Now, Your Body Odour Can Fatally Trap Mosquitoes

                A new type of mosquito trap running on solar electricity and using human odour as bait has cut the insect population by 70% on a malaria-ridden island in Kenya. The three year study, conducted by scientists from Netherlands, along with Kenyan and Swiss scientists, also found 30% fewer malaria victims in houses that had traps than in those that did not. Although the traps appeared quite effective at lowering mosquito populations, they had some significant drawbacks. Because they need power form solar panels, they are relatively expensive. Still, the panes appealed to residents who could also use them to power a light bulb or charge a cell phone.

                Also the traps – which resemble lampshades and hang just outside the house – lured in Anopheles funestus mosquitoes, the most important malaria vector on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, where the test was conducted. But they did not attract Anopheles gambiae or Anopheles arabiensis, which are much more important malaria vectors in most of Africa, where more than 400,000 children die of the disease each year.

Also, the traps needed regular rebaiting with a blend of five chemical constituents of human odour along with a chemical that mimicks carbon dioxide plume created by breath. Mosquito traps releasing carbon dioxide are available in the US, but they can cost hundreds of dollars; can sometimes require propane tanks, electricity or dry ice; and may not be effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently tested simple bucket traps that caught egg-laying females by using water and hay as bait and sticky paper to kill.

Discovered Closest Ever 'Second Earth'

                Scientists might have found the closest ever candidate for another Earth that could support life. The new found planet orbits around a now well-investigated star in Proxima Centauri, near us, according to reports. It is similar to Earth and could support life, it is claimed. The researchers that found the planet are expected to show it off at the end of this month. But until then they are saying nothing about the revolutionary find. One report said the planet will be the closest ‘second Earth’ ever found. The Proxima Centauri system, which includes our solar system.

The still nameless planet is believed to be Earth-like and orbits at a distance to Proxima Centauri that could allow it to have liquid water on its surface – an important requirement for the emergence of life. The report didn’t give any mode details on the planet itself. NASA revealed a second Earth to much fanfare last year. That planet was called Kepler 452b, and is just 60% larger than Earth and in many other ways is almost identical to our planet.

But since it is so far away – 1400 light years – the chance of ever getting there or learning much more about it is limited. The new discovery is far, far nearer, at just 4.24 light years from us. But that still makes it too far away to actually visit with today’s space technology. But it means that we will be able to learn far more about the planet than we could about further away ones.

New Osteoporosis Drug Could Help Prevent Fractures.

                A large clinical trial of new osteoporosis drug found that it stimulates bone growth and prevents fractures at least as well as the only other such drug on market. The new drug, expected to win approval from federal regulators, would offer another much-needed treatment for people who have a disease that weakens bones and often leads to years of pain, disability and early death. Experts agree that new drug is urgently needed for this debilitation disease. People with osteoporosis have bones that are fragile and break easily. Bone is naturally lost with age. But osteoporosis is an extreme, abnormal bone loss that can cause devastating fractures, particularly of the spine and hip.The new drug looks promising, according to the clinical trial conducted by Radius. The trial compared the new drug, abaloparatide, with a placebo and with the only other bone building drug on the market. The new drug is a derivative of hormone that stimulate bone growth and it fill holes in osteoporotic bone appeared to fill faster.

Transparent Wood Windows to Keep Houses Cooler

                Scientists have developed new window made of transparent wood that could provide more even and consistent natural lighting and keep houses cooler than glass. Researchers showed that their transparent wood provides better thermal insulation and lets in nearly as much light as glass, while eliminating glare and providing uniform and consistent indoor lighting. The transparent wood lets through just a little bit less light than glass, but a lot less heat. It is very transparent, but still allows for a little bit of privacy because it is not completely see through. The channels in the wood transmit light with wavelengths of visible light, but that it blocks the wavelengths that carry mostly heat.