Breakthrough In Blocking Malaria Transmission

A team of researchers may have found a way to stop the transmission of malaria which will significantly prevent the spread of one of the deadliest diseases out there at the moment.

By disrupting the potassium channel of the malaria parasite, a team of researchers has been able to prevent new malaria parasites from forming in mosquitoes and has thereby broken the cycle of infection during recent animal tests.

By genetically altering the malaria parasite through gene knock-out technol-ogy, a research team consisting of scientists at the University of Copenha-gen and John Hopkins University, Baltimore, has prevented the parasite from going through the normal stages of its life cycle and developing a cyst (egg-like structure or occyst), which spawns new infectious parasites." As it is exclusively the parasites from these oocysts that can infect new individu-als, we were able to prevent the disease from being transmitted to the animals in our tests", explains Assistant Professor, Peter Ellekvist from the University of Copenhagen.

The findings have been published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, (2008 105: 6398-6402).

5 Things You Didn't Know About Condoms

Think you know all about the protective rubber? Well, think again. Here are five things you didn't know about condoms.

1- Condoms have appeared in cave paintings
In Johnny Come Lately: A Short History of the Condom, author Jeannette Parisot claims the appearance of condoms in cave paintings are estimated to be 15,000 years old. Although Parisot notes that the condom is being used during sexual intercourse, that doesn't signify the condition for which the man was wearing the condom. This is another matter altogether, since the man in the cave painting could have been brandishing the condom for one of three reasons: some sort of ritual, as protection against pregnancy or as protection against an STD.

All three are reasonable possibilities. There is no cause to think that the clever minds behind cave paintings hadn't also discovered some connection between the sexual act and one of any number of outcomes, including pregnancy or a stretch of days featuring extremely painful urination.

5- Invisible condoms may be next
For all those folks forced to use leather, silk, velvet or rubber as thick as an inner tube, the invisible condom could only be a pipe dream. In this case, "invisible" actually means a gel that hardens according to increased temperatures.

Clinical trials on the invisible condom have been carried out by Quebec’s Laval University, in conjunction with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite Laval.

It is one of a number of products being developed which falls into the category of a female condom, some of which have received government approval. The Invisible Condom, however, is still awaiting approval.

Bet you didn't know those! :P

Top 10 Things Science Can't Explain

We like to think that science has the answer to everything. Well, unfortunately it doesnt'. Here are some of the ten things science has not been able to answer (yet).

8. Female Orgasms
After a whole lot of thinking, biology’s best minds are still confused.

6. The Speed of Light
Faster than a speeding photon: is it possible? Einstein stays no, but does everyone else?

5. The Placebo Effect
Take this pill and you’ll be cured, just as long as you believe me.

3. Yawning
Open your mouth and notice the shockingly fascinating mystery of the yawn.

1. What Came Before, What Will Come After
Wouldn't it be really boring if it was just blackness. However, anyone's guess is as good as ours.

Crazy Diseases

There are seriously some weird and crazy diseases out there, so crazy they scare me shitless! Have a look at some of these crazy diseases that you may never knew existed, until now.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Type of Disease: Nerve disorder
Crazy Because: Causes searing pain as if on fire
Cure: Complex; disease may spontaneously resolve, but treatment usually only lessens symptoms

Imagine being tormented every waking moment of every day by searing pain in your limbs. Your arms feel like they are on fire, they are swollen, hot to the touch, and you sweat excessively. These are just a few of the symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a poorly understood disorder defined by pain in the limbs that is way out of proportion from what is expected following a particular injury or harmful event, such as surgery or stroke. The disease is believed to be caused by an abnormal chain reaction of the sympathetic nervous system, the body system that regulates blood flow and other aspects of the skin. Experts liken the pain response to that of an engine revving out of control.

While the disease may spontaneously disappear on its own, many patients undergo intensive treatments for years just to lessen the pain. And for some patients, the pain can become so profound that they must undergo the most extreme and expensive of therapies -- being placed under a Ketamine coma -- to essentially reset the pain connections of the body. In 2003, under the guidance of German colleagues of renowned RSD specialist Dr. Robert Schwartzman, 14-year-old Lindsay Wurtenberg of the U.S. underwent Ketamine coma-therapy and successfully recovered from a particularly debilitating case of RSD that developed following a harmless spider bite. “I don’t think there is a worse pain problem,” said Dr. Schwartzman of Lindsay’s condition. He was probably right.

Trimethylaminuria
Type of Disease: Metabolic Disorder
Crazy Because: Causes patients to smell like rotting fish
Cure: None; limited treatment options

Trimethylaminuria (TMAU), also known as fish malodor syndrome, is a rare metabolic disorder that prevents affected individuals from properly breaking down trimethylamine (TMA), instead letting it build up in the body. TMA is then released in the breath, sweat, urine, and other body secretions, giving off a strong fishy odor that literally cannot be masked. For people with this crazy disease, frequent showering and the use of deodorants, perfumes and colognes are not enough; the smell remains, sometimes becoming so strong so as to fill entire rooms or even auditoriums. The result can be socially and psychologically devastating: "People think this disease is a laughing matter, but for the people who have it, it is not. This syndrome can be highly destructive to a person's personal and social life and to their work and career," Robert L. Smith, a molecular toxicologist at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London, told the Science News.

Currently, there is no cure for TMAU. Affected patients can only reduce the smell by restricting the diet to foods that are not converted to TMA -- a daunting task considering that everyday foods like eggs, legumes as well as certain meats and fish all contain the amino acid choline, a precursor molecule to TMA.

Seriously, if I had any of those diseases, I don't know how to live with myself.

7 Super Food That Boost Health

Introduce these seven simple everyday foods into your diet to help boost your health.

1. Spinach
Popeye was right: Spinach should be part of your diet. It's low in calories and high in nutrients. Research has shown that spinach aids in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, some cancers and cardiovascular disease.

2. Walnuts
Nuts are an excellent source of protein, fiber and vitamin E. Walnuts are the only nuts that contain a significant amount of omega-3s, and are known for their high antioxidant activity.

3. Honey
Honey isn't just for tea. You've probably relied on honey in the past to soothe an aching throat, but did you know it has been used to treat wounds and gastrointestinal problems? Honey acts as an antioxidant, a substance that can prevent the effects of free radicals, which we're exposed to from environmental toxins such as tobacco smoke or radiation and which can contribute to disease. Honey also contains oligosaccharides, which increase the number of good bacteria in the colon. The color of honey is relevant: the darker the honey the more antioxidants it contains.

4. Salmon
Salmon is a tasty fish that's chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial fats that can improve heart health. Salmon is also protein rich. Choose wild over farmed salmon, which has been shown to contain elevated levels of contaminants and is artificially colored.

5. Oats
Ten years ago, the FDA approved a label publicizing the association between a diet high in oat fiber and the reduction of cholesterol. Further research has proven this claim to be true: The fiber in oats lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, or the bad type of cholesterol. With every 1 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol, heart-disease risk is lowered 1 to 3 percent. Oats also contain plant chemicals that have antioxidant properties.

6. Dark Chocolate
The good news: Dark chocolate is a potent antioxidant and can help reduce blood pressure. The potentially bad news: You should still keep your daily chocolate intake low, due to the fat and calories. Remember that darker is better because processing strips chocolate of some of its health benefits.

7. Blueberries
Sweet blueberries don't just make your smoothies and cereal taste better; they contain high levels of antioxidants. Some research has shown blueberries can slow degenerative diseases associated with aging and improve motor skills. Still other studies have shown the fruit to improve urinary tract health.

Don't overindulge on the dark chocolates though. ;)

Biology or Physics?

Some of these images at this University of Cambridge website come from physical science, some from biological science. Can you guess which are which? I didn't get all correct but was just a little off. How would you fare? Are you able to correctly identify all objects physical or biological?

Top 10 Greatest Experiments

Ever wondered what were the greatest experiments ever conducted? Well, here's some of the top ten for you.

1. Galileo Galilei (1564 to 1642)

Legend has it that in order to test how gravity worked, Galileo dropped two balls, a heavy one and a light one, from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, showing that they landed at the same time. Historians doubt this - because his actual experiment was much better.

The Italian carved a groove down the centre of a board about 20 feet long and 10 inches wide. Then he propped it at an angle and timed how quickly the balls rolled down the track. What he discovered was that the distance the ball travels is proportional to the square of the time that has elapsed.

But how, in an age before clocks, could Galileo measure this so precisely? He probably used music. Along the ball's path, he placed cat-gut frets, like those on a lute. As the rolling ball clicked against the frets, Galileo sang a tune, using the upbeats to time the motion and discover a new law.

3. Isaac Newton (1642 to 1727)

In Newton's day, Europe's great scientists believed that white light was pure and fundamental. When it bounced off a coloured object or passed through a tinted liquid or glass, it became stained somehow with colour - whatever "colour" was.

Newton, holed up in a dark room at his family farm in Woolsthorpe, turned the idea on its head. He cut a hole in his window shutter and held a prism in the path of the sun, spreading the light into an oblong spectrum. Then he funnelled the spectrum through a second prism. White again.

Finally, he allowed the colours to pass, one by one, through the second prism. Starting at the red end and progressing toward the blue, each colour was bent a little more by the glass. Light, Newton had discovered, "consists of rayes differently refrangible". It was white that was the mongrel - not just another colour, but a combination of them all, a "heterogeneous mixture of differently refrangible rayes".

6. Michael Faraday (1791 to 1867)

In his youth, Faraday had performed a suite of experiments showing the linkage between electricity and magnetism, inventing, along the way, the electric motor and the dynamo. But by the time he was 53, he had fallen into a deep depression.

Maybe it was a barrage of flirtatious correspondence from Lady Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Byron, that snapped him out of his funk: whatever the cause, he decided to push the unification a step further, and show that electricity and magnetism are related to light.

Using an Argand oil lamp, Faraday projected polarised light through a block of glass, alongside of which sat a powerful electromagnet. Holding a polarising filter, called a Nicol prism, to his eye, he rotated it until the light was extinguished. Then he switched on the current.

The image of the flame suddenly reappeared. He turned the magnet off and the flame disappeared. The magnetic field, he realised, was twisting the light beam - and if the polarity of the field was reversed, the light beam rotated the other way. Faraday had unified two more forces, demonstrating that light was actually a form of electromagnetism.

Anyone of you planning to be added to the list anytime soon? ;)

20 Super Brain Foods

We all need the best food we can eat, more so the super brain foods to replenish the dead brain cells due to our heavy usage in our line of work. Here are some super brain foods you should add to your diet.

4. Almonds

Phenylalanine, found in almonds, can do wonders for your mental and neurological health. Phenylalanine has the rare ability to cross the blood-brain barrier where it stimulates the brain to generate natural mood-boosting neurotransmitters called dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Additionally, almonds are high in riboflavin which is known to boost memory.

7. Strawberries

Antioxidant-rich strawberries can prevent age-related neurological declines by improving brain cell abilities to send and receive the ’signaling’ molecules. The brain uses these signaling molecules to communicate.

Remarkably, these same studies showed that the powerful antioxidants in strawberries, spinach and blueberries can improve the ability to communicate even among brain cells already showing signs of age-related damage.

10. Pumpkin Seeds

Amazingly, the most powerful part of the pumpkin lies in its least used part. The seeds of the pumpkin are a power food, rich in many nutrients including: Zinc, Vitamin A and E, and the precious Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. The Zinc found in pumpkin seeds plays a vital role in enhancing memory and thinking skills.

16. Red Cabbage

Red cabbage is full of an antioxidant called polyphenol. Polyphenols reduce brain cell damage and is especially helpful in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimers’ disease.

20. Chocolate!!!

What better to end with? It’s hard to believe that anything as incredibly delicious as chocolate can actually be incredibly good for you as well. Dark chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties and contains several natural stimulants which increase the production of endorphins while enhancing focus and concentration. The stimulants found in dark chocolate also improve mood. It has high content of flavanols that facilitate blood supply to the brain and enhance cognitive skills.

Milk chocolate jump starts impulse control and reaction time. It has also been known to improve visual and verbal memory.

More isn’t necessarily better when it comes to chocolate. This is, unfortunately, one superfood that you have to indulge in in moderation.

Other brain foods include tomatoes, eggs and broccoli. Are you getting enough brain foods in your daily diet? Replacing all those food with chocolates does not count!

Bottled Water vs Tap Water

It's time to rethink what you drink.

Remember the drinking fountain, that once ubiquitous, and free, source of H2O? It seems quaint now. Instead, bottled water is everywhere, in offices, airplanes, stores, homes and restaurants across the country. We consumed over eight billion gallons of the stuff in 2006, a 10 percent increase from 2005. It's refreshing, calorie-free, convenient to carry around, tastier than some tap water and a heck of a lot healthier than sugary sodas. But more and more, people are questioning whether the water, and the package it comes in, is safe, or at least safer than tap water—and if the convenience is worth the environmental impact. [...]

The controversy isn't simply about tap vs. bottled water; most people drink both, knowing the importance of plenty of water. What they may not know is that some bottled water may not be as pure as they expect. In 1999 the NRDC tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of water. (This is the most recent major report on bottled water safety.) While noting that most bottled water is safe, the organization found that at least one sample of a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, in levels exceeding state or industry standards. Since the report, no major regulatory changes have been made and bottlers haven't drastically altered their procedures, so the risk is likely still there. [...]

So which would you choose? Bottled or tap water?

Top Ten Poisonous Plants

They are beautiful to see but absolutely deadly. Here are some of the top ten poisonous plants in the world.

10.Narcissus

These cheerful yellow and white harbingers of spring, aka daffodils and jonquils, are actually mildly toxic if the bulbs are eaten in large quantities (Narcissus pseudonarcissus is shown). Some people confuse them for onions. Daffodil bulb diners tend to experience nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. A doctor might recommend intravenous hydration and/or drugs to stave off nausea and vomiting if symptoms are severe or the patient is a child.

6.Chrysanthemum

Also known as mums, orange and yellow varieties of these showy flowers often turn up in foil-wrapped pots on people's front steps around Halloween and Thanksgiving. There are 100 to 200 species of Chrysanthemums, and they generally grow low to the ground, but can turn into shrubs. Gardeners plant mums to keep rabbits away. Guess what? The flower heads are somewhat toxic to humans too. But not terribly. Touching them can make you itch and puff up a bit, but probably the doctor will just give you something for the inflammation and allergic reaction.

5.Anthurium

The leaves and stems of these bizarre-looking plants, with dark green, heart-shaped leathery leaves and a scarlet, white or green spike surrounded by a red, pink or white "spathe," are toxic. Also known as flamingo flowers or pigtail plants, eating tropical Anthuriums could give you a painful burning sensation in the mouth that then swells and blisters. Your voice might also become hoarse and strained and you might have difficulty swallowing. Most of this will fade with time, but cool liquids, pain pills and gluey herbs and foods like licorice or flaxseeds may bring relief.

3.Hydrangea

These poofy-flowered bushes (Hydrangea macrophylla) are popular yard ornaments that can grow up to 15 feet tall with rose, deep blue or greenish-white flowers that grow in huge clusters and look as edible as cotton candy or a big bun to an imaginative mind. But those blooms will give you a belly ache that sets in sometimes hours after eaten. Typically, patients also experience itchy skin, vomiting, weakness and sweating. Some reports indicate that patients can even experience coma, convulsions and a breakdown in the body's blood circulation. Luckily, there is an antidote for hydrangea poisoning, and doctors might also give you drugs to address to ease your symptoms.

1.Wisteria

Wisterias form romantic cascades of sweetpea-like flowers that fall in lush blue, pink or white masses from woody vines that grow mainly in the South and Southwest. The entire plant, also known as a kidney bean tree, is toxic, though some say the flowers are not. Better safe than sorry, because most reports are that eating this plant will cause nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea that could require treatments such as intravenous hydration and anti-nausea pills.

Just realised I've some deadly plants in my garden! Better be more careful from now on.

The Fish That Lives In Trees

Really interesting find. A fish that can live in a tree for months!

It's one of the golden rules of the natural world – birds live in trees, fish live in water.

The trouble is, no one bothered to tell the mangrove killifish.

Scientists have discovered that it spends several months of every year out of the water and living inside trees.

Hidden away inside rotten branches and trunks, the remarkable creatures temporarily alter their biological makeup so they can breathe air.

Biologists studying the killifish say they astonished it can cope for so long out of its natural habitat.

The discovery, along with its ability to breed without a mate, must make the mangrove killifish, Rivulus marmoratus Poey, one of the oddest fish known to man.

That's not all. It can even reproduce without needing a partner! How cool is that?

Why Males Die Before Females

We've always known that males die before females. What we really want to know is why!

In humans and many other animals, males age faster and die earlier than females.

New research suggests this might happen because of intense competition over sex.

Scientists compared monogamous species with polygynous species, in which each male mates with many females. Males in monogamous species, such as the barnacle goose or the dwarf mongoose, naturally compete less over females than ones in polygynous species, such as the red-winged blackbird or the savannah baboon.

After investigating about 20 different vertebrate species, researchers Tim Clutton-Brock and Kavita Isvaran at the University of Cambridge in England found the more polygynous a species was, the more likely their males were to age faster and die earlier than females.

The researchers explained that as competition among males for sex grows more intense, each male on average has less time to breed. As such, there is no strong incentive to evolve longevity among males in such species.

Since men age faster and die earlier than women, these findings suggest that "at the time when current human physiology evolved, perhaps around the late Stone Age, polygynous breeding was the norm," Clutton-Brock told LiveScience. "Of course, this doesn't provide any justification for polygyny or promiscuity now for males."

What a pity for us males. :(

Prawns Do Feel Pain

Yes, recent research has discovered that prawns do feel pain after all!

Tucking into a plate of seafood, few diners spare a thought for the feelings of the creatures in front of them.

Scientists have no qualms either, having long argued that crustaceans such as lobsters don't feel pain even when cooked live in boiling water.

But a British biologist is challenging this orthodoxy with a study suggesting that prawns, at least, do suffer when harmed.

Professor Robert Elwood dabbed acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar, on to the antennae of 144 of them.

The prawns reacted by rubbing the affected parts of their bodies for up to five minutes.

The reaction, he said, was exactly the same as that seen in mammals exposed to painful irritants.

"The prolonged, specifically directed rubbing and grooming is consistent with an interpretation of pain experience," he told New Scientist magazine.

Most biologists believe that simple invertebrates - animals with no backbones and limited nervous systems- cannot feel pain or experience-suffering.

Professor Elwood, of Queen's University, Belfast, rejects this argument on evolutionary grounds. The ability to suffer allows animals to learn from harmful experiences and avoid them in the future, he said.

I don't know about you but I'll still enjoy my prawns the way I've always enjoyed them before knowing this.

Ten Nastiest Fishes of All Time

The ocean is full of creepy and nasty creatures such as this frilled shark.



I seriously do not want to meet any of these ever! Nasty looking creatures!

Talking With Others May Make You Smarter

Who ever knew being a chatterbox will actually make you smarter?!?

The gift of gab could boost brainpower, new research suggests.

A U.S. team found that talking to another person for 10 minutes a day improves memory and test scores.

They found that "socializing was just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual performance," lead author Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, said in a prepared statement.

In one investigation, they analyzed data on 3,610 people, ages 24 to 96.

They found that the higher their level of social interaction, the better their cognitive functioning. Social interaction included getting together or having phone chats with relatives, friends and neighbors.

Guess it's time to start chatting till dawn! :P

How Chocolate Can Save The Planet

More good news for chocolate lovers! Cocoa plants may be the answer to our planet's woes!

Many people agree that chocolate is good for the soul, and researchers are finding that chocolate can be good for the body, too. But the environment? How could chocolate help with global climate change?

The answer is found in a little piece of paradise, a patch of rainforest in eastern Brazil. Everywhere you look, something is growing. Orchids nestle in the crooks of trees. There are hundreds of shades of green, and the forest is loud with birds and insects.

Some areas have been thinned out and planted with cocoa trees — the source of chocolate. The pods contain the magical beans that Aztecs counted like gold. The cultivated cocoa trees grow just a bit higher than a man can reach, and rainforest trees tower over them like something out of Dr. Seuss — some round like lollipops, some flat like a plate.

And here's the climate connection. Rainforest trees and plants store massive amounts of carbon — keeping it from getting into the air as carbon dioxide.

More reasons to eat chocolates, no?

8-Foot Giant Catfish Caught in Cambodia

It's even larger than a human being!

Captured just before midnight on November 13 by fishers in Cambodia, this Mekong giant catfish is 8 feet long (2.4 meters long) ands weighs 450 pounds (204 kilograms).

"This is the only giant catfish that has been caught this year so far, making it the worst year on record for catch of giant fish species," said Zeb Hogan (far right), a fisheries biologist at the University of Reno in Nevada.

Read the full article here.

Eat Less, Live Longer

Good news for those who have small appetites. A new concept known as calorie restriction is being adopted by many who believe they are able to live longer by eating less.

A GROWING number of middle-aged Australians are joining a "calorie restriction" movement in a drastic bid to live for longer.

They believe eating about 20 per cent less than the recommended daily intake will extend their lifespans and help them avoid getting sick.

Evidence shows animals given fewer calories, or kilojoules, have longer life expectancies than those that eat an average amount.

Calorie restriction may also reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

However, critics warn people who drastically restrict their diets may be more likely to develop eating disorders, nutritional deficiencies and fertility problems.

Before anyone tries to drastically reduce their calorie intakes, it is best left to your medical doctors to advise you on the benefits and dangers of such methods.

Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007

Although our very own research didn't make it to the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of 2007, that shouldn't stop us from knowing what the top 10 were.

8. Planet Discovered That Could Harbor Life

Astrobiology enthusiasts have had many reasons to rejoice this year, but one of them has been somewhat controversial. After Stéphane Udry and his colleagues found a pair of planets that they believed could harbor life, other researchers disputed which of the two is most habitable, but agreed that the distant solar system is worthy of further study.

Using a Canadian space telescope and the European Southern Observatory in Chile, Udry inferred that the most promising object is slightly larger than earth, circles its sun in 18 days, and may be rocky. In a late April issue of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the University of Geneva professor provided details about his sophisticated search. Both of the celestial bodies orbit the red dwarf star Gliese 581, which is only 20 light years from earth. Although prospects for the two planets may be less hopeful than Udry and his associates projected, the methods that they used to locate the small planet could be used to make many more discoveries.

4. Enzymes Convert Any Blood Type to O

Several major Type O blood shortages, including crises at the National Institutes of Health this fall and throughout Georgia in late summer, highlight the importance of creating a versatile blood type. In the rare instance that someone receives a transfusion of the wrong type, deadly reactions (caused by sugar molecules on the surfaces of red blood cells) can cause the immune system to go haywire.

In April, Henrik Clausen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, published research in Nature describing a way to convert any kind of blood into Type O -- the type that almost anyone can tolerate. He discovered enzymes that shear the problem-causing sugars from the surfaces of A, B and AB type red blood cells. Produced by bacteria, the molecular machines could theoretically turn any kind of blood into Type O. Clausen and his colleagues described their search for the pacifying proteins in the April 1 issue of Nature Biotechnology.

ZymeQuest, a startup company from Massachusetts, is now developing a device that hospitals can use during blood shortages.

1. Researchers Turn Skin Cells to Stem Cells

Using a virus to reprogram skin cells, two teams of scientists managed to skirt the greatest ethical issue facing regenerative medicine -- the destruction of human embryos. Groups led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and Junying Yu of the University of Wisconsin coaxed a type of skin cell called fibroblasts into forming muscle, heart, fat and nerve tissues without using any eggs. Unfortunately, the hijacked cells often became tumors. Following up on his initial discovery this November, Yamanaka told Nature Biotechnology that by inserting three growth genes instead of four, the lab-grown flesh can be controlled without becoming cancerous.

Maybe with more hard work and staying over at the lab, one of us could make it to the 2008 list! :P

Bar Codes on Fishes

Seriously, this article really caught my attention. Bar codes on fishes? Definitely a new tagging system I've not heard of until now.

Most of us are familiar with bar codes, those small black stripes with numbers below, known as the Universal Product Code or UPC label, that appear on commercial products. We scan them at the grocery store or to check a price, or have to cut them out and send them in for a rebate.

Now imagine scanning a DNA barcode on the piece of fish you just bought for dinner to instantly verify the species, where it came from, its nutritional value, and other valuable information. NOAA researchers are helping to make this scenario a reality.

Maybe they can be used at the supermarket checkout counters too! :P