus facilitates collaborations
with major medical centers research labs neighboring academic institutions and industry
53 FACULTY HIRES SINCE 2010hellipand counting
1RUWKHDVWHUQ LV DQ $IiquestUPDWLYH $FWLRQ(TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW HGXFDWRU DQG HPSORHU FRPPLWWHG WR H[FHOOHQFH WKURXJK GLYHUVLW
Learn more
bitlyNUCOErecruit
northeasterneducoe
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5760
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5560
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Career Awards for Medical Scientists
Five-year awards for physician scientists provide
$700000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral
fellowship training and the early years of faculty
service This award addresses the on-going
problem of increasing the number of physician
scientists and will help facilitate the transition
to a career in research
Collaborative Research Travel Grants Provide
up to $15000 in support for interdisciplinary
biomedical researchers from degree-granting
institutions to travel to a laboratory to acquire
a new research technique or to facilitate
collaboration
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Underrepresented Minority Enrichment
Program Provides $50000 over three years to
support the development of underrepresented
minority postdoctoral fellows in biomedical
research
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Investigators in the Pathogenesis of
Infectious Disease Five-year awards provide
$500000 for opportunities for accomplished
investigators at the assistant professor level to
study infectious disease pathogenesis with a
focus on the intersection of human and
microbial biology The program is intended to
shed light on the overarching issues of how
human hosts handle infectious challenge
INTERFACES IN SCIENCECareer Awards at the Scienti1047297c Interface
Five-year awards provide $500000 to bridge
advanced postdoctoral training and the early
years of faculty service These awards are
intended to foster the early career development
of researchers with backgrounds in the physical
mathematicalcomputationalengineering
sciences whose work addresses biological
questions BWF has moved to a self-nomination
format for this award
Grant ProgramsPOPULATION AND LABORATORY
BASED SCIENCES
Institutional Program Unifying Population and
Laboratory Based Sciences Five-year awards
provide $25 million to unite population-level and
laboratory-based biological sciences The award
supports the training of researchers working
between existing research concentrations in
population approaches to health and in basic
biological sciences The goal is to establish
interdisciplinary training programs by partnering
researchers working in disparate environments
and intellectual frameworks
REGULATORY SCIENCE
Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards
Provides up to $500000 over 1047297ve years to
academic investigators who are addressing
research questions that will lead to innovation in
regulatory science with ultimate translation of
those results into improving the regulatory
process These awards are intended to provide
support for academic researchers developing
new methodologies or innovative approaches in
regulatory science that will ultimately inform the
regulatory decisions the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and others make
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCE
Preterm Birth Initiative Provides $600000
over a four-year period to bring together a diverse
interdisciplinary group with the more traditional
areas of parturition research to address the
scienti1047297c issues related to preterm birth
For complete program information including
deadlines please visit wwwbwfundorg
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Career Awards for Science and Mathematics
Teachers Five-year awards provide $175000
to eligible science or mathematics teachers in
the North Carolina public primary and
secondary schools The purpose of this award is
to recognize teachers who have demonstrated
solid knowledge of science or mathematics
content and have outstanding performance
records in educating chi ldren The award is a
partnership between the North Carolina State
Board of Education and BWF
Student Science Enrichment Program
Three-year awards provide up to $180000 to
North Carolina nonpro1047297t organizations including
publicprivate schools universities col legesand museums This program supports creative
inquiry-based science enrichment activities that
occur outside the typical school day for K-12
students The programrsquos goals are to nur ture
studentsrsquo enthusiasm about science expose
them to the excitement of scienti1047297c discovery
and interest them in pursuing careers in
research or a variety of other careers in science
Promoting Innovation in Science and
Mathematics Awards provide teachers with
funding for materials equipment and training to
conduct hands-on inquiry-based science and
mathematics projects in North Carolina public
schools
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private foundation
located in Research Triangle Park North Carolina
Find out more at bwfundorg
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5760
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5660
54 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
newscientistjobscom
2014 Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize for Biology or Biochemisry Te Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize was esablished under he will of he lae S Gross Horwiz hrough a beques o Columbia Universiy and is named o honorhe donorrsquos moher Louisa Gross Horwiz was he daugher of Dr Samuel David Gross (1805-1889) a prominen surgeon of Philadelphia and auhor of he
ousanding Systems of Surgery who served as Presiden of he American Medical AssociaionEach year since is incepion in 1967 he Louisa Gross Horwiz Prize has been awarded by Columbia Universiy for ousanding basic research in he 1047297elds of
biology or biochemisry Te purpose of his award is o honor a scieni1047297c invesigaor or group of invesigaors whose conribuions o knowledge in eiher ofhese 1047297elds are deemed worhy of special recogniion
Te Prize consiss of an honorarium and a ciaion which are awarded a a special presenaion even Unless oherwise recommended by he Prize Commiteehe Prize is awarded annually Te 2013 awardee(s) will be announced in December 2013
QUALIFICAIONS FOR HE AWARDTe Prize Commitee recognizes no geographical limiaions Te Prize may be awarded o an individual or a group When he Prize is awarded o a group hehonorarium will be divided among he recipiens bu each member will receive a ciaion Preference will be given o work done in he recen pas
Nominaions mus be submited elecronically a htpwwwcumccolumbiaeduresearchhorwiz-prize All communicaions and maerials mus be writen in he English language
Deadline dae January 31 2014
Re-nominaion(s) are by inviaion only Self-nominaions are no permited
Nominaions should include 1) A summary no more han 500 words long of he research on which his nominaion is based 2) A summary no more han 500 words long of he signi1047297cance of his research in he 1047297elds of biology or biochemisry 3) A brief biographical skech of he nominee including posiions held and awards received by he nominee 4) A lising of up o en of he nomineersquos mos signi1047297can publicaions relaing o he research noed under iem 1 5) A copy of he nomineersquos curriculum viae
Get your resumeacute to the top of the pile
Upload your CV today at
NewScientistJobscom
Register your resumeacute on New Scientist Jobs to ensure the
best employers can 1047297nd you
Be headhunted by relevant recruiters in science
research and academia
Apply for jobs quickly and easily with your saved resumeacute
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5760
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5760
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5860
56 | NewScientist | 4 January 2014
FEEDBACK
TALKING of units a steady stream of
readers have developed the concept ofthe elephant as unit Bearing in mind
NASArsquos problems with unit mix ups
Ian Bradley asks whether the unit is
based on African or Asian elephants
Pachyderms can measure more
On a recent trip to Malawi Malcolm White wasstartled to find a stiff paper bag in a hotelbathroom labelled with the request to insertonersquos ldquoSanity Towelrdquo for disposal
than just mass and force Nick Lake
quotes 7 Days a free newspaper in
the United Arab Emirates describing
the Bloodhound SSC which is being
built to attempt a land speed record
Its air brakes are apparently
ldquoequivalent in drag to a large
elephantrdquo So Nick says ldquowe can add
coefficient of drag to mass and force
As for elephants in draghelliprdquo
SOMEHOW the above discussion feels
related to Martin Savagersquos suggestion
that we need a subdivision of the
unit the milliphant
THE BBC Mike Moore observes isnrsquot
universally blessed with the ability to
detect numbers that smell wrong or
olfactorithmetic (21 December 2013)
On 9 December referring to a study
on gender bias in science subjects
it reported the Institute of Physics
finding ldquothat nearly half of the
co-educational state-funded schools
we looked at are actually doing worse
than averagerdquo quoting curriculum
and diversity manager Clare
Thomson Feedback refers the
honourable gentlepeople to the
definitions of ldquomeanrdquo and ldquomedianrdquo
averages Peter Main IoP director of
education and science tells us this
was ldquotaken out of context ratherunfortunately by the BBCrdquo
WHEREAS the Australian tea tree
is favoured by ldquonatural remedyrdquo
fans as a fierce antiseptic honey
from Manuka flowers is tasty and
credited with many things We
find NaturalNewscom asking ldquoCan
manuka honey prevent cancerrdquo and
we respond ldquoany headline expresse
as a question begs the answer lsquoNOrsquordquo
FINALLY a UK delivery company
informed Edward Parker it had ldquo1
item Total weight 0000kgrdquo ldquoThatrdquo
he says ldquowill be the anti-gravity
machine I ordered last weekrdquo
You can send stories to Feedback by
email at feedbacknewscientistcom
Please include your home address
This weekrsquos and past Feedbacks can
be seen on our website
For more feedback visit newscientistcomfeedback
P A U L M C D E V I T T
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 5960
THE LAST WORD
Silk stockings
We share our house with a few
spiders This morning one with
a small body and long spindly legstrapped another squatter darker
spider in its web How can this
happen Since spiders are adept
at walking along strands of silk
why should one get trapped in
anotherrsquos web
This weekrsquos question
HIGH GROWTH
ldquoSpiders are not immunefrom being trapped in theirown webs but leave somestrands of silk glue-freerdquo
Last words past and present at newscientistcomtopiclastword
Win pound100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues
How much energy is in a lightning bolt Is it enough and are
there places where lightning strikes often enough to think about
flying kites to transfer that energy to the grid
Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 14 January 2014 to
answersnewscientistcom or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
energy Terms and conditions are also at this URL
THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY
sponsored byy
The writers of answers published in the
magazine will receive a cheque for pound25
(or US$ equivalent) Answers should be
concise We reserve the right to edit items
for clarity and style Include a daytime
telephone number and email address if you
have one We are pleased to acknowledge
financial support from Statoil in producing
The Last Word New Scientist retains
total editorial control over the content
Reed Business Information Ltd
reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been
submitted by readers in any medium
or in any format
Send questions and answers to
The Last Word New Scientist Lacon House
84 Theobaldrsquos Road London WC1X 8NS
UK by email to lastwordnewscientist
com or visit wwwnewscientistcomtopic
lastword (please include a postal address
in order to receive payment for answers)
Unanswered questions can also be found
at this URL
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060
892019 New Scientist - January 4 2014 UK
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullnew-scientist-january-4-2014-uk 6060