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Neurocinematics: The emerging science behind the scare-factor With a rise in the popularity of the horror movie genre, and scores of scary movies making a comeback and flooding the screens – it’s time to take a look into the science behind the scare, and why some people love it and others hate it. For some people, the adrenaline rush experienced from watching a tension filled thriller or nail-biting horror is a highly sought after sensation. Whereas for others, the very idea of watching a horror movie and waiting for that scare factor to kick in is a nightmare in itself. Neuroscientists have recently started studying audience reactions and experiences while they watch horror movies in order to determine how the fear factor is [...]

The Axolotls’ Amazing Regenerative Capabilities The axolotl (pronounced “ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl”) salamander is a carnivorous amphibian that is found exclusively in the lake complex of Xochimilco outside of Mexico City. At the moment it is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a critically endangered species with a decreasing population trend despite its popularity as a pet, particularly in Japan. The fact that the axolotl is a common pet and is also widely distributed in laboratories worldwide is still problematic with regard to assisting its rapidly decreasing population. This is due to the fact that the gene pool represented in these ‘domesticated’ axolotls is restricted owed to the amount of inbreeding that occurs. The captive axolotls are also much more [...]

The suns going down on harmful sunscreens in Hawaii On the first of May 2018, Hawaii became the first state to officially pass a bill the prohibits the sale or distribution of sunscreens and sun protection products that scientists have determined contain chemicals that have been identified as damaging to the oceans’ coral ecosystems. This new legislation is aimed specifically at prohibiting the distribution of products that contain octinoxate (an organic compound that filters UVB rays) and oxybenzone (a soluble chemical compound that is used to filter UV/A rays) which have been associated with coral bleaching when it is washed off in the ocean.  However, despite the bill having been passed now, it still requires the signature of the governor and will only [...]

Beware of the dog: South Africa’s latest Rabies outbreak The rabies virus is defined as a ‘zoonotic’ disease which means that it is transmitted from animals to humans and is most commonly associated with dogs. This is largely due to the fact that in approximately 99% of all logged human rabies cases, the disease is “transmitted via dogs” which the sufferer has come into contact with through living in areas that are considered particularly high risk as they are exposed to the ‘canine-rabies endemic’ (WHO, 2018). It is estimated that “on average, 60 000 people die from rabies annually, and more than 15 million people receive post-exposure prophylaxis every year” (WHO, 2018). Generally, the rabies virus is contracted through wounds inflicted by a [...]