A Sprinkling of Seasonal Science Stories
20th December 2024
By Sarah Perceval, Senior Manager, Healthcare & Science PR.
At Alto Marketing we’ve been getting into the festive spirit and, as we always enjoy an interesting scientific fact or two, we thought that you may also appreciate a light dusting of seasonal science stories that have caught our eyes.
Mistletoe glue
Now this story adds a whole new element to the phrase ‘sealed with a kiss’! Scientists from the University of Essex have been exploring the healing power of mistletoe and its potential to be used as an environmentally-friendly surgical glue.
This iconic festive plant’s white berries have been used since Roman times as a strong glue, however, its use for this purpose is scientifically understudied. Interestingly, researcher Dr Pallavi Singh said that, “Mistletoe also has the largest genome of any plant to be sequenced in the UK, meaning the research could have wide ranging impacts in biotech and how we understand the world.”
It’s early days still in their studies to see if mistletoe and mistletoe inspired glue can be developed commercially, but they’re planning on sticking with it!
Cool running reindeer
You may think that a reindeer’s biggest problem might be how to stay warm in temperatures of well below -50°C, given its Arctic home. However, reindeer in fact have to overcome issues of overheating!
Their evolutionarily-adapted winter pelt is extremely well insulated, and so, as they can’t simply slip out of their fur coat to cool down when they exercise, they’ve developed novel mechanisms of doing so. Norwegian scientists at the Department of Arctic Biology, University of Tromsø, have found that reindeer can switch their blood flow patterns to regulate their body and particularly their brain temperature to prevent heat stress. It’s quite mind blowing!
Cancer crunching Christmas dinner
Christmas is generally viewed as a season of overindulgence, so you’ll be pleased to know that researchers at the University of Newcastle have found that parts of our Christmas dinner can have health benefits.
Scientists have been researching the different characteristics and compounds of various festive side-dishes. Notably, in a systematic review and meta-analysis of nearly 200 studies and 4.7 million participants, carrots were observed to help reduce cancer risk by almost a quarter. The Newcastle study’s analysis showed that those eating five portions of carrots weekly had a 20% reduction in developing all types of cancer. Certainly, something to chew over!
Santa’s Christmas Eve travels tested
Is it scientifically possible to deliver so many presents in a single night? The theoretical plausibility of Santa’s incredible Christmas Eve journey has been amusingly put to the test by a physics and maths lecturer at Queen’s University, Belfast.
Dr Andrew Brown has examined various possibilities, ranging from Einstein’s theory of relativity, through to teleportation and quantum time travel, noting their potential pitfalls and allocating a theory validity score out of 10. Achieving 9/10, the most likely theory appears to be the Von Neumann Theory, which could involve nanotechnology and a self-replicating sleigh. It also seems to be the least risky of all the options…both to Santa and the universe in general!
And that’s a festive wrap!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from all of us at Alto Marketing!
