Monthly focus

The endocrine machine

04 December 2017

Hormones and the endocrine system have a deep impact on human health. Credit — Shutterstock/ PKpix

Hormones are blamed for everything from weight gain to mood swings and this December, Horizon takes a closer look at these chemical regulators and their effects on our bodies and minds. We explore the impact of the so-called love hormone on the human-dog relationship and what it can tell us about social disorders. We find out what’s being done to neutralise the hormone-disrupting chemicals that are found in water and sewage, and we discover the importance of hormonal rhythms in tracking disorders that can lead to obesity, heart disease and osteoporosis.

A new filtration system is using natural molecules to remove 95 % of hormone-affecting chemicals from wastewater. Credit – CC0

health

18 December 2017

Natural enzymes filter hormone-disrupting chemicals from sewage

A new filtration system that uses natural molecules to remove hormone-affecting chemicals from wastewater has succeeded in trapping 95 % of these substances before the water goes back into the environment.

Professor Eystein Sverre Husebye said hormone disorders have consequences including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and ulcers. Credit — Eystein Husebye

interview | health

11 December 2017

New device will shed light on hormonal disorders – Prof. Eystein Sverre Husebye

Hormonal disorders can affect people's immune systems, metabolism and even bones, and unravelling the mystery around something called ultradian rhythms could help improve diagnosis and lead to better treatments, according to Professor Eystein Sverre Husebye, who works at the Department of Clinical Science at the University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway.

Scientists have identified five genes that are associated with help-seeking behaviour in dogs. Credit – Pixabay/ Kat Jayne

health

04 December 2017

Human-dog bond provides clue to treating social disorders

The chemistry behind social behaviour in animals, including the bond between people and dogs – and the lack of one between humans and wolves – could help scientists identify new ways of treating social disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.

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Our shifting surface

In August, Horizon looks at one of the features that makes Earth unique and habitable: plate tectonics. We explore what we know – and still don’t know – about how the shifting plates beneath our feet shape our planet. We speak to researcher Dr Kate Rychert, who wants to understand what makes a plate plate-like, and delve into one of the outstanding mysteries in the subject – how and why plate tectonics began. We find out about the link between mountain formation, erosion and climate change, and we look at what moonquakes and marsquakes can reveal about tectonic activity elsewhere.

The Mexican Tetra cave fish is brighter and has more sensitive taste buds than fish of the same species that live in rivers, but unlike those, it cannot regenerate heart muscle. Image credit - H.Zell/Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0

Secret of how fish repair their hearts could help cardiac patients

The ability of certain fish to heal damage to their hearts could lead to new treatments for patients who have suffered heart attacks and may also help to unravel how the lifestyle of our parents and grandparents can affect our own heart health.

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How waste CO2 is helping to turn renewable energy into liquid fuel

Storing power generated by strong winds or bright sunshine by turning it into liquid fuel such as methanol can help to ensure green energy does not go to waste, without having to rely on batteries.

The endocrine machine

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Natural enzymes filter hormone-disrupting chemicals from sewage

New device will shed light on hormonal disorders – Prof. Eystein Sverre Husebye