New Scientist

60 Pages·2016·11.974 MB·English

LUCKY BREAK
How neutrinos saved
the early universe
LABOUR PAINS
Health warning about risks
of natural childbirth
MOON GRAB
Luxembourg’s
lunargoldrush
WEEKLY July 9 - 15, 2016
GREEN AND BREXIT LAND
Could leaving the EU help the environment?
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C9 Moonphase
CONTENTS Volume 231 No 3081
This issue online
newscientist.com/issue/3081
Leaders
News
5 The risks of natural childbirth should be
8
clear. Don’t go ape over gibbon conservation
News
Labourpains
6 UPFRONT
Healthwarning HerpesturtletroubleonBarrierreef.
aboutrisksof JunoreachesJupiter.Alien-hunting
naturalchildbirth LIBRARY tceullelesdc.oFpier.stZfaamtabliitay’sinvualunteornabolmeohuipspcoasr
HOTO 8 THISWEEK
P
NCE Neutrinosmayexplainmissingantimatter.
NIK/SCIE Cyoouloruprefurslosinganllsapnagcuea.gNeA.SFAe’selbtihgegefostrcreocokfet
UT
SP 14 INBRIEF
Gutbacteriaeatbrainchemical.Lazybears
sticktodumps.CRISPRsnipsoutherpes
On the cover viruses.Rafting sea slug goes global. Hunt
forinvisiblealiens
26 9 Lucky break
Howneutrinossaved the Analysis
earlyuniverse
Me! 8 Labourpains 16 TeenhealthWhat are hormonal
contraceptivesdoingtoteenagegirls?
Risksofnaturalchildbirth
Why a little 32 Moongrab 18 COMMENT
LetMarsrovercheckout“life"zone.
vanity can get Luxembourg’sgoldrush
It’svitalthatrobotsfireupourempathy
you a long way 19 GreenandBrexitland
19 INSIGHT
HowleavingtheEUcould
Brexit may not doom the environment
helptheenvironment
36 Desert fire
Technology
Volcanoes of the Sahara
Coverimage 20 TestingtheDNAofrivers.Machinesdon’t
LetteringbyMDeuchars
seetheworldlikewedo.A virtual journey
insideacell.Givingplants a voice
Features
Aperture
36 24 Inside the lightning strike lab
Features
Desert fire
26 Me!(seeaboveleft)
Exploring the 30 PlightoftheHainangibbonTheraceto
savetheworld’srarestmammal
volcanoes of the
32 MoongrabLuxembourg’s lunar gold rush
Sahara
36 PEOPLE
Desertfire(seeleft)
Culture
UPER
N K 42 ListeningtoeveryoneDoantidepressants
JA work?Itdependswhoyouask
43 EattheenemyTastyinvasivespecies
Coming next week… 44 OldworldThechallenge of being 100
Does reality exist without you? Regulars
Making the universe one random act at a time 52 LETTERSOutwithobscuredarkenergy
56 FEEDBACKHomeopathsWithoutBorders
Jellymageddon
57 THELASTWORDEarth’s angle explained
How to stop jellyfish taking over the world
9 July 2016 | NewScientist | 3

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Webnewscientist.com/subscribe Therisksofallformsofchildbirthshouldbemadeclear
MailNewScientist,POBox3806,
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One year subscription (51 issues) $154 THE1983movieMontyPython’s shouldbeallowedaslongasthey side.PlannedC-sectionsarethe
TheMeaningofLifeopenswith arewarnedabouttherisks–are safestoptionforthebaby,because
CONTACTS asceneinahospitalroomwhere oftenblockedfromhavingone, theyavoidanychanceofbrain
Contact us awomanisgivingbirth.“More orhavetojumpthroughsomany damagefromavaginalbirth
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Who’s who apparatuspleasenurse,”shouts hoopstheygiveup. andthenot-insignificantrisk
newscientist.com/people onedoctor.“Getthemachine Vaginalbirthis,ofcourse,the ofstillbirthafter39weeks.
General&mediaenquiries thatgoes‘ping’,”bellowsanother. naturalendpointofapregnancy, AplannedC-sectionisalso
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Themother-to-beandherbaby butnaturaldoesnotnecessarily theonlyguaranteedwaytoavoid
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Tel [phone] areanafterthought. meangood.Andwhileitisright ariskyemergencyC-section.
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[email protected] satireontheovermedicalisation ofnon-medicalC-sections,the runoncethecostsofcaringfor
Picture desk
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Display advertising changed.Asimilarsatiretoday Pregnantwomenwhochoosea aretakenintoaccount.
Tel[phone] wouldprobablytargetthe vaginaldeliveryarenotofficially Obstetricians’leadersarestill
[email protected]
excessivepromotionofnatural warnedaboutthepossibilityof decidingwhethertopressahead,
Recruitment advertising
Tel [phone] childbirthastheideal. badoutcomesforthemselvesor perhapsfearingabattlewith
[email protected]
IntheUK,forexample,women theirbabies.NowUKdoctorsare naturalbirthcampaigners.Butif
Newsstand
Tel[phone] whorequestacaesareansection consideringwhethertoformally theydelaymuchlongertheywill
DistributedbyTime/WarnerRetail fornon-medicalreasons–which warnwomenabouttherisksof belettingdownthepatientsthey
SalesandMarketing,260CherryHill
Road,Parsippany,NJ07054 theNationalInstituteforHealth givingbirthvaginally(seepage8). aremeanttoserve.Sometimes
Syndication andCareExcellencesaysthey Themedicalevidenceisontheir medicalisationisbest.■
TribuneContent Agency
Tel [phone]
New Scientist Live
Tel [phone] Goape?Notjustyet That is a valid point. However,
[email protected]
the Hainan gibbon increasingly
©2016ReedBusiness represents the future of
InformationLtd,England. WHATistheworld’srarest afterthelastsightingin2002. conservation. Vertebrate
NewScientistISSN02624079is mammal?Ifyouhavenoidea, Fiveyears later it was extinct. populations have declined by
publishedweeklyexceptforthelast
weekinDecemberbyReedBusiness you’renotalone.TheHainan Given this precedent, what odds about half since 1970, and more
InformationLtd,England.
gibbon–currentheadcount26– do we have of saving the gibbon? and more species are dwindling
NewScientist(Online)ISSN20595387
NewScientistatReedBusiness may be on the brink, but there Is it even worth trying? Those are towards extinction. Working out
Information360ParkAvenueSouth, is barely a murmur of publicity key questions in conservation what can be done for those that
12thfloor,NewYork,NY10010.
PeriodicalspostagepaidatNewYork, about efforts to conserve it. biology right now (see page 30). have been reduced to Hainan
NYandothermailingoffices Maybe that is no surprise. We Some argue that we should gibbon levels will only become a
Postmaster:Sendaddresschanges
toNewScientist,POBox3806, often hear about extremely rare only invest in relatively healthy more common problem. Efforts
Chesterfield,MO63006-9953,USA.
species only once it is too late. The populations or ecosystems rather to save it are clearly worthwhile,
RegisteredatthePostOfficeasa
newspaperandprintedinUSAby plight of the baiji, for example, than fight rearguard actions to if only to learn lessons that will
FryCommunicationsInc,
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 only came to the world’s attention save species on the edge. maximise future success. ■
9July2016|NewScientist|5
UPFRONT
Juno at Jupiter, at last HIU/AP/PA
C
W.
H.
JUBILATION, relief and exhaustion. “We conquered Jupiter!” said NGO
RI
That was the reaction at NASA’s Jet mission lead Scott Bolton, who was
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, overwhelmedasconfirmationcame
California, the heart of the Juno in.“Allthatwentthroughmyheadis,
mission, when the probe pulled into ‘Wow.It’sperfect.’”
orbit around Jupiter on Monday night. Bolton wasn’t exaggerating: Juno’s
It was the most dangerous day orbit is so close to ideal that it is a
for NASA’s Juno spacecraft since its mere second behind its scheduled
launch in 2011. Long communication trajectory.
times between Earth and the probe Juno is now in a 53.5-day capture
made human help impossible, so orbit. Then, on 14 October, it will burn
mission engineers could do nothing its main engine, tightening up into a
but wait to hear whether it had 14-day orbit. This is also when it will
succeeded. turn its scientific instruments on to
Juno’s approach was the fastest carry out its major observations.
ever by a spacecraft going into orbit, Over the next year and a half, the
at more than 200,000 kilometres craft will investigate some of Jupiter’s
per hour relative to Earth. In the biggest mysteries, mapping the
event, the spacecraft slipped into planet’s gravity and magnetic fields,
a near-perfect orbit after a journey looking for evidence of a solid core
covering 869 million kilometres. and tracking its auroras.
–By Jove, we did it–
Noneedfordrugs antibioticprescriptionsby10per Deeperexploration Thealliance’sXLCatlinDeep
cent,itwouldseeoneextracase OceanSurveywillkickoffwith
OUTwithantibioticsforcolds? ofpneumoniaayearandone THEdeepseaisabouttoyield divesinBermudathismonth,
Peopledonotexperiencemore morecaseofquinsyeverydecade. moreofitssecrets.TheNekton usingbothmannedand
serioushealthproblemswhen “Boththesecomplicationscanbe alliance,launchedthisweek, autonomoussubmersibles.
familydoctorsarestricterabout readilytreatedonceidentified,” bringstogethermorethan30 Rogerssayssuchincreasingly
prescribingthedrugsfor saysGulliford. internationalorganisationsfrom sophisticatedcraftaregivingus
conditionssuchascoughs,colds Thesefindingsareencouraging thefieldsofscience,technology unprecedentedaccesstothedeep
andsorethroats–afindingthat forfamilydoctors,whohaveto andbusinesstotrytolearnmore sea.“Weseeagreatneedtolearn,
shouldhelpstopthespreadof decidemanytimesadaywhether aboutEarth’sfinalfrontier. andwenowhavethetechnology
antibioticresistance. toprescribeantibiotics,without “Weknowmoreaboutthe todoit.”
MartinGullifordatKing’s knowingifaperson’scondition surfaceofMarsandthemoon Nekton’sultimateaimisto
CollegeLondonandhisteam iscausedbybacteriaoravirus. thanwedoaboutourown diagnosethehealthofwaters
studied610generalpractices Usingantibioticsforwhatis seabed,”saysprincipalscientist below200metres,tobetter
intheUKandfoundthat, actuallyaviralinfectionhelps AlexRogersattheUniversity informpolicydecisionson
overall,thosethatprescribe spreaddrugresistance,butthe ofOxford. protectingthesehabitats.
fewerantibioticsforrespiratory fearhasbeenthatfailingto
catchabacterialinfectioninits Tesla: accidents will get rarer
“ThisstudyprovidesGPs earlystagescanhavesevere
withtheevidenceto consequences. THE first death in an autonomous car was watching a movie at the time.
convincepatientsthey “Thisisanimportantstudyand has occurred. According to the US Tesla said the accident was a
don’tneedantibiotics” addressesaveryemotivesubject,” road safety administration, Joshua tragic loss. “As more real-world
saysAdamRoberts,whostudies Brown was killed in Florida in May miles accumulate and the software
infectionsdonothavehigher antibioticresistanceatUniversity after his Tesla Model S hit a truck logic accounts for rare events,
ratesofseriousbacterial CollegeLondon.“Thepressure while in autopilot mode. the probability of injury will keep
complications,suchas onGPstoreduceprescriptions Brown was on a highway when the decreasing,” it said in a statement.
meningitis(BMJ,doi.org/bkrd). isincreasing,andthisstudy truck joined the road from a cross The fatality will raise tough
However,theresearchersdid providesthemwiththeevidence street. Unable to pick out the white questions about the safety of
detectslightlyhigherratesof theyneedtoconvincepatients truck against the bright sky, the semi-autonomous cars but should
pneumoniaandquinsy,arare that,atleastforrespiratorytract self-driving system failed to brake. not be seen as an indictment, says
complicationofsorethroats.They infections,itisnotgoingto Florida police found a DVD player in Hussein Dia of Swinburne University
estimatethatifanaverage-sized harmthem if they don’t receive the car, but it is not known if Brown of Technology in Australia.
GPsurgerywith7000patientscut the drugs.”
6|NewScientist|9July2016
For new stories every day, visit newscientist.com/news
60 SECONDS
Anyone out there? M/ALAMY Onwards and outwards
ClaHrgINesAt rfaindiisoh teedle bsucoilpdein ing tthhee UREPL.CO ANfetwer H itosr fizlyo-nbsy s opfa Pcleuctroa lfats ht aJusl gy,o tth e
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WILL B athcero Ksus.i pTehre b perlot baen dw iisll s hcehaedd ouuletd in ttoo
“Individual panels can be
reach MU69 on 1 January 2019.
rearranged to track specific
objects, giving it greater
Don’t take it lying down
range and sensitivity”
The idea that women are more likely
(FAST)isthesizeof30football to conceive if they lie down to help
pitches, dwarfing its nearest rival, sperm reach the egg is bogus. Women
the 300-metre-wide Arecibo who rested for 15 minutes after
Observatory in Puerto Rico. –Run for your life– insemination were no more likely to
Assembled from 4450 get pregnant than those who moved
triangular panels, the dish should Hippocullgo-ahead saysTravers.“Butatthemoment, around. The work was presented at
be able to detect astronomical Ican’tseehowtheycanjustify the annual meeting of the European
objects whose radio signals are ASMANYas2000hipposmaybe what’sgoingon.”Hehasnow Society of Human Reproduction and
too weak to be picked up by killedoverfiveyearsinZambia. writtentoZambianpresident Endocrinology in Helsinki, Finland.
smaller telescopes. And aliens. Thegovernmenthasresurrected EdgarLunguaskingforthecull
Cosmic weather map
Construction of FAST began acullingplanitsuspendedin tobeabandoned,andforopen
in 2011. It is situated in Guizhou mid-June.Animalwelfaregroups publicationoftherationalefor In March, a software glitch caused
province in a natural bowl-shaped saythereisnosolidscientificcase killingtheanimals. the Japanese X-ray space telescope
feature that is ideal for housing forthecull,whichmaybecarried Officialshadn’trepliedtoNew Hitomi to spin itself to pieces just six
the colossal concave disc. outbypayingtrophyhunters. Scientist’srequestforcomment weeks after launch. But before the
The individual panels can be Thegovernmenthasput aswewenttopress. malfunction, the probe mapped one
rearranged to focus on and track forwardvariousreasonsfor of the largest weather systems in
radio waves from specific objects thecullintheSouthLuangwa Turtles in trouble the universe, the flowing plasma of
of interest, which will give the NationalPark.Theseinclude aclump of galaxies known as the
dish much greater range and preventinganthrax,which IT’Saturtletragedy.Tumoursare Perseus cluster (Nature, DOI:
sensitivity than rival dishes. crippling an increasing number 10.1038/nature18627).
“The size of this telescope is “There’s relentless effort of green sea turtles on Australia’s
key to its scientific impact,” says to press ahead with the Great Barrier Reef. Greenpeace under fire
Tim O’Brien at the University of suspended cull, even Theaffectedanimalshavea
Athird of all living Nobel laureates
Manchester, UK. “The bigger the without scientific backing” turtle-specificherpesvirusthat
have signed a letter criticising
telescope, the more radio waves causesfibropapillomatosis– a
Greenpeace’s stance on genetically
it collects and the fainter the hipposcanspread,claimsof condition in which disfiguring
modified crops. Greenpeace has
objects it will be able to see.” overpopulationandofwater tumours grow on and inside the
“misrepresented the risks, benefits
levelstoolowtosupportboth body. Those can block vision and
MAGEShipposandtheotherwildlife. increase risk of other infections, aandddi inmgp tahcatts “”t ohfe GreM h caros pnse,v tehre bye seany ,a
GETTYIouYtebtrethakeraen’sdnwoactuerrrleenvetlasnatrhertahxe sUanyisv Kerasriitnya i nJo Tnoews ants Jvaimllee, s Cook single confirmed case of a negative
MBERGVIAhyeigahrse,sstatyhseWyihllaTvreabveeerns,ipnrfeisviedent Athuisst yreaalira s. hHoewr tse tahmat’ sin s upravretsy so f the haneiamltahl so ufrtocmom thee fiorr c hounmsuamnsp toiro n”.
NEN/BLOOoFofuwnilddalitfieonch.“aTrhiteyythareeBoonrnthFirnee rheaevfe a tsh mesaen cyr iapsp hlainlfg o tfu tmheo tuurrst.les Asleep, one ear open
JASPER JUIgroTuhnedgosvcieernntmifiecnatllsyu.”spendedthe ex“teWrne athl tirnikg gthere rthe amt ucasut bsees s ome Kreinacgt p teon dgifufienrse snlte leepvienlgs oofn t ah breeaatc,h
cullon14June,followingprotests the tumour development,” says the Society for Experimental Biology
byanimalrightsactivists.But Jones. Turtles in healthy marine meeting in Brighton, UK, has heard.
seniorofficialsmeton22June in environments can still carry the When orca or skua calls were played,
Lusaka to recommend the cull virus, but it often lies dormant the penguins woke up and fled.
go ahead after all, the Born Free with no symptoms. The next step Sounds of non-predators woke them
Foundation claims. “There’s a is to try to pin down the pollutants but they did not flee.
–Attention still needed– relentless effort to press ahead,” responsible.
9 July 2016 | NewScientist | 7
THIS WEEK
Doctors may warn of birth risks
Official advice on the risks of vaginal birth could soon be given to women
ClareWilson firstchildbirth,hefoundthatthe emergency C-section, which firstchildat38thatshehasa
riskofinjurytoawoman’spelvic carries a higher risk of infection, 15per cent chance of an anal tear
FORthefirsttime,pregnant floormusclesfromvaginalbirth haemorrhage and blood clots (American Journal of Obstetrics
womenintheUKmaybegiven risesby6percent.Theriskofone than planned C-sections. and Gynecology, doi.org/bkpw).
officialadviceabouttherelative ofthesemusclesdetachingfrom Dietz argues that women “They have the right to know
risksofvaginalbirthsand thepubicbone–whichgreatly should be warned about how that,” he said.
caesareansections. raisestheriskofuterusprolapse– factors like age and having a big At the moment, women
Themovecomesinthewake was 10 per cent for a 20-year-old baby make vaginal birth more considering C-sections are warned
ofalandmark2015UKSupreme having a vaginal delivery without difficult. In April, he suggested about potential risks, like wound
Courtcasethatawardeddamages the use of instruments like that, given that patients are infections, blood loss and riskier
forababywhosustainedbrain forceps, but this doubled to warned of risks as low as 1 in 1000 future pregnancies. But women
damageduringvaginalbirth. 20 per cent for a 40-year-old. before surgery, it is incongruous aren’t warned about the risk of
Inthiscase,theplaintiffhada Age is a factor because our nottowarnawomanhavingher bad tearing during vaginal birth,
higherthanusualriskofhaving muscles and ligaments get less which can lead to problems in
adifficultbirth,duetohaving stretchy as we grow older. This “You should be able to later life.
asmallpelvisanddiabetes.But makes them more likely to tear weigh up the risks, but “They have got leaflets about
doctorsdidn’tinformherof during childbirth, and increases you can’t if you don’t C-sections, yet most people opt
theseincreasedrisks–anactof the likelihood of needing an have the information” for a vaginal birth and there are
“medicalpaternalism”,saidthe
presidingjudge,whodecidedin
themother’sfavour.
Thisrulingisseenasapplying
toallbirths.Althoughadviceis
availableforthosewhoseekitout,
womenarenotofficiallywarned
aboutcommonriskssuchas
tearingandincontinence,because
vaginalbirthisseenasthedefault
outcomeofpregnancy.
Agematters
Inmanycountries,includingthe
UK,theaverageageofmothersat
birthhasbeenrisingfordecades.
Forexample,in1973,theaverage
ageatchildbirthinEnglandand
Waleswas26years,butby2014
thishadrisento30.Research
isnowrevealinghowageraises
therisksfromvaginaldelivery.
ArecentstudybyHansPeter
DietzofSydneyMedicalSchool,
Australia,foundthatwomenwho
havetheirfirstchildlaterinlife
apvraeeglvimnicaoflrlboeiolrirtkhienl–yjudtraoimehsaadvgueermtihnaagjtocran HOTO LIBRARY
leadtoincontinence(American NCEP
JGoyunrencaolloofgOy,b dsoteit.orircgs/ abnkdp s). NIK/SCIE
For every extra year at age of SPUT –Consent form needed?–
8|NewScientist|9July2016