Sci Files

Brandon Lorenzetti
Editorial Intern

Being big brother
If you’ve ever thought about fighting crime but don’t want to go though the hassles of police work or becoming a caped crusader, the U.K. has a solution. For a yearly payment of £13, people are now being given access to live video surveillance footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Small businesses that cannot afford to have their CCTV monitored turn to this program in hopes that someone watching will tip them off in the event of a crime. Catching a criminal in the act would be much more efficient than trying to catch a criminal on a recorded video. The subscriber who reports and prevents the most crimes in a month can earn up to £1,000. That’s not a bad prize.
With files from news.bbc.co.uk

A teary turnoff
A recent study at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science shows the tears of women turn off most men. Besides the obvious, they also found the smell of tears can decrease a man’s testosterone level, lowering sexual drive. They also discovered tears of sadness, although odorless, are different than regular tears. Saliva tests for testosterone showed a decrease when men were exposed to the tears, but not regular salt water. The researchers also realized the same glands that create tears also hold sex hormones; the connection is more prominent in women after menopause. The tests have only been done using females’ tears, but tests using males are sure to come.
With files from Sciencedaily.com

A quicker way to get tested
A new “health chip” can conveniently hold an entire lab of tests on a device the size of a credit card. The card automatically tests for eight diseases and can be diagnosed in the doctor’s office. Tubes take collected samples of chemicals and enzymes that react and are mixed instantly. The tests are also more accurate. The card is placed in a machine with drops of the person’s biological samples and the patient is given the results instantly. Expect quicker visits to doctors offices and less time at testing labs soon, as mass production starts in the next few years.
With files from Sciencedaily.com