The pick of the science news
Shared genes
Type 1 juvenile diabetes and coeliac disease appear to share a common genetic origin, according to findings reported this morning in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers in Britain found the two diseases involve genes linked to seven shared chromosome regions, which may mean the diseases are triggered by a common underlying cause. Both are auto-immune disorders where the body's immune system attacks otherwise healthy cells. The next step, they say, is to understand the connection between the seven gene groups and the immune system and to look for environmental factors that may prompt the inappropriate immune response.
Too hot to flutter
Butterflies across Europe are in trouble as a result of climate change, according to a study released yesterday. Habitats are shifting dramatically and many species will be forced to migrate northwards in an effort to remain in survivable conditions.
Details of the likely changes are found in a comprehensive study, The Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterflies. These insects are already under pressure due to habitat loss and changed farming and forestry practices.
The worst case view suggests that a 4.1 degree temperature rise would mean that 95 per cent of the land occupied by 70 different species would become too warm for continued survival there.
Looking for signs of life
The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star. The pivotal discovery shows we should be able to see signs of the basic chemistry for life if present in distant Earth-like planets. It is far too hot for life on this Jupiter-sized planet, known as 189733b, which lies 63 light years away from us. But it has served as a useful testbed for learning how to spot atmospheric markers for possible life on other extra-solar planets. Hubble has already detected both water vapour and methane. A distant observer looking at Earth and finding these substances would know that if the temperature was right, the planet would be likely to support life.
By numbers
10
The percentage of Chinese TB cases involving drug-resistant strains - nearly twice the global average, according to BMC Infectious Diseases.
38
The percentage of US adults who use complementary and alternative medicine, according to a government survey released this week.
500,000
The number of preterm babies born annually in the US, placing them at greater risk of neurological problems such as cerebral palsy.
Dick Ahlstrom
"We know the levels of the actual dioxins . . . from our own exposure we are firmly of the
belief that the risks to public health are extremely low
- Alan Reilly, Food Safety Authority, on the pig meat scare