Fool's Gold: Scientists Discover Gold in Eucalyptus Trees

The old saying goes "Money doesn't grow on trees", but the leaves of the eucalyptus tree may hold clues that there is gold in the ground beneath them!

Scientists in Australia have discovered that many plants and trees in the drier areas of the country have root systems that burrow deep within the earth in search of precious water in order to survive. (Australia is the driest nation on the planet, as the current devastating wildfires will attest.) The trees, in particular the eucalyptus, then absorb gold and other mineral particles from the ground. In an effort to expel the toxic heavy metals, the particles of gold are then expelled through the leaves, which are the favorite treats of those adorable koala bears!

The gold particles are extremely tiny—only about one-tenth the width of a normal human hair— which means it would take a lot of particles to make any money. The presence of the gold particles in the trees, however, would be a good indication that there are gold deposits located in the ground beneath the trees, which is good news for any prospectors Down Under!

Forget Tiger's Blood...Panda Blood Could Be New Superdrug

 

Charlie Sheen may be convinced that Tiger Blood is the secret to "winning" in life, but a group of scientists in China believe that Panda blood may be far better!

It seems the blood of the way-too-cute to be real giant stuffed animals native to China have a powerful antibiotic component in their blood that can shoot down infection-causing bacteria in far less time than traditional antibiotic medications currently in use. In fact, in laboratory tests, the special ingredient in the Panda blood killed the often-deadly bacteria in only one hour, as opposed to six hours with current medications being used as a treatment.

The major problem is that the Giant Panda is one of the most endangered species on the planet: There are less than 1600 of the cuddly beasts in the wild. The animals are also not exactly known for their love of romance and are notoriously lousy at breeding to produce more offspring. Breeding programs in China have been successful at keeping the species alive and reproducing, but the scientists in charge of the research program have been able to decode the genetic sequence in the blood responsible for the bacteria-killing and are working on reproducing the agent in the lab. That way, we won't have to endure countless videos of the cutie-pie symbols of China being poked and prodded for their blood and making us feel guilty because our immune systems suck.

The scientists are hopeful they can isolate and reproduce the agent soon, providing the world with an alternative antiobiotic that will hopefully be a new-weapon against drug-resistant super-bug infections.  

 

The Blob! Scientists Create Living, Moving Gel from Human Proteins

Scientists at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, have created in the laboratory a mass of living, moving proteins, not unlike in the 1958 B-movie classic The Blob starring Steve McQueen (and its inferior 1980s remake). 

In the film, a meteorite that falls from space creates a red, gooey blob that continues to grow as it devours everything in its path. The lab created "blob" can propel itself across a surface, mimicking the movements of a living creature.

The mass–called self-propelled polymers– is comprised of miniscule droplets extracted from living cells. The proteins feed on the same energy as those found in living bodies, allowing the mass to move at the slower-than-snail like pace of 8 nanometers per step – less than the width of a wisp of smoke. 

Scientists hope that the gel can be used to deliver medicine more efficiently into the body or to perhaps target cancer cells and prevent them from growing or spreading to other parts of the human body. As the material is created from natural, biological matter, there would be less of a chance that the body would reject it. 

The material also displays signs that it can self-heal and self-generate, which could be highly useful in treating burn victims. The gel could also have industrial uses, and could be used in television and computer screens, making images even more clearer and brighter. 

  

"This is a little bit of a Frankenstein experiment," Professor Zvonimir Dogic of Brandeis University told New Scientist magazine. 

Happy Feet! Scientists Count Penguins...from Space!

Scientists conducted a census on penguins in Antarctica using an out-of-this-world method...satellite imagery!

In what The National Geographic is calling "The First Ever Penguin Census from Space", scientists from the UK, US and Australia were able to use high-resolution satellite imagery to count the population of Emperor penguins on the frozen continent. After poring over the data, the scientists were able to count approximately 600,000 of the tuxedo wearing cuties, which was double the number they were expecting to find.

"We are delighted," says a member of the British Antarctic Survey, which was able to spot seven new penguin colonies using the imagery from space. Part of the census technique relies on locating individual colonies, which is done by looking for large brown patches of guano (penguin poo) on the surface of the white ice. Then the high-resolution imagery is utilized to count the approximate number of penguins present.

While the higher-than-expected population is good news, the scientists are still concerned for the future of the species, as the effects of runaway climate change continue to place their fragile habitat in great danger.