Mon 3rd 1:05 B37 Biological Sciences (BS) Thurs 13th 5:00 Staff Common Room (BS) Research Seminar: Dr Ben Evans (McMaster Round Table Talks: Ruben Heleno, ‘Seed pre- University, Canada), ‘Duplicate gene evolution dation and seed dispersal by birds - a new use and expression regulation in polyploid clawed for food webs,’ Ellie Whittaker (TBA), Prof frogs (Xenopus)’ Keith Edwards, ‘A personal view on how to get money from the BBSRC’ Tue 4th 1:00 2D24 Psychology Department (PD) Talk: Kerry Schofield, ‘Some touch of mad- ness: differentiating between healthy and at-risk schizotypy’ Lunchtime (BS) BioSoc, Film: check email for details Evening (Java) BE Ball hosted by BioSoc and Tubes Wed 5th 4:00 2D2 (PD) External Talks: Professor Marius Usher (Birkbeck - University of Lon- don), ‘Neural synchrony, visual grouping and selective attention’ Mon 17th 1:05 B37 (BS) Research Seminar: Dr Thurs 6th 5:00 Staff Common Room (BS) Mary Cameron (London School of Hygiene & Round Table Talks: Amy Chen TBA, Krystina Tropical Medicine), ‘Future measures for house Golabeck, ‘Shouting at the neighbours: coopera- dust mite control’ tive territory defence or selfish advertisement in the group-living pied babbler,’ Dr Steve Soffe Tue 18th 1:00 2D24 (PD) Talk: Nick Scott-Samu- TBA el ‘Motion matters’ 5:15 Staff Common Room (BS) Workshop in Mon 10th 1:05 B37 (BS) Research Seminar: Dr Ecology and Animal Behaviour: Natalie Hempel Kerry Franklin (Royal Society University Re- de Ibarra , (University of Exeter), ‘Colour vision search Fellow, University of Leicester), ‘Making and behaviour in bees’ light of the cold: Light and temperature signal crosstalk in plant environmental adaptation’ Tue 11th 1:00 2D24 (PD) Talk: Chris Kent, ‘The relationship between perceptual processes and retrieval processes’ Lunchtime (BS) BioSoc film: check email for details Wed 12th 4:00 2D2 (PD) External Talks: Profes- sor Neil Burgess (University College London), ‘Spatial memory: from neurons to learning and Wed 19th 4:00 2D2 (PD) External Talks: Profes- behaviour’ sor Dave Perrett (St.Andrews), TBA WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH? WHAT’S Missing Link Editorial Team Head of Production: Anna Leon Editor: Ariane Whitehead Assistant Editor: Agata Staniewicz Design Editor: Emma Clark Art Editor: Nadège Laici Secretary and Treasurer: Sophie Morgan Proofreaders: Anita Singh, Sarah Haigh, Angharad Rolfe Johnson, Katy Blatch. Supervisors: Laura Saez, Nick Easton Head of Marketing: Carsten Reinhard Web Designer: Katherine Dallal The Missing Link Dear Life Scientists, Welcome to The Missing Link, March 2008. This issue is humans can’t help but place on these packed full of exciting themes from a discussion of green creatures’ abilities. Some topical debates politics to the thermodynamics of lava lamps (this month’s ensue – such as the examination of cover feature), and the psychology behind false memories; whether it is not only economically, including, of course, all of our fabulous regulars. This but ethically viable to produce bio-fuels. month we also have a guest extended feature of ‘Cockatiels In a time when the importance of and Cocktails’, where a gripping story of hyena feeding time developing ways to feed the world and feed our insatiable in Harar, Ethiopia is so eloquently told. And, another new appetite for energy is paramount, the little known topic of feature appears this month: The Weird and Wonderful – an mass wastage is broached. For those naturalists out there, a account outlining the discovery of a new mammal in Tanza- critical review of Sir David Attenborough’s latest and last nia’s Eastern Arc Mountains. BBC series, ‘Life in Cold Blood’ reminds us why we will miss Attenborough so much when he leaves our screens. I’m also very pleased to have Dr. Arthur Goldsmith of the School of Biological Sciences’ Behavioural Biology doing Of course, there is plenty more to whet your appetites so I a new regular in our ‘Comment’ section. His début as a won’t keep you any longer from what I promise will be an Missing Link columnist is, I hope you will agree, touché. A educational, controversial and, above all, fantastic read. fantastic piece describes some of the animals to have become famous in the world of animal behaviour, and highlights the Ariane anthropomorphic twist of the Theory of Mind, that we as Editor CONTENTS MAR C H 2008 Features Abaracadabra-Abacus 4 Neurological disorders 15 Organic Farming vs. bio fuel 6 Ever wondered how a lava lamp The tricky question of Tuberculosis works? 16 and the BCG 8 Ker-ching! Money for maths 19 Where have all the Quaggas gone? 10 Evolutionary Epistimology 20 Suggestibility Effect 12 It’s all in the past, man: A Teleological Impulsive Minds 14 account of the content of mental representation. 22 Regulars News 2 Comment: The Cult of the Individual 28 Events 3 Weird and Wonderful 29 BS Research News 5 Reviews 30 Living Geen 11 PD Research News 13 TV and Radio Highlights 31 Cockatiels and Cocktails 24 Games 32 Comment: Green Fever 26 In Focus 33 News and events News and events News Kate Weatherall tells us what’s new to science this month Mummy, Mum & Dad? Men get more reward from compu- Ice shelf collapse not due to climate ter games than women change alone Doug Turnbull and his team in New- castle have developed a human em- It seems an obvious claim to make bryo with three parents in an attempt but research now officially proves to prevent women passing on heredi- that men get more out of their tary diseases through their mitochon- XBox360 than women. A recent dria. Over one in 5,000 people suffers article in the ‘Journal of Psychiatric from such untreatable conditions Research’ shows that the mesocorti- including fatal liver failure, stroke- colimbic system, the area of the brain like episodes, blindness, muscular responsible for emotions related to dystrophy, diabetes and deafness reward and addiction, is significantly [doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2004.09.005]. more active in males than females Turnbull successfully transplanted a when playing computer games donor egg with its nucleus removed [doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2007.11.010]. and the nucleus of a newly fertilised Functional magnetic resonance egg inserted, making an embryo with imaging recordings were made from When a 500 bn tonne, 656 ft thick, the mitochondrial DNA of the donor eleven young men and eleven young 1,255 sq mile ice shelf in Antarctica egg. Mitochondria contain only women as they played a computer broke apart in March 2002, it was 0.0005% of the genetic information in game. The male participants showed seen as a dramatic sign of the effects humans, encoding just 37 genes for much more activity as they succeed- of global warming. In 1998 the British reproduction of its own proteins. The ed, with the three structures within Antarctic Survey predicted that the human embryos developed normally the reward circuit – the nucleus ac- ice shelves were in danger but the but, due to restrictions on ethical cumbens, amygdala and orbitofron- speed an d severity of the loss of the grounds, were killed after 6 days. tal cortex – having more influence on shelf, known as Larsen B, was shock- Similar work on mice however pro- each other. So next time you tell your ing. New studies claim that climate duced healthy adults. This technique, male flatmates they are addicted to change was not the only cause: involving the genetic modification computer games, you actually have “A number of other atmospheric, of humans, has huge ethical implica- proof! oceanic and glaciological factors are tions, as Josephine Quintavalle of the involved” says Professor Neil Glasser pro-life group ‘Comment on Repro- of Aberystwyth University. The large ductive Ethics’ points out – “It is amount of meltwater on the shelf human beings they are experiment- before its collapse led many to be- ing with…we should not be messing lieve that an increase in atmospheric with the building blocks of life.” For temperature was to blame; however, campaigners who are seeking a cure other factors such as the location and for these untreatable diseases it may spacing of fractures on the ice shelf be a glimmer of hope but a long ethi- indicate that it had probably been in cal battle is sure to ensue before the distress for decades before its final procedure reaches the clinics. < demise. 2 Nadège Laici The Missing Link News and events News and events Events What’s on in and around Bristol this month, by Ariane Whitehead. Fairtrade Fortnight 15th Feb – March 9th There will be a variety of events across Bristol to raise awareness and celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight and there will also be a Fairtrade marketplace in the foyer of the Colston Hall. http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ Bristol Zoo Gardens 23rd March – 11th May: Night, by the Royal West of England ! Academy of Arts An exhibition themed around night, with photography, film, drawing, painting and live performance. http://www.rwa.org.uk/index.htm Avon Wildlife Trust Thursday 27th March: Behind the scenes at the BBC Natural History Unit Talk by Peter Brownlee, editor of wildlife films. Millen- nium Hall, Chew Magna, 7.45pm. http://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/ Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project Sunday 9th March: Tree gazing along the Avenue Join Tony Titchen for a Sunday stroll along the tree-lined Avenue, on the Downs and learn how to identify the trees you meet along the way. 2.00pm – 4.00pm, £3.00. http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/ The Bristol Astronomical Society Observing at Failand on Saturday Nights. Sessions are held every clear Saturday night at their observatory just south of Bristol. http://www.bristolastrosoc.org.uk 3 Biology Biology Abracadabra-Abacus The molecular abacus is an exciting new tool available to molecular scientists.