APRIL
2004
This section
features key science stories from The Daily Telegraph's
online news service at www.telegraph.co.uk.
Click on the links for the full story.
'Old-fashioned' pills cure baby born diabetic
A two-year-old boy born with diabetes was able to walk for the first time and develop normally after scientists uncovered the underlying genetic cause of his illness and found that an old-fashioned drug could treat it.
30 Apr 2004
Lung cancer drug's 'amazing' reaction
Scientists can now identify which lung cancer patients show a remarkable "Lazarus response" to a novel drug, marking a major advance in personalised medicine.
30 Apr 2004
How humans put the bite on Neanderthals
New evidence suggests that the life of Neanderthal man was short and probably nasty The research also provides evidence that our ancestors were responsible for their demise.
29 Apr 2004
Science 'fuddy-duddies' drop Greenfield
The whispering campaign to stop Lady Greenfield from being elected to the Royal Society appears to have succeeded: her name has been left off this year's final shortlist of candidates for the elite club.
29 Apr 2004
Yours for £28,000, a clone of the family cat
Cats can now have more than nine lives, after the launch of the first pet cloning service.
28 Apr 2004
Designer proteins conquer vCJD
Roger Highfield reports on a new decontamination method that could destroy 'human BSE' - and keep our hospitals clean.
28 Apr 2004
Did Einstein get all his sums right?
It has taken 45 years and £390m, but now one of the foundations of physics is being tested at last. David Derbyshire and Roger Highfield report.
28 Apr 2004
New gene therapy to tackle dementia
An experimental form of gene therapy has given hope of a significant advance in the treatment of dementia.
28 Apr 2004
Einstein's theory of parrot humour
The elderly Albert Einstein told jokes to a pet parrot and wrote sentimental poems to the woman known as his last girlfriend, her diary reveals.
26 Apr 2004
Stem cells offer heart treatment 'revolution'
Injections of adult stem cells can help repair failing hearts, according to the biggest and most definitive study of its kind.
26 Apr 2004
'You have to watch your back every day'
Members of The Victims of Animal Rights Extremism recounted their stories at the launch of the group: Meg, a manager in a contract research establishment, says has been harassed for five years.
23 Apr 2004
Drug firms 'hid risks to children'
Drug companies have been accused of refusing to release evidence that anti-depressants such as Prozac can be harmful to children.
23 Apr 2004
Animal rights 'targets' launch support group
Victims of animal rights extremism have lobbied MPs for legislation to curb the assaults, intimidation and harassment that they claim have increased this year.
23 Apr 2004
Mouse with two mothers and no father marks a first for mammals
A mouse has been born that has two mothers, but no father. The animal, named Kaguya shows for the first time that a particular kind of "virgin birth" is possible in mammals - and thus people.
22 Apr 2004
Weather 'to knock spots off Jupiter'
Global climate change on Jupiter could lead to the giant gas planet losing most of its large spots over the next decade, then sprouting some new ones.
22 Apr 2004
Mouse with two mothers and no father marks a first for mammals
A mouse has been born that has two mothers, but no father. The animal, named Kaguya shows for the first time that a particular kind of "virgin birth" is possible in mammals - and thus people.
22 Apr 2004
Solvent 'raises risk of female cancers'
A solvent commonly found in paint, varnishes, dyes and fuel additives can raise the level of female hormones in the body and increase the risk of breast or ovarian cancer, researchers have said.
20 Apr 2004
Spidermen may get to grips with space
A study of a spider's "foot" has shown how it sticks to ceilings and suggests the same "intermolecular glue" could help astronauts cling to surfaces in zero gravity.
19 Apr 2004
Tea can 'slow growth of prostate cancer'
Chemicals in green and black tea can slow the growth of prostate cancer cells, a new study claims.
19 Apr 2004
British scientists seek alien worlds
A hunt for new worlds was launched yesterday by a British-led project that aims to uncover thousands of alien planets, providing a massive boost for the search for extraterrestrial life.
17 Apr 2004
Slowdown in ocean currents may bring ice age to Britain
A crucial "cog" in the circulation of the North Atlantic is slowing down, which could signal a major upheaval in the climate of Britain.
16 Apr 2004
Sudden Oak Death disease threatens New Forest firms
Plant nurseries, garden centres and landowners around the New Forest have been warned by the Government that there is a "significant risk" of the fungal disease Sudden Oak Death developing there following outbreaks in Cornwall and Sussex.
15 Apr 2004
'Anything you can do' row is ages old
The differing ability of men and women to learn skills has an ancient origin that dates back six million years, according to a new study.
15 Apr 2004
Half a second, that's all it takes to spot a liar
A new way of spotting a liar has been devised by a psychologist who has discovered that it takes longer to tell a lie than it does to tell the truth.
15 Apr 2004
Close relationships 'good for the heart'
Heart patients who have someone close to confide in are less likely to suffer another cardiac attack, a study claims.
15 Apr 2004
Little and large: the stickleback shows how the whale lost its legs
Scientists have discovered a simple genetic change that can make an animal lose its hind limbs over generations, shedding light on how whales, snakes and some fish lost limbs or fins as they evolved.
15 Apr 2004
Close relationships 'good for the heart'
Heart patients who have someone close to confide in are less likely to suffer another cardiac attack, a study claims.
15 Apr 2004
Europeans stretch for edge over New World
Americans have lost their height advantage over the Old World, reports Kate Connolly in Munich.
14 Apr 2004
Will computers run your world?
A national forum this month offers people the chance to tell experts their hopes and fears about technology. The Royal Society's Earl of Selborne explains its importance.
14 Apr 2004
Going batty in the rainforest
Jessi Tucker reports on the use of genetics and ecology in the quest for defining species of Malaysian fruit bat.
14 Apr 2004
Oldest mouse may give clue to youth
Yoda has just celebrated his fourth birthday to become, according to an American specialist in ageing, the world's oldest mouse, providing scientists with insights into how to arrest ageing.
14 Apr 2004
New face found on Turin shroud
The respected Institute of Physics in London has renewed speculation about the Turin shroud by announcing that a "ghostly image" has been discovered on the back.
13 Apr 2004
After six gruelling years, this was our very last chance
When Liz and David Barker agreed to try out the new treatment, they were on the point of giving up all hope of having a baby.
12 Apr 2004
Thousands of women offered baby hope
Thousands of women struggling to have babies could be helped with a new technique that stops their bodies rejecting newly conceived embryos, doctors say.
12 Apr 2004
Russian plan to put men on Mars 'by 2009'
Russian scientists have announced an ambitious project to send a manned mission to Mars by 2009.
10 Apr 2004
Spending on organic food trebles since 1990s
Shoppers are spending three times as much on organic food as they did in the late 1990s, research shows.
09 Apr 2004
How cats first crept in 9,500 years ago
The oldest pet cat has been uncovered by archaeologists, curled up near its probable owner in a grave dug some 9,500 years ago.
09 Apr 2004
Genes give a clue to treatment of asthma
Two human genes linked to the development of asthma have been discovered, shedding new light on the rise in the incidence of the disease among children and its treatment.
09 Apr 2004
How cats first crept in 9,500 years ago
The oldest pet cat has been uncovered by archaeologists, curled up near its probable owner in a grave dug some 9,500 years ago.
09 Apr 2004
Dark days ahead for the cosmos
The lights are going out across the cosmos: astronomers have discovered that the universe reached a climax in the numbers of stars born five billion years ago, billions of years earlier than previously thought.
08 Apr 2004
Boffins need a blockbuster dialogue
Does science matter? the New York Times asked rhetorically a few months ago. Among the articles in a supplement that underlined how much it does matter, the British Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse stole the show with an offbeat opinion piece. He argued that the most important question facing science in the next 25 years was how to maintain its contact with society "to ensure that it has a continued licence to operate".
07 Apr 2004
EU law on eugenics attacks our freedom
One clause in the draft European Constitution seems noble but it contains a Trojan horse that will undermine doctors and academics, says Steve Jones
07 Apr 2004
Obesity 'will top smoking as main cause of cancer'
Obesity could overtake smoking as the most common preventable cause of cancer in Britain within 10 years, scientists have said.
06 Apr 2004
BBC bans Teletubbies from advertising unhealthy foods
The Teletubbies and Tweenies are to be banned from promoting unhealthy children's food, the BBC has announced.
06 Apr 2004
What's the big idea?
Roger Highfield on imaginary time and other theories.
06 Apr 2004
Children under two 'should not watch any TV'
Children under two should not be allowed to watch any television because it increases their chances of suffering attention problems later, a study shows.
06 Apr 2004
How smokers 'harm healing'
People who live with smokers find that their cuts and grazes take longer to heal and are more likely to leave scars, according to a study.
05 Apr 2004
Millions wasted on needless jabs for pets, say vets
Pet owners are wasting millions of pounds each year on unnecessary booster vaccinations for cats and dogs, it has been claimed.
02 Apr 2004
Decoding of lab rats' genome 'is a medical milestone'
Scientists have annonuced a "major milestone" with the unveiling the genetic code of a laboratory rat.
01 Apr 2004
Universe could be teeming with life, says study
One in 20 stars in the night sky could be orbited by Earth-like planets capable of supporting alien life, according to a new British study.
01 Apr 2004
