Weekly Science Digest: Frankenstein Viruses, Silent Cars & Spinning Stars

A massive star spinning around its axis at 600 kilometres per second has been discovered by researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara. The rotational velocity, which is the fastest ever recorded, is so high that the star is almost being torn apart by centrifugal forces. Located some 160,000 light years from Earth in the Tarantula Nebula, the star is hot and luminous, shining 100,000 times more brightly than our sun. The astrophysicists behind the discovery believe stars such as this one to be responsible for gamma-ray bursts, some of the brightest explosions in the universe.

A new study has shown that so-called ‘Frankenstein’ viruses can be safely used for gene therapy. ‘Frankenstein’ viruses, commonly known as chimeric viruses, are created by cutting two different viruses up and sticking them together, often with the aim of creating a vehicle for gene therapy. A recent clinical trial saw such a virus successfully used as a delivery system for an essential muscle protein in patients with muscular dystrophy. The team believe that the trial “demonstrates that gene therapy is no longer limited by the viruses we find in nature, and should usher in the next generation of viral delivery systems for human gene transfer”.

Did you know that arranging warm and cold sausages alternatively in the pattern of a grill and then placing your hand on them can cause you to feel pain? Well it can: known as the thermal grill illusion, feeling harmless levels of cold and warm all at once in a grill-like pattern can cause humans to experience a burning cold pain. One group of scientists decided to use an fMRI scanner to figure out what this might look like in our brains. Their findings showed that those who experienced the pain had a rather busy thalamus, a part of the brain’s pain matrix which acts as a relay station for sensory impulses to pass through. The team hopes to use the data to locate exactly where the brain transforms the perception of temperature into pain.

New findings published in the journal Cancer Cell shed light on exactly how cancer tumours can grow at exponential rates. It seems that cancer cells gain the nutrients they need by producing proteins that create their own blood vessels, helping to deliver oxygen and sugars to the tumour. Scientists at the University of Bristol discovered that mutations in one specific cancer gene control how these blood vessels are created and balanced by allowing a ‘master switch’ in the cell to be turned on. By using new cancer drugs the scientists were able to block this master switch in experimental models, thereby successfully preventing the tumour from growing. The discovery marks an exciting new phase in the development of cancer drugs that might one day stop tumour growth at its source.

New research by scientists at the University of Toronto has uncovered how the intestinal tract influences a key component of the immune system to prevent infection. The findings clear up some long-standing confusion and mystery surrounding the complex balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut. The researchers discovered that some B cells - a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies - take on functions that allow them to neutralise pathogens only when within the gut. The findings highlight the importance of the gut in fighting infection and provide potential clues to the cause of autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Electric vehicles might be gaining in popularity, but, because they are almost silent, safety concerns continue to be raised. In this video, the BBC takes a look at how the music industry is playing a part in sorting the motor industry out with some new sounds.

The 'Weekly Science Digest' is a compilation of science news from around the world. News suggestions are always welcome: mark.howardbanks (at) researchgate.net