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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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"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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| Why did growing a beard allow Radovan Karadzic (pictured in 1992) to escape detection for so long? |
Geoff Watts looks at the top science stories of the week, with Roger Highfield, science editor of the Daily Telegraph.
Endurance-enhancing drugs
ScientistsÌýat Salk Institute in San Diego have created what they believe is the world'sÌýfirst endurance-enhancing drug.
Originally created as a treatment for metabolic disease, the compound, when given to running mice, increasedÌýtheir enduranceÌýby more than 60 percent.
But on the eve of the Olympics, could this research be abused by unscrupulous athletes seeking to gain an advantage?
Where next for NASA?
NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary this week.
Amid safety fears over the Space Shuttle and budget cuts, David Kestenbaum, science correspondent for US National Public Radio, wonders what the future holds for Agency?
Recognising faces
How was former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic able to live incognito for so long - even drinking in a bar where his picture was on display -Ìýsimply by growing a beard?Ìý
Humans pride themselves on their ability to recognise others' faces.Ìý But maybe we aren't as good as it as we think, as Geoff finds out from psychologist Mike Burton from Glasgow University.
Darwinian architecture
Tracey Logan meets members ofÌýa new generation of architectsÌýwho areÌýembracingÌýthe Darwinian laws of natural selection.
Alcoholic tree shrews
Some tree shrews found in the Malaysian rain forest go out at 8pm in the evening and drink the equivalent ofÌýtwo bottles of wine.Ìý Unlike humans, however, the tree shrew doesn't fall over afterwards.
As Dr Frank Wiens of the University of Bayreuth in Germany explains, the tree shrews survive by feeding on the fermented nectar within the flowers of certain palm trees, pollinating them as they drink.
He talks about his research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science this week. |
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