BBC Science Focus - 10.2019

DISCOVERIES

A study of more than 160,

adults from low, middle, and

high-income countries carried out

by researchers at Laval University,

in Quebec has found that cancer has

overtaken heart disease as the

leading cause of death in rich

countries, accounting for 26 per

cent of deaths worldwide. Heart

disease remains the leading cause

of death worldwide, accounting for

more than 40 per cent of all deaths.

Vodka distilled

from crops

grown in

Chernobyl

WHAT DID THEY DO?

Researchers from the University of

Portsmouth have created a brand

of artisan vodka using mineral

water and rye taken from an

area of the Ukraine that has been

abandoned since the Chernobyl

nuclear disaster. Fiingly, they

called it ATOMIK.

WHAT DID THEY FIND?

Though they found some signs of

slightly elevated levels of

radioactivity in the grain, the

finished vodka was confirmed to be

radiation-free in a series of tests

carried out at the University of

Portsmouth and the University of

Southampton, as well as in an

independent wine and spirits

testing lab. The only radioactivity

detected in the alcohol was natural

carbon-14, which was at the same

level that would be expected in any

spirit drink.

WHY DID THEY DO THAT?

The team wanted to investigate the

potential transfer of radioactivity

to crops grown in the Chernobyl

Exclusion Zone to determine

whether it is now suitable for

agricultural use.

ey did what?

Testosterone may not

be linked to empathy

Researchers have poured cold water

on the idea that people with increased

testosterone have reduced empathy. The

study was motivated by the fact that

five times as many males as females are

diagnosed with autism.

“Of course, the primary suspect when

we have something that is sharply

differentiated by sex is testosterone,”

said Dr Gideon Nave at the University

of Pennsylvania, who led the study.

One theory for this sex difference

in autism diagnosis is that autism

represents an exaggeration of ‘male’

tendencies, characterised by a thinking

style that’s geared more towards

systemising than empathising.

This ‘extreme male brain’ hypothesis

has been supported by previous studies

that found a connection between

increased testosterone and reduced

cognitive empathy – the capacity to

read the emotions of others, which is

characteristically impaired in people

with autism. However, these studies

were limited by small sample sizes,

and the difficulty of determining

a direct link. In this new study –

the largest of its kind – Nave and

colleagues recruited 643 healthy men,

giving them either an application of

testosterone gel or a placebo. The men’s

empathy levels were then measured

using questionnaires and behavioural

tasks. In one task, they were shown

a photo of an actor’s eyes and asked

to select the emotional state that best

matched their expression.

But the researchers found

no evidence for a link between

testosterone levels and empathy. “Our

results unequivocally show that there

is not a linear causal relation between

testosterone exposure and cognitive

empathy,” said Dr Amos Nadler at

Western University in Canada, who

was involved in the study. However,

this doesn’t rule out the possibility that

testosterone could still be related to

empathy in a more indirect way.

“It seems that if testosterone does

have an influence, the effect is complex,

not linear,” said Nave. Meanwhile,

the sex difference in autism diagnosis

remains something of a mystery. “For

now, I think we have to embrace our

ignorance on this,” he added.

Some scientists have criticised the

study, arguing that testosterone gel may

offer different results from testosterone

exposure in the womb.

PSYCHOLOGY

CANCER IS LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN RICH COUNTRIES

GET T Y IMAGES X3 ILLUSTRATION: GABRIEL SILVERA

DISCOVERIES

A study of more than 160,

adults from low, middle, and

high-income countries carried out

by researchers at Laval University,

in Quebec has found that cancer has

overtaken heart disease as the

leading cause of death in rich

countries, accounting for 26 per

cent of deaths worldwide. Heart

disease remains the leading cause

of death worldwide, accounting for

more than 40 per cent of all deaths.

Vodka distilled

from crops

grown in

Chernobyl

WHAT DID THEY DO?

Researchers from the University of

Portsmouth have created a brand

of artisan vodka using mineral

water and rye taken from an

area of the Ukraine that has been

abandoned since the Chernobyl

nuclear disaster. Fiingly, they

called it ATOMIK.

WHAT DID THEY FIND?

Though they found some signs of

slightly elevated levels of

radioactivity in the grain, the

finished vodka was confirmed to be

radiation-free in a series of tests

carried out at the University of

Portsmouth and the University of

Southampton, as well as in an

independent wine and spirits

testing lab. The only radioactivity

detected in the alcohol was natural

carbon-14, which was at the same

level that would be expected in any

spirit drink.

WHY DID THEY DO THAT?

The team wanted to investigate the

potential transfer of radioactivity

to crops grown in the Chernobyl

Exclusion Zone to determine

whether it is now suitable for

agricultural use.

ey did what?

Testosterone may not

be linked to empathy

Researchers have poured cold water

on the idea that people with increased

testosterone have reduced empathy. The

study was motivated by the fact that

five times as many males as females are

diagnosed with autism.

“Of course, the primary suspect when

we have something that is sharply

differentiated by sex is testosterone,”

said Dr Gideon Nave at the University

of Pennsylvania, who led the study.

One theory for this sex difference

in autism diagnosis is that autism

represents an exaggeration of ‘male’

tendencies, characterised by a thinking

style that’s geared more towards

systemising than empathising.

This ‘extreme male brain’ hypothesis

has been supported by previous studies

that found a connection between

increased testosterone and reduced

cognitive empathy – the capacity to

read the emotions of others, which is

characteristically impaired in people

with autism. However, these studies

were limited by small sample sizes,

and the difficulty of determining

a direct link. In this new study –

the largest of its kind – Nave and

colleagues recruited 643 healthy men,

giving them either an application of

testosterone gel or a placebo. The men’s

empathy levels were then measured

using questionnaires and behavioural

tasks. In one task, they were shown

a photo of an actor’s eyes and asked

to select the emotional state that best

matched their expression.

But the researchers found

no evidence for a link between

testosterone levels and empathy. “Our

results unequivocally show that there

is not a linear causal relation between

testosterone exposure and cognitive

empathy,” said Dr Amos Nadler at

Western University in Canada, who

was involved in the study. However,

this doesn’t rule out the possibility that

testosterone could still be related to

empathy in a more indirect way.

“It seems that if testosterone does

have an influence, the effect is complex,

not linear,” said Nave. Meanwhile,

the sex difference in autism diagnosis

remains something of a mystery. “For

now, I think we have to embrace our

ignorance on this,” he added.

Some scientists have criticised the

study, arguing that testosterone gel may

offer different results from testosterone

exposure in the womb.

PSYCHOLOGY

CANCER IS LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN RICH COUNTRIES

GET T Y IMAGES X3 ILLUSTRATION: GABRIEL SILVERA