It could spell disaster for the world's largest freshwater fish, the Mekong giant catfish, after Laos gave the go-ahead to build a huge hydroelectric dam at Xayaburi. Cambodia and Vietnam, which share the Mekong river, fear the dam will displace millions of people and disrupt fish stocks. It could also destroy the catfish's habitat.
Gene therapy is go
People who suffer from pancreatitis could benefit from Glybera, made by Uniqure of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the western world's first fully approved gene therapy, and was cleared this week by the European Commission for sale in Europe. It consists of injections of an enzyme-producing gene which people with the condition lack.
Rarest whale found
Spade-toothed beaked whales had never been seen until two were stranded on a New Zealand beach in 2010. Genetic analyses have now shown that they belong to a distinct species rather than being grey whales, as was initially thought (Current Biology, doi.org/jpv).
Comic-book fans know that Superman's home planet, Krypton, orbited a red star before it exploded. Now astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson has found a star worthy of the Man of Steel. At 27 light years from Earth, red dwarf LHS 2520 is the right colour, size and distance to fit with comic-book lore - but still intact.
'Seeing' with sound
People blind from birth have been taught to recognise objects such as faces and letters by hearing sounds as they felt a person's face or ran their fingers over braille. Having learned to associate sounds with objects, they could work out which they were "viewing" on a screen (Neuron, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.08.026).
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