Revenge of the syph
Syphilis is on the rise in the west, particularly among gay men and drug users. Risky sexual behaviour, influenced by Viagra, illegal drugs and internet dating, is the main cause, according to a review in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (vol 8, p 244). It urges doctors to learn how to spot symptoms.
Milk wheeze
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Babies may not be the only ones allergic to milk proteins in formula. Researchers at the University of Birmingham, UK, have found that workers at a factory in Thailand exposed to powdered baby milk were twice as likely as unexposed colleagues to have wheezing, breathlessness and a blocked nose, apparently due to allergy.
Seeds of life
The theory that life on Earth was 鈥渟eeded鈥� from space has gained a boost. Three Antarctic meteorites from the time the solar system formed have concentrations of amino acids 鈥� the building blocks of proteins 鈥� 10 times higher than have been found in similar meteorites, and so could have spiked the organic soup that spawned life ().
Space hiccup
Computer glitches are so frustrating. Last week, the operators of NASA鈥檚 Cassini sent the spacecraft on a daredevil plunge through icy geyser-like jets on Saturn鈥檚 moon Enceladus, but a software hiccup left a key instrument dead. It could have revealed whether particles in the jets come from the moon鈥檚 surface or its interior.
Going, going, gone鈥�
Glaciers are melting faster than at any time during the past 5000 years, says a UN report released on 16 March. The average rate of melting between 1980 and 1999 was about 0.3 metres per year, and this had nearly doubled by the end of 2006. Many glaciers may disappear altogether within decades 鈥� bad news for India and the western US, which depend on glacial runoff for water.