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LEADING EDGE
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Leading Edge brings you the latest news from the world of science. Geoff Watts celebrates discoveries as soon as they're being talked about - on the internet, in coffee rooms and bars; often before they're published in journals. And he gets to grips with not just the science, but with the controversies and conversation that surround it.
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"If what interests you are new and exciting ideas, it's science you should be turning to. And whether it's the Human Genome Project or the origins of the Universe, Leading Edge is the place to hear about them."
Geoff Watts |
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| Lucy (found in Ethiopia) - cast of skull and jaw |
In a new series of Leading Edge -human origins in Ethiopia, the winning colour red,听battle of the sexes听and stem cells research听.听
Stem cells research
A paper published in this week's edition of the journal Science reports a new advance in stem cell biology: an advance that brings us one step closer to the day when these valuable cells will be available to patch up or replace failed or damaged organ systems throughout the body.听
The new work comes from South Korea where Dr Woo Suk Hwang has already established himself as one of the leading exponents of the art and science of nuclear replacement.听
Geoff Watts talks to a co-author on the paper, Dr Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh, and Dr Steven Minger, director of the Stem Cell Biology Laboratories at Kings College, London.
Red is the winner
The success of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool might not be to do with the skill of their players, but down to the colour of their strip.
Red coloration is associated with high testosterone, fitness and aggression in animals - an effect that might also operate in humans.
A recent survey from University of Durham indicates that sporting competitors are more likely to emerge victorious if they are wearing red.
Battle of the sexes
Sexual conflict in humans is well known about, but the animal world has its share of sexual tension.
Males of many species have come up with some cunning mechanisms to ensure that the females they mate with have trouble conceiving with other males.
Gareth Mitchell reports from a recent meeting at the Royal Society which investigated some of these bizarre tricks.
Human origins in Ethiopia
Geoff Watts visits Dr Berhane Asfaw in Addis Ababa to learn about the significant role that Ethiopian scientists have played in telling the story of our earliest ancestors.
Many of the most significant finds of early humans have been discovered in the dry dusty valleys of Ethiopia, where the conditions have perfectly preserved these extraordinary remains, including Lucy, one of the earliest humans ever discovered.
These fossils have brought to life an incredibly clear picture of our听four million year old ancestors and have helped our understanding of how the earliest hominids separated from the great apes and have gone a long way to answering the question of whether Homo sapiens evolved from Africa.
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