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LEADING EDGE
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Leading Edge brings you the latest news from the world of science. Geoff Watts celebrates discoveries as soon as they're being talked about - on the internet, in coffee rooms and bars; often before they're published in journals. And he gets to grips with not just the science, but with the controversies and conversation that surround it.
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LISTEN AGAIN Ìý30 min |
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"If what interests you are new and exciting ideas, it's science you should be turning to. And whether it's the Human Genome Project or the origins of the Universe, Leading Edge is the place to hear about them."
Geoff Watts |
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This week on Leading Edge -Ìý tortoise ultrasound, trust, the atomic clock and interoceptive awareness.
Trust
Car salesmen might get a boost to their selling powers with the discovery of a biological chemical that appears to make us more trusting.
Oxytocin is a hormone found in the body that is more commonly known to be involved in various symptoms of pregnancy and labour.
Now scientists at the University of Zurich have discovered that Oxytocin, when applied as a nasal spray to subjects playing a trust game, were far more trusting of other subjects in the game.
This discovery could lead to useful therapies for those suffering from mental disorders such as social phobia.
50th Anniversary of the Atomic Clock
Geoff visits the National Physical Laboratories in Teddington to see one of the most accurate time keepers in the world.
The first fully operational atomic clock was born 50 years ago on June 3rd, and Geoff hears from Dr Peter Whibberley at NPL about how and why such a clock was designed, and the current generation of clocks which are so accurate that they lose only one ten billionth of a second per day.
Interoceptive Awareness
Interoceptive awareness is the ability to hear your own heart beat. About 10% of us can, and men, thin men in particular, appear to be very good at this.
Now researchers at University College London are investigating this odd phenomenon and believe that this ability could make people who are in touch with their bodily sounds far more emotional or anxious in particular situations.
Claudia Hammond investigates this strange effect.
Tortoise reproduction
Geoff travels to South Africa to meet Dr Margaretha Hofmeyr, a specialist in tortoise reproduction.
Tortoises are naturally abundant in South Africa, although the threat of global warming is worrying experts as tortoise numbers could drop drastically as a result.
In an effort to help conservationists, Dr Hofmeyr is using ultrasound techniques to study the reproductive cycle of these hard shelled creatures.
This technique means that they can be examined throughout their pregnancy with very little disturbance to the animal itself, and hopefully provide information about how tortoise reproduction is affected in the wild, when environmental conditions change.
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