Interesting science article?

Question

For an assignment I have to find a science article about anything relating to science (preferrably biology) but I am drawing a complete blank. It has to be interesting and can be summarized in 100 words. For example, one student presented a short paragraph about a band-aid that can cure some skin diseases. Any good ideas?

Answer 1

I know a good one. In 2002 scientists neuroscientists at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, made a rat that could be controlled by remote control.

This robo rat had electrodes in its brain that caused the animal to feel touch to its left and right whiskers, and then another electrode in it's "pleasure centre".

When the animal turned left in response to the sensation on it's left whisker, it was stimulated in it's "pleasure centre", and vice versa for the right. This trained the animal to turn left and right. Stimulation to the "pleasure centre" by itself caused the animal to move faster, or encouraged it to walk to step inclines/ladders.

Here is an article from the BBC on it:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1961798.stm

Here is a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpfjmzZ4NTw

If you're library or school has access to nature, here is the original report:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v417/n6884/full/417037a.html

Answer 2

My suggestion:

An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest. Peter J. Turnbaugh, Ruth E. Ley, Michael A. Mahowald, Vincent Magrini, Elaine R. Mardis, Jeffrey I. Gordon

Nature 444, 1027 - 131 (21 Dec 2006)

My quick summary:
The authors found that lean vs obese mice have different complements of bacteria in their gut. Obese mice have bacteria that are more efficient at harvesting the energy of the food they ate than the bacteria of lean mice.

When germ-free mice were innoculated with bacteria from obese mice, they gained significantly more weight than if they were innoculated with bacteria from lean mice.

The paper suggests that not only are your own genetics and what you eat responsible for obesity, but that the bacteria in your gut also play a significant role in obesity