Immune cells can reel in and kill escaping dangerous cells using a nanotube, a study by Imperial College London, has shown. The research is published in this week’s proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A natural killer cell captures a target cell with a membrane nanotube. Photo credit – Imperial College London/PNAS

Previous studies have shown the ability of natural killer cells to destroy their prey by latching onto them and transmitting toxic molecules across a bridge known as an immune synapse. But it was not known how they might deal with dangerous cells that try to run away.

Researchers are very interested in understanding how these cells operate – as they are our primary defence against cells which are infected by bacteria and viruses, or have become tumourous.

The new study has shown that natural killer cells can ensnare their victims with a membrane nanotube, which can then be used to kill the target from afar, or to draw them in for the regular ‘direct contact’ death.

A target cell is drawn in by the bungee-like nanotube. Video Credit: PNAS

“Natural Killer cells are cells that are very good at killing tumours and virus-infected cells. It was thought they kill these diseased cells only by sticking to them tightly for several minutes. These new movies show that in fact they also tether cells with long membrane connections and can pull diseased cells back into contact. We think they may also use these nanotubes to kill them from a distance,” said Professor Daniel Davis, from the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology at Imperial.

The researchers dyed the cells to enable them to see the membrane nanotubes in action under a microscope. Membranes were found to connect natural killers cells not only with cancerous, infected and tumour cells, but also with each other. The nanotubes were also seen to be able to pull back dangerous cells up to twice as fast as the fleeing cells are able to escape.

A natural killer cell remotely kills a target using a membrane nanotube. Video Credit: PNAS

“The next step is difficult because we have to know where and when these processes are important in your body, and the technology to see such thin nanotubes in the body hasn’t been invented yet. It’s a very new research area and we need to learn how the process works precisely so that we can then think about ways to design drugs that help immune cells kill,” Professor Davis added.

The study was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Association for Cancer Research (Association pour la recherche sur le cancer) in France.

An emergency helicopter is being made that will be able to explore American cities in the wake of potential nuclear attacks.

The automated aircraft, developed by engineering students at Virginia Tech University in the US, will be capable of recording radioactivity levels and surveying damage.

Kevin Kochersberger, a research associate professor with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering and director of the Virginia Tech Unmanned Systems Laboratory, and the autonomous helicopter. Picture credit - Virginia Tech

The team hopes that the device will never be needed. “It’s for a worst-case scenario,” said the leader of the project at the Virginia Tech Unmanned Systems Laboratory, Kevin Kochersberger.

The device, which developers expect will be ready for use in the next three years, is intended to aid military investigators in the potential event of a nuclear attack on a city.

Capable of being directed to radioactive sources of its own accord by specially written flight-control software, the helicopter can be easily outfitted with one of a number of “plug-and-play” devices to perform specific functions. For example it can be set up to detect radiation levels or film footage of the disaster area.

One of the devices is a stereo camera that is capable of creating three-dimensional images of the terrain beneath the helicopter. This could be used to interpret the exact nature of a detonation.

The navigation systems have already been tested in the field. The aircraft has successfully located a planted source of radiation at Kentland Farm, a few miles from the Virginia Tech campus. The trials were overseen by representatives from the Department of Defense, who came to see the craft being put through it’s paces.

Another package that can be attached to the helicopter is quite unique: a small, retractable robot can be lowered to the ground to collect evidence from the danger area. The robot, which is designed to be completely waterproof, will also have a small vacuum device to collect dust, in addition to the ability to recover larger objects.

A mechanical engineering student who is working on the team, Michael Rose said: “The robot is expected to easily manoeuvre any terrain, including expected bomb craters, as part of its investigation.”

The machine, which is a re-engineered Yamaha unmanned RMAX helicopter, is around 1.8 metres (6 feet) long and weighs around 90 kilograms (200 pounds).

Research by the US Geological Survey is being used to recast building codes in Haiti, as part of the reparation efforts following the magnitude-7 seismic event there earlier this year.

The USGS have installed a number of seismic monitoring stations around the region – both on the harder bedrock and on the softer basin sediments – and are using GPS measurements to track any deformation on the fault line which runs under Haiti. It is hoped that these stations will enable seismologists to better assess the locations that present the greatest hazard in an earthquake.

A collapsed multi-story building in Port-au-Prince

This research into the geology of Haiti, which is being overseen by the Earthquake Disaster Assistance Team program, will then be used to help draw up safer building codes for the different areas of the region.

“USGS research will contribute to explicit recommendations to both the Haitian government and the international community that is assisting the reconstruction efforts,” said Walter Mooney, USGS geophysicist, adding “it’s imperative that we move quickly, because in some areas reconstruction has already begun that may not withstand another earthquake of this magnitude.”

At present, Haiti has no codes covering the seismic-proofing of its buildings and infrastructure. This makes buildings in more seismically susceptible areas, such as those built on sedimentary basins, more vulnerable to damage by surface waves.

“Specifically, we found that buildings on harder, more stable bedrock fared much better than buildings on softer sediments, such as those located in the center of cities like Port-au-Prince and Leogane,” Mooney said.

Even though the 12th January episode was the largest seismic event in the region over the last 200 years, seismologists are concerned that another earthquake could strike in the near future.

BYU Geologist Brooks Britt with one of the Abydosaurus skulls. Photo credit: Mark Philbrick

A new species of dinosaur, which has been named Abydosaurus mcintoshi, has been uncovered from a quarry in the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. Palaeontologists, from Brigham Young University, extracted four juvenile specimens from the surrounding Late Cretaceous sandstone of the Cedar Mountain Formation.

Artist Michael Skrepnick's depiction of Abydosaurus mcintoshi

Most unusual was the presence of four skulls, two of which were fully intact, among the remains – these will join the other eight, of the 120 known, sauropod species from which complete heads have been discovered. BYU palaeontologist, Brooks Britt, said: “Instead of thick bones fused together, sauropod skulls are made of thin bones bound together by soft tissue. Usually it falls apart quickly after death and disintegrates.” From these finds more information can be uncovered as to how such dinosaurs dined.

The new species was named after the ancient city Abydos, on the Nile, which was the final resting place of the Egyptian god Osiris’ head and neck – fitting, as the type specimen, also of a skull and neck, was discovered beside the Green River. Jack McIntosh, a palaeontologist who studied sauropods, is recognized by the specific name. It is thought that Abydosaurus is the younger relative of another long-necked herbivore, Brachiosaurus.

Scientists have created a diamond nanowire that emits single photons, Nature Nanotechnology reported this week. Harvard University , the University of Munich and Texas A&M teamed up to use impurities within the crystal to generate light.

Lead researcher, Marko Loncar, said: “The diamond nanowire device acts as a nanoscale antenna that funnels the emission of single photons from the embedded colour center into a microscope lens.”

It is possible that, in the future, this technology might be applicable to the further development of fiber-optics in the fields of communication and computing.

Warming seas are melting Greenland glaciers

The ocean waters that melt ice in fjords significantly affect the stability of the edges of the Greenland ice sheet, Nature Geoscience reported this week. The research also showed that the submarine melting of glaciers can produce ice loss in the same order of magnitude as the breaking-off of icebergs.

“The studies by Straneo and Rignot and their colleagues are vital steps towards an understanding of Greenland’s ice loss into fjords,” commented Paul Holland, of the British Antarctic Survey.

The researchers carried out oceanographic studies of the fjord in which the sea meets the Helheim Glacier – where there is a notable interchange between the waters of the fjord and subtropical waters on the shelf.

Got milk?

Small herds of cows which are tied into stalls produce more milk than their counterparts that are allowed to roam free, it was announced this week. Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science studied 812 herds of Norwegian Red Cattle in both tie- and free-stalls.

Lead author, Egil Simensen, said: “Free-stall cows in smaller herds produced significantly less milk than those in tie-stalls, but more milk in larger herds.”

The study, printed in the journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, also showed that free-stall cattle are less susceptible to metabolic disease and have higher levels of reproductive success. This study follows a ban on the manufacture of new tie-stalls in Norway in 2004.

US scientists create universal afterbirth

Colliding gold ions, travelling near the speed of light, have created a liquid which is 250,000 times hotter than the Sun, reported Physical Review Letters this week. The material, a flowing mix of the subatomic particles quarks and gluons, was generated at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York.

Dr. William F. Brinkman, Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, said: “This research offers significant insight into the fundamental structure of matter and the early universe, highlighting the merits of long-term investment in large-scale, basic research programs at our national laboratories.”

A 2.4 mile-circumference Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider was used to create the quark-gluon plasma – the same substance believed to have existed microseconds after the Big Bang, from which all other mater was formed.

Ed. – Ian Randall interviews his ecologically minded relative on her work with the local wildlife movements.

She was a bored ex-banker who went from having almost no knowledge of wildlife to being acknowledged as one of the leading environmental figures in her borough. Awarded recognition for an ‘outstanding individual contribution to beautiful Bromley’ at the end of last year, Jennie Randall tells us how she got involved in the local environmental movement and her aspirations for the future.

Jennie Randall

“I had this hideous fear that it would involve digging …I don’t do digging.” – Jennie Randall is a small, unimposing woman, with an energetic glint in her eye and a sharp sense of humour. Long running chairman of ‘The Friends of Jubilee Country Park’, former casual countryside officer for Bromley Council and the recipient of three environmental awards, Mrs Randall has had a profound impact on conservation within Bromley; showing us the impact that one enthusiastic person can have armed with nothing more than enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

One Sunday in September 2002, bored and with “nothing better to do”, Mrs Randall grudgingly attended a nature walk in Jubilee Country Park. “It sounded very unappealing,” she admitted. “I had no interest in nature or the environment; I thought I would go and see what it was all about.” That one walk piqued a fascination and devotion to wildlife which has spanned seven years. The countryside ranger leading the lecture, Nick Hopkins, said that he thought there would be a lot of history to be uncovered within the park; he was always hopeful that one day, someone would take the time to investigate it. Mrs Randall was to become that person.

A year later and Jennie had begun to investigate numerous ‘odd little pieces’ of history around the park. The most notable concerned the time around the Second World War, when Jubilee Country Park hosted a heavy anti-aircraft gun emplacement. As a result of a display of her research in an exhibit in Bromley Museum, Mrs Randall was contacted by channel four, who visited Jubilee Country Park to record a piece for a documentary on life in the Home Guard.

Jennie also told us of a Parish boundary they had discovered to run through the park: “We’re aware of this from a document in the British Museum that goes back to the year 862; this boundary was regularly walked – in the Bromley area, they had a different system, they used to do bumping, where they bumped someone’s head against the boundary marker to remind them where the marker was.” Sadly, this custom is not continued through to this day.

Joining the Friends of Jubilee Country Park filled a void in Jennie’s life. “I realised what great fun it was; there was a terrific sense of camaraderie with all the people I was working with.” Mrs Randall, who previously worked as a foreign cashier in a banking hall, told us of how she enjoyed the challenge of something completely different from her past activities: “I had absolutely no experience whatsoever,” she said. Despite having a fear of public talking, Jennie now leads regular events within the park, including her ‘that’s what friends are for’ walk, in which she explains the activities of the group.

On becoming publicity officer of the Friends group, a role taken mostly because there was no-one else to fill it, Jennie discovered an unexpected aptitude for landing grants for the park. To this day, she has succeeded in raising in excess of £20,000 for the group; with the funds available to purchase tools, materials and construct other items for the park, such as historical and wildlife interpretation boards, the Friends group was able to really get started in earnest.

Chair of the group for four years now, Mrs Randall, who has become known to some by the nickname ‘Jubilee Jennie’, acts as a mentor for other up and coming environmental groups within the Bromley area. Her ‘Join the Friends’ flyers are used by a number of other groups, one even in the neighbouring borough of Greenwich. Jennie dreams of creating a handbook of appropriate material, advice, constitutions and letters that might be used to encourage and assist other environmental groups.

“My favourite thing about the park is the fun that we have,” Mrs Randall said.