UK Womb Transplant Trials Given Go-Ahead

Thousands upon thousands of women are either born without a uterus or have it removed for health-related reasons. This has massive implications for their ability to have children, as you can imagine. Their only options are adoption or using a surrogate mother. But following success in Sweden last year, a team of doctors has been granted approval by the Health Research Authority (HRA) to carry the UK's first womb transplants. Ten women will be selected as part of a clinical trial launching in spring. Dr Richard Smith is a consultant gynaecologist at Imperial College London's Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea Hospital. He has been working on this project for nearly 20 years and will lead the transplant team from Womb Transplant UK. So, what's the process? All in all, the operation takes about six hours to complete, with the uterus coming from a donor who is technically dead but whose heart has been kept beating. This is in contrast to Sweden where the wombs were donated by live donors, but the decision in the UK was reached as the operation to remove a womb is very high-risk and complex. As with any transplant, the recipient will need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the whole time she has the womb and throughout any potential pregnancy. This is to prevent the chance of the body rejecting the donor organ. The patient's own eggs and her partner's sperm will be combined to create an embryo before the trials begin. Her health will then be closely monitored for a year before the embryo is implanted using IVF treatment. Assuming all goes well, the baby will be delivered by Caesarian section eight months later. And then, just six months after giving birth, each couple will be given the option of trying for one more baby. The womb will then be removed by a team of surgeons and the patients can live out the rest of their days with the family they thought they would never have. The womb will only be donated to the patient for the purpose of allowing her to have her own children, and as soon as it's fulfilled its purpose, it will be removed. It might sound confusing to donate an organ to someone only to remove it a couple of years later, but it's actually in the best interests of the patient. If there is no organ for her body to reject, she won't have to take immunosuppressants for the rest of her life. Patients in the trial must all meet certain criteria set out by Dr Smith and his team at Womb Transplant UK. This includes being under the age of 39, having a long-term partner, and being of a healthy weight. More than 300 women have already approached the team, of which 104 qualify. So far, the project has been self-funded and supported by public donations, which for the moment will allow the team to carry out two procedures. Each procedure costs in the region of £50,000, but none of the women in the trial will have to pay for their own participation. Dr Smith described himself as an "enormous optimist". This could be down to the project running on no money from the start, but someone always coming along at the right moment to provide enough funding to keep it going. He added that despite "quite a lot of crisis" with the project, the team has pushed on because of what it would mean for so many people. "Surrogacy is an option but it does not answer the deep desire that some women have to carry their own baby," he said. "For a woman to carry her own baby, that has to be a wonderful thing." The British Fertility Society Chairperson, Professor Adam Balen, welcomed the news. "The UK have been working on this for many years," he said, "so it's very exciting that they've been given the go-ahead to move to clinical practice." If you want to donate to this amazing cause, you can do so by visiting the Womb Transplant UK website here.

New Speedy Movements Seen in Carnivorous Plant

Biologists from the University of Bristol have discovered that a particular species of carnivorous plant needs its own category after observing the plant using movements never before seen in the plant kingdom. Writing in PNAS, the study authors suggest the Nepenthes gracilis is able to launch ants - its food source - to their death by using the power of falling raindrops. Carnivorous plants attract and consume insects to derive nutrients from them. Until very recently, there were two main categories of carnivorous plant. The first is the "active" category, where you would find various species of flytrap. These lure insects into the jaws of their "mouth" and snap closed suddenly until the plant's juices digest the insect. The second category is "passive", in which most pitcher plants fall. This is because the plants are motionless and rely on their slipperiness to slide their prey to their end. Pitcher plants are so named because that's what they look like - pitchers or jugs. The main body of the plant is the pitcher tube, which holds a sinister liquid inside that could easily be confused for sap. But this liquid is, in fact, the plant's digestive juices and the inevitable demise of any insect to fall into its depths. At the top of this tube is the peristome, the lip of the jug. This lip frames the mouth of the pitcher plant. Attached to the lip is a parasol-like lid called the operculum, the tip of which often hovers over the open mouth. And it's the lid of the Nepenthes gracilis that is particularly interesting. The team, led by Dr Ulrike Bauer, found that raindrops kick off very fast vibrations in the plant's operculum, which propel ants to the digestive juices waiting inside the pitcher tube. The study findings were based on the measurements of laser vibration caught on high-speed camera. The team was able to record extremely fast movements in the pitcher's lid-like leaf after it was hit with a raindrop. Dr Bauer explained that the movement is so quick because of its spring property: the operculum moves and then springs back. "You get an oscillation," she said, likening the movement to that of flicking a ruler on the edge of a desk. And intriguingly, the movement is unique in plants. Not only is it quicker than any other movements witnessed in carnivorous plants, but it also exploits an outside energy source to make this movement happen. As the team explained in their press release, all plants can move, but this movement is often too slow to be observed with the naked eye. "Sunflowers turn their heads to follow the path of the sun," the press release read. "Pot plants on a window sill turn their leaves towards the light." And while there are some fast-moving plants, such as those with catapult mechanisms to shoot seeds and the like or the flytraps we mentioned earlier, they need to use their own energy to power the movement. Apparently, the key to this fast movement lies in the stiffness of the pitcher's operculum lid. The team compared it to that of another species of pitcher plant. This second species catches ants using only the slippery rim of its pitcher tube and had a much more pliant lid than the Nepenthes gracilis. Bauer explained that the plant needs to maximise the area where insects fall from the surface of its lid, so the tension is spread throughout the whole operculum and not just the tip. She explained that otherwise the lid would act more like a diving board and wouldn't be an effective method of capturing food. The operculum is also coated with an anti-adhesive coating which makes it slippery enough that even the slightest instability in the leaf would cause the insect to lose grip and hurtle towards the digestive juices. And it's just the right amount of non-slip that when the leaf is calm, the ant can walk across with no worries at all. So it seems that the categorisation of carnivorous plants isn't as clear cut as just "active" and "passive". And the new "passive-dynamic" category has a solitary member in it - for now, at least. The study authors sum it up pretty well: "The passive-dynamic N. gracilis trap indicates the existence of a continuum between active and passive trapping mechanisms in carnivorous plants." Will there now follow mass re-categorisation? Watch this space!

Pumpkin: It’s a… Raccoon’s Life?

Pumpkin the raccoon has become something of a celebrity, a beloved star of Instagram. Last year, when she was just a month old, she fell out of a tree and into Rosie Kemp’s back garden in the Bahamas. The poor little mite had a broken back leg and it soon became apparent to Rosie and her daughter Laura Young that Pumpkin has been abandoned by her mother. It turned out that the Bahamas Humane Society, an animal nonprofit, couldn’t take her in, but raccoons are allowed to be kept as pets as long as they have been properly vaccinated. Fortunately, some of Laura's friends had some experience with rearing raccoons and under their advisement, she took Pumpkin home with her to look after her and welcome her to the family. Everyone in the Young family warmed to Pumpkin almost immediately, but the humans weren't the only ones who had to become accustomed to another addition to the family. Toffee and Orea, the Young's rescue dogs, would also have a say in the matter. But evidently there was nothing to worry about. The dogs loved Pumpkin just as much as everyone else and took her under their... paws. The pups are Pumpkin's best friends and mentors, but Laura says the bond is deeper than that. "Pumpkin considers the dogs her mums," Laura explaining that the little raccoon does so much with her doggy pals, from exploring outside, playing, and even sleepy cuddles. The Youngs document daily life with the youngest member of their family with photos on Pumpkin's very own Instagram account - which has 173,000 followers at the time of writing. But Laura does want to stress that raising a raccoon isn't the same as with a domesticated pet, and raccoons are better off in the wild. Laura took her in because she wouldn't have fared in the wild and bringing Pumpkin into the family home was the best hope for her survival. As well as being great climbers, raccoons are highly intelligent animals, with an excellent memory. They can have some very human-like characteristics, and a couple of studies have shown that they are able to both recognise symbols and differentiate between the number of grapes inside a box. Laura is so happy that the world can share in the wonder of Pumpkin. "She is a cheeky little thing, so wonderful and highly intelligent, and always very entertaining," she enthused. And we thought we'd share some of our favourite pictures with you!

To check out more pictures of Pumpkin, you can visit her Instagram here. Prepare for cuteness overload!

Discovery of Mammals that Survived Dinosaur Extinction

When we think of dinosaurs, we often conjure up images of these huge beasts, bigger than houses, strong and capable of withstanding anything - except for an extinction-causing asteroid smashing into the planet. Those dinosaurs didn't stand a chance, so it's hard to imagine that much else would have. But according to a paper published on Monday in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, there was an ancient species of mammal that managed to survive that extinction level event. Not only that, but it would go on to thrive for a further 100 million years until rodents took their place about 35 million years. After the dinosaurs had died out, mammals appeared to take over, and the remains of a newly discovered creature could give us clues as to how this happened. The fossil of this now extinct animal was discovered by Carissa Raymond, a student of Edinburgh University's Dr Steve Brusatte. Dr Brusatte was lead researcher for the paper, but you might already have heard of him from his work on the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs. Dr Brusatte said that it soon became apparent that the fossil belonged to a new type of mammal that no one had seen before. The animal's teeth, in particular, were specialised for chewing on plants, making it clear that this new-but-ancient mammal was a herbivore. At the back of its mouth sat complicated rows of cusps (the cutting edges of teeth) and in the front were incisors for gnawing. Raymond found the fossil on site in Kimbeto Wash, a badland area of New Mexico in the US. This location lent its name to the creature, Kimbetopsalis simmonsae. The second part of its name, "psalis", is in reference to its teeth and means "cutting shears". After intense study of the remains, the team determined that the Kimbetopsalis was a plant-eating mammal that resembled a beaver or large rodent, although it wouldn't have been closely related to either of these. The scientists were also able to gauge an approximate weight of 40kg (88lb) from the fossils and estimated the creature to be just under 0.5 metres long (1.6 feet). Further examination led to the team to confirm their belief that Kimbetopaslis belonged to a now-extinct group of animals called multituberculates, so named because of their vast number of teeth. Multituberculates actually originated alongside the dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. And with the dinosaurs no longer around, these creatures started taking over the world, increasing in both size and number. It is thought that this is why there are so many varying mammals around now. "A whole lot of mammals did die," said Dr Brusatte. "But this group is one that made it through pretty well. "Literally, the world changed one day." Dr Thomas Williamson, the corresponding author of the paper from the New Mexico Museum, described the Kimbetopsalis finding as a pleasant surprise that filled an important gap in the knowledge and record of mammals. He said that it was interesting that this group of animals was among the few to survive the dinosaur extinction and go on to thrive afterwards. Dr Williamson also hypothesised that the survival could have been something to do with the animals already being well-adapted to eating plant matter. But whatever the reason, the remains help to show just how quickly the group of animals could evolve "to take advantage of conditions in the post-extinction world". Dr Brusatte agreed and explained that in relative terms, the mammals that survived what the dinosaurs couldn't began to recover quite quickly, and it's because of this that our own ancestors got their start. "The history of life hinges on moments that can reset the course of evolution," Dr Brusatte declared. He explained that despite the size and strength of the dinosaurs, they weren't able to make it through the asteroid collision. "Mammals fared better," he said. "Now, one species of brainy ape occupies that dominant place in nature that was once held by the dinosaurs."

Could ‘Good’ Bacteria be Key to Preventing Asthma?

Contrary to popular belief, asthma isn't just a childhood condition. It affects around five-and-a-half million people in the UK alone - one in 12 adults and one in 11 children. It's more common in women than in men and can develop at any age. It isn't fully known what causes the condition, but it leads to inflammation and sensitivity of the bronchi in the lungs, which carry air in and out. When an asthma patient comes in contact with something that irritates the bronchi, such as pollen, animal fur, or dust, the airways narrow, the muscles tighten, and there is an increase in phlegm. All of this combines to make the sufferer struggle to take a breath. As with most conditions, the severity varies from person to person. It can be controlled in most sufferers most of the time, but some people have more persistent problems and more frequent "asthma attacks". Attacks can occur when asthma symptoms either gradually or suddenly worsen, perhaps as a result of being triggered by those irritants we told you about. Stressful situations have also been known to bring about an asthma attack. Asthma cases have been rising over recent years and it's thought to be something to do with children not being exposed to enough microbes when they are very young. The immune system struggles to tell the different between the friends and foes inside the body. However, this is just one hypothesis among many. There currently isn't a cure for asthma, but there are treatments aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing future attacks, and medicines usually administered via an inhaler. As we said, there isn't a known cure, but scientists in Canada might be on to something. Reporting in Science Translational Medicine, they suggest that being exposed to "good bacteria" early on in life could actually prevent asthma from developing altogether. The team, led by Dr Stuart Turvey and Dr Brett Finlay at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver's Children's Hospital, were analysing the millions of bacteria that naturally live inside the human body. There were 319 children in the study, some of whom were found to be lacking in four types of bacteria collectively known as "Flvr": Faecalibacterium, Lachnospiro, Veillonella, and Rothia. At the age of three months, these children were found to be at a higher risk of developing asthma when they were a couple of years older, based on wheeze and skin allergy tests. These babies also digested their food differently, shown by the lower levels of acetate, a type of fatty acid, in their stool. These differences were only noted at three months old, and couldn't be found in those who were a year old. This suggests that the first few months of children's lives are crucial. Exposing them to the right bacteria during the right (tiny) timeframe could be the best way of preventing not only asthma but allergies as well. "This discovery gives us new potential ways to prevent this disease that is life-threatening for many children," said Dr Turvey. "It shows there is a short, maybe 100-day window, for giving babies therapeutic interventions to protect against asthma." He went on to explain that the long-term goal would be to develop an Flvr supplement for children in the first few months of their life to protect them against asthma. "Our ultimate vision of the future," he added, "would be to prevent this disease." Dr Finlay, the other corresponding author of the paper, said that he was surprised that the immune system could be being influenced by faecal microbes, but that it made sense. "What data is really starting to show these days is that the immune system gets itself set up in the gut and influences how it works everywhere else in the body," he explained. Commenting on the study, Dr Samantha Walker from Asthma UK said that while the study suggests gut bacteria could factor in why some people develop asthma, much more research is needed. Ultimately, it is too early to say for sure whether or not "good" bacteria could be the key to preventing the condition, but the results certainly look promising. More than anything, the study could at least further our understanding of how asthma develops and how it might best be treated, or even eventually prevented.  

China and US Agree Truce on Cybercrime

Tensions have been growing in recent years when it comes to US-China relations. It is thought to be a sign of wider struggles to do with what constitutes proper and acceptable behaviour over the internet, otherwise known as Cyberspace. But in meetings and a joint news conference last week, US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take steps to address cybercrime. The two presidents have reached an agreement in which neither country will engage in cyber economic espionage. What this ultimately means is that spying on each other's governments is fine, but not spying on companies in the other country for commercial gain. National security information isn't covered in the agreement, but the theft of trade secrets is. Of course, both countries deny taking part in the cyber theft of such trade secrets, but both want it to cease happening. President Obama spoke of a common understanding between the two nations that neither should knowingly support or conduct the cyber theft of intellectual property and that any such cyber attacks would not be acceptable. The Chinese president happily agreed and said, "Confrontation and friction are not the right choice. Confrontation will lead to losses on both sides." However, President Obama has warned that the US will be watching to make sure China keeps its word, and that anything to the contrary will result in serious sanctions for the offending nation. "It has to stop," he declared. "The question: 'Are words followed by actions?'" During the meetings, President Xi also pledged to llimit greenhouse gas emissions with a cap-and-trade scheme, something the American president thanked him for. This scheme would see companies in China being charged if they an amount of pollutants beyond the specified level. On top of this, China said it would commit $3.1 billion (£2 billion) to helping developing countries reduce their carbon emissions. This is along with other initiatives outlined in a fact sheet provided by the White House on China's and the US's joint national carbon emissions trading schemes set to launch in 2007. These actions from China would align the country's climate work with that of the US. Of course, the conference was not all smiles and agreements. As expected, there were still some areas of contention. For example, President Obama expressed concerns about the growing tensions in the South China Sea, where China is reclaiming islands. The American president said that although the US has no territorial claims to those islands, it wants to make sure all of the rules are properly being followed. President Obama also criticised China's human rights record, informing President Xi that China won't be able to live up to its potential unless journalists, lawyers, and other such professionals are able to operate freely. But that negativity aside, the truce should pave the way to mending some of the relations between the US and China. The presidents even announced a new initiative, "One Million Strong", which will hopefully see a million students in the US learning to speak Mandarin by 2020.

Panic Over: PM says Free School Meals Won’t be Cut

Over the past couple of week, you might have heard something about free school meals and how the government plans to cut them in the next spending review, in November. This would mean that many families would struggle to make sure their children had a substantial and nutritious meal at lunchtime when they are at school. Schools also wouldn't be able to ensure that the children in their care had at least one hot meal a day. So, of course, when the news started to spread that free school meals would be no more, panic set it. Parents all over the UK starting condemning Prime Minister David Cameron for breaking his word, and more than 40 health professionals signs a letter that was published in a popular Sunday newspaper. The letter explained that a third of all children leaving primary school are overweight or obese, so making sure a nutritionally balanced lunch at school has never been so important. "A free school meals policy could end up paying for itself many times over and reduce the spirally costs to the NHS," the authors of the letter pointed out. All of this speculation began when Chancellor George Osborne demanded cuts of 25% to 40% a couple of months ago, which would be taken from unprotected budgets. With the free school meals budget costing in the region of £600 million a year, the public made the logical leap and assumed that school lunches would be targeted for these cuts. But now Mr Cameron has dismissed any speculation that free school meals will be adversely affected in the spending review, and said that he is committed to free school meals for all infants in England. According to an official spokesperson, the PM pointed out that free school meals were in the manifesto - something that would not change. This manifesto reads: "We will support families by providing free school meals to all infants." The spokesperson also claims the Prime Minister is very proud of what the government has achieved so far in regards to free school meals. "We believe that every child, regardless of their background, should have the same opportunities," the spokesperson said. "No child should be hindered because they're not eating a nutritious meal at lunchtime." They also explained that by providing significant financial support to schools across the country, schoolchildren are eating better food that "sows the seeds for healthy living for life". Dave Prentis is the General Secretary for Unison, which is one of the UK's largest trade unions. He said that the recent speculation of the future of free school meals has caused many struggling parents much anxiety, worrying that the one hot meal their children were guaranteed each day would be taken away from them. "But thankfully," he concluded, "the government has seen sense, responded to the pressure put on them, and now free school meals will live to see another day." When the free school meals for all infants was initially announced, it was clear to be a huge and important step for families all over England. At the time, then-Deputy PM Nick Clegg said: "Giving children a good healthy meal at lunchtime is the best way to make sure they can concentrate and do well in the classroom." The message remains unchanged... And long may it continue.