BBC_Knowledge_2014-06_Asia_100p

18 Vol. 6 Issue 5

THE LATEST INTELLIGENCE

Update

What’s that? A

rare Pokémon,

perhaps?

Nope. It’s the new quasiparticle

discovered by researchers based

at Philipps-University Marburg in

Germany, silly. It also goes by the

slightly more prosaic moniker of

‘quantum droplet’.

Er... what’s a

quasiparticle?

Rather than consisting

of elementary particles such as

quarks and electrons, which can

exist anywhere, quasiparticles arise

thanks to the complex motions

within a material. They behave in a

similar way to real particles but can

only exist inside solids.

So what is the, ahem,

dropleton actually

made from?

It’s a cluster of smaller

quasiparticles known as ‘electron

holes’ and electrons themselves. It

results from interactions within the

3D lattice of atoms that make up a

chunk of semiconducting material.

What does it

do, then?

Well, dropletons only

exist for 25 trillionths of a second,

which is actually quite a long time

for a quasiparticle. Further study is

required to determine their exact

properties, but we do know that they

behave in ways similar to a liquid.

Dropleton

1 MINUTE EXPERT

Not so bird-brained

Animal behaviour

Parrots are among the most intelligent creatures

in the animal kingdom. Past experiments have

shown them to be capable of learning a voca-

bulary of more than 100 words and under-

standing concepts such as ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’.

Now, a study has provided evidence that the

animals can understand the benefits of sharing.

In experiments carried out by Dr Franck

Péron from the University of Lincoln, an African

Grey Parrot named Griffin was asked to choose

from a selection of four different coloured cups.

Choosing the green cup meant both he and a

human partner got a treat,

the pink cup only he

got a treat, the orange

cup only his partner

got a treat, and the

violet cup no one

got a treat. The

human partner

then made the

same choice as Griffin with the same outcomes

and the process was repeated.

The idea was to investigate whether Griffin

could understand that the human was replicating

his own behaviour by acting in a reciprocal

manner. The parrot quickly learnt that by

choosing the green cup both he and his partner

would get a treat on each turn.

“He seemed to understand the parameters of

the study; that is, that each person was mirroring

Griffin’s own behaviour and not acting

erratically,” said Péron. “Although choosing pink

would have presented the same immediate

reward as choosing green, Griffin did not

act in that manner. He seemed to figure

out fairly quickly that his choice of pink

meant that he would miss a reward

when the human subsequently

made the choice.”

‘You scratch my back,

I'll scratch yours’

18181818 VolVolVolVol. 6. 6. 6^6 Is Is IsIsuesueueue^5 

What did he say?

In an article published in the Lancet,

Watson proposed a somewhat

controversial new theory for the

onset of type 2 diabetes. The

most commonly held view is

that the condition is caused by

excess oxidation killing off cells in

the pancreas. Watson, however,

suspects the disease, along with a

whole host of others, is in fact due

to a lack of oxidants.

What's his reasoning?

The fact that physical activity helps

lower blood sugar in those with

type 2 diabetes, and that exercise

prompts the body to produce large

numbers of oxidants. He also cites

a study that showed oxidants

released in exercise lessened insulin

resistance in diabetics, but that the

benefits vanished if you gave people

antioxidants beforehand.

What happens next?

Watson has called for a ‘more

thorough scientific look at the

mechanisms through which

exercise improves our health,’ and

is planning a meeting in New York

later this year.

James Watson

Nobel Laureate and unraveller of

DNA James Watson

WHO’S IN

THE NEWS?

PHOTO: BBC, CORBIS, COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY ILLUSTRATOR: ADAM HOWLING